The family banquet at the Yang House was very sumptuous because of the Emperor's arrival. The womenfolk set up a table in the rear courtyard. Zhengde, Yang Ling, and Zhang Yong drank wine in the front hall. Only the bride returned to the Yang House. According to Chinese customs, she stayed in her bridal chamber accompanied by the matron of honor and could not come out.
Emperor Zhengde was very happy and comfortable because he was surrounded by his close officials. Everyone drank and made merry, chatting and laughing merrily. By the time they returned, the sky was already dark. Although the Emperor usually lived in the Leopard Garden and did not have to worry about the Imperial Palace being locked, they could not return to the city too late.
Yang Ling smiled and advised, "Your Majesty, seeing that the sky is already dark, this subject does not dare to stay for long. Otherwise, I'm afraid I will be reprimanded. Your Majesty, you should return to the palace."
Emperor Zhengde was in high spirits from drinking. Hearing this, he said, "Ai, there's no harm, there's no harm. I'll just open the city gates a little later."
Yang Ling said with a smile, "Your Majesty, although the Ringing Horse Bandits and the White Clothes Bandits have reached the south, it is inevitable that there will be some stragglers who have escaped and are still in the north. Your Majesty's body is priceless, you cannot take any risks. A tired bird returning to its nest. We have drunk to our heart's content. If Your Majesty does not return, this subject will be worried and will not be able to drink anymore."
Zhengde was happy and contented. He did not feel that he was acting like a big bird. Hearing this, he chuckled and was not willing to leave. Mou Bin and the others were responsible for the Emperor's safety. They did not dare to take the slightest risk. Let alone if someone really injured the Emperor, even if someone disturbed the Holy Self, they could not afford to bear the consequences.
Mou Bin rolled his eyes and whispered a few words in the Emperor's ear. Hearing this, Zhengde held his belly and laughed, his big tail wagging behind him. It was very strange. Zhengde said to Yang Ling with a face full of smiles, "So that's how it is. A tired bird returning to its nest. Haha, you can go back to your nest. We will return to the capital now, lest we ruin your plans. Hahaha …"
Hearing this, Yang Ling was speechless. He watched as the emperor stood up shakily with his big tail sticking out. The womenfolk in the rear hall heard the news and hurriedly sent them out. The whole family sent Zhengde onto the sedan chair. The royal guards surrounded them and escorted them back to the city.
After sending the big bird away, the family could finally breathe a sigh of relief. In the front courtyard, the messy cups and plates were being cleaned up. Yang Ling and his wives and concubines, as well as Tang Yixian and Cheng Qiyun, went to the reception hall in the rear hall and sat down for a while. He ordered someone to brew tea. Yang Ling had just pretended to sit down when Tang Yixian and Sheridan laughed and shouted at him, pushing him out.
Yang Ling smiled and peeked around to see that everyone was chatting and drinking tea in the hall. Only then did he slowly walk towards Adeni's residence. The sky was slightly dark. There was a joyous occasion today. Lanterns were hung all over the courtyard. At this time, the Empress Dowager's national mourning period had just passed. Once the lanterns were changed to red, one would feel happy just by looking at them.
As soon as he entered Adeni's bedroom, he saw flowers, dragons, phoenixes, and red candles burning. When the matron of honor saw the master come in, she greeted him with a smile and then left. Adeni sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a white wedding dress and sweetly looked at Yang Ling.
Yang Ling closed the door and walked over to sit next to her. He held her hand and said with a smile: "Have you eaten?"
Adeni nodded shyly: "En, the matron of honor prepared snacks and hot porridge for me. I have eaten."
She gently pulled out her hand and walked to the table. She picked up the pot and filled a cup of steaming hot tea and brought it to Yang Ling's side. Yang Ling took it in his hand and saw that the tea oil was shiny and had a rosy luster. It wasn't like what he usually saw, so he curiously took a sip. It wasn't tea at all. It was sweet, like sugar water mixed with honey.
Yang Ling was stunned: "This is honey?"
Adeni sweetly looked at her husband and said softly: "Yes, I have to drink this honey water with you every day."
Her eyes sparkled and her voice was sweet as she said, "Honey is the symbol of life, health, and fertility. For the first thirty days of our marriage, we will drink honey water and pray that our lives will be as sweet as honey. This is our 'honeymoon'."
Yang Ling then knew the origin of the honeymoon. He took another sip and put the honey in his mouth. He put the cup aside and then wrapped his arms around Adeni's slender waist and kissed her. Adeni shyly closed her eyes, and her petal-like lips moved closer. The two of them shared the honey in their mouths and gradually lay down on the bed. The red candles burned high, and their breaths were soft and incomparably tempting.
After a long, long time … …
Yang Ling suddenly sat up and said angrily: "This dress, how do you undo this dress?"
Adeni's clothes were disheveled, her breasts were half exposed, and her face was rosy. The boundless spring scenery made people's ears hot and eyes twitch. But the cumbersome dress was tied with some unknown buttons, and it couldn't be undone. The buttons were arranged in rows, from the chest all the way down to the waist.
Adeni shyly tried to untie her skirt, but she couldn't untie it for a long time. The hem of the skirt was propped up by iron wires that extended upward from big to small. Lying on the bed like this, the pair of long and plump thighs in black stockings made people's blood boil, but they couldn't move when they saw it.
The pair of newlyweds struggled with Adeni's dress. Emperor Zheng De did not know how to make the dress. Back then, a large group of servants helped her put it on, but after Yang Ling pulled and pulled it, it could not be opened at all. The two of them were sweating profusely and finally gave up.
They looked at each other dejectedly for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Yang Ling suddenly stood up, patted her on the shoulder and comforted her: "Don't worry, my honey, haha, I have a way!"
Yang Ling turned around and walked away, opened the door and looked around, and then suddenly flashed into the night. Han Youniang, Gao Wenxin and others were eating melon seeds and chatting for a while in the reception hall. They were about to disperse when they saw Yang Ling run in with disheveled clothes. The beauties couldn't help but be surprised.
Yang Ling didn't expect them to still be there. He laughed dryly and said: "Uh … I came to look for … yes, this is it." Yang Ling's eyes lit up. He rushed over and picked up the large scissors from the window sill. He made a "kacha kacha" sound and smiled with satisfaction: "Very good, it's getting late, go to sleep, I'm going back."
Yang Ling walked away with the scissors. The wives and concubines looked at each other: On the wedding night, he … what is he going to do with the large scissors?
Sheridan rolled her eyes, pulled Tang Yixian's hand and said: "Let's go, let's go and see what tricks Master is playing."
Although Tang Yixian was curious, eavesdropping this kind of thing … If she heard something shameful, how could she, an unmarried young lady, have the face to see others? She shyly broke away from her hand and said: "No, I'm not going."
Sheridan was naturally lively. She was usually not afraid of Yang Ling. Since she was pregnant, she was even more fearless. She was not afraid of this. After thinking about it, she pulled Yutang Chun's hand and said: "Let's go, Yu 'er will accompany me!"
The two of them held hands and just walked to the door, Tang Yixian called out from behind: "Hey, if there's anything fun, you have to tell me later."
Sheridan raised the tip of her nose, snorted, and quickly pulled Yutang Chun away.
In the bridal room, a wedding dress was cut into pieces by Yang Ling. It finally left Adeni's body. He didn't have time to appreciate the pair of stockings and angrily tore them off. Yang Ling threw away the scissors and let out a long breath: "Oh my god, finally … finally …"
Yang Ling's eyes widened as he said this. The sexy and graceful body was close at hand, and the plump and slender thighs were impressively in his eyes. Due to the exercise just now, Adeni's skin showed a faint blush, and two firm and lustrous breasts rose up on her fit and sexy chest. The breasts perfectly shrunk to the tip, showing a light red areola.
Yang Ling's infatuated gaze was immediately noticed by Adeni. Before he could take a closer look, Adeni shyly turned around to cover her private parts and faced him with her back. Her smooth curves contracted to her energetic waist, and as if she suddenly encountered an obstacle, she struggled to go around both sides like water, outflanking her huge and plump buttocks compared to her slender waist.
Compared to Adeni's slender and tall figure, her round buttocks didn't seem to be huge, but as she lay there, her buttocks were plump and tender, like a pearl nourished by milk, dazzling people's eyes. The peach garden probably wouldn't produce such a plump peach in ninety-nine thousand years …
Since Yang Ling didn't move, Adeni was a little uneasy. She didn't know if her looks could satisfy her husband, and her pair of slender thighs subconsciously twisted. Her legs were often exposed at sea and were tanned to the color of wheat. Her firm and round thighs were as smooth as ivory and had an indescribable seductive charm.
Yang Ling was awakened by this seductive snake-like twisting. His breathing quickened, and a charming smile appeared on his handsome face. He hurriedly took off his shirt and pants, and then smiled evilly at Adeni: "Adeni."
"Hmm?" A soft trembling voice came out of her nose.
"Do you remember I told you that a gentleman's word is to mount a horse and whip it? Heh heh heh, here I come, Darling! "
After Yang Ling finished speaking, he pounced on the bed like a tiger.
"Thud!"
After a while, Adeni anxiously got up: "Darling, what's wrong with you?"
"No … nothing," Yang Ling gritted his teeth, and his eyes were about to spit fire: "It hurts, my knees! They're bleeding! "
He glared at the pair of suspenders dangling by the side of the bed with hatred. He looked like he wanted to cry but had no tears. "Why did you step on it?"
Outside, Sheridan and Yutang Chun sneakily appeared at the door, leaning against the door to listen to the movements in the room.
"Oh, you're still saying it's okay, you're bleeding. Oh my god, what should we do?"
"It's okay, it's okay, don't make a fuss. On our wedding night, I made a blood-stained dress, I … can't afford to lose face."
Xue Li Mei bit her finger nervously, "How … How could Master be the one bleeding? This is too scary! "She glanced at Yutang Chun, and Yutang Chun's pretty face also turned pale.
In the room, Adeni had already picked up the large scissors and used her wedding dress to cut a few neat strips of cloth. She quickly bandaged Official Yang's knees. In a moment of desperation, she didn't care about her exposed body and endless beauty.
Yang Ling looked at this sexy and moving beauty, and suddenly grabbed her soft and moving body, pulling her to ride on his body, and said with a hollow laugh: "Adeni, I can't get on the horse and whip you, but I can still manage to do 'One Pillar Holding Up the Heavens'. Tonight, I'll have to trouble you to 'turn over and sing'. "
※ ※ ※
On the same night.
"Chu Yan, don't worry too much. The White Bandits suddenly returned to Shandong, and Suqian seized 23 large ships to cross the Yellow River to avoid the main force of Jiangnan's officers and soldiers to attack Jin Ling City. They can only take them by surprise, and the troops stationed everywhere will quickly return. If they can't take them down, they will use the advantage of fast movement to escape again."
Chu Yan rubbed her hands and said with a wry smile: "How can I not worry? The young lady has entrusted your safety to me. Besides, Duke has already sent an order to send someone to pick you up to the north in the near future. If something happens to you, Duke will skin me alive. "
Ma Lian 'er giggled and used a blanket to cover her daughter's ears, so that she wouldn't be awakened by the shouting outside the city.
Ma Lian'er was still as beautiful as before, but she had a more mature aura. Her actions, her smile, and every part of her body exuded a soul-stirring charm. "No, this Duke of ours is very protective of women. He only knows how to strip women's clothes, but not their skin."
Chu Yan's face couldn't help but blush. Although she grew up in a brothel, she was still a pure girl. She couldn't answer Ma Lian 'er's joke.
Adeni volunteered to escort the firearms to the north. With Ma Lian 'er's intelligence, how could she not understand what she meant? Now there was a hint of jealousy in her words. This was other people's family business, she didn't dare to answer.
Ma Lian 'er walked to the window and looked at the flashing red light and the faint sound of cannons in the sky. She frowned and said: "Yang Hu and Liu Liu really know how to stir up trouble. Not only did they wander everywhere, they even dared to attack Jinling. There are heavy troops stationed in the capital, and the city walls are high and thick. There are countless cannons. How can they attack? I really don't understand what these bandits are thinking. "
Chu Yan pursed her lips and smiled: "Miss, don't underestimate them. I heard that these bandits are very good at riding horses. They suffered a big loss at Tai 'an City, otherwise they would rarely meet their match in the north. Jiangnan is crisscrossed with rivers. Although it is not good for large troops to fight, the southern troops have less battles than the northern troops. They are weaker, so they naturally don't care. "
Ma Lian 'er nodded with a faint smile and said: "Are you comforting me or yourself? Don't worry, my brother is a You Ji General and has many troops under him. Moreover, his horse and ground skills are not weak. He will be fine. "
Chu Yan's face turned even redder like a piece of red cloth. Her small mouth opened and closed a few times. She nervously tugged at her clothes but didn't know what to say. Although Ma Ang was a utilitarian person, his martial arts were indeed extraordinary and he was not afraid of death. He was transferred to Jinling to suppress the pirates in Jiangnan and couldn't do anything. He was quite upset that he couldn't do anything. Now that he had the opportunity to fight, he was very satisfied.
The estrangement between Ma Ang and his sister was finally repaired. The two were as good as before. After Ma Lian 'er gave birth to a daughter, Ma Ang bought a house in the city and brought his sister over. She was easy to take care of and he loved his niece very much.
Chu Yan followed by Ma Lian 'er's side and often had the opportunity to see this You Ji General. Chu Yan's eyebrows were like a painting, her eyes were like a fox's, and her red lips were lined. She was young and beautiful. Ma Ang fell in love with her at first sight. Ma Lian 'er was outstanding and his official position was not low. Chu Yan also had affection for him. Therefore, although she still called Ma Lian' er a servant, the two were well aware that sooner or later she would marry into the Ma family and become her sister-in-law. The relationship between the two was naturally not ordinary.
Ma Lian 'er took a deep breath and walked back to the table to pick up a pen. She smiled and said: "Fighting a war is a man's business. You are just standing there anxiously. Come, let's continue to sort out the accounts. Jiangnan's business is very important to that heartless guy. If I return to the capital, Sister Cheng and Adni, that pair of fox spirits, will definitely not come to Jiangnan again. I estimate that you and Chu Ling are more likely to take over at that time. Shopkeeper, let's get to work. "
The cannons on top of the city wall were raging. Chu Yan saw her calm and composed appearance and couldn't help but be convinced. She hurried back to the table and took an account book. She sighed softly: "Miss has cultivated a good temperament. But Marquess is unparalleled in the world. All the beautiful and beautiful women in the world have been taken by Marquess."
When Ma Lian 'er heard what she said, she couldn't help but bite the pen. She was lost in thought for a long time. She thought that the clouds had parted and the moon could be seen. She didn't know when she could return to the capital and be with that guy she hated and loved. Her foxy eyes couldn't help but curve into a thin line. Her heart was sweeter than drinking honey.
※ ※ ※
On top of the city wall, the cannons were in full swing.
The White Coat Army took turns to attack the city wall. The soldiers dragged the shield chariots and ladders and rushed down the city wall under the cannons. Qian Ning, the Southern Town Provost, and Feng Chengzhi, the eunuch guarding Nanjing, were wearing armor. They personally came to the top of the city wall to supervise the battle and commanded the soldiers to fight back.
The White Coat Army suffered countless casualties, but there was no progress. Although they made a comeback and suddenly returned to Shandong along the Yellow River, they took advantage of the fact that their horses were faster than the official courier station. They raided Suqian before the military intelligence was reported. They seized more than 20 large ships and sent the army across the Yellow River. Then they entered the territory of Jiangsu, avoided the large number of officers and soldiers stationed at the border of Jiangsu and Henan, and launched a surprise attack on Nanjing. Unexpectedly, Nanjing was already prepared.
The new Deputy Commander of Nanjing, Zhou Dean, heard that the White Coat Army had begun to move toward the front line of Jiangnan. He dug a few deep trenches outside Nanjing. When the news of the White Coat Army's surprise attack arrived, he immediately led the army out of the city. He used chariots, Hundred Tiger Galloping Arrows, muskets, light cannons, and crossbows to meet the enemy at the last trench.
Yang Hu wore a black eyepatch and only stared with one eye murderously. He led his subordinates and charged out first. The tens of thousands of White Coat Army cavalry behind him were like a flood bursting through a dam. They surged toward the Ming Army's position. This was the sixth time they had charged.
"Boom! Boom boom! " The cannons at the top of Nanjing roared first. The Ming Army in front of the trenches also fired all kinds of weapons at the same time. Crossbows, light cannons, muskets. When firearms were concentrated, they were far more effective than crossbows in close combat. Row after row of White Coat Army soldiers fell in the roar.
Zhou Dean did have a way of leading troops into battle. He did not passively defend the city, but actively went out of the city to fight. He was stationed at the top of the city and directed the powerful long-range cannons to continuously pour the explosive shells into the back of the White Coat Army and gave the vanguard to Zhou Zongbing. They used the cannons to cut off the continuous attacks of the White Coat Army. The White Coat Army that had charged to the vanguard lacked reinforcements from the rear. There were also a few deep trenches that prevented their horses from advancing quickly. They could only lose their lives in vain at the hands of the soldiers behind the chariot formation.
The White Coat Soldiers hugged wooden planks and carried trench bridges. Under the cover of the cavalry, they charged forward with all their might, intending to turn the trenches into flat ground for the cavalry to move. In the rear, Liu Liu watched as large swathes of soldiers continued to fall under the personal command of the brave and invincible Yang Hu. The smoke from the cannons filled the air, the warhorses that had lost their owners fled in all directions, and there were countless casualties in the attacking position. He couldn't help but feel anxious.
Mu Yun stood beside him with a pale face. He bent over and coughed non-stop. After a long time, he straightened up, panting. Seeing Liu Liu's tightly furrowed brows, he explained, "Big Brother Liu, whether it's attacking the city or occupying the trenches that the enemy has the advantage in, we definitely have to pay with human lives. We don't have heavy artillery. However, the soldiers are good at defending and not good at attacking. The southern army is especially timid and has very few warhorses. As long as we can break through this line of defense, the soldiers behind the chariot formation will definitely be routed. "
Liu Liu sighed. "I know. It's just that I feel suffocated seeing so many of my brothers die for nothing."
Mu Yun smiled faintly and didn't say anything else. He held onto the saddle, bent over, and coughed again. These days, he didn't know what illness he was suffering from, but he kept coughing non-stop. Whenever he exerted too much strength, he would feel short of breath. Along the way, he had asked many people to take a look at him. When the city was conquered, he had even specially sought out famous doctors to treat him. Unfortunately, none of them could diagnose him. He had taken many prescribed medicines, but none of them were effective.
Mu Yun was Li Dali. His martial arts skills were extraordinary and not inferior to his brother, Li Dayi. He had disguised himself as a hunter to sneak into the White Coat Army. All along, he had only shown his superficial martial arts skills. Now, he had turned it into reality. Not to mention circulating his qi, he only needed to use a little more strength to cause his heart to feel as if it was being cut by a knife. He couldn't use all of his great magical powers. He could only use thirty to forty percent of the martial arts he had when he was pretending to be a hunter.
But now, the White Coat Army was heading south and gradually moving according to the rules of the Holy Church. Although his martial arts were weak, he had Yang Hu's trust. Under the current situation, he really couldn't leave and seriously seek medical advice.
With the price of death, the White Coat Army finally broke through the trenches and neared the last line of chariots. Such a fast and close range attack made the loading speed of the firearms unable to keep up. Mu Yun couldn't help but show a hint of a relaxed smile. The Ming army was going to be defeated soon. Attacking Jinling was enough to shake half of Jiangnan. If he followed the escaping Ming soldiers and directly killed his way into the city, that would be even more fun.
But his smile suddenly froze because the Ming army didn't escape. In his eyes, the fighting power of the Southern army was already weak. Also, the Ming army in front of him was only relying on geography and firearms. The troops were all infantry. How could they retreat against the approaching cavalry?
Cavalry had the advantage of speed and could repeatedly rob and kill. It was normal for ten thousand cavalry to fight against a hundred thousand infantry. During the war between Chu and Han, Xiang Yu's thirty thousand cavalry basically wiped out Liu Bang's four hundred thousand infantry. There were many such examples in history. Who was this Ming general? Wasn't it too stupid?
The Ming army threw down their crossbows and muskets and retreated. But they only retreated about ten zhang before they bent down and picked up the long spears that had been placed there. The long bamboo spears used to fight the Japanese in Jiangnan. The long bamboo spears that were soaked in tung oil, wrapped in hemp rope, tough and light, and hard to break with a steel knife. They charged back in a dense mass.
If Mu Yun, Liu Liu and the others could stand on the top of the tower and look, they would find that the seemingly chaotic soldiers were actually very organized. Every five or six people had a long spear and were definitely stabbing at one person from all directions. Among them, at least one person was holding a crossbow or a short gun. This was a variation of the Zhuang Family Mandarin Duck Formation.
Zhou Dean had piled all the soil he dug out from the trenches on this piece of land and made it uneven. It was difficult for the warhorses to use their power. In addition to the way the soldiers were fighting, the charging White Coat Army immediately fell into a difficult battle.
The cannons on the top of the city walls continued to fire at the back of the White Coat Army. At this time, shouts came from the side. Ma Ang waved a long spear and led a group of cavalry to charge over. They were still spearmen, but some of the spearmen used hook-and-sickle spears. The front was sharp and the back was curved like a sickle. They not only wanted to hit people but also cut off the legs of horses.
Under Ma Ang's orders, some of the soldiers started to destroy the wooden planks of the bridge. They hooked them all into the ditch and cut off the connection between the White Coat Army's horses. The White Coat Army's cavalry completely lost the advantage they should have on the scattered chariots and uneven ground. They became live targets for the riders on horseback.
In this battle, both sides suffered heavy casualties, but the White Coat Army clearly suffered more. Yang Hu was hit by two spears, his flesh split open and blood flowed freely. There was a shaky eagle feather arrow stuck in his shoulder. He staggered and was helped to come in front of Liu Liu. His warhorse had already been shot to death.
Liu Liu held him up and said, "Brother Yang, how are you?"
Yang Hu wiped his face and shook his head, "Let's go. The surprise attack failed. We should have taken the opportunity to escape. We really shouldn't have risked our lives to attack the city. We should continue south. If we can enter Zhejiang, we should go to Zhejiang. If we can't, we can just kill our way to Jiangxi. After today's setback, it will be difficult to take the city again. The soldiers heard the news and are on their way back.
We don't want to be surrounded and annihilated. "Mu Yun was secretly happy when he heard this and hurriedly said," That's right. Brother Liu, let's continue south. As long as we come and go like the wind, the soldiers can't do anything to us. "
Liu Liu suddenly stomped his feet and said with hatred, "Forget it. Sound the gongs to retreat and quickly go south!"
Amidst the rumbling of the cannons, the faint sound of the gongs rang out. It was unusually ear-piercing.
※ ※ ※
Yang Ling finally returned to court after the Emperor's repeated urging.
After the failure of the impeachment and being scolded by the Emperor, the officials who opposed the reform changed their stance. They no longer attacked Yang Ling for interfering in politics and turned to actively support the reform.
The first thing they did to support the reform was to report to Shandong's Duke Yan Sheng on the first day of Yang Ling's return to court. They accused him of using his power to annex other people's land, evading taxes, and using heavy punishment to beat up court officials because of a single rebuttal. They asked the Emperor to punish him severely.
Everyone knew that Duke Wei Yang Ling returned to court to preside over the reform and suppression of bandits with Yang Tinghe. This was clearly a show of strength to him. They could not help but look at him.
Yang Ling had already sent someone with the Emperor's secret edict and two letters that he had personally written to Shandong. The secret edict was addressed to Duke Yan Sheng, while the secret letters were addressed to retired Tai An School's Zhang Duoqi and General Zhi Sihai, whom he had befriended when he was pacifying the people and suppressing the bandits in Shandong. Zhang Duoqi was the old man who once broke out of Tai 'an and ran to Jinan to seek death, forcing his student Secretary Lu to mobilize troops.
Zhang Duoqi was humorous, open-minded, and upright. He was by no means a rotten scholar, and he had quite a reputation among the scholars of Shandong. Yang Ling had been in Shandong for more than a month, and they were quite familiar with each other. Zhang Duoqi also had some relations with Duke Yan's residence. Yang Ling wanted to make use of Duke Yan to help with the reforms, so he thought of using him.
Duke Yan's residence's memorial had not yet reached the capital, and there was no reply from Zhang Duoqi. However, Qiao Sihai had already sent back an urgent report through the military courier station. From his crooked letter, Duke Yan had been tormented to the point of losing his temper. There was definitely no problem in Shandong.
Therefore, when these people came out to impeach Duke Yan, Yang Ling only smiled coldly and immediately reported, "Your Majesty, the powerful officials of the world are fighting to occupy land. From the results of the imperial court's accounting this year, since the founding of my country, Ming Destiny, the amount of land to be taxed has decreased from more than eight million hectares to four million hectares. Among them, the amount of land in Henan alone has decreased from more than 1.4 million hectares to 400,000 hectares.
Did so much land turn into barren wastelands? No, they were all annexed by the high-ranking officials, the rich gentry and the landlords. They did not pay taxes, instead they apportioned the taxes that should be paid to the imperial court to the farmers, so that their taxes were doubled. They put their own land under the names of fugitives and extinct families, which was a grave crime.
Now, the imperial court has paid taxes on half of the land at the beginning of the founding of the country. Then, this year, the imperial court has only collected 10% less taxes. Where did the 40% come from? It was all paid by the poor people who tightened their belts and handed it over. It is not enough to ask for rent for the land, but to sell the official land to the people. The rich get the land and the people pay the rent. Every year, the old rent settles the new debt. The farmers have no taxes and are in a miserable situation. This is a major event that shakes the foundation of the country. No matter who it is, they should be severely punished.
Duke Yan is the Emperor's official and a citizen of Ming Destiny. Moreover, as a descendant of the Sage, he should be more careful and be an example. I will investigate this matter seriously. If there is indeed an illegal act, I will also punish him. In front of the law, everyone is equal. In front of the law, everyone should be treated equally! "
These words were powerful and righteous. It could be considered as an answer to everyone in court. "Don't have any illusions and continue to observe. Even if it is Duke Yan, if he does something illegal, the imperial court will also punish him severely. Do you think you are more respected than Duke Yan?"
The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, Zhao Jianzhi, coughed and raised his eyebrows to look at him. Suddenly, he made a report and said, "Your Majesty, I have a case here that I dare not discuss. I have specially reported it to Your Majesty and ask for Your Majesty's judgment."
Emperor Zhengde saw that there was indeed someone making a fuss about Duke Yan. Judging from Yang Ling's tone, it was obvious that he had already settled the matter with Duke Yan. Later on, these people would have to suffer in silence. He was secretly amused. When he heard that there was another report, he did not care and said, "What report do you have? Just say it."
Zhao Jianzhi glanced at Yang Ling and the corner of his mouth curled up. "Your Majesty, there is a file from the Department of Justice in Jingzhou. It accuses His Highness Prince Liao of Jingzhou, Hubei, of bullying the villagers, preying on the people, wantonly embezzling land, and beating to death dozens of people who heard about the imperial court's new policy and went to claim their land. His Highness Prince Liao is of high status. I can only present this to Your Majesty for Your Majesty to deal with! "
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