Chaos of Ming 1628

In just one night, most of the local gentry and wealthy households in Jiahe County had injuries on their faces, more or less.

The Wang family's house was packed with people.

Although she was still dressed in fine silks and satins as before, her eyes were empty and sorrowful, and she no longer had the arrogant demeanor of the past.

The courtyard was bustling with people sitting at tables and chairs, but the tea on the tables had gone cold and no one was drinking it.

Just as Master Wang was about to speak, the movement aggravated the wound on the corner of his mouth, causing him to gasp in pain and grimace.

Seeing this, the men below sighed again. After all, they too bore some injuries on their faces and harbored resentment, making them unworthy of comfort. They too were wounded and could not mock.

There was a chorus of sighs and lamentations, and finally someone complained, "I told you long ago that the Sun family members are not to be trifled with."

"Although Grand Secretary Sun was retired and at home, he still had many disciples. I advised you against it, but you insisted on hiring someone to kill us. When the thief heard that we were from the Sun family, he not only didn't return the payment, but he also beat us all up that very night."

Most people feel frustrated when this matter is mentioned.

Master Wang frowned: "Am I not doing this for everyone? How arrogant is Sun Qing? He has only a tiny bit of authority, yet he acts like he's wielding a chicken feather as an imperial edict."

"If he hadn't gone too far and relentlessly pressured us, why would I have resorted to such a desperate measure?"

As soon as he finished speaking, many people echoed his sentiments, complaining: "In the past, we only needed a little silver to be exempted from all the hard labor. Now, we've paid the money, but the labor continues."

The mention of this incident filled everyone with resentment. They seemed completely oblivious to the fact that they too had once oppressed the people in the same way.

Now, all their sons and the heads of their households have been detained by the government and sent to Hexi for forced labor. Anyone who tries to shirk or delay will be severely beaten. After two days, they will no longer have any arrogance under the beatings.

"I'm not afraid of hardship or toil, but how can my children endure such suffering?"

Sobs rose and fell: "For the sake of our children and grandchildren, who will not suffer that hellish torment, I dare not hold back any longer. I can only grit my teeth and donate silver, materials, and food."

"My warehouse, which used to be piled high with goods, now has very little left. Even the rats won't stay here."

When this matter was mentioned, everyone agreed.

"Bang!" Master Wang slammed his hand heavily on the table: "If Sun Qing were truly greedy for money, that would be one thing, but he didn't leave himself a single penny."

"In Botou and the Hexi mudflats, large-scale construction projects were simultaneously undertaken, including building river embankments, reinforcing city walls, repairing shops and markets, regulating palaces and palaces, and expanding official roads..."

"Every single one of these things is a good deed for the country and its people. The key is that it doesn't cost the government any money, making it impossible for anyone to find any fault with it!"

They were all filled with hatred, gritting their teeth. He wouldn't let the imperial court spend money, but he wanted to empty their wallets.

"What should we do!"

Aside from sighing, even dozens of heads couldn't defeat sixteen-year-old Sun Qing.

The key is that he took from the people and used for the people, willing to bear the infamy to promote policies that benefit the people. Even if the matter were brought to the emperor's attention, he would probably only applaud it.

"I've got it!" someone exclaimed, standing up and sharing their idea: "He started a massive construction project, but he completely destroyed the Botou Shrine."

"What kind of person is the Ninth Prince? The whole country is raising funds to build a shrine for him. Yet our Jiahe County dares to use this place as a resting place for merchants."

"This is utterly outrageous. Since we cannot do anything to him, let His Majesty the Ninth Prince come."

These words struck a chord with everyone: "But how do we do it?"

"Although Master Wang has some connections with Governor Tian, ​​Sun Qing was promoted by him. It might not be appropriate to approach him."

A moment of silence fell over everyone again.

If this continues, not only will they be able to rise above the common people, but they'll probably only have this empty house left.

“Who said it’s only Governor Tian?” Master Wang stood up and snorted. “My nephew is a trusted confidant of Minister Cui, who is in charge of documents. He has his own connections to get things done.”

Upon hearing that there was still hope, everyone agreed, saying that this time, they would sell everything they owned to teach Sun Qing a lesson.

Other charges are insufficient, but daring to convert a shrine into a commercial site would be the greatest crime of the Ming Dynasty.

Outside the county government office.

Sun Qinggang has finished handling the construction matters.

He had just handed a bag of silver to Li Qingshan, telling him to focus on learning horsemanship and archery.

No sooner had Li Qingshan left than a carriage slowly drove up.

The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing only the woman's profile inside. Her skin was as white as snow, her eyebrows were slightly raised, and her eyes held a smile; her beauty was so striking that it was almost unbearable to look directly at her.

She parted her red lips slightly and softly called out, "Young Master Sun."

"Miss Yang," Sun Qing took two steps back and bowed respectfully, "how did you get here?"

Despite having the same face as Qingqing, Sun Qing dared not show any intimacy. Wen Hui alone had dug countless pitfalls for him, each one fatal.

Yang Qingqing's gaze was calm as she softly said, "Young Master Sun, are you avoiding me like the plague?"

"Miss Yang is incredibly intelligent; how can a viper compare?" Sun Qing said calmly, his eyelids lowered, not looking at the other woman's face.

Yang Qingqing's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a bitter smile spread across her face: "It seems that there are still many misunderstandings between me and you, young master."

"Forget it, what happened before is all in the past. I'm going back to the capital."

Who is she? Sun Qing knew nothing about her, only that she knew him very well, and even Song Xian was somewhat afraid of her.

If they are not friends, then treat them as enemies.

Sun Qing gave a forced smile: "I've only met Miss Yang a few times, so it's really not my place to say goodbye in person."

"Hehe." Instead of being angry at this attitude, Yang Qingqing laughed, her bright eyes reflecting Sun Qing: "You have a rather interesting way of talking."

"I'm not going to beat around the bush anymore."

"Someone has joined forces to accuse you of disrespecting the Emperor. You are exceptionally talented, and it would be a pity if you died. I advise you to remember to build a shrine to him while you are building your own house."

Sun Qing trembled and suddenly looked up, the identity of the woman in front of him gradually becoming clear.

Without a doubt, this was the work of those rich people in Jiahe County. Even so, Yang Qingqing couldn't have predicted it all.

Only members of the eunuch faction could have known about this before it happened.

Sun Qing didn't take those people's petty tricks seriously at all. If they joined forces to strike and cause trouble, that would be something to worry about.

Can I sue the eunuch faction?

How many more good days will the eunuch faction have? What does he have to be afraid of?

Looking at Yang Qingqing again, Sun Qing suddenly became interested. Why not take this opportunity to find out her true identity?

"Miss Yang," Sun Qing raised his voice a few decibels and said with a smile, "Fate is hard to defy. This time, for me, it is not a disaster but a blessing."

Yang Qingqing found it funny.

Sun Qing's tone suddenly became more serious: "Miss Yang, it's you who should be careful."

"I see that your forehead is dark and you are surrounded by evil spirits. Your blood relatives may suffer disaster soon. The root of the disaster is all due to the large-scale construction project. I hope you will take good care of yourself."

Yang Qingqing covered her mouth and chuckled, not taking it to heart at all.

"You can barely take care of yourself, yet you still have to tell fortunes and read faces for others. How pathetic," Yang Qingqing said, then lowered the carriage curtain.

Without saying goodbye, he simply called out to the driver, "Let's go."

The carriage wheels left two tracks as it drove away.

Sun Qing's expression became more composed. He had only intended to exploit the rich to balance the gap between the rich and the poor.

Since they're restless, he can't be blamed for it.

Sun Qing turned around and replied, catching a carrier pigeon.

He sent only one message to the capital: "Left Governor, the bad luck of this county is heading straight for the capital. You are about to suffer a great calamity. In the next few days, you must not take the initiative to mention anything about the Jiaohe area. If you speak carelessly, disaster will befall you immediately."