Chapter 521 I won’t take a cent from the common people, but I want all the gentry’s share
Although they had just experienced a tough battle to defend the city, perhaps the news of the arrival of reinforcements boosted the morale of the soldiers and civilians in the city.
In short, when Zhao Duan walked out of the government office from the side door and walked on the main street in the city, he found that order was still maintained in the city.
However, the once bustling streets are now much quieter. Although some shops along the street are still open, most of them have "Closed" signs hanging.
Zhao Shande looked at the noble young man, whose name he did not know, hesitantly and was still a little confused.
He had failed in his request to see the prefect, but a handsome young man came out from the depths of the government office and kept saying that he was ordered to go with him to ask for food, but he was very secretive about his identity.
When did such a person appear in the government office?
Zhao Shande didn't know, but as an ancient social animal who had been working at the grassroots level for half his life, he had good eyesight. Although he didn't know Zhao Duan's identity, just by looking at the aura in his every move, he knew that his identity was definitely not simple.
Could it be the son of the prefect?
Zhao Shande speculated that with his status, he was not qualified to meet the prefect's relatives and could only make wild guesses.
"Just the two of us?" Zhao Duan asked with a smile.
Zhao Shande was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said, "There are a few more soldiers waiting at the intersection near Lu's house."
Then he mustered up the courage to test it out: "Your Excellency, don't you have a local accent?"
Zhao Duan glanced at the cautious old clerk in the yamen, and smiled meaningfully:
"Well, I haven't been here long. Did you inherit your father's position and enter the government, or did you pass the exam to get in?"
Zhao Shande straightened his back slightly:
"When I was young, I passed the imperial examination and was fortunate enough to be recognized by the county magistrate. I started out as a clerk in the county government office... It has been twenty years now..."
Zhao Duan's eyes warmed slightly, as he saw his own shadow in his previous life in this official with the same surname.
They both came from the lower classes and had similar growth paths. The difference was that officials in the feudal dynasties were divided into different "classes", and the officials and clerks were clearly distinguished by their backgrounds.
As he walked and chatted with him, Zhao Shande became more and more surprised, because he found that this young man was knowledgeable and had a noble air in his speech, as if he came from a famous family, but he was extremely familiar with the daily life of low-level officials.
If you look beyond his appearance and only look at the sophistication in his words and his grasp of the ecology of the lower-level officialdom, you will find that he is even more "slippery" than this old clerk.
When did such a person appear in the yamen?
As they were talking, the two of them had already walked to a large house in the city.
In a small shop at the corner of the street, four soldiers hurriedly stood up and walked out, looking at Zhao Duan in surprise and suspicion.
"This person was sent by the prefect," Zhao Shande explained, and in front of the soldiers, he also put on his "official authority":
"Follow me immediately to collect grain."
A few low-level soldiers did not dare to neglect and hurriedly bowed their heads to salute. The group walked towards the main gate of the Lu family mansion again.
"Please go and knock on the door first." Zhao Duan said with a smile.
Zhao Shande nodded reluctantly, straightened his back, walked up the stairs in three or two steps, and knocked on the door.
With a creaky sound, the tall gate of the Lu Mansion opened a crack, and a man who looked like a housekeeper came out, frowned, and said patiently:
"I've already told you that there's no extra rice in the mansion. Go get it somewhere else."
As he said this, he was about to close the door with a cold attitude, as if he had dealt with the grain inspector many times.
"Wait!" Zhao Shande said sternly with a stern face, anxiously:
"I am the grain supervisor under the command of Envoy Xue. I have been ordered to come here to collect military rations according to the law..."
He couldn't guess the identity of the nobleman behind him, so he wanted to show off to avoid giving the prefect a bad impression that he was "incompetent".
The steward of the Lu Mansion sarcastically said:
"Zhao Shande, I gave you a chicken feather, and you really think it's a sign of authority. In the past, with your status, you couldn't even enter the gate of our Lu Mansion. Stop talking nonsense. I didn't ask anyone to drive you away, which is already a great honor for you. Get out of here quickly."
Zhao Shande suddenly had an idea and shouted sternly:
"Did you know that Commander Zhao has already entered the city? And you thought it was the same as before? Ha, did you really think I was easy to manipulate? Don't you think about why the prefect ordered me to collect from your Lu family?"
The housekeeper was stunned for a moment, looked him up and down, and suddenly smiled:
"Zhao Shande, are you still trying to use Commander Zhao's name? Do you really think that just because we all have the surname Zhao, we're related? I know your background very well, so don't use Commander Zhao to scare people.
Let me put this on hold today. Not to mention you, even if the governor from the capital comes, my Lu family will say the same thing: you want food? No! "
Zhao Shande's thoughts were exposed, and he immediately became a little scared. He turned his head bitterly and looked at the young man behind him with eager eyes.
I thought to myself, you see, it’s not that I’m not doing my job well, it’s just that the Lu family is too overbearing.
We, the few of us, do not dare and do not have the ability to use our power to overwhelm others.
Zhao Duan's expression was a little strange. He looked at him with a smile in his eyes, sighed softly, stepped forward, and said seriously:
"Whether the Lu family has grain or not is one thing, but blocking the imperially appointed grain inspector from entering is a bit overbearing."
The steward of the Lu Mansion, who was about to close the door, frowned:
"Who are you? I advise you not to meddle in matters that have nothing to do with you."
He was unsure of Zhao Duan's identity, but since he wasn't wearing an official robe and was with an old official like Zhao Shande, he didn't take it seriously.
How could a person of real status hang out with a small-time figure like this who has climbed up from the bottom and has been hanging around for many years but is still just a clerk in a government office?
Zhao Duan's smile remained unchanged, but one hand grasped half of the courtyard door:
"What if I insist on interfering?"
The steward of the Lu Mansion was dazzled and was approached by this man.
Startled, he subconsciously wanted to close the door, but was shocked to find that this gentle and fair-skinned young man was incredibly strong. He lightly blocked the door with his hand, and the door did not move at all.
"Someone come, there's a commotion—"
He had just shouted halfway when he flew backwards into the yard like a cannonball.
"It's been a long time since someone yelled in front of me." Zhao Duan slowly withdrew his hand, feeling a little nostalgic.
He stepped over the threshold and said casually, "Follow me."
Zhao Shande and the four soldiers behind him were shocked beyond words until they realized that this young man was actually a warrior.
However, the old official was not surprised, but frightened. He was terrified and realized that something was wrong:
There is no way the prefect would send someone to lead him to fight.
Are you afraid that you have been cheated?
But there was no time to think about it, so he gritted his teeth and followed.
…
As the largest family in the city, the Lu family has an extremely grand mansion with five courtyards and an excellently decorated yard.
Zhao Duan strolled leisurely in the courtyard. When he walked into the central courtyard, he had already alarmed a large group of servants, maids, and guards from the Lu Mansion who came rushing over.
"Who dares to cause trouble?!"
As soon as Zhao Duan entered the courtyard, he saw three young men rushing out with swords in their hands in the distance, and the guards behind them were also holding sticks, looking ferocious.
"They are the three young masters of the Lu family." The old official reminded in a low voice.
The three of them belong to the third generation of the Lu family. They are not very old. The eldest son is only in his thirties, and the youngest, the third son, is just a teenager.
Zhao Duan stood still, calm and composed, and said calmly:
"The imperial grain inspector has come to the Lu Mansion to collect the military rations. Please ask the person who can make the decision to come here."
The second son of the Lu family was so angry that he laughed. He raised his sword and pointed it at the tip of Zhao Duan's nose, cursing:
"Are you blind? Don't you know where this is?"
The eldest son beside him frowned, vaguely feeling that this "grain inspector" looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where.
Zhao Duan said lightly:
"Facing the imperial officials, holding sharp blades, is the Lu family plotting rebellion?"
The eldest son of the Lu family also frowned. He first raised his hand to press down the arm holding the knife of his second brother, and then said:
"This 'Grain Supervisor', please don't speak carelessly. Even if Magistrate Sun comes to my house, he should be polite.
"I don't know what misunderstanding has occurred, but since the imperial court wants food, it shouldn't be the way to break in and rob people, right? Acting this way is no different from being a rebel. Aren't you afraid of violating the law?"
Zhao Duan was too lazy to talk nonsense with a group of "little brats" and said lightly:
"You have no right to argue with me. Call someone who can make the decision."
"Where did this grain inspector come from? How dare he not know his place? Catch him! He broke into a private house and I'll have a say in sending him to the government office!" The hot-tempered second young master said angrily.
A group of guards came forward with sticks in hand, preparing to surround the building.
Zhao Duan stood with his hands behind his back, his eyelids drooping slightly, and the smile on the corner of his mouth gradually disappeared.
Just as he was about to take action, a sudden old, anxious roar came from behind the crowd.
"Stop it, everyone!"
Everyone in the Lu family suddenly stopped and turned to look. They saw an old man with white hair, wearing loose silk clothes, and with a majestic look without even getting angry. He was almost running towards the backyard in his slippers!
Because I was too anxious, I lost my shoes and ran away barefoot!
"Grandfather?" The three young masters were stunned and hurriedly saluted.
"Master!" Many guards lowered their heads and made way.
"It's the old man from the Lu family. He has rarely appeared in recent years. Why is he here..." Zhao Shande was stunned for a moment, then showed a look of relief, and leaned close to Zhao Duan and said:
"Fortunately, it seems that the old man of the Lu family still knows the importance of things and is concerned about the prefect. He knows that we have the prefect and the court behind us, so he dare not act recklessly..."
Everyone thought that the old man came out to scold and stop the small conflict because he was considering the overall situation and the face of the bigwigs in the city.
However, Old Man Lu's solemn expression completely changed when he saw Zhao Duan standing in the courtyard.
After a moment of hesitation, the old man, who was the head of the largest family in Taicang City and one of the top two powerful families in the entire Linfeng Road, ran towards him with a pale face.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, his knees softened and he knelt down in front of Zhao Duan, resting his forehead on the ground, and said in a trembling voice:
"I didn't know you were coming. I am young and ignorant. I beg you to forgive me!"
silence.
Silence.
You could hear a pin drop in the entire mansion.
The flying knife that had been quietly hovering in Zhao Duan's sleeve slowly sank into sleep, and the slightly turbulent sea of qi also returned to calm.
He looked down at the white-haired old man on the ground with a forced smile:
"Do you remember me?"
The old lady of the Lu family said fairly:
"Last autumn, when the prefect gave a banquet, I was fortunate enough to be seated at the last table and had a glimpse of your honour."
Zhao Duan nodded slightly. He had some impression of this old man, but it was not very clear. He sighed and said:
"I just arrived in Taicang today and came to visit you. The descendants of the Lu family are so arrogant that they don't even take the officials seriously. I have never seen such a grand family in my time in Beijing."
Cold sweat broke out on the old man's forehead. The white-haired old man suddenly turned his head and stared at the three young men with anger on his face:
"Why don't you kneel down?!"
The three young masters of the Lu family were still confused at this moment, not understanding what was going on at all. After being scolded, they dropped their weapons like children who had done something wrong and knelt in a row beside the old man.
Zhao Duan looked calm, and suddenly he grabbed with one hand, and suction spurted out from his palm. A stone bench not far away in the yard suddenly spun in the air, flew over with a bang, and fell to the ground.
This was the palm technique he learned from Old Xu in the Mortal Realm.
Zhao Duan lifted his skirt, sat down on the stone bench, pointed at the second young master, and said to the old official beside him:
"Go ask, do you know what we are here for?"
From the moment the old man knelt down, Zhao Shande felt numb all over.
When he was called, he seemed to come back to life, but his heart was pounding like a drum and his head was dizzy. How could he not realize that he had met an important person?
Taking a deep breath, he trembled as he walked to the side of the kneeling Second Young Master of the Lu Family, and deliberately avoided the direction where he was kneeling. He glanced at Zhao Duan cautiously before asking tentatively:
"Do you know why we are here?"
"..." The second young master, who had been so arrogant just now, was stunned and shook his head.
"No...I don't know."
The arrival of a big shot who even frightened his grandfather... He couldn't think of what the other party's intentions were.
As for demanding grain... what a joke! Such a small matter could be handled by the servants. Why would such a powerful figure personally inquire about it? And even come to collect it?
He's not stupid.
"Slap him." Zhao Duan ordered calmly.
Zhao Shande was stunned, his eyes wide open, he looked at Zhao Duan, then at the second young master, and his whole body went limp.
Instead, it was Old Man Lu who gave him an "encouraging" look, signaling him to take action, and only then did Zhao Shande fearfully slap him in the face.
I hit the young master of the Lu family...it's okay...The old official looked at his hands in disbelief.
Zhao Duan said calmly, "We're here to collect our grain. Did you guys know?"
He glanced at the other people kneeling on the ground.
The eldest and third sons were both startled and said hurriedly, "Come and collect the grain."
Zhao Duan nodded in satisfaction: "Ask him if he knows why he punished you."
Zhao Shande looked at the second young master and repeated the question.
The second young master felt the burning sensation on his face, and dared not show any arrogance. He cautiously tested the issue:
"Because we are disrespectful to adults?"
"Slap him." Zhao Duan said expressionlessly, adding, "Use force."
Zhao Shande felt a surge of blood in his heart, and was inexplicably excited. He spat on his palm, swung his hand and slapped it again!
This time he used a lot of force, and the second young master's head was buzzing.
"Because you didn't pay the grain," Zhao Duan replied lightly, his eyes sweeping over the remaining people: "Do you understand?"
The eldest and third sons shuddered and said in unison: "Because we don't pay the grain!"
The second young master, whose cheeks were swollen: "..."
Zhao Duan nodded and was about to speak when he saw the second young master of the Lu family trembling with fear.
——This noble dandy has realized that he will be beaten no matter what his answer is.
Zhao Duan suddenly smiled and turned his gaze towards the old man:
"So, do you know what to do?"
The white-haired old man hurriedly said:
"The Lu family will fully cooperate with you, my Lord, in suppressing the rebellion! Now that the imperial army has arrived, the cost of food and rations for the soldiers and horses will be so high that the government's already depleted funds alone will not be enough to support the imperial army. We should call on the people of the city to donate rice, silver, and other supplies to meet the military needs!"
The old man spoke more and more fluently, and he understood:
Commander Zhao arrived with two large camps of tens of thousands of troops. The subsequent suppression of the rebellion will inevitably cost a huge amount of money. He came to the Lu family today to ask his Lu family to set an example.
The old man smiled and said:
"As for fundraising, I know how to do it. I will not let you return empty-handed. According to the old rules, when the court raises funds, the gentry in the city take the lead and the people follow.
Afterwards, the gentry's donations were returned and the common people's share was split between the two parties.
However, since this is a matter of great importance, and since Governor Zhao is personally leading the troops, I, on my own initiative, on behalf of all the gentry in the city, am willing to hand over the people's share in full. Not only that, my Lu family has a generous gift to present to you, my Lord..."
Halfway through listening, Zhao Duan was slightly stunned.
After hearing the second half, the smile on his face gradually disappeared again, and his eyes became dangerous.
He raised his hand, interrupted the old man, and said in a deep voice:
"You don't seem to understand, or you've got something wrong."
The old man of the Lu family was stunned for a moment: "Could you give me some advice, sir?"
Zhao Duan sat on a stone bench, leaning forward slightly, his face moving closer, their eyes meeting. He stretched out his two hands, palms facing upward, and shook his left palm, his voice soft:
"I don't want the people's share, and you are not allowed to take it either. Just leave it in the hands of the people."
He withdrew his left hand and clenched his right palm into a fist.
"As for the gentry's share... I! Want! It! All!!"
The old man of the Lu family was stunned.
I only heard Zhao Duan's voice continue to echo in my ears:
"Not only that, I want you to inform all the wealthy and powerful families in the city that I'm hosting a banquet at the Lu family tonight and inviting everyone to come and raise funds. Anyone who dares not come will bear the consequences!"
(End of this chapter)
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