Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 814: Each of them submitted a petition
The next morning,

The spring rain drizzles in the courtyard, hitting the eaves and rocks. In the side rooms, candles are bright, warm fragrance is intertwined with the aroma of tea, and all the beauties in the boudoir gather together.

In the nunnery in Jiangnan, it was quiet, with only the sound of rain outside the window.
inside the house,

She was still wearing the white gauze monk's robe, with her jet-black hair scattered, the black and white color accentuated her stunning beauty. Opposite her, sat a maid in green clothes, with her hands on her cheeks, staring at the teapot on the table intently. The two of them were both teacher and friend. It turned out that Miaoyu and Xing Xiyan were drinking tea here!
After a long time,

Xing Yuyan handed the empty green jade bowl to Miaoyu and said softly:

"Miss, what's wrong with you? You look unhappy."

Miaoyu's face was cold and clear. Upon hearing that, she glanced at Xing Yuyan, reached out to take the green jade bowl, picked up the teapot beside her, and started pouring tea.

He lowered his eyes slightly, looked at the steaming tea in the green jade bowl, and said calmly:
"They say it's hard to guard against thieves in your own home. It's really true. I never realized before that you, a little girl, are so cunning. I don't know how you came to monitor me so closely. You are really a traitor."

The surveillance that Miaoyu mentioned was that Xing Yuyan and a group of people left behind by Luo Yunhou Mansion lived in the temple. The entire outer room was given to those big-headed soldiers to live in. Inside, many nuns moved to the backyard. Xing Yuyan's family also lived in the doorway room, saying that they were taking care of Master Miaoyu.
Intimidated by the soldiers, the abbot and others dared not say a word, so whenever they had the chance, Miaoyu would lose her temper and make some innuendos every time to vent her anger with words.

Xing Yuyan seemed to be used to hearing Master Miaoyu say this every time, and she didn't say anything back. She sighed and said,
"Oh, my lady, you are still talking. It is because of your good that the Marquis left soldiers to protect you and gave me money. Otherwise, I would not be able to survive in this small village at the foot of the mountain this year. Look at the rain outside, it keeps falling sporadically. It is another disaster year."

Xing Xiyan pouted, picked up the tea bowl that Miaoyu had poured, and drank it in one gulp. She was really not lying. With such rain, there would definitely be flooding, and the young crops in the fields might be drowned. There would be no harvest and no food for the year. How would they survive?

Miaoyu raised her eyebrows, looked at the little girl in front of her, and thought to herself, do you have anything else to eat? You are the one who eats the most, and replied;

"Humph, you are the only one with many crooked ideas. One cup is for tasting, two cups are for quenching thirst, you fool. Three cups is like drinking like a cow or a mule. You never learn your lesson. Your appetite has increased these days."

Xing Yuyan didn't take it seriously. Master Miaoyu was always like this, sharp-tongued but kind-hearted. She said:

"I just talked a lot and I am really thirsty. Besides, Miss is good at making tea. I think the Marquis will like it in the future."

Xing Yuyan was also muttering, calling him Marquis on the left and Marquis on the right, sounding so affectionate. Now that she thought about it, the silver Zhang Jinyu left behind when he left was not given in vain.

The two of them talked to each other, each thinking about their own thoughts.

Miaoyu, in particular, still vaguely remembered that handsome face, but she felt that she still felt a little contemptuous of herself in her heart for missing him so soon.

Although the green lamps and drums are good, they lack the worldly atmosphere. Practicing Buddhism and Taoism is better to say that it is to cultivate the mind. The master once said that the experience of the world is also to cultivate the mind. I don’t know where my future lies.

At this moment, suddenly, soldiers came to the front yard.
"Miss, please pack your belongings quickly. You can't stay here for long. I'm afraid something has happened in the city. Please hurry up, Master."

The man left a message and immediately returned to the front yard. Xing Yuyan was still unaware, but Miaoyu's eyes widened and she stood up immediately. Something had happened in the city. Could it be that something had happened in Jinling or Suzhou? Thinking of her father's instructions a few days ago, she was worried about her father, but she also knew that going back now would be useless. In the end, it all depended on him.

"Xie Yan, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and inform the abbot and all the sisters. Pack up your belongings and take away everything you can."

"Uh, yes, miss."

Before Xing Yanyan could figure out what was going on, Miaoyu drove her out. As soon as she left, Miaoyu began to rummage through boxes and cabinets. She took out a sandalwood box from the bottom of a box and opened it. Inside was a stack of banknotes from Sihai Bank and a few rare items. These were given to her personally by her father a few days ago.
He also reminded us not to stay in Jiangnan for long. If anything happened, we should go to the capital to seek refuge with Luo Yunhou immediately. We must not stay behind. If we could find him, there would still be a glimmer of hope.
Perhaps these are the culprits. Cover them up quickly and start organizing daily necessities.

The front yard,
The police officers who had not slept all night walked slowly along the mountain road, stopping and starting, and finally arrived in front of the temple. However, what they didn't know was that when they reached the middle of the mountain, they were found by the soldiers and spies left by the marquis' mansion and they were prepared.
The head constable, wearing a straw raincoat and leading a group of soldiers, stood in front of the door and cursed angrily;
"Nun in the temple, I am here on orders from the prefectural government to search for wanted criminals. Please open the door quickly."

However, no one answered.

Seeing that there was no movement in the nunnery, the captain cursed inwardly.
"Damn it, you are shameless. I've been tired all night. I'll go in later and let these women know how powerful I am."

He turned around and waved, and a group of people behind him immediately surrounded him.

"Brothers, the nunnery is ahead. This time we are arresting the only daughter of Lord Qin, and other women are not included. So, once you enter, please be careful."

"Yes, my lord."

The surrounding soldiers had shining eyes. The captain of the police was generous. To them, as long as she was a woman, she would be fine. They began to bang on the door impatiently. Seeing that no one opened the door, some of them even started to climb the wall.

And at this moment,

The soldiers in the front yard were ready. Although there were not many soldiers left, they were fully armored and waiting quietly behind the wall. The leading captain listened to the noise outside and confirmed that there were not many people coming. He nodded and said,

"There are not many of us. Open the door and kill them all. Don't leave any one alive."

"Yes, Captain."

I saw a man suddenly pull out the bolt, and the person who was knocking on the door stumbled and fell inside. Before he could stand firmly, he felt a chill on his neck and lost all his strength.

The others reacted and rushed forward with their swords drawn. Soon, screams and wails were heard, spreading through the surrounding woods and making the entire nunnery look even more eerie.

In the backyard, Xing Yuyan had already informed the abbot and others. Master Shuiyue reacted the fastest and told everyone to pack up their gold and silver jewelry. They didn't take any ordinary items. They also packed a few clothes for changing. Now everyone had packed up almost everything. After all, they didn't have so many valuables to take. On the contrary, there were three large boxes that needed to be moved to Miaoyu's room, and the packages were also divided into three.
Xing Yuyan, who had just come in, was secretly shocked. There were so many things. Fortunately, there were a few carriages.

"Miss, Nun Shuiyue and Abbot Shuiyan have packed up, but the newcomers don't want to leave. Nun asked me to ask you, what should we do?"

Miaoyu closed all the boxes in front of her and locked them. Without even looking up, she replied, "If you don't want to leave, stay. Life and death are up to fate. Those who can stay, wait until we leave, and let them escape quickly, otherwise their lives will be in danger. There must be a fight ahead. Tell them to come over and carry the things to the carriage. Once everything is settled, leave immediately."

"Yes, ma'am."

Xing Yanyan hurried back to inform the abbot and others. After a while, everyone arrived at the supplies. Under the command of Master Shuiyue, they carried Miaoyu's things onto the car. No one dared to complain. Everyone knew that at this time, they could only rely on Master Miaoyu to save their lives.

After packing everything up,
There were still a few young masters who didn't want to leave, and Miaoyu didn't stop them. She left some silver and clothes for ordinary people, and said;
"Since you guys don't want to leave, you can't stay here. If the news gets out, you can't stay here for long. Even if it has nothing to do with you, the government will be angry and will definitely ruin your innocent lives. There is no point in keeping you here. This silver is also a fate between us."

"Yes, Master Miaoyu!"

Several people looked at each other, hesitating, when the captain in the front yard ran back covered in blood, clasped his fists and said;
"Madam, the soldiers who came here have all been executed. They have all been beheaded here. We should not stay here for long. I am afraid there will be soldiers following us. It is best to leave now."

The bloody smell was so strong that many nuns could not stand it. They turned pale and vomited. Miaoyu's face was not looking good either. With so many people dead, how could the government let it go? They were just like tigers, leopards, jackals and wolves.
"Okay, General, please bear with me on the way. I'll be leaving now."

Without waiting for others to think, he dragged Xing Yuyan onto the carriage, and the rest of the people squeezed into several other carriages, and went down the mountain from the back door of Xuanmu Panxiang Temple. The personal soldiers of the Marquis's mansion had already driven out the prepared horses, jumped on the horses, and chased after them. There was a ship left by the Marquis at the Jinling Wharf.
As soon as the people left, the nunnery, which had been bustling with life just a moment ago, suddenly became deserted. The bloodstains made it look even more eerie and terrifying. The few people who were left behind were terrified. They immediately changed their clothes, grabbed some clothes and some valuables, and fled down the mountain after them, leaving behind only a field full of corpses.

Washed by the raindrops from the sky, it soon became foggy!
Chunyang County,
It is the largest county in Jinling, located in the east of Jinling. Not only is the land fertile, but it is also close to the canal and has no danger of dike breaches. The number of acres of farmland is also one of the largest in Jiangnan.
The county government office was now surrounded by government soldiers, all of whom were seconded from Yangzhou. Xiang Zhengsu, the former Yangzhou garrison general, was captured by Luo Yunhou. Although he was released, he was sued by the Yangzhou prefect and was demoted three levels. Although he was still the general of Yangzhou, his rank was the lowest. If he was demoted further, he would not even be able to be a general.
It just so happened that Eunuch Yang came from the capital and sent someone to read the documents of the Ministry of War to General Xiang. As a result, Xiang Zhengsu got in touch with Eunuch Yang, learned the previous lesson, and offered sacrifices. This led to the scene of the previous troop transfer.
right now,

After Eunuch Yang gave the Jinling garrison general a report, he transferred all the 10,000 troops from Yangzhou to Jinling. With this as a foundation, plus the yamen and the servants from Lord Jing, everything was ready except for the east wind.

So, early in the morning,

Lord Ma gathered his troops and went to the Chunyang County government office.

In the inner hall of the government office, Chunyang County Magistrate Zuo Sangui sat on the main seat with a gloomy face, looking at his housekeeper sweating profusely, and asked;

"Whose troops are coming from outside?"

"My Lord, it should be the government troops. As for whose troops they are, I didn't see clearly."

The housekeeper had just taken a peek through the crack in the doorway. The style of the armor was indeed that of the palace army, but he could not tell who was leading the army. It certainly did not look like the troops of General Leng of Jinling City.

"That's strange. The Jinling City government army only has Lord Leng's troops. It's impossible for them to come here. Since the troops outside are government troops, they must be guest troops. Suzhou is still Yangzhou. When I think of General Jiao in Suzhou, they can't move. They must be Yangzhou troops. How brave they are."

For a moment, Zuo Sangui felt a chill in his heart. To be able to mobilize the Yangzhou army, someone must have issued an order. Lord Jiangnanzhuang did not issue an order, so only Eunuch Yang and Lord Jing could do it with the military token. They must be well prepared.
I couldn't help but feel a little worried. Lord Zhuang and Lord Lu were devoted to the country and cared about the people. How could they be fooled by these rootless people? I was extremely angry.
Just then,
Outside the yamen, Ma Guangcheng, the magistrate of Jinling, who had already arrived, got off the carriage safely. With a wave of his hand, a trusted yamen runner pushed open the door of the county yamen in front of him and walked in.

The government office was not big. From the front yard to the main hall, one could see the end at a glance. When approaching, the only space was filled with people from both sides.
At this time in the Yamen,
The left county magistrate looked grim, but he was not timid at all. He stood up and asked coldly;
"Sir Ma, although you are a superior, you dare to openly lead troops into the county government office. Don't you take the court laws seriously? And you are overreaching."

"Ahaha, Lord Zuo, you are joking. I am here in compliance with the laws of the court. You say that I have a long arm, but I can't reach as far as you. You have repeatedly disobeyed the orders of the court. Who gave you the courage? I have sent the memorial to impeach you to the capital in an emergency. Lord Zuo, you should take a good rest. I will take care of the matter of converting the fields into mulberry trees."

Ma Guangcheng laughed. It had been a long time since he had spoken so freely. These county magistrates, relying on the prestige of Mr. Zhuang, had been against the Jinling prefectural government. This had not been going on for a day or two. Now, you could no longer do what you usually do.
"Okay, since Lord Ma has a memorial, you need to show me the written decree of my dismissal. If not, I will go to the capital to file a complaint. The Jinling prefect has no respect for the court and is breaking the law knowingly!"

Zuo Sangui was not easily frightened. With Lord Zhuang as his backer, no one in Jiangnan dared to touch him. Among the people who came, there were people from Lord Lu.
"Go wherever you want to file a complaint. I'll be waiting for you. As for the documents, Lord Jing has already prepared them. Your county magistrate has been dismissed on the spot. Lord Zhuang has also signed them. Come, let me show them to you."

Finally, Ma Guangcheng reluctantly took out the document and handed it over, just to see County Magistrate Zuo's expression. Sure enough, after receiving the document, Lord Zuo shook his body. Unexpectedly, Lord Zhuang actually used his private seal on it. Why?
His mind was in a mess for a moment. Could it be that something had changed in Jinling City? Now it was too late to do anything. He quickly collected the documents, turned around and went back to the back hall, asked the housekeeper to pack up his belongings, and took the whole family with him. He was going to the city to report to Lord Zhuang. After everyone left, Ma Guangcheng did not delay any longer and immediately ordered,
"Post notices everywhere and put up signs on the ground between the fields. Start from the west and destroy some of the young crops first to warn the peasants."

"Yes, my lord."

The captain waiting outside had long been impatient. After receiving the order, he hurriedly led his soldiers to rush to the villages in the west. Naturally, there was chaos along the way. Lord Zuo was not slow either. He packed his bags, took his family and servants, and left angrily.
"Sir, just let Master Zuo go like this."

A clerk beside him asked in a low voice.

"Well, if you don't let him go, can you still keep him? Although Lord Jing used some means to get Lord Zhuang to agree to use the seal privately, Zuo Sangui is his man. If you touch him, what if it causes misunderstanding and delays important matters? Can you afford it?"

After the question, the clerk lowered his body and lowered his head to reply;

"Your Excellency is cautious and I am not good at speaking. I am afraid that Master Zuo will go back and submit a memorial to the court, which will embarrass you. Things here are being handled in a hurry."

"Nothing. His memorials have not been submitted. It is almost May now. If we don't hurry up and plant mulberry leaves, we will have no silk production and no food at all."

After saying this, Ma Guangcheng sat on the main seat in the hall, half-closed his eyes, and rested quietly. He seemed calm, but his heart was actually in turmoil. Not only were the government orders inconsistent, but the superiors were also undermining each other, and the people below were blindly following. In this way, even if the reform was successful, there might be chaos.

And outside,
The soldiers from Yangzhou didn't care about the people's feelings. After they entered the village and posted notices, they would whip anyone who made an unpleasant comment.
The rest of the people came to the fields in large numbers and trampled on them, pushing the sprouting rice seedlings directly into the ground and leaving them without a trace. In just one morning, several large plots of land in the west, which were originally green, became bare.

When the captain saw this, he waved his hand and called back his troops. The common people who came to inquire about the situation knelt in the fields, crying and shouting.

"You bastards, you're destroying the fields like this, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"

When the captain heard this, he was no longer willing and said sternly;
"You lowly people, you disobeyed the imperial decree and planted crops privately. If you don't correct your behavior within ten days, don't blame me for not giving you face. I will first severely beat up those who led the group."

"Yes, Captain."

A group of soldiers behind him rushed over like wolves and tigers, raised their whips and started to lash out. Suddenly, a long and continuous wailing sound was heard.

(End of this chapter)