Chapter 190: Snow in the sky, the Confucius Mansion is raided
Chapter 190: Snow in the sky, the Confucius Mansion is raided (Subscription required)
Xu Qing ignored the rebels' endless flattery. He focused his spiritual power into his eyes and looked in the direction of Duke Yansheng's Mansion.
All I saw was the void above the Yanshenggong Mansion, filled with a strong martial arts energy and a very oppressive feeling.
"Is this the blood energy of a martial arts master? It's like the scorching sun. If an ordinary master of manifestation gets close to him, I guess his mind and soul will have difficulty functioning." Xu Qing judged secretly.
On the other hand, since General Yu has taken action, it seems that the Yansheng Mansion has been breached and has entered the final cleanup stage.
No matter how profound the foundation of the Duke Yansheng's Mansion is, it is still nothing in front of the tens of thousands of well-trained regular troops of the imperial court led by the martial arts master.
Xu Qing had already seen the horror of a professional army from Meng Yuxuan.
“If the soldiers I asked my uncle to train want to narrow the gap with the troops under General Yu, it will be difficult to achieve through training alone. I’m afraid they still have to rely on the power of firearms and change their fighting style.” Xu Qing knew that General Yu and Meng Yuxuan were both famous generals of the time. The armies they trained had combined the experience of their predecessors in cold weapon wars and figured out the most suitable fighting style for today’s era. Coupled with their personal military qualities, such an army under their command would naturally be invincible when facing an army of the same type.
If you want to surpass others, it won’t work if you keep on the same track.
They are a family of generals, with the accumulation of several generations, plus the support of the court. Xu Qing alone cannot compete with them.
Xu Qing looked at the mob in front of him again. Even if he did not boast about his own abilities, he had to say that if it were not for him, most of the heads of this mob would have become other people's military merits.
Xu Qing was not in a hurry to take the people from the rebel camp to meet up with General Yu.
Because there are tens of thousands of people here, and they have not been trained for long. If they are dragged out, not to mention the risk of being trampled, it is estimated that many of them will be separated on the way.
After taking the Qi and blood elixir, Xu Qing recovered to a certain extent and began to distinguish between the rioters and the rebels.
He first found the leaders of the rioters and the military officers of the rebels, and asked the rebels to change back to their original organizational units. Then he asked the rioters to return to their original villages and neighborhoods.
For these rioters, most of whom were born as tenants or slaves, being able to be with their fellow villagers now makes them feel safer and more at ease. They will not fall into panic and cause riots, and it will be easier to maintain order...
Xu Qing patiently sorted out the affairs of the rebel camp and got to know its backbone members.
To accomplish big things, you have to do it yourself. If you delegate power from the beginning, you won’t be able to accomplish anything.
After Xu Qing had roughly stabilized the rebel camp, he called Feng Qingtian and his followers in.
At this time, the sky was gloomy and it was snowing heavily, which was very depressing.
Heating and frost protection are a must.
Heavy snow indicates a good harvest. Will there be a good harvest next year?
A thought flashed through Xu Qing's mind.
He had a vague feeling that this might not be the case.
After temporarily dealing with the rebels' miscellaneous affairs, Xu Qing waited until General Yu sent someone to take over.
Then he followed General Yu's personal soldiers to the Yansheng Palace.
...
...
Soon they arrived at Duke Yansheng's mansion. Xu Qing saw Duke Yansheng and a group of clan elders tied up and kept in the hall under guard, looking like they had lost their parents.
General Yu even found the ancestral tablet of the previous dynasty's founder in the Yanshenggong Mansion.
It was the discovery of this ancestral tablet that broke the last psychological defense of the people in Yanshenggong Mansion, making it impossible for them to deny it.
The Duke of Yansheng, who originally looked like a capable middle-aged man, suddenly turned into a white-haired old man.
"You are Xu Gongming." Duke Yansheng said to Xu Qing in a hoarse voice.
"That's right." Xu Qing did not look down on the other party with contempt, but answered him calmly.
"You win, but I will wait for you in the underworld."
Xu Qing smiled faintly, without even arguing, and walked past Duke Yansheng and the others. Some of the elders cursed loudly, while others wagged their tails and begged for mercy...
In Xu Qing's mind, it was just a noise.
His focus was not on these insects at all, but on the thousand-year heritage of the Yanshenggong Mansion.
For example, saints’ manuscripts, holy vessels…
He met General Yu.
"Xu Jieyuan, I have temporarily taken charge of the Yansheng Mansion. The things inside have to wait for the court to send an imperial envoy to take over and count them." General Yu looked ashamed.
The main reason is that this matter has been repeatedly warned by the superiors, and he cannot show favoritism.
A military general who commands a large army has to be cautious in many things, otherwise it will be difficult for him to have a good ending.
Xu Qing smiled slightly: "Then my lord, please remember to owe me a favor."
General Yu laughed in silence, "Okay."
Xu Jieyuan is an interesting person. He does not have the hypocritical courtesy or pretentiousness of other civil servants.
However, if you like a person, any behavior will be beautified in his eyes.
Xu Qing has just such charm.
...
...
Within two days, the list of imperial envoys sent by the court to count the property of the Confucius family came out.
Led by Chen Fu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, followed by a nobleman and a eunuch.
Xu Qing had long heard of Chen Fu's great name, and he was an old acquaintance of the nobles and eunuchs.
Marquis Wuding and the eunuch Zhao Jinzhong who guarded Nanjing.
The two had conflicts with Xu Qing before, but now they are doing business in private.
It turned out that the Prime Minister meant that half of the Confucius Mansion's property would go into the national treasury and the other half into the inner treasury. The idea was to make it easier to distribute and enrich the national treasury. Many of the rare treasures in the Confucius Mansion were handed over to Wu Dinghou and Zhao Jinzhong to be transported to the south to be sold or used for sea trade in exchange for silver.
To implement the One Whip Law, silver is an extremely important thing.
It is now well known that the court is short of silver.
If the silver problem is not solved, the Single Whip System is destined to become a bad policy.
In addition, there is a lot of silver hidden in the Confucius Mansion, but this silver is nothing compared to the silver held by the gentry and wealthy families in the south.
Nowadays, most of the silver in the world goes through maritime trade and enters the hands of the gentry and wealthy families in the south.
The silver held by the imperial court was not even as much as that held by the Dongyi people on Fuso Island, because they had silver mines. Because the Dongyi people had silver mines, they had a lot of smuggling business with the southern nobles, which was one of the reasons why the Dongyi people were becoming increasingly powerful on Fuso Island.
Apparently, Eunuch Zhao and Marquis Wuding had both received secret orders from the emperor. As soon as the imperial court issued the decree, the two of them appeared in Duke Yansheng's mansion.
Xu Qing was indifferent to Bei Kong's wealth. His goal was the collection of books, saints' manuscripts and holy vessels. He couldn't get them all, but if he could get a few of the ones he liked, it would be worth the trip.
With Lao Zhao and Marquis Wu Ding, this matter will be easy to handle. Then we can get in touch with Chen Fu and we can all get rich together.
The root of this matter lies in the imperial system. Whoever is sent is corrupt. The difference lies in how much the old emperor and the treasury can recover. The old emperor's intention of sending Wu Dinghou and Zhao eunuch is very clear. He is lying flat. In the case of corruption, Zhao eunuch and Wu Dinghou are obviously better.
Firstly, the two men had made mistakes before, so they would eventually restrain themselves; secondly, they had also made a lot of money for the old emperor before, more than others.
...
...
Dongshan Province, in a restaurant in the provincial capital, outside the snow was falling heavily and the weather was freezing cold.
It was warm as spring inside the restaurant.
The rebellion took place in the autumn and winter, and it is unknown how many civilians were affected. More people starved to death or froze to death than in previous years.
This incident did not prevent Xu Qing from drinking and chatting with Eunuch Zhao and Marquis Wuding.
"Brother Gongming, tell me the truth, how much of the Confucius family's property should be handed over?" Marquis Wu Ding asked bluntly.
A civil servant named Chen Fu was also involved in this corruption.
The two emperor's lackeys were not familiar with the relationship over there, so they needed Xu Qing, the godson of the prime minister, to step in.
This is where they need to rely on Xu Qing.
Yes, in the eyes of outsiders, Xu Qing is almost equivalent to the Prime Minister’s godson, and the two sides have a deep bond.
Don’t think that the term “godson” is a mockery. Even those at the vice minister level want to recognize the prime minister as their godfather!
Hold small meetings for big events.
The tone of this house-raiding operation will be set at the current three-person meeting.
Although General Yu looked very majestic as he led a large army to capture Confucius's mansion, it was not the turn of a single general to share the fruits of his labor.
Xu Qing: "I think that when confiscating the Confucius Mansion, the amount of property should not be too large."
"Oh, but how do we explain this to the Emperor?" Xu Qing's words touched Eunuch Zhao's heart. He also felt that the number reported should not be too high.
As a eunuch, the only thing I want is to make money!
Xu Qing bowed towards the capital.
Marquis Wuding and Eunuch Zhao quickly followed suit and bowed.
Xu Qing: "Your Majesty is a wise and sage king. If the Kong family becomes too rich under his rule, it will damage his wisdom. And it will be hard to explain to the scholars of the world. Could it be that the Duke of Yansheng, whom everyone respects, is a cruel and vicious person who plunders the people's wealth? Could it be that this rebellion was caused by the Duke of Yansheng's family squeezing the common people too much?"
The corners of Eunuch Zhao's mouth twitched and they looked at each other. Isn't this the truth?
You, Xu Gongming, should be the one leading the charge.
It’s time to install it!
Xu Qing glanced at the two of them and continued, "Brothers, let's start with the court's tone for suppressing the rebellion. The masterminds of the Kong Mansion were a few clan elders who colluded with the Dongyi people and the northern bandits, secretly discontented with the court, and worshipped the tablet of the previous dynasty's ancestor, which is a serious crime of treason. The Duke of Yansheng was guilty of negligence. But treason is punishable by clan execution. Therefore, the entire Bei Kong clan will be implicated, not to say that the entire Bei Kong clan is guilty of such a serious crime."
He paused and said, "Looking back now, Xu's previous article was indeed extreme, but Xu was young and hot-blooded, and acted impulsively. Looking back now, I regret it. After returning, Xu will write an article of reflection and publish it in the Daming Daily."
Eunuch Zhao and Marquis Wu Ding almost couldn't hold it in.
However, they are also experienced people, and they know that if Xu Qing lets Bei Kong go at this time, he will gain a good impression from the scholars all over the world.
After all, this is the trend of the dynasty. People like to persuade others to be magnanimous, to smooth things over, and to forgive others when they can...
The problem is that you almost killed the man. Is it appropriate to say that you forgive Bei Kong now?
But Xu Qing could not resist because he had the Daming Daily as his mouthpiece and the Fushe Society waving its flag and cheering for him.
If someone raises questions at that time, people will definitely say, Xu Jieyuan has already forgiven Bei Kong, what else do you want from him?
If young people make mistakes, the teacher will forgive them, okay?
It's impossible that someone would fire at a rising political star and the Prime Minister's godson on behalf of Beikong, which has no power at all!
What's more, he is such a good fighter.
Eunuch Zhao had studied in the inner school of the Imperial Household Department and had read books, so he managed to say, "Everyone makes mistakes, but it is the greatest virtue to be able to correct them. Brother Gongming has such awareness, which is truly the style of an ancient gentleman."
Marquis Wu Ding: “…”
Bullying him for being uneducated?
He then echoed, "What Eunuch Zhao said is exactly what I am thinking."
After this tone was set, the next thing to do was to discuss and determine the amount of property in the Confucius Mansion.
Only after the matter was communicated could the house search be started.
Don't think that confiscating property is that simple. If it's too much or too little, there will be problems. You have to grasp the right measure and give an explanation to everyone above and below you.
How could it be said that Marquis Wu Ding and Eunuch Zhao were both loyal and patriotic people? They were so busy that the food got cold and they didn't even have a chance to eat a few hot bites.
Xu Qing looked at the left and right humerus of the two emperors. With these two people, why should he worry about the stability of the Dayu Dynasty?
After discussing for a while, Xu Qing also pointed out what he wanted. He said, "I will never make it difficult for my two brothers. When the time comes, take these things to the south and sell them. I will pay for them."
Eunuch Zhao and Marquis Wu Ding could not help but be moved, thinking, "Good brother, you care so much about your elder brother."
Wu Dinghou was even more ashamed. He was really blind to go against Brother Xu and almost hurt him. Fortunately, Brother Xu was blessed by God, otherwise...
He couldn't help but slap himself in the face and raised his glass. "Brother Gongming, I am a rough man. I suffered a lot when I was young, so I don't know how to do things properly. I'll drink this glass of wine, you can do whatever you want..."
Nothing to say, it's all in the wine.
Eunuch Zhao was indeed a careful person. If an eunuch was not careful, he would have died in the palace. How could he come out to bully others? He raised his glass and said, "In my opinion, the manuscript of the saint must be a fake and worthless. I will make a decision and sell it to Gongming for ten taels of silver."
"I'm in charge of weapons. I heard that there's a Heaven-shaking Bow in the Confucius Mansion, which can only be used by a martial arts master. This kind of thing has few uses, and it's very old. I'll sell it to Gongming at a discount of five taels of silver."
Xu Qing cupped his hands and said, "Brothers, we still have to go through the necessary procedures."
Eunuch Zhao narrowed his eyes and said, "Of course, but it's an official sale, and we decide the time and place. And if someone comes in without knowing what's good for him, let him leave lying down..."
His tone was eerie and very scary.
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...
A few days later, the government posted notices to reassure the people, and the court was also discussing the land survey in Dongshan Province. But in recent days, there has been continuous heavy snow in the north. At first, everyone thought it was a good sign, but the heavy snow continued for several days, and there was obviously a risk of snowstorms.
The cold weather also made the invasion of the northern barbarians more and more powerful.
In addition, the Dongyi people's ships are lurking near the coast of Dongshan Province, waiting for an opportunity, which is a huge threat.
Fortunately, General Yu's deterrent power was strong enough, and the imperial court quickly suppressed the rebellion, so the Dongyi people did not find an opportunity for the time being. However, this matter was also a hidden danger.
As the imperial envoy, Chen Fu also went to the Yanshenggong Mansion and met with Marquis Wuding, Eunuch Zhao and others.
Chen Fu casually dismissed the two inner court lackeys, and went straight to Xu Qing, saying happily: "Gongming, I finally meet you."
(End of this chapter)