The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 6 If you don’t take it, how can others take it!
I can’t sleep, or rather, I don’t dare to sleep.

Li Hu was lying on the bed, his eyes wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling.

He had a nightmare in which the son of Prince Zhong came to seek revenge on him. He was exhausted and captured, and was finally put in a jar and burned to death by the son of Prince Zhong.

Too scary!

Alas, this is a serious crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan. Even if the emperor does not exterminate Prince Zhong's entire family, he will demote the male members of the family to commoners and send them to the clan house for eternal confinement.

He has been confined to the clan house, what is there to be afraid of?

Thinking of this, Li Hu put down the knife in his hand and closed his eyes.

After a while, Li Hu opened his eyes again, threw off the quilt, and got out of bed. You can sleep anytime, but you only have one life. Go get some information first, and find a place to stay in Dongcheng. There are all kinds of people here, it's too dangerous.

As a poor bachelor, he didn't even have a cup of hot water. Li Hu drew half a bucket of water from the well, washed himself simply, and drank half a bowl of it, feeling completely chilled.

Just then, a burst of footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate and stopped in front of the gate.

"Clap clap clap!"

"Clap clap clap!"

A eunuch's shrill voice came in, "Is General Li here, General Li!"

Knock on the door three times. That's what a gentleman should do!

Li Hu put down the knife in his hand, walked over quickly and silently, took a look through the crack in the door, and then opened the gate.

"Great joy!" As soon as the door opened, the eunuch in red raised his hands.

Li Hu took out a silver note from his pocket and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work. Give it to everyone to have a cup of tea."

The eunuch in red was not polite at all. He took the banknote, put it into his sleeve and raised his hand.

A eunuch in blue came over with a tray containing four things: an imperial edict, a certificate of appointment, an official seal and a waist badge.

Li Hu was delighted that the vacancy was filled so quickly!
The red-robed eunuch laughed and said, "General Li, please take a look."

Li Hu breathed a sigh of relief, held up the imperial edict with both hands and read it. After reading a few lines, he was stunned. Was he being demoted?

The red-robed eunuch understood and said with a smile, "This is a truly lucrative position, one that many people would fight to get."

A lucrative job? Most of the people living in South City are ordinary people. The merchants on Qianmen Street are wealthy, but who doesn't have a background?

Li Hu looked at him in confusion.

The red-robed eunuch: "Chongwenmen."

Li Hu understood immediately.

Chongwenmen, also known as Wenmingmen in the Yuan Dynasty, is commonly known as "Hadimen" or "Haidaimen". Since the early Ming Dynasty, Chongwenmen has become a customs house to collect business taxes from merchants.

After the success of the Northern Expedition of the Dashun Dynasty, the capital city was continued, and the Chongwenmen Customs was also continued. As the population of the capital city recovered and merchants came and went frequently, the tax revenue of the Chongwenmen Customs increased year by year. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Chongwenmen Customs only collected nearly 9 taels of silver in tax revenue each year. During the reign of the Emperor Taishang, the tax revenue here soared to more than 30 taels of silver, and this was silver that had passed through several hands.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Li Hu.

Because all goods entering the city have to go through Chongwenmen, a "logistics center" naturally formed outside Chongwenmen. The goods distribution centers or markets are mainly concentrated along the line from Guangqumen Street to Chongwenmen Street. These places are under the jurisdiction of Nanying!
The red-robed eunuch said, "General Li, please take good care of me in the future." He took out a list from his pocket and handed it to Li Hu, "Here is a lucrative job of confiscating property."

"Oh?"

Li Hu took the list and was shocked. They were all generals of the Imperial Guards. Except for the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, the rest were high-ranking generals such as lieutenant general and deputy general.

At this time, the red-robed eunuch stepped forward and whispered, "Our ancestors said that when serving the emperor, loyalty is more important than anything else."

Li Hu was slightly stunned, and answered "yes" before taking out the last silver note from his pocket and stuffing it into the hand of the eunuch in red.

The eunuch in red smiled and nodded.

Li Hu took the tray and watched their backs disappear around the corner of the alley before he closed the door and went back into the house.

Looking at the list in his hand, Li Hu smiled bitterly and shook his head. The Imperial Guards could not go back. Not only could they not go back, they had also offended many people, especially the noble military lineage.

Forget it, I am not the same kind of person as them.

Li Hu folded the list carefully, stuffed it into his arms, then looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh.

At this time, the residence of the deputy commander of the imperial guards had already been surrounded by the imperial guards. In front of the open red lacquer copper-nailed gate, two rows of imperial guards wearing helmets and armor stood there with spears and swords in hand.

A captain of the imperial guards was walking back and forth in front of the gate with a sword slung over his shoulder, looking towards the distant street corner from time to time.

The sound of hurried hooves and running horses.

The commander of the imperial guards quickly looked over there.

Soldiers from the South Camp ran in a line from the street corner with swords slung over their shoulders, and a team of soldiers surrounded the mansion.

Several generals led more than a hundred soldiers to line up in front of the mansion gate, rubbing their hands excitedly with shining eyes.

With a "humph", the captain turned his gaze towards the street corner.

Li Hu is here.

Wang Daniu took the lead, leading ten cavalrymen from the South Camp.

Zhang Cheng led more than thirty riders to guard Li Hu.

Behind them, a large group of clerks were holding abacus and account books.

Looking at Li Hu, a complex look flashed in the eyes of the thousand-man commander, but he didn't say anything. He just clasped his hands, waved his hand, and led the imperial guards away.

Li Hu understood that from now on, he would have nothing to do with the Imperial Guards.

Li Hu got off his horse and walked to the steps in front of the door. He glanced at the soldiers and clerks in the South Camp who were still very excited, and said, "It is said that a new official will start with three things, but don't worry, it won't hinder you from making a small fortune! I believe you know what you can take and what you can't take."

Wang Daniu shouted loudly: "Did you understand everything?!"

Everyone shouted in unison: "Understood!"

Li Hu: “Copy!”

Zhang Cheng waved his hand and ordered loudly: "Drive all the women to the backyard and search every room!"

All the clerks and soldiers shouted in unison: "Yes!" and immediately rushed in through the gate.

There were cries and shouts coming from the mansion immediately.

This is the consequence of standing on the wrong side. Not only will you suffer, but your family will also be implicated.

At this moment, a captain came out hurriedly and whispered, "Sir, all the rebellious wives and daughters have hanged themselves."

Li Hu was slightly stunned, then he sighed. It was better to die than to be sent to the Jiaofangsi or sold as a slave.

Suddenly thinking of the Jia family, Li Hu was stunned. He decided to find out some news when he had time.

Wang Daniu walked over with a grin on his face: "Sir."

Li Hu glared at him and said, "You're useless." Then he turned around and walked inside.

Wang Daniu: "I won't take much, just enough to marry a wife." He chased him in.

The front yard was filled with boxes, and the clerks were clicking the beads on the abacus, making a deafening sound.

At this time, Zhang Cheng called a group of soldiers to carry boxes towards Li Hu.

Zhang Cheng opened all the boxes.

Ingots of gold sparkle in the sunlight, and boxes of jewels are colorful and stunning!

Zhang Cheng picked up a box and handed it to Li Hu.

Li Hu opened the box, and found it was filled with house deeds and land deeds.

Li Hu thought about it and said, "Pick two large houses with three entrances in good locations, and don't move the deeds."

Zhang Cheng hesitated for a moment and asked, "Sir, why don't you keep one for yourself?"

Li Hu shook his head. These two three-story mansions were given to Dai Quan, and the intercepted properties were also used to bribe people. Of course, he would keep a part of it.

Originally, Li Hu's education and upbringing would not allow him to do so. But Zhang Cheng's words made sense: If you don't take it, how can the people below take it! If you don't take it, how can the people in the palace take it! How can you manage the relationship? Without money, who will work for you?
The confiscation of property had long been exposed by the Jinyiwei, and the emperor knew about it but did not forbid it.

(End of this chapter)