White-robed Minister

Chapter 152 0150 [Kiyota has offended the Empress and the eunuch]

Strictly speaking, Hongqing Palace was a royal forbidden area.

Without the court's permission, Xu Lai wouldn't even be qualified to offer incense, let alone investigate a case.

How should we check then?

Bypassing legally prohibited areas and avoiding Taoist temple buildings, simply measure the fields along the way – a simple, direct, and effective method!

One morning in mid-June.

Before dawn, people wanting to enter the city were already waiting outside the city gates.

After a short wait, the city gates opened.

People without goods quickly poured into the city. Those driving vehicles and carrying goods had to wait in line to be searched.

Two constables came out carrying glue and posted notices in a conspicuous place outside the city.

Some literate people, out of curiosity, went over to read it.

Soon someone shouted, "Judge Xu is going to personally conduct a land clearing operation in Songcheng County!"

Upon hearing this, the nearby residents gathered around.

The notice was very simple:

First: The prefectural government was dissatisfied with the land clearing work in Songcheng County and appointed Judge Xu Lai to take full charge of the relevant affairs of the county.

Second, Xu issued a ruling to all landowners in the county, setting a one-month deadline for them to re-declare their land holdings. Those who failed to do so would be prosecuted.

Third, if no one claims a piece of land within five days of its measurement, the land will be considered unclaimed and confiscated by the government.

"The government is getting serious!"

"For this kind of thing, Xu Laohu has to step in."

"I heard that in Yucheng County, there was a first-class household that was found to have hidden too much land, and Judge Xu has already confiscated their property and exiled them."

.

"Really? Even first-class households are being punished by having their property confiscated and being exiled simply for concealing land ownership?"

"You didn't know about something this big?"

"I'm from out of town, just passing through, and staying at an inn outside the city. Who is this Judge Xu you're talking about?"

"Last year's top scorer, I heard, is not even twenty years old yet."

"I've heard of it."

"Last year, he caused the demotion and dismissal of all seven county magistrates in Yingtian Prefecture. He also dismissed fourteen registrars and county lieutenants."

"hiss!"

"The landlords of Songcheng County are in luck, as Judge Xu has come to investigate personally."

"Hehe, who doesn't know that Hongqing Palace has the most hidden fields? If Tiger Xu is really capable, he will investigate Hongqing Palace as well."

"He might really be going to investigate Hongqing Palace."

"If he dares to investigate Hongqing Palace, I will strip naked and run two laps here."

"I'll remember that. Don't try to renege on it later."

"...

'

Hongqing Palace is located north of Yingtianfu City, so it is also known as "North Palace".

That was Zhao Kuangyin's former residence when he served as a military governor. It was destroyed by fire multiple times and rebuilt several times. Each time it was rebuilt, the scale of the building expanded.

Xu Lai personally took charge of measuring the fields, starting from the northern suburbs of the prefectural city!

This area doesn't grow much grain; it's mostly high-value crops like vegetables and flowers.

Xu Lai sat in a small tavern by the moat. The troops he had requested had not yet arrived; Gong Dingchen had only assigned him 30 archers. As for the officials responsible for clearing the fields, he was to draw them from the prefectural and county government offices himself.

"Whose vegetable field is this? Who is the owner? Who is the tenant? If no one claims it within five days, it will be confiscated as ownerless land!" The clerk ordered the archer to shout at the top of his lungs.

There was no fish-scale register of land ownership in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Household registration forms and government tax registers would specify the location, size, and owner of a particular field. However, after multiple transactions, the government would lose track of who the landowner was, and sometimes even the village clerks couldn't figure it out.

That's how Hidden Field came to be.

When Xu Lai was supervising the clearing of fields in Yucheng County, he also tried to make fish-scale maps. It was okay when he was in charge, but it was a mess when he wasn't watching, which seriously slowed down the field measurement process.

In order to quickly resolve the issue in Yucheng County, Xu Lai was forced to abandon the production of the fish-scale book.

Now, he wants to reinstate this method in Songcheng County and personally compile the county's fish-scale register.

At this very moment, all the officials and clerks in charge of clearing the fields in the northern suburbs of the prefectural city had been trained by Xu Lai for ten days in advance. He personally taught them how to make fish-scale registers.

This is a groundbreaking breakthrough.

In the past, tax collection was centered on people and based on household registration.

With the fish-scale register, the land was the core, and the household registration was the auxiliary.

People are mobile, but land is fixed, making it easier for the government to investigate land ownership.

"That's my vegetable garden, don't confiscate it!" A farmer ran over.

The clerk in charge of measuring this field said, "Words are no proof; bring out the household registration certificate."

The farmer quickly took out the household registration certificate.

The clerk examined the land carefully and frowned, saying, "Why did you donate all the land to Hongqing Palace, keeping only half an acre for yourself?"

The farmer just kept smiling apologetically; he couldn't very well say it was to evade taxes.

Temples and monasteries throughout the country were required to pay taxes, but a few were granted special exemptions. Hongqing Palace, as the original temple of the Song Dynasty imperial family, was naturally among those granted exemptions.

If a farmer donates his land to Hongqing Palace, he will only have half an acre left, and his household status will be reduced to the fifth class. In this case, his regular taxes, miscellaneous taxes, and corvée labor will be reduced to the minimum, and he will only need to pay land rent to Hongqing Palace.

The clerk carefully checked the household registration forms and then casually tossed them to someone nearby for registration.

Such legitimately donated and transferred land does not fall under the category of hidden land. Rather, it is a case of Hongqing Palace and farmers colluding to exploit loopholes and legally evade taxes by using the privilege of tax exemption.

Although farmers donate their land, they still effectively control it and can cultivate it exclusively for their descendants. No one else can touch the land.

From the government's perspective, Hongqing Palace was a major villain who seized land.

To this farmer, the government officials were the real villains, while the Taoist priests at Hongqing Palace were all good people.

In the evening, several clerks came to report: "Judge Xu, today's survey of the northern suburbs revealed that 60% of the land is under the name of Hongqing Palace. However, none of it is considered hidden land; it is legally owned land, only exempted from taxation."

Another official said, "To investigate the hidden fields of Hongqing Palace, we may need to go a little further."

"We'll continue tomorrow," Xu said.

Hongqing Palace.

The civil official who promotes this temple will not manage it personally, nor is he allowed to interfere in its management. As the nominal leader of Hongqing Palace, the civil official will at most come once a year during the sacrificial rites.

The real administrators were the supervisors, who were mostly eunuchs, but occasionally close military officers were appointed.

Below the supervisor, there are also officials in charge of specific affairs.

The position of "Gou Dang Guan" was mainly held by military officers, but occasionally eunuchs were also appointed.

There is also the abbot, who is the head of the Taoist priests in this temple. He is responsible for managing the Taoist priests and religious and sacrificial affairs.

"Supervisor Yuan, the government surveyed the fields for a whole day and even sent people over for us to confirm. If we don't claim them within five days, they will be considered unclaimed land and confiscated," said the official in charge, Gao Shiqian.

Commander Yuan Fang said, "Send someone to accompany the land surveying officials, and we will acknowledge the registered acreage."

"What about Hidden Field, who isn't on the register?" Gao Shiqian asked.

Yuan Fang said, "I'll write to my godfather, and you should write to the Empress, asking them to stop it as soon as possible. If the entire Hidden Fields are investigated, everyone will lose face."

The positions of supervisor and official in charge of affairs at Hongqing Palace were lucrative and not just any job that anyone could get.

Yuan Fang was the adopted son of the Grand Eunuch Zhang Maoze, while Gao Shiqian was the younger brother of Empress Gao Taotao.

They dared not stop Xu from inspecting the fields, because if things got out of hand, all the civil officials would unite against them!

The only option is to secretly write to your powerful backer for help, just like a child who loses a fight and tells their parents.

Two days later, Xu Lai uncovered more and more hidden plots.

Meanwhile, Yuan Fang and Gao Shiqian's complaint letters had already been sent to the capital.

Empress Gao Taotao was deeply saddened during this time, as her beloved younger brother, Gao Shilin, had died of illness. The tall, intelligent, and studious young man had suddenly fallen seriously ill and passed away.

This afternoon, her niece came to the palace to visit relatives and brought a letter.

The letter stated that officials in Yingtian Prefecture were corrupt and lawless, using the pretext of land clearing to harm the people. If they weren't given bribes, their families would be ruined. Even the tutor of Prince Zhao Xu, whose cousin was exiled, had his property confiscated.

Wang Jichen was commended for his contributions to flood control and disaster relief last year and was transferred back to the Three Departments for a period of time. Furthermore, due to his extensive knowledge, maturity, and prudent character, he has now become the chief tutor of Prince Zhao Xu.

Wang Daochen, whose home was confiscated and who was exiled by Xu Lai, was Wang Jichen's cousin.

The letter to Gao Taotao also mentioned that the top scholar Xu Lai was particularly arrogant, and the people of Yingtian Prefecture secretly called him "Tiger Xu." Xu Lai was even more audacious, actually investigating the land properties of Hongqing Palace. This was the original imperial temple; how could a mere magistrate be allowed to investigate it?

Gao Shiqian even fabricated a false accusation, claiming that when he stepped in to stop it, Xu Lai threatened him: "Don't think that just because you're the Empress's younger brother, it's the same even if the Empress herself came."

After reading the letter, Gao Taotao was furious.

She trusted her younger brother completely. He was always honest and obedient, and he would never lie; that Xu Lai was really going too far.

To be on the safe side, Gao Taotao also summoned Zhang Maoze for questioning. This was because Zhang Maoze's adopted son was Yuan Fang, the supervisor of Hongqing Palace.

Zhang Maoze also received a letter from his adopted son and took the opportunity to report to the Empress: "Xu Lai is indeed arrogant and domineering. Relying on his status as the top scholar and the protection of the prime minister, he framed his colleagues in Yingtian Prefecture last year. Seven officials in the capital were demoted and fourteen candidates were dismissed from their posts because of him."

"Why did he do that?" Gao Taotao asked.

Zhang Maoze said, "This man is a cruel official. I heard he is not greedy for money, but only for political achievements. He is young but already greedy for power, and his superiors dare not discipline him and avoid him like the plague. His investigation of land is also for political achievements, and he does not hesitate to fabricate charges, causing wealthy families to be ruined and killed."

Gao Taotao grew increasingly disgusted with Xu Lai.

Zhang Maoze continued, "My adopted son was also repeatedly humiliated by Xu Lai. I always told my adopted son to endure it and not to argue with the top scholar. But Xu Lai took advantage of the situation and pushed my adopted son to the brink of death."

Gao Taotao said, "I know your adopted son; he's a well-behaved and obedient child. I need to talk to the officials; we can't let our own family members be bullied."

Zhang Maoze quickly dissuaded him, saying, "Xu Lai is a civil official and last year's top scholar. He is highly regarded by the Emperor and the prime minister. Let it go. A little grievance will pass if you just bear with it."

"How can I just give in? As the Empress, how can I stand by and watch my younger brother suffer?" Gao Taotao was very emotional, and the more Zhang Maoze tried to dissuade her, the more she felt that Xu Lai had gone too far.

The next day, after attending the morning court session, Zhao Shu returned to his palace to rest.

Gao Taotao prepared tea and pastries for her husband, and they chatted about warm memories from their youth, which brought a smile to Zhao Shu's face.

so good.

Although he had experienced many hardships in the past, he always had his gentle wife by his side. The couple supported each other through thick and thin, and looking back now, it was so sweet.

"It's a pity that Si Lang fell ill and passed away." Gao Taotao suddenly turned the topic to her recently deceased younger brother.

Zhao Shu said, "Let's posthumously grant him the title of Jiedushi (military governor)."

Gao Taotao said, "Forget it, we just posthumously awarded him the title of Prefect of Dezhou last month. If we posthumously award him the title again today, people will gossip."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu was deeply moved: The Empress is truly virtuous and wise; as a wife, she always thinks of her husband.

Gao Taotao continued talking about her younger brother, Gao Shilin, how sensible and well-behaved he was in life. While other sons of powerful families were all dissolute and wasteful, only her younger brother loved to read.

As they chatted, the conversation turned to another younger brother, Gao Shiqian.

"Ugh!"

Gao Taotao sighed softly.

Zhao Shu asked her why she sighed.

Gao Taotao wiped away her tears and said, "Sanlang was bullied in Yingtian Prefecture. This is a matter of the outer court, and I, a woman in the inner palace, really shouldn't be involved. But if I don't speak out, it will be too painful to keep it to myself."

(The previous chapter was incorrect; at this time, there was no regulation on the upper limit of land that temples and monasteries could occupy. It only stipulated that temples and monasteries could not purchase farmland from the people, therefore their land holdings could only come from rewards and donations. The later regulation on the upper limit of land that temples and monasteries could occupy was issued by Emperor Huizong of Song, because he had mishandled the situation.)

(In other words, Hongqing Palace could accept unlimited donations of land, and all of this land was tax-free. The reason for concealing the land was that there was simply too much of it. If it weren't hidden, the emperor would personally order a crackdown.)

(Furthermore, concealing the land owned by Hongqing Palace made it easier for eunuchs, military officers, and Taoist priests to make money. After all, Hongqing Palace was an official institution, not the private property of any individual.)