Chapter 145: Take Them Down, Official

"I wonder what exactly this new Prefect intends to do?"

The news that the Zhen'an Bo Mansion, which dominated Songnan Prefecture, had just been wiped out reached the hands of every family; before anyone could recover from the shock, an invitation from the Prefecture Office was already placed before them.

For a time, all the families in Songnan Prefecture became restless. Regarding this new Prefect, they truly had no bottom line in their hearts; this was a madman who completely refused to play by the rules.

When he first arrived, he dared to take down the Gu Family, who were related to the Minister of Personnel, in one fell swoop—that was a big shot in charge of promotions, yet this Prefect did not hesitate at all. This act of killing the chicken to scare the monkey truly gave them a fright.

Following that, for quite a long time, he made no moves; instead, it was heard that he had gone into seclusion, which allowed them to breathe a slight sigh of relief. But before they could completely relax, an even more shocking piece of news arrived.

The Dongning Army stationed in Songnan Prefecture had actually been seized by this Prefect, instantly making them feel as if their worldview had been overturned. A mere Prefect actually dared to meddle with military power; this was more than just crazy, it was completely unscrupulous.

This meant that on this patch of land in Songnan Prefecture, no one could shake his position, and it also meant he could do whatever he pleased.

Following that, what made people feel even more terrified was that he actually dared to use the Zhen'an Earl as a target. That was the Zhen'an Bo Mansion, not an ordinary household, yet it vanished into thin air overnight.

For a time, the only impression of him in everyone's hearts was one thing: "A madman!", a thorough, completely reckless madman.

Precisely because of this, they had no choice but to go when faced with the invitation sent by the Prefecture Office. Otherwise, who knew what this Prefect would do if he went mad, or if he would strike out at them in a fit of rage.

Since they could neither provoke him nor hide from him, they could only bite the bullet and come.

After everyone had arrived one after another, they discovered that this Prefect was sitting leisurely to one side, holding a small booklet in his hand. Whenever someone entered, he would make marks on it; could it be that he was really holding a little notebook to keep records?

How petty must one be to do such a thing? It was fortunate they had come; if they hadn't, wouldn't they be targeted indefinitely in the future?

"The He Family, the grain merchant Xu Family, the cloth merchant Jiao Family!" Watching the people arrive one by one, Shen Yu nodded while making marks on the list in his hand, making everyone feel anxious and uneasy.

Shen Yu closed the small booklet in his hand; seeing that everyone who should have come had arrived, Shen Yu smiled lightly. Today was the perfect day to round them all up, and while he was at it, kill the chicken to scare the monkey. No, it was to kill the monkey to scare the chicken.

Whether it be the Thousand Blood Sect or these insatiably greedy families, he would clean them all up today!

"My Lord, everyone has arrived!"

"Good, let everyone be seated!" He nodded at them, and these people were surprisingly obedient; since he told them to come, they came, which saved him some effort.

"My Lord, I wonder why you have summoned us here?"

The invitation said they were to attend a banquet, but this didn't look like they were about to serve food. Instead, this Prefect was looking at the small booklet in his hand while staring straight at them with cold eyes, making everyone feel restless.

For some reason, they seemed to see a trace of killing intent in the eyes of this Prefect.

"You are all wealthy merchants and gentry of my Songnan Prefecture, the pillars of Songnan Prefecture; I am taking this opportunity to get to know you all. Furthermore, I have come to discuss something with you all today!"

"If the Prefect has any orders, please speak; if it is within our power, we will do our utmost!"

Everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with helplessness. They were not naive, and they were clear about many things. This Prefect spoke so nicely, but it was likely he really had something to ask of them. And once he spoke, it certainly wouldn't be a small matter.

This time, they were already prepared to bleed. Whether this Prefect wanted money, grain, or anything else, as long as it wasn't too excessive, they could accept it.

Was something that could be solved with money even a problem? That was the one thing they lacked the least, and it was better than having a blade hanging over their heads at all times.

"Good, since that is the case, I will not waste words!"

Sweeping his cold eyes across the room, Shen Yu said indifferently, "According to my understanding, more than half of the fertile land in the entire Songnan Prefecture is in your hands, and some families collect as much as eighty percent in land rent, leaving the common people without even enough for their own rations!"

"I have been to the countryside to see; the people live in such misery that they can barely afford to eat chaff. You are all gentry and wealthy, and in the past, you have all claimed to be virtuous families; do you really engage in such extortionate practices?"

"This..." The group looked at each other; wasn't there something to discuss? Why were they being scolded? This Prefect really didn't play by the rules, and his scolding caught them off guard.

Immediately, someone asked tentatively, "Then what does the Prefect think is a reasonable land rent?"

"Land rent in Songnan Prefecture must not exceed thirty percent for any family, and it must not exceed twenty percent for barren land; this is my bottom line! If every family can lower it to below twenty percent, that would naturally be best!"

"Thirty percent? That is impossible, that is far too low!"

"It is not low; when I was in Sanshui County, I required them to collect only twenty percent!" Slowly placing his hand on the table, Shen Yu looked up at them, his invisible aura almost making them unable to breathe. "Are you all planning not to give me face?"

"I am a person who has always believed that if someone respects me an inch, I will respect them a foot; if someone destroys a grain of my rice, I will take three pecks from them. If you do not give me face, then do not blame me for not giving you face!"

"This..." Collecting only thirty percent rent was no different from cutting their flesh, but they were truly terrified of this Prefect. Since he had put his threats out in the open, who knew what he would do.

"Is the Prefect trying to extort us!" As soon as Shen Yu's words fell, someone slammed the table and stood up, flicking their sleeves as they prepared to leave. "Our Xu Family will never agree to this demand. Since the Prefect has no sincerity, I shall take my leave!"

"Stay!" With a faint, cold snort, Shen Yu curled his lips into a cold smile as he watched the person who had jumped out first. He had been wondering how to make them act as the sacrificial lamb, but he hadn't expected them to jump out on their own; it saved him some effort.

"You come and go as you please; Family Head Xu is quite imposing!"

"Does the Prefect intend to keep us here by force? The land is our family's land; even if you are the Prefect, you have no right to interfere. Thirty percent rent? Does the Prefect know what he is saying? In the vast Imperial Court, which family collects less than thirty percent rent?"

"Surround them, do not let a single one out!"

Just at this moment, a roar suddenly erupted from outside, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps like muffled thunder. By the time they reacted, dense figures had already surrounded them completely.

Looking at their attire, they should be soldiers of the Dongning Army. To mobilize the army just to invite them to a banquet? What, if they didn't agree, was he really going to round them all up?

"Prefect, why are you doing this? If the discussion fails, must you use force? What do you consider the laws of the Imperial Court to be?"

"Everyone, stay calm; members of the Thousand Blood Sect have infiltrated this place, and the Dongning Army is merely here to protect everyone!"

"Members of the Thousand Blood Sect?" A nervous look flashed in his eyes as the Xu Family Head looked back and exchanged a glance with the people from the He Family. They had been lurking for many days; it was impossible for their identities to have been exposed. Could it be that this Prefect was bluffing them?

"My Lord, a gentleman is open and honest; you have already sent troops to surround this place, and your purpose is already clear—it is nothing more than to force us to agree. Why bother finding other excuses? We will not submit!"

"Everyone, think carefully. If we yield an inch today, we will have to yield a foot tomorrow; one day, we will have nowhere left to retreat! Therefore, no matter what, we cannot retreat! I do not believe that there is no justice in this World, and no one willing to stand up for us!"

After a passionate speech, the Xu Family Head said coldly, "Prefect, we cannot agree to your demands. Forgive the Xu Family for being rude; we are leaving!"

"Want to leave? Keep dreaming! Men, take them for me!"