Due to the need to consider the physical condition of Xu Huilan and others, the pace of these iron cavalry slowed down considerably, first the rapid march of the cavalry, and then onto the waterway, where the Qilin Army vessels that had been informed of the news were already prepared.
Thus, traveling downstream, because by taking the vessels along the waterway, there was no need to worry about the physical condition of Xu Huilan and the others, the speed was much faster.
Xiao Zhi, although he set off later, arrived at almost the same time.
Xu Huilan, unconcerned with the exhaustion of traveling alongside the cavalry, only wanted to see Yuan Zhi, who had already learned through the messages sent by Flying Eagle that his mother was being brought back. Even though he was still capable of handling government affairs, he was somewhat restless.
Yan Daiqing said indifferently, "Go ahead."
"In such a state, what can you handle?"
"You might as well take a leave and wait."
Forced out by Yan Daiqing’s ’jibes,’ Yuan Zhi simply rode his horse at a gallop to see his mother. When he saw her, he noticed her hair had whitened, and her hands had grown rough, and his uncle had lost a leg. Even Yuan Zhi felt a sourness in his heart. Dismounting from his horse, he took his mother’s hand, and before he could speak, tears were already streaming down his face.
After a bout of tears between mother and son, they caught up on old times and learned of all that Li Guanyi had done.
Xu Huilan said, "Although our household is poor, we also know the principle of repaying kindness. Ah Zhi, you must give your utmost to help that young Master."
Yuan Zhi let out a sigh and replied softly:
"A gentleman dies for those who appreciate him."
"As for our Lord, even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will not betray him... I am willing to work to the bone and devote myself completely, until death."
This was the highest loyalty of civil servants and strategists.
Yan Daiqing and Pang Shuiyun noticed that this young strategist suddenly became a workaholic, as if ignited by flames. Pang Shuiyun, the old hand, silently left the range of Yuan Zhi’s work.
But Yan Daiqing seemed to have been sparked by the competitive spirit of youth.
He sneered while stubbornly persevering,
and managed to withstand Yuan Zhi’s work efficiency.
Just as their work efficiency was shooting straight up, Xiao Zhi arrived.
After meeting with Yuan Zhi and spending several days understanding the current situation of various aristocratic families in Jiangnan, he nodded his head and said, "Virtuous governance has not been raised, the awe of punishment is not stern, sons of the noble families use their martial arts and wealth to bully the common people. They deserve severe punishment to reduce the influence of these families."
"However, you say the sons of noble families not only do not cooperate with your work but always cause trouble and instigate the public, stirring up public opinion, slowing down the implementation of policies?"
"Hmm, leave this to me."
Xiao Zhi then set about devising new criminal laws.
The goal was to apply both the Law and the Rites, and to proceed with both awe and virtue in tandem.
He developed the eight articles, seven prohibitions, six fears, and five apprehensions. But, since the sons of the noble families had always been dissatisfied with the Qilin Army’s ’peasant’ troops and looked down upon them from the bottom of their hearts, they did not dare to start a direct conflict because the evidence was in Li Guanyi’s hands, so they could only be non-cooperative.
They resisted the various policies of the Qilin Army with a very passive attitude.
Xiao Zhi quietly took note of this.
So he began to operate.
At the beginning, he just established the basic laws.
He erected steles inscribed with the laws at the city gates, ensuring that everyone could see them upon entering and leaving, and he had literate members of the Qilin Army constantly read out these simple laws aloud, also engaging with the public.
Xiao Zhi said indifferently, "The ancient Confucian scholars said that if punishments are unknown, so is their deterrence, but if criminal laws are not made known, the people will not know what is permissible and what is not, leaving all interpretations to the aristocratic families, which is incorrect."
"The ancient philosophers of Legalism were too harsh, remaining unchanged for eight hundred years, which is foolish."
"The younger generation should not fail to surpass them."
For seven continuous days, the aristocratic families still did not care, laughing and saying that the scholars of the Qilin Army were just putting on a show, mere peasants, what good could they do?
Thus, on the seventh day, after consulting Pang Shuiyun, Xiao Zhi wrote a letter of authorization to Li Guanyi. On the day a certain aristocratic family was marrying off their son at noon, he personally led a squad, kicked down the door, and captured an eldest son of the family who had broken the criminal law.
Dressed in a red robe, he was dragged away in front of the people. At the law stele and in front of the public, his crimes were read out, amidst the crowd of onlookers. As a result, it became known that this person deserved punishment. With multiple crimes accumulating, there was a swift chop.
The head fell to the ground, and it was hung up at the eastern gate for three days.
Thus, the seriousness of the laws became known to the people, and even the power of the aristocratic families could not disobey them.
Consequently, in the land of Jiangnan, the law was established.
The previous lax state of legal discipline was wiped clean, and although not reaching the optimum state, the past slackness was stopped, the people feared the laws, and the aristocratic families were shocked and angry at the severity of the Qilin Army.
Though they cursed in private, they still had to follow the orders earnestly.
The efficiency of policy implementation immediately improved.
Yan Daiqing approved of such efficiency but noticed the young man with a wooden face flipping through a small notebook one day, crossing off the name of that beheaded noble son with a red pen.
Behind it was written a line—
[When the Lord left Jiangnan, the sons of the aristocratic families saw him off with ill intent]
[I execute the laws, yet they scoff in my face]
[On a certain month and day at noontime, the left foot stepped into Changfeng Building first]
Yan Daiqing, once said by his father to be too stubborn and unyielding:
Xiao Zhi seemed to notice someone watching him, so he put away the notebook, looking at Yan Daiqing with a ’kind’ smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
So for the next few days, the gentlemen of Jiangnan generally avoided this guy.
Stepping in with their right foot first when entering a door.
Xiao Zhi wrote the names of those noble sons who secretly cursed his eight generations of ancestors into three thick notebooks, and then he sighed, "It’s a pity that Wen He is not here."