In the mid-November of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the northern land had entered a season when the grass and trees were withered and all things were withered, and the Jiangnan area thousands of miles away was still a green landscape.

At around the afternoon of the day, at around the afternoon of Shen, a large mansion was located in front of a large-scale mansion several miles on the south bank of the Qinhuai River in Nanjing. Luxuriously decorated eight-carriage sedan arrived here one after another.

After the sedan chair stopped, the housekeepers who were accompanying the sedan chair snatched up and lifted up the curtains, stretched out their arms and supported the master out of the sedan chair. Several guests waiting in front of the door hurried forward to greet each other, and then invited the extraordinary figures to enter the mansion.

Teams of guards wearing blue or black uniforms, with long swords hanging on their waists followed closely around the sedan chair. After seeing their master being welcomed into the mansion by the guests standing in front of the door, they began to greet each other with fists and greet them.

This six-entry mansion is the residence of Duke of Wei Xu Hongji. It was also the first hero of the founding state of the Ming Dynasty after Zhu Yuanzhang established his capital in Nanjing and was personally supervised by Xu Da, who was named Duke of Wei at that time.

However, the original Duke of Wei did not occupy a large area. The reason why it can cover an area of ​​1,000 acres today was formed after more than two hundred years of robbery of Wei.

The rockery pond in the huge Duke's mansion is full of precious flowers and trees, and the winding corridors seem to be endless. Several courtyards are connected to each other. When walking, there are often two-story wooden buildings rising from the ground, so that they can enjoy various beautiful scenery in the mansion from different angles and heights.

If Xu Da reborn, if no one leads him, he may not even be able to find a place to wash his hands after entering his own house.

Xu Hongji, who was passed down from the Duke of Wei, has been in the tenth generation.

Although since the tenth year of Chongzhen, the emperor issued an order to abolish the garrisons in various parts of the Ming Dynasty and the Duke of Wei no longer had military power, the connections and prestige accumulated over the past two hundred years are still unparalleled. The Duke of Wei is still recognized as the top noble mansion in the Ming Dynasty, and its status is only slightly lower than that in Beijing's Duke of Britain, but far exceeds the other Duke and Marquis' Mansions.

A few days ago, Xu Hongji sent the office manager of the mansion to spread invitations in Nanjing under the name of his 65th birthday, and invited many nobles in the city to come to the mansion for banquets and gatherings today. Although there is still some time before Shen Shimo, the nobles who received the invitation have brought their own gifts and arrived at the Duke of Wei in advance.

In fact, both Xu Hongji and many guests knew that this birthday party was just an excuse. Xu Hongji, who was over 60 years old, had been suffering from severe illness for more than a year, and his health was getting worse and worse. He had not seen guests for more than half a year.

Everyone knows the purpose of this banquet, and it is to discuss how to deal with the gentry's food collection.

As soon as the news spread in the capital, it was soon taken to the south of the Yangtze River by merchant ships sailing on the canal day and night, and then caused huge waves among the gentry and wealthy families. These sounds quickly gathered into a voice: the emperor was unvirtuous, the court was in power, and he actually wanted to do this evil policy to seize the food from the people. This action caused the heavens to be angry and the people to resent!

All officials and gentry in Jiangnan should be united in harmony and speak out for the people together. While condemning these evil policies of the disabled people, they should take necessary measures to prevent them from implementing them in Jiangnan.

In the past ten days since the news came, except for Songjiang Prefecture and Ningbo Prefecture, all prefectures, prefectures and counties in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas received a large number of gentry and wealthy families visiting each day, and strongly demanded that parents write to the emperor and the court to dispel this robbery act that wants to plunder the people as soon as possible to ensure the prosperity and stability of the Jiangnan region.

A large number of scholars and students from all over the country also gathered in front of the government to sit quietly and demonstrate, protesting against the soon-to-be-implemented strategies of the people.

The governor's yamen in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are also crowded with people. Every day, people from all kinds of people come to ask whether the court really wants to implement this policy. They also warn the two senior officials that Jiangnan has always paid important taxes for the court. If this policy is implemented, the current prosperous scenery will disappear in the blink of an eye. I hope that the two emperors will come to the emperor immediately to explain the harm of this matter and not cause the newly stable Ming Dynasty to fall into irrescue disaster again.

Some of the local officials from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces have begun to communicate with each other and are preparing to jointly publish the book to explain to the court the serious consequences that may arise after the implementation of this policy, and ask the important officials in the court to think twice.

These people are of course directly injured by the new policy to be implemented.

Just as Zhu Youjian considered, the compensation it gave was not enough to compare with the harm caused by the gentry's integrated food collection, and many people did not take that compensation seriously.

These people believe that compensation is compensation. If we give you an official position, any compensation should be given, but if you want to get money from us, what is the difference between you and a thief?

Your Majesty, are you going to rebel?

Compared with the strong restlessness and opposition from the gentry group, the nobles who settled in Nanjing seemed relatively quiet.

In addition to sending people to the capital overnight to find out various details, they kept silent tacitly before the news was heard back, and even went to the Jiangsu Governor's Office.

For these nobles who have watched the changes in the Ming Dynasty for two hundred years, seeing the direction of the wind and making decisions is the best way to ensure that wealth and honor continue.

As time came to Shen Shizhong, the nobles who received the invitation, Zhu Guobi, Zhu Guobi, Xu Wenjue, Lingbi Hou, Tang Guozuo, Deng Wenyu, Xincheng Bo Zhao Zhilong and other nobles who received the invitation arrived at the Duke of Wei's Mansion, and led by the guests to the fourth garden. Xu Hongji was waiting for them in a living room by the pond.

This living room, made of rosewood, is divided into two rooms. As soon as you enter the door, several elegantly shaped and exquisitely crafted palace lanterns have been lit. The butter candles mixed with South China Sea incense are emitting a pleasant fragrance. Silver basins carved with auspicious patterns are placed at all corners. The golden silk and bamboo charcoal without a trace of fireworks are burning, making the indoor temperature warm as spring.

In the center of the outside room is a table made of yellow rosewood and eight carved seats with cushioned backrests. Since it was still early, there were no wine and dishes on the table, only dried fruits and pastries on it.

"Welcome to the house as a guest. I am not good at it, so I won't go out to welcome you with you.

It's still early now. I dare to ask all the good brothers to come in first. Let's talk about the past and then have a banquet?

Xu Wu, let’s go and inform everyone in the mansion. Without orders, you must not get close to this place within a hundred steps!”

Just after Zhu Guobi and others stepped into the living room one after another, Xu Hongji's low and majestic voice came out from the inside. After hearing the sound, everyone politely followed each other, they entered the convention hall on the side in order according to the title.
Chapter completed!