Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 218 I Avoid His Edge?
In late spring, the Grand Canal's waterway is widened and made calm by the swollen spring water.

However, a massive fleet is cutting through this waterway in a way that clashes with the tranquility.

The fleet's flagship was a giant ship, painted entirely in bright yellow, the color representing imperial power. The menacing gilded dragon head at the bow seemed to come alive in the reflection of the water.

Zhu Youjian sat upright behind a large rosewood desk. In front of him was not some classic texts or historical books, but a stack of Xuan paper with the ink still wet on the edges.

This is some intelligence that the Embroidered Uniform Guard has gathered about Songjiang Prefecture over the past month.

The records above are not official documents or tax accounts, but rather the most mainstream, authentic, and private topics and trends discussed by the self-proclaimed upright officials and gentry of Songjiang Prefecture at poetry gatherings and elegant meetings in various restaurants and private gardens.

Every word seemed like a secret message, painstakingly extracted from the gaps between the clinking glasses of those well-dressed gentlemen.

The butcher from Lu has left Qufu.

With just a few words, the contempt and arrogance of that group of people are vividly portrayed.

Interesting. Butcher.

In their eyes, the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty was nothing more than a crude and uncouth warrior who knew nothing about etiquette and morality and only knew how to use weapons.

These people don't even bother to use titles like "Your Majesty" or "Son of Heaven," as if simply mentioning them would be an insult to the orthodox tradition they claim to uphold.

A cold smile crept across Zhu Youjian's lips, but his eyes grew even colder. His fingers slid towards the second dish.

"The usurpers from the north are heading south along the canal."

Those who overstep their bounds.

Interestingly, the exact fate of the Kong family had not yet reached Songjiang, yet this group of people were already impatiently accusing him of crimes.

What transgression was made?
This naturally transgressed their strict hierarchical system of "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants," and overstepped the age-old tacit understanding that "the law does not apply to scholar-officials!"

This group began to try to wrap themselves in the invisible and intangible cloak of moral tradition, as if as long as they occupied the moral high ground, the emperor's blade would be blunted.

The Zhu family emperor has entered Huai'an.

The title had changed. This meant that scattered news about Qufu had begun to arrive, and the group sensed something was amiss.

This sword from the north seems to be much sharper than they imagined!
The Ming Emperor arrives in Yangzhou.

Finally, they reluctantly admitted their identity—the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, the news that the Kong family had been uprooted, that hundreds of thousands of acres of the Kong family's sacrificial lands had been confiscated, and that the lineage of the Duke Yansheng had been completely destroyed, exploded like thunder in the sky of Songjiang Prefecture!

Everyone was stunned by the result; their innate sense of superiority collapsed instantly, replaced by a deep-seated fear.

That butcher in their eyes really dared to kill a saint!

Five days ago, when Zhu Youjian was about to arrive in Songjiang—"The Emperor's Procession is About to Arrive in Songjiang".

Panic began to spread, and attitudes changed drastically.

The arrogance and contempt of the past few days seemed to have never existed.

The major wealthy families have shifted their focus from romantic poetry and song to how to cope with the impending divine wrath.

The secret report, accompanied by the undercover agent's records, was filled with frantic words about how to flatter, fawn, and protect oneself.

Zhu Youjian's gaze finally fell on the last report, which was the secret report that had just been delivered that day.

Finally, the day before yesterday, there was an article titled "Long Live the Emperor! The Son of Heaven has graced his loyal domain, the Cloud Realm, with his presence today!"

Zhu Youjian could even imagine that at this moment, the Songjiang Wharf must be filled with colorful flags, bustling crowds, and countless gentry and common people preparing to stage a grand scene of universal support for the emperor and his subjects in harmony.

From butcher to usurper, then to Zhu family emperor, and finally to "Long live the Emperor".

Six rapidly changing faces were vividly captured on these six thin secret reports, revealing their ugly and nauseating behavior.

These are the gentry of Jiangnan, the pillars of integrity in the Ming Dynasty.

In Zhu Youjian's eyes, the mockery was as thick as ink that could not be dissolved.

He casually pushed the stack of secret reports aside, as if brushing away some filth.

Then, from the other side, I picked up a completely different letter.

This letter did not bear the mark of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; the seal was made of sealing wax and stamped with a private seal—"Xu Guangqi's Seal."

He opened the envelope and slowly unfolded it.

The strong, powerful handwriting on the letter paper was striking, yet it carried an unprecedented heaviness and pain, each word seemingly written in tears.

"...Although I am far away in the capital, I have never forgotten my hometown for a single day. I am also well aware of the deep-seated problems in Songjiang Prefecture and the harm caused by clans; they are terminal. My clansmen do not think of bringing glory to our family or sharing the burdens of the country. Instead, there are unworthy individuals who, like monkeys wearing crowns, use my name to seize land in the countryside, monopolize lawsuits, and prey on the people, becoming a scourge to the region..."

"...Such behavior betrays Your Majesty's grace and shames the people. It makes me unable to eat or sleep, and I have no face to face Your Majesty. My entire life's learning and pursuit have been for the sake of enriching the country and strengthening its military, yet my family has been lax, producing such a parasite. My heart is filled with remorse, and I would rather die a hundred times than atone for it..."

Zhu Youjian's gaze lingered on the end of the letter.

"...Therefore, I earnestly request Your Majesty that after arriving in Songjiang, you shall investigate the land, rectify the administration, and disregard my personal feelings for those who have violated the law. As for the Xu clan members, if there is conclusive evidence of their crimes, I beg Your Majesty to punish them with overwhelming force! I will stand with the nation through thick and thin, without a word of dissent!"

After closing the letter, the cabin was completely silent.

On one side were the Jiangnan gentry who spouted benevolence and morality but were actually hypocritical and weak-willed; their loyalty was less valuable than reeds in the wind.

On the other side is this pillar of the nation, who, despite holding a high position in the capital, dared to personally hand over the executioner's knife when the empire was on the verge of collapse, and righteously volunteered to be the one to carry out the operation.

The stark contrast in perception made Zhu Youjian's murderous intent even more concentrated. "The Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion can see further and see more clearly than those parasites who only know how to wag their tongues."

He muttered to himself as he carefully folded Xu Guangqi's handwritten letter.

However, Zhu Youjian knew that not everyone could see things as clearly as Xu Guangqi, nor were all people as blustering and cowardly as those literati who only knew how to talk big.

……

Songjiang Prefecture, the Dong family mansion, "Xuanzaitang".

The atmosphere inside the hall was oppressive, a stark contrast to the outside world's frenzy of welcoming the emperor while trying to maintain a facade of peace. A steward was quietly reporting news he had overheard from a gathering of the city's gentry.

“...Those sour grapes, just a few days ago they were cursing him as a butcher, but now they’re all rushing to the docks to show their loyalty, afraid that if they’re late they won’t get a smile from the emperor.”

At the head of the table, a man with a sinister face, around fifty years old, snorted coldly. He was Dong Jing, the current patriarch of the Dong family and Dong Qichang's cousin.

"Scholars are just scholars. They're good at wielding their pens, but when it comes to real combat, all they're good for is kneeling and kowtowing." He picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, and his eyes were full of disdain. "Rely on them? Our Dong family has already been sold off! When it comes to real combat, we have to rely on ourselves!"

The steward bowed and said, "What you say is true, sir. But... this time the emperor is coming with great force, even taking down the Confucius family in Qufu. Shouldn't we... also temporarily avoid his advance?"

"Avoid?" Dong Jing slammed his teacup down on the table, spilling tea, but he didn't care. "How can we avoid it? Do you think my Dong family's 100,000 mu of fertile land in Songjiang can be hidden underground? The emperor's visit this time is ostensibly for inspection, but in reality, it's to rob us! The land investigation is the knife in his hand! If we admit it, we'll have to give up at least half of these 100,000 mu of land to pay taxes! That's going to kill the Dong family!"

He stood up and paced around the hall, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"If he wants to investigate, we'll give him a clean record!"

Dong Jing suddenly stopped and turned around to stare intently at several core members of the Dong family present.

"Pass on my message," Dong Jing's voice echoed in the somewhat empty hall, carrying a metallic quality, "Go and nail down those last few dozen disobedient nails completely!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people present all changed, but what they saw in their eyes was an unspoken ruthlessness.

“But Clan Chief,” one of the youngest-looking members of the Dong clan finally couldn’t hold back, his voice trembling with barely concealed nervousness, “His Majesty’s presence is causing too much of a commotion. What if… what if the ‘Book of Yin and Yang’ is found to have flaws? Wouldn’t we be…”

"A flaw?" As if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, he turned around and stared at the young man with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot, his tone filled with the arrogance of someone in control of everything: "As soon as the news of the unified grain tax system reached Songjiang, I knew this day would come! That 'Yin-Yang Fish Scale Book' has been under construction since that day!"

"This booklet has never belonged to the Dong family!" Dong Jing's voice suddenly rose. "The clerk of the Songjiang Prefecture personally checked our accounts; the official seal of the magistrate of Huating County was also personally affixed! Do you think those obsequious officials at the docks are really afraid of the emperor? They are afraid that the emperor will overturn the table and bury them and us together!"

Dong Jing whirled around, his eyes flashing with a wolf-like ferocity: "We've long been united with them! If the emperor investigates, he'll only find a flawless sham of accounts! The only ones who might be in trouble are those peasants who haven't yet put their fingerprints on the fake contracts!"

A sinister smile crept across Dong Jing's face as he said, enunciating each word clearly, "That's why I need you to drive the nails in! Tell those in charge that this is the last chance! Those who obey me will still receive the promise of a 10% rent reduction. This is called the Emperor's boundless grace, bestowed upon us by the Dong family!"

He paused, his voice suddenly turning icy cold.

"Those who defy me will have their land reclaimed immediately, and their people... will be crippled on the spot! I want to see if their backbone is tougher, or if the family rules forged by my Dong family and the government are tougher!"

This order was merely to tighten the final knot in the already laid inescapable net.

In a village in Huating County, the steward of the Dong family, along with a dozen fierce-looking thugs, drove the villagers to the ancestral hall for a final cleaning.

"Zhang Laosi, it's your turn! Hurry up and sign it, don't delay everyone's good time!" The manager impatiently pushed a fake contract and inkpad in front of a hunched old farmer with a weathered face.

This old farmer, named Zhang Laosi, was known in the village as a tough nut to crack.

His cloudy eyes were fixed on the unfamiliar names and numbers on the contract. He suddenly raised his head and roared in a hoarse voice, "This isn't my family's land! My family's three acres of poor land were granted to us during the time of the founding emperor. Why should we sign this fake document and make it belong to your Dong family? I won't sign!"

"Old man, it seems you don't want to live anymore!" The manager's face darkened, and he gave a wink to the thugs behind him.

Two thugs immediately stepped forward. One grabbed Zhang Laosi's arm, while the other swung his water-and-fire stick and mercilessly smashed it down on the back of his knee!

"Crack!"

A sickening cracking sound rang out, and Zhang Laosi screamed in agony as he collapsed to the ground, his left leg twisted at an eerie angle.

"Father!" A young man in his early twenties, his eyes bloodshot, roared as he rushed out from the crowd.

"You beasts! I'll fight you to the death!" The young man, like a mad bull, charged headlong at the thug who had broken his father's leg.

A cruel gleam of pleasure flashed across the foreman's face. He didn't even speak to stop it; it was a necessary step in removing the nails.

The other thugs immediately surrounded him, raining down water and fire sticks that slammed into the young man's back and head. At first, the young man could still struggle to swing his fists and roar like a wild beast, but soon his movements became slower and slower, and his voice gradually weakened.

"boom!"

The final blow struck him squarely on the back of the head.

The young man's body stiffened abruptly, then he collapsed limply, blood gushing from under his head, soaking the dry yellow earth in front of the ancestral hall.

The surrounding villagers gasped in terror, their faces pale with fright, and they covered their mouths tightly, afraid to make a sound.

The steward strolled forward slowly, kicked the lifeless young man with his toe, and then spat disdainfully.

He surveyed the terrified faces around him, slowly raising the fake contract stained with a little blood. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears.

"Does anyone else have objections to the arrangements made for the Dong family and my master?"

Deathly silence.

That vast web, woven from countless lies and official seals, was finally completed in its final stage, nourished by the warm blood of young people.

When the person who started all this received the report that the last few dozen stubborn resistance fighters had been dealt with properly, he simply nodded in satisfaction, seemingly quite pleased with this expected outcome.

(End of this chapter)