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

Chapter 237: Everything that needed to be said—the blood and corpses on the city gate—has already been said.

The moment the black banners of the Beijing garrison appeared atop the walls of Yangzhou, the city died.

This was once a paradise on earth where "one could be as rich as ten thousand strings of cash and ride a crane down to Yangzhou," a gentle and wealthy land that countless literati and poets dreamed of.

Now, it has become a silent tomb.

The once bustling Slender West Lake, teeming with painted boats and filled with the sounds of music and revelry, is now deserted.

The once romantic scene of "On the night of the bright moon over the Twenty-Four Bridges, where does the jade maiden teach the flute?" is now just an empty stone bridge, deserted on and under, so quiet that you can hear the whistling of the wind blowing through the archway.

Inside the city, the long streets were deserted; in the market areas, all the shops were closed.

The bustling crowds of the past have been replaced by a cold and orderly system.

Every three steps there's a guard post, every five steps a sentry post. Soldiers clad in iron armor and wielding long halberds are like emotionless stone sculptures, scattered in every corner of the city.

The air was no longer filled with the scents of cosmetics and the aromas of restaurant food; only two sounds remained: the fluttering of the dragon banners, representing imperial authority and majesty, and the clanging of armor and weapons as soldiers marched by.

Behind those doors and windows, deep within those meticulously maintained courtyards, and in those dimly lit rooms where lights are not dared to be turned on, lie pairs of eyes.

Fear, suspicion, confusion, despair... countless complex emotions intertwined in these pupils.

They were like rabbits hiding in their dens, listening to the tigers passing by outside, not daring to even breathe loudly.

In a house facing the street, a small crack was pushed open in the window on the second floor.

A child of about five or six years old was standing on tiptoe, curiously trying to push the window open wider so he could see the imposing "armored men" on the street more clearly.

Just as his chubby little hand was about to touch the window, a trembling hand suddenly reached out from the darkness and covered his mouth tightly!
With her other hand she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling his terrified sobs and small body back into the boundless darkness.

"Don't look! Do you want to die, you little brat!" An old woman's low growl, suppressed as she cried, echoed in the darkness.

The emperor's majesty is no longer the ethereal plaque hanging high in the temple, nor the vague "Son of Heaven" in the stories told by village storytellers.

It has transformed into a tangible and palpable fear, seeping into every pore of Yangzhou like mercury, making everyone here breathe cautiously, as if walking on thin ice.

The source of this fear, the focus of all eyes, was the south gate of Yangzhou City—Anjiang Gate.

The once bustling city gate is no longer a transportation hub.

It turned into a blood-soaked execution platform.

One hundred and thirteen corpses were hanging high on the city gate tower.

It's not a random row of hanging objects.

From a bird's-eye view, it looks more like a meticulously arranged "power relationship diagram" drawn with corpses.

At the heart of the map is Wang Zonghai, a salt smuggler who once caused a stir in officialdom in Jiangnan with a mere stomp of his foot.

His body was hung in the highest and most conspicuous position. Although it was already stiff, his eyes, which were wide open in death, remained glaring.

With him at the center, the remaining 112 corpses were arranged in a huge fan shape, strictly according to the criminal records reported by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, based on the degree of their sins.

Those who committed heinous crimes were hung higher up the closer they were to Wang Zonghai; those whose crimes were less serious were hung further outwards and downwards, eventually reaching the two wings of the city gate tower.

The body was not treated in any respectable manner.

Many of them were still wearing the silks, satins, and expensive furs they wore when they attended the banquet before they died.

However, at this moment, these gorgeous clothes have long been stained with dried blood and dust dragged along the way, making it impossible to see their original color.

Dark purple blood clots congealed on the gorgeous robes, mingling with the exquisite Suzhou embroidery patterns to create a bizarre and terrifying visual contrast.

Dozens of crossbow bolts were still embedded in their bodies, the bowl-sized wounds gaping open in a gruesome manner.

Due to being suspended for a long time, their limbs are in various twisted and bizarre postures, like a group of evil spirits suffering in hell.

……

When the sun reached its zenith, imperial power finally descended upon this dead city.

The huge open space in front of the Yangzhou government office had long been cleared by thousands of soldiers from the Beijing garrison, and then a brutal but efficient "transformation" was carried out.

The “Shenming Pavilion” and “Jingshan Pavilion”, which originally stood on either side of the open space to represent local village rules, moral education, commendation of good deeds, and embellishment of peace, were toppled with ropes amidst the heavy shouts of the soldiers. The exquisite carved beams and painted rafters were smashed to pieces in the dust.

A high platform, built overnight using large logs, rose from the ground.

At 9:00 AM, the drums sounded three times.

The emperor appeared on the slope leading to the high platform.

Unlike the civil officials who leisurely walked out of the government office through the main gate surrounded by a group of officials, he rode his horse directly up the slope on the side of the platform that was specially built for warhorses!

The warhorses' iron hooves pounded on the heavy wooden planks with a dull, powerful thud, each step seeming to pound on the hearts of all the spectators.

At the summit of the high platform, under the watchful eyes of the masses, the emperor dismounted with clean, swift movements, displaying the fierce spirit of a soldier, a stark contrast to the dignified demeanor favored by the civil service.

He casually tossed the reins to his personal guards behind him and strode toward the enormous throne that had been prepared in the center of the high platform.

The emperor sat down, his posture upright, like a fully drawn bowstring, ready to shoot a fatal arrow at any moment.

His gaze slowly swept across the audience.

Below the stage, on the open ground, were two distinct worlds.

Behind them were thousands of Yangzhou residents.

They were divided into stark squares by the soldiers, in units of one hundred men each.

The expressions on their faces changed from initial numbness to fear upon seeing the corpses hanging from the city gate, and finally to bewilderment.

At the very front of all the civilian formations, right next to the high platform, knelt a dense crowd of people.

They were representatives of all the prominent wealthy merchants, gentry, and renowned scholars in Yangzhou who had received the invitations.

They were forced to kneel on the cold, hard stone slabs, a position that allowed them to see every detail on the high platform with perfect clarity, and also allowed the emperor on the platform to see the expressions on each of their faces with perfect clarity.

After a period of oppressive silence, Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue, walked to the front of the high platform, holding a thick scroll of documents.

He took a deep breath, gathered his inner energy, unfolded the case file, and began to pronounce the guilt in a trial-like tone.

"Wang Zonghai, the chief salt merchant of Lianghuai and his cronies, are criminals of the Qing Dynasty. Here is the first charge!"

Bi Ziyan's voice echoed throughout the surrounding area.

"Wang and his cronies evaded national salt taxes by means of theft, leakage, smuggling, and private sales, totaling 13,207,400 taels of silver!"

For the people in the rear, this was an astronomical figure that they dared not even dream of, a spectacle that left them utterly stunned.

For the hundreds of wealthy gentlemen kneeling in the front row, this number was a death knell!

Their faces turned deathly pale instantly, and cold sweat poured down their backs.

Because they knew in their hearts that each of them had participated in this thirteen million taels to some extent, and was a link in this chain of evil!
Bi Ziyan gave them no chance to catch their breath. He turned the page and his voice suddenly rose!

"Criminal charge two! In Taizhou, Tongzhou, and Haizhou, the traitor Wang has raised more than 2,000 private soldiers, possessed 1,000 sets of armor, and 500 powerful bows and crossbows! He openly resisted taxes with armed force, and has killed or wounded a total of 71 people, including tax officials and patrol officers of the imperial court!"

As soon as this charge was announced, an uncontrollable commotion began to erupt among the civilians in the rear.

Tax evasion might seem like a game only for the rich to them.

However, the practice of raising private soldiers and killing government troops has begun to touch upon their most basic sense of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism.

Whispers rose like a tide, and anger began to spread quietly among the crowd.

"Criminal charge three! Exploiting the local people and driving innocent civilians to their deaths!"

Bi Ziyan paused abruptly at this point. He pulled out a thin sheet of paper covered with names from the thick file.

This action made everyone's hearts leap into their throats.

He read out several names aloud, names that had once existed.

Every name, every address, every brief yet bloody encounter is like a sharp knife precisely piercing the heart of the crowd.

These are no longer just cold numbers, but a tragedy that is happening right around them!
At that moment, in the crowd of people, an elderly man with white hair and beard could no longer contain himself. He suddenly knelt down and burst into tears, pounding the ground with his fists as he cried.

"Heaven has opened its eyes! My son... my son was driven to his death by them! Heaven has eyes!"

This cry instantly ignited countless long-suppressed tragedies within the crowd.

One person's cry drew the cries of ten, and the cries of ten merged into the lamentations of hundreds!

The grievances that had been accumulating for decades, even generations, were completely ignited at this moment, turning into real anger!

Just as the emotions in the open space were about to reach a boiling point, Bi Ziyan suddenly put away the list, gripped the main file tightly with both hands, and with all his might, almost roared out the last and most fatal crime!
"Wang Zonghai and his cronies committed heinous crimes, too numerous to list! However, all of the above are minor offenses! Their greatest crime is—"

He paused for a moment, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth:
"—He privately drew up a map of Jiangnan and drafted a national document, intending to collude with the Jurchens beyond the Great Wall, offering millions of gold and silver and vast territories as a price to lure the Qing army into the Central Plains, wreaking havoc on China, all for his own selfish gain!!!"

"This is not just a traitor to the people, but a traitor to the nation!!!"

The nature of the entire event was completely changed in that instant!
This statement perfectly transforms the emperor's "personal grudge" into a common "enemy" of all Han people!
It gave the emperor the most legitimate, noble, and irrefutable reason for all the previous bloody and illegitimate purges!
Silence, a brief silence, followed by the eruption of the volcano!
"Well done!!!"

It is unknown who used all their strength to shout out these three words.

Immediately afterwards, a roar like a tsunami erupted from the chests of tens of thousands of people!

"Well done!!"

"You damned traitor! You deserve to die!"

"Long live the Emperor! He has stood up for us!"

The people have gone completely mad!

They cried, shouted, cursed, and expressed their gratitude.

Countless people spontaneously knelt down and kowtowed again and again to the dark-clad figure on the high platform.

……

Amidst the deafening roar and the frenzied kneeling and wailing of countless people, the emperor on the high platform remained expressionless.

He slowly raised his right hand, opened his palm, and then gently pressed it down.

The fervent roar of thousands of people, powerful enough to shake heaven and earth, was as if choked by an invisible divine hand by his silent gesture, instantly transforming from extreme dynamism to utter stillness in just a few breaths!

The once bustling open space fell silent again, save for heavy breathing and the sound of flags fluttering in the wind.

The stark contrast between extreme motion and extreme stillness underscores his absolute authority at this moment more powerfully than any eloquent words.

"Bring it up."

The emperor's cold voice rang out.

Two fierce-looking officers from the Imperial Guard responded to the call. Instead of arresting someone, they rushed into the front row of wealthy men kneeling below the stage and dragged out a middle-aged man who was already trembling with fear, like a dead dog.

That person was Li Mingcheng.

He was dragged onto the platform, his crotch already soaked, his whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind, his teeth chattering but unable to utter a sound.

The Imperial Guards dragged him to the front of the throne, a position from which he could see the cold, merciless dragon eyes on the throne when he looked up, and see the corpses of Wang Zonghai and others hanging in the direction of the city gate when he turned around.

Li Mingcheng was caught between the golden dragon of imperial power and the hanging corpse of his companion.

Just as Li Mingcheng was in despair, Wang Chengen, who was beside the emperor, stepped forward and unfurled a bright yellow imperial edict.

His sharp and clear voice rang out in the deathly silent open space, each word like a cold steel needle, piercing the hearts of all the wealthy gentlemen kneeling below the stage.

"The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and the edict says:"

"Upon investigation, it was found that Li Mingcheng, a merchant from Yangzhou, was an accomplice of the bandit Wang Zonghai, and his crime was unforgivable. However, considering that he was not the ringleader and had shown remorse, I, in accordance with Heaven's benevolence towards life, have granted him special leniency."

Wang Chengen paused here, and every wealthy gentleman pricked up his ears, forgetting even to breathe.

"He shall confiscate ninety percent of his property and deposit it into the national treasury as a warning to others!"

A buzzing sound rippled through the wealthy gentlemen below the stage. Ninety percent!
However, Wang Chengen's next words gave them a glimmer of light in their hell.

"The remaining ten percent of the family fortune shall be retained for their livelihood. So be it!"

The imperial edict was not yet finished.

Wang Chengen put away the imperial edict, his gaze sharp as a knife, and looked at the trembling Li Mingcheng. He continued in his uniquely effeminate voice, "His Majesty also has an oral decree."

"I hereby order Li Mingcheng to immediately assist the Ministry of Revenue and the Embroidered Uniform Guard in investigating the long-standing malpractices in Yangzhou's salt, grain transport, silk, and tea industries. You are to identify anyone who has concealed assets, colluded with criminals, or feigned compliance while secretly disobeying orders. If you perform well, I may increase that one-tenth of your family's assets to two-tenths. If you dare to deceive me, or if there are any oversights..."

Wang Chengen didn't continue, but just smiled sinisterly and pointed in the direction of the city gate.

This move is a hundred times more vicious than killing Li Mingcheng directly!
This is not just about making Li Mingcheng atone for his crimes; it's about forcing him to personally tear apart and betray all his former companions, allies, and even relatives and friends!
This is a bloody pledge of allegiance!

Once he accepts the offer, he will have no way out, and his name will become infamous throughout the entire Jiangnan gentry class.

His only reliance was the imperial power.

He had no choice but to wholeheartedly become the emperor's most loyal and ruthless henchman!
The effect is immediate.

Upon hearing this imperial edict, Li Mingcheng, who was originally prepared to be executed, was stunned for a moment, and then an extremely strong desire burst forth in his desperate eyes!

Like a completely tamed wild dog, he frantically pounded his forehead against the wooden planks of the platform, making loud "thump, thump, thump" sounds, and roared incoherently as he kowtowed:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, Kane!!"

"This guilty subject knows his crime! This guilty subject deserves to die! This guilty subject is willing to serve Your Majesty with his life, to devote himself to the cause until his dying breath!"

To prove his worth, he began to sell himself out in public without even waiting for anyone to ask!

"Your Majesty! Zhang Yingteng! The wealthy Zhang from the west of the city, he bought over a thousand acres of fertile land in the countryside, and he has two sets of land deeds! One set is registered with the government, covering only five hundred acres! The other set is hidden in the cellar under the old locust tree in his backyard!"

"And the Sun family! The Liu family! They..."

"This sinful subject knows everything! This sinful subject knows everything!"

This ugly display of public betrayal and utter treachery was a hundred times more terrifying to the wealthy gentlemen still watching from below than the corpses hanging on the city gates.

Because a corpse represents death.

Li Mingcheng, on the other hand, represents another possibility of living a life worse than death, and... the only hope of survival in this catastrophe!

On the high platform, Zhu Youjian remained completely oblivious to Li Mingcheng's disgraceful behavior from beginning to end.

It was as if it were just an ant struggling to survive at his feet, not worthy of his even the slightest glance.

In the deathly silence of the entire hall, amidst Li Mingcheng's frantic cries and accusations, the emperor slowly rose to his feet.

He gave the kneeling crowd one last cold look, without saying a word.

Then, he turned around.

Surrounded and protected by a group of generals and imperial guards, the emperor descended from the high platform and silently withdrew amidst shouts of "Long live the Emperor!"

His silence was more powerful than any authoritative concluding statement.

Everything that needed to be said—the blood and corpses on the city gates—has already been said!
(End of this chapter)