Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Finally, the imperial physician was dealt with by the emperor.

Yes, his official rank has been lowered...

It's unclear whether the imperial physician wanted to seize the land, or whether the emperor behind it all wanted to seize the land.

Let's talk about Zhou Linzhi during the final years of Zhao Gou's reign. His family was quite poor before, and when his father died, they could only borrow someone else's burial plot.

Once this guy becomes a high-ranking official, he will take over the entire area within a radius of more than twenty miles, centered around his father's grave!

Even the Shao family, who had lent him land to bury his father, had their family cemetery and fertile fields seized by Zhou Linzhi.

Next, Zhou Linzhi set his sights on the Qiang family, his fellow townsmen. He forced the Qiang family to borrow money from him at exorbitant interest rates, lending them out paper currency that was rapidly depreciating, but demanding that they repay him in copper coins.

Taking advantage of the situation, they seized more than 400 acres of the other party's land, finally connecting their own land into one piece.

Both of these examples demonstrate how imperial power can be used to bully others.

Civil officials were ruthless, and military generals were just as ruthless.

Wu Jie, a renowned general who fought against the Jin dynasty, and his family, spanning three generations and four members, managed Xingzhou (Lueyang).

Apart from the military settlements, almost all the other land in the area was occupied by the Wu family and their generals, and even many of the military settlements were annexed by the Wu family.

As long as they have troops, which local gentry would dare to resist?

The Southern Song court had lost control of Xingzhou, and it was impossible to transfer generals there.

Dividing the military power in Sichuan into four parts was useless; it even came to the point where Wu's sons had to be sent to Beijing as hostages.

Ultimately, they couldn't prevent it, and instead it incited the hostages to rebel.

The hostage (Wu Jie's grandson) returned to Xingzhou and suddenly rebelled while Han Tuozhou was on his northern expedition.

He even requested the Jin state to bestow upon him the title of King of Shu, intending to offer the entire Hanzhong region to the Jin state!

These civil and military officials could only bully ordinary gentry families; if they offended Wang Anshi's descendants, they would be in deep trouble.

True imperial power, especially imperial power that wields the sword, is invincible if it dares to take ruthless measures.

Wei Liangchen's brilliance lies in his ability to strike the right balance.

First, if you have the guts to kill, you must at least make it look like you do, forcing the powerful families of Jiangxi to obey.

Secondly, the sword is always hanging overhead, about to fall, and this is when it is most intimidating.

It would be unsightly if the knife actually fell; perhaps a bloodbath would be more satisfying.

But the entire Jiangxi province would descend into chaos, potentially even impacting the imperial court and other provinces.

Next, Wei Liangchen personally oversaw the measurement of the Zeng family's land holdings by officials and scholars.

If judged by the number of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), the Zeng family, to which Zeng Bu belonged, was the most prominent official family in Jiangxi!

The Wang family, Chen family, Hu family, Hong family, Yan family, Huang family, Xiao family, Liu family, and Ouyang family all have to step aside when they encounter the Zeng family.

Wei Liangchen dared not be careless and stayed in the Zeng family's guest room, spending his days playing chess and fishing with the Zeng clan patriarch and elders.

……

Mozhuang (near Zhangshu Town), Fengcheng County.

A passenger ship sailed north along the Gan River, with hundreds of people seeing it off as it gradually disappeared into the distance.

Some stubborn individuals insisted on going to the capital to advise the emperor!

This man was named Liu Yannian, the nephew of the great Confucian scholar Liu Chang.

Who was Liu Chang?

Even with Ouyang Xiu's talent and learning, he would always seek Liu Chang's advice when he encountered problems he didn't understand.

Liu Chang even complained: "This Ou Jiu (Ouyang Xiu), he doesn't study all day long, all he knows is to come and ask me questions."

Back then, Long Changqi (Wen Yanbo's teacher), a self-taught scholar from Sichuan, was over eighty years old when he was summoned to the capital to present his life's work.

As a result, he was rebuked by Liu Chang and forced to leave the capital, resign from his official post, and return the gifts bestowed upon him by the emperor.

This was solely because Long Changqi questioned the Duke of Zhou in his writings…

Liu Chang was still not satisfied with this, and submitted another memorial requesting that the scholarship of the Longchang period be banned.

Long Changqi's lifelong research achievements, dozens of books of various kinds, covering the works of various schools of thought, were all ordered to be destroyed by the imperial court.

This infuriated Long Changqi to death!

Chapter 3593 Dreaming?

"My lord, we've arrived at Hukou," the servant reminded him.

Liu Yannian disembarked with a bamboo cane and stayed at an inn in the county town. Several days later, he changed boats and traveled on the Yangtze River.

After two days of sailing, the boat suddenly stopped.

Liu Yannian inquired about the situation, and a servant returned with news: "There is floating ice on the river, and the government is sending people to break the ice and clear it."

Liu Yannian lamented, "The arbitrary division of land among powerful clans and the elevation of Xunzi to the status of a classic text have already moved Heaven."

"This strange phenomenon is a warning to the world; the Yangtze River has frozen over. I must remonstrate with Your Majesty, even at the cost of my life!"

Liu was most knowledgeable about the Spring and Autumn Annals and firmly believed in the theory of the interaction between Heaven and man.

Traveling and stopping intermittently, going through repeated setbacks.

After crossing the Yangtze River into the Grand Canal, the journey continued for a while, but the canal was frozen and navigable.

Liu Yannian could only stay in Huainan and wait for the ice and snow to melt in the spring.

When the Ming Dynasty was founded, Liu Yannian served as an official in Guangxi.

After the small court in the southeast was destroyed, Liu Yannian was bedridden for another six months.

After recovering from his illness, he asked someone to help him obtain an official position.

After all, he was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) with political experience. As long as he didn't make any major mistakes, the new Ming Dynasty was willing to accept such an official.

However, there were too many people seeking official positions at that time, and the Hanlin Academy was already full of sinecures.

Liu Yannian waited anxiously in Kaifeng for two months before finally getting a real post—County Registrar.

This official position was a blatant insult to Liu Yannian.

My father and two uncles are all senior executives at this listed company, and I myself have reached the middle management level.

The company was acquired, and the management was reappointed. The new chairman actually asked me to be a junior manager in a subsidiary of ...

I'm not putting up with this anymore!

Liu Yannian returned to his hometown, secluded himself to study diligently, and his reputation grew even greater than when he was an official.

Three years into the "Revival of China" period, Liu Yannian did not go directly to the capital, but instead visited Liu Ge, the Right Governor of Huainan.

"Your nephew greets your uncle!" Liu Yannian bowed respectfully.

He was only a few years younger than Liu Ge, but a generation younger.

Liu Ge and his four sons, Liu Ziyu, were highly appreciated and promoted by Zhao Yuan, and they belonged to the direct line of Grand Secretary Fang Mengqing.

However, Liu Ge's grandfather's generation had already moved from Jiangxi to Fujian, and only returned to their ancestral home periodically to compile the family genealogy.

In every generation of the Liu family, some members have moved to other places.

Even the Liu family of Qingjiang, to which Liu Yannian belonged, migrated from elsewhere in the early Song Dynasty.

They are not a truly powerful and influential clan, at least not in the Qingjiang area.

Liu Yannian went to the capital to advise the emperor, but he was clearly used as a pawn!

The uncle and nephew exchanged pleasantries and talked about their recent situations.

After they had finished talking, Liu Yannian asked, "Uncle, are you aware that the imperial court is currently conducting a land survey in Jiangxi?"

"Once the land survey is completed, the poll tax will be converted into a land tax, and large relocated clans will be separated."

"My nephew has come to the capital this time to advise His Majesty."

Liu Ge couldn't understand Liu Yannian's thought process and said, "If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. So many big clans in Jiangxi are silent, and the Liu family of Qingjiang doesn't have many members or land. Why are you rushing to the capital?"

"It is my duty!" Liu Yannian said.

Liu Ge asked, "Who encouraged you to go to the capital?"

"And no one encouraged it,"

Liu Yannian explained,

"There are several students from prominent families who have listened to my lectures on the Spring and Autumn Annals for many years."

"They mentioned this matter and said that the court wanted to elevate Xunzi to the status of a classic."

“All of this is not the behavior of a wise ruler; there must be treacherous officials in the court.”

Liu Ge advised, "You should go home. Don't harm the Liu family of Qingjiang."

“Our two families share the same ancestry. Although we have lived separately for several generations, we still compile our family genealogy every ten years.”

"We have a deep sense of ancestral affection for you, so I must give you some advice."

Liu Yannian said, "The equalization of land tax and the integration of land tax and poll tax are all justifiable matters, and the Liu family of Qingjiang is willing to cooperate with the imperial court."

“But dismantling clans and relocating people violates filial piety and brotherly love, let alone moving to Hunan to reclaim wasteland.”

"What crime have the powerful families of Jiangxi committed that their members should be exiled to Hunan in a disguised form?"

Liu Ge was speechless: "The Liu clan of Qingjiang is not numerous. If we break it down into smaller families, we don't even need to dismantle the clan and relocate."

"Why are you meddling in things that have nothing to do with you?"

Liu Yannian repeated the phrase again: "It is my duty to do so."

Then he continued, "Moreover, if Xunzi is elevated to the classics, where does that leave Mencius?"

Just as Liu Ge was about to continue trying to dissuade him, he suddenly realized what was going on and angrily said, "You want to gain fame throughout the world, so why are you pretending to come looking for me? Guards, show him out!"

Liu Yannian said, "I am but a humble nephew with little influence, so please submit this memorial along with your own, Uncle."

"Get out!" Liu Ge was already furious.

Other powerful clans don't dare to speak or act recklessly, so why does Liu Yannian dare to?

Because the Liu family of Qingjiang didn't own much land, Liu Yannian's father, uncles, and other relatives were all the kind of people who would buy books whenever they had money.

His father alone bought 20,000 books to keep at home.

Sometimes, they even sell land to buy books.

He also collects bronze and stone artifacts, and his home contains many antiques from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties.

The clan is not large, and they have migrated outwards generation after generation, setting up branches and spreading their lineages in other places.

Chapter 3594 Who's Using Whom as a Pawn?

How much land could the Liu family of Qingjiang possibly hide?

They were not afraid of the government investigating their land holdings, nor were they afraid of being dismantled and relocated by the government.

That's why Liu Yannian dared to stand up.

He knew others were using him as a tool, but he was willing to be that tool.

He went to the capital to make a scene, but the emperor wouldn't do anything to him, and he never thought of overthrowing the imperial decrees.

It's not about getting a result, it's about enjoying the process of making a scene.

After the commotion, all the prominent families in Jiangxi will be grateful to Liu Yannian.

All scholars in the world who opposed elevating Xunzi to the status of a classic would praise Liu Yannian for his unyielding integrity and regard him as a great Confucian scholar who upheld the teachings of Confucius and Mencius!

Once Liu Ge understood all this, he immediately kicked his distant nephew out!

Watching Liu Yannian's departing figure, he gritted his teeth and said, "Seeking fame and fortune, what a waste of reading the books of sages! Moral and literary works are only for show; where is there even a trace of a true Confucian scholar?"

Liu Ge has decided that he will no longer return to Jiangxi to continue the family genealogy.

When Liu Yannian arrived in the capital, it was the third month of spring.