The First Lackey Under The Empress

Zhao Du'an got up, discarded the half-eaten roasted goose in his hand, washed his hands in the pond, and headed towards the courtyard where the Lu family mansion was hosting the banquet.

The reason he had a meal here in the afternoon was to have the strength to start things in the evening.

Sun Xiaozhun hurriedly followed, saying with trepidation:

"Governor, please think carefully. These gentry can be warned, but if you go too far, I'm afraid..."

Zhao Du'an smiled and asked, "Afraid of what? That they'll defect to the enemy?"

Sun Xiaozhun said with a wry smile:

"Governor, you jest. But at this critical juncture, maintaining stability on the entire front line isn't possible relying solely on the government; we also need these people to contribute."

In the context of ancient feudal dynasties, why were the local gentry so powerful and tyrannical? Ultimately, it was because the imperial court had poor grassroots mobilization capabilities.

The so-called "imperial power does not extend to the countryside" meant that under the existing conditions, it was impossible to directly control the grassroots. To implement many specific matters, one had to rely on the cooperation of these gentry.

This was also why Sun Xiaozhun, a dignified fourth-rank prefect, made many concessions to the Lu family on the issue of grain collection.

Zhao Du'an's face was illuminated by the setting sun, appearing exceptionally red.

He was silent for a moment, then said:

"I know that any changes must consider the era. If the steps are too big, all the ideas will only become castles in the air. So, I don't intend to really abandon the gentry. But while the gentry can exist, there's room to maneuver regarding who becomes the gentry.

Do you know what His Majesty has been painstakingly doing in the capital court since he ascended the throne these past few years? It's just two words: 'bloodletting'!

Step by step, he's making the old ministers retire and supporting new officials to take their place, like slowly transfusing blood into this six-hundred-year-old dynasty, in order to revitalize it. Abolishing the old cabinet and establishing the Institute for Literary Research is of utmost importance!

Including the implementation of the New Policies, local officials are also being dismissed and replaced. Prefect Sun, you must have seen this.

But this is just the beginning.

Not only must the officials in the court be replaced, but the local gentry must also be replaced. That's why we have the imperial merchants of Huting...

Today, I'm not only seeking food for the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Jing Camp in the city and raising military funds for suppressing the rebellion, but also taking the opportunity to replace the blood...

His Majesty is replacing the blood of the court, and I am here to replace the blood of the gentry."

After hearing these words, Sun Xiaozhun was completely stunned, inexplicably feeling his blood stirring and his heart surging.

He suddenly understood that the reason Governor Zhao was willing to say these things to him was partly to affirm his ability and show his appreciation for him.

Secondly, it was to tell him the true purpose of dealing with this group of gentry, so that he, the prefect, could cooperate.

"This official... understands!"

"It's good that you understand," Zhao Du'an smiled. He liked talking to smart people. After taking a few steps, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said:

"By the way, give me a heads-up too. Tell me about the illegal and disorderly cases of the leading gentry in the city. Don't tell me you don't know."

...

...

On the other side, as the sun set, the entire Lu mansion also became lively.

Servants and maids bustled through the courtyard, setting up the banquet.

Outside the mansion gates, the gentry with status in the city who had received "invitations" also arrived one after another.

Red lanterns were hung under the eaves. Looking at the lively scene inside the mansion, one would never imagine that just outside was the war front where two armies were facing off.

However, Old Master Lu was not among the crowd. At this moment, this leading figure in the city was meeting with several other gentry in a secluded side hall within the mansion.

"Old Master, give us a straight answer. What exactly does this King Yama Zhao mean by summoning us all here tonight?"

Asked Manager Qian of Datong Money House.

He was corpulent, but lacked his usual composure at the moment.

"Yes, Taicang is our territory. We should be of one mind and respond together," added Proprietor Li of Kangzhuang Rice Shop, frowning.

Old Master Lu sat upright in the main seat, radiating authority without anger.

He showed none of the servility he displayed in front of Zhao Du'an.

At this moment, his face was gloomy, and he surveyed the crowd, saying:

"Governor Zhao has come this time to raise military funds and grain. Now that tens of thousands of troops have entered the city, and a rebellion is about to be suppressed, the consumption is conceivable.

I advise you all not to play tricks tonight. Just nod your heads to whatever Governor Zhao wants. Don't even think about making money from this matter. All of you must bleed a lot, or don't blame me for not warning you in advance if you lose your lives."

Everyone was startled by these solemn words: "This... How much bleeding is appropriate?"

Old Master Lu was silent for a moment, then said:

"This isn't something we can decide. It depends on how much Governor Zhao wants."

Proprietor Li frowned: "Could it be that if he wants all our wealth, we have to give it?"

Old Master Lu glanced at him:

"I'll say it one last time. Don't equate Governor Zhao with Prefect Sun and Envoy Xue. I have a premonition that he has come with a murderous intent this time. Just treat it as paying money to save your lives. I've said all I need to say."

Buy our lives? Is it really that exaggerated?

The gentry looked at each other, some in disbelief.

It wasn't the first or second time the imperial court had asked them for money. Similar operations of someone playing the 'red face' and someone playing the 'white face' were commonplace.

With the current tense war situation, stability was the top priority. At this critical juncture, Sun Xiaozhun and Xue Shence were quite tolerant of them. Could it be that things would be different with a change to Zhao Du'an?

Some even suspected that Zhao Du'an was secretly colluding with the Lu family, wanting to trick them... There were precedents for such things.

"Father, that Zhao... Governor is coming out," the second young master rushed over.

Old Master Lu got up and walked out, sighing: "Let's go. There's no escaping fate."

The gentry in the room had no choice but to get up and walk out in groups.

...

When they arrived at the courtyard banquet venue, the last ray of sunset had fallen, and night enveloped the entire city.

Under the azure sky, the banquet hall was brightly lit.

Mosquitoes danced around the red lanterns.

The main table of the banquet was set up in a large hall, with the door open. Several round tables were also set up in the courtyard outside.

The gentry and celebrities in the city were seated from the inside out according to their wealth.

Despite the hasty preparations, with the Lu family's resources, the dishes on the round tables were still extremely sumptuous after only a few hours.

When Old Master Lu entered the seat, the entire courtyard was already full of people. The dense crowd of heads was faintly noisy, and a strong sense of unease surged in the air.

Grain Inspector Zhao Shande was also present, arranged to sit at the entrance, accompanied by the Lu family's eldest young master.

At the entrance of the courtyard, there was also a team of yamen runners from the prefectural government that Sun Xiaozhun had brought.

"Governor Zhao is here!"

Someone whispered, and the whole place suddenly fell silent. Countless eyes turned to the end of the corridor.

Two figures were seen walking over, one was Zhao Du'an, and the other was Sun Xiaozhun.

However, Zhao Du'an had changed his clothes at some point. He was no longer dressed as a noble young master, but was wearing the official robe of a Junior Guardian military officer, with a black gauze hat on his head. The scarlet official uniform under the lanterns was like a ball of fire burning through the night.

His right hand was gently resting on the hilt of the saber at his waist —

The ancient and gorgeous Town Destroyer Saber was openly suspended at his waist.

Old Master Lu's pupils shrank, and he took the lead in getting up: "Welcome, Grand Governor!"

The others followed suit to welcome him.

Zhao Du'an had a smile on his face, walked into the hall under the gaze of everyone, glanced at the reserved main seat of the banquet, but did not sit down.

Instead, he instructed a maidservant beside him. The latter was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly walked out. Before long, a Lu family servant brought in a table and placed it at the very top.

Instantly, the hall became somewhat similar to a court for hearing cases.

Zhao Du'an supported the saber, strode to the back of the table, raised his foot, stepped on a short stool, casually untied the Town Destroyer Saber from his waist, and placed it "bang" horizontally on the table.

He looked down at everyone, smiled, and asked Sun Xiaozhun: "Are all the people here?"

Prefect Sun stood aside with his hands tied, nodding.

"Very good," Zhao Du'an smiled brightly:

"It seems that you all still give this governor some face. When I sent people to deliver invitations to you this afternoon, many people said that they had things to do at home and couldn't get away, so they couldn't attend the appointment. But you all arrived on time."

Everyone squeezed out awkward smiles, and someone flattered:

"The Governor is suppressing the rebellion for the people, which is the blessing of Linfeng. Compared to the Governor's hard work, what are our little difficulties?"

"That's right, that's right."

A chorus of excuses.

Zhao Du'an's smile remained unchanged, seemingly not minding this matter. After a group of flattering voices subsided, his gaze turned to Old Master Lu at the main table, who was very close to him.

As well as the table full of delicacies, he said with emotion:

"This official once came to Taicang last year. There was also a banquet at that time, but it was for investigating a case, so I didn't have a good meeting with you all.

Fortunately, there are still people who recognize this official's face. Today, we can have this banquet, thanks to Old Master Lu of the Lu family who has been busy before and after, contributing a lot. Without the Lu family, it wouldn't be easy for this official to invite you all over."

As soon as these words were spoken, many people looked at the Lu family with a hint of coldness in their eyes.

The Lu family's eldest son's expression changed slightly, and there was a faint hint of anger in his eyes.

Zhao Du'an's words made the Lu family appear to outsiders as a loyal dog of the imperial court, and today's "fundraising" made the Lu family an accomplice of the court.

However, how could outsiders know how aggrieved the Lu family was?

Not only were they being used as pawns, but even their wives and concubines were summoned by that Zhao Du'an to serve him, a great humiliation... But the eldest son dared not show the slightest hint of it, and feeling Zhao Shande's curious gaze, he had to force a smile.

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After praising them for a while, Zhao Du'an suddenly changed the subject, looked at the delicacies, and sighed:

"The only bad thing is that these dishes are too sumptuous. Now, the flames of war are raging outside, and Ning'an and Wenshui counties have been occupied by the rebel king, who has even set fire to burn farmland and slaughter the people!

Although it has not yet reached the point of starvation everywhere, this official has also heard that the price of rice and grain in the market is soaring, and supplies are becoming increasingly scarce.

The people are tightening their belts, and the soldiers are also in difficult conditions. Not to mention eating meat, even military rations are not enough. Yet, this governor is indulging in eating and drinking here..."

"How can I repay His Majesty's grace in this way? How can I face the people of the world?"

Listening to this, a group of people turned black, cursing wildly in their hearts, saying that you were the one who ordered the banquet, and now you are the one pretending to be a white lotus.

Still ashamed to face the people of the world?

Don't you know how bad your reputation is?

Shameless, too shameless.

Lu Taigong said with shame:

"Governor is right to criticize. It is this old man's poor arrangement. To show atonement and to quell the rebellion, the Lu family is willing to donate half of the family's grain reserves and 100,000 taels of silver, as well as various materials, to the Governor."

Half of the family's grain and 100,000 taels of silver! What a generous gift!

You should know that for a large family like the Lu family, not counting the heavy assets that are difficult to liquidate in a short period of time, the total amount of silver on the books is at most only a hundred thousand taels.

And this fundraising directly donates half of the family property?

Are they crazy?

As soon as these words came out, all the gentry were shocked.

"Good!" Zhao Du'an said with a satisfied smile: "The Lu family is indeed the leading benefactor of Taicang. Such righteous deeds should be an example."

He looked around at the faces:

"This governor is from a military background and does not like polite greetings. I will get straight to the point.

Today, I have gathered you here to raise military rations, military pay, and various materials for the suppression of the rebellion.

You are local gentry, and I believe you are willing to do your part to protect your homeland. Of course, fundraising is entirely voluntary. Whether you donate more or less, it is all a matter of the heart."

Sun Xiaozhun glanced at him and suddenly felt a little ashamed.

How could Governor Zhao say such hypocritical and shameless words so confidently?

What happened to the simple and pure mind of a military man?

Although the gentry also felt that the last sentence was too fake, they were relieved and began to calculate how much to give.

What? Follow the Lu family's standard?

Heh, does everyone think they are fools?

It was obvious that the Lu family was colluding with Zhao Du'an, putting on an act. The so-called half of the family property was just talk, and it would be good if they could actually take out one-fifth of it.

Therefore, no one would really imitate this ratio.

However, just as everyone was calculating how much blood they needed to shed to satisfy King Yama Zhao, Zhao Du'an suddenly changed the subject:

"However... although it is voluntary, everyone present has different amounts of property. Some have more, some have less. If I were to ask you to imitate the Lu family and donate 100,000 taels, then this governor would be unreasonable."

"Well... let's do it this way. This governor will set an amount. This fundraising will not look at the total amount, but at the proportion. Everyone present will be like the Lu family, donating half of their family property to support the suppression of the rebellion, and that will be enough."

"Oh, right, one more thing. There are also a large number of martial artists and sorcerers among the rebels. Therefore, for the sake of the war situation, this governor needs to collect all the rare treasures, talismans, and magical artifacts related to cultivation in the entire city... I believe everyone present has treasures, so please send them all here as well. That's the decision."

After he finished speaking, the entire banquet hall was silent, and you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone's expression froze on their faces.

Sun Xiaozhun looked at him in astonishment, gently sucking in a breath of cold air.

Zhao Shande was so frightened that his heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the young man on the "stage", wondering if he had misheard.

The Lu family's old patriarch was stunned, unable to hide his astonishment.

This governor's appetite... was even greater than he had expected?

He was not only targeting the Lu family, but everyone... How dare he? Was he not afraid of stirring up popular resentment?!

That's right, this fundraising only targeted the gentry and did not plunder the people at all, so there would be no popular resentment at all...

"哗 — —"

Unsurprisingly, the entire hall inside and out immediately exploded, and all the gentry changed their expressions. Some even stood up, their faces filled with shock and anger!

Forcibly confiscating half of their property, plus all the strange objects they treasured!

What was the difference between this and confiscating their homes? Even the rebels were not so ruthless!

This had completely exceeded the limit they could accept.

The owner of Kangzhuang Rice Shop immediately stood up and said loudly:

"Governor Zhao, are you joking? Half of our wealth? I have never heard of such a fundraising in the world!"

The treasurer of Datong Money Shop also said with a bitter face:

"Governor, please don't joke. It's not that we are unwilling to support the suppression of the rebellion, but that if half of the funds are withdrawn from our many industries, I'm afraid it will be difficult to operate immediately. As for strange objects, they are accumulated by our families for generations..."

With someone taking the lead, a famous gentry expressed dissatisfaction, posing as a crowd resisting.

In their subconscious, they still believed that the imperial court could not do without them in order to maintain stability, so as long as they were united, they could resist.

More people thought that this was a kind of "bargaining". Zhao Du'an had called a high price, and they had to cut it down.

Listening to the noisy voices, the smile on Zhao Du'an's face disappeared little by little.

At some point, he quietly picked up the paperweight knife on the table, gently leaning on it. When the voices calmed down slightly, he said indifferently:

"Do you think this governor is joking?"

His sharp gaze swept over everyone, and finally he was too lazy to hide it, sneering out loud:

"I said, I am not a civil official and will not haggle with you. My patience is very limited. It is already giving you face to invite you over. The words just now are not a negotiation, but a notification."

Li Datongjia of Kangzhuang Rice Shop had a fiery temper, and because someone in his family was an official in the court, he was more confident and said coldly:

"Governor Zhao's actions are too domineering! If you forcibly confiscate our property like this, I'm afraid even the current Holy Majesty doesn't know about it, right?"

Zhao Du'an stared at this troublemaker with a strange look in his eyes. He smiled noncommittally:

"Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Li Datongjia's heart suddenly panicked, feeling like he was being stared at by a beast, but he could only bite the bullet:

"I dare not, I just think there is no precedent."

Zhao Du'an stared at him with a dangerous look in his eyes and suddenly said:

"I know you. Several people in your clan hold positions in the capital, but their positions are not high. The only one who can barely speak to His Majesty is a censor, so you want to impeach me?"

He laughed, laughing very "arrogantly", his eyes looking down as if he were looking at a clown:

"Yuan Li has to treat me with courtesy, when did a small censor have the right to point fingers at me? I repeat, this is wartime!

This official is the Grand Governor of the Pingpan and oversees the entire Linfeng Road! I have the power to act expediently! If you nag again..."

Li Datongjia was both angry and annoyed, pointing at him and saying:

"You act like this..."

Before he could finish a sentence, suddenly, a silver light flashed in the darkness.

Everyone vaguely saw a silver hairline flashing past, accompanied by the sound of a sword being drawn that drowned out all the other sounds.

Li Datongjia stood in place, still holding his finger forward, but a line of blood slowly appeared on his neck.

Then, this famous gentry, whose status and wealth could rank in the top ten in the entire Linfeng Road, fell backward with a "plop!"

His eyes were wide open, with lingering fear, and he died on the spot!

A one-hit kill!

Zhao Du'an held the paperweight knife, smilingly looking around at everyone, but said:

"Prefect Sun, please read it out."

Sun Xiaozhun was stunned for a moment before walking forward somewhat woodenly and said:

"Kangzhuang Rice Shop hoards and speculates, openly violating the laws of the imperial court, taking advantage of the war to raise grain prices for profit, repeatedly refusing to mend its ways, the evidence is conclusive. According to the laws of the Dayu, it should be sentenced to... beheading."

Zhao Du'an smiled and said: "Anyone else?"

Inside and outside the hall, there was silence.