Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"All the official farmland surrounding Chengdu Prefecture must be remeasured!"

"The amount recorded in the previous land register must be the same as the amount measured later!"

"The best land must be the best land; even paddy fields cannot be replaced with wasteland for me!"

"And all those mountains, forests, and mineral resources, measure them all one by one!"

The Prefectural Governor's Office of Chengdu.

Lu Shiming didn't sleep all night, spending the entire night discussing the matters entrusted to him by His Majesty the Emperor with a few trusted confidants.

Early in the morning, other officials from the governor's office rushed to the yamen.

He immediately raised his bloodshot eyes and uttered a series of fierce, ghostly commands, startling the officials who all gave orders with a chilling expression.

"This, Your Excellency... why do you suddenly want to measure the land?"

Someone asked a question hesitantly, only to be met with Lu Shiming's fierce gaze.

"If I remember correctly, your family owns some government-owned land that you have illegally occupied?"

The man's face turned pale instantly, but Lu Shiming didn't give him a chance to argue and suddenly shouted an order.

"Wall Advisor! Take your men immediately and seize this scoundrel, along with his cronies who have embezzled state property!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Qiang Ben, the military advisor of Chengdu Prefecture, rushed forward.

The surname Qiang is extremely rare.

The Qiang clan of Shu had very limited influence in Jiannan Road, yet they were able to rise to the position of military commander under Lu Shiming, the current governor of Chengdu Prefecture.

Besides his outstanding personal abilities, the deeper reason for Qiang Ben's success is...

Lu Shiming was trying to win over smaller clans like the Qiang clan to counter the increasingly entrenched powerful clans of Shu.

now.

His Majesty the Emperor's arrival in Jiannan Circuit, and his apparent ambition to achieve great things in Shu, ignited the passion within local officials like Lu Shiming.

but.

The goal is to determine whether His Majesty the Emperor is truly committed to great things, or merely making empty promises.

Lu Shiming, the prefect of Chengdu, still needed to test the waters for the officials of Jiannan Circuit...

"I have failed in my duty to govern, resulting in the emergence of such treacherous and arrogant officials, which has led to the disorder of the fields and the depletion of the imperial assets. I deserve to die!"

Qing Shu Palace.

In just two or three days.

Lu Shiming had already prepared an extremely complete confession.

These are all evidence of how powerful clans and families in Sichuan used their local influence to seize land.

The collusion between officials and businessmen, the oppression of the innocent, is irrefutable.

At the very top of this pile of documents and confessions was evidence of Lu Shiming's own crimes committed by the Lu family of Sichuan.

Lu Shiming lowered his head and knelt on the ground.

Behind him, the leaders of several minor clans in Shu, including the Qiang and Hou clans, who were determined to gamble with Lu Shiming, also knelt on the ground.

Sweat dripped from his forehead onto the floor in front of him.

Yet not a single person dared to raise their head.

"Pap..."

The sound of a copper basin being placed on the ground made everyone tremble.

The next moment, Lu Shiming and the others saw that He Ding, the emperor's personal eunuch, had thrown several pieces of charcoal into the copper basin.

"Splash..."

A stack of documents bearing the inscription "Crimes of Lu Shiming, Prefect of Chengdu" were, in Lu Shiming's eyes, thrown directly into the fire by Li Shimin.

The next second, flames, accompanied by wisps of blue smoke, rose from the brazier.

Lu Shiming's pupils contracted, his trembling eyes filled with wild joy.

"Minister Lu, your work efficiency is excellent, I am very satisfied, and I believe the Crown Prince will also be very satisfied. However... in the future, when you send me documents, you should still check them. It's not good to have irrelevant documents mixed in..."

Li Shimin spoke in a low, melancholy voice, and then, one by one, documents bearing the names of Qiang Ben, the military advisor of Chengdu Prefecture, and Hou Guma, the prefectural judge, were thrown into the brazier in front of him amidst the jubilant gazes of the crowd.

Li Shimin smiled as he looked up at Lu Shiming and the others, who were surprised and delighted.

He smiled and nodded, his expression full of approval.

"I believe that all of you ministers are loyal and upright, but you have been constrained by the corrupt environment around you and have inevitably been tainted by some impurities, or perhaps you have been hypocritical and deceitful with those treacherous officials. I understand all of this..."

"Waaah! Your Majesty, I... am ashamed! I have failed Your Majesty's grace!" Lu Shiming burst into tears.

Behind them, high-ranking officials from Chengdu Prefecture, including Qiang Ben, also cried out in gratitude for the emperor's grace.

Li Shimin rose and placed the remaining documents, which contained evidence of crimes committed by the deeply entrenched clans and noble families in the area, before Lu Shiming and the others.

"Now that I have come to Jiannan Circuit and Chengdu Prefecture, with me behind you all, my beloved ministers, you may act freely and realize your grand ambitions!"

He helped Lu Shiming and the others, who were trembling with emotion, to their feet one by one.

"From now on, I will be your support!"

"I and my Xuanjia Army are your reliance!"

Qiang Ben, his face full of excitement, stepped forward and gave a solemn bow.

"With Your Majesty's word, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, I will still charge in and brave them!"

Everyone echoed their sentiments, expressing their excitement and indignation.

"That's right! Your Majesty, with your words, I'm willing to stake my head on it: those powerful clans that have seized land, and those families that dare to oppose the court, none of them will get away with it!"

"Damn it! Your Majesty, I'm a rough man and don't understand the complicated reasoning of Governor Lu and his ilk. I'll just say one thing: if anyone dares to obstruct the distribution of land to the people, I'll use my axe to divide it up for them first!"

"Good!!!" Li Shimin shouted loudly.

Suddenly, he reached out and took a sword from beside his seat.

"This sword was obtained from the Crown Prince when I went to Taiyuan Prefecture... It can cut through iron like mud!"

Li Shimin solemnly handed a fine steel sword to Lu Shiming in front of him.

"What I said to you before was all from the bottom of my heart. Minister Lu, you need not worry. You may proceed with your plans without hesitation!"

Lu Shiming's face was flushed with excitement, and the veins on his forehead seemed to be throbbing.

Upon hearing Li Shimin say that he was testing the emperor's heart, he made a gesture as if to kneel down.

But Li Shimin grabbed him, his bright, trusting, and authoritative eyes fixed on him.

"Minister Lu! I understand you! There's no need to be nervous..."

Lu Shiming: "......"

Those who had followed Lu Shiming to Qing Shu Palace with the intention of risking their lives were filled with boundless pride upon seeing this scene.

What Taiyuan Wang family!

What Zheng family of Xingyang!

They're just a bunch of lucky guys who happened to come across a time when His Highness the Crown Prince was most short-handed.

It's just a minor new policy.

If we, the officials of Jiannan Circuit, had the opportunity, we could also accomplish it!

And now, the opportunity is right in front of them.

After somewhat numbly expressing their gratitude to Li Shimin, they slowly walked out of the hall.

Just as everyone was about to leave.

But then Li Shimin's voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"My dear ministers, you must carefully consider whether it is something you risk your life for or something I give you voluntarily.

"I hope that all of you present here today will one day appear in the Taiji Hall of Chang'an, receiving titles and appointments, instead of being imprisoned..."

Lu Shiming and the others trembled again.

They exchanged a glance and then solemnly bowed once more to the imposing figure inside the hall.

in the hall.

Li Shimin tilted his head slightly and saw that Lu Shiming and the others had really left.

He quickly took out a small booklet from under him and began to read it carefully.

"Suppression and appeasement, a combination of carrot and stick... The greater investment in the early stages is for a greater return with less investment later..."

He turned the pages of the book, which he had already read countless times, while frowning and muttering to himself.

"What I did just now should be fine, right?"

He suddenly looked at He Ding, who was standing to the side, looking embarrassed and nervous with his head down.

"Was there anything I overlooked in what I did just now?"

He Ding: "......"

An oversight?

There's nothing wrong with it, but... Your Majesty, your face has fallen to the ground, perhaps you should pick it up?

......

His Majesty pardoned Lu Shiming and the others, and even rewarded everyone!

The news arrived with astonishing speed, even before some officials who had attended the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet at Qing Shu Palace had returned to their respective prefectures and counties.

They had already caught up with their carriage by riding a series of fast horses.

Upon seeing this news, the officials of Jiannan Circuit were all excited, as if they had found some great treasure.

"Quickly! Hurry! I must return immediately and bring about a prosperous era for my Great Tang!"

"Any parasites or jackals who dare to obstruct us shall die!!!"

Chengdu Prefecture, the Prefectural Governor's Office.

The evidence of their crimes, burned in Li Shimin's brazier, seemed to allow Lu Shiming and his comrades to be reborn from the ashes.

In the following short period of less than a month...

The people of Chengdu witnessed just how terrifying a government office, which was in a state of constant excitement and passion, could be when it was in operation.

"My lord, the land deed for that mountain is in our hands. Even if the cement factory is built, it should belong to us. Why don't you entrust the construction and operation of the cement factory to me... I heard that your birthday is in two months..."

Lu Shiming gave the fat man in front of him, who was still holding a string of gilded Buddhist beads in his hand, a look he gave him as if he were looking at a dead man.

"Oh? Patriarch Liu has a good memory. I don't even remember my own birthday very clearly."

"Two months..."

His voice trailed off, then he suddenly gave a sinister laugh.

"I'm afraid Patriarch Liu won't live to see my birthday banquet... Guards! This scoundrel is attempting to bribe me!"

The wealthy merchant surnamed Liu's greasy face trembled slightly.

"Prefect Lu, I... when did I offer a bribe? You..."

however.

Before he could finish speaking, a hand suddenly swept past his eyes, and the next second, the wealthy merchant surnamed Liu felt his hand lighten as the gilded Buddhist beads he had been holding slipped away.

It ended up in the hands of the Prefectural Administrator of Chengdu.

The latter glared angrily, shaking the prayer beads in his hand.

"The stolen goods are right here, and you still want to deny it!"

"Guards, take this audacious traitor to jail! Interrogate him thoroughly; I want to see just how many heinous crimes he has committed in defiance of the Tang law!"

"Ah! You, you can't do this! I, I am a member of the Liu family! I am a member of the Liu family!!!"

Listen to the angry and panicked shouts of the fat man being led away.

A minor official couldn't help but feel a chill.

"My lord, the Liu clan wields considerable power. If we were to punish them in this way, it might offend them..."

The voice just fell.

A teacup and an inkstone, already accompanied by a whooshing sound, were smashed down on him.

Both Lu Shiming and the Chief Secretary were instantly enraged and blurted out the words.

"Sad? You'll hurt your head!"

"Blocking our path to officialdom, what Liu clan? They're nothing but the bandit Liu Family Stronghold!"

Lu Shiming's eyes were fierce.

"Go! Immediately send a message to the Liu clan: if they obediently agree to the court's acquisition of those mines, all will be well; but if they dare to resist... humph!"

......

"Your Majesty, ahead lies Luomu Mountain. After walking seven or eight li up the mountain path, you will reach the bandit stronghold of Liu Family Village!"