Chapter 439: Check! Check carefully!

If it wasn't for the purpose of allowing Zhang Juzheng and Hai Rui to make great contributions.

Why should I bring up these three things one after another: the tax burden on land, the payment of taxes by both officials and civilians, and the return of surplus to the public?

These three things are three hemp ropes.

Now it is around the necks of Zhang Juzheng and Hai Rui.

Since there is a rope around your neck.

That would naturally be like the donkey pulling the mill at the village entrance, used day and night.

Otherwise, all my efforts would be in vain.

Attracting the curious gazes of the two people.

Yan Shaoting spread his hands and said with a smile: "Brother Shu, Brother Gangfeng, although the things we discussed today may be difficult to implement with our current strength and the West Garden, we can still take a step forward to lay a good foundation for the future."

Zhang Juzheng, who was obsessed with rebuilding the Ming Dynasty, suddenly frowned.

"How to lay the groundwork, what exactly do you want to do?"

Hai Rui also said, "Don't keep me in suspense any longer. I'm afraid Runwu has said so much today just to wait for this moment."

Although he is not good at politics, he has a good vision.

After talking for such a long time today, it is absolutely impossible for Hai Rui to still not figure out Yan Shaoting's purpose.

Yan Shaoting smiled and waved his hands: "What we are discussing today is all about land. Our goal is to make the people's livelihood gradually better, or at least to support their families. Therefore, although we cannot submit a petition to the court to ask for approval, we can first work on strategies in the various prefectures in Jiangnan to return the land occupied by the powerful and wealthy families in Jiangnan to the people."

Take a turn.

The topic finally returned to the issue of clearing the land.

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but frown.

Hai Rui also opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

After going around in circles, it seemed that the problem had returned to the starting point and the difficulty was once again placed before them.

If it were easy to get the local rich and powerful to give up the land they had occupied in the past, they wouldn't have been discussing it for so long today, and would have ended the topic by saying they would discuss it later.

Hai Rui said directly: "Moistening things, after all this discussion, the difficulty remains the same as before. If we want to clear out the land occupied by the big families, we must get the support of the benevolent emperor and the court for what we are discussing today. But now we also know that what we are discussing today is difficult to achieve at the moment, so how can we return the land occupied by the big families to the people?"

After going through a lot of twists and turns, I still couldn't get anything done.

Hai Rui suddenly felt a little aggrieved and annoyed.

Zhang Juzheng turned his eyes and uttered a sigh, looking sideways at Hai Rui: "Although everything cannot be done, it is not impossible to do what I said."

"What do you mean by that?"

Hai Rui was really anxious.

Yan Shaoting smiled and pulled Hai Rui aside, then explained, "During my trip south, Jinyiwei Captain Zhu Qi heard from me that Brother Gangfeng and Brother Shuda are now stationed in Susong Prefecture. Brother Shuda even personally stayed in Songjiang Prefecture a few days ago and led people to survey the land in Songjiang Prefecture to find out who owned it."

Hai Rui nodded, a bit embarrassed, "I was the one who forced Uncle to do this."

Zhang Juzheng snorted twice and glanced at Hai Rui.

That look was probably saying, do you, Lao Hai, know what you have done?

Yan Shaoting just smiled slightly at what happened between the two people.

He continued, "This matter does not require the approval of the court. It is within the scope of our authority as local officials. Investigating the land under our jurisdiction and clarifying the ownership of the land are all feasible tasks for local officials."

Zhang Juzheng had already reacted by then.

"Are you going to clarify the ownership of local farmland in the various prefectures in Jiangnan?"

Yan Shaoting nodded and said, "It is just as my uncle said. I want to compile the ownership of the land in the twelve prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Yingtian Governor into a book."

Seeing that Yan Shaoting was indeed going to do so, Zhang Juzheng immediately turned to look at Hai Rui with a hint of pride in his eyes.

It was Hai Rui who dragged himself into the trouble and pushed him to Songjiang Prefecture to investigate the ownership of local land.

Now Yan Shaoting is here.

They wanted to directly drag Hai Rui, the Yingtian governor, into the water to clarify the ownership of the land in the twelve prefectures under the Yingtian governor's jurisdiction.

It really is karma!
Zhang Juzheng held back his laughter, ready to watch Hai Rui's show.

Hai Rui frowned, puzzled, "I know that the occupation of farmland in the prefectures of Jiangnan is rampant, but why did they choose this place first? And even if they clarify the ownership of the farmland in these prefectures, how can they make those powerful and wealthy families return the farmland they have occupied in the past?"

There was no need for Yan Shaoting to explain at this point.

Zhang Juzheng, who had been watching the excitement, immediately smiled and said, "First, because Brother Gangfeng happens to be the governor of Yingtian, who is in charge of the twelve prefectures in Jiangnan. Second, it must be because the prefectures in Jiangnan are the most prosperous in our dynasty, with the most workshops, and many people no longer rely on farming for their livelihood. Therefore, Runwu, who is now the prime minister of the six provinces in Jiangnan, will first choose the twelve prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Yingtian Governor's Office to clarify the ownership of the land."

"Brother, that's a good idea!"

While Hai Rui was still thinking about these words, Yan Shaoting had already praised Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng smiled and shook his head: "But I don't understand, how can simply checking the ownership of the land in the twelve prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Yingtian Governor force those wealthy families who have occupied the people's land to give it up?"

Yan Shaoting stretched out a finger.

"People's words are scary, and fame and fortune cannot be achieved at the same time."

As soon as these words were spoken, it was as if a big mystery was left, causing Zhang Juzheng and Hai Rui to frown and look puzzled.

Yan Shaoting did not rush to explain in detail, but looked at Zhang Juzheng and asked, "I wonder how far my uncle has investigated the ownership of land in Songjiang Prefecture? Which families own the most land in the area?"

This question seems to have a clear answer.

But the problem seems a bit embarrassing.

Even Hai Rui couldn't help but look at Zhang Juzheng.

Although it was he who dragged Zhang Juzheng into the matter and asked him to investigate the ownership of the land in Songjiang Prefecture, he has not taken the initiative to inquire about the situation in Songjiang Prefecture until now.

There was some curiosity in his eyes, as if he also hoped to get an accurate answer today.

Seeing both of them looking at him like that, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but sigh.

He forced a smile on his face and said, "I think you all know that the person who occupies the most land in Songjiang Prefecture is not someone else, but my former teacher, Xu Jie, the current cabinet vice minister."

In fact, it is clear without any investigation that the Xu family is the family that has occupied the most farmland in Songjiang Prefecture.

but.

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help feeling a little sad, because after personally checking, he discovered that the land occupied by his teacher's family was actually so large.

He shook his head and sighed, "To be honest, although I knew some clues in the past, I also knew that the Xu family in Songjiang Prefecture must have occupied the people's fields and forced them to become tenants and farm for the Xu family. But to be honest, if Gangfeng hadn't asked me to investigate Songjiang Prefecture this time, I would not have known that the Xu family had already occupied half of the prefecture!"

Speaking of which.

Zhang Juzheng laughed twice as if in self-mockery.

He shook his head and lamented, "Banfu! What a good name for Xu Banfu!" Hai Rui frowned. He wanted to comfort him, but he didn't know what to do. He could only look at Yan Shaoting who was standing beside him.

Yan Shaoting also spoke softly: "There are tens of thousands of acres of farmland under the jurisdiction of Songjiang Prefecture. How many of them are occupied by the Xu family?"

Zhang Juzheng turned his head and looked at him, sneering: "People say that Xu Banfu has 400,000 mu of good farmland, while others say that Banfu has 200,000 mu of farmland. This time I have conducted investigations both openly and secretly, and although I cannot provide detailed information, I estimate that more than 200,000 mu of farmland has fallen into the hands of this Banfu family."

Bang!
There was a loud bang.

Hai Rui glared and slammed the table, his face full of anger.

He looked at Zhang Juzheng, glanced at Yan Shaoting, and spoke angrily.

"Uncle, I am not saying anything bad to your former mentor. But his family has actually occupied so much land in the local area! With a family of more than 100 people, they have occupied more than 200,000 acres of land in the prefecture! I am afraid that in addition to these 200,000 acres of land, there are tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people who are working as tenants for these people in the prefecture!"

"As the current vice minister, he is deeply favored by the emperor. He should be in charge of the government, report the emperor's favor, comfort the people, and benefit the people. But this Xu Jie, the old man, actually broke the law knowingly, condoned and even instructed his family members to commit crimes in the hometown. What a good old man Xu! What a Xu Banfu!"

Hai Rui's face was gloomy, like a face covered with frost.

His words were extremely sharp, and he was almost pointing at Xu Jie's nose in front of him and scolding him as a traitor who was bringing disaster to the country and the people.

As Xu Jie's former student, Zhang Juzheng also had a gloomy expression.

The facts uncovered by Songjiang Prefecture made even him feel ashamed.

Just when one was extremely angry and the other was extremely ashamed.

Yan Shaoting smiled aside.

"So, Lord Xu opposed my proposal to replace cotton with mulberry in Suzhou and Songjiang because it probably infringed on his family's interests."

Zhang Juzheng moved his lips, but did not speak yet.

Hai Rui snorted coldly, "What else could it be? Songjiang cotton cloth is famous all over the world. The Xu family owns half of the city, more than 200,000 mu of land. How much cotton has been planted? How much cotton cloth has been produced? How much money has the Xu family earned from it? If they switch to planting mulberry trees and making silk, even if the Xu family still makes a profit, it will definitely be different from the past. How can we not object?"

After a loud scolding.

Hai Rui suddenly became quiet and looked at Yan Shaoting.

He glanced at Zhang Juzheng out of the corner of his eye.

"The reason why Runwu asked this is probably to answer our previous doubts."

Yan Shaoting nodded honestly.

Hai Rui added, "As the saying goes, one should be wary of what people say, and fame and wealth cannot be achieved at the same time. It is certain that Runwu wants to use the clarification of the ownership of the land in the twelve prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Yingtian Governor's Office. If this matter is investigated, it will be known that the Xu family in Songjiang Prefecture has occupied more than 200,000 acres of land in this prefecture. In this way, as long as the news leaks out, these families will definitely panic and be in a state of anxiety all day long, worrying that the government and the public will be shaken and the court will be furious. They are even more worried that the local people will spread rumors, which will eventually cause chaos among the local people and attack these families."

Zhang Juzheng, who had been gloomy all the time, also sighed softly.

"Some things are irrelevant if they are not made clear. But once they are made clear, the evidence is overwhelming. Even the founding nobles in Nanjing will worry about being punished by the emperor and the court. In this way, between seeking survival and gaining benefits, they will inevitably choose to return the land they have occupied in the past to the people for cultivation."

Done.

Zhang Juzheng looked at Yan Shaoting and said, "So this is the truth of what Runwu said: people's words are to be feared, and fame and fortune cannot be achieved at the same time."

Yan Shaoting nodded as usual.

"check!"

"We must investigate thoroughly and get to the bottom of this!"

Hai Rui yelled loudly.

He was completely furious because the Xu family had occupied 200,000 acres of land in Songjiang Prefecture.

original.

Hai Rui knew that Xu Jie and the Xu family, as the second-in-command of the cabinet, would definitely not abide by the law and would seize the people's land in Songjiang Prefecture.

Therefore, he asked Zhang Juzheng, who was once a student of Xu Jie, to investigate Songjiang Prefecture.

But he had originally estimated that the Xu family would at most occupy a few tens of thousands of acres of land.

But he didn't expect it.

The Xu family actually occupied more than 200,000 acres of land.

What does more than 200,000 acres of farmland mean?
If one day, Xu Jie is fortunate enough to ascend to the position of Prime Minister of the Cabinet and take charge of the government and the country, with such power, how much land will the Xu family continue to occupy in Songjiang Prefecture?
I'm afraid that by then, this number will have to more than double!

Moreover, there is more than one Xu family in Songjiang Prefecture.

The Xu family is just the family from Songjiang Prefecture with the highest official position in the court.

There are also other officials in the court, those who have retired from the court, and those who have passed the imperial examinations. All these families add up.

How much land in Songjiang Prefecture truly belongs to the people?

This is the case in Songjiang Prefecture.

What will happen to the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty?

Hai Rui just felt a chill in his spine.

Zhang Juzheng also spoke again at this time: "The way to nourish things is to use people's words and fame and fortune. I think... Changping's books and newspapers that are now thriving in Jiangnan, as well as the clerks in Nanjing who have entered the government as officials, are all the helpers that have been planned for a long time."

As mentioned in the previous article.

Because of the content of Changping Daily, it is more popular in the Jiangnan area where literature is flourishing than in the capital area.

Each issue of Changping Daily was also transported all the way south via the canal and distributed along the way all the way to Jiangnan.

Nowadays, all government officials read not only the imperial court bulletin but also the Changping newspaper. In the private literati circle, those wealthy families who discuss philosophy also read every issue of the Changping newspaper.

This is a weather vane of the direction of the literati, and also the flagpole that the scholars of the Confucian classics must trace back to.

Zhang Juzheng sighed in his heart.

Why can't I and others come up with something like Changping News?

This time, once the three of them check the ownership of local land in Jiangnan, as long as they find out the number, they can immediately publish it throughout the country through the Changping newspaper and attract the attention of people all over the world.

By the time.

What Yan Shaoting said about people's words being scary came naturally to mind.

As for those clerks who entered the government offices as students awaiting official positions, they will certainly be the backbone of this investigation into the ownership of land in the twelve prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River.

Even though there were not many clerks with official titles and titles working in the government offices of prefectures and counties outside the city of Nanjing, there were still some.

I think Yan Shaoting's student named Wang Xijue is doing this now. In addition to contacting the officials and clerks in various departments and yamen in Nanjing City, he is also contacting his fellow apprentices in various prefectures and counties.

Can't help it.

Zhang Juzheng began to look forward to it.

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(End of this chapter)