Seeing the angry Luo Zhang leaving the imperial study with the imperial edict, Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh. The laughter even spread outside, causing the guards to look at him.
His Majesty has not laughed like this for a long time. Luo Zhang did not know what method he used to make His Majesty so happy. He was really doting on him.
Little did they know that Luo Zhang's seemingly unintentional words solved the problem that had troubled Li Shimin for several years. Although it was just the beginning, it was a real progress. In the long run, even if the fiefdom could not be recovered, the treasury would No more emptiness!
Is there anything that makes Li Shimin happier than this?
After retiring from the court, the matter spread throughout Chang'an City, large and small, as if it had wings. Most of the families had fiefs. How could a family without fiefs come from this?
Have they ever paid a penny of tax in the past? Most of them are pocketed by the family themselves. This is an unwritten rule that has lasted for 20 or 30 years. But now the sudden change has made them unable to guard against mistakes. Who would pay enough every month like Luo Zhang? Pay taxes!
As for paying taxes, Luo Zhang did an impeccable job, even Li Shimin praised him!
What the families care about is not Luo Zhang, but the Dugu family. As one of the top families in Chang'an City, the Dugu family can be said to be at the top, but so what? Your majesty issued an edict and took back the fiefdom.
The edict clearly states that if you have not paid taxes for a long time, you will take back your 10,000 acres of fiefdom in Chang'an City!
Take back the fiefdom! This kind of thing has never happened except for rebellion, confiscation of homes and destruction of nine clans!
But today it actually happened in front of their eyes. How could this not frighten all the family heads!
What does your majesty mean? As long as you don't pay taxes, I will take back the fiefdom given to you, and I am not just joking with you, but really taking it back. Look at the Dugu family as an example. If you want to keep your fiefdom, just give it to me honestly. Pay taxes!
It is impossible to imagine that everything would fall into one's own family without paying a dime like before!
Compared with the panic of other families, the Dugu family was in a state of gloom and gloom. This matter could not be hidden. When he returned home, Dugu Kuan reported the matter exactly to the family ancestor, Dugu Spear!
The matter of replacing Luo Zhang's fiefdom was decided by Duguqiu, and the reason was what he had in mind, which was to force his majesty to replace it on the grounds that he wanted to take care of himself.
In Dugu Mao's view, His Majesty would give him more or less face. After all, compared to Luo Zhang, his contribution to the Tang Dynasty was obvious to all.
To be honest, Dugu Zhao wanted to rely on his old age and act like one, so that His Majesty would agree.
Since he doesn’t agree in private, I will mention it in court. Now you can’t disagree, right? If you don’t agree, he will have reason to pull a bunch of old guys to make trouble with His Majesty. In the end, he will win, as long as Your Majesty doesn't want things to get too big, and the land will eventually be replaced!
But Dugu Mao never expected that things would develop not at all like he thought.
Luo Zhang was very bachelor and gave the right of choice to His Majesty. He said that I was not the real owner of the land. I was just helping His Majesty manage it. The land belonged to Your Majesty. He had no objection if His Majesty wanted to take it back.
Look, how vicious these words are!
The land is not yours, but His Majesty's? This flattery is so loud.
Luo Zhang's words not only hurt the Dugu family, but also pulled almost all the big families into the whirlpool, but the Dugu family was the worst.
Thinking that the family fiefdom was going to be taken back, Dugu Qiang felt dizzy. Even holding a cane in his hand to support him could not stop his determination to fall to the ground.
Dugu Spear fell, and the Dugu family was in a mess. Let’s not talk about whether it is a fiefdom or not. Nothing can happen to the ancestor. Although he is no longer an official in the court, his disciples and former officials are all over the world. When he is here, the Dugu family is still the top big man. Even if the family's fiefdom is taken over, it cannot shake the status of the Dugu family. However, if the ancestor passes away, it will be a huge blow to the Dugu family. To put it bluntly, it is not impossible for the Dugu family to decline.
It's not often you can help someone when they need it, but there are a lot of people who would step on you!
Any big family without a few enemies will naturally wish you bad luck. When you are unlucky, they will not let you go. They will only step on you a few times, and even bite you with those who have no enemies. This is the law of the jungle eating the fittest. Survive!
After all, the fiefdom has been taken back. Dugu Qiang is powerless to stop it, and he can't stop it. His Majesty has already issued an order. Unless he wants to resist the order and be disrespectful, I am afraid that the old and new accounts will be settled together, and his Dugu family will not be able to bear it. .
Fortunately, Dugu Spear's body was not seriously injured, which was a blessing among misfortunes.
If the fiefdom is gone, it will be gone. Nothing will happen to the ancestor!
When the news reached Luo Zhang's ears, he was leading people to Huaqing Pool.
He wants to see who dares to occupy his Huaqing Pool. The Dugu family is already a thing of the past, and land replacement is just a dream.
That fiefdom still belongs to him. If the Dugu family still wants to occupy it, they will be in trouble with His Majesty. He has Shang Fang's sword in his hand!
When Luo Zhang and his people came to Huaqing Pool, the Dugu family had already disappeared. They were not stupid. They knew that this matter was impossible. Should they stay here and wait for Luo Zhang to come and catch up? It's better to leave alone to avoid being beaten by Luo Zhangpang.
The incident of Luo Zhang beating up people in Luo Mansion is still vivid in my mind. He didn't even give the King of Wei face, but he will give you the Dugu family face.
However, some people can leave, while others dare not.
Du Jin's face turned pale with fright after knowing what happened. It's not like he never thought about leaving, but where could he go if he left?
His family is small, his wealth, and connections are all in Chang'an. He simply cannot survive elsewhere if he leaves Chang'an.
Besides, even if he ran away, Luo Zhang wouldn't cause trouble for him? I'm afraid that the consequences will be even more unpredictable by then, so it's better to stay here and wait for Luo Zhang's fate. The short-term pain is worse than the long-term pain!
If Du Jin didn't regret it at this time, he would be a ghost. He was filled with regret now, but who knew Luo Zhang could come out?
However, no matter what choice he makes, there will be a price to pay. He can only be blamed for his greed.
Looking at Du Jin who was kneeling at the gate of Huaqing Pool like a bereaved dog, a sneer appeared at the corner of Luo Zhang's mouth.
Du Jin had indeed helped him a lot and paid a lot, but Luo Zhang asked himself that he had not treated Du Jin badly. Not only did he give him money, but he also gave him a share of the money and status, which was extremely preferential treatment.
But this man is so greedy that he thinks that if something happens to him, he can do whatever he wants. It's ridiculous, it's extremely ridiculous!
"Du Jin, I treat you well, why did you do such a thing of betraying me?" Luo Zhang said coldly, looking at Du Jin who was kneeling on the ground.
"Sir, I realize that I was wrong, please show mercy, please show mercy." Du Jin was sweating like rain and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Have mercy? Do you know how much loss and passivity your betrayal has caused me? If it weren't for your betrayal, why would I be dealt with by the Dugu family? If it weren't for my good luck, this fiefdom would be really bad now. It belongs to the Dugu family! Tell me, how can you forgive me for such a mistake?" Luo Zhang asked loudly.
"Sir, I really realized my mistake. I was blinded by lard for a moment, so I did such a bad thing. I deserve to die, I deserve to die!" Du Jin said, slapping himself. His mouth was full of hatred, as if the cheek was not his own. His cheeks were swollen after just a few blows, and blood overflowed from the corners of his mouth.
"Okay, don't be pretentious in front of me. I won't do anything to you. Don't worry about that. However, you must hand over the half of the money you got from me!" Luo Zhang said solemnly.
"Sir, I have already...sold those half members to the Dugu family!" Du Jin looked embarrassed.
"I don't care about that. Anyway, before tomorrow, I can't see the contract of the half-components. I will only ask you. Don't even think about running away. You can't run away. I will take care of your wife and children." You take good care of it, and when you get the half-components back, your family can be reunited. Otherwise, I'm afraid your wife will be sold to Chunlou, and your children will be sold to do hard labor to repay the debt you owe!" Luo Zhang said in a cold tone.
"Sir, no, never, I'll get it. I'll go to Dugu's house to get it right now. Even if I die, I will get the contract back from Dugu's house! Sir, please don't hurt my wife and children!" Du Jin hugged Luo Zhang's thigh and begged.
"You can take care of yourself. I've given you a way out. If you can't grasp it yourself, then you can't blame me!" As he said this, Luo Zhang kicked Du Jin over and strode into Huaqing Pool.
