Although there was a little unpleasant episode in tonight's operation, it was overall a success.
Only two of the rebels in the south of the Yangtze River escaped. The bandit leader, Prince Qian, was killed by Shang Fang's sword, and the rest of the rebel leaders were killed by random arrows.
Some of the defenders at the South City Gate were poisoned. Tang Ning asked Gongsun Ying to go back and prepare the antidote first, and then he took people to Xiao's house.
There are still some important things waiting for him to deal with.
At this time, the Xiao Mansion was in chaos.
Under the leadership of the four major families, the wealthy squire families in Runzhou only knew that Jiangnan had to unite in order to negotiate terms with the imperial court. However, they did not expect that the Xiao family and the four major families had no intention of negotiating with the imperial court. They wanted to rebel.
…
Rebellion, there is no greater crime in the world than this. One person rebelled, nine clans were killed, and the Xiao Mansion rebelled. Everyone in the Xiao Mansion tonight was speechless.
In fear, some people wailed and mourned, some knelt down and begged for mercy, and many more looked ashen as if they were mourning their heirs.
When Tang Ning walked to the door of Xiao Mansion, she heard bursts of crying and shouting coming from inside.
Liu Tong was waiting at the door. When he saw him coming, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Sir, we have controlled the servants and guests of the Xiao Mansion. We also captured a dozen prairie people in the Xiao Mansion. It's strange.
What's strange is that I haven't seen a single person from the Western Regions..."
The Crown Prince of Guizhou rebelled this time because he had the Grassland and the Western Regions behind him. These two groups of people were naturally regarded as his accomplices.
It was not enough to just capture the prairie man. Tang Ning looked at him and ordered: "The four city gates of Runzhou will be closed temporarily. Tomorrow morning, the whole city will search for the rebels in the Western Regions..."
"Yes!" Liu Tong responded respectfully and immediately went down to make arrangements.
Tangning walked into the Xiao Mansion and walked into a certain hall. What she saw was a dense crowd of people who were tied up. There seemed to be dozens or hundreds of people.
Including the heads of the four major families, all the rich people from Runzhou's gentry and wealthy families were here. What Tang Ning saw was not a room full of heads, but a lot of money.
"Sir, this is unfair!"
"We are innocent and we didn't know anything about it!"
"Sir, I don't know that the Xiao family is going to rebel. I am willing to donate all my wealth. I beg you to spare my family..."
…
The squires of Runzhou cried bitterly and begged loudly for mercy. At this point, saving their lives was the most important thing. They threw all face and dignity out of the sky.
Tangning stretched out her hand and pressed down, and everyone immediately stopped talking.
He looked at these people, shook his head and said: "I know that you have also been deceived by thieves, but the country has national laws and families have family rules. Conspiracy and rebellion, regardless of master and slave, are all major crimes for the nine tribes..."
"Sir, please spare my life!"
"Sir, I have an eight-year-old son below me and an eighty-year-old mother above me. Please give them a way to survive!"
"Sir, please save us..."
…
Hearing the words "Kill the Nine Tribes", everyone in the venue felt like they were dying. They immediately became confused and burst into tears. Tang Ning couldn't bear to see it.
"Everyone, be quiet." Tangning looked at them, stretched out her hand again, and said, "The law is strict, but you must also be reasonable. In my opinion, you have also been deceived by the Xiao family. Your crime will not lead to death, let alone death."
Disaster to the nine clans..."
Before Tang Ning finished speaking, there was an uproar from the crowd.
"Your Excellency is wise!"
"Master Qingtian!"
"Please, sir, make the decision for us!"
Tang Ning listened to everyone's grateful voice and could only reach out to maintain order again. After they calmed down, she said: "When I return to Beijing this time, I will try my best to present my case to the court and His Majesty to exempt you from the death penalty. However,
Rebellion is a serious crime that cannot be pardoned. Death penalty can be avoided, but living crime cannot be escaped. You must let the court and His Majesty see your sincerity..."
"Sincerity?" Someone in the crowd thought for a while, with a look of enlightenment on his face, and immediately said: "I heard that the war in the northwest is urgent, and the common people are willing to donate half of their wealth to help the imperial court and expel the barbarians from the northwest..."
For them, donating half of their wealth is like cutting off their flesh, but no matter how painful it is, it is still better than cutting off their head.
Everyone present was a businessman, and no one could not figure out the business.
After that person spoke, almost immediately, dozens of people spoke next.
"Sir, ordinary people are also willing to donate half of their wealth!"
"The common people are also facing a national crisis. As a common citizen of Chen State, how can we stand by and watch?"
"We are all willing to do our part to drive away the barbarians, please allow me!"
From the initial fear, everyone suddenly became filled with indignation. Tang Ning was also moved by their patriotism and said, "I will convey your sincerity to you and my willingness to do my part for the imperial court."
Go to the right to register, and those who don’t want to wait on the left..."
"I register, I register!"
"Stop pushing, you're stepping on my foot!"
"Come one by one, everyone will have a chance!"
…
As soon as Tang Ning finished speaking, the crowd rushed to the right and no one went to the left.
Those who are willing to do their best for the court go to the right to register, and those who are unwilling wait on the left - waiting for what, waiting to die?
No one was willing to wait for death. The sad atmosphere in the hall changed. These Jiangnan gentry donated money. Their faces were glowing, as if they had made a lot of money in business. They lined up one by one, for fear of falling behind others...
…
Tangning walked through the front hall and came to a room in the back.
There are only four people in this room. The four masters have aloof status and are not together with the small businessmen. They have their own independent rooms.
Su Zhe raised his head and glanced up. He had seen Tang Ning's portrait and recognized him at a glance. He stood up suddenly, stared at him, gritted his teeth and said, "Tang, you are so vicious! I'm so cruel.
I regret why I didn’t get rid of you earlier!”
Only at this moment did he finally understand why those people never went to Su's house again after two visits.
He had known for a long time that the Xiao family was going to rebel, and he had already been prepared to deal with it. He did this because he wanted to force the Su family to rebel, and he wanted to use the charge of treason to punish the entire Su family!
The crime of treason affects the nine clans, not just the several hundred members of the Su family. Once the crime of treason is carried out, even the Tang family far away in the capital will be partially implicated.
The head of the Su family looked at Tangning as if his soul had been ripped away from him, and said dejectedly: "You won, I hope you can dream about hundreds of dead souls from the Su family every night, and dream about them asking for their lives...
"
The heads of the four major families are not ordinary people after all. They are not as hysterical as those outside. They seem to have given up completely and do not want to say a word.
Of course, the despair of the head of the Bai family was staged. His acting skills were so superb that Tangning wouldn't even be able to tell the difference if she didn't know about it in advance.
He has no intention of exposing the Bai family. In the future, Jiangnan will need them to mingle with other wealthy families. No one likes to mingle with the court's losers.
Tangning's attitude towards them was not as polite as outside, and she said straight to the point: "You have two options before you. You can plot rebellion and kill the Nine Clan, or donate half of your family's wealth to ensure your safety. Make your choice."
The four masters raised their heads at the same time and looked at him in disbelief.
The head of the Song family stood up, like a drowning man grabbing the last straw, and asked: "Can the Song family be exempted from the crime of treason?"
Tangning looked at him and asked, "You don't believe me?"
"Believe it, of course I believe it!" The head of the Song family nodded repeatedly. If the Song family was convicted of treason, not only would the nine clans be annihilated, but all the family property would also be confiscated. Now you only need to donate half of it to avoid the crime of treason. He has to believe it even if he doesn't believe it, because this is his last hope...
He looked at Tang Ning and said, "The Song family is willing to donate half of their property..."
"The Bai family is also willing!"
"The Shen family is also willing!"
After the head of the Song family spoke, the Bai and Shen families also spoke immediately. Su Zhe pursed his lips, glanced at Tang Ning with a complex expression, and murmured: "The Su family..., the Su family is also willing."
Tang Ning looked at him and said calmly: "The Su family is one of the masterminds. Please donate 90%."
After donating 90% of the family wealth, the Su family will immediately become a second-rate family in Jiangnan. In a short time, they will never be able to regain their former glory, but this is nothing compared to saving the lives of the entire family.
Su Zhe closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said with difficulty: "Su family, as ordered..."
…
After settling the affairs of these families, Tang Ning breathed a sigh of relief. The wealthy families in Jiangnan have taken advantage of the imperial court in recent years. This time, they may have to spit out everything they have eaten before.
"Chen..." He was about to instruct Chen Zhou to send people to collect cash at various stores tomorrow. He looked around and said in surprise: "Where did this kid go..."
Xiao Mansion, Su Mei's courtyard.
"It's too late, but it's too late. Your Excellency roared, "Fuck them," then he released his right hand, took the sword in his left hand, and thrust out the sword. A streak of silver light flashed through the dark night, and Shang Fang's sword passed through the chest of the Crown Prince of Guizhou. But..., that's how it is."
Chen Zhou looked at Su Mei and said: "After the master knew that something happened to the girl, he seemed to have lost his mind, and his eyes were extremely scary. He refused to listen to anyone's dissuasion, and he did not care whether the court would hold him accountable. I feel that even that What stood in front of him at that time was the gods and Buddhas in the sky, and I am afraid they cannot stop you..."
Su Mei looked nervous as she listened to his story, clenching her fists in her sleeves, and a little crystal light flashed in her bright eyes.
