Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Jiang Pengji gave a slight smile and slyly replied, “If a county governor truly loved his people, why wouldn’t he pay out of his own pocket? The law does not punish the majority, and the imperial court could not save the masses. In the end, wasn’t it the people who saved themselves?”
It would be easier to rob the rich than to help the poor.
“People create opportunities. If one were to build their achievements on their predecessors, eventually they would lose.” Jiang Pengji’s eyes flashed with interest. “Those nobles are outrageously wealthy. How could they miss out on those events that benefit the people?”
Those nobles plundered the locals in order to benefit themselves.
“As for those who took the money and rations, that’s easy. Xu County indeed had a yearly drought, but the people didn’t need to go hungry. The imperial court had been sending money and rations and even reduced their taxes every year. The result?”
Natural calamities were terrifying, but human nature was the worst catastrophe.
If the people had been united, they could have overcome any circumstance. However, it became a dog-eat-dog world, and the county had become the poorest in Dongqing.
“Before Dongqing, Daxia had been sending monetary support every year. That should have added up to quite a large sum. It should be easy to figure out who took the money. If those people refused to give back what they took, there are always other ways to get the money back. You could fake the accounts, or hire bandits to exterminate an entire family, or even conduct a search and confiscate. There is always a way.
“There is also nothing in this world that can’t be solved with a sword. If there is, stab it a few more times!”
Jiang Pengji’s eyes curved with her bloodthirsty smile.
Of course, it was best to have evidence. But if there wasn’t any, all they had to do was create some.
In an emergency, even a gentleman could not be a stickler for the rules.
If none of those methods worked, all Liu She had to do was publicize the situation. He would not even need to lift a finger to do anything. The masses would do the work for him.
One could not govern Xu County in the style of a nobleman; one needed to be as ruthless as possible. If the people were vicious, you had to be more vicious. If they did not agree to your terms, then it was time to get physical.
“To do all this, your reputation must be popular with the masses, and the noble families must fear the military, or else it would be easy to harbor a grudge,” Jiang Pengji said.
For Liu She to have properly governed and fixed Xu County, he would have definitely angered the local tyrants because his methods impaired their profits.
People kill over money, and it would have been natural to kill Liu She for their own profits.
“It’s not easy to keep your life safe and still govern Xu County.” Jiang Pengji licked her dry lips. “How did you do it all those years ago?”
“Exactly how you said it.” Liu She smiled.
Liu She had used the methods that Jiang Pengji mentioned. But he had not been as ruthless.
Liu She’s methods for dealing with the nobles in Xu County had seemed cruel and caused a lot of problems. They had even given him the nickname “the judge of hell” behind his back. Yet when one compared his methods to Jiang Pengji’s, one might think that his methods were kind.
Even if Liu She was ruthless, he still allowed those nobles to enjoy their privileges and live. Jiang Pengji’s method would have been to cut them off completely and leave them to die.
Liu She cast a complicated gaze at Jiang Pengji.
Even though his daughter did not have any murderous intent, her eyes were bright, and he was fairly sure that she was not joking.
“Lanting,” Liu She sighed. “You forgot something important.”
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow. She had thought of her methods at the last minute, so it was easy to miss something. She was interested in hearing what Liu She had to say. “Father, please enlighten me.”
Liu She did not speak. Instead, he wrote two words on the table with his finger. Jiang Pengji’s expression turned solemn immediately.
“Your methods would work. But have you thought about how your actions would offend all the nobles?”
In that era, insulting a prominent family was worse than insulting the emperor on the streets. A noble family had an immense amount of power. Jiang Pengji’s methods could fix Xu County, but what would happen afterward?
She would be the nobles’ common enemy.
“Furthermore, there are more and more talented people from these old families...” Liu She paused and turned around. “Have you thought about what would happen to you if the nobles decided to cooperate against you?”
In that era, most resources were given to the nobles. They had control over large amounts of money, so their children were often much more talented than normal people.
If she offended all the noble families, who would lend her aid?
Jiang Pengji’s expression was dark as she lifted her head to look at Liu She.
“What would you have done then?” Jiang Pengji asked deliberately.
“I did not burn any bridges,” Liu She replied.
One could offend them, but not to the point where they would hold grudges.
Jiang Pengji pursed her lips and replied a moment later. “But keeping them is troublesome. It’s easier to just get rid of them.”
Liu She’s gaze was complicated as he looked at Jiang Pengji. He sighed after a while. “Lanting, I don’t care what you think or do. Just think twice before you do anything. You have to think for yourself and your blood relatives.”
She was the Liu family’s second son!
Jiang Pengji replied, “I understand.”
Liu She did not dare contemplate on whether or not Jiang Pengji had really understood his words.