The officialdom in Jiangnan must slowly divest itself from the prominent families in Jiangnan. Li Qinzai's cleanup of the officialdom today is just the first step.
The next rectification will have to wait until Li Qinzai returns to Chang'an and proposes to Li Zhi a large-scale mobilization of Jiangnan's officialdom.
Officials with local connections must be transferred out of the local area and take up posts outside Jiangnan.
As for things like staff evaluation and official supervision, leave it to Li Zhi and Yushitai to worry about. What Li Qinzai has to do is to rectify and organize the entire Jiangnan noble family and officialdom, and ignore the small and trivial matters.
The news that Li Qinzai captured more than 20 officials in the Gusu Governor's Mansion soon spread throughout Jiangnan.
The Jiangnan officialdom was once again shaken. For a time, everyone among the officials was in danger, and people within the prominent families were in panic.
Now people know more and more clearly that this imperial envoy sent by the emperor is really not easy to mess with. He really comes with the purpose of killing people. Regardless of the prominent family or the officialdom, he kills without any taboo.
In the entire Jiangnan, there was no one he dared not offend.
Such an existence is very scary. Jiangnan has been at peace for hundreds of years, and this huge area has been the granary of the entire dynasty. Who among the princes and generals in the past dynasties dared to use such cruel methods against Jiangnan?
First destroy the famous family, then regulate the officialdom. Every step Li Qinzai takes makes people fear from the bottom of their hearts. And judging from his every move when he comes to Jiangnan, every step he takes is planned and organized, not done randomly.
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The whole Jiangnan is like a huge chessboard in his eyes. Where to place the stone first and then where to place the stone. Every step has his purpose.
As a chess player, his thinking is extremely clear, and his methods are cruel yet calm and wise. The noble families and officials in Jiangnan are pressed by his chess moves step by step, and they find that their living space has become smaller and smaller.
, there is a painful feeling of suffocation.
To be so valued by the emperor at such a young age and to be relied upon as the mainstay of the country's weapons is indeed a bit of real ability. Such a person is very difficult to deal with. Once caught by him, there is no way to escape.
After more than twenty officials were interrogated, the chief officials of the various states and counties in the south of the Yangtze River returned to their offices. Then, all the clerks and clerks from the state and county offices went out and went to villages in various places, and began to re-measure the acres of land in each township and village.
This time no one dared to make any more lies, not even the slightest bit of cleverness.
The landlords and gentry were frightened, so they carefully offered heavy gifts and bribes in an attempt to bribe the officials, and as usual they falsified and concealed the number of acres of land, but they were sternly rejected by the clerks and servants.
No one dares to joke with their own lives anymore. If they dare to accept a gift, they have to pay for their lives. The butcher knife in Duke Li's hand is still dripping with blood. At this time, who dares to go against the will? That's not to put his head under Duke Li's butcher knife.
Give it away?
…………
The Gu family's mansion in Wu County.
When people in the south of the Yangtze River were panicking, many people gathered in the Gu family's house in Wu County.
These people were all familiar faces, including heads of six prominent families, as well as several state governors and county magistrates.
The room where everyone gathered was a secret room. The doors and windows of the room were sealed. The air inside was a bit stuffy. Most of the people present were old people. The air was filled with the unique smell of thick phlegm from old people.
Except for the Lu family of Wu County, the other heads of the family have all arrived.
The head of the Gu family is named Gu Chengzhang, an old man in his sixties.
At this moment, Gu Chengzhang was sitting in the main seat, his seemingly cloudy eyes inadvertently glancing at the faces of everyone present.
Everyone, including Gu Chengzhang, looked uncomfortable.
Li Qinzai's various actions after arriving in Jiangnan made the family heads panic and feel more and more suffocated, especially since Li Qinzai clearly wanted to take action on the land issue, which had touched the core interests of each family.
If we don't respond, the prominent families in the south of the Yangtze River may be completely manipulated by the imperial court. How can we bear this?
I am afraid of Li Qinzai's methods, but I have to do some things despite knowing the fear, because everyone here is the head of the family, and their shoulders bear the honor and disgrace of the family business that has lasted for hundreds of years.
To struggle is to die, not to struggle is to die.
So, should we struggle?
The room was stuffy, and occasionally an old cough came out.
No one spoke for a long time, and no one dared to speak first.
After being silent for an unknown amount of time, Gu Chengzhang finally had to break the silence.
Today I invited several family heads and governors and magistrates to come here, not to see how cool everyone looks in silence.
"What benefits did Li Qinzai promise Lu Songxi? Why did Lu Songxi turn to the court so completely? Have you heard about it?" Gu Chengzhang asked slowly.
Everyone present shook their heads.
Lu Songxi is a smart person. Smart people not only do things carefully, but also speak strictly.
Lu Songxi did not disclose a word of the content of Li Qinzai's private conversation with Lu Songxi, and even his own son Lu Yun did not say a word.
Lu Songxi knew very well that this was something that had great benefits but was also very fatal.
New World, five days of horse racing to enclose land, ten years of tax exemption, and various policies of the imperial court to support...
If these contents are revealed, the whole of Jiangnan will explode.
Everyone knows that Mr. Lu has received huge benefits, and they will definitely swarm in and attack Ms. Lu like a pack of wolves attacking a tiger.
Lu Songxi has lived for most of his life, doesn't he understand the principle of making a fortune silently?
No one knows what kind of benefits Lu Songxi got, but what is certain is that Lu Songxi must have gotten huge benefits, otherwise the Lu family of Wu County would not have been determined to board the imperial ship, and kneel and lick her with no dignity, no dignity, and skillful postures.
It's so humble that it makes people feel sad...
The silence was broken, but no one said anything, and Gu Chengzhang was a little disappointed.
So he coughed twice, and Gu Chengzhang said again: "Li Qinzai went to Jiangnan under the order. Normally we should cooperate with the emperor's imperial envoys, but Li Qinzai's actions are getting more and more excessive. His various actions have clearly hurt the foundation of Jiangnan's prominent families like us...
…”
"Everyone, are we just going to let ourselves be slaughtered? Whose family has hundreds of years of family property? If Li Qinzai pays it all in one day, how can we face the heroic spirits of our ancestors? How can we be worthy of future generations?"
These words finally aroused everyone's anger.
The inheritance of ancestors and future generations are the pain points in everyone's heart.
A family head stood up, raised his hands and asked, "I wonder if Brother Gu has any countermeasures?"
Gu Chengzhang said slowly: "Only when we are united can we deal with it."
"If you want to control Li Qinzai, you must control his roots. Li Qinzai's power was given by the emperor. Therefore, the one who controls Li Qinzai is not in Jiangnan, but in Chang'an."
Everyone agreed that what Gu Chengzhang said was to the point. To put it simply, the fundamental way to solve the problem was to mobilize the connections immediately and drive away this living king of hell.
As for whether Li Qinzai will be questioned or impeached after he is driven back to Chang'an, it is no longer important. As long as this scourge is gone, the wishes of the heads of the famous families have been reduced to dust.
I was really afraid of being killed by Li Qinzai. Since I couldn't afford to offend him and couldn't hide, I had no choice but to let Li Qinzai hide.
Seeing everyone's agreement, Gu Chengzhang finally showed a smile.
"Family heads, the Chang'an court is full of disciples and former officials of my noble family. At this critical moment of life and death, we must join hands to launch a court meeting in the Chang'an court to participate in the impeachment, forcing Chang'an to recall Li Qinzai immediately, and return Jiangnan to the bright and beautiful country.