Swords into Plowshares Episode 23 Recap
> Swords into Plowshares Recaps
Upon hearing of Qian Hongchu's intention to rectify the powerful local families in Taizhou, Madam Yu immediately scoffed at his naivety. She pointed out that in the Jiangnan region, prominent families were deeply entrenched, like old banyan trees entwined with rocks. Not to mention an ordinary prefect, even an emperor personally visiting would have to weigh his own capabilities when facing these local tyrants who had been operating for over a dozen generations.
Since the warlordism at the end of the Tang Dynasty, local powers had become unshakeable strongholds. Prefects and county lieutenants changed frequently, but the aristocratic families who truly held land, tenant farmers, and private militias were the permanent dealers in this game. Shaking a mountain was easy; shaking a thousand-year-old family was naturally a joke. Qian Hongyou defended his younger brother for a few sentences, his argument revolving around the "innocence of Taizhou's common people."
Madam Yu immediately retorted that caring for the common people in troubled times should not lead one to expect any returns. When hungry, they beg for a bowl of congee; when full, they forget the kindness of the pot. In the past, her Yu family ancestors had dug canals and suppressed rebellions, saving so many lives that their bones could pile up into mountains, yet how many people remembered that achievement today?
Therefore, in Madam Yu's view, kindness and loyalty were the locks most prone to rust, the silk most prone to fading. Instead of gambling the nation's fate on the gratitude of commoners, it was more reassuring to keep grain and money in one's own pocket. To raise provisions for Qian Hongchu, Sun Taizhen set her sights on Langya Pavilion. As Langya Pavilion was as strict as iron, no one could enter without a special order.
Sun Taizhen dragged her younger brother, Sun Chengyou, and staged a melodramatic scene before Madam Yu. She first tearfully complained that a married daughter was like spilled water, then feigned an intention to sever all family ties.
Seeing this, Yu Wenxiu quickly explained that Madam Yu genuinely cared for Sun Taizhen and had already prepared a dowry list of sixty-four loads, along with six hundred mu of silted fields in Hangzhou, complete with estates and shops, clearly following the old precedent for princesses. At these words, Sun Taizhen lost her temper. Seeing that she still didn't believe, Madam Yu had Sun Chengyou take the token to open Langya Pavilion.
Sun Taizhen, holding the token like a sword, went straight for the Yellow Dragon Token and Twin Dragon Banner, these two items being the symbols of authority over the thirty-six islands. Immediately after, she pried open an adjacent vault and moved entire chests of gold and silver onto a boat. Before leaving, Sun Taizhen attempted to steal a warship but was stopped by Qian Hongyou.
Qian Hongyou stated that the warships were the blood and bone of Yellow Dragon Island; if their lifeblood was drained, their homeland would forever become a foreign land. Sun Taizhen no longer tried to take the ship. Instead, she pleaded with her elder brother not to ruin Qian Hongchu's plans. Qian Hongyou, too, sympathized with his younger brother's heavy burden, so he pretended not to have seen anything that night, allowing them to set sail and leave the island.
When Madam Yu woke up in the morning and saw the letter her daughter had left, she was so angry that she nearly smashed a celadon teacup. She repeatedly cursed about how hard it was to guard against a thief from within the family, yet she was powerless to do anything. Meanwhile, Sun Taizhen used the flag to exchange for large quantities of grain from the various islands, temporarily resolving the food crisis. Meanwhile, changes also occurred within Bianliang City.
Late at night, Guo Rong returned home to visit his wife and children. He mentioned to his wife, Liu Luojia, that he would be leaving the capital tomorrow to inspect river engineering works and probably wouldn't be back by the New Year. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, 'saoti' dikes were ancient engineering projects involving sinking stone-filled bamboo cages. Encountering an ice flood on the Yellow River meant facing extreme danger.
Liu Luojia was deeply worried, but she still comforted Guo Rong, telling him not to worry about the family and to be sure to return safely. The next day, Liu Zhiyuan convened a meeting to discuss matters. The Yellow River had burst its banks three times in the Shanghu section, and the national treasury was empty. He had adopted Guo Wei's "work relief" strategy and wanted to hear everyone's opinions.
The First Prince, Liu Chengxun, deeply concerned for the people, suggested that land must genuinely be distributed to refugees and surrendered soldiers. He reasoned that "those with constant property have constant hearts," which was essential for ensuring the stability of the capital region. Feng Dao, upon hearing this, greatly praised Liu Chengxun. However, Imperial Uncle Li Ye, who favored the Second Prince, Liu Chengyou, privately advised him to contend for the position of crown prince.
Liu Chengyou outwardly refused, but his heart was already stirred. Shifting focus south to Taizhou, Shen Yin gathered everyone to relay Qian Hongchu's strategy: he planned to use the occasion of the Yuan Festival to set up a grand feast at Zhang'an Port, widely inviting the gentry in the prefecture who held deeds from the Land Administration Bureau. This banquet was not for celebration, but rather a carefully orchestrated "Hongmen Banquet" (a trap).
Its purpose was to compel these influential families, who had habitually colluded with officials and embezzled grain taxes from garrison lands, to hand over the grain they had misappropriated over the years, to replenish military supplies and relieve disaster victims. However, although this plan was clever, it was seen through by Wei Lun. Wei Lun immediately secretly contacted various prominent families, resolving to unite and resist the order. Soon after, Qian Hongchu arrived in Taizhou.
The local influential families, as was customary, presented lavish "respectful" gifts, but he raised doubts. The Taizhou gentry, led by Ge Yanping, quickly held a secret meeting to discuss countermeasures. They ultimately decided on a strategy of "soft resistance": they would neither openly defy the order nor fully attend the banquet. Instead, they would send one or two representatives with meager gifts to negotiate, thereby saving face for the other party while also probing his true intentions.
Shen Yin had already anticipated this and secretly dispatched Lu Yanzhu with his personal guards to discreetly monitor the movements of families closely associated with Wei Lun, to guard against unforeseen events.
