Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4756 Gathering people to make trouble
The Jingzhao Prefecture government office was located in the southwest corner of Buzhenfang, adjacent to the "Huao Temple" and "Shanguo Temple". On the west side, the Yong'an Canal flowed from south to north, and it was across the Jinguangmen Street from the West Market.

Due to the recent influx of numerous monks, merchants, and tourists into Chang'an City, the floating population has increased by tens of thousands. Not only are all the temples and Taoist temples in the city full, but all the inns are also hard to find. Although the "Yulan Festival" and "Zhongyuan Festival" attracted a large number of people to the capital, which greatly stimulated Chang'an's economy, it also brought serious security risks. Under the leadership of Jingzhao Prefecture, Chang'an and Wannian counties worked day and night to eliminate security incidents at any time.

Therefore, even at the end of the You hour, the yamen was still brightly lit, crowded with people, and bustling with activity.

The officials who went to Wannian County have returned. The documents and contracts they brought back are placed in front of the bookshelf on the side of the duty room. Ma Zhou sneered as he looked at the thick stack of documents, which was more than half a person's height. How many royal family members and nobles must have donated their annexed lands to temples and Taoist temples, and how many people had to lose their land and become homeless or sell themselves into slavery?
No matter they are members of the royal family or nobles, the imperial court has always treated them very favorably. However, these people are still insatiable and disregard the laws of the king. They persecute their own people even worse than they do when fighting against the Hu people on the battlefield, and they exploit and harm the people in the village and do all kinds of evil.

Can you do whatever you want just by relying on your past achievements?
dream!

"Prefect, there are many royal family members gathering outside the street at the entrance of the West Market. There are even nobles and nobles coming over, whispering to each other and pointing at our government office. I'm afraid they have bad intentions. Should we send someone to disperse them?"

"We have no control over this matter. Send someone to the Zongzheng Temple to inform His Royal Highness the King of Han, and at the same time inform the Duke of Yue outside the Mingde Gate, and let them handle it properly."

"Here."

Ma Zhou stood up and walked to the window, used a fire starter to light a small red clay stove, put the kettle on it, and asked the clerk to go to the kitchen to get a plate of fried beans. He made a pot of tea when the water was boiling. He ate the beans and drank the tea leisurely, looking relaxed and comfortable, and in a very good mood.

Throughout history, in every dynasty, it was the royal family and the nobles who relied on to conquer the world. These people were the most loyal to the imperial power, because their title meant that they could rise and fall with the country. The better the country was, the better off they were.

However, for the purpose of prevention, as the time away from the founding of the country increased, the royal family and nobles were further away from the center of power. Without corresponding power, they naturally could not obtain huge benefits. Therefore, in order to maintain their extravagant lives, they had to do everything they could, and they went from being heroes in the founding of the country to parasites that hollowed out the country.

Moreover, the generous rice salaries of royal family members and nobles also became a burden for the imperial court.

The Tang Dynasty is now as stable as Mount Tai and cannot be shaken. So many royal family members and nobles have become a burden. If there is a chance to trim and streamline it, it will be very beneficial to the country. The line of Emperor Taizu is enough, and the rest of Emperor Gaozu's descendants no longer need to be supported by the country...

The most important thing is that Fang Jun has taken the lead in handling this matter. It's not that he is afraid of revenge from the royal family and nobles afterwards. He is really tired of being entangled by those termites. He has too many important things to do. Where does he get so much energy to deal with them?

Therefore, Fang Jun is the most trustworthy. As an ally, he is not afraid of trouble, has strong momentum and superb means. Working with him is really worry-free and labor-saving.

……

The lights in the West Market were bright, and more and more royal family members and nobles gathered on the street in front of the gate. No family head would personally come to attack Jingzhao Prefecture. Even Li Daoli was only a temporary "leader". It would be his son Li Jingshu who would go to Jingzhao Prefecture later...

These people who gathered here naturally brought a large number of slaves and family soldiers with them. They occupied half of the street outside the West Market Gate and shouted loudly, hindering the Hu merchants who were transporting goods in the market. However, seeing these people in fine clothes and riding horses with extraordinary momentum, the Hu merchants dared not say anything. They either took a detour or simply parked their goods on the street and waited for these people to leave before transporting them into the market.

Li Daoli looked around and asked Li Chongxu, "Is everyone here?"

Li Chongxu nodded: "Time was tight so we only notified seven or eight families, and almost all of them are here."

Li Daoli took a look and felt a little disappointed. They were all small fish and shrimps among the nobles, and there was not a single one of importance. However, he could understand that the nobles who survived the two mutinies were either die-hard fans of His Majesty or were good friends with Fang Jun. How could it be impossible for them to follow him to Jingzhao Prefecture to cause trouble? Only these insignificant people were jumping around.

He turned around and looked at his son beside him: "It's getting late, take the people over there."

The reason why he did not show up directly in this incident was, on the one hand, to leave a buffer space in case things got out of hand. He would not be foolish enough to attack Jingzhao Prefecture. If something went wrong, the entire Dongping County Prince's Mansion would be implicated. Secondly, it was also to give his son a chance to establish his prestige.

Regardless of whether such a major event can be accomplished or not, it is a heavy qualification and will make you a prominent figure among the next generation of royal family members. This is a hard-won opportunity.

Li Jingshu responded respectfully: "Yes."

He straightened his back, said solemnly, "Everyone, please remember that we are not going to Jingzhao Prefecture to cause trouble, but to fight for our own property. We will not give up until we achieve our goal. Anyone who dares to give up halfway will be abandoned by both humans and gods!"

"How is that possible? All the land in our family has been confiscated. We will not be able to make ends meet next year. Where can we return the money?"

"Don't worry, Dalang. Since we dare to come here today, we will fight to the end. We must fight Ma Zhou to the death!"

"You are going too far. Are you trying to scare a child? We are members of the royal family, descendants of Taizu. As long as we don't rebel, even His Majesty can't do anything to us. Why should we be afraid of a mere Ma Zhou?"

"That's right. Besides, there is a law that does not punish the masses. If so many people come together to seek justice from Ma Zhou, will they kill us all?"

"Don't talk nonsense, hurry over and negotiate with Ma Zhou. After you finish your business, you can go back home and sleep!"

"Hey, Erlang's new concubine is said to be as beautiful as a fairy. When will she be given to me to taste?"

"She's just a woman. I'll send her to my brother's house in a few days!"

"Let's go, let's go. It will be dawn soon!"

"Dalang is leading, we will follow your lead!"

A group of royal family members, nobles and their respective servants and family soldiers, totaling hundreds of people, crossed the long street, paraded through the streets, and headed straight for the Jingzhao Prefecture government office across the street.

The gatekeeper in front of the yamen had been watching this group of people for a long time. When he saw that they had finally gathered and were walking towards him in a hurry, he turned around and ran to report to Ma Zhou.

Li Jingshu led his men to the front of the government office and stood there, intending to use courtesy before force. He said to the clerk at the door, "Please go in and tell them that Li Jingshu, the prince of the Prince of Dongping, is here with his brothers to visit us. We have important matters to discuss with the Jingzhao Yin. Please take the time to meet with us."

"Why be so polite? If it's your opinion, we should just charge in. If Ma Zhou agrees to our terms, fine. If not, we'll destroy Jingzhao Prefecture, tie up Ma Zhou and go to Chengtian Gate to knock on the gate! We are all your majesty's brothers. I don't believe that your majesty can watch the cruel officials torture the royal family members like us."

Li Jingshu hurriedly stopped them and shouted, "Everyone, please be patient. If Ma Zhou agrees to our request, there is no need to start a war. If he refuses to change his ways, we can have a good argument with him!"

"Okay, we'll listen to Dalang this time. We'll do whatever you say."

Seeing that a group of usually arrogant and domineering royal family members were now obedient and respectful to him, Li Jingshu suppressed his smile, and an indescribable sense of pride and confidence welled up in his heart. This kind of prestige of "one call and a hundred responses" was a realm he had never reached before, and he had a kind of heroic ambition that "a real man should be like this".

After a while, the clerk who had gone in to report came back and said respectfully, "The prefect wants to see the prince of Dongping County come in to see him. If you have anything to say, you can talk to him in person."

A group of royal family members and the second generation of nobles started to make a fuss again: "How can that be? We all came here together, so we must go in together!"

"Ma Zhou only knows about the Prince of Dongping's Palace, but doesn't he know about my Prince of Guangping's Palace?"

The noise and uproar were so great that the Jingzhao government office was even more chaotic than the West Market.

Li Jingshu felt that it was not a good idea for her to meet Ma Zhou. No matter what the result of the negotiation with Ma Zhou was, it would be questioned. As the saying goes, a real man can tell others everything. How could such a thing be discussed quietly in private?
He immediately raised his arm and said, "The villain Ma Zhou has ulterior motives and wants to divide us. We must not fall for his tricks. Since he won't come out to meet us, please follow me in and we will go meet him!"

"Haha, Dalang is really courageous!"

"Come on, let's go in together!"

"Wow, that Jingzhao Prefecture! I'm going to tear down its gate!"

I don't know which noble son was too excited. He actually rushed out from the crowd and kicked the half-closed door with a "bang". The heavy door was kicked open, and the noble son fell to the ground, holding his feet and howling loudly...

Li Jingshu's face turned black and he didn't bother to pay attention. He just had the man carried away for treatment, and then he led a large group of people to rush through the gate and into the yard.

The officials in front of the Jingzhao Prefecture gate dared not to stop them, nor could they, and were dispersed in an instant...

When Li Jingshu and others rushed into the courtyard, they saw Ma Zhou standing on the steps of the main hall with his hands behind his back. A row of officials in front of him protected him. He looked at Li Jingshu, the leader, expressionlessly and asked in a deep voice, "You dared to lead the crowd to attack the imperial court in this important place in the capital, under the feet of the emperor. Do you know what crime you are charged with?"

Li Jingshu was not afraid. He took two steps forward and stepped out of the crowd under the gazes of the royal family and noble children. He enjoyed the glory of being a "leader" and said righteously: "If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext. We cannot and dare not bear this charge. We are not here to attack Jingzhao Prefecture, but to question you. Why are you confiscating the land of each family?"

(End of this chapter)