An autumn breeze swept through, and the ripe fruits in the fields outside the city swayed in the wind, their unique fragrance drifting into the city.
"Has it already started?"
Liu Hong stood in front of Deyang Palace, gently inhaling the fragrance in the air, muttering to himself, his gaze drifting into the distance.
After several days of travel, Yang Qiu arrived in Xuzhou with his inspection team to personally oversee the operation.
Upon hearing of Yang Qiu's arrival, officials and powerful figures throughout Xuzhou were filled with wails of despair. This was a ruthless and heartless killer.
Those who were originally excited to make a fortune during the autumn harvest suddenly had second thoughts, fearing that Yang Qiu would find something to use against them.
However, there are still some stubborn and greedy people who are unwilling to hand over their hard-earned wealth so easily.
So, some local gentry families in Xuzhou, led by the Cao family, quietly gathered together to discuss countermeasures.
The head of the Cao family, seated at the head of the table, looked around at everyone in the room, his expression shifting between light and shadow, creating a somewhat heavy atmosphere.
The head of the Cao family spoke first: "Gentlemen, now that this wicked official Yang Qiu has come to Xuzhou to cause trouble, I wonder if any of you have any good strategies to deal with him?"
A minor clan head hesitated, saying, "Clan head Cao, Yang Qiu's visit to Xuzhou is definitely not well-intentioned. He may be targeting us. I'm afraid we shouldn't try to tamper with the tax revenue this time!"
"Alas, Yang Qiu is an outsider and not so much of a threat. The most troublesome thing is that I went to visit the new governor yesterday, but was turned away at the door!"
The head of the Cao family sighed softly, causing everyone to exchange bewildered glances. The Cao family was one of the most prominent families in Xuzhou, and everyone in Xuzhou treated them with utmost respect. Yet now they were being turned away?
"What should we do?"
The room suddenly became noisy, with everyone discussing the matter.
Despite their usual domineering ways in Xuzhou, these powerful figures were now terrified upon learning that Yang Qiu had brought a troop of Imperial Guards here. They felt as if a sharp blade was hanging over their heads, ready to strike at any moment.
"quiet!"
Hearing the commotion, the Cao family head felt a headache coming on. He glared coldly at everyone, and they immediately fell silent, no one daring to say another word.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Cao Xian narrowed his eyes slightly: "Hmph~, Xuzhou is our Xuzhou. Yang Qiu, an outsider, can only try to act tough if we don't allow it!"
One of the young masters looked at Cao Xian in disbelief and said in a trembling voice, "Master Cao...you're not really going to go against that corrupt official, are you?"
The others felt the same way. Although they were reluctant to part with the money and food, Yang Qiu was a real killer, and they were afraid of him too!
"Who said we went against him?"
Cao Xian glared at the man. How could someone so cowardly succeed?
"So, what does Patriarch Cao mean?"
The crowd was puzzled.
Cao Xian sneered, "Yang Qiu, as the Commandant of the Capital Region, actually came to Xuzhou in person. The Emperor must attach great importance to Xuzhou. As long as Yang Qiu fails to collect taxes and provisions, he will surely be punished by the Emperor."
"I wonder what insightful opinion Patriarch Cao has?"
“Xuzhou suffered a disaster a few years ago, and many people became refugees. The registered households in the prefecture and county are no longer valid. If taxes are collected based on the registered households, Yang Qiu will certainly not be able to explain it to the emperor.”
“What Patriarch Cao said makes sense, but what if Yang Qiu becomes desperate and does something rash?”
Cao Xian also frowned deeply. According to the letter he received from Luoyang, Yang Qiu might actually have done those things.
"Then we'll strike first. We'll pay the same amount as last year, and even more this year. But we absolutely cannot let him find out about those hidden people!"
"Alright, let's do as Patriarch Cao says! Even if we have to pay more this year, our income will still be much higher than in previous years, so it's not unacceptable!"
Everyone agreed with Cao Xian's suggestion, since they really had no better way. The inspection team was watching them from the fields, so there was no way to escape.
So the people inside started discussing the details again, completely unaware that a figure had quietly left outside.
At the governor's mansion, Zhang Jian, who had just been appointed governor of Xuzhou, was talking with Yang Qiu.
“Commander Yang, although I am the governor of Xuzhou and have the duty to supervise the officials of Xuzhou, the clan power in Xuzhou is deeply rooted and complicated. The problems there still need to be sorted out by Commander Yang himself.”
"Governor Zhang, rest assured. Do you really think that His Majesty sent me here only to collect taxes?"
Yang Qiu sneered, his eyes flashing with cold light as he looked at an account book on the table.
"Haha~ Captain Yang is indeed a straightforward person, alright! Then I'll leave it to Captain Yang!"
Zhang Jian was implicated by Hou Lan as a member of the partisan faction and imprisoned because he dug up Hou Lan's mother's grave during the reign of Emperor Xiaohuan. Fortunately, he was protected by scholars from various places and survived. It was not until Liu Hong ascended the throne and eliminated the eunuchs that Chen Fan recommended him to serve as the governor of Xuzhou.
However, after taking office, he discovered that the once prosperous Xuzhou had been turned into a mess by these local powerful clans. Under their control, many self-cultivating farmers were forced to become their tenants, and the tax revenue of Xuzhou at this time was less than half of what it was at the beginning of Emperor Huan's reign.
Therefore, after Zhang Jian took office, he impeached many inactive local officials and some local powerful families. However, due to their collusion, he only managed to arrest a few minor offenders. So Zhang Jian planned to take advantage of Yang Qiu's visit to Xuzhou to collect taxes and thoroughly purge the officials and powerful families of Xuzhou.
Yang Qiu and Zhang Jian hit it off immediately.
"Commander Yang, this is a new census of registered residents that I had arranged after I took office in Xuzhou!"
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