More than a dozen wealthy gentry were held in solitary confinement. Li Qing did not give them any chance to collude with each other to confess. He tortured them one by one and tried them one by one.
These people were spoiled and could not withstand the torture. They confessed one after another not long after, but they were not stupid and knew what confession meant, so they immediately retracted their confessions after the punishment.
He insisted that he was unjustly accused and had been beaten into submission, and he loudly shouted about Li Qing's bribery, hoping to make Li Qing surrender.
But who is Li Qing? He doesn't care about this at all. How can he be afraid of being threatened if he dares to accept gifts?
The letter to Zhu Di was clearly written, and I was not afraid at all.
As for retracting the confession, it doesn't matter, just continue to torture.
The wealthy gentry were tortured for a day, and they completely lost their temper. They signed and pledged their names honestly. Thinking about Wang Lin's words again, they all felt regretful.
So, they sold the prefect Wang Lin.
Li Qing smiled and said: "Don't worry, he can't run away."
Soon, Wang Lin, who was ill at home, was also taken to jail. After a severe torture...and interrogation, Wang Lin confessed and was taken to the guillotine together with the wealthy gentry.
As soon as three quarters of noon came, all the heads of these wealthy gentry in Suzhou fell to the ground.
Seeing that the matter was a foregone conclusion, Xia Yuanji said to Li Qing: "Yongqing Hou, killing officials is the same as rebellion. Rich gentry are also considered as common people. According to the law of the Ming Dynasty, when common people rebel, they only kill the leaders. It is not appropriate to involve too many people."
He suggested, "It would be better to send his family members into exile to guard the border. This would also be beneficial to the country, don't you think?"
What he said is correct, but not entirely correct. Li Qing is not an ordinary official, but an imperial envoy, representing the emperor.
Killing an imperial envoy is a much more serious crime than killing an official.
However, Li Qing didn't want to go on a killing spree. The purpose of confiscating the houses to fill the treasury had been achieved, so there was no need to kill everyone, so he nodded in agreement.
Li Qing said, "I won't get involved in the matter of confiscating the house. There are still many things to be busy with at the Weaving Bureau."
"Xia Shangshu, Xinchenghou, and Commander Ji, please supervise each other... no, cooperate with each other. After copying out the specific amount, just tell me."
Xia Yuanji was happy, Zhang Fu was indifferent, Ji Gang didn't look good, and the three of them clasped their hands and agreed.
…
In the days that followed, Li Qing was busy, supervising the construction of the weaving bureau and training weavers on the precautions for production by process.
A month later, the Weaving Bureau was completed, and at the same time, the eunuchs in charge of managing the Weaving Bureau also rushed over.
A large number of looms were moved into the Weaving Bureau, and the trained weavers quickly got started. Li Qing began to take care of the eunuchs.
After working hard for more than half a month, Li Qing finally had some free time.
At the same time, Xia Yuanji and the others also sorted out the inspection details.
The cultivated land, gold, silver, grain, antiques, calligraphy and painting, houses, restaurants of more than a dozen wealthy gentry... The accumulated wealth of these wealthy gentry, which have been established for generations, is horrifying.
——Taxes for one and a half years during the Ming Dynasty.
However, many of them are real estate, such as restaurants and houses, which are difficult to sell at a time. There are only more than 23 million taels that can be immediately used for the court's expenses.
Everyone who participated in the house raid was shocked.
Everyone knew that Su Hang was rich, but no one expected to be so rich. He was so rich that his farts leaked.
It has already entered the twelfth lunar month, but it is not too cold in Jiangnan. Something happened in Suzhou, so Li Qing took the three girls to Hangzhou.
…
When Li Qing arrived in Hangzhou, the Chinese New Year was just three days away. The ancients attached great importance to the Chinese New Year. He originally planned to do it after the New Year. Unexpectedly, the magistrate of Hangzhou came to visit and brought all the local wealthy gentry with him.
Come.
Everyone expressed their full support for the imperial court.
They already know the fate of Wang Lin and more than a dozen wealthy gentry. Compared with ransacking homes and beheadings, severe bleeding is not unacceptable.
Li Qing was naturally happy to accept it, but the New Year was coming and the people were busy celebrating the New Year, and he did not want to deprive the people of their short-term happiness.
He just asked the prefect and wealthy gentry to go back and prepare, and then start work after the Lantern Festival.
After settling in, Li Qing took the three girls on a sightseeing tour to make up for their debts while in Suzhou.
The three girls were all wearing double-breasted coats with a little makeup. The youngest, Wan Ling, was already thirty-seven, and her youth was gone. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Li Qing still looked gorgeous.
At this time of year, the West Lake was relatively deserted, but a few people were in high spirits and rented a small boat to float in the middle of the lake.
Not far from the boat, there were about a dozen boats. Invisibly, there were four people guarding them in the center. They were the Jinyi guards responsible for protecting Li Qing.
Jinyi Baihu sighed and muttered: "Why are you running around during the Chinese New Year? You might as well go back and have a drink."
The scenery of West Lake in winter is mediocre, and these rough guys lack aesthetic skills, which makes it boring.
Li Qing was enjoying himself, chatting and laughing with the three girls, telling the love story between Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian, which made the three girls burst into tears...
After visiting the West Lake, they went shopping again. It was not until late afternoon that the four of them returned home with all their excitement. The guards in uniform breathed a sigh of relief.
They suddenly felt that traveling around the mountains and rivers was more tiring than handling cases and getting people.
During the Chinese New Year, Li Qing gave each Jinyiwei a red envelope. It wasn't much, but it was enough for them to have a nice meal and drink.
After receiving the benefits, Jin Yiwei also showed a smile and even worked harder at night patrol.
After all, there are so few people with such a lack of character who take money and do nothing.
On New Year's Eve, stay up late.
The four of them were eating melon seeds and chatting, just like back then.
After the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Qing started touring the mountains and rivers again. The Jin Yiwei complained endlessly, but they did not dare to neglect, and mingled with the crowd and dutifully protected the imperial envoy.
Happy and leisurely time always passes quickly. Li Qing felt that the Lantern Festival was already here before he even had fun.
Jinyiwei, who was living like a year, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, they no longer had to wander around the streets blindly. After half a month, their legs were almost broken.
After eating Yuanxiao and admiring the lanterns, Li Qing, who had a lot of fun, threw himself into work.
The prefect and wealthy gentry were very cooperative and even helped. It took only two months to build the weaving bureau.
Li Qing said a word here, and the rich gentry over there obediently sent silkworms, looms, and weavers, for fear that the service would not be adequate and the imperial envoy would be unhappy.
This cooperative effort made Li Qing feel embarrassed.
He really wanted to say: "Don't be afraid, I am a good person."
In mid-March, the Weaving Bureau was operating smoothly. Li Qing sent a letter to Zhu Di to send eunuchs, and then he brought the eunuchs for half a month.
After everything was on track, Li Qing did not leave in a hurry, but took the three girls with him to continue their sightseeing tour.
At this time of year, the scenery was beautiful. After finishing his official duties, Li Qing was completely entertained and had no intention of going back.
Jin Yi San followed helplessly. They had no temper at all with such a product on the stall.
Li Qing was the imperial envoy and the Marquis of Yongqing. They did not dare to raise any opinions and would not be happy if they were unhappy, but they have always done their duty.
In early May, someone finally treated him.
Zhu Di saw that the matter was done, but the man refused to come back, so he immediately sent an order to him to return to Beijing immediately without delay.
After hearing the decree, Jin Yiwei almost cried with joy. He looked up to the sky and shouted in his heart: "The Emperor is a wise man!"
…
In mid-May, Li Qing returned to the capital. After a day's rest, he went to the palace to resume his duties.
Royal study room.
Li Qing explained the affairs of the Weaving Bureau in detail, and Zhu Di nodded frequently as he listened.
Xiaopang spoke for Li Qing, "Father, Brother Qing... Li Qing has made such a great contribution, shouldn't he be rewarded?"
He has to be a chubby one... Li Qing said reservedly: "The prince is overly praised. It is the duty of a minister to eat the king's salary and share the king's worries."
"Any merit must be rewarded." Zhu Di smiled and said, "Say what you want, and I will grant it to you."
Li Qing thought for a while, "How about giving me a half-year leave?"
"This..." Zhu Di coughed twice, "If you change it, I will accept it."
It's bullshit to say no to anything... Li Qing was speechless: "Your Majesty, just watch and reward me. I will accept everything."
"Hey, you guy..." Zhu Di was about to get angry, but he heard Xiao Huangmen come in and report: "Your Majesty, Scholar Jie, Yang Xiuzan, Xia Shangshu... I want to see you."
Zhu Di suppressed his anger and said, "Ang, let them in."
After a while, more than ten civil servants came in. Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong, the least qualified, walked behind, carrying a box.
But Xie Jin, who was also a member of the cabinet, walked arrogantly in front of everyone, with a face full of pride.
"Dear ladies, what's the matter?"
Xie Jin looked happy and took the lead to say: "Congratulations to the emperor, congratulations to the emperor, the book has been completed."
"So fast?"
"So fast?"
Li Qing and Zhu Di spoke almost at the same time, both looking surprised.
Zhu Di was in an agitated mood at the moment and was too lazy to care about Li Qing. He hurriedly stepped forward to open the box and took a look.
After a moment, he slowly closed it and asked, "Is that all?"
Xie Jin cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, all the wise men are here."
He said cautiously, "The completion of the literature was accomplished by gathering more than a hundred scholars together, imitating the style of "Yunfu Qunyu" and "Huixi Shiyun", which took a long time..."
"What the hell?!"
Zhu Di threw the "Dacheng Dacheng" into the box and said with a gloomy face, "What did I say before?"
The joy on Xie Jin's face froze, and he said calmly: "The emperor said that he wants to compile a book that will be the most amazing book in history."
"Is this considered the most wonderful book of all time?" Zhu Di snorted coldly, "I said that it should include all ancient and modern classics, classics, histories, works, collections, commentaries, Taoist scriptures, medical skills, yin and yang numerology...
As long as there is something, it must be included, but what is this?"
Zhu Di shouted: "Go back and rebuild!"
Xie Jin's face turned pale. He thought he would receive a reward, but unexpectedly, he was scolded and his whole body wilted.
He murmured: "Your Majesty, in that case... more than a hundred people are not enough, I'm afraid a thousand people... Moreover, the money spent on collecting books..."
"Talents and books don't matter." Zhu Di said proudly, "You can go ahead and do it. I will fully support you, but you have to fix the book for me."
Xia Yuanji's heart tightened and he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the treasury is tight!"
"You fart!" Zhu Di said angrily, "After so much money was confiscated from the house, the taxes for the first half of the year will be shipped to the capital soon. Are you telling me that I don't have any money?"
Xia Yuanji smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty, this money can't be spent like this. You have to listen to me, this day, you have to be careful..."
"I won't listen!" Zhu Di scolded: "You will cry for poverty. How can I not know whether the treasury has money?"