first minister

The dim candlelight swayed in the air, illuminating everyone's faces with uncertainty.

"Yesterday, the people sent to the imperial court got a reply. They went through the channels of Wan Xiang, King Cheng, and Prime Minister Yan. Except for King Cheng who was directly rejected, they also talked with the people under Wan Xiang and Yan Xiang. They all connected. But the situation is not good. Although these two are determined to suppress Marquis Jianning's limelight, they cannot charge forward for our affairs."

"Similarly, the people we sent to contact Sixiang, Xifeng and other big states' wealthy families also came back and said that these people had made trouble once before by taking advantage of the situation in our Yuyan Prefecture, but because of the rapid recovery of Yuyan Prefecture, they were picked up by Heibingtai. It’s very miserable, and now I’m a little scared and don’t dare to act rashly.”

"These guys, who let them run amok in the first place, how can we fight against them now that we can't work together! They will be the ones after us! Don't you understand the meaning of death and coldness! Do you have to watch the inheritance of your ancestors being destroyed in your own hands? The eternal sinner of the family cannot be punished!"

"Hey, the problem now is that Marquis Jianning is too powerful now. In just six months, he first overthrew Dongfang Ming, captured Xiao Fengshan and Lu Rusong alive, established a new emperor, and established an imperial court. Then, under great pressure, he first put an end to the civil strife. , and then Yin Ma Yuan was victorious, Beiliang was silenced, Dongfang Ping died, and Yu Yan recovered. Think about it, under such circumstances, as long as it is not a person like us who has suffered the pain, who would dare to stop him from doing what he wants to do? !”

Everyone was talking about it, and they could sum it up in just four words: the situation is not good.

"Mr. Hong, please tell me if you have any suggestions. Our trip is not easy."

When someone finally lost his composure and asked about the old man who was the leader, the old man coughed lightly. All the voices in the room immediately stopped, and everyone looked over.

"The Marquis of Jianning is so powerful that it is indeed not something we can contend with head-on."

His slow voice seemed to take away the little air in the small room, making many people feel their breathing became stagnant.

"It is impossible for us to confront Marquis Jianning head-on. After the previous test, this man who has won three yuan in a row is really willing to kill someone."

The heavy breathing made the candle light waver.

"What's more important is that Prince Jing will stay in Yuyan State. This attitude is very clear."

In a room that was almost breathless, a man couldn't help but interrupt and said: "Mr. Hong! According to what you mean, we will obey him? Then what are we going to do tonight with all our troops and come here in the dark?"

This sentence touched the hearts of everyone around him, and everyone looked at him with somewhat doubtful or dissatisfied eyes.

The old man accepted such gazes calmly, without panicking at all, and even said with a smile: "So, do you think we have no chance of winning this time?"

Of course, the old man also knew that he could not keep his appetite for too long, and immediately continued: "Since ancient times, whether it is a confrontation between two armies or a court battle, there has never been a truth that the strong will win and the weak will lose. If so, Once everyone sets out the conditions, who is strong and who is weak will be determined directly. There are so many interesting stories."

"This time Marquis Jianning wants to implement a new policy and deprive our ancestors of the great clan's inheritance. Naturally, we can't just kill him at the slightest provocation."

"We can't face the strong, but we are not helpless."

Seeing that many people's lips moved slightly and hesitated to speak, the old man did not dare to hide it anymore and revealed the real solution.

"Think about it, when the imperial court issued an order to do something detrimental to our interests, what did we do?"

An old man answered: "Of course there are orders from above, strategies from below, perfunctory, misinterpretation, concealment, and each has his own means."

Mr. Hong smiled and said, "Then why can't we do the same thing this time?"

"Same as the same?" The old man couldn't help but snorted, "Jianning Hou and Prince Jing are watching right in front of you! Can we bribe them to fool the court?"

Mr. Hong smiled and said, "You guys know how to do things that are not on the table."

He stretched out his finger and tapped the table, "Aren't you going to follow his path and make things worse?"

Everyone was stunned, and Mr. Hong was speechless, "You don't know the tricks that all the subordinates in the city know?"

"The superiors blamed them for being lax in guarding the city gates and neglecting their duties. They asked them to control the entrance and exit of the city gates. They checked them one by one and searched them carefully. They didn't let anyone go. Even the court messenger was not accommodating. They just said it was the order of the superior officer, which caused a lot of complaints. , the superiors had no choice but to turn a blind eye and pretend it didn’t happen.”

"The superiors blamed them for improperly managing the streets, which caused the city to be messy. They were asked to keep the streets tidy, and they would fine those who littered. Sometimes they would also fine others if they dropped a few vegetable leaves. When asked, the superiors would The order finally forced the superiors to shout to stop."

Everyone's expressions changed slightly, "What Mr. Hong means is that we follow his wishes, and then make things worse in his name, and finally force him to come out and call for a stop?"

"Exactly!"

Mr. Hong said with a smile: "Don't he want to clear the land? Let him do it. Not only must we cooperate vigorously to clear out flat acres for the court to come and inspect, but we must also drive away all the original tenants to avoid rights. It is a dispute, so the officials of the imperial court can register it."

It's not easy to learn well, but once a bad learner slips away, everyone immediately understood after hearing this and started to draw inferences.

"Yes, doesn't he want to check the hidden household registrations? Let's drive out all the servants in the house and the village, leaving only a few capable ones."

"Those tenants and servants who rely on us to make a living, without our protection, they will not even have a place to live or food to eat. When the time comes, refugees will be everywhere. I wonder what they will do!"

"That's right! We can also secretly hire some desperadoes to rob and cause trouble. It's best to cause some casualties. When the time comes, what can he do no matter how many soldiers he has?"

"Wonderful! This way, we can communicate in front of him, and he won't be able to say anything."

"A strong dragon cannot overwhelm a local snake. We have lived in this land for generations, and we are deeply rooted in it, so we must give full play to our own advantages. Although Marquis Jianning has a high and powerful position, and Prince Jing is invincible on the battlefield, in the land of Yuyan Prefecture, we are the only ones. Only then can we contact and instruct so many people!"

"Hehe, as long as the situation goes bad and dozens of lives are lost, the princes in the court will naturally have something to say! Those other wealthy families who are still waiting and watching will naturally not let go of this golden opportunity. !”

"Yes, by then, I'm afraid the Queen Mother and Your Majesty won't be able to continue to indulge Marquis Jianning in his misdeeds despite public anger, right?"

"The seven surnames of Beiliang govern the country. Although we dare not shout that sentence, in the end, we still have the final say in this Swift State!"

Everyone started chatting, and a middle-aged man with a rich face suddenly whispered: "Everyone, if we are willing to spend such a high price to fight against Jianning Hou's new policy, why don't we just obey him? He also said publicly Yes, as long as we cooperate, he will give us benefits and at the same time give us a good business route to make a fortune, and after the New Deal is rolled out, it will give us even more benefits."

"Absurd!" Mr. Hong immediately slapped the table, "Do you believe this?"

The person next to him also immediately refuted: "Now that the meat in your hand has been taken away by others, do you still expect others to give you a bigger piece of meat? If he had that ability, he wouldn't come to rob us!" "

"Don't place your hopes on the kindness of the enemy! As long as we defeat Marquis Jianning's new policy attempt, these people will be able to regain their livelihood in the future. Nowadays, so many large households in the state have collapsed. There is plenty of meat for us to eat.”

"That's right, don't believe a word of what the court says. He's just a scholar. He has no ability to find a way for us to make money. He went to the extreme to beg his father-in-law's family to give us a few bites of food, but we still don't like him. !”

"The core of our wealthy family is land and people, not just a little bit of wealth!"

"That is, how can the inheritance that generations of ancestors have worked so hard to build up be given away to others like this? If that is the case, how can we go to see our ancestors under the Nine Springs!"

Seeing that his words had offended the public, the fat middle-aged man quickly handed over his hands and apologized, "I made a mistake, I made a mistake, you are right!"

Mr. Hong looked at him deeply and said to everyone: "In that case, let's discuss the details again."

So everyone lowered their voices, and you and I talked about the situation and assigned tasks.

After a conversation, Mr. Hong sat up and glanced at everyone, "Everyone, in this action, I promise victory but no defeat! As long as the Marquis Jianning returns without success, my family can be prosperous for decades!"

Everyone agreed and were about to leave when Mr. Hong suddenly spoke and stopped the fat middle-aged man, "Master, don't you give us peace of mind about tonight?"

The middle-aged man looked confused, "Mr. Hong, what are you talking about?"

Mr. Hong's face darkened, "Tonight all our families have gathered here, and we have risked our lives. What you just said made me unable to sleep and feel at ease." The rest of the people also reacted immediately. He moved unconsciously and surrounded the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man quickly raised his hands and said: "Mr. Hong! Everyone! I really just said that. I have listened to all your rebuttals. I was just confused for a moment! I also resolutely went to the appointment tonight. How can there be any reason to betray!" "

Mr. Hong shook his head firmly, "I can't risk your conscience with the lives of thousands of people in our family. This is a serious matter, nephew Zhu Xian, I'm sorry."

The middle-aged man understood what the other party said, his knees softened, and he knelt down with a plop, tears and snot streaming down his face, "Mr. Hong, give me a chance!"

Mr. Hong ordered someone to get pen, ink, paper and inkstone, "You can write a suicide note. I promise you in front of so many people that we will help your designated heir to ascend to the throne together, and at the same time we will not annex your Zhu family." Family wealth. Are you willing to make a promise with me?"

When everyone saw this scene, they sighed and all spoke.

Seeing that it was of no use, the middle-aged man had to get up tremblingly. He planned to write a suicide note, but his hands were trembling and he could not write a word.

The person beside him sighed, "Brother Zhu, let me write it for you."

After about a while of tea, the candles in the hut were blown out and deathly silence returned.

There were seven or eight living people leaving, as well as one corpse.

Mr. Hong watched everyone leave, and finally got into the carriage, feeling sincerely that it must be Wanxiang.

A classmate back then, a good friend now, this guidance makes him worthy of being an official tumbler, and even more worthy of being today’s prime minister.

Marquis Jianning, haha, can you overwhelm others with great power?

He smiled silently, and the carriage swayed and disappeared into the darkness.
-

Dong Dabao is an ordinary servant of the Hong family, the top wealthy family in Yuyan state.

His father is also a servant of the Hong family.

Not surprisingly, his descendants will be the same, but they may not be servants, but maids who serve the lady, because he gave birth to a daughter.

Looking at the pretty little girl, his heart almost melted, but then he thought that she was destined to serve others in her life. If she was not good-looking, she would be like her cook mother, cooking. Likewise, marrying a servant of the house; if you are good-looking, you might be able to serve the young lady, but if your life is miserable and you have to be ruined by the young master, you can't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

But then I thought, at least I could still make ends meet, which was better than becoming a refugee and being sold to a brothel.

With such a contradictory mentality, Dong Dabao said goodbye to his wife and daughter early in the morning, and limped off to start his work.

Having broken his leg a year ago, he must work harder to stay in Hong Mansion and retain this worry-free life.

"Those from Third Aunt's Courtyard, follow me! Meet at the theater!"

"Several young masters from the courtyard will follow me and gather in the west courtyard!"

The stewards suddenly started running around and shouting, letting everyone know that something big had happened.

Dong Dabao and his wife were both from the third aunt's courtyard, so they met again in front of the theater not long after they were separated.

The manager first read a few people's names, then cleared his throat and said loudly:

"Listen up, the imperial court's Marquis Jianning, the step-brother of the Empress Dowager who is currently in charge of the city, has issued a new policy to investigate hidden household registrations!"

"Our master, who has always been loyal to the imperial court, decided to implement Marquis Jianning's arrangements immediately! Now, except for the people whose names were just read, the rest are no longer slaves of the Hong family! Within today , you can go to the accountant’s office to collect your identity certificate, and then you can leave freely. After you leave, you can go to the Yamen to register your household registration! Let’s all be dismissed!”

After saying that, the steward hurried away, and there was a lot of discussion and excitement.

Dong Dabao stood stunned on the spot because his name was not among those people just now.

But now, he is lame in one leg, and his daughter is just one year old and can't even walk. Can this family of three survive if they go out?

"Master, what should I do?"

The cook's wife came over with her daughter in her arms. I don't know whether it was the sound of being in charge of the house that aroused his ambition as a man, or whether it was his daughter's vague words about "daddy" that cheered him up to fulfill his father's duties. Anyway, Dong Dabao took a deep breath and made up his mind. , Even if I risk my life, I still want to gain a stable and innocent fortune for my wife and daughter.

After spending half a day queuing up, receiving the deed, and packing their bags, the moment they burned the deed and stood on the street, Dong Dabao and his wife had a bleak road ahead, but they couldn't help but feel a sense of freedom and a surge of emotions. Yearning for future life.

No matter what, now that he is a civilian, there is always a chance.

In the future, my daughter may be able to marry into an innocent family and live the life of a housewife.

Maybe I can afford to hire a maid or two, and get a feel for what it's like to be taken care of.

This longing seemed to inject strong energy into his body. He walked towards the Yamen with his wife and daughter, even his lame legs were a little more stubborn.

A pink little girl was lying on his wife's shoulder, her dark eyes curiously and warily looking at the strange world around her that she had never seen before.

If you look down from a high altitude, you will find that there are many people flowing out of the houses of various major families, along different roads, like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea, converging towards the Yamen of Zhoucheng.

Outside the city, the tenants who were originally attached to various villages were also dragging their families with them and heading towards the city in a steady stream.

This is just the beginning. In the next few days, almost the same scene will happen in every county in Swift Prefecture.

"Haha, I really want to see what kind of expression our Marquis Jianning, who claims to be omnipotent, has on his face!"

In a restaurant in the city, three old men were sitting in a private room near the window, smiling and drinking tea.

"Then it's better not to go. After all, he is also the sworn brother of the Queen Mother. He was so angry that he chopped us off with a knife. I'm afraid our death will be in vain."

"Yes, yes, it's better to calm down and win. Don't get into trouble at this time."

The three of them all smiled, chatted over tea, and quietly waited for the response from their subordinates.

Soon, a sound of footsteps approached along the wooden stairs. The three of them looked at each other and smiled, and soon they heard a gentle knock on the door.

Mr. Hong held the tea cup and said with a smile, "Come in."

A steward walked in and greeted respectfully, "Master, Master Jiang, Master Zhang!"

"How's it going? There's so much going on over there, you're caught off guard, right?"

Elder Hong asked with a smile, and the other two old men also laughed, waiting to hear the long-awaited good news.

The steward hesitated for a moment and said, "No, the entire yamen is in good order, and all these people have been arranged in an orderly manner."

Mr. Hong's hand shook, and a piece of tea soup was spilled on his leg. The touch was as warm as urine, "How is this possible?" (End of Chapter)