allonlinenovel Chapter 75 Petition
Chapter 75 Petition
Chapter 75 Petition
At noon, at the Hezhou government office.
Li Hongye, the prefect of Hezhou, was having lunch.
Suddenly, a constable rushed in, knelt down, and said, "Your Excellency! Something terrible has happened! Hezhou City is under siege!"
"What?" Li Hongye exclaimed in surprise, dropping his chopsticks on the ground.
"Which band of bandits?" Li Hongye asked.
"They don't look like bandits! Tens of thousands of people are coming down to the city. I'm afraid, so I've kept the city gates closed. I've come to report this to you, sir!" the constable said.
Li Hongye quickly calmed down, and he also felt that it was impossible for the rebels to invade Southern Zhili.
"Someone, immediately summon all the yamen runners, soldiers, and militia in the city," Li Hongye ordered.
"Yes! Your lord!"
"Let's go, I'll go and find out what's going on."
Li Hongye climbed the city wall and looked down, only to be stunned by the sheer number of people—at least tens of thousands. There were families with children, and orderly formations of people dressed in uniform.
"I am Li Hongye, the prefect of Hezhou. Who is standing below the city?" Li Hongye asked loudly.
Cheng Benqing took a few steps forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Student Cheng Benqing greets Your Excellency, Prefect."
"Hmm?" Li Hongye frowned. Looking at the old man below the city, he didn't seem like a rebel.
"Why have you brought so many people here?" Li Hongye asked.
“Reporting to Your Excellency, the people behind me are the people of Hezhou. Magistrate Wang Wenzhou of Hanshan County, with the heart of a servant of the people, established an entry tax for the city. A few days ago, Vice Prefect Yu ordered the cessation of the entry tax collection. The people have come today to demand an explanation from Vice Prefect Yu,” Cheng Benqing replied.
"Damn it, I'm terrified!" Li Hongye breathed a deep sigh of relief. It turned out to be Wang Wenzhou from the Xinjian Earl's Mansion. None of these noble sons and nephews are easy to deal with. They've only managed to get a county magistrate's position, yet they dare to act recklessly and arbitrarily levy taxes! Now look what's happened, they almost instigated a popular uprising. It's not that I'm disrespecting the Xinjian Earl's Mansion, it's just that your children are too disappointing.
"Listen up, everyone! The city entrance tax is an outrageous act! I am aware of it, and I urge all people to return home immediately. I will certainly submit a memorial to the throne to seek justice for the people and punish the corrupt official Wang Wenzhou!" Li Hongye said, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Damn it! Officials are protecting each other, and the prefect is a corrupt official too!"
"You're guilty of paralysis! Wang Qingtian is devoted to the people, and you, you corrupt official, dare to punish him!"
"A corrupt official!"
"Dog officer!"
Upon hearing this, the people below the city were filled with righteous indignation.
Li Hongye was dumbfounded. What was going on? Hadn't I already taken charge and punished Wang Wenzhou? Were the people below the city gate here to sue Wang Wenzhou?
"Paying taxes is an honor, and everyone has a responsibility!"
"The city entry tax benefits the country and its people; the tax must not be stopped!"
"Lord Wang is devoted to the people; a true justice has been served!"
At this moment, teams dressed in uniform, led by their respective leaders, shouted slogans in unison.
"Ahem..." Li Hongye coughed awkwardly a few times. In all his years as an official, he had only ever heard of people resisting taxes, never of them so enthusiastically paying them. To the point of rebellion over taxes! Truly a once-in-a-lifetime event!
"Quiet! Magistrate of Hanshan County, are Wang Wenzhou and Lord Wang here?" Li Hongye asked.
Li Yinshui quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, I am Li Yinshui, a clerk from Hanshan. Lord Wang is bedridden and unable to come. Upon learning that the people had come to petition, Lord Wang feared that trouble might arise, so he specially ordered me to come."
One of Li Hongye's aides spoke up, "Sir, this is indeed Li Yinshui. I know him."
"Li, you may enter the city first. I have some questions to ask you."
Li Yinshui climbed into the wooden barrel and was then hoisted up the city wall by soldiers.
"Greetings, Your Excellency!" Li Yinshui quickly greeted him.
"Get up. What brings the people here?" Li Hongye asked.
Li Yinshui gave a detailed account of the process of paying the city entry tax.
Li Hongye clicked his tongue in amazement. Wang Wenzhou truly lived up to his reputation as a descendant of Yangming, displaying much of Yangming's talent. His tax collection method was so ingenious that the people wholeheartedly supported him. If the current emperor adopted this approach, there would be no need to worry about the national treasury lacking funds.
Li Hongye thought for a moment. The county magistrate's establishment of a new tax was against the imperial decree, but the people supported it so much that he had no choice but to act expediently in this urgent situation.
"Fellow villagers of Hanshan, what you have come all this way to say has already been reported to me by Clerk Li! I hereby guarantee that the city entrance tax for Hanshan will be re-collected starting today," Li Hongye said.
"Thank you, sir!"
"The prefect looks a bit like Wang Qingtian!"
"Lord Li is also a good official!"
The people's praise continued.
Upon hearing this, Li Hongye's face turned red to his neck. "I have studied diligently for decades, passed the imperial examination with flying colors, and now hold the rank of fourth-grade official. How dare you compare me to the son of a noble family?"
"Gentlemen, let's go back while it's still early!" Li Hongye urged the people to return to Hanshan, fearing that such a large group might cause a sudden uprising.
Geng San hid in the crowd and shouted, "Lord Li, you haven't punished Magistrate Yu yet!"
"A corrupt official is not fit to be a prefect!"
"Get out of here, you corrupt official!"
"Even Wang Qingtian was so angered by the corrupt official that he fell ill!"
The people cursed loudly.
Li Hongye smiled wryly. "Brother Yu, it's not that I'm disrespecting you, it's just that you brought this on yourself. Do you think I don't know about the city entry tax? Although I don't know the details, I've heard about it long ago. Who is Wang Wenzhou? Don't let his fat appearance fool you, he comes from the Xinjian Earl's family."
Why should I turn a blind eye? Well, you've only just arrived in Hezhou and you've already targeted Wang Wenzhou. Now you've bitten off more than you can chew. I can't protect you anymore! I'll have to submit a memorial impeaching you.
"Fellow villagers of Hanshan, rest assured! I will never allow a black sheep like Lord Yu to harm the court. I will write a memorial to His Majesty impeaching him," Li Hongye said, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Li, you should take your men back now!" Li Hongye said, glancing at Li Yinshui.
"My lord, I didn't bring these people!" Li Yinshui quickly tried to clear himself.
"The prefect has spoken, everyone please return!" Li Yinshui waved to the people.
The people showed no sign of leaving. Who knew if the prefect was reliable or not? Did he say one thing and do another? Should we make another trip? Eighty li is no short distance!
"Li Hechen! Quickly take the yamen runners and leave!" Li Yinshui hurriedly instructed his nephew.
Li Hechen smiled bitterly, "Second Uncle, how dare I take people away without Lord Wang's permission?"
Wang Wenzhou, who was lying in the carriage watching the show, smiled, sat up, and said, "Lazy Lan, you should go and tell the people to go back."
Sheng Lan nodded, got off the carriage, walked towards the crowd, said a few words, and the crowd gradually dispersed under the leadership of their respective leaders.
Li Hongye, standing on the city wall, stared in disbelief, his brow furrowed. The people wouldn't listen to him, despite his position as the prefect. Even the words of the clerk from Hanshan County were ineffective. A woman, with a few casual instructions, immediately turned and walked away.
"Who is this woman?" Li Hongye asked.
“Hmm… Lord Wang’s concubine, Sheng Lan, Miss Sheng!” Li Yinshui replied.
Li Hongye smiled wryly. Wang Wenzhou truly lived up to his reputation as a descendant of Yangming; a genius beyond compare! In just two months, he had achieved such renown. It seemed Yu Wuzhen's official position was in jeopardy!
Fortunately, I've been turning a blind eye all along; otherwise, I probably wouldn't be able to keep my position as prefect. Wang Wenzhou is young and hot-blooded, and he's unforgiving when he's in the right!