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

Chapter 254: Establish authority by killing the stubborn and incorrigible, consolidate power by eliminating the leader of the scholarly community, and slaughter those who amassed excessive wealth.

In Nanjing, on the banks of the Qinhuai River, mist shrouds the cold waters, and the painted boats remain unchanged.

The once decadent music and soft Wu dialect have vanished without a trace. The Qinhuai River seems to have fallen silent, and the lanterns hanging on both banks exude a deathly, paper-mache atmosphere.

The most famous "Tingyuxuan" teahouse has its top-floor private rooms booked by the Marquis of Linhuai's mansion.

This place used to be filled with distinguished guests and lively conversation, but today it is eerily quiet.

The private room was filled with the sons of the city's top noble families and young officials. They were dressed smartly but had solemn expressions and eyes full of undisguised anxiety.

The only sounds in the air were the rustling of the wind through the willow branches and the soft gurgling of the tea server refilling the water.

In the suffocating silence, a physician from the Ministry of War's Military Selection Department, his hand trembling slightly as he held a teacup, spoke in a dry voice: "Have you all heard? The blood from Songjiang Prefecture hasn't even dried yet."

Once a word is spoken, it is like throwing a stone into stagnant water.

A marquis's son chimed in, his voice trembling: "It's more than just not fully dried! My third uncle's caravan just returned yesterday, and he couldn't sleep last night talking about the devastation along the riverbank. Those few big-shot caravan owners who led the way, thinking they had the numbers and power, are utterly foolish!"
The Beijing garrison crushed them with a single charge. From the sounding of the retreat to the withdrawal of troops, less than half an hour had passed, and over three hundred heads lay bloodied and piled on the riverbank. The Emperor's actions clearly told everyone that in his eyes, there were only two words: obedience and rebellion!

His words highlighted the despairing efficiency of the Beijing garrison. The people present were all descendants of nobles and military officials, and were not ignorant of military affairs, which made them understand the horror of the situation even more.

Another man, whose father worked in the Censorate and was better informed, added with a look of horror: "Killing is still within reason, but the most terrifying one is not in Songjiang, but in Wen Zhenmeng in Suzhou!"

"The top scholar in the civil service examination!" Upon hearing this name, everyone's expressions became even more solemn.

"Indeed! Before His Majesty arrived in Suzhou, the top scholar in the imperial examinations sent a letter to Nanjing swearing an oath: 'The court is in disarray, the new laws are harming the people, and we should emulate the partisans of the Eastern Han Dynasty and defend the Way with our lives!' His words were resolute. But what was the result? The Emperor only summoned him to the imperial headquarters for a private meeting of one hour. When he came out, he had become... the vanguard of the 'Jiangnan Economic Cleansing Office'! He personally led the team to survey the land and confiscate the property of hidden households, even more ruthless than the cruel officials! This was not a killing, but a destruction of the spirit!"

“Yangzhou is even worse.” A nobleman’s son, whose family was involved in salt production, looked pale. “People say that the twenty-four major merchants in Yangzhou were as rich as a country. But look at them now! His Majesty just reviewed a list in court, and the Wang family, the Cheng family… all were prominent families with a history of over a hundred years. Overnight, they were wiped out! The confiscated silver, it is said, has filled the treasury of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office! The Emperor’s intentions are crystal clear!”

The private room fell silent once again.

After a long silence, Li Zushu, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Linhuai and the master of this place, slowly stood up, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "My father secluded himself for three days, and only yesterday did he utter a single sentence: 'The current emperor possesses the iron fist of Emperor Taizu Gaozu and the temperament of Emperor Chengzu Wenzu. The saying "those who obey prosper, those who oppose perish" is no longer just eight words in the history books.'"

He took a deep breath and spoke for everyone: "Therefore, everyone, stop thinking about 'the law does not punish the masses,' and stop talking about 'arguing based on reason.' Those are all ways to court death. The only thing we need to think about right now is how to... survive."

……

While the entire city of Nanjing was shrouded in fear, the Wei State Duke's Mansion in the east of the city remained calm and serene.

Xu Hongji, the Duke of Wei, who was over fifty years old, was standing in front of the wall of his study, personally wiping an ancient sword, which belonged to his ancestor, Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan, who was the first meritorious official in the founding of the state!

"Father!" His son, Xu Wenjue, rushed in, reporting the panic at Tingyuxuan and the actions of various families in the city. He was filled with worry: "...Everyone is trying to find ways to get away with it. I heard that the Duke of Qian's mansion, the Earl of Chengyi's mansion...have all sent people to ask us, Xu family...how do we plan to deal with this?"

With a clear, melodious "clang," Xu Hongji slowly sheathed his sword, as if severing all hesitation in the world.

He turned around, his gaze clear and firm.

“Wenjue, what you see are the self-serving schemes of each family, but what I see is His Majesty’s butcher’s knife and scales of justice.”

He walked slowly to the huge map of the Ming Dynasty, his finger sweeping from the capital to Henan and Shandong, then across Songjiang, Suzhou, and Yangzhou, before finally landing heavily on Nanjing.

"Look, what kind of people has His Majesty killed along the way? Stubborn fools, arrogant madmen, and heinous traitors! Every time the emperor raises his sword, he first gives people a choice. They themselves mistook His Majesty's goodwill for weakness!"

Xu Hongji withdrew his hand, stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as straight as a pine tree: "Our Xu family has been favored by the country for generations and shares its fate. His Majesty has now set up two paths, one of compliance and one of opposition, clearly asking the people of the world to choose for themselves. How can we seek a path of cowardice and survival between compliance and opposition?"

No! What our Xu family must do is cast aside all doubt and, with unwavering loyalty, personally sever the path of delusion that leads to ruin for these bewildered nobles throughout the city, and show them the only way out!

Xu Wenjue was deeply shaken by his father's words. He stared blankly at his father's calm and unwavering back, and the events of the past month flooded back into his mind like a tidal wave!

“Father…” Xu Wenjue’s voice was filled with unprecedented reverence and understanding, “Your son… understands.”

Xu Hongji nodded with satisfaction: "Good that you understand! As your father, I want the whole world to know that my Xu family is the first to support the new policies! We are not afraid of His Majesty's sword today, but because our Xu family has always had only one loyalty! This loyalty has nothing to do with the new laws and old systems, but only with the Ming Dynasty and the great righteousness between the emperor and his subjects!"

……

In fact, when Duke Xu Hongji of Wei sent the almost completely unreserved family account book and the tearful memorial to Yingtian Prefecture a month ago, the entire elite circle in Nanjing was watching him make a fool of himself.

They ridiculed this descendant of the King of Zhongshan for being cowardly and cutting off her own arm, saying she had utterly disgraced her ancestors.

Until news of the emperor's southward journey came like death warrants, arriving one after another from Songjiang, Suzhou, and then Yangzhou.

In Yangzhou, the core members of twenty major merchant families were collectively executed, and nearly a hundred heads shocked the Huai River region; in Suzhou, thirty weaving workshops and silk magnates were confiscated, and more than sixty officials and eunuchs, including those from the Suzhou Weaving Bureau and Hushu Pass, were beheaded; in Songjiang Prefecture, blood flowed like a river...

In just over a month, nearly three hundred powerful villains who wielded immense influence in Jiangnan, along with more than forty deeply entrenched wealthy families behind them, were swiftly and decisively eradicated from this prosperous land by the emperor!

These horrific figures and bloody methods finally made the nobles and officials in Nanjing realize that Xu Hongji was not seeking fame, but was using his ancestors' legacy to buy the lives of his entire clan!

Thus, a bizarre drama of ice and fire unfolded in Jinling City.

Those top-tier wealthy families who share the fate of the nation reacted the fastest; they were the first to abandon their mockery and instead follow Xu Hongji's example.

Following closely behind, the nobles and officials of the city seemed to awaken from a dream, rushing to join this survival competition of signing pledges of allegiance. The mansions were brightly lit all night long, and the stewards, who were usually pampered, were now in a state of frantic activity, leading the accountants to take stock of their assets and rush to draft those eloquent and sincere memorials of allegiance.

Everyone is afraid of being the last one, everyone is afraid of falling behind on the emperor's list!

……

However, the human heart is like an abyss, its depths unfathomable.

While the might of thunder is indeed awe-inspiring, a trace of wishful thinking stemming from old customs in the capital quietly ignites in the hearts of some self-righteous individuals, like a will-o'-the-wisp in a gutter.

Inside the Linhuai Marquis's residence, the head of the family, Li Zushu, was having a secret discussion with several shrewd and ambitious nobles.

The fear on their faces had not completely faded, yet they forced themselves to maintain a self-satisfied air of being the only sober one in a world of drunks.

"Don't panic, everyone," a young man in brocade robes said, calmly swirling his teacup. "His Majesty has been wreaking havoc in Jiangnan. Who are they killing? Salt merchants, textile merchants, those fat sheep who are richer than a country but have no real power! But we are different!"

The other person immediately understood and echoed in a low voice, "That's exactly right! We are the descendants of the founding heroes, nobles who share the fate of the nation! Have you forgotten? In the capital, although His Majesty also conducted investigations, apart from a few fools, has he ever dealt a fatal blow to us nobles? Even Duke Xu was only reprimanded and had his salary reduced, a lenient punishment after a heavy hand?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zushu's lips curled into a smug smile.

"Therefore, His Majesty's sword is meant to cut down those merchants who don't pay taxes, and to teach those gentry who don't know when to advance or retreat a lesson. As for us nobles, what he wants is an attitude, a gesture of obedience!"

Li Zushu gestured with his fingers, "Therefore, to hand over everything is foolish, it's like cutting off one's own limbs, learning from Xu Hongji's pedantry; not handing it over is death, it's like courting death, running into His Majesty's blade. It would be better... for us to hand over a clean set of accounts."

A cunning glint flashed in his eyes: "For example, if you own tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, report seven thousand acres; if your shops earn a hundred thousand taels a year, report sixty thousand taels. Keep thirty percent as the base! This shows our sincerity without being conspicuous, and also preserves most of our wealth. As long as the accounts are flawless, His Majesty only cares about the attitude. Does he really have the energy to wage war again for the meager profits of us nobles?"

This strategy, based on facts from the capital, was seven parts truth and three parts falsehood. Like a will-o'-the-wisp in the darkness, it instantly illuminated everyone's greed and wishful thinking.

Thus, a more covert operation was launched in parallel.

While they were sending messengers to deliver heartfelt memorials and an incredibly detailed seven-part account book, they were also secretly and quickly cutting off, transferring, and renaming the family's real assets that were not publicly recorded.

……

The emperor's entourage finally arrived at Chaoyang Gate in Nanjing.

There were no grand processions, only black iron armor and silent soldiers, stirring up a bloody atmosphere brought from the killing fields of Jiangnan.

The emperor stepped down from his carriage, his expression cold and his gaze sharp as lightning, slowly sweeping over the kneeling officials and nobles.

That gaze seemed to pierce through their magnificent court robes, looking directly into the despicable schemes in their hearts.

The Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture nervously presented a mountain of account books and memorials, but the Emperor merely glanced at them indifferently.

The entire hall was silent. Finally, the emperor spoke.

Zhu Youjian first looked at Xu Hongji, who was kneeling at the front, and nodded slightly: "Duke of Wei, your loyalty and bravery are commendable. You are indeed worthy of being a descendant of the Prince of Zhongshan. Rise."

A single sentence divided them like an insurmountable chasm. Xu Hongji kowtowed in gratitude, then slowly rose to his feet under the watchful eyes of thousands, standing tall before them like a silent monument.

The kneeling crowd was filled with mixed emotions: jealousy, regret, and unease, all intertwined in a complex web.

The emperor turned his gaze to them: "On my journey from the capital, I have encountered far too many self-righteous fools. They always think they understand my thoughts, always believe that the laws of the court will turn a blind eye to them. Alas, the grass on their graves must already be... three feet high!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zushu and the others felt their backs instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Just as everyone was terrified, thinking the emperor was about to launch an attack, the emperor continued:
"I am tired today. I will not examine any of your account books."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a sense of relief, but then their hearts, which had just settled down, were gripped tightly by an invisible hand and raised to their throats.

"From this day forward, if my Imperial Guards find any land in your estates that is not recorded in the accounts, or any silver in your shops that is not recorded in the accounts..."

The emperor's voice suddenly turned stern, like a Longquan sword drawn from its sheath, gleaming with cold light!
"I wouldn't mind using your family fortunes to add more soil to those new graves in Yangzhou!"

Having said that, he no longer looked at the ashen-faced crowd on the ground, and with a flick of his long sleeves, strode towards the majestic Nanjing Imperial City.

Zhu Youjian did not give anyone else a choice.

Since he went south, he has given opportunities to merchants, gentry, and nobles alike.

Time and patience have been exhausted!
The warm May sunshine in Nanjing shone on everyone's magnificent official robes, making them gleam.

However, everyone kneeling on the ground felt only a chill that penetrated to the bone.

The betting game is over.

But the reckoning has only just begun!
(End of this chapter)