Chapter 229: Mirage Pavilion, Frog Sounds and Orchestra

“Can we trust those desperate men like Ge Cheng? Zicheng was vague about it, and I am really worried.”

A simple vegetarian banquet for two was set up in the elegant three-story loft.

The host of the banquet was Yin Gao, the son of the Governor-General of Salt Administration, a student of the Imperial Academy, and the prefect of Jinan Prefecture.

Being born into a distinguished family, Yin Gao was always well-mannered. He had just finished a long day of paperwork in the government office and was already exhausted. However, he still stood up and poured wine for the guests as the lord of the government office.

Of course, the reason why he lowered his posture a little was also because he needed help from others.

Once things start, the direction can no longer be under your control.

Since the civil unrest in Yanzhou Prefecture, Yin Gao has not been able to close his eyes for several days.

These high-ranking officials, including those in Shandong, have treacherous and unpredictable minds.

Will Governor Yu Youding stand idly by for the sake of his teacher, the Salt Administration Governor?

I sent several letters to Jining, but received no reply. What was my father thinking?
Does Shen Li have the ability to quell the civil unrest in Qufu with lightning speed?

Even the sweeping civil unrest could not be controlled remotely.

I have just heard the news from Yanzhou. He Xinyin, that fellow, actually took advantage of his popularity among the people to rashly interfere in the civil unrest, attempting to mislead the people and persuade Ge Cheng to surrender.

This guy is a Confucian scholar but he curses the saints. He comes from a wealthy family but he betrays his own roots. He is simply forgetting his ancestors and harming his neighbors!

I am afraid that those core members who instigated the civil unrest are greedy for money and value their own lives, and if something really happens, they will withdraw without hesitation.

And those nominal leaders who were pushed forward…

When Yin Gao thought of this, he observed Zhang Yi’s reaction out of the corner of his eye. The Zicheng he just called was the courtesy name of Zhang Yi, one of the Three Zhangs of Taicang.

Shandong is not far enough, and most fugitives will not stay here, so the custom of raising assassins, Japanese pirates, and domestic slaves is more prosperous in the areas further south.

For example, people like Ge Cheng are the talents in the Zhang family’s pocket. The Zhang family has been very ambitious in recent years and has been helping people everywhere. Not only have they taken in many desperate fugitives, but they have also always taken the initiative to visit and help any aristocratic families they know who are in trouble.

However, Zhang Yi turned a deaf ear to Yin Gao’s questions.

He looked at Yin Gao with a smile in his eyes and changed the subject lightly: “This time I went to Beijing in person, and I really heard a lot of interesting things.”

The Zhang family of Taicang was deeply involved in the civil unrest, so naturally they could not stay out of it.

Therefore, Zhang Yi took advantage of the opportunity when his son Zhang Fu passed the imperial examination and went to Beijing to buy real estate. He went around to spy on the central government’s situation so that he could respond accordingly.

Right now, Zhang Yi is returning to Zhejiang from the capital via Shandong.

When Yin Gao saw that his question was ignored, his hand pouring the wine stopped in the air.

Although they were talking about serious matters, Zhang Yi always wanted to take the initiative in the conversation. He was so arrogant.

He was dissatisfied in his heart, but he forced a smile, held up his sleeves and sat back in his seat: “What does Zicheng mean?”

Zhang Yi took the wine glass with one hand, and without clinking glasses, he just drank a sip and said with emotion: “Now the chaos caused by the land survey has spread to the capital.”

“The gentry and students who came to Beijing to petition prostrated themselves and cried outside the Nine Gates; the six departments and thirteen institutes heard the news and vied with each other to make suggestions; the ministers in the Wenhua Palace held discussions, each holding their own opinions and arguing. It was truly a shock to the court and the people!”

When Yin Gao heard this, his expression changed.

The purpose of the Shandong incident to this point is not to shock the imperial court so that Du Tian will give up?

Now that he heard that it was effective, Yin Gao could hardly suppress the joy on his face.

He did not care about Zhang Yi’s impoliteness and asked immediately, “What about your majesty? Have you come to your senses and are you ready to discuss the land reclamation again?”

Zhang Yi shook his head: “The emperor is stubborn and self-willed, how could he easily change his ways?”

Then he changed the subject: “However, the emperor has been staying at home and speaking very little these days. I’m afraid he must be worried.”

“During the palace examination, the emperor also used the policy essays to test the water temperature of the court and the public.”

“From this point of view, I’m afraid it’s also a heavy burden on my heart.”

After hearing this, Yin Gao raised his eyebrows.

He sat back down, refilled his glass, and asked, “Test the water temperature?”

It is not only about asking how the emperor tested it, but also about what the water temperature would be as a result of the test.

Zhang Yi smacked his lips and savored the taste, then turned around and opened the book at hand, revealing a page of paper tucked inside.

He pushed the book in front of him and said, “This is the essay that the emperor personally wrote for this palace examination.”

Seeing this, Yin Gao reached out and took it with interest.

He murmured aloud: “The ruler and his ministers in the court control all changes and govern the nine fields. They are well prepared to establish the imperial power and use the three virtues as a balance. The imperial power is used to embody the constant and establish the foundation, and the three virtues are used to eliminate changes and adapt to the times.”

Yin Gao looked up at Zhang Yi, wanting to ask a question, but saw the latter smiling without saying anything. He didn’t want to appear clumsy, so he swallowed the words back.

Although he was only a student of the Imperial Academy, he was aware of the great principles of the classics. Although it was a bit difficult for him, he was still able to understand about 70% of it.

Huangji comes from “Shangshu Hongfan” and is one of the nine categories of governing a country. Here it does not mean omniscience, but “the highest principle of governing a country.”

At that time, Zhu Xi interpreted Huangji as “the emperor’s middle way”, which means that the monarch should uphold the virtue of fairness and selflessness, serve as the moral benchmark and political core of the world, thereby governing the people and achieving stability and tranquility in the world order.

However, since the second year of the Wanli reign, followers of Neo-Confucianism, led by the emperor, have reinterpreted the scriptures, interpreting them as the Taoist orthodoxy of the world and the ultimate of the emperor’s Taoism.

In simple terms, the connotation of Huangji, or the highest principle of governing a country, has evolved from “the emperor should cultivate perfect virtues” to “the emperor should practice an ideal world.” It is as if under the retro trend of thought of the Three Dynasties, the emperor was gradually regaining the right to create the future.

However, the scope of the subject of this question in the palace examination changed again.

The emperor and his ministers in the court control all things and manage the nine fields – it extends from the emperor to the leadership group with the emperor as the core.

As for the three virtues mentioned in the title, they are also one of the nine aspects of governing a country, and are three ways and methods to achieve “imperial supreme”.

This is what is called taking “Huangji” as the foundation and using the “three virtues”. As for which virtue to use specifically, it depends on “changing according to the times”.

Yin Gao frowned and continued to look down.

“Since the Three Dynasties, there have been generations of heroes who have personally cultivated the mysterious and profound, and have been able to take measures to punish crimes; they have been strict in government affairs and have been powerful in governing the country; they have been good at governing and have been vigorous in wielding the axe. These three virtues have met at the right time, and each is suitable for governing and practicing the imperial supreme power.”

After seeing this sentence, Yin Gao, a student of the Imperial Academy, finally became too tired to read any further.

He swallowed his breath, raised his head stiffly, looked at Zhang Yi, and said with a wry smile: “Please help me, Zicheng.”

Zhang Yi was not surprised at Yin Gao’s lack of knowledge and skills, after all, he was a student of the Imperial Academy.

He teased her a little bit, and then stopped showing off and asked in a gentle and persuasive way, “What are the three virtues?”

Yin Gao was startled and blurted out: “Integrity, hardness overcomes, softness overcomes.”

Integrity points to the “normal way”, that is, to establish unified morals and standards of right and wrong.

Gangke points to “great chaos” and the situation needs to be stabilized quickly by authoritarian means.

Rou Ke refers to “exhaustion”, which requires being gentle and lenient, reducing taxes, and being lenient to the people and scholars.

Zhang Yi nodded: “Your Majesty, what you are saying is that in the past three generations, there have been many wise monarchs. Some are peaceful and do nothing, and almost never use punishment; some are strict and tough in governing the government; there are also emperors who are both lenient and cruel in killing.”

“These are different uses of the three virtues, but they all conform to the needs of the time and contribute to the construction of an ideal world.”

“Which virtue is suitable for the world today? Scholars are needed to offer suggestions and speak freely.”

When Yin Gao heard this, he seemed to understand something.

Zhang Yi pointed to this sentence with deep meaning: “The emperor is much more cautious this time. He did not directly make a general plan and say which virtue should be used now.”

Upon hearing this, Yin Gao nodded in realization: “It seems to be true.”

The emperor had an extraordinary obsession and ability to deceive scholars.

In the previous palace examination, the emperor used the policy essay to ask directly why the new policy was the practice of “imperial sovereignty”.

There is not even room for discussion about whether or not, only why.

The scholars from all over the country were all mentally corrupted by the emperor invisibly.

This time, the palace examination was obviously much more restrained.

The so-called three virtues are nothing more than the path to achieve the new policy, whether it is firmness, softness, or moderation.

This corresponds to the central government’s current attitude towards the counterattack against civil unrest.

According to the emperor’s previous practice, he probably would not ask the candidates which path they should take, but how to better take a certain path.

This uncharacteristically cautious approach can only mean that the differences within and outside the government regarding the “Three Virtues” are greater than the “practice of imperial supremacy” of the New Deal!

It was so big that there was a debate within the New Party that could not be ignored!
It was so serious that the emperor had to review the situation!

So, which of the three virtues in the court at this time has the upper hand?

Thinking of this, Yin Gao hurriedly asked, “Then which virtues did the top-ranking essays this time come from?”

The so-called leopard can be seen through the pipe.

In this context, the articles and rankings of the top three candidates must have political significance that cannot be ignored, which is also the significance of the emperor’s testing the waters.

Zhang Yi clapped his hands and laughed when he heard this. Although the man in front of him was a student of the Imperial Academy, he was not stupid at all.

He smiled and replied: “I heard that the number one scholar chosen by the emperor was Zhang Juzheng’s eldest son Sixiu, and the theme of his article was “Great chaos must be overcome with strength.”

After hearing this, Yin Gao sneered, “Now the national treasury is full and the military is in full swing. What a prosperous era! Instead of singing praises, you are talking about chaos. How is this different from the alarmist villain?”

“If the imperial court continues to treat people with ‘hardness’, then the world will be on the verge of chaos!”

After venting his anger with words, Yin Gao looked up at Zhang Yi again.

After all, since Zhang Yi said “originally”, Zhang Sixiu’s status as the top scholar must have changed later.

as predicted.

Zhang Yi continued, “So, the Cabinet, the Ministry of Rites, the Hanlin Academy, the six departments and the thirteen provinces all came forward to advise, saying that the son of the official was selected by the emperor himself and should not be promoted too much.”

“After much debate, the emperor finally demoted him to second in the first class, the runner-up.”

Upon hearing this, Yin Gao showed joy on his face.

Zhang Sixiu was dismissed from the last imperial examination because he did not avoid taboos. After that, he devoted himself to self-cultivation for three years. Naturally, there were few flaws in his academic studies, and he was even favored by the emperor. But even so, he still did not get the first place.

It seems that after a civil turmoil, the temperature in the court is no longer so hot.

Yin Gao immediately turned to Zhang Yi and asked him expectantly, “Is the title of the top scholar’s essay ‘Rou Ke’?”

If we adopt the hard approach, there will inevitably be brutal killing; but if we adopt the soft approach, I am afraid that it won’t take long before the land survey will be stopped.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yi only glanced at Yin Gao and shook his head: “The final champion was Wang Tingzhu, whose essay used water and fire to represent leniency and severity, yin and yang to match punishment and virtue, and zither and harp to illustrate urgency and slowness.”

“The selected third place winner, Xiao Liangyou, used the metaphor of a sharp blade and an axe to cure chronic sores, and used the metaphor of a stone inside a beam to cure minor illnesses.”

“They all wrote ‘honest’ articles.”

Yin Gao was inevitably upset when his expectations were dashed.

He sneered, “When the Southern Suburbs offered sacrifices to the gods, the emperor expelled all the wise and capable people. Now there is only the paperhanger left in the court.”

The top three articles are the current water temperature; the second place’s tough article is about the self-righteousness of the radicals headed by the emperor; the third place’s upright article is about the court’s paperhangers putting the overall situation first.

The final result is obvious, that is, the top scholar’s upright article represents the mutual compromise between the government and the people.

This is still far worse than the complete cooling that Yin Gao had expected.

Zhang Yi glanced at Yin Gao and shook his head: “It’s not bad. At least the emperor didn’t get angry and send troops to conquer the provinces.”

After saying that, he reached into his sleeve and took out a manuscript.

“Before I left Beijing, the emperor personally wrote a manuscript, which has not yet been published. Brother Yin, please take a look.”

As he said this, he handed the manuscript forward.

Yin Gao took a quick glance and saw that the words on it were obviously copied in a hurry. The title also had the emperor’s personal characteristics – “The reform has entered the deep water zone. How should we unify our thoughts?”

Yin Gao took it with his hand and couldn’t help but sneered: “You regard our noble families as enemies, tear apart the tacit understanding between the monarch and his subjects, and trample on the consensus of the world. Now the court is shaken. Do you finally understand ‘unified thinking’?”

He took a quick glance, gritted his teeth, clasped his hands together, crunched the manuscript into a ball, and threw it hard into the soup on the table!

“Pooh!”

Zhang Yi watched this scene coldly, and did not say anything to stop it. He just said lightly: “The differences between the court and the people are gradually becoming apparent. We just need to continue to make moves step by step. Whether the emperor is willing to bridge the gap between the upper and lower levels depends on him.”

After saying that, he raised his wine glass again and took a sip, looking very relaxed.

Yin Gao took out a towel and wiped off the soup stains that had just splashed on his sleeves.

He took the opportunity to bring the topic back to Shandong, and said in a gloomy way: “According to the plan… It’s easy to say, but I’m afraid that this civil turmoil will be quelled with a few words from He Xinyin, which will make the court despise him and arouse his ambitions again.”

Compared to Shen Li, a young man who was shouting for war and killing all day long, Yin Gao was more afraid that this civil unrest would start well but end badly.

Zhang Yi remained silent.

Seeing that no one answered, Yin Gao did not urge anyone and just stretched out his hand and picked up the chopsticks.

Yin Gao made no secret of his plan. He seemed to be questioning whether Ge Cheng and others were reliable, but in the final analysis he still wanted the Zhang family to give an account.

Whether Zhang Yi intervenes personally or reveals some evidence, the two sides will always have to get more deeply entangled – Yin Gao is working hard in Shandong, resisting the government, and he doesn’t feel at ease.

For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the intermittent chewing and pouring of wine.

After a long while, Zhang Yi finally spoke slowly.

“Ge Cheng has a murder case on his hands, so he will definitely not be pardoned by the imperial court.”

When Yin Gao heard these words, he was shocked.

Kill the official! ?

But he is not the petty clerk in the village who is hacked to death every day. The word “killing officials” mentioned by Zhang Yi must be referring to the official who is a Jinshi graduate!

The Zhang family actually secretly kept such a desperado! ?

Since my sincerity has been expressed, there is no reason to hide it.

To reassure Yin Gao, Zhang Yi met his gaze and said seriously, “Three years ago, Ge Cheng stood up for the master and killed the former prefect Zhuang Yi. Then he came to my house for asylum. I took him in and took action to clean up the mess.”

Yin Gao, who was sitting opposite him, was already dumbfounded: “It turned out to be the criminal who murdered Prefect Zhuang!”

This was a sensational case three years ago.

At that time, Zhuang Ji resigned from his post as prefect and gained a good reputation for being “upright and loving the people, and respected by the people of the county”, which could be said to be a glorious return to his hometown.

Who would have thought that not long after he retired and returned to his hometown, he was murdered by someone, and his death was extremely tragic!
The reason behind this made officials feel insecure.

It was just because after retiring, Prefect Zhuang wanted to buy some property and took a fancy to the fertile farms of small families, so he brought the inspector to ask for them. The prefect returned and wanted to invade the fertile fields on the sea, so he took the inspector to stop him.

The result was the arrival of the Green Forest Ranger.

Because it was a salt field on the sea, Zhuang Ji was tricked to go to the sea in the name of measurement. He only realized he had been tricked when he arrived there.

The criminal then showed his inhumane side. He cruelly stripped Zhuang Ji of his clothes, cut off his flesh piece by piece, and then chopped the meat into pieces in front of Zhuang Ji. He then pickled the meat on the spot with boiling field salt, and tortured him to death.

The news was brought back by Zhang Ji’s servant.

It was said that because the two servants were young and innocent, they were forced to eat the pickled meat, then released and brought back a message from the criminal – kill the official, it would be great.

Being so audacious and cruel, it is natural that the government will launch an all-out hunt for him.

It’s a pity that these outlaws often collude with local wealthy people, and in the end the murderer escaped and has been at large for more than three years.

I never thought that this person was actually recruited by the Zhang family!

The Zhang family in Taicang’s style of doing things and their obvious ambitions are truly terrifying!
Zhang Yi saw the fear in Yin Gao’s eyes and comforted him, “Ge Cheng is angry with the court and owes me a life. Although he is in the midst of civil unrest, he will never be easily appeased.”

If it weren’t for this kind of background, how could those servants of local wealthy families dare to show up and lead the civil unrest?

Not to mention slaughtering tax collectors without any burden.

Zhang Yi glanced at Yin Gao.

This person looks as frightening as a snake or scorpion, and has no idea what it means to use things differently for different people. I’m afraid he will never be able to help his family rise in this life.

Yin Gao was obviously resentful of Zhang Yitou’s true intentions and had lost interest in the conversation. He reluctantly said, “I see. Then I’m sure you won’t be easily bribed by Shen Li and others.”

After saying that, he covered his face with his sleeves and drank the wine in the cup: “It’s getting late today…”

It was obvious that he wanted to say goodbye.

Zhang Yi felt quite bored and said nothing more. He simply interrupted and said, “Brother Yin, just go ahead.”

Yin Gao looked a little embarrassed when he saw this. He didn’t say much, just stood up, bowed, and left.

After everyone left, Zhang Yi was about to call the servant outside the door in.

Unexpectedly, before he could call out, the servant had already hurried in: “Second Master, the Cao Gang just came and saw that Second Master was discussing important matters with Lord Yin, so they left a message and left.”

Zhang Yi didn’t even turn his head and asked directly: “What message did you leave?”

The servant recalled a little and repeated, “It is said that… a ship from Nanzhili docked in Jining in the afternoon. The Prime Minister Zhang Juzheng was on the ship, and was heading to the capital.”

Zhang Yi was stunned when he heard this.

He subconsciously frowned and took a deep breath: “Zhang Juzheng? Isn’t he bedridden due to hemorrhoids? Didn’t the emperor grant him two months of leave?”

At the end of March, Zhang Juzheng’s mourning period ended and the court issued an edict to reinstate him. However, as the saying goes, when the time comes, heaven and earth will work together. Perhaps because of the long period of mourning, this prime minister suffered a relapse of hemorrhoids and was bedridden.

So the emperor approved his sick leave and ordered Zhang Juzheng to return to the court in June.

It was only May, how come they had already reached Shandong? The servant shook his head, obviously there was no extra news.

A trace of worry appeared between Zhang Yi’s brows.

Was it because the civil unrest stimulated Zhang Juzheng to go to Beijing early despite his illness?

wrong.

The emperor was self-righteous and acted like a strong king and father. Without the emperor’s permission, even if Zhang Juzheng wanted to return to the court, he would probably be sent back by the emperor to recuperate halfway.

The emperor must have changed his mind and urgently summoned Zhang Juzheng to the capital!
why?
Shen Shixing was not strong enough in the land measurement issue, which displeased the emperor, so he let Zhang Juzheng return to the court and take charge of the cabinet again?
Or is it that the results of the trial policy are not satisfactory, so he wants to recall the powerful prime minister and suppress the dissatisfaction?
Or is it that it has reached the point of bridging the differences between North Korea and China, and they want to add bargaining chips to the “hard victory”?
Zhang Yi stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

The emperor seemed to be at ease one moment, but the next moment he urgently summoned Zhang Juzheng to return to the capital. If he said that it had nothing to do with the land survey, it would probably be an insult to the political sense of outsiders.

Besides, he didn’t hear any news when he was in the capital.

With all these things happening, I’m afraid the way the emperor will respond will not be what we expected.

Zhang Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, constantly pondering the emperor’s intentions.

After thinking it over again and again, he turned around and was about to give instructions to the servant.

Just then, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door.

The master and servant looked at each other, kept silent, and looked up.

creak.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and it was Yin Gao with a gloomy look on his face. He walked up to Zhang Yi without saying a word.

Zhang Yi couldn’t help but be stunned.

He subconsciously asked, “Why did Brother Yin leave and come back?”

After asking the question, he reacted immediately.

Could it be that this guy heard that Zhang Juzheng was passing through Shandong and rushed back in panic for help?

Yin Gao glanced at the servant coldly without saying a word.

Zhang Yi understood and waved his hand to send the servant away.

After the servant closed the door, the room became quiet again.

Zhang Yi was about to comfort her.

Unexpectedly, Yin Gao suddenly slammed a piece of official document on the table and became furious!

Yin Gao stared at Zhang Yi with sinister eyes and asked angrily, “Is this what Zicheng guaranteed to be reliable?!”

Zhang Yi realized that things seemed inconsistent with what he had just thought.

He frowned and reached out to grab the document from Yin Gao’s hand.

Yin Gao threw it over and snorted, “A letter came from the Yanzhou government, saying that half a day ago, Ge Cheng and others surrendered, and the three thousand rioters were scattered, and the market was reopened and they returned to the fields!”

“The civil unrest in Qufu was quelled overnight. It won’t be long before the entire Yanzhou Prefecture can be settled!”

Zhang Yi glanced over the document.

After listening to the words next to him, he also finished reading the article in front of him.

The situation is changing so rapidly! ?

He was speechless for a moment.

Yin Gao looked over with dissatisfaction, about to question him.

suddenly.

Zhang Yi smiled and chuckled at himself.

“Oh, there are so many heroes in the world! It’s us who underestimated them.”

Yin Gao watched the man escape, gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: “How can you shock the court with such a great start but a poor finish!?”

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yi did not answer, but stood up, opened the door and left.

“Zhang Juzheng is passing through Jining today. He should have gone to see your father. Brother Yin, please take care of yourself.”

Yin Gao was stunned to see Zhang Yi running away in a hurry but still looking so calm.

Zhang Yi didn’t even turn his head, and waved his hand gently: “Brother Yin, please don’t worry. It’s too cold in the north, and my hands are shaking when I play chess. I will return to the south first, and then deal with the land reclamation.”

After saying that, he took three steps at a time and went down the attic in the blink of an eye.

……

The eighth year of Wanli, May 23, Yanzhou Prefecture.

In the lobby of the government office, An Jiuyu, who had rushed over from Jinan, was sitting behind the desk.

He looked at the cut on the head in front of him, unable to hide his surprise, and asked, “You mean, He Xinyin went to the meeting alone, faced 3,000 rioters, went in and out seven times, with strong energy flowing through his body, and chopped off Ge Cheng’s head with one sword. Then the 3,000 rioters were so frightened by He Xinyin’s bravery that they all turned against their enemies and took off their armor, and took advantage of the chaos to kill more than a dozen key members?”

At the end of his speech, An Jiuyu pointed at himself helplessly and said, “Does everyone outside think I’m a stupid official who believes in ghosts and gods?”

When the news of the Qufu civil unrest reached the governor’s office, it was extremely urgent.

Thousands of people rioted, went on strike, marched, attacked government offices, set fires, and killed tax officials. It was suspected that the Confucius Mansion and the Prince of Lu were behind the riots. The imperial guards suppressed the riots and killed the wealthy…

It seemed as if he was a rebel who was about to rise up in rebellion at the next moment.

As sensational as it is, it is like a paper tiger that was easily broken by He Xinyin. This story is not clever at all.

The garrison officers, deputy provincial governors, and government officials in the hall, upon hearing the imperial censor’s self-deprecation, also spread their hands and said, “The description just now was just what the petty officials heard from the public. It can’t be taken seriously.”

“In fact, Qufu only sent the heads of Ge Cheng and a few key members, without any official documents.”

“I don’t know why they sent it here.”

To put it bluntly, apart from the news that the Qufu unrest had been quelled, there was nothing else that could be written in an official document.

At this time, the prefect Li Deyou signaled the assistant officer to close the wooden box containing the head, and stepped forward and said seriously: “In my opinion, this is not a hasty oversight by Governor Shen, but an act of taking credit for himself!”

Everyone in the hall was startled when they heard this.

Take credit for something?

After hearing this, An Jiuyu also frowned.

There are many divisions within the party, not just at the core.

It is normal for there to be differences of opinion among the top leadership group, between local provinces and the central government, and even among the people of the world.

Especially this kind of fundamental policy involving the distribution of wealth in the world.

In the end, whether it was a war between the North and the South, or the fighting in the Western Garden, these were countless events throughout history.

The same is true for the eye of the storm in Shandong.

Shen Li has a strong style and insists on clearing the landslide, so it is impossible for the Shandong officials to say they will not oppose him.

With such a huge difference in the numbers in the land survey and verification, can the local governor leave a good impression in front of the emperor?

Coupled with this civil uprising, the blame has been put on the official position.

Shen Li will just walk away, leaving behind a lot of resentment in Shandong, and it will be the Shandong locals who will have to bear the brunt of it.

Almost the entire Shandong officialdom felt uncomfortable.

Under this kind of mood, people may not make trouble in the land survey.

However, the tacit understanding of holding high the banner of the local governor and keeping Shen Li out of Shandong’s political affairs was still unspoken – An Jiuyu took the initiative to volunteer to quell the civil unrest in Yanzhou Prefecture, which might have been out of consideration for keeping Shen Li in Qufu County and preventing him from interfering in other places in Yanzhou Prefecture.

According to Li Deyou’s statement, Shen Li was obviously aware of this. For these considerations, he simply pushed the credit for quelling the civil unrest to Shandong Province, and took the blame for inciting the civil unrest alone.

To put it bluntly, this is Shen Li seeking support from Shandong local government and intending to make concessions and show goodwill!
The officials in the hall also thought of this point and looked at each other in confusion.

Are there still people in the officialdom who are so focused on their work that they don’t care about their career?
An Jiuyu slapped his thigh and said, “Governor Shen is a man of high moral character!”

It would be fine if it were others, but Shen Li is really that kind of person!
Upon seeing this, the garrison officers of the Censorate all smiled and agreed.

“As expected of a sincere and honest person!”

“Longjiang University of Technology justice!”

Someone immediately hinted to An Jiuyu: “Ahem, Censor An accepted the order in times of crisis and lived up to the trust of the governor. He led us to quell the civil unrest…”

As soon as he finished speaking, An Jiuyu glanced at him coldly and quickly kept silent before speaking.

An Jiuyu shook his head and said, “After quelling the civil unrest in the surrounding counties and completing the land survey and verification, I will submit a memorial to the court to seek credit for my colleagues.”

As the saying goes, one should return a favor. Credit cannot be taken for free.

Several officials in the hall looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

“Now that Qufu has been pacified, the other counties can be settled by passing on their heads!”

“Governor Yin is in charge of Jining, and there are no disturbances in the surrounding counties. You don’t need to pay attention to it.”

“Pingyang County and Dong’a County, which are closest to the provincial capital, immediately calmed down after the garrison officers entered the city to warn them.”

“Guyang, Dingtao, Juye, Caoxian and other places are in great turmoil, but Governor Yu has gone there personally, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.”

“There are only a few places like Tancheng County and Yi County. The first to respond was Qufu Gecheng, and it has not been quelled yet.”

“Councilor Wu, Guard Zhang, please take Ge Cheng’s head to Tancheng County and Yi County and hang it on the city walls as a warning to the public. If the rioters can be dispersed, don’t resort to violence… I will personally lead people to Yizhou.”

After An Jiuyu made some arrangements, he turned to look at Li Deyou.

He paused and instructed, “I’ll have to trouble Magistrate Li to pay attention to the land survey and re-examination. Don’t leave any more mistakes.”

The hurdle in front of me has not been overcome yet. If I make another mistake, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Li Deyou accepted the offer and made a political promise: “Great order comes after great chaos. After this turmoil, even the King of Lu and the Kong family have behaved themselves. The land reclamation should be much smoother.”

Having said this, everyone looked up at Li Deyou.

An Jiuyu also reacted, looked at this old subordinate of Shen Li, and asked: “Where is Governor Shen now?”

Li Deyou hesitated and said, “It is said that the civil unrest is linked to the concubines of the Kong family, and now they are cooperating with the Duke of Yansheng to investigate.”

An Jiuyu held his forehead with his hand and remained speechless.

Inventory? Liquidation is more like it.

In the fourth year of the Zhengtong reign, Duke Yansheng Kong Yanjin reported to the court that successive dynasties had allocated 198,000 acres of land for temple support and recruited 624 households to rent and cultivate it.

But two hundred years later, Shandong province alone had a total of 390,000 acres of land, located in six counties and prefectures: Yuncheng, Juye, Caozhou, Dong’e, Ziyang and Yutai.

And it’s not 360 steps to one acre, it’s at least 700 steps to one acre or more.

In other places such as Northern Zhili, Southern Zhili, Henan, etc., there are tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of acres of land, large and small. How many of them are occupied, and how many are hidden fields, are simply countless.

If we want to liquidate the Kong family.

Either the golden statue of the Kong family’s Yansheng Duke would be smashed to pieces, or Shen Li would become a rat crossing the street.

No wonder Shen Li took the initiative to take credit and seek support from Shandong officials. What is coming will eventually come.

An Jiuyu couldn’t help but sigh about this.

Shen Li is really too straightforward.

The emperor instructed He Xinyin to write an article to slander the Kong family. He had already made plans to slowly fabricate the article in order to preserve the reputation of his subjects.

Unexpectedly, Shen Li didn’t care about his reputation at all.

Little did he know that being too rigid can lead to failure, and with the ups and downs of his career, he didn’t know how many hardships were waiting for him in the future.

Suddenly he seemed to remember something, turned around and asked, “Where is Mr. Fushan now?”

Li Deyou shook his head blankly.

The garrison officer at the side stepped forward and continued: “It is said that Mr. Fushan wants to stay in Shandong and establish a school of thought.”

An Jiuyu curiously asked: “Creating a school of thought?”

The garrison officer nodded and said, “He said he wanted to build a charity house and cultivate the land.”

“It’s not clear what the specific philosophy or doctrine is.”

An Jiuyu became more and more curious.

However, he had important matters to attend to, so he could only suppress his curiosity and continue to give orders for important matters.

……

At this time, He Xinyin was hoeing the fields – it had been quite some time since he went to the meeting alone to quell the civil unrest.

He Xinyin faced the loess and had his back to the sky, digging with one hoe after another.

This piece of land was the “dirty land” obtained from Shen Li. When the government auctioned it, it was bought by He Xinyin and used as a charity cemetery.

At this time, in addition to He Xinyin, there were three or five other farmers working in the fields.

He Xinyin turned the soil with great concentration until the sky gradually darkened and his clothes were soaked with sweat.

The disciples at Tiankan were already waiting respectfully with food in hand.

He Xinyin looked up at the sky and saw that half the sky was on fire. Then he picked up the hoe and walked to the edge of the field.

“Teacher, let’s eat first.”

He Xinyin used the water from the field to wash the mud off his feet and rubbed his face. Then he took the noodles, pickles and wine and sat on the edge of the field to eat leisurely.

The disciple at the side spread out paper and pen on the stone slab with ease.

“Continue with yesterday’s notes.” He Xinyin instructed.

Judging from the posture, it is obvious that this is a tacit understanding that has been built up over many days.

While swallowing, He Xinyin slowly spoke: “I once pondered over what I had done wrong in traveling around the world and giving lectures over the past few decades.”

“This experience in Shandong finally made me figure it out.”

A group of disciples looked over with curiosity.

He Xinyin took a sip of wine and continued, “Originally, the most ideal way to promote Confucianism in the countryside and make everyone like a dragon is for the villagers to move and we help them shout. To put it another way, it should be the red people who want to move and we lead them to move.”

“But it was not like that at the time. We moved, but they did not. Not only did they not move, they even sneered at our movement.”

“So I have been shouting for more than ten years that everyone is like a dragon, but there is no effect.”

Several disciples felt uncomfortable when they heard He Xinyin easily deny his actions over the past decades.

He Xinyin seemed unaware and continued, “It is probably because we fail to represent the demands of the Red People. We think that what we do is good for the Red People, but the Red People only feel comfortable listening to us, but in fact, it does not hurt them.”

“This encounter with Ge Cheng was a real enlightenment for me.”

“The reason is that we, the people of Chi Min, naturally have differences with each other.”

“The poor are burdened by heavy taxes, but we cannot immediately relieve their burden; they have no land, so we cannot give them land.”

“Many of the demands of the red people needed to be addressed at the source, but we had no practice in solving the problems at that time and could only talk nonsense, which of course could not address the red people’s concerns.”

He Xinyin swallowed the steamed bun whole and concluded: “We must first practice on the land issue and find a feasible way.”

The young man who was taking notes stopped writing silently.

He raised his head and said hesitantly, “Sir, would you mind being a little vague…”

He Xinyin shook his head without saying a word.

The student had no choice but to grit his teeth and write it down.

At this time, another student interrupted and said, “Teacher, you just mentioned Ge Cheng. I would like to ask if this matter can be listed as a separate article as an appendix?”

People like He Xinyin and Li Zhi have always aspired to be saints.

Especially for He Xinyin, it is almost standard configuration for students and their students to record their words and deeds.

He Xinyin thought about it and shook his head.

The student couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. It was a pity that he couldn’t remember what happened that day.

But He Xinyin suddenly stood up, took the pen from his disciple, and sat on the stone slab.

He sighed and said, “I will write a biography of Ge Cheng myself.”

Important things often haunt people.

He Xinyin picked up his pen, turned to a new page, and slowly wrote: “In the eighth year of Wanli, the whole country was surveyed… As for resistance to taxation, the people of Lu abandoned farming and stopped trading. A marcher named Ge Cheng stood up, holding a banana leaf fan, and a thousand people responded with one call. They killed the officials, destroyed their houses, and gathered their money and burned it…”

“The governor was shocked when he heard about it and wanted to stop it with troops, but he loved the people, so he ordered his officials to ride into the temple…”

As he put pen to paper, He Xinyin seemed to have returned to the moment when the burly man was staring at him and asking him whether there would be an increase in taxes after the land survey.

He seemed to see Ge Cheng again, the man wearing coarse linen clothes, with a burly figure and a red spot on his brow.

Unconsciously, my thoughts returned to that day again.

(End of this chapter)