Of course, Wang Zongmu didn't know that he was on the emperor's list. In reality, after more than a decade of ups and downs in the officialdom, Wang Zongmu had matured a lot. His understanding of the officialdom had also increased a lot. He was no longer a hot-blooded person.
After the shipping incident, Wang Zongmu had suffered a huge blow. Therefore, he had mixed feelings about the cultivation silver.
The arrival of Wang Yongji from the Tax Department in Shandong was a good thing for Wang Zongmu. After all, Wang Zongmu knew that things in Shandong would be difficult to handle.
If Wang Yongji hadn't come, everything in Shandong would have been on Wang Zongmu's shoulders. He didn't know what Wang Zongmu would have done.
However, Wang Yongji had come with so many Imperial Bodyguards. This made Wang Zongmu very worried.
If Wang Yongji did something difficult to clean up, it would be troublesome.
Wang Yongji didn't know what Wang Zongmu was thinking. This time, he had come to Shandong with a very simple idea. It was to succeed or die trying.
The emperor had said that if he didn't do well, then Hai Rui would come.
Once Hai Rui came, Wang Yongji estimated that all of Shandong would be turned upside down. This made Wang Yongji deeply understand the emperor's determination.
After getting off the carriage, Wang Yongji smiled and walked to Wang Zongmu's side. The two of them smiled and greeted each other.
Wang Yongji now had the title of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. In addition, he was also an imperial envoy, so Wang Zongmu's attitude was very respectful.
After exchanging pleasantries, the group entered Jinan Prefecture together.
The welcoming dinner at night went very smoothly. It could be said that both the guests and the host were happy.
In reality, Wang Yongji knew that this time, his matter didn't have much to do with the local officials. As long as the local officials didn't cause trouble for him, that was enough.
As for support, Wang Yongji didn't think about it. Therefore, he was determined to not offend anyone if he could.
Upon returning to the imperial envoy's residence, Wang Yongji called someone over.
This person was none other than the Shandong Revenue Department's Deputy Pi Gan. Unlike the others, Pi Gan came from the Inner Faction's Operations Team.
He looked very ordinary, but every movement he made was filled with a sense of sharpness.
He was in his thirties and had a pale face. He looked thin and weak, but Pi Gan was someone who had really killed people and seen blood.
"Greetings, Deputy Lord!" After Pi Gan saw Wang Yongji, he bowed and greeted.
Pi Gan had a good impression of Wang Yongji. He had investigated this Sir Wang in the past, and Pi Gan knew that he was a practical person.
It should be known that most of the Inner Factory were orphans. These people had seen the fickleness of the world.
In addition, after so many years of nurturing and training in the inner factory, although the people in the inner factory weren't extreme, they were very clear about the morality of the Gentlemen Honours.
In all these years, Pi Gan had seen too much of the ugliness of the world, and he understood how rare a person like Wang Yongji was.
Wang Yongji nodded and gestured for Pi Gan to sit, then said, "Sit!"
After Pi Gan sat down, Wang Yongji picked up the fish scale booklet and asked Pi Gan, "Are the records on this booklet true?"
"Sir, it's not true!"
Pi Gan didn't hesitate at all and said, "Although this fish scale booklet was drawn up when Minister Zhang was still in power, it was still made by a local official, so there are many hidden reports.
"There are many great clans in Shandong, and these people still have a large number of hidden fields.
It's also very common for good fields to be used as inferior fields, and it's also very common for superior fields to be registered as inferior fields. "
Wang Yongji nodded. He was very clear on this point, and he knew that what Pi Gan said was true.
"This official knows that this is all true. This official came to Shandong this time for this matter."
Wang Yongji put down the fish scale booklet and said, "Investigate hidden fields, and those who use superior fields as inferior fields will be severely punished."
Hearing Wang Yongji's words, Pi Gan's expression immediately became serious.
"Sir Wang, I'm afraid this matter won't be easy!" Pi Gan said with some hesitation.
"Tell me about it!"
Wang Yongji looked at Pi Gan and nodded. In reality, for Wang Yongji, this matter was truly difficult. Otherwise, Wang Yongji wouldn't have come personally. Since he came, he wasn't afraid of trouble.
Pi Gan sighed and said in a low voice, "Sir, this lowly official has been in Shandong for many years. Ever since I was transferred to the tax department, I haven't been idle."
"Eighty percent of the land in Shandong is in the hands of the gentry. If you look closely, you'll find that this is the highest ratio in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of Daming.
Shun Tian Province has the Imperial Plantation and the land of the Honours and relatives, but it still isn't as high as Shandong. "
Hearing Pi Gan's words, Wang Yongji raised his eyebrows. This was a matter.
The fact that the gentry had such a high proportion of land meant that they had a solid foundation in Shandong.
At the same time, they controlled everything in Shandong. Once the gentry fell into chaos, then Shandong would also fall into chaos. This was very troublesome!
"These gentry have occupied and hidden fields. If we really want to investigate, I'm afraid there will be chaos!"
Pi Gan continued.
Chaos?
Wang Yongji couldn't help but think of what the Emperor said to him before he left the capital. Once Shandong fell into chaos, then the capital's army would come to Shandong.
In any case, Shandong wasn't far from the capital, and the army would arrive in the morning.
Naturally, Wang Yongji knew about the strength of the capital's army. It was an army that could even beat the Walla army. What qualifications did Shandong have to contend against them?
Ever since the victory in the northwest, Zhu Yijun spoke with a strong backbone. He had to do it whether it was possible or not.
The sentence that left the deepest impression on Wang Yongji from the Emperor was "Topple the local tyrants and evil gentry and divide the land." Thinking of that scene, Wang Yongji felt a chill in his heart. Perhaps the Emperor was looking forward to chaos in Shandong?
If things really got out of hand and the army came to Shandong, then it wouldn't be as simple as suppressing the rebellion.
Thinking of this, Wang Yongji breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Pi Gan. "I want to investigate the hidden fields and the gentry who are good at making a name for themselves. Where should I start?" Wang Yongji looked at Pi Gan as he said this.
In fact, Wang Yongji didn't know much about Pi Gan, nor did he trust him. This was a test that Wang Yongji had for Pi Gan.
"Start with Duke Yan's Residence. I have checked that the land of Duke Yan's Residence occupies 40% of the Shandong Prefecture," Pi Gan said without hesitation.
Duke Yan's Residence had been passed down for so many years and could be said to be flourishing. The more people there were, the more land there was.
The Kong family was not only the top family in Shandong, but also the top family in the world.
During the Tang Dynasty, there were still the five surnames and seven princes, as well as the Wang family, Xie family, and Feng family. However, all of these had been trampled by the iron hooves.
Only the Kong family and Duke Yan's Residence had been passed down in Shandong for so many years and had disciples all over the world.
After saying this, Pi Gan looked at Wang Yongji. Wang Yongji was testing Pi Gan, and Pi Gan was also testing Wang Yongji.
Pi Gan wanted to see if Wang Yongji dared to make a move on Duke Yan's Residence.
"Go to Duke Yan's Residence tomorrow!" Wang Yongji's expression didn't change at all.
Wang Yongji had already mentally prepared himself. Since he had come to Shandong, he had to face Duke Yan's Residence.
One family occupied 40% of the province's land. Wang Yongji didn't know what to say.
When Pi Gan heard this, the expression on his face relaxed, and he said with a smile, "Yes, sir!"
That night, the entire Jinan Prefecture became nervous because of the arrival of the imperial envoy. Everyone was waiting to see what the imperial envoy would do.
However, a piece of news shocked many people that night because another group of people had arrived outside Jinan City.
Similar to the imperial envoy's group, this group of people was not small, but they didn't knock on the city gate in the middle of the night. Instead, they set up camp outside.
From the way the tents and camp were set up, this group of people looked like an army no matter how one looked at it.
In the middle of the military camp, an old eunuch was lying on the bed. Behind him, a young eunuch was reaching out and giving him a massage.
The old eunuch groaned in comfort from time to time, and a comfortable expression appeared on his face.
A young eunuch walked in from outside the tent and said in a low voice, "Eunuch, General Liu is here!"
The old eunuch was taken aback. He sat up from the bed, stretched, and said with a smile, "I'm getting old, and my body really can't take it anymore. After running all the way here from the capital, my body seems to have fallen apart."
He waved his hand, signaling the young eunuch who was massaging him to leave, and then said with a smile, "Invite General Liu in!"
Not long after, a young general in full armor walked in from outside. He had a knife at his waist, and his beard was especially eye-catching.
"Ji Xianzi, why are you still wearing armor at this late hour?
You must be tired from the journey, so take a good rest! "The old eunuch said to General Liu with a smile.
Li Xianzi, it was obvious that this was a newly conferred title. This also meant that this General Liu came from the capital camp because only the soldiers from the capital camp and the Northwest Army who participated in the Northwest War could be conferred the title of Baron and Viscount.
Liu Xiang?
He glanced at the old eunuch and said, "Eunuch Xu, people from Jinan Prefecture have arrived."
The son of Ji County was Liu Xiang.
And this Eunuch Xu was the supervisor of the inner factory, Xu De.
Compared to Zhang Jing and Zhang Cheng, Xu De was very low-key, so low-key that not many people knew of his existence.
This time with Liu?
They didn't come to Shandong for sightseeing, but to cooperate with Wang Yongji.
This could also be considered the backup that Zhu Yijun had arranged for Wang Yongji, or rather, they were doing the dirty work for Wang Yongji. They were mainly targeting the Kong family.
"So fast?"
Xu De smiled. "We followed the rules and didn't enter the city after the city was sealed. I didn't expect these people from Jinan to be so unscrupulous." With that, Xu De disdainfully asked, "Who are they?"
"It's the soldiers guarding the city. They used a basket to hang it from the city wall."
Liu said expressionlessly.
Xu De waved his hand. "Then send them away. Tell them who we are. We will enter the city tomorrow. The rules can't be broken."
Liu?
Nodded, then turned around and left the tent. He agreed with Xu De's way of doing things. Rules were rules.
Even if they looked inhumane and awkward, since they were rules, they must be obeyed.