In ancient times, news spread slowly, but no matter how slow it was, what happened in Shandong in the spring should also reach the south of the Yangtze River.

The land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River, since the early years of Zhengde, the imperial court has repeatedly allocated funds for repairing the river, and the rural water conservancy has been improved.

On this large flat land, there is a long official road, lined with green trees, among which there are flying horses, and several people dressed in Tsing Yi hurriedly entered the city of Suzhou.

"Please pass the word, just say that the second son of the Zhuo family in Jinan Mansion wants to see Uncle Liu."

Beyond the steps, there were three small servants, and their owners were knocking in front of the Zhu Gate, looking very anxious.

"Zhuo Gongzi, wait a minute."

The second son of the Zhuo family is named Zhuo Ding, and he looks like he is in his early twenties, so anxious this time, naturally there is a reason for it.

Not long after, the Zhu door opened again, and the people inside said, "Zhuo Gongzi, please come in." ”

There is a change in the Zhuo family in Jinan Mansion, which is not a big deal, and everyone knows that it will not make trouble.

Liu Tong thought it was an ordinary visit, although he felt that it was a little strange to suddenly visit at this time, but he didn't think too much about it, until he saw his nephew's anxious face, and knelt down when they met: "Uncle! Help me! ”

"What's going on? Get up quickly. Liu Tong's heart tightened when he heard this, "What happened?" ”

Zhuo Ding immediately said: "When my nephew traveled to Yangzhou this time, he suddenly heard that my parents and a family were arrested by the government, and their life and death are still uncertain!" The nephew didn't want to trouble his uncle, but such a ruin happened suddenly, and the nephew was in chaos, so he asked the uncle to help him because of his friendship with his father in the past! ”

Liu Tong was also full of shock, he and Zhuo Yiduan were old friends, the two met because of painting when they were young, and then they didn't rank first, but they spent a lot of time together to have fun painting.

After people reach middle age, they go home to inherit the family business, and now the children are so old.

"Child, you calm down first and speak clearly, what happened?"

Liu Tong helped him sit down, and then drove all the people in the room outside, only the two of them were talking secretly in the house.

It was late afternoon, and the room was dark, with only a flickering candle flame shining.

Zhuo Ding cried and said: "Because my nephew is not at home, the specific situation is unknown, at that time, no one in my family escaped, or a friend from the same county sent a message, saying that it was related to Shandong Qingtian!" ”

"Kiyota?" Liu Tong immediately thought of it, "Is it the Qingtian Order of the World under the imperial court?" ”

"Not bad. Last year, Yang Ge of the Cabinet went to Xinjiang for a long time, and Xiao Wang Ge suddenly fell ill and died, and the situation in the cabinet changed suddenly. The old talent and virtue of the Dawang Pavilion were originally the hope of the world, but as the emperor's teacher, he failed to dissuade the emperor. After the new cabinet elder Zhang Xuan entered the cabinet, he won the emperor's trust with his new strategy. This Qingtian Order in the world must also be his secret plan, wanting to be promoted and gain fame and fortune.

At the end of last year, the world under the court Qingtian order must have been known to my uncle, but in recent years, the court has an order to do nothing, I thought it was the court battle anxiety, there was no result, but I didn't expect that after the New Year, Zhang Xuan suddenly arrived in Shandong, and he actually preferred Shandong to try this order!

During this period, hundreds of so-called surveyors were sent to force the gentry from all over the country to clear the fields, and their methods were ruthless and ruthless, and they made peace with the Jinyi Wei and the eunuchs of Shandong Town. At this time, Shandong was already rampant with demons, and my father was inexplicably accused of the felony of assassinating a surveyor!

My uncle should know that although my father was hot-tempered, he acted steadily and did not take any risks, so how could he do such a thing as sending someone to assassinate him? This is a sin that is desired, and there is no excuse for it! ”

Speaking of emotion, Zhuo Ding was heartbroken, fearful, and full of powerlessness, "Uncle! Zhuo Home Jinan four generations, a hundred years of fame, only in the evening! ”

After saying this, Liu Tong's fingers trembled slightly, "Imperial court...... Is the imperial court really going to implement the Qingtian Order?! ”

At this time, Zhuo Ding was sure to take a bite, "Not bad! Shandong is only on a trial basis, and in two months at most, Zhang Xuan will go to Jiangnan. I've heard all the way that this spring, he trained thousands of surveyors in Beijing, and this is by no means just for Shandong. ”

"That'...... That ......" Liu Tongxin was also a little confused, but as an elder, he didn't want to be seen that he had considered his net worth and life in his heart, so he still played it forcibly, "What about your father?" ”

Zhuo Ding shook his head, "Life and death are unknown!" Zhang Xuan...... He is a pavilion elder. The nephew knows that his uncle is also powerless, but the Liu family has some connections in the government, and when the Qingtian Order arrives in Jiangnan, it must be the family's opposition, and the uncle ...... Uncle can secretly contact, instigate officials from all over the country to go up, and expose Zhang Xuan's retrograde behavior to the Son of Heaven, in addition to this thief, not only the disaster of the Zhuo family can be eliminated, but also the disaster of the Liu family and the Jiangnan family can also be removed! ”

Having said that, it is not difficult to unite a few officials to dissociate.

But that's the elder of the pavilion...... What are you talking about, how can they compete with the elders? The second son of the Zhuo family also has too many good days, and he doesn't know the sinister world.

But after thinking about it, I felt pity in my heart again, and seeing that he spoke clearly, it must not be that he didn't understand, but that he couldn't help it.

Hey, it's also bitter for him.

"Zhuo family nephew, your family has caused this misfortune, presumably the government will want you if they know about it, so you don't want to go out during this time, just find a secluded courtyard here to live first, as for saving people, we have to think about it in the long run. As you said, if Zhang Xuan wants to go to Jiangnan, it is not the business of the Zhuoliu family, and there may be a chance at that time. ”

Zhuo Ding's heart is anxious, maybe there will be a chance? Isn't that just waiting!

The Liu family can afford to wait, but he can't afford to wait, his relatives are still suffering in prison! Some of them who were exiled may all be on the road!

"Uncle!" Zhuo Ding is still reluctant to give up, but under the fence, he can't talk too much, "My nephew hopes that my uncle will see the situation clearly as soon as possible, that Zhang Xuan is a human skin and beast heart, if you don't get rid of it, the world will be uneasy!" ”

"I know, you can rest for the time being, your matter is not small, I have to find someone to discuss. Rest assured. ”

Out of this door, Liu Tong's body bones couldn't help but shake like a wicker in the wind, but fortunately he held on to the wooden pillar under the corridor so as not to fall.

If Jiangnan also wants to clear the field, it will be a big bad, if he surrenders with both hands, he will inevitably lose half of his wealth, and the status of the Liu family in this place will also plummet. If he does not surrender...... The other party is an old man!!

It stands to reason that if you throw away some yellow and white things when you encounter this kind of thing, you can still get by if you save your life anyway.

However, the things of the world, especially the people's hearts, are complicated, once the status is not as good as in the past, it is just ordinary to receive some white eyes, and the people of the government will no longer sell him a few thin noodles, will there be a good end at that time? !

This matter must be clarified.

Suzhou Mansion, prefect Yamen.

Liu Tong himself can't get in, but he can go with the other two families, and it is still okay to follow the Zheng family, who has been a member of the third grade.

He thought he was well-informed, but he didn't expect that there were not a few officials and gentry in Suzhou who knew about it.

If the imperial court really wants to Qingtian in the south of the Yangtze River, it will also go all the way down through the political envoys, prefects, and prefects, who can you find if you don't look for the prefect at this time?

Moreover, the current Suzhou prefect's surname is Min, whose name is Yiqin, and he is the eldest grandson of the late Min Qi, the secretary of the Criminal Department.

Min Jue had been appointed as the secretary of the criminal department during the Hongzhi period, and until Zhengde died of illness in six years, he had been a minister in the court that the emperor relied on for more than ten years.

Then there is Min Jue who enforces the law and is peaceful, not only has a good name, but also is deeply trusted by the emperor, and was also given the Taibao after his death. As his grandson, Min Yiqin went to Beijing, not to mention that he was still a scholar, and even the mansions of Wang Wei and Yang Tinghe could also enter.

“…… Recently, the officials themselves have also heard about the affairs of Shandong, and as for when it will be implemented in Jiangnan, it all depends on the meaning of the imperial court. Min Yiqin is still immature, he only has a small beard, but his posture is dignified and he has the style of a famous family, "What is the purpose of you coming here today to ask?" ”

The patriarch of the Zheng family glanced at Liu Tong, and Liu Tong immediately understood, "Lord Fuzun, the national policy of the imperial court, we must listen to it." It's just ......"

Min Yiqin asked: "It's just what, there is something unspeakable?" ”

"That's the case, we and others are soft-spoken, and we can't talk about being important ministers in vain. However...... "Liu Tong pretended to be entangled," but he heard that the methods of the important ministers in the court were ruthless, and under the righteousness of the Qing Zhang, all officials, gentry, and people, no matter who lived or died, was not in his eyes. The villain happened to have a friend in Shandong, and he died in vain. ”

After he finished speaking, the patriarch of the Zheng family said: "There are many rumors of this kind of thing. Lord Fuzun, if there is an order from the imperial court, we have no intention of disobeying it, but the example of Shandong came first, and now from Jiangbei to Jiangnan, people have long been panicked, and we are even more panicked. And not only us, but also the families of the gentry are discussing this matter, and we are also a reminder to ask Lord Fuzun to take some precautions. ”

"Guarding against what?" Min Yiqin snorted angrily, "Before the decree of the imperial court, would anyone dare to commit rebellion?!" ”

Of course, Min Yiqin understood what he meant, these people wanted to use people's instability and fear of rebellion as an excuse to make him believe that if the imperial court forcibly pushed the matter of Qingzhang, it would be inappropriate, and if there was a big trouble, as the prefect, he would be incompetent in governance, and it would be difficult to escape the blame.

Not only that, the gentry is the foundation of the imperial court and the hearts of the people, and the choice between the two is not easy.

But Min Yiqin has his own plans, and after he is a famous minister, he naturally disdains to be in the company of these people, so no matter what they say, he will respond with the attitude of 'everything is in accordance with the will of the court'.

However, he knew in his heart that once what happened in Shandong reached Jiangnan, it would definitely be shaken everywhere.

The imperial court, is it really going to be so intense?

This visit ended unhappily, and the heads of the Liu, Zheng, and Yu families were very irritable.

"I should have been decisive at the beginning, digging a few pits for this bird prefect, and I didn't need to be useless at a critical time. Now what? ”

"Don't worry, this matter is not only Suzhou, presumably Nanjing, Changzhou and Yangzhou are all about to mess up after receiving the news, if he doesn't help, we will let Suzhou be in chaos." The patriarch of the Zheng family said: "First disperse the remarks, let Qin send out the decree, and everyone will shout and beat." As for the government, I will go to find people again, these people themselves have benefited from us, and if they find out about us, they will be able to escape? ”

On the other hand, Min Yiqin didn't dare to hold it up, he drafted the text overnight, and sent someone to hand it over to the governor of Yingtian. Nowadays, there are continuous voices of rebellion in various places, and each family sees the disaster in Shandong, and does not want the imperial court to send the Qin to the south of the Yangtze River.

And the situation has a tendency to gradually deteriorate, Min Yiqin knows that this is the national policy of the imperial court, but today is also a very smart person, since he is a smart person, he has to retreat in the face of difficulties, so he wants to ask the imperial court to postpone.

As the prefect, he could have gone directly to the court, but this matter was very important, so he felt that he still had to pass the Ying Tian Governor.

At this time, the governor of Yingtian was Jing Shaokui, who was specially promoted by the emperor.