Chapter 229, exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City, is a reward offer!
Lu Xuan said meaningfully to the heads of several families, "No matter how influential or numerous aristocratic families are, can they outnumber the people of Licheng? Even when a country's emperor is incompetent, there will be people who rise up in rebellion, let alone mere aristocratic families?"
"hiss--!"
Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd of onlookers as they stared at Lu Xuan with expressions of utter astonishment.
The audience was also quite taken aback, thinking that those words were incredibly bold.
Isn't this blatantly inciting disaster victims to oppose powerful families and using sheer numbers to overwhelm them?
The clan heads trembled with rage after understanding Lu Xuan's intentions.
The head of the Feng family glared fiercely at Lu Xuan, then looked at the disaster victims who seemed genuinely interested with an unfriendly expression.
"We wanted to withhold the grain so that it could be given to the people in the city. They were so easily swayed by people with bad intentions. They are a bunch of ingrates."
"He's an outsider, do you really think he'd care about you?"
"He stirred up trouble among us here and then left, but you're going to continue living in the city. Do you really want to oppose all our families?"
Not everyone has Lu Xuan's abilities. He didn't believe that these lowly people who only knew how to worry about food and clothing every day would have the courage to go against them.
Sure enough, when the disaster victims thought of the influence of these prestigious families and the fate of those who had opposed them in the past, the resentment on their faces couldn't help but fade, and their eyes became hesitant.
Lu Xuan curled his lips slightly, his eyes mocking: "Do you really think that after the catastrophe, with the emperor far away, no one can control you? The capital has already taken action, and the Huo family army will arrive soon. The purge may be delayed, but it will come eventually."
The spirits of the disaster victims, who had just begun to retreat, were lifted.
The capital city?
Huo Family Army?
Compared to the nationally renowned Huo family army, these prominent families are still not worth mentioning.
The government officials who had initially intended to step forward and mediate immediately stopped and silently retreated to the back of the crowd.
Forget it, they'd better not get involved.
Several family heads twitched slightly upon hearing the keywords "capital city" and "Huo family army," and a hint of guilt and nervousness flashed across their faces.
But then I thought again, if the capital really wanted to take action, it would have done so already.
Lu Xuan, an ordinary commoner, was able to see Licheng through his extraordinary means, so why didn't he come from the capital?
It must be that Lu Xuan is making a mountain out of a molehill, spreading alarmist rumors to scare them.
With a certainty in his heart, the head of the Fan family looked at Lu Xuan with a sinister gaze and said, "Boss Lu, are you determined to oppose us?"
Don't think they don't know where those strange weapons—some that make people fall into a deep sleep, others that make people cry—came from in the small groups of disaster victims that have been organized in the city for the past month or so.
He clearly had good things in his hands, but instead of trading with them, he gave them to a group of lowly people to rebel against them. This man surnamed Lu clearly had ulterior motives from the beginning!
Some disaster victims, taking advantage of being hidden in the crowd, couldn't help but shout, "If you hadn't tried to embezzle Boss Lu's grain, none of this would have happened! You say it's our grain, but when it's harvested, we'll probably have to beg and plead to get even a scrap."
Other victims couldn't help but chime in, "That's right! After the disaster, you took advantage of the chaos to loot and seize farmland, forcing people to sell themselves. You've done all sorts of despicable things, and now you have the nerve to blame others for opposing you."
"If you truly care about us, then return the land you stole and tear up the indentures you forced others to sign!"
The faces of the family heads grew increasingly grim.
The head of the Shi family was furious: "Shut up, all of you! You've all gone too far! Do you all want to rebel?!"
Lu Xuan sneered, "You are neither emperors nor nobles, yet you talk about rebellion. It's clear you truly consider yourselves emperors of Jiangnan. You are the real rebels against the Heavenly Gang."
Lu Xuan was too lazy to waste any more words with them, so he turned to the increasingly indignant disaster victims and dropped a bombshell.
"If you want food and to live, you don't need to wait for the charity of these noble families. I hereby offer a reward to all the people in the city. As long as you can capture any direct descendant of a designated family, you can take away 1,000 catties of grain. If you are not a direct descendant, you can take away 500 catties. Your trusted stewards and guards can receive 100 to 300 catties depending on their importance."
Everyone present: "!!!"
The heads of the various families stared at Lu Xuan in disbelief, while the disaster victims were equally shocked, their mouths agape.
Can you get a thousand catties of grain just for catching one person?
Even a guard can receive at least 100 jin?
As far as they knew, each prominent family had at least a hundred or so members, and with guards, the number could reach over a thousand.
If they could capture a few more, wouldn't they not have to worry about food shortages for the next few years?
Even if one person's strength is not enough, three or five people working together can each get a considerable share.
The disaster victims, having figured out the costs, began to breathe rapidly, and their eyes turned frantic as they looked at the family heads and guards present.
That look in their eyes, as if they were eyeing prey, sent chills down the spines of those they were targeting.
When Lu Xuan added with a touch of mischievousness, "Capturing each family head will grant you five thousand catties of grain," the entire crowd of disaster victims erupted in cheers.
The disaster victims were only thinking about capturing people and distributing food, and they no longer cared about who was right or wrong. Their eyes were practically glowing with greed as they rushed towards the heads of the households and their guards.
What are you doing!
"Stop! Stop them!"
The heads of the families were anxious and panicked as they watched the disaster victims, who were blinded by the 'bounty', shout for their guards to protect them while scrambling and crawling into the carriage.
Those whose carriages were too far away to get through in time could only flee in a sorry state under the protection of their guards, and the scene was in complete chaos.
The viewers in the live stream were stunned.
[I thought the streamer would have a major showdown with these powerful families, but I didn't expect him to use a borrowed knife to kill someone. Brilliant!]
Using grain that rightfully belonged to Licheng to subdue these powerful clans—is this what they call using magic to defeat magic? 666!
Haha, all that talk is just empty rhetoric; real benefits are what matter.
The news that a bounty had been placed on the heads of prominent families spread rapidly throughout the city as the refugees chased after them further and further away.
Many disaster victims who were originally reluctant to come out of their houses because of the heat joined the arrest operation in order to receive food.
The once powerful and influential families of Jiangnan suddenly became pariahs, with everyone clamoring to arrest them.
...
While the city descended into chaos, Lu Xuan, inside the greenhouse, methodically continued to control the combine harvester and harvest the grain.
Midway through, a group of people appeared outside the greenhouse and offered to help.
The leaders were the heads of several civilian forces that Lu Xuan had provided the evolution fluid to last time.
Lu Xuan opened a gap in the protective shield and let them in.
After having his agricultural robots teach people how to use the tiller, he stepped aside and asked a few leaders about the conflict between him and the powerful clans after he left.
One of the leaders looked somewhat ashamed.
"Although we have caused some trouble for several families with the weapons left by Boss Lu, it is still not as great as Boss Lu's feat today."
After taking the evolution fluid, the leaders awakened strength, speed, and water-based abilities respectively.
Throughout history, the Central Plains has never lacked talented individuals. Supernatural abilities that enhance the body may not seem to bring much shock or deterrence.
Water-based attacks are too weak, and besides, Jiangnan is not short of water, so they are not very practical.
Otherwise, these people could have stirred up a storm in Licheng simply by using their innate abilities as a gimmick.
Unfortunately, in the end, Lu Xuan had to take action himself.
The burly man who had awakened his strength-based superpower also said, "Boss Lu really has guts!"
With rewards of hundreds or even thousands of kilograms of grain offered so readily, it's likely that within two or three days, all the prestigious families that have been passed down for hundreds of years will become a thing of the past in Licheng.
Lu Xuan glanced at them. "Aren't you planning to arrest them?"
These people also have a lot of manpower under their command. How could they not be tempted by so much grain?
Several leaders grinned and said, "We've already sent people over; we've stayed behind specifically to assist Boss Lu."
They knew perfectly well how many valuable items Lu Xuan possessed. Capturing people to exchange for the bounty was important, but they couldn't put the cart before the horse.
Seeing that they understood, Lu Xuan didn't ask any more questions.
...
With the prospect of profit at stake, in less than a day, over 80% of the direct descendants, branch families, stewards, and guards of the prominent families were brought before the greenhouse.
A huge, well-dressed group of people, all disheveled and bound by ropes, were crammed together, creating a truly spectacular scene.
Many members of the family are still unaware of what has happened.
Some of them were suddenly broken into and arrested while they were sleeping, some were taken away while they were frequenting brothels, and some were even beaten by a large group of people before being tied up while they were bullying the people on the street.
Looking at these powerful family scions trapped like turtles in a jar, everyone from small local forces and ordinary citizens to the government officials who hesitated and did nothing realized that the world in Licheng was about to change.
The refugees who had been captured looked eagerly at Lu Xuan inside the greenhouse, waiting for him to fulfill his promise. Their intense, scrutinizing gazes left no room for doubt that if Lu Xuan couldn't produce the grain he promised, the refugees' next target for revolt would shift from the aristocratic families to him.
Lu Xuan certainly had no intention of defaulting on his debt.
After half a day of harvesting, a batch of grain has been successfully harvested.
The rice and wheat hadn't been dried and threshed yet, but that wasn't a big problem; they could still be used for payment based on a 70% hulling rate.
If any disaster victims do not want rice or wheat, they can be settled with corn, sweet potatoes, or similar items.
Soon, the disaster victims lined up to receive food, each carrying their own "spoils of war".
Each member of the Feng family's direct line receives one thousand catties of grain.
The Yu family branch had three descendants and 1,500 catties of grain.
The Fan family had six guards and 1,200 catties of grain.
The Shi family, the Feng family, the Fan family, the Feng family, the Yu family, and the Gao and Huang families, who were major salt merchants...
Each disaster victim or each small group of disaster victims can receive at least five or six hundred catties of grain.
Those who are even slightly capable can easily obtain two or three thousand catties of grain.
Some were particularly lucky and caught a group of people who were visiting brothels. They were all rounded up and received nearly 10,000 catties of grain, which drew envious glances from countless disaster victims.
Lu Xuan, in a mischievous way, instructed the person helping with the calculations to record the results while loudly announcing them.
The members of each family, upon hearing their family names and personal names revealed, turned from embarrassed to furious, their faces turning red and green with rage.
As they read on, they finally came to several other family heads who had also been arrested.
"The head of the Feng family, the head of the Fan family, the Yu family, the Shi family..."
All the family heads who had previously clamored in front of Lu Xuan were captured by the disaster victims. Judging from the clothes and appearance of the disaster victims who captured people, they were clearly in cahoots with the small forces that helped Lu Xuan.
Sure enough, none of these smaller factions were fools; they immediately set their sights on the most valuable people.
Lu Xuan didn't interfere with them distributing food among themselves, but just looked at the clan leaders with bruised and swollen faces, who had obviously been beaten badly during the capture.
"You've always considered yourselves to be of noble status, but you never expected that one day you'd stumble over a commoner you looked down upon."
The clan heads were indignant. "If you hadn't bribed them, how dare these lowly people lay a hand on us!"
"You bastard! Our Feng family isn't without influence in the capital. I advise you to release us now! Otherwise, you'll regret it!"
"We were careless today and suffered a setback, but I will definitely make you pay back double for the humiliation you suffered today!"
Lu Xuan looked at the Fan family head with a cold face and harsh words with a mocking tone, "The future? Do you think there will be a future after you've been captured? Say a few nice words now, and maybe I'll take pity on you and burn some paper money for you on this day next year."
The expressions of the family heads changed drastically.
Isn't that basically cursing them to die today?
The heads of the household, accustomed to their high and mighty lives, could not tolerate such curses. They immediately began to curse again, saying things like "lowly people," "may you die a horrible death," and "bastards," repeating the curses over and over.
Their expressions were so fierce they looked like they wanted to devour someone, and their tone was filled with a chilling murderous intent.
Unfortunately, seeing their hands and feet bound, their faces bruised and battered, their clothes torn and covered in dust during the capture, like fish on a chopping board at the mercy of others, it was hard to feel any fear.
As the onlookers watched their powerless rage, they suddenly realized that these patriarchs, whom they had once feared and dared not provoke, were actually not so great after all.
As long as they work together, even powerful clans can be overthrown!
During the settlement process, Lu Xuan took the time to hypnotize and interrogate several families about the list of families involved in the plan to hide grain and default on debts.
Upon discovering that some of the families captured by the disaster victims were innocent bystanders, they readily ordered the innocent to be released.
The fair attitude brought a sigh of relief to some of the disaster victims who were secretly observing and to the released aristocratic families.
People who are willing to follow the rules are always much more reassuring than eccentric people who completely disregard the rules.
·
The process of claiming the bounty lasted for an hour before it ended.
The number of people captured exceeded 10,000, and Lu Xuan ultimately gave out three million catties of bounty money.
The disaster victims who received the food were all smiles, and even though they were soaked in sweat after a long day of work, it did not dampen their joy.
Three million catties sounds like a lot, but it's actually only one-tenth of the total output of greenhouses.
The remaining grains still totaled over 30 million catties.
Because these aristocratic families were extravagant by nature, they bought many other luxury items that would not even be glanced at in other communities during the first transaction. Even though part of the debt had been settled during the first transaction, the remaining debt was still as high as 20 million catties.
The downfall of a prominent family does not mean that its debts can be wiped clean.
Of the more than 30 million catties of grain harvested this time, Lu Xuan took 10 million to offset his debts.
The officials in the prefecture city were getting restless about the remaining 20 million catties.
Seeing Lu Xuan's generous attitude in casually offering millions of catties of grain as a reward, they guessed that he didn't really intend to take all the grain.
Now that the prominent families are all falling, shouldn't the government reclaim the rights that originally belonged to them?
Lu Xuan: Dream on.
Since the disaster, the government office has been suppressed by local powerful families, which shows that the people in charge of the government office are not capable of keeping things in check.
After consulting with the disaster victims, Lu Xuan immediately selected several reputable and powerful organizations in Licheng to jointly manage the greenhouse production with the government, supervise each other, and ensure that the grain was used to the maximum extent possible for the disaster victims.
In addition, he also planned to leave behind a batch of robots.
Humans may make mistakes for various reasons, but robots will not. Coercion and bribery are useless against them, making them the most impartial supervisors.
Once it is discovered that someone intends to emulate the powerful families in engaging in corruption... the fate of the powerful families who were arrested today will be the future of those who engage in corruption.
Although the government officials were somewhat dissatisfied, they did not dare to bring it up after seeing the fate of the prominent families.
"As for how the food should be distributed to the disaster victims, you can discuss it yourselves."
Lu Xuan said calmly, "My only requirement is that when you send people from the capital, the population of Licheng must not be less than 80% of its current size."
The 20% leeway is given because even with abundant resources, accidents cannot be completely avoided during a catastrophe, not to leave them room for exploitation.
If too many people die, they will naturally investigate whether there are any abnormalities and carry out another purge.
The officials in the government office felt a sudden jolt.
Why are you bringing up the capital again?
Could it be that Lu Xuan really made contact with the capital before, or that he wasn't just trying to scare the aristocratic families?
One of the officials was somewhat puzzled. Glancing at the scions of prominent families scattered on the ground, he hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "I wonder how Boss Lu plans to deal with these family members?"
Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Of course, we'll have to ask His Majesty to find out."
The official was astonished: "Your Majesty?"
The disaster victims who hadn't left the scene were also stunned.
Lu Xuan didn't offer any further explanation. He directly dialed the new emperor's contact number and even connected the screen mirroring function.
The new emperor took Lu Xuan's call very seriously and answered it immediately. The new emperor's image instantly appeared above Lu Xuan's head.
"ah!"
"What is that?!"
"Someone's there!"
The disaster victims were terrified.
However, the officials in the government office, after their hearts skipped a beat, noticed the new emperor's bright yellow dragon robe and exclaimed, "Your Majesty!?"
The refugees, who were about to flee, froze in their tracks, their expressions one of astonishment.
Your Majesty?
Immediately afterwards, someone in the government office recognized the new emperor and exclaimed, "Third Prince—!? You, you've ascended the throne?"
The disaster victims were now even more at a loss for how to react.
Is he a prince or the emperor?
But regardless of which one it is, shouldn't they all kneel down and kowtow?
The new emperor was surprised to see such a large group of disaster victims. Looking at the people tied up on the ground and those dressed in official robes, he couldn't help but feel bewildered.
Only when Lu Xuan adjusted the camera to appear on the side of the frame did he breathe a sigh of relief and ask gently, "What's going on with them?"
Lu Xuan said, "I am in Licheng, Jiangnan."
The new emperor was startled. Jiangnan?
Lu Xuan briefly explained the cause and effect of the matter, and finally asked, "So, Your Majesty, what do you think should be done with these people?"
The new emperor remained silent for a long time.
He truly hadn't expected Lu Xuan to act so recklessly...
They used grain as a reward to get the people to arrest all the powerful and influential families.
This is simply unheard of.
The heads of the various families were initially shocked by the fact that the emperor had been replaced, but then they shouted excitedly as if they had seen reinforcements: "Your Majesty, we are innocent!"
“Our families have been established in Jiangnan for hundreds of years. How dare he, a mere brat, bully us? This is simply outrageous!”
"Lu Xuan is audacious and reckless; Your Majesty must punish him severely!"
The new emperor grew impatient and said coldly, "Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"
The heads of the families froze.
The new emperor coldly observed these prominent families from Jiangnan, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.
The powerful families of Jiangnan have always been a thorn in the side of those in power. Even when his father was in power, he could only appease them. Was it because his father did not want to suppress them?
This is because these prominent families have been rooted in Jiangnan for too long, their status is deeply entrenched, and their power is deeply entrenched. Every time they try to make a move, they can only eliminate a few insignificant underlings, which is not worth the effort.
Lu Xuan's unusual actions, though seemingly rebellious, actually solved a major problem for him.
He was too happy to even think about punishing him.
The new emperor sneered at the heads of various families, then glanced at the others on the screen, asking, "Are there still people in the Licheng government office?"
An official from the prefectural government immediately stepped forward. "The Prefect passed away suddenly from an illness during the rainy season, and Judge Li also had an accident a few months ago. Now, I am temporarily in charge of all the affairs of the prefectural government."
It is true that the prefect died of illness, but Li Tongpan lost his life because he was tricked and killed while fighting against a powerful family.
The new emperor asked, "Who are you?"
Official: "Your humble servant is He Hongde, the Assistant Magistrate of the Prefectural Government."
New Emperor: Never heard of him.
The new emperor looked at He Hongde's graying hair and guessed that he must have worked his way up to his current position through seniority.
The new emperor said in a deep voice: "Lu Xuan is the Marquis of Yunxian, personally appointed by me. He is favored by the immortals. During the Marquis of Yunxian's stay in Licheng, no one is allowed to show him any disrespect."
Marquis Yunxian!?
He Tongzhi and the disaster victims were all taken aback by the new emperor's words.
Lu Xuan is actually a marquis?!
Did he even receive the favor of an immortal?
The leaders of the local forces suddenly realized why he could produce such a treasure as the evolution fluid!
The new emperor continued, "As for the treatment of the various noble families, first interrogate them to find out what other crimes they have committed besides plundering the grain of Marquis Yunxian. All the disaster victims in the city may file a complaint if they have any grievances caused by these families. Once the crimes are determined, they shall be dealt with in accordance with the laws of this dynasty. Those who should be executed shall be executed, and those who should be exiled shall be exiled. There shall be no mistakes."
The disaster victims were overjoyed to hear this, as they had so many things they wanted to report and sue.
Those who felt wronged couldn't help but kneel down on the spot and shout, "Your Majesty is wise!" "Long live the Emperor!"
Subsequently, countless disaster victims began to share their stories.
Accusations include: a member of a certain family forcing women into prostitution; a member of another family forcibly abducting women; a patriarch forcibly seizing land and then beating the victim to death; and countless other crimes committed by patriarchs, direct descendants, and branches of the family.
The sheer number of criminals and the sheer volume of their crimes are beyond description.
Lu Xuan had experienced a lot in the apocalypse, so he didn't feel anything when he listened, but many viewers in the live stream were gritting their teeth and shouting for the streamer to act on behalf of heaven and kill all these scumbags.
The new emperor's face also turned ashen upon hearing this.
"No, that's not true!" the clan heads cried out, responding to the accusations coming from all sides: "Slander! It's all slander!"
"We did not do those things. We beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
"That's right! These scoundrels have their eyes on our property and are deliberately trying to harm us!"
“They took the food given to them by Lu Xuan, so naturally they will favor him.”
But before they could say two words, Lu Xuan used his hypnotic ability, and the group's mouths started to run wild. The excuses that came out of their mouths all turned into: "I did it, so what?"
"They're just a bunch of peasants. If they die, they die. How can they be compared to our noble status?"
"Do you think I should pay for the lives of a few lowly people? They don't deserve it."
The disaster victims were furious and wanted nothing more than to rush over and strangle them.
[Damn, these bastards are truly despicable; they killed someone and don't feel any remorse whatsoever.]
When faced with profit, they certainly don't care about the deaths of a few people they don't even know or care about.
[Can you be more noble than the emperor? Even emperors die, so what are you?]
They've run into the streamer; their good days are over, it's time for them to pay with their lives!
[What goes around comes around, streamer, kill them already!!! I'll give you a hundred 'Glory Star Crowns'!]
The heads of the households not only readily admitted to the crimes brought against them by the disaster victims, displaying arrogance and unrepentance, but also proactively revealed many crimes that the disaster victims had not even mentioned.
These included serious crimes such as illegal mining and smuggling salt and iron to areas outside the Great Wall, which could lead to execution.
The new emperor was furious upon hearing this, "How dare you sell salt and iron to the enemy! You scoundrels deserve to die a thousand deaths!"
The crimes committed by the heads of the families were so heinous that they deserved to die ten or eight times over.
Enraged, the new emperor immediately ordered the government to execute these criminals on the spot.
Lu Xuan said, "Why don't you leave it to me?"
He then ordered his men to bring out all the criminals who had committed the heinous crime of murder.
Besides the head of the family, nearly half of the direct descendants of each family, plus the branches, were eventually identified as more than a hundred people.
Good heavens, this is truly unbelievable! There are fewer than ten families combined, yet so many have committed murder. These are supposed to be centuries-old families, but they're more like murderous families!
[These kinds of scum are a waste of food to be alive. Streamer, hurry up and take action! I feel uncomfortable just letting them live a little longer.]
Lu Xuan didn't dawdle. He coldly glanced at the panicked family heads who had been dragged out, said, "I'll send you on your way," and then raised his arm and swung it down at them.
Almost simultaneously, more than a dozen bolts of lightning crashed down, striking the heads of the various clan leaders with pinpoint accuracy.
"Aaaaaah—!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you "Lan Zhiyi" for the nutrient solution +236
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