Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 717 Paying Tribute to an Old Friend

The weather was strange; it had been raining non-stop since the beginning of winter. Xia Lin, holding an oil-paper umbrella, arrived in the suburbs early in the morning. There were a dozen or so workers busy there, working on Anmus's grave.

When he arrived at the scene, the Legalist disciples were already standing there, and many people from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice were holding umbrellas and watching.

Xia Lin simply walked past them from behind, and after being discovered, the crowd silently made way for him.

The coffin was carefully placed on a horse-drawn carriage, which slowly headed south of the city.

This time, no one threw firecrackers on his coffin anymore, because those who dared to throw them had already been dealt with. This time, the Gao Shilian case involved as many as 3,700 people, including many veteran officials from two or even three dynasties. Some of them had already retired and returned to their hometowns, but they were still dragged out, and their entire families were also thoroughly investigated.

Although this is just the beginning, it is no surprise that Anzi's case has been overturned because the people who investigated him at the time had problems, and the people who investigated him at the time also had problems. Although the imperial decree to overturn the case has not yet been issued, Anzi no longer has to lie alone in this mass grave in the suburbs.

Today is the day of his funeral procession, so Xia Lin naturally came to celebrate with him.

His new address is inside the South City Law School. Although the law school is only less than two-thirds complete and will not be finished until at least the end of next spring, the large square in front of it is now complete. There is a statue of Anzi on it, which is four zhang tall and made entirely of white stone from the Western Regions. There is also a plaque at the bottom that records the life of Anmus.

The wheels rolled forward, but the streets grew increasingly quiet. Besides the growing cold, the annoying rain made it even harder to get out of bed.

The procession carrying the coffin was equally silent. After a year of frenzied charges, whether they had obtained what they wanted, only they themselves probably knew. But one thing was certain: the Legalists had no way to turn back. Perhaps it was out of scholarly pride, or their inner obsession, or even simply to avenge Anzi, but in this year they had offended everyone else to the point of no return, leaving almost no room for maneuver.

Today's farewell to Anzi is less about his fellow disciples and apprentices remembering him, and more about their own decision to raise an unyielding banner in their hearts, so that martyrs will never be forgotten by history.

After entering the law school, the coffin was carried out, then placed on the ground and covered with soil. Workers then shouted at the rats to press the huge statue on top of the coffin, and finally piled up the foundation soil to fix the statue.

In a flash, Dong Lei appeared as if Anmus had been resurrected, standing tall and upright.

His fellow disciples offered him sacrifices, and then people dispersed in twos and threes. There were no impassioned words, only the sound of the cold winter rain falling on the stones.

After everyone had left, Xia Lin walked over and looked at the offerings scattered on the ground. He squatted down, picked up a roast chicken that was still wrapped in oil paper, and then picked up a pot of wine next to him. He found a relatively clean spot and sat down.

"I've given up drinking, but I can have some roast chicken with you."

After saying that, he opened the jar of wine and gently poured it at the feet of the statue: "Drink more."

The stone statue did not respond, while Xia Lin slowly tore off a chicken leg and put it in his mouth: "This is only the first step. They will cause a lot of trouble later. Just stand here and watch the show. The first person to be dealt with is Sun Ruyang, the Minister of Justice, followed by the Special Envoy, the Grand General of the State, the Founding Duke, and all the Pillars of State. Just you wait."

After finishing the chicken, Xia Lin got up and poured the remaining wine on the ground before turning and leaving. An Zi's statue stood expressionless, facing the imperial city wall, its gaze deep and unfathomable.

Ironically, these numerous idle officials control the vast majority of resources. They do not engage in production and do not create much value. They rely mostly on the blessings of their ancestors. The longer the dynasty exists, the more people there are who leech off it.

It was only when things reached this point that Xia Lin truly admired Douyazi. Although she sometimes had some mental issues, her grasp of future details was truly amazing. Douyazi was the best in the world when it came to venture capital. She was a hereditary duke, the number one family in the world, but after she took over, Douyazi immediately turned the family's industries into a mere formality and then established family rules stating that the Dugu family would not participate in politics.

In the end, he even gave up his privileges as a high-ranking official and devoted himself entirely to the business world as an angel investor.

Whether she is successful or not, who was her first investment target?
Emperor Jingtai.

When Emperor Jingtai was still the heir apparent, she began to invest in and support his Spring Sprouts Plan. This plan promoted people like Xia Lin, Xiao Chenzi, and Wei. In other words, without these sprouts, Emperor Jingtai would not have had the resources to implement his plan and would not have been able to search for talent. Xia Lin's path to officialdom would have taken much longer.

Who was the second person she invested in? It wasn't Xia Lin, but Li Shimin.

Without his investment, Li Shimin would probably still be stuck as a garrison commander at Yumen Pass, working peacefully for his emperor father and brother. It was Douyazi's investment in Li Shimin that gave him the capital that Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng feared.

The third person she invested in was Xia Lin. Douyazi started paying attention to him and investing in him when he first emerged in Xinping Township. That's why it's said that half of the merchants in the city are from the Dugu family. From Xinping to Fuliang and now to Jiangnan Road, the Dugu family has always been the biggest winner. They have a share in industry, products, markets, and logistics, and the highest share can even reach 50%.

The fourth person she invested in was Emperor Heshuo of Tang, also known as the Third Lady. During this period, the construction of the new Xianyang and the development of the northern urban cluster were almost entirely Douyazi's doing and vision.

Looking at the people she has invested in, you can see that her analysis of the current situation is actually astonishingly accurate.

However, very few people possess her vision. The vast majority of the powerful and wealthy are just that—powerful and wealthy. They lie on the body of the empire, wielding absolute power, believing that no one in the world can shake their position.

But the good days won't last long. The empire is old and decrepit, and can no longer afford to let them continue to leech off its wealth. Instead, it's time to make them return the principal with interest.

In the past few days, there have been troop movements in the capital. When asked, it was said to be routine troop training, but anyone with a little information could find out that the troops and personnel in several places, such as the city defense, the imperial guards, and the Northern Army, had undergone a large-scale reshuffle.

The generals of these guards were all replaced, some going to the Central Plains to assist in the defense of Luoyang, others to Xuzhou to assist in the defense of Shandong. The replacements were all young faces, and no one even recognized them. The soldiers were almost entirely replaced as well; it could be said that eighty percent of the people in Jinling City had been replaced.

In the past, such an event would have led to a mutiny in the military camp. However, the problem is that they now have no room for a mutiny. The soldiers from these garrisons have been mixed and dispersed into new military camps, scattered among dozens of armies, which can be considered to have blocked all the sources of mutiny.

As for the civil officials, their current headache is that their children are being sent to the countryside. They are currently preoccupied with one issue at a time and can only manage one side. If they want to intervene in the major reshuffle in the capital, they cannot manage the scholars being sent to the countryside.

The court is no longer just in a state of fear; it is shrouded in terror. Many of them have a premonition that something big is about to happen, but the problem is that they are powerless to stop the future.

"Is the new Hongwen Hall finished?"

Xia Lin came from Anzi's grave to the central palace and immediately grabbed Xu Jingzong to ask, "Since you are in charge of the Ministry of War, why don't you add a separate guard to the new Hongwen Academy, with a force of about 20,000 men?"

"Huh? My lord, a study requires 20,000 guards?"

"Yes, 20,000 men. That might not be enough. Yes, go and approve another Shenji Battalion. It should have around 5,000 men, fully equipped."

"Twenty thousand men plus a Shenji Battalion? My lord... I don't quite understand."

Xu Jingzong was having a headache. This was no simple matter. Twenty-five thousand men were enough to form an imperial guard, but here they needed an army to protect a study.
"Go do it. You write the report, and I'll approve it."

"it is good……"

Soon, Xia Lin used the Grand General's sole authorization to initiate this highly irregular military procedure, and he took the note to Emperor Jingtai.

At this moment, Emperor Jingtai was sitting in his room studying bibimbap. The main problem was that the food in the imperial kitchen was getting worse and worse, and he was not getting enough to eat every day. Helpless, he could only secretly treat himself to some small surprises. Recently, the way of eating from Goguryeo had become popular here, and he wanted to try it out.

Xia Lin arrived at this moment, and Emperor Jingtai took his military rank slip and looked at it: "Twenty thousand men plus a Shenji Battalion, just for a study? Are you just going to burn through two million taels of silver like this? My friend, I really have no money left."

"I'll pay you, you stamp it."

Emperor Jingtai wiped his mouth: "Then you have to tell me what this army is for." "It's for protecting cultural heritage, of course." Xia Lin sighed: "Actually, I didn't really want to use this method, but I saw they were really uncooperative, so..."

"You said."

"I'm going to start a riot," Xia Lin said, narrowing his eyes. "The time will be after the New Year, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month."

Emperor Jingtai was startled: "A rebellion?"

"Yes, a riot. Thousands of mobs stormed into their homes, burned their mansions, looted their things, and killed their children."

"What's the reason!?"

"They are disloyal to the emperor."

Emperor Jingtai shrank back: "No, I'll take the blame?"

"Only you can carry this." Xia Lin sighed, hands on his hips. "We must unconditionally support the will of the wise ruler for all ages and not let the locusts of the empire continue to run rampant. Do you know what they've been doing all this time?"

"Weren't they secretly trying to manipulate grain prices? But they couldn't do anything about it. So I didn't take it seriously."

“I plan to cooperate with them.” Xia Lin tapped the table: “Before the New Year, I will help them raise the price of grain to five taels of silver, and the money shops of the Fuliang system have stopped lending at low interest rates, creating a fake money shortage.”

"You have to let them..."

"Yes, let them think they have an opportunity to take advantage of them. In three months, they can raise the interest rate to more than ten times, creating a situation where people are suffering."

"This is different from your usual approach."

"Hmm... If they actually want to behave themselves, I don't plan to use drastic measures. By the way, you should get seriously ill tomorrow."

Emperor Jingtai: "???"

"Yes, I was seriously ill."

"No, I am not ill!"

“You have it!” Xia Lin said firmly. “You must have it! You must make the world believe that you might not survive this serious illness.”

"Alright, I'm seriously ill. Then what? Who will oversee the country?"

"The Crown Prince will oversee the state."

"What crown prince do I have?! My son? Look at his character! It's not that I look down on my own offspring, he's just a good-for-nothing! How about this, tomorrow I'll write an edict to abdicate in your favor?"

“Then you really are seriously ill.” Xia Lin waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry, as soon as you fall ill, someone will immediately establish a crown prince. The three provinces have no say in this matter. Then the crown prince will oversee the country, and someone will naturally come out to assist in governing. Three months, I only need three months.”

"Since I am already seriously ill, can I go to the medical school for recuperation?"

"So you just want to go to Fuliang for a vacation?" Xia Lin said, both amused and exasperated. "Fine, go! It's good that you're going."

"Good!" Emperor Jingtai was overjoyed, then stood up and handed a cloth-wrapped box to Xia Lin: "Take this."

Xia Lin weighed the jade seal in his hand: "Are you out of your mind! Give me the Imperial Seal of the State! The General's Seal is with me, and the Imperial Seal of the State is still with me. Aren't you just making the accountant and cashier do the work all by themselves?"

"Why should I go for treatment if I'm not sick? Here, here... Oh dear. By the way, am I sick today, or will I get sick tomorrow?"

"up to you."

"Then I shall fall seriously ill today. Delu!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The head eunuch strode in from outside. "What are your orders?"

Emperor Jingtai pointed with his finger: "Hiss... pack up there, call Jinlian, and we'll set off tonight to take the last ship to Jiangnan."

"Ah... Your Majesty, this..."

"What is this? Hurry up and do it."

"Here you go~~"

Emperor Jingtai picked up his rice bowl again and started eating: "What kind of entertainment is popular in Fuliang lately?"

"There are many more, you'll see when you go there."

"Well... I'll be going then. I'll leave the rest to you."

Xia Lin looked at Emperor Jingtai eating with his head down and couldn't help but laugh and cry. He was really good at being a hands-off manager.

However, his willingness to cooperate was commendable, though perhaps a bit too enthusiastic. When Xia Lin saw what was in his bowl, she roughly understood why he was so eager to go outside.

"I'll have the kitchen staff practice their culinary skills in the coming days; there's not enough time for that."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingtai almost cried: "I beg you, the food those foreigners make is so bad that even a dog would shake its head at it. I'm suffering so much..."

"If someone else had cooked it, you would probably have been poisoned."

"Oh dear..." Emperor Jingtai sighed, "Make proper arrangements in Fuliang. Once we get there, I want to eat twenty steamed buns."

"You've got some ambition, there's something even better than steamed buns."

(End of this chapter)