Chapter 447: Using the Force to Fight Against the Force
"Imperial edict?" Su Qianqian smiled sinisterly: "Is the imperial edict for you to see? Look at this, how is it compared to the imperial edict?"
Su Qianqian took out the scimitar bestowed by the emperor and showed the place on the handle where the emblem of Emperor Gan De was engraved to the prefect.
To be a prefect, one must be knowledgeable. When he saw the emblem, he was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "I have offended you, Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy, please forgive me!"
"Imperial Sword, if Your Majesty were to come in person, Prefect Shen would know what to do, right?
We should rely on the aristocratic families in Jiangnan, but they are no more than subjects of Da Qi. All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people are the king's subjects. Now Jiangnan is facing great disasters and many troubles. As a subject, we should think about sharing the worries of the king, so that we can have a worry-free future. Does Lord Shen understand? ”
Su Qianqian used both threats and inducements, and Shen Youjia knelt there sweating profusely. Fortunately, the people did not dare to stop in front of the prefectural government office, otherwise he would have been really embarrassed.
He quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind and decided that a wise man would not suffer a loss in front of him. He still had to discuss this matter with the noble families. It was just a small amount of money paid by the sheep, so they would not refuse it.
"Don't worry, my lord. I understand. I will take care of this matter. My lord, you have traveled a long way and it's hard. Why don't you come to your house to have a cup of tea and a simple meal? I will show my hospitality as a host."
Prefect Shen tried his best to curry favor with the imperial envoy who was above King Xiang. Even King Xiang did not get the imperial sword!
Su Qianqian also wanted to plunder some of the corrupt officials' property, but her alcohol tolerance was not very good. If she was exposed, the loss would outweigh the gain, so she decided not to lose the big picture for the small.
"No need for that. I wouldn't say it's hard to do errands for His Majesty. It's our job. Lord Shen, just follow the instructions of this imperial envoy and complete the task as soon as possible. The benefits are waiting for you!"
Su Qianqian hinted that it was up to him to imagine, and Magistrate Shen had already imagined himself wearing a dragon robe and black gauze, with gold, silver and jewelry being delivered to him in an endless stream.
"Yes, I understand. I understand." Prefect Shen nodded repeatedly and watched Su Qianqian and the other three leave on horseback.
After Su Qianqian left, Prefect Shen immediately sent people to contact the heads of the six major families to discuss disaster relief, making it seem like the matter was related to the survival of the families, but in fact he just wanted them to contribute manpower and money.
After leaving with the three women of the Qin family, Su Qianqian was not in a hurry to go back. She first strolled around Hongzhou City, tried any new food she saw, and bought some to take back if she liked it.
However, the prices in Hongzhou after the disaster were shockingly high. Ordinary people had to save on rice, let alone snacks. Only wealthy families could afford snacks, cakes and pastries. So when a big customer came, the waiter was exceptionally attentive.
"My dear brother, you are asking which family owns the 12 states of Minqing. This little brother has got the answer right! My third aunt's wife's second aunt is the head of the Yunzhou Tan family... I heard the housekeepers who cleaned the yard chatting together during the New Year, and I heard a lot!
The Twelve Prefectures of Minqing are the richest prefectures in Jiangnan. Our Hongzhou is the poorest of the twelve prefectures. The richest is Yunzhou. Hongzhou and Qingzhou are the territories where the He family does business, and Yunzhou and Qinzhou are managed by the Tan family..."
The waiter was chattering away while packing the snacks. Some of what he said was probably hearsay, but most of it was about the current situation of the twelve prefectures in Minqing, where the major families controlled the economy of the richest prefecture in the south of the Yangtze River.
"Since Hongzhou is governed by the He family, why didn't the head of the He family help when Hongzhou was hit by the disaster, but instead let the city gates be closed and the people fend for themselves?"
Su Qianqian put away a bag of cakes and asked.
"I dare not say anything nonsense..." The waiter glanced at the shopkeeper next to him, and seeing that he was not paying attention to this side, he came to Su Qianqian and said:
"I heard that Imperial Censor He in the court was demoted, and the He family and the Tan family had a rift, and they were also dissatisfied with the nobles above, so naturally they wanted to turn their backs on him."
The guy pointed upwards and said no more.
Su Qianqian was a little surprised. She didn't expect that the common people knew so much about the court. It turned out that the He family deliberately let the emperor know that without the help of the aristocratic families, everything they did would be stretched to the limit and subject to checks and balances.
No wonder Prime Minister Xue tried his best to promote his new policies, but was opposed by the ministers in the court. Even the emperor repeatedly found excuses to suppress Prime Minister Xue. It turned out that the power of the aristocratic families could influence the affairs of the court, and if the interests of the aristocratic families were touched, they would be suppressed.
However, the emperor has already agreed to Prime Minister Xue's implementation of the new policy, and it seems that he is determined to shake the foundation of the aristocratic families. Sending Prince Xiang to provide disaster relief this time is just a test to see how far the aristocratic families can go.
The four of them went to a restaurant to have a good meal, and finally packed up some delicious dishes, and then returned to the camp with the big and small bags.
There are not floods every year along the Hong River. The land is fertile and the weather is good, so people live a decent life. However, most of the land is in the hands of wealthy families, and people have to pay rent to farm the land.
This year, a severe flood destroyed fields and houses on both sides of the Hong River. Although the fields were destroyed, the rent had already been paid, and the lack of harvest was equivalent to a debt. Combined with the loss of other property, the people have become penniless.
Then the plague pushed them into a deeper abyss. Even with the money and food for disaster relief, it could only solve the immediate problem and could not allow them to return to their previous stable life.
Post-disaster reconstruction relying solely on the little money from disaster relief is really a drop in the bucket, so what Su Qianqian wants to do is to bring in all the wealthy and powerful families, get them to give up their land leases, contribute their labor and money, and enjoy the hard work of the people, and they must assume corresponding responsibilities.
The four of them returned to the camp with large and small bags, distributed them to the soldiers in the camp as a snack, and specially sent a portion to the three imperial doctors. In order to completely eradicate the epidemic, the three of them had become dark and thin due to their hard work.
Su Qianqian left a portion of peach blossom pastry for Qin Hanzhang and did not give it to him until Qin Hanzhang returned to the tent in the evening.
Qin Hanzhang has become a little darker these days, and his skin color has returned to the same color as when he returned to Xijing from the northern border. He looks more angular, and his facial features are more three-dimensional.
"I heard that you went to see the prefect of Hongzhou?" Qin Hanzhang sat down to drink tea and pinched a piece of peach blossom cake and ate it slowly.
"Yes, the prefect of Hongzhou is very easy to talk to. He promised to send laborers and tools tomorrow. Not only that, but he will also be responsible for the food of the disaster relief army. We are here to help Hongzhou, so the prefect should always show some attitude."
Su Qianqian sat aside and wrote with a pen. Qin Hanzhang didn't look at what she wrote. He just looked at Su Qianqian's serious expression, drinking tea and eating peach blossom cake with a smile on his lips.
"Would the prefect of Hongzhou be so willing to pay the money? I heard that he is a miser."
Qin Hanzhang said as he swallowed the last bite of peach blossom pastry.
"Of course he won't pay for nothing. He wants to use it to exchange for his future. And he won't pay from his own pocket. I guess he will pay from the pockets of those noble families. This is what I want!"
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