Chapter 441
"My lord, it's already the third quarter of the midnight hour." Xiao Zibai couldn't help but remind him again. After all, the official documents on the desk were still piled up like a mountain, and his lord had not slept for more than two hours these past few days.
Thinking of this, Xiao Zibai couldn't help but resent Zhan Feiyu, "It's all Zhan Feiyu's fault!"
"Zibai, mind your words!" Xiao Zimo, who was waiting by the side, shot a warning glance at his unbridled younger brother. Some things were fine to say once, but to mention them repeatedly, once they got out, even with the lord's protection, Zibai was, after all, just a subordinate.
Xiao Zibai, with his neck stiff, glared at his elder brother with dissatisfaction and asked Chen Fan, "Did I say something wrong? Brother Chen, please judge!"
Chen Fan, also a personal guard of Lord Yao, touched his nose and smiled, "I'm just a rough man, I don't understand the situation in Minhe Prefecture, nor do I know who is right or wrong."
Seeing Xiao Zibai's face flushed with anger, Lord Yao put down the document in his hand and spoke a fair word, "The Emperor intends to replace a large number of officials in Longyou Circuit. Even without the Jin family's affairs, these official documents would not be few. It is actually more convenient to handle matters away from Longzhou now."
As the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Longyou Circuit, if Lord Yao were still in the Provincial Administration Office, he would likely have countless visitors. It was better to stay in Minhe Prefecture to handle these matters, at least for some peace.
The three people in the study were all his confidants. Lord Yao also intended to guide the three of them, as the situation in Longyou Circuit would undergo earth-shattering changes within a month at the latest. "Zibai, in terms of depth of character and strategy, you are far inferior to Zhan Feiyu."
"My lord!" Xiao Zibai cried out, surprised that his lord actually favored that troublemaker Zhan Feiyu.
Lord Yao raised his hand to signal the three to sit down, and then slowly analyzed, "Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants! As long as one group is unstable, Longyou Circuit will be in turmoil. Now that military power has returned to General Yang, we don't have to worry about the barbarians taking advantage of the situation to sneak attack."
"The reforms in Longyou Circuit now will not cause panic among the people." Chen Fan spoke first. Whether it was farming or working, as long as they could fill their stomachs, they would not cause trouble.
As for the aristocratic families of Longyou Circuit, Xiao Zibai and the other two looked in unison at Lord Yao, who was sitting behind the desk. With the lord in charge, the officials and literati of Longyou Circuit would not be in chaos.
"So Zhan Feiyu deliberately targeted the Jin family?" Xiao Zibai's brows furrowed suddenly, and he vaguely grasped a clue.
Lord Yao nodded. Although his emaciated face showed signs of fatigue, it also revealed his admiration for Zhan Feiyu. "The Jin family's businesses are spread throughout Longyou Circuit. If the Jin family harbors ill intentions, then Longyou Circuit will surely be in chaos."
The General's Mansion only deterred the barbarians. If the Jin family raised prices for their shops in various prefectures, or worse, simply closed them down, the order of Longyou Circuit would immediately collapse. The common people would not be able to buy grain and cloth, the medical clinics would not be able to buy medicinal materials, and other merchant caravans would not be able to enter Longyou Circuit to trade.
Lord Yao could imagine what would happen then. If the Jin family chose to make trouble at the time when officials in various prefectures were newly appointed, and the local officials had not yet familiarized themselves with their duties, but the common people were in turmoil due to food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and then incited by those with ulterior motives, it would be normal for popular uprisings and rebellions to occur.
"My lord, although the Jin family is as rich as a nation, aren't they not worried about the imperial court settling accounts in the autumn?" Xiao Zimo said in a deep voice. He had been traveling outside, gathering various information for Lord Yao, so Xiao Zimo knew the vastness of the Jin family's industries and the unspeakable deeds they did in secret.
"Zhan Feiyu previously suspected that the Jin family was colluding with the barbarians." As soon as Lord Yao said this, the remaining three in the study understood after being shocked.
If the Jin family were ordinary merchants, they certainly would not and would not dare to act recklessly. But if the Jin family colluded with the barbarians, and once the Jin family made a move to cause a popular uprising, and the barbarians launched a war, with internal and external troubles, Longyou Circuit would be in danger!
Xiao Zibai was stunned for a long time, his expression still somewhat dazed. "So Zhan Feiyu deliberately used the roster to make enemies with the Jin family. Those few forces have now joined forces to attack the Jin family's industries. The Jin family's situation is dangerous. Once they borrow the power of the barbarians, they will surely be detected by the Forbidden Dragon Guard."
The news of the Emperor replacing officials in Longyou Circuit had not been finalized. Even if they were replaced, it was unknown how many people would be replaced. Therefore, at this time, it was impossible for the Jin family to cause a popular uprising, because the officials in various prefectures, for the sake of their official hats, would certainly handle their duties diligently. With the local officials suppressing them, Longyou Circuit would not be in chaos.
"But what if the Jin family is not colluding with the barbarians? Wouldn't this be an undeserved disaster?" Xiao Zibai spoke again, feeling a little unbearable in his heart.
At least one-tenth of the industries in Longyou Circuit belonged to the Jin family. The most crucial point was that the Jin family controlled the trade routes, and other merchants were also controlled by the Jin family to some extent. With Zhan Feiyu's probing, a century-old wealthy family might collapse in a matter of days.