Chapter 236: Mirage pavilions, frog calls and string music

"Are those desperate men under Ge Cheng truly reliable? Zicheng, your words were vague, and I am truly anxious."

Inside an elegant three-story pavilion, a simple vegetarian banquet for two had been laid out.

The host of this banquet was none other than the son of the Salt Administration Viceroy, a *yin* student of the Imperial Academy, and the Prefect of Jinan, Yin Gao.

Born into a prestigious family, he was never lacking in etiquette. Yin Gao had just finished a full day of exhausting paperwork at the prefectural yamen and was already utterly drained, yet he still rose as a prefect should to personally pour wine for his guest.

Of course, keeping his posture low was also due to having requests of the other party.

Once a matter begins, its trajectory can no longer be kept under one's constant control.

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

From the top down, the minds of these high-ranking provincial officials in Shandong were treacherous and difficult to fathom.

Would Provincial Governor Yu Youding stand by and watch, out of respect for his teacher, the Salt Administration Viceroy?

Several letters sent to Jining had received no reply; what exactly was his own father thinking?

Did Shen Li truly have the ability to quell the civil unrest in Qufu with the speed of thunder?

From the bottom up, the sweeping civil unrest was equally impossible to control remotely.

Just now, news had arrived from Yanzhou: that scoundrel He Xinyin was actually using his reputation among the people to recklessly interfere in the civil unrest, attempting to bewitch the commoners and persuade Ge Cheng to surrender.

As a Confucian scholar, he cursed the Sages; born into a wealthy family, he betrayed his own roots—he was simply forgetting his ancestors and harming others to benefit himself!

I fear those core members inciting the unrest are greedy for wealth and cherish their lives; if they truly encounter trouble, I fear they will withdraw without the slightest hesitation.

And those nominal leaders pushed to the front...

As Yin Gao thought of this, his peripheral vision gauged Zhang Yi's reaction. The "Zicheng" he had addressed earlier was the courtesy name of Zhang Yi, one of the "Three Zhangs of Taicang."

Shandong was still not far enough away; most fugitives would not linger here. It was only in the regions further south that the customs of harboring dead-men, Japanese pirates, and personal retainers were more prosperous.

For instance, people like Ge Cheng were talents kept in the Zhang family's pocket—the Zhang family had harbored no small ambition these years, helping others righteously everywhere. Not only did they take in many desperate men with nowhere to turn, but whenever a familiar prestigious family encountered trouble, the Zhang family would also frequently take the initiative to visit and offer righteous assistance.

However, facing Yin Gao's inquiry, Zhang Yi acted as if he had heard nothing.

He looked at Yin Gao with a smile in his eyes and lightly diverted the topic: "This time, I personally went to the capital and truly heard many interesting things."

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

Therefore, Zhang Yi took advantage of his son Zhang Fuzhi passing the metropolitan examination to use the pretext of buying property in the capital to move about, peeking at the situation in the central government so he could meet moves with counter-moves.

At this moment, Zhang Yi was merely passing through Shandong on his way back to Zhejiang from the capital.

Seeing his question ignored, Yin Gao's hand, which was pouring wine, stalled in mid-air.

Although they were both discussing serious matters, this scoundrel Zhang Yi always had to keep the initiative in conversation in his own hands; he was simply arrogant.

Dissatisfied in his heart, he forced a smile, pressed down his sleeves, and sat back in his seat: "What is Zicheng referring to?"

Zhang Yi took the wine cup with one hand and, without clinking glasses, drank a mouthful on his own, sighing: "The trouble brought about by the land survey has already spread to the capital."

"Gentry and students who went to the capital to petition are crawling and wailing outside the Nine Gates; the Six Ministries and Thirteen Circuits have moved at the news, vying to offer remonstrance; in the Wenhua Hall, the ministers are debating in court, each holding their own views, unable to reach a decision. It can truly be called a shock to the court and the public!"

Hearing this, Yin Gao's expression shifted.

The matter in Shandong having escalated to this point—was it not to shock the imperial court so that the land survey would retreat in the face of difficulties?

Now that he heard it was effective, Yin Gao could hardly suppress the joy at the corners of his mouth.

He could no longer care about Zhang Yi's rudeness and hurriedly pressed: "What about His Majesty? Has he had a sudden awakening and reconsidered the land survey?"

Zhang Yi shook his head: "The Emperor is headstrong and self-opinionated; how could he easily change his course?"

He immediately changed the subject: "However, the Emperor has been living in seclusion and speaking little these days; I fear he is also drumming with anxiety in his heart."

"During the previous palace examination, the Emperor even used the policy essay to blow wind and test the water temperature of the court and the public."

"Judging by this, I fear he is also under heavy pressure."

Hearing this, Yin Gao raised his eyebrows.

He sat back in his seat, poured himself another full cup, and asked: "Testing the water temperature?"

He was asking both how the Emperor tested it and what the resulting water temperature was.

Zhang Yi smacked his lips to savor the aftertaste, turned his head, opened the book by his side, and revealed a page of paper tucked inside.

He pushed the book toward himself and signaled: "This is the policy essay the Emperor personally set for this palace examination."

Seeing this, Yin Gao reached out to take it with great interest.

He muttered aloud: "The monarch and ministers at court, governing all transformations, controlling the Nine Categories, establishing the Imperial Ultimate is complete; furthermore, using the Three Virtues as a balance, truly the Imperial Ultimate is to embody the constant to establish the root, and the Three Virtues are to exhaust changes to accord with the times."

Yin Gao raised his head to look at Zhang Yi, wanting to ask for instruction, but saw the latter smiling without speaking. Unwilling to appear shallow, he swallowed the words that reached his lips.

Although he was only a student of the Imperial Academy, he recognized the great classics and principles; though it was a bit strenuous, he could still understand seven or eight tenths of it.

The "Imperial Ultimate" came from the *Minister: Great Plan* and was one of the Nine Categories of governance. Here, it did not mean omniscience, but the "highest standard for governing the country."

In those years, Zhu Xi interpreted the Imperial Ultimate as "the monarch's path of impartiality," meaning the monarch should uphold impartial and selfless virtue as the moral benchmark and political core of the world, thereby controlling all people and achieving the stability and peace of the world's order.

But since the second year of Wanli, the followers of the Principle School headed by the Emperor reinterpreted the classics, reading it as the possession of the world's orthodoxy and the location of the Emperor's ultimate path.

In plain language: the connotation of the Imperial Ultimate, the highest standard for governance, evolved from "the Emperor should cultivate perfect virtue" to "the Emperor should practice an ideal world." It was as if, under the trend of restoring the governance of the Three Dynasties, they were gradually taking back the right to speak on creating the future.

And the scope of the subject in this palace examination question had changed again.

"The monarch and ministers at court, governing all transformations, controlling the Nine Categories"—it had clearly extended from the Emperor to the leadership group with the Emperor at the core.

As for the "Three Virtues" in the question, they were also one of the Nine Categories of governance, the three methods to achieve the "Imperial Ultimate."

This was the so-called taking the "Imperial Ultimate" as the foundation and adopting the "Three Virtues" to use them; as for which virtue to use specifically, one had to "exhaust changes to accord with the times."

Yin Gao frowned and continued reading down.

"Since the Three Seasons, wise monarchs have appeared in every generation; some cultivated stillness and silence, almost not needing punishment; some were strict in government, governing the world with strength; others were both, governing with leniency while killing cruelly. These Three Virtues each met their occasion, each suited the governance, and were practiced in the Imperial Ultimate."

Seeing this sentence, Yin Gao, this *yin* student of the Imperial Academy, finally could not read any further.

He swallowed a breath, stiffly raised his head, looked at Zhang Yi, and smiled bitterly: "I ask Zicheng to resolve my confusion."

Zhang Yi was not surprised by Yin Gao's lack of learning; after all, he was a student of the Imperial Academy.

He had teased him enough, so he stopped showing off and guided him step by step: "What are the Three Virtues?"

Yin Gao was startled and blurted out: "Uprightness, firm restraint, and gentle restraint."

Uprightness points to the "constant path," establishing a unified standard for morality and right and wrong.

Firm restraint points to "great chaos," needing authoritarian means to quickly stabilize the situation.

Gentle restraint points to "exhaustion," needing leniency and light taxation to treat the commoners and scholar-officials broadly.

Zhang Yi nodded: "The Emperor is saying that since the Three Dynasties, wise monarchs have appeared in every generation. Some were quiet and did nothing, almost not needing punishment; some were strict in government, governing the court with strength; there were also monarchs who combined both, governing with leniency while killing cruelly."

"These are different uses of the Three Virtues, yet all complied with the needs of the time and contributed to building an ideal world."

"As for which virtue the current world is suited for, the successful candidates must offer advice and speak freely."

Hearing this, Yin Gao had a sudden realization.

Zhang Yi pointed to this sentence, meaningfully: "The Emperor was much more cautious this time; he did not directly set the general strategy and say which virtue should be used now."

Hearing this, Yin Gao nodded in realization: "It seems that is indeed the case."

The Emperor had an extraordinary obsession and ability in bewitching the scholar class.

During the previous palace examination, the Emperor used the policy essay to directly ask why the New Policies were the practice of the "Imperial Ultimate."

There was not even room to discuss whether it was or not; he only allowed them to argue why.

The scholars north and south of the Yangtze were all invisibly subjected to a "thought rape" by the Emperor.

And this palace examination was clearly much more restrained.

The so-called Three Virtues were nothing more than how the path to achieve the New Policies should be walked—should it be firm, gentle, or the Middle Way?

This corresponded to the current posture of the central government facing the backlash of civil unrest.

According to the Emperor's usual methods, he probably would not ask the candidates which path to walk, but how to walk a certain path better.

That he was so cautious this time, contrary to his usual behavior, could only mean that the divergence within the court and the public regarding the "Three Virtues" was greater than the "practice of the Imperial Ultimate" of the New Policies!

So great that there were unavoidable arguments even within the New Party!

So great that the Emperor had to judge the situation!

So, at this moment, which of the three virtues in the imperial court has gained the upper hand?

Thinking of this, Yin Gao hurriedly asked: "Then which virtue do the articles of the top three candidates follow?"

This was the so-called "peering through a tube to see a leopard."

In this background, the articles and rankings of the top three candidates must contain political significance that could not be ignored; this was also the significance of the Emperor blowing wind to test the water.

Hearing this, Zhang Yi clapped and laughed; although the person in front of him was a student of the Imperial Academy, he was at least not stupid to the end.

He smiled and replied: "I heard that the top candidate personally selected by the Emperor was originally Zhang Juzheng's eldest son, Sixiu, and the article he wrote had the theme that great chaos must be met with firm restraint."

Hearing this, Yin Gao sneered: "Now the national treasury is full and the military is showing its might; what kind of prosperous age is this? Not thinking of singing praises, but speaking of chaotic times—how is this different from a thief spreading alarmist talk?"

"If the imperial court treats people with 'firm restraint' even once, then the world will truly not be far from great chaos!"

After venting his words, Yin Gao raised his head to look at Zhang Yi again.

After all, since Zhang Yi said "originally," the status of Zhang Sixiu as the top candidate must have changed later.

Sure enough.

He only heard Zhang Yi continue: "Therefore, the Grand Secretariat, the Ministry of Rites, the Hanlin Academy, and the Six Ministries and Thirteen Circuits all remonstrated together, saying that since the son of a high official was personally selected by the Emperor, he should not be promoted too excessively."

"After a round of arguments, the Emperor finally demoted him to second in the first rank, as the second-place candidate."

Hearing this, Yin Gao showed joy.

Zhang Sixiu was dismissed in the previous metropolitan examination because he did not observe the taboo of avoidance; since then, he had cultivated his mind for three years, and his learning naturally had few flaws, and he even had the Emperor's favor, but even so, he still did not take the top spot.

It seems that after a bout of civil unrest, the water temperature in the court was no longer so scalding.

Immediately, Yin Gao asked Zhang Yi with expectation: "Then did the top candidate's article take 'gentle restraint'?"

If it took firm restraint, it would inevitably be cruel and fierce; if it took gentle restraint, I fear the land survey would be remonstrated to a stop before long.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yi only glanced at Yin Gao and shook his head: "The final top candidate, Wang Tingzhuan, wrote an article using water and fire to metaphorize leniency and severity, yin and yang to match punishment and virtue, and the zither to prove slowness and urgency."

"The third-place candidate, Xiao Liangyou, wrote an article using the theory of sharp blades and axes to remove chronic sores, and the metaphor of medicine in the beam to save minor illnesses."

"All wrote 'upright' articles."

Yin Gao's expectation fell through, and he was inevitably not very satisfied.

He sneered: "During the sacrifice to heaven in the southern suburbs, the Emperor expelled all the virtuous and capable; now only paper-pasters remain in the court."

The top three articles were the current water temperature; the second-place candidate's firm restraint article was the headstrong self-opinion of the radical faction headed by the Emperor; the third-place candidate's upright article was the "big picture" of the paper-pasters in the court.

And the final result was also obvious: it was the top candidate's upright article, representing the mutual compromise between the court and the public.

This was still quite a bit worse than the thorough cooling Yin Gao had expected.

Zhang Yi glanced at Yin Gao and shook his head: "It can still be considered barely satisfactory; at least the Emperor did not fly into a rage and want to mobilize troops to 'firmly restrain' the provinces."

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

"Before I left the capital, the Emperor personally wrote a manuscript that has not yet been published. Brother Yin, take a look."

As he spoke, he handed the manuscript forward.

Yin Gao glanced at it and saw that the characters on it were clearly copied in a hurry, and the title also had the Emperor's personal characteristics—"How Should We Unify Thought Now That Reform Has Entered the Deep Water Zone."

Yin Gao reached out to take it and could not help but sneer: "Treating us prestigious families like enemies, tearing apart the tacit understanding between monarch and minister, trampling on the consensus of the world—now that the court is shocked, you finally know about 'unifying thought'?"

He scanned it roughly, bit his teeth fiercely, closed his hands, and forcefully crumpled the manuscript into a ball, slamming it into the soup on the table!

"Bah!"

Zhang Yi watched this scene coldly and did not stop him, only saying lightly: "The divergence between the court and the public is gradually becoming apparent. We will continue to make moves step by step. Whether the Emperor is willing to bridge the gap between top and bottom depends on himself."

After speaking, he raised his wine cup and took a light sip, looking completely at ease.

Yin Gao took out a handkerchief and wiped away the soup stains that had splashed on his sleeves.

He took the opportunity to pull the topic back to Shandong, saying sourly: "Step by step? That's easy to say. I'm just afraid this civil unrest will have a tiger's head and a snake's tail, and be quelled by He Xinyin in a few words, causing the court to feel contempt and thus sprout new ambitions."

Compared to Shen Li, that greenhorn who shouts about fighting and killing all day long, Yin Gao is actually more afraid that this civil unrest will start with a bang and end with a whimper.

Zhang Yi remained silent.

Seeing no one answer, Yin Gao did not urge him and reached out to use his chopsticks on his own.

Yin Gao's intentions were undisguised; he seemed to be asking whether Ge Cheng and the others were reliable, but in the end, he wanted the Zhang family to show their cards.

Whether Zhang Yi intervened personally or revealed some leverage, the two sides had to be entangled more deeply—Yin Gao was running around in Shandong, resisting the great policies, and his heart was not very steady.

For a time, only the sounds of intermittent chewing and pouring wine remained in the room.

After a long while, Zhang Yi finally spoke slowly.

"Ge Cheng has a murder case involving an official on his hands; he will definitely not be recruited by the court."

Hearing this, Yin Gao felt a sudden shock.

Murdering an official!?

This was not some minor local clerk who gets killed twice a day; the term "murdering an official" in Zhang Yi's mouth must refer to a proper official with a metropolitan examination background!

The Zhang family was actually secretly harboring such desperate men!?

Since the sincerity had been spoken, there was naturally no reason to hide it.

To put Yin Gao at ease, Zhang Yi met the former's gaze and said seriously: "Three years ago, Ge Cheng stood up for his master and killed the former Prefect Zhuang Yi, and then found my family seeking shelter. I made the decision to take him in and also wiped away the traces."

Yin Gao, sitting opposite, was already dumbfounded: "It's actually the criminal who murdered Prefect Zhuang!"

This was a sensational case from three years ago.

At that time, Zhuang Yi had retired from his post as prefect and even gained a good reputation for "upholding justice and loving the people, the people of the prefecture were virtuous toward him," which could be called returning home in glory.

Who knew that not long after retiring and returning home, he was harmed by someone, and his death was extremely tragic!

The reason for it made the officialdom feel insecure.

It was only because Prefect Zhuang wanted to buy some property after retiring and took a fancy to the fertile fields of a small family, bringing the police inspector to demand them—"The prefect returned, wanting to invade the salt fields on the sea, and coerced the patrol inspector to embroider the scene."

As a result, he attracted greenwood rangers.

Because it was salt fields on the sea, Zhuang Yi was tricked by someone in the name of surveying to the sea, and only realized he had been deceived when he arrived.

Afterward, the criminal revealed an inhuman side, cruelly stripping Zhuang Yi naked, cutting off his flesh knife by knife, and then, in front of Zhuang Yi, chopping the meat into pieces, using the salt from the salt fields to pickle it on the spot, torturing the man to death alive.

The news was brought back by Zhuang Yi's servant boy.

It was said that because he saw the two servant boys were young and innocent, he forced the two to eat the pickled meat, let them go, and brought back the criminal's message—"Killing an official is refreshing."

Being so bold and insane, it was naturally met with an overwhelming pursuit by the government.

It was just a pity that these greenwood heroes often colluded with local wealthy families, and in the end, they let the murderer escape and remain at large for more than three years.

Never would I have thought that he was actually recruited by the Zhang family!

The Zhang family of Taicang's style of conduct and clear ambition were truly terrifying!

Seeing the fear in Yin Gao's eyes, Zhang Yi comforted him: "Ge Cheng hates the imperial court and owes me a life. Although he is now stepping into civil unrest, he will definitely not be easily recruited."

If it weren't for this kind of background, how would the retainers of local wealthy families dare to show their faces and lead civil unrest?

Not to mention slaughtering tax officials without any burden.

Zhang Yi glanced at Yin Gao.

This person looked like he was afraid of snakes and scorpions, completely not understanding what it meant for different people to have different uses; I fear he is destined to have no connection with the four words "family rise."

Yin Gao was clearly harboring resentment toward the cards Zhang Yi had revealed and had already lost interest in talking, barely prevaricating: "So that's how it is; then I suppose he won't be easily bought by Shen Li and the others."

After speaking, he covered his face with his sleeve and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp: "It's getting late today..."

It was clearly a sign that he was about to take his leave.

Zhang Yi felt quite bored and did not say much, simply interrupting: "Brother Yin, please go ahead."

Seeing this, Yin Gao's expression was a bit awkward; he did not say much, stood up, arched his hands, and left directly.

After the person left, Zhang Yi was about to call the servant outside the door to enter.

Unexpectedly, before he could call, the servant had already hurried in: "Second Master, the Cao Gang just came looking for you. Seeing that you were discussing important matters with Prefect Yin, they left a message and departed."

Zhang Yi did not turn his head and asked directly: "What message did they leave?"

The servant recalled for a moment and repeated: "They said... this afternoon, a ship from Nanzhili docked at Jining. Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng is on the ship, on his way to the capital."

Hearing this, Zhang Yi was startled.

He subconsciously frowned and took a deep breath: "Zhang Juzheng? Isn't he bedridden with hemorrhoids, and the Emperor granted him another two months of leave?"

At the end of the third month, Zhang Juzheng's mourning period ended, and the imperial court issued an edict for his return, but as the saying goes, when the time comes, heaven and earth exert their strength together; perhaps because the Grand Secretary had been sitting for too long while mourning, his hemorrhoid illness recurred, and he was bedridden.

Therefore, the Emperor granted him sick leave again, ordering Zhang Juzheng to enter the court in the sixth month.

It was only the fifth month now; how could he already be in Shandong!?

The servant shook his head; clearly, there was no extra news.

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

Was it because this civil unrest stimulated Zhang Juzheng, causing him to enter the capital ahead of schedule regardless of his illness?

No.

The Emperor was self-opinionated, with a strong monarch-father style; without the Emperor's permission, even if Zhang Juzheng wanted to return to the court, I fear he would be driven back to recuperate halfway there.

It must be that the Emperor changed his mind and urgently summoned Zhang Juzheng to the capital!

Why?

Was Shen Shixing not strong enough on the land survey, offending the Emperor, so he let Zhang Juzheng return to the court to regain control of the Grand Secretariat?

Or was the result of the policy essay testing the water unsatisfactory, so he wanted to recall the strong Grand Secretary to suppress those who were not convinced?

Or was it that the node for bridging the divergence in the court had arrived, and he wanted to add chips to "firm restraint"?

Zhang Yi stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

The Emperor was still in a state of ease a moment ago, and the next moment he urgently summoned Zhang Juzheng back to the capital; if one said it had nothing to do with the land survey, I fear it would be an insult to an outsider's political sense of smell.

Moreover, when he was in the capital, he did not hear any news at all.

Because of all this, I fear the Emperor's way of receiving the move was not within his previous expectations.

Zhang Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, constantly pondering the Emperor's intentions in his heart.

After thinking about it repeatedly, he turned around and was about to order the servant.

Just at this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

The master and servant looked at each other, both stopped speaking, and raised their heads to look.

*Creak. *

The door was pushed open fiercely; it was none other than the gloomy-looking Yin Gao, who walked to Zhang Yi's front without saying a word.

Zhang Yi could not help but be startled.

He subconsciously asked: "Brother Yin, why have you returned after leaving?"

After asking, he immediately reacted.

This scoundrel wouldn't have heard that Zhang Juzheng was passing through Shandong and, in a panic, hurried back to seek help, would he?

Yin Gao glanced at the servant coldly and did not say a word.

Zhang Yi understood and waved the servant away.

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

Zhang Yi was about to comfort him.

Unexpectedly, Yin Gao slammed a piece of official document on the table and flew into a rage!

Yin Gao stared at Zhang Yi with gloomy eyes and questioned angrily: "Is this the reliability Zicheng guaranteed!?"

Zhang Yi realized that the situation seemed a bit different from what he had just thought.

He frowned and pulled the official document from Yin Gao's hand.

Yin Gao threw it over and sneered: "News from Yanzhou Prefecture: half a day ago, Ge Cheng and the others were beheaded, three thousand rioting commoners scattered like birds and beasts, and they have reopened the markets and returned to their fields!"

"The civil unrest in Qufu was quelled in one night; before long, the entire Yanzhou Prefecture will be settled by sending the heads around!"

Zhang Yi scanned the official document roughly.

After hearing the words in his ears, he also finished reading the document in front of him.

The situation was actually changing so drastically!?

For a time, he was speechless.

Yin Gao looked over dissatisfied, waiting to question him.

Suddenly.

Zhang Yi smiled and laughed softly as if mocking himself.

"Heh, the heroes of the world are truly like crucian carp crossing the river! It was we who underestimated them."

Yin Gao watched as the person escaped, bit his teeth, and said in a low voice: "With such a tiger's head and snake's tail, how can we still shock the imperial court!?"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yi did not answer, stood up, pushed open the door, and left directly.

"Zhang Juzheng is passing through Jining today; he should have also seen your father. Brother Yin, take care of yourself."

Seeing Zhang Yi running away in a hurry while still maintaining his elegant demeanor, Yin Gao was simply dumbfounded.

Zhang Yi did not turn his head and waved his hand lightly: "Brother Yin, don't be anxious. The north is too cold, and my hands shake when playing chess. I will return south first and continue to maneuver for the land survey."

After speaking, he took three steps in one, and in the blink of an eye, he was down the pavilion.

The eighth year of Wanli, the twenty-third day of the fifth month, Yanzhou Prefecture.

In the main hall of the prefectural yamen, An Jiuyu, who had hurried over from Jinan, was sitting upright behind the official desk.

He examined the cut on the head in front of him and asked with unconcealable surprise: "You mean, He Xinyin went to the meeting alone, faced three thousand rioting commoners alone, went in and out seven times, his *gang* energy penetrated his body, he cut off Ge Cheng's head with one blade, and then the three thousand rioting commoners were terrified by He Xinyin's bravery, all turned their weapons and armor, and in the chaos, killed more than ten core members?"

An Jiuyu pointed to himself helplessly at the end: "Do they think I'm a stupid official who believes in ghosts and gods?"

When the news of the Qufu civil unrest first reached the Provincial Governor's yamen, it was truly a matter of ten thousand urgent fires.

Thousands of people rioting, striking and parading, attacking the yamen and setting fires, harming tax officials, suspected of being instigated by the Kong family and the Prince of Lu, suppressing with imperial guards, slaughtering wealthy families...

It seemed like rebels about to raise their banners at any moment.

To be so sensational to this point, yet it was broken by He Xinyin with a single poke like a paper tiger; this story is not clever at all.

The garrison commanders, assistant surveillance commissioners, and administration commissioners in the hall, hearing the Hai Yushi's self-mockery, also spread their hands: "The description just now was only heard by the accompanying clerks in the streets; it cannot be taken as true."

"In fact, Qufu only sent the heads of Ge Cheng and several core members, and did not attach an official document."

"I don't know why they were sent to us."

To put it bluntly, apart from the news that the Qufu civil unrest had been quelled, the rest of the content could not be written in an official document in a proper way.

At this time, Prefect Li Deyou signaled the assistant official to close the wooden box containing the heads and stepped forward solemnly: "In my humble opinion, this is not Provincial Governor Shen's hasty negligence, but an act of taking the blame and pushing the credit!"

Everyone in the hall was startled.

Taking the blame and pushing the credit?

An Jiuyu also frowned upon hearing this.

There were many divergences within the party, and it was not just the central government.

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

Especially for such a fundamental policy involving the distribution of the world's wealth.

In the end, whether it led to a war between north and south or weapons meeting at the West Garden, there were countless such cases throughout history.

This eye of the storm in Shandong was the same.

Shen Li's style was strong, and he insisted on the land survey; it was impossible for the Shandong officialdom not to reject it.

With such a large difference in the number of land survey reviews, could the local provincial officials leave a good impression in front of the Emperor?

Plus this civil unrest, it was a shit-pot dumped on their official positions.

When Shen Li patted his butt and left, leaving a pile of resentment in Shandong, wouldn't it be them, these local Shandong officials, who would have to bear it?

Almost the entire Shandong officialdom was choking on it.

Under this emotion, everyone might not make trouble in the land survey.

But the tacit understanding of holding high the banner of local provincial officials and blocking Shen Li from Shandong's government affairs was still tacit—An Jiuyu took the initiative to ask to quell the Yanzhou Prefecture civil unrest, not without the consideration of pinning Shen Li in Qufu County and not letting him intervene in other parts of Yanzhou Prefecture.

According to Li Deyou's statement, Shen Li was clearly aware of this point; out of these considerations, he simply pushed the credit for quelling the civil unrest to the Shandong locality, while he himself took the blame for inciting the civil unrest.

To put it bluntly, this was Shen Li seeking support from the Shandong locality, intentionally making concessions and showing goodwill!

The officials in the hall also thought of this joint, looking at each other.

Could there still be such a person in officialdom who works wholeheartedly without regard for his official career?

An Jiuyu slapped his thigh: "Provincial Governor Shen has high wind and bright integrity!"

Others might be different, but Shen Li was truly such a person!

The garrison commanders of the Surveillance Commission, seeing this, expressed their agreement one after another.

"Worthy of being a righteous clear stream!"

"Longjiang has great righteousness!"

Someone immediately hinted to An Jiuyu: "Ahem, Hai Yushi An took the order in a crisis, did not fail Provincial Governor Yu's trust, and led us to quell the civil unrest..."

As soon as the voice fell, An Jiuyu swept over with cold eyes, and the person stopped speaking before he could finish.

An Jiuyu shook his head: "After quelling the civil unrest in the surrounding counties and completing the land survey review, I will report to the imperial court and invite credit for all my colleagues."

This is the so-called returning a peach for a plum; credit cannot be taken for nothing.

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

"Qufu has been quelled, the other counties should be settled by sending the heads around!"

"Jining has Viceroy Yin sitting in town, the surrounding counties have not raised any waves, so we can ignore them."

"Pingyang County and Dong'a County, which are closest to the provincial capital, calmed down immediately after the garrison commander entered the city to warn them."

"Guyang, Dingtao, Juye, Cao County, and other places are rioting very fiercely, but Provincial Governor Yu went personally, so there should be no major obstacles."

"There are only Tancheng County and Yi County, which responded to Qufu's Ge Cheng earliest and have not yet been quelled."

"Administration Commissioner Wu, Garrison Commander Zhang, please take Ge Cheng's head to Tancheng County and Yi County, hang it on the city wall to show the public; if those rioting commoners can be dispersed, do not use weapons... I will take people to Yizhou personally."

An Jiuyu made arrangements and turned to look at Li Deyou.

He paused and instructed: "For the land survey review, I have to trouble Prefect Li to pay attention; do not leave any more loopholes."

The hurdle in front of them had not been crossed yet; if there were any more loopholes, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Li Deyou arched his hands and made a political promise: "There is great governance after great chaos; after this turmoil, even the Prince of Lu and the Kong family have become much more honest; the land survey should be much smoother."

Speaking of this, everyone looked at Li Deyou together.

An Jiuyu also reacted, looked at this old subordinate of Shen Li, and pressed: "Where is Provincial Governor Shen now?"

Li Deyou hesitated: "It is said that the civil unrest is colluding with a side branch of the Kong family, and he is currently cooperating with the Duke Yansheng to investigate."

An Jiuyu covered his forehead and was speechless.

Investigate? It's more like a liquidation.

In the fourth year of the Orthodox era, Duke Yansheng Kong Yanjin reported to the imperial court that the land bestowed by successive dynasties for the temple was 198,000 *mu*, recruiting 624 households to farm it.

But two hundred years later, in Shandong province alone, they occupied a total of 390,000 large *mu* of land, located in Yuncheng, Juye, Caozhou, Dong'a, Ziyang, and Yutai, six departments and counties.

And it was not the kind of 360-step *mu*, but at least 700 steps per *mu* and above.

As for other places like Beizhili, Nanzhili, and Henan, there were tens of thousands or one hundred thousand *mu* of various sizes; how much of it was encroached upon, and how much hidden land there was, was simply countless.

If the Kong family is liquidated.

Either the golden body of the Kong family's Duke Yansheng will be smashed to pieces, or Shen Li will become a street rat.

It's no wonder Shen Li took the initiative to take the blame and push the credit, striving for the support of the Shandong officialdom; what should come will always come.

Regarding this, An Jiuyu could not help but sigh.

Shen Li is too straight.

The Emperor instructed He Xinyin to write an article to slander the Kong family, already prepared to preserve the reputation of his subordinates and slowly concoct it.

Who would have thought that Shen Li would not cherish his feathers at all.

Little did he know that being too firm is easy to break; in the ups and downs of officialdom, I don't know how many hardships and sufferings are waiting for him in the future.

Suddenly he seemed to remember something and turned to ask: "Where is Master Fushan now?"

Li Deyou shook his head blankly.

A garrison commander on the side stepped forward to take the conversation: "It is said that Master Fushan wants to stay in Shandong and create some kind of school."

An Jiuyu asked curiously: "Create a school?"

The garrison commander nodded: "Said he wants to establish a righteous village and farm with his own body."

"I don't know the specific philosophy and theory."

An Jiuyu became more and more curious.

But with official business at hand, he could only press his curiosity in his heart and continue to order official business.

He Xinyin at this time was hoeing the ground—since the day he went to the meeting alone and quelled the civil unrest, quite a few days had passed.

He Xinyin faced the yellow earth and backed the sky, one hoe after another.

This piece of farmland was "dirty land" begged from Shen Li's hands; when the government auctioned it, He Xinyin bought it and used it as a righteous village.

At this time, besides He Xinyin, there were three or five farmers working together in the fields.

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

The disciples on the field ridge were already waiting respectfully with food.

He Xinyin raised his head to look at the sky, saw the fire burning half the sky, and then shouldered the hoe and walked onto the field ridge.

"Teacher, eat first."

He Xinyin used the water in the field to wash the mud off his feet, rubbed his face by the way, and then took the flour food, pickles, and wine, and sat on the field ridge to eat.

The disciples on the side spread out paper and pens on the stone slab with ease.

"Continue recording from yesterday," He Xinyin instructed.

Looking at this posture, it was clearly a tacit understanding of many days.

Taking advantage of the gap in swallowing, He Xinyin spoke slowly: "I once pondered deeply, for the past few decades I have traveled the world, opened altars to lecture, where exactly did I go wrong."

"This encounter in Shandong finally made me understand."

A group of disciples looked over curiously.

He Xinyin drank a mouthful of wine and continued: "Originally, the most ideal way to promote Confucianism to the countryside, so that everyone is like a dragon, is for the rural people to move, and we help them shout. Taking a step back, it should also be that the common people want to move, and we lead them to move."

"But at that time it was not like this at all; it was we who moved, they did not move; not only did they not move, but because we moved, they sneered."

"So I shouted 'everyone is like a dragon' for more than ten years, and there was no effect."

Several disciples listened to He Xinyin easily negate his actions of the past few decades, and their hearts were truly not a taste.

He Xinyin seemed not to notice and continued: "It is because we failed to represent the demands of the common people; we thought that what we did was good for the common people, but the common people only heard it comfortably, but in fact, it did not hurt or itch."

"This encounter with Ge Cheng gave me a sudden enlightenment."

"The reason is that we, these people, naturally have places where we cannot be consistent with the common people."

"The common people are trapped by harsh taxes, and we cannot immediately reduce their burden; they have no land, and we cannot distribute land to them."

"The common people require many things that need to be solved from the source, and we had no practice to solve the problem at that time, we could only speak empty words, of course we could not grasp the pain and itch of the common people."

He Xinyin swallowed the steamed bun into his belly and summarized: "We must first practice on the land issue and find a feasible path."

The recording disciple stopped his pen silently.

He raised his head and hesitated: "Teacher, should we use a curved pen to hide it..."

He Xinyin shook his head without saying a word.

The student had no choice but to bite his teeth and record it.

At this time, another student interjected: "Teacher mentioned Ge Cheng just now, the student dares to ask, can this matter be listed as a separate article as an appendix?"

He Xinyin, Li Zhi, and these people have always taken the Sage as their ambition.

Especially He Xinyin, students and re-transmitted students recording words and deeds is almost a standard configuration.

He Xinyin thought for a while and shook his head.

The student was inevitably a bit disappointed; the events of that day, not being able to record them, was a bit of a pity.

But he saw He Xinyin suddenly stand up, pull the pen from the disciple's hand, and sit on the stone slab by himself.

He sighed with emotion: "I will write a biography for Ge Cheng myself."

Important things often make people dream about them.

He Xinyin picked up the pen, turned to a new page, and wrote slowly: "The eighth year of Wanli, the world's land survey... as for resisting taxes, the people of Lu abandoned farming and struck, the marcher Ge Cheng raised his arms, holding a banana leaf fan, one call and a thousand people responded, killing their officials, destroying their houses, gathering their bags and burning them..."

"The provincial governor heard of it and was shocked, wanting to resist with troops, but also cherished the living people, so he ordered his subordinates to ride into the temple..."

While writing, He Xinyin seemed to return to the moment when the strong man stared at him and questioned whether taxes would increase after the land survey.

He seemed to see Ge Cheng again, in coarse cloth and linen, with a burly figure and a touch of red earth on his brows.

His thoughts, unconsciously, returned to that day. ===== CHAPTER 237 =====