Resumen del episodio 24 de Swords into Plowshares
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Ge Qiang already had a grudge against the Ge family of Linhai. To seize the opportunity to avenge himself, he simply pledged allegiance to Shen Yin and offered strategies. Shen Yin weighed his options briefly and decided the other party was trustworthy, as he was capable of endurance, understood how to advance and retreat, and had a thorough understanding of local forces. So he asked Ge Qiang what he desired.
Ge Qiang claimed he desired nothing, only to restore his original name "Tan Qiang" after the downfall of the entire Ge clan. Meanwhile, Sun Taizhen and others were checking land registers and household records. Sun Chengyou and Xue Wen copied until their wrists felt like breaking, yet they still couldn't finish in time for the next day's requirements.
Sun Taizhen wanted to find guards to help, but Xue Wen remarked that those soldiers could kill with a knife without blinking, but holding a pen was like lifting a heavy tripod; they probably couldn't even write their own names without them being crooked and falling apart. Just then, a clear sound of reading came from outside the door. Sun Taizhen had an idea, and invited scholars and students to help with the transcription.
Qian Hongchu personally supervised the recording, and the network of landholdings belonging to Taizhou's powerful families gradually became clear. In the evening, Lu Yanzhu reported to Shen Yin that three to four hundred people, mostly local prominent families, had gathered outside Wei Lun's residence. Shen Yin hurriedly organized the Class D ledgers and sent someone to deliver these items to Qian Hongchu.
Afterward, Shen Yin briefly inquired about the situation and instructed Lu Yanzhu to ensure the brothers ate and drank their fill. Qian Hongchu was going to rectify the situation in Taizhou, and tonight was the crucial moment. In contrast, Qian Hongchu tossed and turned sleeplessly in the post station. He was not worried about the overall situation, as Shen Yin was in charge and fully capable of strategy and decision-making.
His only concern was Madam Yu; if she became angry due to the urgent matter and temporarily withdrew her support, all efforts would be in vain. Sun Taizhen believed Qian Hongchu was overthinking things. Even if Madam Yu were very angry, she would never trifle with Huanglong Island's reputation. As expected, no one knows a mother better than her daughter.
Madam Yu valued grievances and favors the most in her life and clearly understood priorities, so she did not delve deeply into the matter of the stolen flag. Instead, she simply let the Qian family see the Yu family's generosity, considering it an addition to her daughter's future dowry. That night, Shen Yin and Cui Renji, utilizing Ge Qiang's men, directly launched an assault on the Taizhou county yamen.
In a flash, the official seal of the prefectural yamen changed hands, and all implicated officials were stripped of their attire and insignia. Ge Qiang was temporarily appointed as the Taizhou Record Keeper and Adjutant, performing public duties. Meanwhile, on the other side, Lu Yanzhu led his troops directly into the prefectural army camp.
Seeing that Cao Shouzuo was accustomed to acting high and mighty and completely disregarded him, Lu Yanzhu used the dagger Qian Hongchu had given him to publicly take Cao Shouzuo's life, intimidating everyone present and smoothly taking over the entire military camp. Subsequently, Lu Yanzhu reported back to Shen Yin. All the army's officers and soldiers were strictly guarding outside the prefectural yamen, awaiting orders.
Shen Yin struck while the iron was hot, instructing Lu Yanzhu to take the official documents from the prefecture and search Wei Lun's residence, and also assigned Ge Qiang to personally lead men to search his own family's compound to gather evidence of their crimes. Ge Qiang already harbored deep resentment towards the Ge family; as soon as he appeared, the steward Yu Bo turned pale with fright. Within ten days, Qian Hongchu and his party arrived in Taizhou.
Qian Hongchu ascended to a high vantage point and gazed into the distance, his heart secretly stirred. On the other side, Ge Yanping felt uneasy on his way to the meeting, while Wei Lun still maintained the demeanor of an aristocratic family, uttering harsh words: no matter what play Qian Hongchu staged, they would meet it head-on. Today, they would make Qian Hongchu realize that acting without the support of the aristocratic families in Taizhou was impossible.
Soon, Qian Hongchu established the Bureau of Trade (a trading agency) at Ninghai County Port, specializing in maritime trade, and further promulgated preferential tax policies to support the people's livelihoods. As soon as the news spread, the common people rejoiced, but the imperial court had strong opinions about it, especially the officials from the Ministry of Revenue, who vehemently opposed it.
Qian Hongzuo, enduring his illness, hosted a grand banquet for all officials during the Lantern Festival, overcoming all objections and declaring that this measure was aimed at compensating the people whose rights had been encroached upon by the powerful gentry. At that time, Zhang'an Port also held a grand assembly. Qian Hongchu widely distributed invitations, inviting all Taizhou gentry holding grain loan contracts to the banquet.
Wei Lun and Ge Yanping, as representatives of the powerful gentry, proudly attended the meeting, intending to jointly launch an attack and force a counter-move. They predicted that Qian Hongchu would not dare to incur public wrath. However, Qian Hongchu was the first to act, without trial or interrogation, directly ordering Wei Lun and Ge Yanping to be beaten to death on the spot for the crime of "encroaching on people's property and disrupting the prefecture."
The powerful gentry present were deeply shaken and dared not utter any more presumptuous words. Just then, Sun Taizhen returned with the good news of having raised a large quantity of grain.
