You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 279 Rather than wasting all previous efforts, it's better to teach through killing.
The two walked slowly along the canal.

"Prime Minister, how did you know that Wu's spies had infiltrated Changsha?"

Jiang Qingyun couldn't help but laugh.

"I made that up. If you swing a stick and startle the grass, both the person and the snake will be on edge, making it less likely that either side will be suddenly attacked. That's called 'beating the grass to scare the snake.'"

"The Grand Secretary has great foresight."

Faced with Zhou Shao's flattery, Jiang Qingyun was pleased but remained outwardly calm.

"Let's go on a thorough investigation and go deep into the countryside to understand the hardships of the people."

"Yes."

……

Penetrating investigation, also known as undercover investigation, is a very high-class term.

The essence lies in not having a large entourage, not having a grand procession, and not being overly ostentatious. One must be sufficiently low-key when traveling; otherwise, it is just self-deception.

On the first day, Jiang Qingyun and Zhou Shao made an unannounced visit to Hengtang Town and the surrounding area along the canal, observing and listening without asking any questions.

The next day, Jiang Qingyun, accompanied by the monk Tianji and the Third Eunuch, made an incognito visit to Mudu Town, maintaining the perspective of a tourist and refusing to interfere.

On the third day, Jiang Qingyun, accompanied by the monk Tianji, observed the public execution scene as ordinary people.

The scene was packed with people; as far as the eye could see, there were heads everywhere.

Jiang Qingyun had a strong sense of crisis, so he pulled the monk Tianji away from the crowd and went to the canal to hire a small boat.

The boatman was very talkative.

"Young master, are you here to witness the execution as well?"

"Yeah, just joining in the fun."

Boom boom~
Two cannon shots were fired from the shore, and tens of thousands of people fell silent instantly.

The imposing Jiangsu Governor Zhu Guozhi stepped onto the high platform and loudly announced the charges.

"Investigation reveals that Qian Qianyi, a gentry member from Changshu, has committed six major crimes: 1. Colluding with bandits on Taihu Lake; 2. Manipulating loan sharks; 3. Raping women; 4. Believing in the Five Paths Demon God; 5. Demolishing the Taihu Lake dike; 6. Abusing and murdering servants. His crimes are heinous, he shall be executed!"

The executioner brought down his broadsword.

Qian Qianyi's head rolled on the ground.

The onlookers cheered enthusiastically.

Several dozen breaths later~
Zhu Guozhi continued:
"Investigation reveals that the Prefect of Huzhou has committed four heinous crimes: first, unauthorized tax increases; second, the massacre of civilians; third, the misappropriation of treasury funds; and fourth, the worship of the Five Paths Demon. His crimes are extremely heinous; he shall be executed!"

Another head fell to the ground.

The onlookers cheered again.

After the sentencing of 32 death row inmates with their names and identities was completed, Zhu Guozhi felt his throat was parched and burning, but he was unusually excited.

"Push these morally corrupt remnants of the Donglin Party to the front and kill them!"

Hundreds of Donglin scholars were beheaded.

"Push the bandits from Taihu Lake ashore and kill them!"

More than two hundred death row inmates were beheaded.

"Bring forward those who have embezzled and abused their power, and kill them!"

More than one hundred pampered officials were beheaded.

"Push those heartless, fraudulent swindlers and thieves up here and kill them!"

……

The boatman was extremely excited.

"Good riddance! Good riddance!"

Jiang Qingyun laughed and said, "Brother, I killed several hundred people in one go today."

"Good riddance! They all deserve to die! The imperial envoy sent this time is a good official."

How do you know that the imperial envoy is a good official?

"Young master, you're from the north, aren't you?"

"Yes, I came from Zhili to Suzhou Prefecture to visit relatives and friends."

"May I ask what kind of business you do, young master?"

"The family has some meager assets, enough to live comfortably for the rest of our lives, but we don't have any proper business to make a living."

"Who is this?"

The monk Tianji put his hands together and said, "Amitabha. I am a wandering monk who makes the world my home. This humble monk and this young master got along well and thus traveled south together."

The boatman breathed a sigh of relief.

“Young master, master, you two look like good people.”

“How come you see?”

"With these eyes of mine, hehe, I can tell good people from bad people at a glance."

"Brother, you just said that the imperial envoy is a good official, have you met him?"

"No, but he'll definitely be a good official."

"What's the reason?"

"As soon as the imperial envoy arrived, the governor began killing people. He killed members of the Donglin Party, corrupt officials, bandits on Taihu Lake, and thugs and smugglers. The more people there were, the more the common people suffered. One killing could last for two years."

……

Jiang Qingyun revealed a playful smile.

"Brother, you're a sensible man. You come from a scholarly family?"

"Sigh, my ancestors for five generations were all poor."

"I don't believe it." "What's wrong with not believing it?"

"If your family has been poor for five generations, how could you possibly understand these principles?"

“Young master, we commoners may be poor, but we are not stupid. There are many principles we understand, but we dare not understand them. What good would it do to understand them? It would be pointless.”

Jiang Qingyun nodded.

The boatman fawned over him, "Young master, shall I take you to a pleasure boat for a while?"

What is a flower boat?

"It's just a pleasure boat where you drink wine and watch singing and dancing. Young master, I'm not lying, you won't regret going."

Jiang Qingyun smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's go to the east bank first."

"okay."

After the small boat docked, Jiang Qingyun jumped ashore and took out a silver ingot from his pocket.

"Take it!"

"Young master, this is too much, this is too much."

Although the boatman was humble in his words, he honestly accepted the silver.

"Young master, I'll skewer some fresh fish for you."

"slow!"

Jiang Qingyun stopped the boatman from lifting the planks to fish.

"Brother, I have two questions for you. Answer truthfully, there's no need to worry. First, do you feel that the money and grain you pay to the government each year is a heavy burden?"

The boatman's face paled slightly, then he nodded.

"My second question is, do you want the government to reform the tax system?"

The boatman shook his head from side to side.

"If you feel the burden is too heavy, why don't you want the government to change the tax system?"

The boatman was so frightened that he knelt down.

Jiang Qingyun stood with her hands behind her back, calmly looking at him, speaking slowly and deliberately.

“Brother, as the saying goes, it takes ten years of cultivation to share a boat ride and a hundred years to share a pillow. Today, you and I are destined to meet. If you answer truthfully, whatever you say, I assure my ancestors that you will not have any trouble afterward.”

"Young master, no matter how the government changes, the people collecting taxes are still the same people. It can't be changed."

Jiang Qingyun was stunned for a while, then took out another gold leaf.

"Take it."

"Brother, you should go now."

……

Watching the small boat speed away.

"Monk, did you understand?"

"understood."

"any idea?"

"Substitute."

"Who should we replace them with?"

"The middleman who exchanges taxes."

"But in every dynasty, reforms have always tried to bypass intermediaries."

"Those who can't get past this will eventually fall into their mouths."

"What do you mean?"

"Instead of skipping them, let's send them all to paradise."

Jiang Qingyun burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

"Monk, are you serious?"

“Amitabha Buddha, monks never lie.”

"Monk, you will definitely go to hell when you die."

"Chief Minister, monks don't say they die, they say they pass away peacefully."

I originally thought you would advocate for education and moral guidance.

"This humble monk is not against education."

"Then what do you mean?"

"Prime Minister, we are both mortals with limited lifespans. Educating the people is an extremely long process, and neither of us will live to see that day. Rather than abandoning all our efforts, perhaps..."

"Not as good as what?"

"Using killing as a substitute for teaching."

……

The notorious Hong Kong gangster Mr. Zhang once said: "Killing is not my goal, killing is just a means for me to get rich. Do you think I am a born killer?"
Mr. Zhang understands this principle, and Jiang Qingyun certainly understands it too.

The murders weren't important; the main event was ransacking the house!
confiscate the property of the Donglin Party!

No one could have predicted that the losses from this raid would be no less than those from a fierce war.

The Donglin Party suffered countless deaths, and so did our side.

The first batch of daredevils in the raid were yamen runners from the local prefectural and county governments. Five days later, due to their greed, they all died at the hands of the second batch of daredevils.

(End of this chapter)