Chapter 578: Poor Farmer Liu Er Never Stole

The significance of the Single Whip Law was not just currency tax; it also had the most prominent feature of reducing harsh taxes and miscellaneous levies, because the original name of the Single Whip Law was the "Single Compilation Law," which compiled various miscellaneous corvee, labor service, and labor service matters into one for collection.

It was the same as Hence Hai Rui's advocacy of abolishing the rotation system of the row and rank, bearing the service of the county with the land of the county, collecting silver according to the mu, and hiring people for the service.

Zhu Yijun sometimes couldn't understand. Equalizing land and service, the Single Whip Law, and the "spreading the poll tax into the land" were essentially the same. Why did Yongzheng's "spreading the poll tax into the land" become the representative decree of an eternal wise monarch, while the Single Whip Law was one of Zhang Juzheng's crimes?

The Single Whip Law was an intolerable thing for local government offices.

Reasonably speaking, the Single Whip Law greatly reduced the complexity of fiscal revenue, reduced the complexity of administration, optimized the process, and didn't need to levy labor service, letting labor service escort grain to the capital. Wasn't this a great thing?

This was not a good thing. In short, complex, cumbersome processes and levying labor service were all money.

Cutting off people's financial path was like killing their parents. The Single Whip Law was killing the parents of local officials. It was strange that it wasn't opposed.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng once again chose to be conservative, only piloting in Songjiang Prefecture. If it could work, it would slowly expand in the Southern Office, which was transforming from a small-scale peasant economy to a commodity economy, and finally spread to the whole territory of Great Ming.

Since the reform of Zhang Cong in the early Jiajing period, until Yongzheng's "spreading the poll tax into the land," the Single Whip Law had been tried countless times in these two hundred years, but none of them succeeded.

All the reform achievements of Emperor Yongzheng were abolished after Qianlong ascended the throne. Qianlong even created the "silver for crime" system, and the administration of officials was completely corrupted.

It was difficult, but it had to be done. If it failed, do it again.

"Songjiang Prefecture is the only place in Great Ming that can be called a commodity economy. Among the fourteen prefectures of the Southern Office, only this place is rich." Zhang Juzheng explained the reason why the Single Whip Law was suitable in Songjiang Prefecture.

Wang Chonggu said happily, "Senior Grand Secretary, it is because Shen Shixing is in Songjiang Prefecture that you decided to implement it here."

Wang Chonggu was taking revenge. Before, Zhang Juzheng said he concealed it coldly. Now he was counterattacking Zhang Juzheng for nepotism and being a teacher, and also patching for Zhang Juzheng, wanting to explain this problem clearly in front of the Emperor.

"Yes, because Shen Shixing is in Songjiang Prefecture, I am not very at ease with others." Zhang Juzheng didn't have any rebuttal, admitting that it was because Shen Shixing was in Songjiang Prefecture that he chose Songjiang Prefecture instead of other places, admitting his nepotism.

Wang Chonggu choked. He was patching for Zhang Juzheng, but Zhang Master didn't accept this favor at all. What kind of person was this?

"Man proposes, God disposes. Such an important matter naturally needs to be handed over to one's own people to be handled properly. I don't want to see the Single Whip Law fail. For Great Ming, it is like the pain of a broken palm, just like banning the sea." Zhang Juzheng further explained why he had to use his own people.

Banning the sea was the pain of a broken palm. Everyone knew how to make money, but they were poor to death and couldn't open the sea. In the end, they opened the Yue Port in the Longqing period, and the Yue Port made money until their hands were soft.

"Reasonable. The profit tax collected 1.27 million silver this year." Wang Guoguang frowned and said, "Truly stupid. Is overseas a good place? A swarm of people running overseas, but in a few years, they will all have to come back."

Wang Guoguang made a prediction: if they run out, they will all come back.

If the country retreats, the world is exhausted; if the country advances, the world is prosperous. This is extremely applicable in Great Ming. But now, the powerful and wealthy families of Great Ming seem to have found a way out, which is to go overseas, accumulate a large amount of wealth, and then go overseas!

Once overseas, can you, the Emperor, still kill and seize? Once overseas, you get absolute freedom!

Zhu Yijun could only sneer at this kind of thinking of the powerful and wealthy families.

Overseas is a barbaric land. Great Ming has policies. As long as they reclaim land overseas exceeding 1,000 qing, 10,000 qing, 100,000 qing, or establish a country, and stabilize for more than five years, they can obtain hereditary titles of thousand-household, earl, marquis, and duke under the pioneering title system.

Zhu Yijun gave such generous conditions, but it was not for nothing. Great Ming's pioneer of opening the sea, the Sun family of Songjiang, was the only one who could obtain the hereditary pioneering marquis title.

Barbaric means undeveloped, meaning extreme lack of material. Under the current environment, after they pay enough profit tax, they indeed obtain absolute freedom to go overseas, and at the same time, they also obtain the freedom to be coveted and stolen by the natives, the freedom to be robbed by pirates, and the freedom to be hammered to death by the power of nature.

"I don't think they will go overseas, because something shocking happened in the capital recently." Wang Guoguang looked at all the court officials and said with a full face of smiles, "In late autumn, looking at the red leaves of Xishan, the layers of forest are dyed. This can also be considered a scenery of the capital. A team of fifty people agreed to go together."

"They set off in early September, were trapped in the mountains for seven days, and almost had to eat each other, until they were discovered by two passing elite soldiers of the Capital Camp, who brought them out."

Zhu Yijun said with surprise, "Why were they trapped? This is the capital, the place of the first good, under the feet of the Son of Heaven, not outside the border. How could they be trapped?"

Wang Guoguang explained, "Because they call themselves 'pure scholars,' wanting to talk with great scholars and have no contact with commoners. For commoners, these pure scholars naturally don't want to travel together. They agreed not to bring servants or bookboys to see the maple leaves in the mountains, and then they got lost after entering the mountains."

In front of nature, stamping feet is useless. Nature will not provide any emotional value. A mountain is a mountain, and water is water. It will not give them face because they are pure scholars and empathize with them.

"No, in such a place as the capital, the place of the first good, with more than two million people, they got lost in the mountains of Shun Tian Prefecture? And didn't bring servants or bookboys? Didn't even bring a guide?" Zhu Yijun asked again, not believing it. It was simply absurd to the extreme.

This is the capital! The heart of Great Ming. One capital city houses more than 2 million people. The ten most prosperous cities in the West stacked together could only match one capital. Being able to get lost in such a place is truly shocking.

"Your Majesty, there was actually a guide, but as soon as they entered the mountains, they started arguing. Everyone had their own reasons, complaining, scolding, and speaking sarcastically, making the leader who knew the way confused. In the end, they got lost in this place of the first good." Wang Guoguang shook his head and said, "These self-proclaimed pure scholars can't even read a map and got lost in the capital."

"If they go overseas, they will all have to come back. That kind of barbaric land is all fought out with one knife and one gun."

Would His Majesty get lost when entering the mountains? Definitely not. Because His Majesty is a qualified elite soldier. Every year during the spring and autumn grand review, His Majesty will

"Wilderness" means undeveloped, and it means an extreme lack of material wealth. In the current environment, after they pay enough profit tax, they indeed gain absolute freedom by going to sea. While not being controlled by others, they also gain the freedom to have their property coveted and stolen by indigenous people, the freedom to be robbed by sea pirates who are watching like tigers, and the freedom to be hammered to death by the great power of nature.

"The reason why your subject does not look favorably upon them going to sea is because a jaw-dropping incident recently occurred in the capital." Wang Guoguang looked at all the court officials and said with a face full of smiles: "Viewing the red leaves of the Western Hills in late autumn, with the layered forests dyed in color, this can be considered a scene of the capital. There was a group of fifty people who agreed to go together, and these fifty people were all descendants of famous families from Jiangnan."

"They set off at the beginning of the ninth lunar month, were trapped in the mountains for seven days, and almost resorted to cannibalism. They were discovered by two passing elite soldiers of the Capital Battalion, who brought them out."

Zhu Yijun said in surprise: "Why were they trapped? This is the capital, the place of supreme goodness, under the feet of the Son of Heaven, and it is not the borderlands beyond the Great Wall. How could they get trapped?"

Wang Guoguang explained: "Because they pride themselves on being 'pure streams,' wanting to 'talk and laugh with great scholars and have no contact with commoners.' As for commoners, these 'pure stream' great scholars are naturally unwilling to travel with them. When they went into the mountains to view maple leaves, everyone agreed not to bring retainers or book boys, and then they got lost after entering the mountains."

In front of Mother Nature, stomping one's feet is of no use. Mother Nature will not provide any emotional value; a mountain is just a mountain, and water is just water. It will not give them empathy just because they are 'pure streams.'

"No, in the capital, this place of supreme goodness under the feet of the Son of Heaven, with a population of over two million, they got lost in the mountains of Shuntian Prefecture? And they didn't bring retainers or book boys? They didn't even bring a guide?" Zhu Yijun asked again, not believing it. It was simply like absurdity opening the door for absurdity's mother—absurdity's mother had arrived home.

This is the capital! The heart of the Great Ming. One capital city alone houses over two million people. The ten most prosperous cities in the West stacked together would only equal one capital. Getting lost in such a place is truly jaw-dropping.

"Your Majesty, there actually was a guide, but as soon as they entered the mountains, they started arguing. One person said he was right, another said he was right; with everyone talking at once, complaining, cursing, and being sarcastic, they confused the leader who originally knew the way. In the end, they got lost in this place of supreme goodness." Wang Guoguang shook his head and said: "These people who pride themselves on being 'pure streams' cannot even understand a topographical map. They can get lost even in the capital."

"If they go to sea, they will all have to come back. Those wild places overseas are all fought for with swords and guns."

Would His Majesty get lost if he entered the mountains? He certainly would not. Because His Majesty is a qualified elite soldier. Every year during the spring and autumn grand reviews, His Majesty participates as an elite soldier. One item of the grand review is: "Finding the way according to the map."

It means throwing elite soldiers into the mountains, giving them a topographical map with ten markers on it, and having them follow the map's instructions to find these ten markers, copy them down, and return to the assembly point.

The Great Ming Emperor's performance in this grand review competition is number one. It is a truly well-deserved number one. When His Majesty leads a team, he can always complete it within one hour. Even the young and vigorous faction led by Li Rusong takes an hour and a half; they are not His Majesty's match.

It is mainly because His Majesty's markers are always made extremely large, so they can be seen from far away, which saves time in searching.

The markers are also filled with loyalty. Since they cannot give His Majesty preferential treatment in the process, they make a fuss about the markers.

His Majesty does not get lost when entering the mountains because His Majesty's military quality is excellent, and also because His Majesty will definitely bring Embroidered Uniform Guards by his side.

It is a virtue for a person to have self-knowledge.

Zhu Yijun lives in luxury and deep in the palace; it is perfectly normal for him to have things he is not good at. With so many people by his side, they can naturally help.

Zhao Mengyou looked left and right, and finally could not hold it in anymore. He bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, these two passing elite soldiers of the Capital Battalion are instead entangled in a lawsuit. This group of 'pure stream' great scholars, upon returning to the capital, reported the elite soldiers, and they reported them to the Northern Depot of the Capital Battalion. The Northern Depot received the complaint yesterday; the great scholars are accusing the Capital Battalion elite soldiers."

Zhao Mengyou usually exists as a Censor of Ceremonies and never comments on state affairs, but this matter is absurd precisely because the Capital Battalion elite soldiers who saved these fifty 'cheap scholars' were accused.

"False accusation leads to counter-punishment. Not only are they not grateful for the grace of saving their lives, but they also feel ashamed and falsely accuse others. False accusation leads to counter-punishment; it must be counter-punished!" Zhu Yijun slapped the table. This was originally just a spectacle. Seeing the spectacle and knowing that these 'pure stream' scholars, who are actually 'cheap scholars,' have survival skills not even as good as a dog under the great power of nature is enough.

But this group of people actually accused their two saviors.

"It is not a false accusation. These two elite soldiers drank alcohol. These fifty great scholars knew that the Capital Battalion prohibits alcohol, so they went to the Northern Depot Yamen to file a complaint." Zhao Mengyou explained the crime on the complaint: drinking alcohol.

The Great Ming Capital Battalion prohibits alcohol mainly because alcoholism causes mistakes. Only the navy does not prohibit alcohol. Zhao Mengyou investigated, and these two elite soldiers indeed drank alcohol, which was a very clear violation of military discipline regulations.

Zhu Yijun's expression changed, and he said sternly: "They shouldn't have saved them! Let them die in the mountains and be eaten by wolves and leopards! Then there wouldn't be so much trouble. How cheap! How cheap! Cheap people, cheap selves, cheap customs! A bunch of cheap people!"

"My two elite soldiers shouldn't have saved them. It wasn't them who led them to get lost. Why did they save them? Why did they drink alcohol? What was it for?"

Zhu Yijun's stance could not be clearer. "My elite soldiers"—this is the stance. No matter what, since the Emperor has personally expressed his position, these two elite soldiers will not be severely punished.

Zhao Mengyou explained: "These two are brothers. Their father died, and they went back to attend the funeral. 'Gold and leather do not avoid'—they could not observe the mourning period. After the funeral was finished, overcome with grief, they drank a little alcohol. Each person drank less than five taels of wine. After drinking at noon, they encountered this group of 'pure stream' great scholars on the way back."

Zhu Yijun said with a complex expression: "Does five taels count as drinking? Do I not know the capacity of the elite soldiers? If they drink openly, they could empty my royal cellar and still be owed a catty each."

"That's not right. They went home for a funeral; isn't this a vacation?"

"They missed their return date." Zhao Mengyou sighed and said: "They were given a total of three days of leave. The day they returned to the camp was the fourth day."

In terms of procedure, it is indeed not a false accusation.

"Your Majesty, there is a reason for this; it is not appropriate to punish them." Hence Hai Rui heard this and expressed some of his own opinions. Intervening in military affairs should not have been within his scope of authority, but as a court official and the Chief Censor of the Censorate of the Three Judicial Offices, Hence Hai Rui still spoke his thoughts.

"No, military orders cannot be violated. If one cannot drink alcohol, then one cannot drink alcohol." Duke of Fengguo General Qi Jiguang Jiguang immediately opposed the private leniency mentioned by Hence Hai Rui. This is destroying the military discipline that was hard-won. The army is the most intuitive manifestation of violence, and military orders are the only reins of this violent monster; they must never be broken.

"According to Great Ming military regulations, twenty strokes of the cane." Zhu Yijun let out a turbid breath and made the punishment. This was executed entirely according to military regulations, without any preferential treatment. Zhu Yijun adopted General Qi Jiguang Jiguang's opinion.

Zhu Yijun took a deep breath and said: "The country governs the world through filial piety. In the future, when there are no wars, if there is a death of a parent, the Capital Battalion and border troops will be given three months of leave for mourning."

One should punish when it is time to punish, but three days of mourning leave is really too short. Giving three months is appropriate.

The country governs the world through filial piety, but this filial piety is also a privilege exclusive to the 'meat-eaters.' The Capital Battalion elite soldiers are already a class above the poor commoners, yet they still only had three days of leave, which is really too little. "Your Majesty is wise," General Qi Jiguang Jiguang bowed and said. He looked at the suspicious eyes of Zhang Juzheng, Wang Chonggu, and others, and also felt a bit helpless.

Governing the army strictly is General Qi Jiguang Jiguang's principle of governing the army. Only General Qi Jiguang Jiguang, who controls this violent machine, knows how terrifying this power is.

Although these two soldiers received twenty strokes of the cane, maintaining the seriousness of military orders, these two soldiers are also heroes of the Capital Battalion. From now on, mourning leave will be three months.

The reason why there was only three days of mourning leave before was because the Great Ming Capital Battalion had been fighting all along. From the newly formed Capital Battalion in the first year of Wanli, they were taken to Yipianshi to provide support for Li Chengliang's pacification of Gule Village, and it was not until June of the tenth year of Wanli that they returned to the capital from Suiyuan.

Wartime regulations are different from peacetime, and they also need to be adjusted bit by bit.

"No, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. The angrier I get, the more I think about it. If I don't come up with some way to torment them, I won't be able to get through this year!" Zhu Yijun slapped the table. He was angrier and angrier the more he thought about these 'pure stream' great scholars. He pondered for a while and said: "Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, give me the list."

Zhu Yijun didn't do anything with the list; he just wanted them to die. He wanted to see how many of these fifty 'pure stream' famous scholars were actually clean!

It was the 'cheap scholars' who made the first move. They didn't think about repaying the grace of their saviors, but instead bit them and wouldn't let go. Zhu Yijun wanted to strip these 'cheap scholars' clean and see what exactly they were.

Soon, Zhao Mengyou presented the list to the Emperor. The Northern Depot Yamen is right outside the Meridian Gate, so retrieving the case files was very fast.

Feng Bao received the list. He did not hand it directly to His Majesty, but took out a thick memorandum from his sleeve, checked it against the list, and then presented it to His Majesty.

On this memorandum were the romantic affairs of the 'pure stream' famous scholars collected by Young Master Wang Qian—that is, the black material. It briefly recorded their names, and after a slight search, the names of these people were found.

You wouldn't know until you looked; one look and you'd be shocked. Out of fifty people, not one was clean!

"Send it to the Three Classics Printing House for publication. I want to see the new issue of 'Romantic Affairs of Pure Stream Famous Scholars' before dinner." Zhu Yijun did not hide anything and directly gave the result of the handling of this matter in the Wenhua Hall. This issue of "Romantic Affairs" was directly fifty people thick.

It was not that Zhu Yijun was making things difficult for the Three Classics Printing House; the Three Classics Printing House had long since carved the printing blocks for these black materials. Whichever one His Majesty needed, they could just pull it out and print it.

They didn't wait until before dinner. Before the court discussion ended, the eunuchs of the Three Classics Printing House had already printed the sample book of this new issue of "Romantic Affairs," with pictures and text. It was truly the best topic for conversation after tea and meals.

"Very good, print it just like this!" Zhu Yijun finally confirmed the book. Revenge must never be delayed overnight. This group of 'cheap scholars' made Zhu Yijun unhappy, so Zhu Yijun would make sure they never had a peaceful day for the rest of their lives.

The Secretariat Drafters did not pick up their pens and acted as if they didn't see anything. If Zhang Hong still needed to press their hands for this matter, then they shouldn't be Secretariat Drafters anymore.

These two Secretariat Drafters also had faces full of schadenfreude. Their identities were special; keeping mistresses and visiting brothels were naturally insulated from them. They couldn't do it. After all, some secrets needed to rot in their stomachs forever and be taken into their coffins. If they spoke words they shouldn't have after drinking and losing control, they would be sunk into the Jinshui River the next day.

Seeing others suffer because of this, the two Secretariat Drafters naturally enjoyed the spectacle and were not afraid of it being too big; they wished they would suffer even more!

As for the court officials, their emotions were very stable. After all, they didn't keep mistresses, nor did they have such romantic affairs. The rebel Wang Chonggu only had one son, Wang Qian. After Wang Qian's older brother died in the borderlands and Wang Qian's mother passed away from illness due to worry, Wang Chonggu never remarried, did not find a stepmother for Wang Qian, and even less did he produce a younger brother for Wang Qian to fight over the family property.

In terms of self-discipline and personal private morality, Wang Chonggu, this rebel, was far ahead of the 'cheap scholars.'

"Grand Coordinator Ling submitted a memorial requesting the execution of 238 people, including the officials and headmen of Zhenping County." Zhang Juzheng took out the last memorial of the year. Governor Ling Yunyi wanted to kill; he wanted to behead 238 people in one go.

This request for execution by Governor Ling Yunyi was more than the number of officials dismissed by the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate in a year.

"No, the case of the treacherous merchants in the Southern Yamen raising grain prices hasn't even started to arrest people, and Grand Coordinator Ling wants to kill 238 people?" Zhu Yijun picked up Governor Ling Yunyi's memorial, and after reading it carefully, said: "What is the opinion of the Ministry of Justice?"

Wang Chonggu bowed his head and said: "Kill."

"And the Court of Judicial Review?"

Lu Guangzu bowed his head and said: "Kill."

"And the Censorate?"

Hence Hai Rui and Li Youzi bowed his head and said: "Kill."

The reason why everyone could reach a consensus to kill people is naturally because this touched upon the biggest rule in officialdom: rebellion.

It was not rebelling against the Emperor, but rebelling against the imperial court. Specifically, it was not letting the imperial court's hand reach into the local yamen. And this batch of 238 people, led by County Registrar Li Ducai, had done exactly this.

If you say the matter is complicated, it is very complicated; if you say it is simple, it is very simple. It is just two words: killing officials.

Zhenping County is located in Nanyang Prefecture, Henan Province. It is a county with a population of no more than 300,000. As a representative of the Great Ming's "strips" (vertical administration), the previous magistrate of Zhenping County took office in August of the eleventh year of Wanli. He was a Jinshi from the eighth year of Wanli, ranked 192nd in the third grade, Lian Biao. Lian Biao served as a supervisor at the Mizhou Maritime Trade Office in the eighth year of Wanli. After accumulating experience, he passed the official examination and selection and went to Zhenping County.

Governor Ling Yunyi thought highly of Lian Biao. When Grand Coordinator Ling was in Shandong, he noticed this Jinshi. He was steady and capable, his thinking was flexible and changeable, he had a very good relationship with the "King of Kelp" Yao Guangqi, and he was neither arrogant nor rash in his work, liking to plan before acting.

Lian Biao died.

After going to Zhenping County to take office, he died just three days after arriving.

With this, the Henan ground finally knew why Governor Ling Yunyi had the bad reputation of liking to kill people. He directly uprooted the local "blocks" (horizontal local power) of Zhenping County.

The magistrates of the Great Ming Dynasty are all flowing officials. Long ones stay for six or nine years, short ones for three or five years, and then they are transferred. This is the "strips" of the Great Ming. In such a short time, sometimes they haven't even become familiar with faces before they are transferred. Therefore, the power of the local yamen is actually firmly maintained by the long-serving County Assistant, Registrar, headmen, and the clerks of the six offices in the county yamen.

And the contradiction between the "strips" and the "blocks," and the struggle surrounding power, is also the biggest test for local officials.

When local officials take office, they often have to rely on these local snakes to do things. These local snakes don't have much ability to do good things, but their ability to do bad things is indeed first-class.

Lian Biao worked at the Mizhou Maritime Trade Office in Shandong for four years, accumulated a large amount of rich experience, and was not the kind of person who couldn't be reasoned with. He was very measured in his words and actions. When things couldn't be done, Lian Biao would wait for an opportunity.

But this time Lian Biao encountered something. He made a choice, and then lost his life in Zhenping County.

This is also the reason why the Three Judicial Offices of the Great Ming were so concise, with only one word: "Kill." It was too audacious. Lian Biao was not that kind of pedantic person, and even less a moral guardian like Hence Hai Rui. He was very smooth in his work. If such a person could die unclearly after taking office, then there would be no need to appoint or dismiss officials in the Great Ming anymore.

"A corruption case of 34,000 taels of silver! Killing a Jinshi of mine with a bright future!" Zhu Yijun was also burning with anger after reading the memorial.

It was all silver that caused the trouble. 34,000 taels—for just this little bit of silver, even if it fell into Hence Hai Rui's hands, they wouldn't be beheaded, or even exiled; at most, they would be dismissed. As a result, Lian Biao died.

After the magistrate of Zhenping County was promoted at the end of the tenth year of Wanli, the position had been vacant. The one originally in charge was County Assistant Liu Rukang. The County Assistant is a ninth-rank official and has an official status. Although his degree was only a Juren, he could still be promoted. Liu Rukang refused to go along with this group of vermin and was killed at the beginning of the eleventh year of Wanli.

This was the result of later investigations. The cause of death reported to the imperial court was accidental drowning.

Lian Biao was not the first official to die in Zhenping County.

After Liu Rukang drowned, the county yamen became the one-man show of Registrar Li Ducai.

Is Li Ducai greedy? Does he do bad things? Between the two officials Liu Rukang and Lian Biao, is this Li Ducai the culprit? The mastermind behind the scenes?

This Li Ducai was also on the list for beheading. He was indeed the mastermind behind the scenes, and he took the most silver.

The biggest corruption was levying labor service.

The Great Ming's summer grain and autumn taxes must be escorted into Nanyang Prefecture every year, and then transported to the capital. At this time, "escort households" are needed to escort the grain. Escort households are labor service. Zhenping County had a total of 6,600 piculs of autumn tax that had to be escorted to the prefecture yamen on time. A total of 72 escort households were conscripted for the transport.

At this time, the upper and lower levels of Zhenping County began to plot for money surrounding these 6,600 piculs of grain.

First, the escort households had to give bribes to the Clerk's Office and the Household Office in the six offices, otherwise the escort households would have to undertake more escort tasks. Not giving bribes was also possible, but it would just mean escorting more grain; the farmers had plenty of strength.

This Liu Family Village had Liu Er, who had no money to give bribes, so he escorted 270 piculs of grain, doing the work of three people alone. But Liu Er still completed the escort on time.

But how could this group of vermin led by Li Ducai only take a little bit of bribe money? The 6,600 piculs only became 4,200 piculs when they reached Nanyang Prefecture, and the remaining 2,400 piculs disappeared into thin air.

At this time, the poor Liu Er became the scapegoat for this shortfall. Who told him not to give bribes to the Clerk's Office and the Household Office?

Liu Er was a poor commoner. 2,400 piculs is 380,000 catties. Even if he had natural divine strength, could he steal so much grain during the escort? But these cruel officials led by Li Ducai pinned the crime on Liu Er, saying that Liu Er colluded with mountain bandits to rob the batch of grain, and made Liu Er make up for the grain.

How could Liu Er make up for such a large shortfall? He decided to go all out and planned to go to the prefecture to file a complaint. Nanyang Prefecture didn't care, so he went to Kaifeng Prefecture to find Grand Coordinator Ling!

Li Ducai was not afraid of Nanyang Prefecture at all, because he gave them silver every year. But Li Ducai was truly afraid of Governor Ling Yunyi. He simply decided to go all out and killed Liu Er, then reported him as missing. This became an unresolvable mess.

By this time, it was impossible to stop.

Lian Biao, a very smooth person, also tried to get along with everyone when he arrived in Zhenping County. Only on the second day, Lian Biao met Liu Er's daughter, Liu Qiaolian. Liu Qiaolian wanted to seek justice for her father.

At the last moment, Lian Biao let his private secretary take Liu Qiaolian to Kaifeng Prefecture to find Governor Ling Yunyi, while he himself stayed in Zhenping County. This stay meant he stayed forever. That night, Lian Biao was killed, and his body was buried in Liu Er's home. Li Ducai and others intended to continue to frame Liu Er, making it appear that Liu Er had close dealings with mountain bandits.

Governor Ling Yunyi also talked about benevolence and righteousness in front of the Emperor, but this time he really couldn't hold back the anger in his heart and wiped out the entire Zhenping County from top to bottom in one go.

The one who had dealings with mountain bandits was not Liu Er, but Li Ducai. The poor farmer Liu Er never stole.

After three months of investigation and supplementation, Governor Ling Yunyi finally clarified the matter, and only then did he report to the imperial court to request execution before the end of the year.

"Grand Coordinator Ling was actually able to endure it for three months. If it were me, I couldn't endure it." Zhu Yijun used vermilion ink to write a red "Kill" character.

Everyone says Governor Ling Yunyi is a cruel official. He indeed has a bit of a "rivers and lakes" spirit, but he is not cruel at all. If it were Zhu Yijun, he would have directly sent troops to Zhenping County that day, killed until rivers of blood flowed, and then argued with the imperial court. Anyway, the imperial court needed him to govern Henan, his imperial favor was at its peak, and he could handle special matters with special methods.

The imperial court let Governor Ling Yunyi bring 1,500 guest soldiers, with all kinds of long and short weapons, bows, crossbows, armor, muskets, and cannons, precisely so he could handle special matters with special methods and kill people. Yet he still waited for three months and went through the entire investigation and supplementation process.

It can be seen that Governor Ling Yunyi controlled immense power, but never let his power be willful even once in his own hands.