Chapter 157: The imperial examination is reopened, but anyone from eastern Zhejiang will be disqualified from taking the examination.

"Prime Minister Hu, he can be arrested. Even if we provoke this group of scholars, the Ming Dynasty will not be afraid."

"But have you ever thought that taking something out of context and creating public opinion could spread to various prefectures in eastern Zhejiang and even surrounding areas?"

"If this causes more intense resistance from scholars, the imperial court will have a hard time implementing the policy of allocating taxes to each acre in eastern Zhejiang, requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together."

A hint of thought flashed across Li Wenzhong's eyes, and then he shook his head.

We must consider the consequences of everything, this is also the way to use troops.

What's more, it is normal for a general like Li Wenzhong to think long-term.

"My Lord, you are a military commander. You should pay most attention to the situation on the battlefield and consider the consequences. Can you afford it?"

"But I am a civil servant. My pen is my sword, and I kill without spilling blood."

"So when it comes to fighting, I feel inferior to you."

"But if we talk about the situation in the court and the situation in the world, I am stronger than the Duke."

"Then how to treat this group of scholars, I have already made up my mind, and all the consequences will be borne by me alone."

"Before coming to Zhejiang, His Highness also told me personally that if I were to encounter a dilemma, I could act according to my own discretion and make a prompt decision."

"My Lord, there is no need to worry."

Hu Weiyong still sat in front of the hall with confidence and spoke softly.

Scholars, after all, are afraid of death.

A person with real integrity will never appear in a parade.

This is equivalent to a parasite in the country, although Hu Weiyong likes it very much because such people are easier to use.

After all, as the old saying goes, a good person may not be capable, and a bad person may not be incapable.

Good and evil are only a thought away, but talent can never be ignored.

Take Hu Weiyong for example, who can really tell the difference between loyalty, treachery, good and evil?

But unfortunately, this is the situation now. Someone has to die and someone has to live.

Therefore, the death of these scholars was not in vain. After all, it allowed Hu Weiyong to consolidate his power, which was also a disguised form of utilization.

What's more, if they just arrest people and quell the unrest, they won't be able to make any waves once the land-based tax system is implemented.

While waiting for the court to hold imperial examinations to select scholars, they will still serve as officials.

This is human nature.

Therefore, those who achieve great things do not pay attention to trivial matters. So why worry about it? Make decisions when necessary, otherwise you will suffer from the chaos.

"Should I inform His Highness?"

There was still a hint of hesitation in Li Wenzhong's eyes, and then he spoke.

"Of course I have to ask His Highness for instructions, and the decision His Highness makes will only be more ruthless than mine."

Hu Weiyong chuckled and nodded without refutation.

It is a temporary measure to report what needs to be reported. However, if Zhu Gang hears about it, this group of scholars will have no future at all even if they survive.

After all, they are just ordinary people now. They have no achievements, but as ordinary people, they actually oppose policies that are beneficial to the people.

This is already a crime, and based on Hu Weiyong's understanding of Zhu Gang, he is afraid that there will be a storm of chaos and bloodshed in eastern Zhejiang.

"Wang Danian, send someone to rush eight hundred miles to tell His Highness everything that happened here."

Li Wenzhong thought for a moment before looking at Wang Danian and giving instructions.

"As ordered."

Wang Danian clasped his fists heavily.

"Capture them first, but don't hurt these bastards. Lock them up to calm the unrest here and wait for the court's decision."

Afterwards, Li Wenzhong thought about it again and spoke.

"As ordered!"

Without any hesitation, after Li Wenzhong gave the order, many generals in the government office clasped their fists and left the hall.

In a short period of time, a large number of troops were integrated into Mingzhou Prefecture.

This caused a flash of astonishment in the eyes of the scholars who participated in the parade.

The imperial court, is it really not afraid of discouraging the scholars of the world?
How dare you act so recklessly!
This really does not take the scholars of the world seriously!
But the soldiers didn't care about their cursing and just followed orders to put them in jail to quell the unrest.

As for the gentry and powerful people hiding behind the scenes, they all smiled when they saw the scene in front of them.

Just what I wanted. Just what I wanted.

It seems that Hu Weiyong is just like that. He is so stupid and totally disregards the dignity of scholars in eastern Zhejiang.

If this were to get back to the court, Hu Weiyong would certainly be held accountable. After all, they would also add fuel to the fire and expand the impact of what happened here.

This forced the imperial court to abandon the system of allocating taxes based on land area and require all gentry to pay taxes together.

After all, since ancient times, fighting wars has been the job of warriors, but governing a country and pacifying the world has always been the job of scholars.

The division of labor between civil and military affairs is different, but civil affairs are the most respected.

This is also the pride and glory of scholars.

Well, you, Hu Weiyong, have offended the scholars to death today. When the imperial examination is restarted in the future, I am afraid that your fate, Hu Weiyong, will not be any better.

The gentry and powerful people can also avoid the tax burden, so why not do it?
Therefore, this group of brainless scholars are easy to control. As long as the slightest direction of public opinion touches their own interests, their anger will be ignited instantly.

After all, what is the purpose of studying? Isn't it just to become an official, isn't it just for those few privileges?
Otherwise, who would be stupid enough to study hard for the sake of the great principles of the ancient sages?

"The bigger the mess, the better it is for me."

"After all, we must destroy before we can rebuild. Moreover, if the imperial court wants to reform the system, it must do so in a big way. If it is timid, it will be exactly what the imperial court wants."

"And Duke, look around here. I can tell you responsibly that the gentry and powerful are not in the parade."

“But they are all around here, everywhere, hidden the deepest.”

"Because these fools are just a knife, used to test the sword of the court."

"So their next moves will definitely become bigger and bigger, until they force us out of eastern Zhejiang and make us go back with our tails between our legs. This is their goal."

"But I will not do what they want. I also want to see what other despicable tricks these gentry and powerful people have."

At the gate of the government office, Hu Weiyong looked at the surrounding streets and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"You want to force them to take action?"

A hint of understanding flashed across Li Wenzhong's eyes, and he asked tentatively.

"Yes."

"The original intention of the court was to implement the tax system of equalizing land tax and making officials and gentry pay taxes together."

"To put it simply, we want to push the new policy forward without resorting to violence."

"But how can the implementation of the new policy be carried out without conflict? After all, this is a huge interaction of interests, and no one is willing to give up the fat meat that has already been in their mouths."

"So the tax distribution based on the amount of land, and the unified taxation of officials and gentry, whether openly or covertly, was to weaken the power of the gentry."

"That would force them to have no way out, and they would have no choice but to take the risk. In addition, the officials involved in the case of Xiao Ming Wang would definitely have illegally colluded with him."

"After all, collusion between officials and businessmen has been common since ancient times. Wouldn't that directly eliminate the hidden dangers in eastern Zhejiang?"

Hu Weiyong did not hide it from Li Wenzhong, but continued to smile. As for the so-called hidden danger, it was naturally the gentry and powerful people who were eroding the Central Plains. If they were not dealt with, the court would never be at ease.

To put it bluntly, this was also what Zhu Gang meant. Although it was very obscure, Hu Weiyong understood it clearly.

It was only because there was someone in charge that Hu Weiyong could not suppress the rebellion as drastically as he did in Jiangnan.

However, Hu Weiyong actually also wanted to know how Zhu Gang would solve this matter?

Hu Weiyong was really curious as to whether he should act arbitrarily or take a step back and see the bigger picture.

It was not until the evening that the farce surrounding Mingzhou Prefecture came to an end. None of the scholars who were paraded in public escaped, and all were thrown into prison.

This news spread instantly throughout eastern Zhejiang and surrounding areas, and more and more scholars joined the protest march.

Over the past few days, eastern Zhejiang and surrounding areas were also affected, and many disturbances slowly emerged.

So there is definitely someone behind this who is fanning the flames.

Ying Tianfu.

"The court has been in a state of uproar these past few days. People are either blaming Hu Weiyong or defending him."

"But there is no escaping the fact that the unrest in eastern Zhejiang was too big."

"The Censorate made reports every day, and even the clear stream in the tide felt that things had gone too far."

"This is completely denying scholars a way out."

"Besides, whether it was my eldest cousin or Hu Weiyong, they were both arresting scholars on a large scale."

"According to their meaning, this is about deciding the foundation of the world, which will chill the hearts of scholars."

In the imperial study, Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Gang and frowned slightly.

There was a hint of sadness between the words.

This time the commotion was much bigger than that in Jiangnan.

Hu Weiyong was completely used as a gun, and this situation was difficult to resolve.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to recall Hu Weiyong to the court and send someone else to take charge of the situation.

"Do you know why there was little opposition in Jiangnan from the beginning when the land tax was implemented and the gentry paid taxes together?"

Zhu Gang, however, answered the question irrelevantly and looked at Zhu Biao.

"There hasn't been much noise in Jiangnan, and you were the one who handled this matter, and I didn't ask about the second brother."

Zhu Biao shook his head slightly.

"This is the negligence of the Crown Prince Regent."

"At this time, if you are monitoring the world, you must know everything."

"You can't just ignore it because Lao Er and I are in charge of Jiangnan."

"This will also lead to certain errors in your judgment."

"Take Jiangnan for example. You just thought the commotion wasn't big enough because it wasn't reported back to the court."

"Besides, everyone in the court was worried about their safety at that time, and they were afraid that it would affect them. Even if they noticed something, they didn't dare to speak out easily."

"Because of what? Self-protection."

"The interests of one person may not be worth mentioning in the face of huge interests."

“But in extraordinary times, who will focus on long-term interests?”

"It's nothing more than everyone trying to protect themselves. As long as they can survive, there is still a chance to turn the situation around."

“So the commotion in Jiangnan was really big, and the reason why it didn’t get out was because the court had been strictly investigating officials.”

"As a result of one thing after another, they were unable to submit a report. To put it bluntly, they just didn't dare to submit a report."

"But now, all those who should be killed are dead, those who should be arrested have been arrested, and the remaining officials are not involved, which proves that they are innocent."

"If there is any news of trouble in eastern Zhejiang, they will immediately make a big fuss and use the law to argue with you, saying that the law is not merciful and cannot punish everyone."

"After all, this is the critical period. Jiangnan is just an appetizer. As long as we can stop the reform of Zhejiang East, all the interests can still be recovered."

"As the saying goes, a single move affects the entire body, and they have only given up Jiangnan, but if the reform of East Zhejiang is blocked, they will rise up in the future."

"Then can we be lenient?"

Zhu Gang glanced at Zhu Biao and blurted out.

To put it simply, they in Jiangnan dare not speak out or show their faces.

But at this time, the turmoil in the court was gradually subsiding, and such a big news broke out in eastern Zhejiang, so they would definitely take the opportunity to make a big fuss.

Coupled with the instigation of local gentry and powerful people, if there is no persistent determination for reform and no great courage, we may really be forced back.

After all, this is a major trend that affects the entire world. Even if one has supreme power, one still has to consider the impact.

We cannot push scholars too hard, otherwise the country will always be unstable.

"Brother, there were hundreds of riots caused by the implementation of the land-based tax system in Jiangnan alone, and the unified taxation system for all gentry."

"For this reason, whether it was the Imperial Guards or the army that suppressed the rebellion, too many people died, so they could not bring the rebellion back to the court at all."

"Because most of those who died were gentry and powerful people. They fought back desperately. What else could we do except kill them?"

"If the Ming Dynasty takes one step back, it will be a bottomless abyss, so there is no way to retreat."

"We sent troops to suppress it without mercy. Do you know how much pressure I was under?"

"So Hu Weiyong must stay in eastern Zhejiang, and make the land tax equal to the land tax, and make officials and gentry pay taxes together, even if it means killing all these scholars, we must continue to promote it."

Zhu Chong also raised his head and looked at Zhu Biao.

"When you need to make a decision, make it. Otherwise, you will suffer the consequences."

"Besides, studying is not to let them oppress the people, nor to give them wealth and honor, but to let them serve the people when they are officials, and to be good and honest officials."

"But if an official uses his power to pursue his own personal gain, what is the point of such an official?"

"What's the use of such a scholar?"

"Could it be that the purpose of studying is to become an official?"

"It's really unworthy of being a scholar."

There was a hint of coldness in Zhu Gang's eyes, and he spoke softly.

"did you mean?"

Zhu Biao clenched his fists and raised his head.

“All reforms in various countries begin with bloodshed.”

"Since they are still dreaming of reopening the imperial examination, then we will reopen it."

"But we must issue an imperial decree, putting justice first, and let these scholars understand that what they are reading is the truth and the teachings of the saints."

"It is not out of selfish desire. The national policy of the imperial court, to distribute the tax according to the land and to make officials and gentry pay taxes together, is for the benefit of the people of the world. No one can stop it."

"Those who block it, die!"

"At the same time, we will deprive Zhejiang and the surrounding areas of their qualifications for the imperial examinations. From today on, any prefecture that dares to oppose the imperial court's national policy will be deprived of its qualifications for the imperial examinations. For the rest of his life, he can only study, not become an official."

In response to this, Zhu Gang slowly stood up and looked at Zhu Biao.

(End of this chapter)