Chapter 129 I have finished my chapter, who is in favor, who is against

Chapter 129 I have finished my chapter, who is in favor, who is against

Chapter 129 I have finished speaking, who is in favor and who is against (asking for monthly votes)

In the courtyard of the government office, among the heads of various families, even if some of them secretly cursed others as spineless and cowardly, when they met each other, they still greeted each other warmly.

"Mr. Ding, you are coughing so badly, maybe you have caught a cold. Why don't you go back and rest first?" Mr. Hu said to a skinny official in front of him.

"No... I'm fine." Ding covered his mouth with a handkerchief and took the opportunity to stuff a pill into his mouth. After a while, he took a breath and said, "The governor summoned me, it must be something important to the village. A little cold is nothing."

He looked so loyal and courageous that Mr. Hu's face twitched. You were the one who enjoyed scolding the government officials most on a daily basis, so he thought you were a tough guy. He really misjudged you!

"Mr. Hu, why didn't the old man from your family come?" a local squire asked "with concern".

At this time, everyone gathered around.

Since Magistrate He wasn't here yet, they gathered together and had a small meeting.

Old Master Hu was a retired vice minister of Tianjing. During every festival, Prefect He would go to greet him. If Old Master Hu showed up this time, they would feel much more at ease.

The first bird to stick its head out gets shot!

Without a leader, how can we avoid disaster?

Mr. Hu said hurriedly, "The old master has not been in good health recently, and the governor only said that the managers of each family should come, not that the old master should come."

"No way! I saw Old Master Hu coming to Xu Jieyuan's last literary gathering. He didn't even bring a cane, and his complexion looked like that of a young man." Someone said in surprise.

Mr. Hu cursed inwardly, the affairs of the world are ruined by you beasts who like to fight among yourselves.

He understood the intentions of these guys very well. They just wanted to find someone to take the lead to go against the government office and Xu Qing and others.

If you have the guts, just do it yourself.

Mr. Hu's face turned pale and he quickly covered his face and cried.

Everyone was speechless, wondering why she started crying for no reason, and were about to move closer to ask.

Mr. Hu quickly put down his sleeves, fearing that others would smell the spicy spices in his sleeves if they got close. Who put so much stuff in his sleeves last night?

The effect was really good, tears were streaming down his face, he couldn't stop at all. Mr. Hu sighed, "It was during that Japanese language meeting, the old man was so happy to see that our government had a champion, he drank a few more cups, after returning home, he accidentally fell down, now he is still lying at home..."

The more he spoke, the harder he cried.

So Mr. Ding advised: "As a son, you should put filial piety first. Mr. Hu, why don't you go home and take care of the old man first? We will take care of the things here and will never let your Hu family suffer any loss."

Mr. Hu: “…”

He still didn't know what these people were thinking. If he went back, the Hu family would probably suffer today.

The old man's abacus beads were about to hit his face.

No wonder people call you Ding Suanpan.

He said hurriedly: "My father always said that the king is the father, and the king comes before the father. Being loyal to the king is being filial to the father. As a son, how can I not listen to my father's words."

Everyone cried out what a pity.

I don't know what I'm regretting.

At this time, someone said in a muffled voice: "You guys have nothing to do, just talking about family matters, why don't you think about what the Lord wants us to do?"

Everyone looked over.

The person who was speaking was a big and strong man, who was out of place among his group of gentlemen.

But the opponent can barely be classified as a powerful force.

This person is Mr. Lei, a famous martial arts scholar in this prefecture.

The military examination of this dynasty was rather rough and the number of vacancies was very limited, but in theory, military candidates enjoyed similar privileges as civil candidates.

Therefore, those who passed the military examination could barely be classified as gentry.

The problem is that we are not on the same track on a daily basis.

Speaking of the track, Master Lei and that guy Lin Tianwang are on the same track.

Originally they all thought that this country bumpkin would rebel and become the king of the mountains, but they didn't expect that this guy actually became a martial arts scholar last year.

It stands to reason that the military examination is much more corrupt than the provincial examination. After all, when the Ministry of War in Tianjing was short of money, they liked to apply to the court to hold a military examination to generate income.

Moreover, it is much more difficult for military candidates to wait for official positions than for civil servants.

Even if they became officials, they were military officials, which was much lower than civil officials. Therefore, even many common people knew that military candidates were useless, so few people came to offer their services.

Because the common people of the country often submit to the scholars and officials based on their influence, and they don't understand when they are asked how many people's taxes and land taxes their masters can exempt.

Therefore, Xu Qingzhong's victory in the provincial exam gave these wealthy people an opportunity.

Because you are famous, there must be many people who contribute to your cause. They will add fuel to the fire and make you suffer the consequences.

If Xu Qing accepts all of them, then he will die.

They will definitely find someone to complain, and even Xu Qing's father-in-law, the Inspector General, will not be able to cover up for him.

On the other hand, Mr. Lei took the initiative to bring up the topic, and the others immediately thought, yes, let this reckless man take the lead.

Someone said sinisterly, "It's probably about donating land to the villagers. Master Lei, your family's tax-free land is a little excessive."

Mr. Lei immediately said, "How is that possible? I have always been the most law-abiding person."

"Yes, yes, yes. I'm afraid that Mr. Fu and Mr. Xu don't think so. If you ask me, everyone's family business is hard-earned. No matter what happens later, we must unite as one."

Mr. Lei nodded and said viciously: "Anyway, if anyone smashes Lei's bowl, I will smash his pot."

"Good job!" Mr. Hu clapped his hands excitedly.

He immediately realized that something was wrong and quickly withdrew his hand. He saw that everyone around him was flattering Mr. Lei, saying that Mr. Lei was very courageous...

Anyway, it's just a free flattery.

Didn't notice him at all.

Mr. Hu breathed a sigh of relief.

That's right. If someone steps forward, things will be much easier.

This is the familiar rhythm of doing things.

Mr. Hu had to admit that the morals of the world were getting worse and worse. These days, it was hard to find even young men among the scholars.

Moreover, the Fushe was not a good thing, and all the lectures they gave were about practical application.

These contents were originally the expertise of the wealthy. If poor students knew about them, their children would not have much advantage over their poor students when they became officials.

In addition, Fushe also encouraged scholars who knew they had no hope of passing the provincial examinations to work as clerks in government offices, or as staff members or legal advisors, and provided them with free training.

Especially for the job of aide-de-camp, we specially invited masters in this field to pass on their experience.

This is also why Xu Qing asked Master Qian, the inspector of Wu Xun'an, to step in and, relying on Master Qian's connections, he found the old master who was now busy and unable to move.

It can be said that although Fushe was a social society, the content of its teachings was gradually enriched and it was managed more attentively than some academies.

What they did was even to dig up the roots of the gentry, so naturally everyone was very unhappy.

But Xu Qing was very good at controlling public opinion, and made the lower-class scholars and many Fushe members serve as his mouthpiece.

The most interesting thing is that the Fushe also held a literary meeting every month to discuss the general situation of the world. Scholars who like to talk about current affairs were invited to put themselves in the shoes of the cabinet, the six ministers and other important figures to think about the political affairs of the world.

As a result of this move, many unpromising sons of wealthy families became supporters of the Fushe Literary Society.

After coming back, he talked a lot to the older generation and gave them instructions.

Plus the whole process of converting rice to mulberry...

It is simply unbearable!

Therefore, some local gentry cried out in grief, "If everyone does not resist, Jiangning Prefecture will not belong to us in the long run."

We were all forced to do it.

Mr. Lei was quite pleased with the compliments, but there was a hint of cunning in his eyes.

While everyone was making a fuss, Guard Wang and others came over and invited the heads of each family to the flower hall for a chat.

Everyone calmed down, but when they came to Mr. Lei's side, someone whispered, "Master Lei, please don't embarrass the masters of Jiangning Mansion!"

"rely on you……"

Flattering words like these continued endlessly.

Mr. Lei nodded proudly in response.

There is a spirit of "I will go forward even if there are thousands of people against me".

Soon, everyone arrived at the flower hall of the government office. Everyone found that there were papers with their names on their seats. They were surprised and found their seats quickly.

So everyone was even more grateful that they had come.

Otherwise, it would be obvious who didn't come.

Because the flower hall was very large and the seats of the various family heads were far apart, it was difficult for them to whisper to each other at this time.

At this time, servants came to serve tea.

Everyone had nothing to do, so they just started drinking tea.

Everyone has tasted and seen this tea before, but they didn't expect the fragrance of this tea to be so refreshing and unique. Many people even thought about asking about the origin of the tea afterwards.

After all, everyone exploits the people in their hometown in order to enjoy themselves, expand their family business, and benefit future generations.

I don’t know how long I waited, the tea was half cold, and finally someone came in.

The person who came was not Prefect He, but Xu Jieyuan.

Mr. Hu and others stood up and greeted them.

Xu Jieyuan indeed had a good memory. He not only mentioned the name, but also thanked the other party for the gift.

Both the name and the gift were exactly the same.

Mr. Lei looked at everyone else being very polite and said awkwardly, "Hello, Xu Jieyuan, I gave you a yellow calendar."

Everyone laughed and said, "Master Lei, don't worry, Xu Jieyuan is not a person who holds grudges."

Xu Qing smiled and said, "I remember that the almanac was strung with gold thread, and there were also talismans that had been blessed by the Tianshi Palace. Master Lei was very thoughtful."

Only then did everyone realize that Mr. Lei was something special.

But not much. Lei Juren smiled and said, "As long as you like it."

He was a military scholar and was not eligible to participate in the Jieyuan Literary Meeting, so this was the second time he met Xu Qing.

Afterwards, after the formalities were over, everyone saw Xu Qing sitting directly in the main seat. They were startled, and someone asked cautiously, "Excuse me, Xu Jieyuan, where is the Lord?"

The smile on Xu Qing's face disappeared at this moment, and his expression was indifferent. He said: "This time, I wanted to meet with you all. It was Xu's own idea. It has nothing to do with the Lord of the Palace."

"This……"

The atmosphere in the flower hall suddenly became stagnant, and there seemed to be waves of chill.

Some people couldn't help but wink at Mr. Lei.

At this time, Mr. Lei seemed to be stunned, his eyes fixed on the subject, and he paid no attention to anyone else.

So the atmosphere became awkward.

After a while, Mr. Ding coughed, and everyone seemed to have found a savior, and said, "Master Ding, what do you want to say?"

Mr. Ding looked innocent, but he just couldn't help coughing.

At this time, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say a little, "Well, Xu Jieyuan is the treasure of our Jiangning Prefecture. I often hear people say recently that Xu Lang from Jiangzuo is a star from the sky who has come down to earth. After hearing this, I deeply agree... cough cough... well..." He continued to cough and said a lot of unclear things. Finally, everyone heard: "Xu Jieyuan asked us to come here, he must have some profound ideas, Ding is all ears..."

Everyone was speechless. You said a lot of things vaguely, what exactly did you say?

After Xu Qing heard this, he smiled and said, "Mr. Ding is indeed an old man in Jiangning. He speaks with wisdom. But he praised me too much. I am ashamed." As he spoke, his eyes fell on Mr. Hu, and he bowed to him, "I have often heard that Mr. Hu is a disciple of the headmaster of Songyang Academy. I wonder if you have any insightful comments today."

Everyone's eyes immediately focused on Mr. Hu, as if to say, "Don't be afraid, Mr. Hu, we are behind you, ask him what he is up to, we will confront him directly!"

Mr. Hu quickly stood up and bowed, then sat down and slowly spoke: "I have participated in several literary gatherings with Xu Jieyuan these days, and I have benefited a lot. After returning, I thought about it and felt that Xu Jieyuan is really a living star in Jiangning Prefecture. His words and deeds are full of meaning. If you want to ask me what I think, I can only say that Xu Jieyuan's profound meaning in the provincial examination articles is enough for me to study for half a lifetime. If there is any brilliant idea, it is Xu Jieyuan's brilliant idea..."

He had a look of admiration on his face, as if he was still savoring the aftertaste of Xu Qing's essay written for the provincial examination. He was shaking his head and was intoxicated.

Everyone was immediately discouraged.

Xu Qing smiled calmly and said, "Mr. Hu, you are too kind. Forget it. I also know that you all want to find out what Xu wants you to come here for."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Xu Qing take the initiative to return to the topic.

However, at this time, they also saw clearly that the people around them were not trustworthy. Xu Qing was obviously alone, and they had strength in numbers, so they were not afraid of him at all.

But the conversation just now forced them to admit that they were a group of scattered sand.

Therefore, after I relaxed my mind, I couldn't help but feel weak.

In addition, the seats were far apart, making it difficult for them to whisper to each other at this time, and he felt even more uneasy.

Fortunately, Xu Qing did not let everyone fall silent again, and continued: "Xu is young and has poor morals. I don't know what I did wrong in my daily life to arouse the malice of the seniors, who want to kill me. Please give me your instructions."

As soon as he said this, a chill ran through the hall.

Everyone couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

The Hongmen Banquet.

Xu Qing spoke slowly: "Don't be afraid, seniors. You are all people with honors. This is the government office. How can I do anything to you? I just want to have a frank talk with you."

Some of them were successful candidates in the imperial examinations, some had received favors from their family elders, and some had close relatives still serving as officials in the court. In any case, they were respectable people.

Seeing Xu Qing's softening tone, he became bolder.

The main reason is that Xu Qing is a weird guy.

Through the last battle in Jinguang Temple, they now know that Yankong and Xu Qing are very powerful. In addition, Xu Qing not only has a strong reputation, but also has a strong background.

If everyone works together, we will naturally not be afraid.

The problem is that it's ok for everyone to use tricks behind the scenes, but no one wants to face Xu Qing head-on, for fear that Xu Qing will break the rules and take their family away.

Even if Xu Qing paid the price by then, what benefit would it bring to their own family?
Only when the knife falls on your body will you feel the pain. Others will not care how many times you are stabbed or how painful it is.

Since Xu Qing took the initiative to talk about the matter, it will be easy to handle.

Someone followed up: "Xu Jieyuan, our Jiangning Prefecture is a land of fish and rice, and business is even more prosperous. There are some things I didn't want to say, but it's such a big pot, everyone should have food to eat."

Everyone quickly agreed and agreed with it.

Xu Qing chuckled and said, "So, I am blocking your path to wealth, so you spread rumors and encouraged the villagers to come to me to donate their land and cause trouble for me, right?"

"No, that's absolutely not the case." Everyone shook their heads.

Xu Qing: "I understand that you dare to do things but not take responsibility. But this incident also reminds me. According to the rules, the imperial examination candidates have 400 mu of tax-free land, and the jinshi candidates have 2,000 mu. Some of you are from the juren family, some are from the jinshi family, and some have received favors. In the end, everyone has their own connections.

This time, Xu is a man of integrity and will not mince words. What you should have, you must have, and what you should not have, I suggest that you return home and return it honestly. I have already suggested to the prefect that Jiangning Prefecture must survey the land, otherwise the court's taxes in Jiangning Prefecture will only be borne by the common people in the future, making the people's lives more and more difficult, and the taxes the court can receive will only become less and less. "

"What..." Everyone couldn't believe what Xu Qing said.

They were just instigating the people to surrender to Xu Qing, but they didn't expect Xu Qing to cut himself in order to get the land.

Xu Qing could have done the same as them, hiding the land and population, sitting back and enjoying the fruits of their labor, and bringing happiness to their descendants. What was he trying to do?
Without land and population, how will you, Xu Gongming, feed those people?

Don't think that you have enough windfall to spend!
Xu Qing's words touched their vitals, and everyone immediately reacted. Someone said, "Measurement of land is such a big deal. Xu Gongming, if you don't discuss it with me, aren't you afraid that Jiangning Prefecture will cause trouble?"

"You are young and full of energy. Just now, please pretend that you didn't hear what I said. Think about it carefully. Are you the one who can make the decision on these matters?"

"You're not afraid of causing trouble, but what will the prefect think? He's going to be promoted next year. If you cause trouble here, I'm afraid he will..."

"Jiangning Prefecture has replaced rice with mulberry trees. Many gentry in Nanzhili are already dissatisfied. The court has received many memorials impeaching the matter of replacing rice with mulberry trees. You must know this."

"Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish. You should calm it with peace of mind. Xu Gongming, you have read so many books by sages in vain..."

"The tax-free land in Jiangning Prefecture doesn't just belong to us. It also belongs to the royal estates, nobles, and many wealthy merchants. Do you think you, Xu Gongming, can plead for the people alone?"

"Xu Jieyuan, you also have a family and a career. Even if you are not afraid of these things, you always have to consider your family..."

The crowd became more and more excited and aggressive as they talked.

Xu Qing looked calm, not affected at all. After everyone had vented their anger, Xu Qing said calmly, "That's right, everyone. If you have resentment and anger in your heart, you have to vent it out. Otherwise, it's not good for your health."

"Xu Jieyuan, what on earth are you thinking?"

"It doesn't matter what I think. What matters is what you choose to do."

"We can discuss other things, but not the land survey. Xu Gongming, you have to think clearly. You are not alone..."

Xu Qing sighed, "Everyone, it's meaningless for you to talk like this. I might as well tell you frankly, if any of my family members or friends have an accident in Jiangning Prefecture in the future, I will only blame you all."

He paused and continued: "Remember, I am talking about everyone here."

He glanced at everyone, not letting any one go.

"Humph, if they go out and get struck by lightning, it's our fault."

"Of course, because Xu would think, why did they go out, why did they happen to be struck by lightning. For Xu, nothing is accidental, just like the rumors that were unfavorable to me this time."

Xu Qing's words, at the end, were like muffled thunder.

Everyone almost couldn't breathe.

Only then did I realize that this was a real master of internal medicine. If he wanted to take action, no one present would leave alive.

Even afterwards, Xu Qing had no choice but to abandon his family business and flee.

No one dared to refute.

After all, young people are full of passion and may do anything, not to mention that Xu Qing has done such evil things more than once.

A person's reputation is like the shadow of a tree; it is there and we must not ignore it!
Xu Qing clapped his hands immediately, and clerks from the government office kept coming in, carrying plates with paper, pens and ink on them.

Everyone was confused about what Xu Qing meant.

Soon Xu Qing spoke slowly: "Everyone, I will say something next, and you write it. This is a petition for the government to survey the land and rebuild the Yellow Book. You write it according to what I say, sign and seal it, and after I check it, you can leave."

After he finished speaking, he paused and continued:
"After I finish speaking, who is in favor and who is against?"

As soon as Xu Qing finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became extremely stagnant.

These clerks couldn't help but tremble their hands.

Xu Jieyuan, well done.

How dare you bring up such a thing?

At this time, Mr. Lei laughed out loud.

Everyone thought that Mr. Lei was going to come forward, but he said, "I can't write well. Can Xu Jieyuan ask someone to write for me and I'll just sign and seal it? How about that?"

Xu Qing looked at him and nodded.

Mr. Lei then took out a piece of silver and threw it to the clerk in front of him, then bowed and said, "Thank you for your help."

Seeing that Mr. Lei was a man of courage and would not suffer a loss in front of him, everyone was afraid that if he did not write, he would not be able to walk away alive.

Anyway, after the news got out, they didn't believe that Xu Qing could still gain a foothold in Nanzhili.

This time he has gone too far. He has threatened the squires and no one can save him.

As for now, they should just endure the humiliation for the time being. After they get out, they will think of ways to restore their family business to safety and restore the sun and moon to brightness again.

Therefore, after Xu Qing finished speaking, with Mr. Lei taking the lead, no one opposed. They all honestly wrote the petition according to Xu Qing's dictation, and were even afraid that Xu Qing would find fault with it, so they wrote the petition in extremely neat official script.

After all, after this incident was exposed, they didn't believe that Xu Qing would not become the public enemy of the entire Nanzhili nobles, imperial estates, gentry and wealthy merchants.

The more they hated him, the more they thought about how this matter would become a big mess after they got out, and how it would be out of control. Xu Qing would probably be killed without a complete body, and his end would be extremely tragic. They secretly felt extremely happy and proud.

Xu Qing saw through their malicious intentions clearly, but he felt nothing in his heart.

As he dictated, he recalled a letter he received a few days ago.

"Measure the land."

The signature is Master Luo Feng.

This is the title of the Prime Minister of the current dynasty.

There are many paths in the world, and you always have to choose one.

I will listen to you, but things will definitely get out of hand, and you won't be able to handle it. So I'll learn from the Master.

If you don't know how to do it, you will ride on a boat and float in the sea.

That's all.

(End of this chapter)