"Tinglong, what happened over there?"
Under the shining of the setting sun, Cai Xianqing saw Ye Yongjia's figure from a distance, and hurried forward with Cui Yi and others and asked.
"Your old strategy won't work anymore," Ye Yongjia glanced at Cai Xianqing and sighed, "I don't know what happened in Yuzhi. What kind of survey was carried out, but was plotted by the local officials and required the Ministry of Household Affairs to produce a document. But, do you think, how could Zeng Liang be willing to bring it out? After he got the news, he went to the emperor to impeach me again, complaining that I didn't inform him and deceived him... Oh, it's really inexplicable. "
"What is the emperor's attitude?" Cai Xianqing asked as he invited him into the study.
Ye Yongjia replied: "The emperor is fine. He is not willing to participate in the underlying matters. He wants us to discuss it on our own and avoid causing trouble. Then he asked about the situation of the Lan Yuan case."
"how do you say?"
"I said that now we have two things to do at the same time, the official affairs are complicated, and we are afraid of disturbing the local area, so we have not taken action. The emperor seems to be dissatisfied with this and wants us to completely settle the case before the year without any delay."
Cai Xianqing touched his knees and sighed: "This is not easy to handle. Once the case is closed, we will no longer have the power of life and death, and the new policy will be hindered... But now Zeng Liang refuses to approve the order. Seeing that time is getting increasingly tight, he calls It’s up to people to do whatever they want.”
"Master Cai," Cui Yi suddenly stepped forward, "since the peaceful method is not working, why not stop talking nonsense to Zhu Yangrui and arrest him directly and chop off his head! In this way, the new policy can be implemented before the case is closed. , build reputation.”
"This is undoubtedly a war against the gentry all over the world..." Ye Yongjia frowned, "Isn't it too radical?"
Cui Yi bowed and said: "Other than that, I have to sit back and wait for death."
Ye Yongjia looked at Cai Xianqing's face, and then nodded slowly: "Just as you said, write down a detailed strategy and send someone to inform Master Wan."
"Yes." Cui Yi received the order.
In front of the gate of Zhu's Mansion, the Imperial Guards gradually formed a line, surrounded by three levels in front and back, all with their weapons shining and their eyes bright. The officer on horseback finished his command, got off his horse, went to the front and knocked on the door a few times, and saw an old woman coming to greet him.
"What are you..." The old woman looked panicked, and her hand holding the door was shaking slightly.
The officer put his hands behind his back, smiled and comforted her, saying, "You are Mr. Zhu's family, right? I have something to do with him, and I hope you will call him over. Don't worry, I have no other intentions."
"Old, old lady, go now."
The old woman was talking, and was about to close the door, but was held down by the officer: "Old man, no, why are you closing the door? You will have to open it later, what a trouble."
The old woman was so frightened that she didn't dare to play any more tricks, so she hurriedly went to the inner courtyard to inform Yang Rui. Yang Rui was shocked, but then thought for a moment: "My fate is related to the survival of many officials, and Ye Dang will never dare to take action." ’ So after comforting my wife and children, I strode to the door. Seeing that the two doors were ajar, I gently pushed them open: “Master Jun——”
Before he could finish his words, the soldiers suddenly swarmed forward, pushed Zhu Yangrui to the ground, and bruised his face; miserable screams erupted from all around.
"I'm sorry," the officer said in a normal tone while tying him up, "I remember all the benefits you gave me, but in order to perform official duties today, I have to wrong you. Let's go!"
Zhu Yangrui wants to be sentenced to death. This sudden news shocked the whole of Henan, especially the prefect of Runing. He was immersed in his recent victory, but the reports that followed were like a bolt from the blue, pulling him directly from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the valley. His first thought was to find out the current situation and inquire about it, and finally had to ask Wan Yuzhi.
"I can understand your Majesty's mood," Yuzhi replied calmly in the face of the aggressive prefect, "But this matter is due to the court's decision, and I can't change it. The only thing to do now is to execute the order: to send Zhu Yangrui to All his fields and property were confiscated and returned to the government."
The prefect slapped the table: "What crime did Zhu Yangrui commit? As the chief of the first prefecture, I must know!"
Yuzhi rolled his eyes and said word by word: "Colluding with the Blue Party. Is this crime enough?"
The prefect took a breath and slowly lowered his head: "I have no objection. But... is there an edict from the emperor?"
Yu Zhi had no intention of giving in: "The emperor has given me great power, why do I need to ask for instructions on everything? As for the punishment of Dapi, I have already reported to the capital and let the court decide. You don't have to worry."
After the magistrate heard this, he no longer argued and just retreated silently. After leaving the courtyard, he said to the people on his left and right: "Looking at Wan Yuzhi's attitude, I'm afraid he will question me next. Rather than accept it, It's better to fight to the death than sit back and wait to be manipulated by him! Go and incite the squires from all walks of life to cause trouble in Henan, which may alarm the emperor and block the new policy." Tiji received the order and dispersed.
Not long after, Ye Yongjia received Yu Zhi's reply and immediately presented it to the emperor for reading. After hearing this, Hanlin Ge Ming was eager to enter the palace to remonstrate, but he was stopped by Guoxiang people: "Chen Libu said before that the Ye thief is so wild that he will eventually eat himself; you and I just need to follow his will, If you increase his arrogance, great things can be accomplished." Ming Wei just gave up.
In the eyes of the ministers, there is almost only one possibility for Ye Dang's request - to be refuted by the emperor himself. For this reason, they confidently await the results of the disposal, imagining the collapse of the Ye Party. But in the eyes of the emperor, this issue was not simple, and even somewhat complicated.
It is true that his status makes him extremely dependent on these rural gentry families, relying on them to control the bottom and maintain the imperial power; but once the gentry becomes unlimited and owns thousands of acres of fertile land, it is inevitable that A problem arises: if you think of it in a small way, it is just a little bit of the royal tax; if you think in a big way, it will form a force that can keep pace with the government and even affect his decision-making.
A person like him who is used to being calm will definitely not allow the latter situation to happen. "The world is declining, and these gentry are gradually no longer listening to me." He sat expressionlessly on his seat, clutching the dagger he carried with him tightly, leaving a mark on his fingers, "With Ye Yongjia's hand, kill Isn't their prestige a good thing? ' Thinking of this, he quickly called Shen Jing and issued an edict, announcing to the ministers:
"When I saw Xinyang's rejoinder, I deeply hated Zhu Yangrui for causing harm to the country and the people. His crime was really serious. In order to support the people of Li, I was not afraid of inciting sin from all directions. I confiscated the offender's family property and killed the three tribes, in order to please people's hearts. Kudos to this!"
Zeng Liang and others were stunned for a while after hearing this. They lowered their heads helplessly and kowtowed heavily:
"Long live my emperor, long live, long live..."
