Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 66 Duke Wei: Duke Wei Displays His Extraordinary Abilities (Part 2)
Wei Zhongxian has returned to Beijing.

That guy was incredibly imposing. Not only were there countless black flags, but there were also several hundred members of the Dai princely family being escorted back, along with several hundred carriages carrying gold and silver treasures, and tens of thousands of cavalry from the capital guarding him. He was quite the showman.

The next morning, around dawn, this fellow led several thousand Imperial Guards out of the East Gate and headed straight for Tongzhou. Behind them, a long line of Imperial Guards on foot followed, numbering probably more than ten thousand.

Is this guy addicted to arresting princes and members of the royal family?
Tongzhou itself doesn't have any feudal princes, but if you travel by boat from Tongzhou to Shandong, Henan, or Huguang, there are tons of feudal princes there.

Which vassal state does this fellow intend to go to and display his might this time?
The people of the capital were very curious, and the Donglin and Qi-Chu-Zhe factions in the court were also puzzled. They had not colluded with the princes and royal families of Shandong, Henan, or Huguang to cause trouble. What was Wei Zhongxian up to?
The prefect of Tongzhou probably thought that Wei Zhongxian was there to board a boat, so he didn't bother to show his face to this fellow. After all, in Wei Zhongxian's eyes, titles like county magistrate, prefect, and governor were nothing, so why would he bother to make a fool of himself?

Unexpectedly, Wei Zhongxian led his imperial guards to surround the Tongzhou prefectural government office. He then led a group of confidants into the main hall, sat down at the desk, picked up the gavel and slammed it down, shouting, "Men, bring the Tongzhou prefect here!"

The prefect of Tongzhou didn't go anywhere else; he was on duty in his study in the second courtyard.

This guy was startled when the Imperial Guards stormed in. He hurriedly went to the courtroom, bowed, and said, "Your humble servant greets Duke Wei."

He had already heard that Wei Zhongxian disliked being called "Grandpa Nine Thousand Years Old," so he didn't go looking for trouble.

Wei Zhongxian, however, still picked up the gavel and slammed it down hard, then said sternly, "I want all the land in Tongzhou City. You must immediately order all the neighborhood officials in the city to bring me the 'Yellow Register of Taxes and Labor' to calculate the amount."

what?
You want the land in the city too!
Isn't that a bit too domineering?

There are tens of thousands of households in Tongzhou!

Where are they supposed to live after you take their land?

The prefect of Tongzhou was stunned upon hearing this.

It's absurd to order someone to sell all the land in Tongzhou City. How could he issue such an absurd order?

The problem is, Wei Zhongxian is too ruthless. You can't afford to offend him. He even dares to arrest imperial relatives and confiscate their property!
He didn't even want to think about the consequences if he dared to say no.

Seeing that the man was standing there speechless, Wei Zhongxian picked up the wooden stick again and slammed it down, shouting, "What are you still standing here for? Are you itching for a beating? Or should I skin you alive?"

This guy wasn't just bluffing when he said he'd skin someone alive; he really did!
Fine, fine, I'll just bring the people here for you. I don't dare stop you from doing whatever you want. Let whoever dares to stop you do so. It's not like you're buying my land.

Upon hearing this, the prefect of Tongzhou immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I understand. I will go immediately."

After saying that, he turned around and ran away in a flash.

Upon seeing this, Wei Zhongxian snorted coldly and then waved his hand, saying, "Wenfu, take men to post notices, put them up in every street and alley."

He was very well prepared; on horseback, he carried not only bundles of notices but also jars of paste that had been prepared in advance.

Soon, the Imperial Guards scattered, wielding brushes and plastering the streets and alleys.

"When Lord Wei came to collect the land, he took over all the houses in Tongzhou City, regardless of size, whether they were shops, inns, restaurants, etc. He gave forty taels of silver to any house smaller than one mu, and for any house larger than one mu, he paid forty taels per mu."

Everyone has three days to move their belongings to relatives or friends outside the city for temporary accommodation. Lord Wei will build them houses, shops, inns, restaurants, etc., ensuring they are exactly the same size as before. Anyone who dares not move will have their house demolished and all their belongings burned.

The notice was posted and read aloud to everyone by literate people.

Upon hearing this, some of the people in Tongzhou were stunned, some couldn't believe it, some sighed inwardly, and some felt their hearts bleed, but no one dared to shout loudly, much less cause trouble.

At this moment, tens of thousands of Imperial Guards have poured in, and thousands more are roaming the streets and alleys. Who dares to make a sound?
The powerful Eunuch Wei doesn't care who you are. Anyone who dares to provoke him will either be killed or suffer a fate worse than death!

As for refusing to leave and refusing to move, no one dares to do that.

Wei Zhongxian is a real troublemaker; he can not only demolish houses, but if you anger him, he can even tear people apart!

Besides, they weren't robbing us; they were paying us. Forty taels of silver is a lot for ordinary people. Those who run shops, inns, and restaurants might suffer heavy losses, but even heavy losses are better than being torn to pieces by Eunuch Wei.

After the notice was read aloud, the people in the city were only stunned for a moment before they hurriedly ran out of the city to find their relatives and friends nearby and prepare to move.

At this time, Wei Zhongxian ordered his imperial guards to bring over the magistrates of Daxing and Tongxian counties.

This fellow, speaking with the coldness of a magistrate presiding over a case, said, "I won't waste any more words. I want all the land within a mile south of Tongzhou City, extending to a mile south of the capital. You must quickly take your imperial guards and find the village heads and chiefs of this area. Anyone who dares to dawdle will be skinned alive."

Well, "skinning" has become this guy's catchphrase.

The problem is, this isn't just a catchphrase; people really dare to dig into it.

Upon hearing this, the magistrates of Daxing and Tong counties didn't dare utter a word and immediately led their Imperial Guards away.

The land acquisition went exceptionally smoothly. The relocation of all the families in Tongzhou City did not cause a ripple. Everyone simply called on their friends and moved out of the city in silence, not daring to utter a single word.

It must be said that Wei Zhongxian was truly resourceful, especially in acquiring land, where he was exceptionally skilled.

This supernatural power is something that others cannot learn, because the prestige of the Nine Thousand Years Old Eunuch Wei is built on the lives of countless people. He has killed countless officials in the court and even members of the imperial family. Who is not afraid of him?
The Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party were so afraid of him that they wanted to kill him.

However, what was unexpected was that when Wei Zhongxian acted recklessly in Tongzhou City, the Donglin and Qi-Chu-Zhe factions in the court seemed completely unaware of it and paid no attention to him at all.

It seems these guys all took their congratulatory gifts to the new residence of the Emperor's father-in-law, Zhou Kuixin, for a celebratory banquet.

When the eldest son of the Emperor's father-in-law Zhou Kui got married, the capital was bustling with activity, and every official with free time went to attend.

Wei Zhongxian also wanted to go, but he was busy acquiring land in Tongzhou City. The current emperor seemed to be in a hurry and had specially ordered him to come back from Dai. If he abandoned such an important matter to attend the wedding banquet, who knows what the current emperor would think.

After much deliberation, he could only order Tu Wenfu to inquire about the maximum amount of gifts sent to the Emperor's father-in-law, Zhou Kui.

As a result, before noon that day, before the banquet had even started, Tu Wenfu rode up at breakneck speed, ran to the main hall of the prefectural government office, bowed and said, "Father, I have found out that the most gifts given were only a few thousand taels each."

These guys are really stingy! There are plenty of officials in the court who are richer than me, and the most they gave was only a thousand taels!

Wei Zhongxian curled his lip in disdain, then asked, "How many people sent a thousand taels?"

Tu Wenfu recalled, "There were probably four or five."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian waved his hand and said generously, "Go back immediately and give the Imperial Father-in-law five thousand taels of silver as a congratulatory gift on my behalf, as a token of my goodwill. You should also go and drink the wedding wine on my behalf, and have a few more drinks. You don't need to come today."

Tu Wenfu quickly bowed and took his leave, then hurried away.

(End of this chapter)