12dz Chapter 229 There is a sky outside the sky
Chapter 229 There is a sky outside the sky
"What's so great about your family's strength?" Wu Sheng was a little scared. He remembered the old butler who had tried to dissuade him earlier. He turned around to look, but the old butler was nowhere to be seen. The old butler, who had sensed something was wrong, had already run away.
He didn't even run back to the Wu family. Instead, he hid in an inn in the city, planning to go straight back to his hometown in the countryside after dawn. His son had disappeared several years ago.
There has been no news since then. From the moment Wu Sheng started arguing with Shen Pei, the old steward knew that this matter could not be resolved peacefully. The Wu family was in trouble this time, and he was just a servant. He was not worth dying for the Wu family.
With the butler gone, Wu Sheng panicked even more. Seeing Wu Sheng, who was already somewhat flustered, Shen Pei felt that there was no point in bullying a young man. He waved his hand behind him, and boom!
Amidst a flurry of activity, groups of soldiers armed with rifles rushed into the banquet hall. Seeing the gleaming bayonets on their rifles, everyone panicked. The judge shouted to his men, "Gentlemen, do not panic! Given that someone just threatened my safety, these soldiers are only here to protect me."
“General Xiong!” Shen Pei turned around and called out to Xiong Shan.
Xiong Shan stepped forward and replied, "This humble general is here!"
"I ask you, according to the laws of this autonomous region, what crime is committed by threatening government officials and hoarding private soldiers?" Shen Pei asked Xiong Shan.
Upon seeing Shen Pei nod slightly at him, Xiong Shan loudly replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, according to the laws of the autonomous region, threatening an official of the autonomous region government is punishable by up to ten years in prison."
“Threatening senior government officials should be punished with 50 years in prison. As for hoarding private armies, the individuals and their families involved must unconditionally hand over all private armies and weapons and equipment. Violators will be considered treason!”
"As the commander of the Xiong organization, who is also the garrison commander of Yanzhou, I don't need to say more about how to deal with traitors," Shen Pei said sinisterly.
Upon hearing Shen Pei's murderous words, everyone in the banquet hall seemed to feel a chill wind blowing through them, the cold seeping into their hearts and even temporarily stopping their brains from functioning.
"Guards! Arrest all these people who intend to rebel!" Xiong Shan roared.
"Spare me, my lord! Spare me, my lord!" At Xiong Shan's command, the small family members surrounding Wu Sheng finally understood what the end of the world meant. For them, this was the end of the world.
As the core mission, Wu Sheng was completely dumbfounded. He never imagined that anyone in Yanzhou would dare to lay a hand on the Wu family. He wondered if his father had ever taught him the saying, "There are always people more capable than you, and there is always something beyond your understanding."
"Spare me! I know I was wrong, I was wrong, Your Honor, please spare me!"
When the soldier reached Wu Sheng and grabbed his hands, Wu Sheng finally realized that he was finished. If Shen Pei proved his guilt, he would never have a chance to get out of trouble.
"Spare your life?"
Shen Pei said to Wu Sheng with a hint of amusement, "How could someone as capable as Young Master Wu need someone to spare his life?"
"My lord, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong. I was blind and disrespectful to you," Wu Sheng cried.
Shen Pei waved his hand and said to Wu Sheng, "I told you before that people must ultimately be responsible for their own words."
"Shen Pei, Shen Zhengnan, you're just a dog under Chen Er's command. You'll get what's coming to you!" Perhaps knowing he had no way out, Wu Sheng hysterically roared at Shen Pei.
Upon hearing Wu Sheng address his lord by his given name, before Shen Pei could even reprimand him, Xiong Shan strode forward and slapped Wu Sheng twice across the face, saying, "Boy, is it any way you can address the King of Wei by his given name?"
Stunned by Xiong Shan's two slaps, Wu Sheng felt as if stars were flying across his head. Having never experienced such treatment before, Wu Sheng, who was used to a life of luxury, fell silent and dared not utter another word.
"Take them all away!" Xiong Shan roared.
With a whoosh, the soldiers retreated like a tide. Shen Pei stepped forward and smiled at the remaining people, saying, "Gentlemen, gentlemen, what just happened was just a minor accident. Now let's continue the banquet tonight."
Shen Pei finally remembered the "important matter" of the evening. He walked to a table, raised a glass of wine, and said to everyone present, "Gentlemen, let us raise our glasses and drink together!"
"To your lord!"
Hearing Shen Pei's words, the remaining people finally felt relieved. For the time being, they were safe, and all they had to do now was to comply with the new policies and reforms of the self-governing area.
Zhang De, the head of the Zhang family, walked up to Shen Pei, raised his wine cup to Shen Pei, and said, "Lord Shen, I would like to offer you a toast. From now on, we will rely on your care. We will definitely respond actively to the new policies and measures of the autonomous region and cooperate with you to complete the important task of reforming Yanzhou as soon as possible, so that the people of Yanzhou can live a good life."
After what just happened, Zhang De understood that the world had changed. If he wanted his family to continue to develop, he would have to make certain sacrifices. His family was still quite wealthy. If all else failed, he could develop industry and commerce, just like the propaganda in the self-governing area suggested.
"I am very pleased that Patriarch Zhang thinks this way." Shen Pei raised his wine cup and took a small sip, which was his way of acknowledging Zhang De's willingness to align himself with him. Zhang De had no objection to this, after all, their statuses were different, and it was already a great honor that the other party was willing to take a sip.
Zhang De asked Shen Pei, "My lord, although I am willing to respond to the King of Wei's call to carry out reforms, I have so many people in my family to support. If we lose our current land, it will be difficult to survive. Please, my lord, give us a way to make a living."
At this moment, Zhang De humbled himself, which was also a way for him to test Shen Pei. Shen Pei pondered for a few moments and then said to Zhang De, "Patriarch Zhang, the new policies and reforms in the self-governed area clearly state that agriculture and industry should develop in tandem. Your family has occupied too much land."
"The lack of land for many people to cultivate has severely restricted agricultural development. Allowing more people to own land is also for the purpose of better developing agriculture. Moreover, the self-governing area will compensate you. At the same time, even if you don't develop agriculture, you can still join the organization of commerce and industry, which are all industries that can make a lot of money."
"But I don't understand these things."
Zhang De said that although he had some understanding of the industry and commerce in the self-governed area, this understanding came from other people's retellings and was quite limited.
Commerce was alright, with some members of the Zhang family still doing business in various places. However, Zhang De had no idea how to operate in industry. After the Westerners came to the empire, many handicraft workshops appeared within the empire due to their influence.