Chapter 159: Mingzhou Prefecture was renamed Ningbo Prefecture from then on. Hu Weiyong was truly a capable minister.

"Who could have imagined that the imperial court would be so ruthless."

The scholar called Brother Li also said with a pale face.

"I don't care. You have to come up with an idea now."

"The imperial court is preparing to reopen the imperial examinations. What if I can't take part in the examinations?"

"How can I face my fellow villagers and neighbors, how can I face my parents?"

"It is you who are paraded through the streets and made the imperial court retract its order."

"Since you guys are our leaders, you guys should come up with an idea, otherwise I will never give up with you."

Compared to the scholar named Wang, other scholars did not have such a good tone, and even their faces had turned cold.

Even the words "I will never give up" came out of his mouth.

It is obvious that compared with interests, everything else is nothing but clouds.

Although they gathered together due to instigation by some people, it was also for their own interests.

After all, there is no gain without pain. With so many scholars in eastern Zhejiang, why did they take part in the parade and force the court to back down?
Some scholars knew that the imperial court would not back down, otherwise the situation in Jiangnan would have been blocked long ago.

But isn’t the court still getting by peacefully?

But this group of scholars just can't figure it out, and no amount of persuasion is of any use.

They must be paraded through the streets in order to demonstrate their presence and gain a certain voice among the people.

But little did they know that after such a commotion, their reputation had already been ruined, and it was simply infamous.

There is even more contempt among the people.

Even those scholars who had not participated in the movement would be implicated and looked down upon wherever they went.

There were all kinds of discussions, not only in Mingzhou Prefecture, but also in the whole eastern Zhejiang, every household and neighborhood was talking about it.

As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels far and wide. In just a few days, the incident had spread to all the major state capitals.

"Stop arguing. Even if you kill me now, what's the point?"

"The imperial decree has already been issued. We, the group of people who have stood out, will never be able to turn the tables."

"Even if you cry and scream, what's the use?"

"Will the court have mercy on us?"

"Anyway, I don't think I've done anything wrong. If I've studied for many years and am still no different from ordinary people, then I might as well not read this book."

Faced with the noisy cell and the open cell door, the scholar named Li roared and left the cell with a flick of his sleeves.

All the scholars present looked at each other in bewilderment.

But no one had the courage to stop him!
After all, their identities and status are different. This scholar named Li Ziwen is not from a poor family, but from a wealthy family.

His family, the Li family, is also a powerful family entrenched in Mingzhou Prefecture, so this also shows how tragic it is.

Li Ziwen said he no longer wanted to be an official, but he was still supported by his family. But what about them?
If Li Ziwen is really annoyed, they will definitely not be able to stay in Mingzhou Prefecture.

But who can blame it?

Who made them believe Li Ziwen's words, parade them through the streets, and try to force the court to back down?

Now he was suspended in the air, in a dilemma. Although he was full of resentment, he dared not express it.

They didn't dare to deal with Li Ziwen, but those who joined forces with Li Ziwen to organize this parade were just Li Ziwen's lackeys.

So I can afford to offend.

Inside the prison, this group of scholars no longer had their usual gentle and kind demeanor. Instead, they all had cold faces and rushed forward, wanting to stop these lackeys who were trying to escape.

Then there were cries for mercy and wails everywhere.

It was as if he wanted to vent all his resentment.

Seeing this group of officers, contempt flashed across their faces again.

But good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels far and wide. Li Ziwen's words just now were also recorded by the group of officers.

After all, after years of studying, I am still no different from ordinary people, so it’s better not to read this book.

But I can do a lot of articles.

For example.
"Haha, Duke, look at what Li Ziwen said."

"The purpose of studying is to become an official, and the purpose of becoming an official is to draw a clear line between oneself and the people."

"Once this statement is made and spreads across eastern Zhejiang, the direction of public opinion will be reversed in an instant."

"The court will no longer bear any pressure, and even if there are some people who don't know the truth, they will be ashamed."

Hu Weiyong looked at the letter in his hand, then turned to look at Li Wenzhong and said with a smile.

"This bunch of bastards, as officials, they don't serve the people, they just want to distance themselves from the people."

"If the imperial court were filled with such officials, the Ming Dynasty would be overthrown in an instant."

"Send this letter back to the court at an expedited rate of eight hundred miles."

"As for what Prime Minister Hu wants to do, he can do it."

"I will go to the Li family right now. I want to ask this Li Ziwen. If being an official is just to draw a clear line between oneself and the people, then it is really a waste of time to read the books of sages and be unworthy of being a scholar."

"How can such a person have the face to meet Confucius, the great and holy teacher?"

"How can you face the ancestors and sages of China?"

A hint of uncontrollable anger flashed across Li Wenzhong's face, and he stood up with a "bang".

"My Lord, you don't need to show mercy to these gentry and powerful people who are still resisting stubbornly."

"Let's start with Mingzhou Prefecture. If there are still people who are still hoping for the best and will not violate the law, their entire family will be exiled and their property will be confiscated."

"Also, we must not ignore the relief of the people. Notify the newly appointed officials and ask them to open the warehouses to provide relief to the people and repair their houses."

"At any rate, we must first ensure that the people have enough food to survive the cold winter."

"This is also what your highness meant."

"There is no need to estimate the expenditure. Saving one citizen's life is a merit."

Hu Weiyong also stood up slowly, patted his head gently and said, "By the way, His Highness also said that the Royal Guards should monitor the relief work throughout the process, so that all the people can survive this cold winter."

I don’t know why, but Mingzhou Prefecture, which was relatively good in previous years, has become increasingly cold in recent years. Even the rare snow has fallen in the past few days.

So this is another cruel test for the people.

Whether or not one can survive depends on how the imperial court provides disaster relief.

Therefore, we cannot be careless about this matter. After all, even if others don’t know, how could Zhu Gang not know?
The Ming Dynasty was in the midst of a Little Ice Age at this time, so Zhu Gang personally ordered all major prefectures and cities to spare no effort to provide relief to the victims.

Even the Jinyiwei were dispersed in the past few days and sent to various major prefectures to keep a close eye on disaster relief.

Moreover, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. In order to prevent people from embezzling and enriching themselves, Zhu Biao also issued an edict that disaster relief and porridge distribution, chopsticks floating and heads falling to the ground were all monitored by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

By the way, it is worth mentioning that Mao Xiang, that bastard, was reappointed after that day, and all matters concerning disaster relief were handled by Mao Xiang.

So this guy works absolutely hard and personally oversees everything.

But I can no longer drink wine for pleasure.

Because Zhu Gang found a beautiful wife for Mao Xiang, and now he lives a happy life without drinking any wine.

"Yeah." Li Wenzhong nodded, flicked his sleeves and left the mansion.

At the same time, he secretly felt it was a pity.

Hu Weiyong was definitely a man of great talent in governing the country. He was vigorous and resolute in his work and his mind was extremely meticulous. It was absolutely impossible for him to make any mistakes.

It's a pity that such a talented person cannot be used by the court. Isn't this a loss?
Therefore, if you are an official, especially a high-ranking one, you should be less concerned, otherwise, you will easily die.

Afterwards, the court officials, under the supervision of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, set up relief tents and cooked relief porridge in the streets and alleys of Mingzhou Prefecture.

At the same time, many runners were dispatched not only to inform the people of the city, but also to repair their houses and provide them with bedding.

In response to this, the people who were gathered around the relief tent, warming themselves by the fire and drinking porridge, all shed tears.

Looking at the thick porridge in the bowl, I felt extremely grateful for the court's kindness.

There were even some people who took the initiative to look in the direction of the capital and kowtowed several times in a very serious manner.

All of these incidents did not just happen in Mingzhou Prefecture. Although the Jinyiwei had not yet arrived in distant places, relief work had already begun in the surrounding areas near the capital.

"Oh!"

"The imperial court really knows how to win people's hearts!"

The sound of teacups breaking was heard, and Li Ran, the head of the Li family, said with a gloomy look.

The court's relief work for the people in Mingzhou Prefecture could naturally not be hidden from the eyes and ears of the gentry and powerful.

Therefore, not only the Li family knew about it, but even many gentry and powerful people also got the news, and their eyes were uncertain.

However, the gloomy weather had not lasted long before a group of men on horseback broke into their house, and for a moment, the place was in chaos.

That is, the people cheered and were able to survive.

As for these illegal gentry and powerful people, the imperial court acted decisively and showed no mercy.

At the same time, Li Wenzhong, wearing armor, rode a war horse and directly broke open the gate of the Li family's mansion, and a large number of soldiers and horses swarmed in.

Hearing the voice, Li Ran and the Li family members also stepped out of the main hall and looked at Li Wenzhong who was riding on the horse, with a look of surprise in their eyes.

"Are you Li Ran?"

Li Wenzhong, holding a horsewhip, still rode on the horse and said with his eyes slightly narrowed.

"That's right."

Although Li Ran didn't understand the situation, he still bowed quickly.

"Do you know who I am?"

Li Wenzhong still squinted his eyes.

"Gong Cao Guo."

The corner of Li Ran's mouth twitched slightly, and he spoke.

This gentleman?

The fact that he called himself this already reveals his identity. Who else could it be other than Li Wenzhong, Duke of Cao?

"As a relative of yours, I really cannot be ashamed."

Li Wenzhong's expression remained indifferent, and he said sarcastically.

"My lord, why do you say this?"

Li Ran's expression changed slightly.

"The tax rate is based on the amount of land, and officials and gentry all pay taxes together. What do you think of the Li family?"

Li Wenzhong was too lazy to pay attention to Li Ran, so he asked lazily.

"The Li family should abide by the imperial court's policy."

Li Ran's heart sank, but looking at the soldiers filling the yard, even though he was reluctant, he had no choice but to nod.

"it is good."

"Except Li Ziwen, arrest everyone in the Li family."

Seeing Li Ran nod, Li Wenzhong waved his hand and gave the order.

"My Lord, my Li family has already agreed, why do you still want to arrest us?"

In response to this, Li Ran's expression changed immediately and he blurted out hurriedly.

"You colluded with the government and oppressed the people. You even covered up a lot of your dirty deeds. Do you think I don't know? Do you think you can hide it from the court?"

"All the officials who colluded with you have confessed. You are guilty of heinous crimes and deserve this fate."

"But don't worry, except for the guilty, the court will not punish all the people involved and exile their entire families to Lingnan. This is already a pardon outside the law."

Li Wenzhong raised a hint of coldness at the corner of his mouth, and continued: "As for your son, there is no need to exile him. I will make the decision to keep him in Mingzhou Prefecture."

After saying this, Li Wenzhong no longer had the heart to ask Li Ziwen any questions. After all, to an ant like Li Ziwen, he was just a small chess piece.

All the value lies in that statement that goes against the will of heaven.

Then Li Wenzhong came up with a better idea, which was to leave Li Ziwen alone in Mingzhou Prefecture and see what his fate would be.

As for the Li family, it was just a small episode, because at this moment, almost all the gentry and powerful people in Mingzhou Prefecture were experiencing the same scene.

Even though they were filled with grief and anger, their faces were pale and they felt powerless, they did not dare to open their mouths and curse at will.

why?
Because once you curse, not only will your whole family be exiled to Lingnan, but your property will be confiscated and your entire family will be executed.

In an instant, all the conspiracies and tricks in Li Ran's mind were wasted.

However, this insignificant conspiracy could not cause even a single wave for the giant Ming Dynasty.

After all, from the very beginning, the Ming Dynasty did not regard them as opponents. At most, they were just small stones blocking the road and would not affect the overall situation at all.

"Prime Minister Hu, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has issued an order that from today onwards, Mingzhou Prefecture will be renamed Ningbo Prefecture."

At this time, another decree came from the imperial court, which was to rename Mingzhou Prefecture as Ningbo Prefecture.

"I accept the decree."

Hu Weiyong bowed quickly to accept the order.

As for the reason, Hu Weiyong himself knew it clearly, so why bother asking again?
It's nothing more than being taboo about the word "Ming" in the country's name.

After all, the Ming Dynasty controlled the entire world.

Mingzhou Prefecture is just a prefecture, but it occupies the word "Ming".

This had a bad implication for the imperial court, so when Hu Weiyong first arrived in Mingzhou Prefecture, he already knew that the imperial court would definitely change the name of the prefecture.

And it might be a good idea to change the name, because the affairs of Mingzhou Prefecture have basically been decided today. It is only a matter of time to distribute the tax according to the amount of land and for officials and gentry to pay taxes together.

As for the accounting, that was the Ministry of Revenue's business, and Hu Weiyong had never been involved in it from beginning to end.

But with Li Wenzhong by his side, Hu Weiyong always felt that he had lost too much this time.

After all, in Jiangnan alone, Hu Weiyong privately withheld a lot of property, including land.

However, Hu Weiyong's method was more sophisticated. Although these fields nominally belonged to the common people, they were privately controlled by some gentry and powerful people who helped Hu Weiyong make money.

But he thought he could hide it from the court. Little did he know that the court not only knew about it, but also saved all the money for Hu Weiyong.

As for the silver and the land, Hu Weiyong was only keeping them on behalf of the court. After some time, they would all belong to the court.

(End of this chapter)