Chapter 909: Chapter 123: A Single Word Subdues the Noble Clans
"Later the government soldiers celebrated with drinking, and I took advantage of the night when they were drunk to sneak over and smash the skull of the soldier who killed my son with this hoe. With a bang, it shattered, and red and white spilled out."
"It’s not difficult to hoe the ground."
"Just like when hoeing the ground, smashing a large clod into pieces."
Old Wen murmured something, finally polishing the rust off the hoe until it looked like it was freshly made decades ago, and said, "This is truly a good hoe, really, so sturdy and so useful, after all these years, it’s still in good condition."
"But if the Lord wants it, it’s the best thing."
The young man said, "Are you not going to keep it now?"
Old Wen said, "No need, something about that black soil..."
"Oh oh, right, it’s the Mo School, those young men made something strange, more useful than a hoe. At my age, I farm the land just to have grain to eat, this hoe’s been with me my whole life, I don’t need it anymore."
"Life seems settled down now, but who knows how many years this stability will last? They used to talk about Taiping, but I’ve never really seen it. My whole life has been watching battles here and there." "
"These past two years have been very stable and good." "
He touched the hoe, reminiscing over decades of events, accompanied by this hoe. He took it up and said, "Young man, come, let’s go over together..."
At that moment, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly came, and a young man on horseback flipped down, saw the youth approaching quickly, glanced at Old Wen over there, and said, "... there’s news."
The youth apologized to the elderly man, and Old Wen cheerfully said:
"I figured it out a long time ago, you’re one of those scholars, aren’t you? Sort of a little official?"
Li Guanyi smiled and said, "Yes, a small official."
"How big?"
"About the size of a sesame seed."
"How big is that?"
"You see, I still have to come here and help you out, how big can it be."
"That’s true, those big officials used to have their heads flying off, surrounded by dozens of attendants and such."
"If you were really a big official, this old man wouldn’t see you, right."
Old Wen felt the hoe that had accompanied him all his life and handed it over, saying, "Since the Lord wants the item, can you help me send it over there, it’s a long way, and this old man won’t go."
"Today I’m chopping wood and cooking, young man, can you lend me a hand? Otherwise, would you like to eat together?"
"Then I’ll intrude."
Li Guanyi took the simple hoe with both hands, and Old Wen waved back to his home to wash rice and cook. After watching the old man return, the scholar whispered, "Lord, Wen Changshi has an urgent report."
Li Guanyi opened the letter, his eyes slightly lowered.
The message came from Wen Lingjun, Li Guanyi’s orders reached all around, the common people were willing to help accomplish it, but the clans in various places were insincerely compliant, making all kinds of excuses, even deliberately interfering.
"This has happened several times."
Since Li Guanyi took control of Jiangnan for over a year, apart from smelting gold and iron from various states, other orders were given, yet the clans couldn’t obstruct the gold and iron, but all other orders were met with procrastination and non-compliance.
Li Guanyi understood.
These clever people in the clans saw Li Guanyi shares the world with the commoners.
Not like the Red Emperor of eight hundred years sharing the world with the great clans.
These clever people wanted to use rules to balance Li Guanyi, this wasn’t the first time. Looking at the rising smoke from behind, Li Guanyi smelled the scent of wood burning and the scholar holding paper and pen, Li Guanyi picked up the pen.
There are two kinds of ink.
One is black ink, one is cinnabar.
Li Guanyi closed his eyes.
Paused.
Marquis Qin Wu opened his eyes.
He picked up the pen, the washed-out blue robe hung like a Qilin Cloud Pattern, dipped the pen in cinnabar, and wrote only a single word on the document, then set the pen aside.
The scholar glanced at it, his expression moved, looked at Li Guanyi, took a deep breath, bowed, and said, "I accept the Lord’s decree."
Turned around, mounted the horse.
The horse galloped away.
Li Guanyi returned to help Old Wen with the firewood, Old Wen initially thought it was a scholarly official, but didn’t expect this young man to be skilled at starting a fire and cooking, genuinely a great hand, couldn’t help but give a thumbs up in praise.
"Great skill!"
"With this ability, you’ll definitely find a good wife to spend your days with in the future!"
Li Guanyi smiled embarrassedly, stoking the fire inside, as Old Wen smirked: "Hey, what’s funny?"
"When I was about your age, my son was already born."
"Young man, you better hurry up!"
"Soon enough, you’ll be older, and good girls will be gone."
Li Guanyi had no reply.
Old Wen took a sip of wine, like old men of this age, casually saying, "Moreover, the Lord governs the place so well, later on, you can have a few more." "
"One surely isn’t enough, two is a bit too few."
"Three, roughly enough..."
Li Guanyi couldn’t resist, stubbornly replied, "I’ll have five!"
Old Wen raised his thumb: "Big talk!"
"Hahaha, you’re capable, let’s see after you have them!"
Li Guanyi felt deflated.
Scholar Zhao Jinzhi rushed into the State Governor Mansion.
The people from the Heavenly Strategy Mansion glanced over.
Cinnabar ink, only a single word, overbearing indifferent.
Wen Lingjun closed his eyes, said, "Wen He, how’s the preparation?"
Wen He smiled, "Ninety percent ready."
Wen Lingjun held the decree solemnly and slowly said:
"Orders of the kingly way, either reward or punish."
"Reward for merit, no reward insufficient to motivate the people; punishment for offense, no punishment insufficient to deter the gentry. Before the Lord goes to the Western Regions, cast a cauldron, we must let the Lord see that the clan troubles are settled."
"Ladies and gentlemen, come."
He placed the scroll on the table.
White paper and cinnabar, just one word.
Plain and simple.
It reads—
[Execute].