Yang Fan arrived at the Ministry of Justice. He had just finished dealing with a few documents when A 'Nu, dressed in blue and dressed like a manservant, walked in. She bowed and said, "Lang Zhong, the minister requests your presence!"
There were also a few low-ranking officials in the room who had just received their approvals. A 'Nu's words and actions were very proper. Yang Fan nodded and did not display any special attitude toward her in front of his subordinates. He gave a few more orders to the low-ranking officials who had just received their approvals. Then he stood and left the room accompanied by the other low-ranking officials to hurry to Doulu Qinwang's room.
"Yuan Fang, you've come. Sit, sit."
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, Tao Wenjie, was also in Doulu Qinwang's room. Doulu Qinwang smiled wholeheartedly and invited Yang Fan to take a seat. After casually saying a few official words, he dismissed his attendants and impatiently returned to the main topic. He said to Yang Fan solemnly, "Yuan Fang, it's already past the first month. When do you think we should make our move?"
Tao Wenjie immediately said, "As long as the ruthless officials in the Censorate do not fall, they will be a great threat to the court. Prime Minister Li is very concerned about this matter, and Her Highness the Princess … has asked many times. "
Yang Fan knew that they had called him over to discuss this matter. Although his official position was the lowest among the three and if the court officials were determined to start this battle against the ruthless officials, they did not need his approval at all, but the weapon that the court officials used to attack the Censorate was the Ministry of Justice. Among the three people in the Ministry of Justice, he was the one responsible for going into battle.
In this way, without his approval, it was not good to act rashly. This was not the first time they had urged Yang Fan, but Yang Fan had always used the excuse that it was not the best time to delay. Doulu Qinwang and Tao Wenjie did not expect him to readily agree today. They had already prepared a speech and planned to continue persuading Yang Fan if he refused.
But today was very strange. The two had just made an opening speech when Yang Fan said with a smile, "Ever since this lowly official accepted this mission, I have always been waiting for an opportunity. I think that it's about time. Let's begin! "
This time, Yang Fan agreed too quickly, causing Dou Lu Qinwang and Tao Wenjie to stare blankly. Dou Luqinwang was startled, and immediately asked excitedly, "Yuanfang, have you decided to take action?"
Yang Fan nodded solemnly and said, "The days of wind and snow are almost over. Before spring comes, we should start preparing to catch the pests."
Tao Wenjie said happily, "Good! Since Yuan Fang has already made the necessary preparations, I will immediately make the necessary arrangements and proceed according to the plan. "
Yang Fan said, "The two of you must not be happy too early. Although the power of the Imperial Censorate is not as great as before, it is not a stray dog that can be shouted at and beaten by anybody. This is an advantage that the officials of the imperial court, the Ministry of Justice, and the Supreme Court do not have. We must be wary of their retaliation. "
Dou Lu Qinwang twirled his beard and said with an optimistic smile, "There is no harm. The officials of the imperial court are all very shrewd. As soon as we act, Minister Li will notify them. Everyone is of the same breath and branch, looking out for each other. How can the Imperial Censorate take advantage of this loophole?"
Yang Fan smiled faintly and said, "Even if the officials of the imperial court do not make any major mistakes, there is no guarantee that all of them are as clear as water, as clear as a mirror, without any faults to pick. Although the Imperial Censorate is used to fabricating facts from nothing and using torture to extort confessions, they do not rely solely on these abilities. Moreover, Lai Junchen has already been demoted because of torture and the fabrication of evidence. With this as an example, will the people of the Imperial Censorate not be careful? "
Dou Lu Qinwang and Tao Wenjie looked at each other, the smiles on their faces gradually fading.
Yang Fan said solemnly, "To kill a thousand people, one will lose eight hundred people. To want to eradicate the cancerous tumor that is the Imperial Censorate and come out unscathed, that is wishful thinking. The people of the Imperial Censorate used to be a group of ruthless wolves, but now they are a group of starving dogs. As the saying goes, even a rabbit will bite when it is cornered, not to mention that they have sharp teeth and claws. "
Tao Wenjie took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "To eradicate traitors for the country, how can there be no sacrifices? If some of the officials are not disciplined enough, then there is no need to care! "
…
About an hour later, Tao Wenjie and Yang Fan left Dou Lu Qinwang's detention room. After another half an hour, some of the officials left their rooms one after another. Some went to the Supreme Court, some went to the Political Affairs Hall, and some changed into clothes for traveling. Riding tall horses, carrying official documents, they left the city of Luoyang.
Similar situations happened every day in the Ministry of Justice, so no one noticed anything different today, and even more did not know that something was about to happen.
In the afternoon, Yang Fan left the Ministry of Justice's yamen and rode a fast horse to White Horse Temple.
He had been delaying and unwilling to make a move. At first, it was because the first month had just passed, and the various departments of the court had just returned to normal. Some of the officials who were away from home were still on their way back. A farmer's family would not choose to hold a wedding for their children and grandchildren when they were busy with farm work or when the elders of the family were away, not to mention dealing with the people of the Imperial Censorate.
So Yang Fan had been waiting, patiently waiting, waiting for the best opportunity.
Yang Fan was inspired by the three swindlers who claimed to be immortals and successfully gained Wu Zetian's trust.
As long as he used them well, as long as the methods were ingenious and the timing was right, he could also do great things. Yang Fan wanted to use the three immortals to make a big fuss. Now that he had launched an attack on the Imperial Censorate, it was a cover for his plan against Young Master Jiang, killing two birds with one stone.
On the Yi River, the small boat was rippling. In the clear river water, a school of fish could be seen swimming over. The sunlight shone through the clear river water and shone on the school of fish. The fish's scales reflected the sunlight, and the water surface was covered in scales.
The old fisherman who had been fishing for his entire life grabbed a fishing net and cast it down skillfully and elegantly. The net spread open in the air, and a faint shadow was cast on the water surface. However, the fish at the bottom of the water did not notice the impending disaster. They continued to gather together, swimming and dancing happily …
Ever since the Luo River was conferred as a godly river, fishing was not allowed, but the Yi River was not an exception. Some of the people of Luoyang who had been fishing for a living all their lives, did not have the financial resources to change their profession, or did not have other survival skills, so the Yi River was their only source of survival.
Fortunately, the Yi River itself was fertile. Although most of the fish had a fixed habitat and would not migrate with the flow of the water, there would still be some schools of fish that would swim into the Yi River and replenish the water in the river. It was barely enough to ensure the survival of these fishermen.
The fishing net was dragged onto the small boat, and the silver fish were jumping around desperately in the cabin. The fishermen on the other boats looked at the old fisherman enviously. Not everyone was as experienced as him, able to block the path of the school of fish and catch so many fresh fish with one net.
Yang Fan was also watching happily from the bridgehead. He watched as the old fisherman cast the net down, and the net slowly fell into the water. The school of fish seemed to have crawled into the net of their own accord, and he smiled happily.
He really hoped that he was that experienced fisherman, and the ruthless officials of the Imperial Censorate and Young Master Jiang's enormous hidden forces were like the school of fish that would all walk into the net. He was just about to go see Xue Huaiyi, and the scene before him was clearly a good omen!
However, his happy mood did not last for long. A group of officials dressed in black suddenly appeared on the shore and shouted at the fishermen on the river. Yang Fan, who had wanted to circle his horse and leave, stopped. He did not know what was going on.
The fishermen on the water didn't know what had happened, but no one dared to disobey the officials' orders. One by one, the fishing boats docked, and the fishermen gathered in front of the officials, nodding and bowing with a smile. In the end, they heard a piece of shocking news from the officials' mouths.
"It can't be like this. I beg of you, officials, please have mercy and let the commoners catch some fish and prawns to survive. We poor people have to rely on this river to make a living. You can't let the fish and prawns live and starve the commoners! Heavens, are human lives not as valuable as animals? "
The fishermen knelt on the shore and kowtowed. They did not dare to resist the officials, so they could only cry and beg. However, their begging had no effect. One by one, the fishing boats were overturned by the officials, and the fresh fish in the cabins fell back into the water. Some of the fish swayed their tails and gradually regained their vitality, while some of the fish that had already suffocated to death floated on the surface of the water.
The officials also looked helpless. This imperial edict was clearly not in everyone's interest. Although they did not rely on fishing for a living, they also wanted to cook a fat fish to go with wine during festivals or when there was a joyous occasion at home. In the future … would everyone in the world be vegetarian?
The white-haired supervisor could only sigh helplessly and said to the fishermen, "This is the decree of the Saint. Who dares to resist? The Saint has said that from now on, killing is not allowed. However … dead animals can still be eaten. Here, those dead fish floating on the water, you can fish them up … "
As soon as the supervisor finished speaking, the fishermen did not even have time to take off their clothes. They jumped into the river and desperately fished up the fish. The supervisor sighed and turned his head to order his subordinates, "Sink these fishing boats. The nets are all broken …"
Yang Fan stood far away at the end of the bridge and did not hear the conversation on the shore. When he saw this strange scene, he quickly galloped his horse down the bridge and rushed over to ask what was going on.
Nan City's Butcher Zhang tied a big fat pig firmly to a blood-stained chopping board and asked his disciple to bring a large wooden basin to put under the pig's head. He had only taken this disciple in for a month. He was specially learning the art of slaughtering pigs from him. The child was clever and sensible, so Butcher Zhang liked him very much.
Butcher Zhang did not have a son, so he planned to pass on his pig slaughtering skills to this little disciple. When this child grew up, if he could get along with his precious daughter, he would take him in as a live-in son-in-law. Therefore, he was even more diligent in his teaching, "Kid, you have been learning from master for a month. You know how to slaughter pigs, right? Come, today you will do it. Yes, start from here … "
Butcher Zhang let his little disciple hold the ox-ear knife and move it under the pig's neck. The pig's heart was at the side of the front leg. Only by stabbing at this position would the blood be completely drained. His little disciple had been working for him for a month. This was his little disciple's first time being the chief surgeon.
Unfortunately, his little disciple did not have the chance to stab down.
The courtyard door was suddenly kicked open with a bang. A few bailiffs rushed in with steel knives in their hands. They were murderous, scaring Butcher Zhang and his disciple. They stood there and did not dare to move. They thought that these bailiffs had misheard some news and came to their house to arrest the thief. If they dared to move at this moment, they would suffer a stab for nothing.
However, they were surprised to see that these bailiffs were not coming for people, but for the pig. One of the bailiffs rushed forward and raised his knife. With two "Cha Cha" sounds, he cut the rope that was tied to the pig. The fat pig fell to the ground, groaned a few times, and ran away.
Butcher Zhang was dumbfounded and said, "Dukes, you are …"
A bailiff slowly walked over and looked at the few fans of fat pork hanging in the porch. He said loudly, "The Saint has decreed that from today onwards, killing is not allowed. Butcher Zhang, put down your butcher knife and become a Buddha."
"Pa!"
Just as he finished speaking, he received a slap on the back of his head. A bailiff who seemed to be the head of the bailiffs glared at him and said to Butcher Zhang, "The Saint is the reincarnation of Maitreya. He is merciful and has already issued an imperial decree. From today onwards, fishing, hunting, slaughtering, and killing innocent living beings are prohibited. Tomorrow, even meat is not allowed to be sold, so you can't do this job anymore. Cough! The pigs under the porch have already been slaughtered, so there's no other way. I'll take the half on the left. Consider it a little cheaper. If you can't sell it today, you won't have a chance tomorrow. "
Butcher Zhang stood there with a blank expression. He didn't hear what the head bailiff said at all. His grandfather was a pig butcher, and his father was also a pig butcher. He had been slaughtering pigs his whole life, and this was the only skill he had learned. Now that the Emperor forbade him from slaughtering pigs, how was he going to live in the future?
"Qin Huaide, you've killed millions of people. Your son doesn't even have an asshole. Get out of my house!"
Granny Liu, who lived in the East Second Alley of Jishan Lane, was chasing after a few workers at lightning speed. She cursed as she chased after them. In her haste, she even forgot to put down the egg she had just picked up. That egg was laid by an old hen, so it was still warm. The old hen was being chased by a few workers. It spread its wings and flapped all over the yard, causing dust to fly everywhere.
Qin Bōshō had been watched by Granny Liu since he was young. He didn't dare to talk back even when the old woman scolded him a few times. He just stood there with his head tucked in. He looked resentful.
"Qin Bōshō, this is your fault!"
Granny Liu's son, Du Tianwei, was the second-in-command of the Qi family's silk shop. He was very knowledgeable, so he didn't panic when he heard the "grievous news". He said to Qin Bōshō, "Who said we raised this old hen to kill and eat it? We did it to eat the egg. That's not a crime, right? It's not like we killed it. "
One of the workers spoke up for Qin Bōshō, "Brother Du, who would believe your words? It's laying eggs now. It's laying eggs, so of course you can't bear to kill it. But what if it stops laying eggs? If you kill it secretly, we won't know. This is a violation of the imperial edict. "
"How can that be?" Du Tianwei smiled wholeheartedly and said, "At worst … you can register it like the government controls cattle. I have a few hens at home. You can all record them down. If you kill one without permission, you can throw them in jail and eat the plank. Isn't that fine? "
The workers were greatly moved when they heard this. They also raised chickens at home. Just now, they had already told their families to kill them in advance, so that they wouldn't be released in vain. But if they also protected the chickens like cattle, they could only eat the egg and not kill the chicken. That would be fine, right?
Qin Bōshō, who had just been scolded, snorted unhappily and said, "Nonsense! Aren't eggs meat? Aren't eggs living things? Then where did the chick hatch from? "
Du Tianwei said, "Eggs have no skin, no hair, no meat, no bone, and no blood vessels. How can they be considered meat? If you have the ability, pick out a bone from the egg and let me see!"
Qin Huaide still wanted to keep his position as Bōshō. He didn't want to ruin his and his son's future because of an old hen. He immediately said, "If eggs can hatch into chicks, then it means that eggs are living things too. If they're not living things, how can they give birth to life? So, you can't let the old hen lay eggs. These eggs can't be eaten. "
At Grandma Liu's house, Qin Bōshō and Second Steward Du started a heated philosophical debate on whether eggs were meat or vegetables.
The prices of vegetables in Bei, Nan, Dong, and more than a hundred other markets doubled in two hours. Countless people rushed to slaughter their chickens and ducks before Marquis Wu and Bōshō arrived. The whole of Luoyang was livelier than the New Year.
Some cried, some cursed, and some didn't know what to do. Luoyang City was in chaos. At this time, other than those vegetable sellers who were beaming with joy and desperately raising their prices, perhaps only Manager Li from Bei City's Li Tang Mountain was happy.
Manager Li wholesale pigs, sheep, chickens, and ducks. Yesterday, he received news from Marquis Le 'an's concubine sister. That morning, he started lowering his prices by a large margin. He even found an excuse for his actions, saying, "It's my mother's birthday, so I'm lowering my prices to benefit the people!"
The other large wholesale meat sellers laughed at him for losing his mind. How about now? Hahaha! When the wholesale meat sellers in Nan City heard that Manager Li was lowering his prices, they all came to his house to stock up. They praised him for his filial piety and tried to take advantage of him.
The weather was still cold, so he wasn't afraid that the meat would go bad at home. The other large wholesale meat sellers just watched coldly, but now, they couldn't cry even if they wanted to. The market only opened in the afternoon. The vendors from each market would come in the morning to stock up and sell their goods in the afternoon. They didn't have enough time to stock up now. The meat mountains in the big wholesalers' houses could only be sold by the few households nearby. How much could they sell?
Head Shopkeeper Li smiled happily. He turned around to look at the remaining pork and mutton that hadn't been sold in time, and his face was covered with tears as he smiled and said, "As the Son of Heaven, how can you be so preposterous? It's fine if you believe in gods, Buddhas, ghosts, and monsters, it's fine if you're willing to change the year name every now and then, it's fine if you're willing to take away all my iron and bronze tools to build Tian Shu, I've tolerated it. But now, you don't even allow me to sell my meat.
Similar scenes were playing out in the entire city of Luoyang. Along with the hooves of horses carrying yellow cloth bundles and triangular flags on their backs, a similar situation would soon spread throughout the world like a plague. An absurd scene was playing out in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
After running to the river and asking what happened, Yang Fan found out the truth, he couldn't care less about the fishermen's grievances. This was an imperial edict, he didn't have the right to say anything. Yang Fan galloped to Nan City. He had to hurry to buy some chicken, duck, eggs, pork, and dog meat. Xiao Man was pregnant, how could he let her and her son eat vegetables and tofu every day?
As a good husband now and a good father in the future, Yang Fan joined the buying army without any hesitation …
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