White-robed Minister

Chapter 146-0144 [Who's More Fierce!]

In the morning, Xu Lai was personally supervising Qing Tian when he suddenly heard a great commotion in the distance.

"What happened up ahead?" Xu Lai asked.

A clerk rushed over, reporting in a panic, "Judge, hundreds of troublemakers have gathered ahead and are causing a disturbance. They're wielding hoes and sticks and are obstructing the clearing of the fields!"

Xu Lai's expression remained normal; he even smiled.

This was the third day of his personal supervision of the land clearing, and he had already uncovered a considerable amount of hidden land. It would be surprising if the local wealthy families didn't intervene.

After all, even a cornered dog will jump over a wall.

Several clerks nearby were observing Xu Lai's expression.

When they saw that he actually smiled, the officials were astonished and impressed: No wonder he became a high-ranking official at such a young age, and he was not flustered when so many people gathered to cause trouble.

Bu Chao panicked and quickly drew his hand chop, following Xu Lai to the side.

"Sheath your sword, don't frighten anyone," Xu Lai instructed, and walked forward unhurriedly.

Bu Chao sheathed the knife, but kept his grip on the hilt firmly.

When Xu arrived, the officials who had been assigned to measure the fields had already returned and gathered together, trembling with fear as they confronted the hundreds of farmers.

The farmers appeared very agitated, some raising their hoes high as if ready to fight the government at any moment.

Xu Lai, completely unperturbed, stopped about twenty or thirty steps away from the people.

He wouldn't go directly near it; if he were to be inexplicably killed by a hoe, he wouldn't know who to complain to in the underworld.

Xu Lai said to Bu Chao, "Reveal my identity and have each village nominate three people to come over and talk to me. They can discuss whatever they want with me."

Bu Chao jogged to the front of the crowd of peasants and saw that they were making a ruckus, making it impossible for anyone to hear him. So he snatched the gong and instructed his clerk, "Pass down the message: when I strike the gong, call out that Judge Xu is here."

Several clerks immediately relayed the message, and when Bu Chao struck the gong, all the clerks shouted in unison, "Judge Xu has arrived!"

The first two shouts were not loud or coordinated enough, but gradually the shouts grew louder and louder, while the noise from the people gradually decreased.

Just then, several people in the crowd suddenly shouted, "The government is going to arrest people and behead them! The government is going to arrest people and behead them! Fight for your lives!"

The people, who were about to calm down, were stirred up again by the rumors, and they raised their weapons and shouted incoherently.

"Call them back, we're leaving this place," Xu Lai instructed his entourage.

"yes!"

Upon receiving Xu Lai's order, all the officials carefully retreated, carrying their field surveying tools and provisions towards the county government office.

Cheers erupted from behind them.

Having been humiliated and forced to retreat, Bu Chao was furious: "They just left like that? Someone was inciting trouble; those bastards need to be arrested!"

Xu Lai summoned a local clerk and said, "Send someone to find out why those people are gathered. Hundreds of people are armed and confronting the government. This can't be instigated by just one or two wealthy families. There must be a reason."

Xu Lai led his men to retreat several miles away, where they rested by a small river.

Less than half a day later, the clerk returned.

Kong Mu said, "Judge, those people this morning were all tenant farmers from this village. They obstructed the government's land clearing because they were afraid they would have no land to cultivate in the future. Some people are spreading rumors that all the hidden land discovered during the clearing will be confiscated, and the government will recruit other farmers to cultivate it."

Xu Lai asked, "If the government posts notices promising that the hidden fields will still be cultivated by the original tenants, will the people believe it?"

"I'm afraid not many tenants believe it," Kong Mu said. "Previously, Magistrate Wang personally went to the countryside and returned the land to Chen Xiaoyi. The tenants who cultivated those dozens of acres of land are now, at the instigation of Master Wang, crying and complaining in various villages in the township that the government has taken away the land they have been cultivating for several years."

When the government wanted to investigate the land, a major obstacle came from the tenant farmers.

Landlords bound their tenants tightly through perpetual tenancy rights, uniting them as one family for generations.

And let me tell you a very famous story—

During the reign of Emperor Zhao Kuangyin, there was an official in charge of wine affairs named Li Cheng. Because the Bian River flooded, he was unable to salvage official property in time and was ordered to pay 5,000 strings of cash in compensation.

At the time, the campaign against Li Chongjin was underway, and military supplies were urgently needed. In his anger, Zhao Kuangyin confiscated the land of all those who owed the government money. Although Li Cheng was not directly responsible, his land was still confiscated, and all his tenants were converted to government-owned land for cultivation.

During the reign of Emperor Yingzong of Song, the government planned to sell the estate. According to the law, the original owner of confiscated property had the right to redeem it first. So the government contacted Li Cheng's descendants, only to find that the Li family had become impoverished and their descendants simply could not afford it.

How was it finally handled?

The descendants of those hundreds of tenant farmers pooled their money to redeem the land for Li Cheng's descendants, so they could continue to be tenant farmers for Li Cheng's descendants!

Doesn't it seem weird?

First, these tenants are customers and do not have their own household registration, so they cannot transfer ownership of the land they purchase.

Secondly, Li Cheng's descendants had the right of first refusal to redeem the land. If he could not redeem it, the government would sell the land to other wealthy households, and these tenant farmers would not have a chance to get it.

Third, it involves perpetual tenancy rights. If the land is sold to other wealthy households, the government-owned land becomes private land, and these tenants lose their government tenancy status. The new landowner can then lease the land to whomever they want, and the original tenants may be left without land to cultivate.

The tenants pooled their money to redeem their land, ensuring that they could continue to farm it for generations to come!

To ensure their descendants would always have land to cultivate, these tenant farmers would do anything, including fight to the death with the government.

Is Master Wang a tyrant?

No, no!

In the eyes of these tenants who had obtained perpetual tenancy rights, Master Wang was the greatest philanthropist in the world. Even though they were originally self-cultivating farmers who had their land seized by Master Wang and turned into tenants, they would now speak up for him.

Even if Master Wang killed his parents back then, he would still speak up for Master Wang now, and even give his life to protect Master Wang's land!

Because once the hidden land is confiscated by the government, the tenants of that land may change at any time. Even if the government allows them to continue cultivating it, the original tenants will lose their perpetual tenancy rights.

Xu Lai's investigation of Yintian angered the landlords in other villages as well.

This wasn't just Wang Yuanwai's family; it was a conspiracy among wealthy households throughout the village, who instigated their tenants to cause trouble.

This can be seen as a warning to the landlords: if Xu Lai continues his investigation, all the landlords in the county will be mobilized. Then it won't be just a few hundred people!

"Let's go back to the county office first." Xu Lai said expressionlessly, but anger was already rising in his heart.

Are you trying to incite the people?

very good!

Upon hearing that Xu Lai had led his men back to the county government, Wang Daochen laughed heartily and hosted a banquet for wealthy local families the following day.

This was a complete victory for the landlords.

A hothead, not even twenty years old, thought that just because he had taken down so many officials last year, he could risk not investigating and concealing his land holdings.

If Hidden Field were so easy to investigate, the imperial court would have investigated it countless times already.

This has threatened the very lives of so many landlords and tenants!

At the banquet, wealthy locals toasted each other.

"That top scholar is still too young and acts rashly."

"If he dares to come and inspect the fields again, all the landlords in the county will mobilize and bring over thousands or even tens of thousands of tenant farmers. That'll scare him to death!"

"We still can't be careless; we must handle things carefully. We should keep each other informed, and if the government makes any unusual moves, we should quickly discuss countermeasures."

"Those clerks at the county yamen have been quite disobedient lately. We'll have to think of a solution afterward."

"Dealing with the clerks is easy, right? Just recruit one and beat them up, incite infighting among them, and then secretly bribe their subordinates."

"We need to be wary of those clerks. They've offended us, and they're definitely helping Xu Laohu devise schemes."

'

The clerks were indeed offering suggestions, but Xu Laohu wouldn't listen at all.

Because Xu Laohu disliked the clerks' schemes for being too refined.

The landlords are really audacious; they actually dared to incite the people.

Then I'll be even more ruthless!

The day after Wang Daochen held a banquet to celebrate, wealthy families bribed the family members of officials and servants to rush from the county town to Guishan Township to deliver the news.

But they couldn't outrun the officials.

On the country road, Xu Lai and Bu Chao rode horses, followed by twenty or thirty government officials. Some of the officials rode donkeys, and some rode mules, galloping into the village.

Those two horses were requisitioned from the local post station and were usually used to deliver official documents over a distance of four hundred li.

Xu Lai and Bu Chao have been practicing riding skills for the past three days.

You don't need to practice too much; just being able to ride it is enough.

When Wang Daochen received a message from a tenant farmer in his village, he hurriedly took his son out to check, only to find that Xu Lai had already ridden to his doorstep.

Wang Daochen was dumbfounded.

What is that?

The top scholar, who was also the judge of Yingtian Prefecture, actually rode his horse and led his men to attack.

His informants at the county government office didn't have time to relay the message. The local landlords also didn't have time to incite their tenants.

"Arrest them!"

With a loud shout from Xu Lai, the officials and constables dismounted from their donkeys and mules and charged towards Wang Daochen like hungry tigers pouncing on sheep.

"Release me! What do you want to do?" Wang Daochen was terrified.

His sons also stepped forward to help, trying to rescue their father from the officials.

The officials showed no mercy and proceeded to beat them with sticks.

Bu Chao drew his hand and chopped at the Wang family servants who tried to save their master: "Anyone who dares to help the prisoner resist arrest will be killed without mercy!"

Xu Lai said, "Concealing land, evading taxes, engaging in illegal contract transactions, and illegal lending—these are all confirmed crimes. Especially illegal lending, which, according to the law, warrants twenty strokes of the cane on the back and a month of public humiliation in a cangue. Today, I'll deal with your illegal lending first, giving you twenty strokes on the back, and then making you a public figure in a cangue at the county government office for a month!"

Wang Daochen was dumbfounded and for a moment forgot to speak.

He was already over sixty years old; if he were given twenty strokes on the back, wouldn't he have been beaten to death on the spot?

Even if he miraculously survives, being forced to stand in the county government office gate in shackles for a month is practically the same as being dead. He'll never be able to face anyone again!

One of his sons reacted the fastest, hurriedly shouting, "The IOU in Chen Xiaoyi's hand is written by my eldest brother. It was my eldest brother who made the loan; it has nothing to do with my father!"

Wang Jia Dalang was horrified upon hearing this and turned to look at his younger brother. He didn't want to be paraded in shackles for a month either; it was too humiliating!

Xu Lai shouted, "Arrest Wang Dalang too."

"9

"Release my father!"

"No. Concealing land, engaging in illegal land transactions, and evading taxes—these are all the responsibilities of the head of the household. Your father is the head of the household; I'm taking him back for questioning. Take him away!"

Xu Lai, accompanied by his officials, arrived quickly and left just as fast, disappearing from the village in the blink of an eye.

Seeing their father and eldest brother being arrested, the remaining brothers of the Wang family were panicked and at a loss. After a long time, they finally remembered to consult with other wealthy families.

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