Official land

After reorganizing the troops, Li Shiqin invited Xu Qiu to go with him to confiscate the homes of those who had been implicated. The amount of money involved was not small, and the benefits were enormous.

Xu Qiu looked at him and shook his head helplessly. "My wife instructed me that I no longer have the identity of the Eastern Depot to rely on, nor am I a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so I will not get involved in this matter."

Li Shiqin was quite surprised. Back in Shengjing, confiscating property and stealing things was Xu Qiu's specialty. Now that he had suddenly turned over a new leaf, Li Shiqin felt a little uneasy.

"Ahem... Brother Xu, wait for me to come back."

After Li Shiqin finished speaking, he waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's set off!"

These merchants were not limited to places like Xi'an Prefecture; most of them traveled by caravan and were basically spread throughout the entire Shaanxi Plain.

By the time the house was searched, almost a month had passed.

More than two thousand people were executed on the spot. Transporting supplies to the Northern Barbarians was considered treason and collusion with the enemy, punishable by the extermination of three or nine generations of their families.

The convoy behind Li Shiqin grew longer and longer, and all the valuables, such as gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy, were taken away.

Vehicles, horses, cattle, and sheep that were difficult to carry were sold to local small merchants and exchanged for silver notes to take with them.

A simple calculation shows that the contents here amount to approximately one million taels of gold and over thirty million taels of silver, which is more than the total fiscal revenue of the Great Sheng Dynasty over three years.

It's strange, the people here are so poor they're starving, while the merchants are rolling in money, yet they're heartless.

The spoils of raiding a house were greater than winning a battle; Li Shiqin had tasted great success and was now pondering when the next opportunity would come...

In the courtroom, Liang Lingfeng was presiding over the case of Xu Yunliang and Wei Cong.

Xu Qiu gave his seat to Gu Yu, and Qian Chengbi glanced at her before obediently continuing to write his documents.

The 100,000 taels of silver that appeared in Wei Cong's back office were indeed placed there by Xu Yunliang.

Perhaps because he was so burdened with debt, Xu Yunliang answered Liang Lingfeng's questions honestly.

Wei Cong was immediately acquitted and released, and his original official position was restored.

He glanced at Xu Yunliang, but instead of leaving, he said to him, "Xu Ziliu, fearing that he would implicate his family, hanged himself in his residence. Before he died, he sent me a letter; you should take a look."

An opened letter floated lightly in front of Xu Yunliang, who picked up the envelope.

Xu Ziliu is dead? Xu Yunliang was somewhat dazed. The person he had hated his whole life had died before him, separated by life and death.

His expression was complicated, and he felt empty inside. After reading the letter, he laughed maniacally, "Hahahaha... Good riddance, good riddance."

He knew that if his plan was exposed, he would surely die. He made the deal with the Embroidered Uniform Guard only to protect his family.

If his younger brother hadn't stolen his household registration and travel permit to take the imperial examination nearby, the twins wouldn't have ended up like this.

With his enemy dead, the resentment that had been building up in his heart suddenly had nowhere to go, and he felt somewhat relieved. Years ago, in order to raise money to take the imperial examination again, he had no choice but to become a merchant.

At that time, the Ministry of Revenue had just implemented the Salt Tax System, and the number of salt merchants recorded in the tax register was extremely valuable, yet someone offered him an olive branch.

Wealth and status are too dazzling. He had been poor before, so he knew the importance of money. He believed that becoming an official was nothing more than a means to make money.

He gradually neglected his studies and became increasingly distant from the saintly image taught by propriety and righteousness.

Then came greed; for more money, he sold smuggled salt, colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, and, with Li Dacheng's help, seized land.

Now, his younger brother is dead, and he died such a pathetic death, but he still doesn't dare to admit his identity.

Was his brother's crime due to his involvement?

Will the reputation his brother wanted to preserve even in death be a good one?

If it's a clean name, that's not bad, because he is Xu Ziliu.

He's going to die too.

He died, and that was Xu Ziliu.

He's finally going to reclaim his identity.

Xu Yunliang laughed loudly, looking up at the sky, and slowly walked out of the hall with his shackled feet.

The rain outside was relentless, a fine drizzle that chilled me to the bone.

Gu Yu watched his receding figure, thinking about what Xu Qiu had told him. She didn't pity him; she just rested her head on her hand and stared blankly.

"Lord Wei." Xu Qiu glanced at Gu Yu as Wei Cong approached.

Wei Cong walked up to Gu Yu, who was bundled up tightly, in a few steps. "Miss Gu, thank you."

Miss Gu? Wasn't she called Madam Xu last time? Xu Qiu's brow twitched, suppressing the irritation in his heart, and he didn't speak.

Gu Yu smiled faintly, "Does Lord Wei still want to die?"

Wei Cong shook his head, and a genuine smile appeared on his expressionless and somewhat stiff face. "There are still things to do. I can't die."

He remembered that day, the light was dim, and she leaned close to his ear and whispered to him—

I've made the choice for you: you must live, and live well.

My heart, which had been silent for so long, began to beat again.

As the numbness faded, the pain swept over us like a tidal wave, and the bitter and aggrieved emotions seemed to have finally found an outlet.

He had expressed his gratitude many times, but he still felt that no matter what he said, he could not fully express his thanks.

"Thank you," he repeated, his thin prison clothes trembling relentlessly in the wind.

If gods and Buddhas truly exist in this world, please listen to his prayer at this moment—

Whatever achievements he makes in the future, he should bestow all those blessings upon the girl before him.

If she does something wrong, these blessings will offset all her misfortunes.

If she has done nothing wrong in her life, then bless her with peace, joy, and success in everything she does.

Gu Yu stared into his eyes, and that familiar look returned, as if her Yu Zhu had come back to life.

Her eyes stung a little, and she looked away. "Lord Wei, please take care of yourself. I hope that next time we meet, you won't be imprisoned again."

"Okay, take care of yourself."

Wei Cong nodded slightly, then belatedly noticed Xu Qiu beside him, thanked him, and left the government office.

Xu Qiu blocked Gu Yu's view, "Madam, let's have lunch first. Lord Wei should still be on his way back to Tongzhou, so let's not keep him any longer."

Gu Yu took Xu Qiu's hand and smiled, "Lord Xu, don't be so sentimental, it's just a thank you and farewell."

She coaxed helplessly, "Let's go back to the manor for a meal. He's in Tongzhou, and I won't run into him. Let's just say goodbye properly."

"Hmm." Xu Qiu was happy inside, but didn't show it.

"Lunch is all your favorite dishes. Congratulations, Lord Xu, on successfully completing your mission and saving a good official."

"Hmm." He raised an eyebrow and said, "Am I not a good official?" Although his intentions may not be pure, judging by his actions rather than his intentions, how could he be a bad person?

"Yes, yes, yes, Lord Xu is an upright and just official," Gu Yu readily agreed.

When Gu Yu mentioned this, she secretly cursed him as a fake upright official.

However, judging by actions rather than intentions, Xu Qiu has reformed and seems to have done a good deed.

The back office of the government.

Liang Lingfeng, unusually, did not focus his attention on poetry collections. Since passing the imperial examination in the ninth year of the Shengyuan era, he had been in and out of officialdom for sixteen years.

He once held an important position in one of the Six Ministries in Shengjing, but because he offended powerful officials, he was demoted and sent to a remote area, and then he could never return.

He served as the prefect of this prefecture for nearly ten years. When he first arrived in Xi'an Prefecture, he was ambitious and wanted to make great achievements before returning to Shengjing.

However, the Ministry of Personnel's selection process was corrupt, and officials had to be bribed to pass the evaluation. He didn't have that much money; his hometown only had a few acres of poor land.

Therefore, he had no choice but to remain in Xi'an.

Shaanxi has suffered too many natural and man-made disasters. There are many wealthy merchants and tycoons, but also starving people everywhere. Whenever there is a disaster, he is impeached by the censor.

It is difficult to achieve success, and even more difficult to maintain it, so he eventually gave up on the idea.

In addition to feeling discouraged and disappointed, there was resentment towards officialdom and pain at one's own inability to change the status quo.

He began to neglect his duties and delegate tasks to his subordinates, and this continued for another three years.

When he went to check on the situation in the court again, Sun Gu had already taken control of half of the officialdom in Shaanxi.

Sun Gu is the current Grand Secretary, wielding immense power. Those who attach themselves to him live well, while those who are not part of his faction face numerous difficulties. As a result, Sun Gu had to suppress his original intention to resign and retire.

After the sandalwood incense had been burning in the room for a while, Xu Qiu's voice came from outside the door, "Lord Liang, your humble servant has arrived."

"Come in."

Xu Qiu pushed open the door and approached, glancing at the furnishings of the small study.

The study was only five inches square, piled high with classics, histories, philosophical works, and literature, with Liang Lingfeng's small desk placed in the center.

Liang Lingfeng invited him to sit down and personally poured him a cup of tea. "Prefect Xu, this is just a small cup of tea. I hope you will understand."

Xu Qiu took a sip of tea; it was indeed second-grade tea. "Lord Liang, you are too kind. I am not a discerning person and cannot distinguish the quality of tea. May I ask what brings you here today, Lord Liang?"

“I’ve heard about the land officials in Shengjing City for a long time. Now that you’ve come to Xi’an Prefecture, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has followed. You must have come up with the idea.”

Xu Qiu nodded, “It is indeed the strategy of my imperial examination essay. I am grateful for the Emperor’s favor and it has won His Majesty’s favor. However, it is hindered at every turn in Shengjing City. I came to Shaanxi for two reasons: first, to provide disaster relief, and second, to test its implementation.”

"Tell me about it." His gaze drifted into the distance, but his tone was extremely sincere. "Now the disaster victims have no land to cultivate, and relying solely on the imperial court's disaster relief is not a long-term solution. I... want to hear about policies regarding leasing or buying land."

"It's quite a coincidence that I came to Shaanxi and just happened to have this idea. I hope you can listen to it and give me your feedback."

"...But in years of famine, countless people died, fled, or escaped. All these unclaimed lands were taken over by the Land Administration Office and became official lands. Of course, the sources of official lands were not limited to this; there were also abandoned fields and confiscated property."

"Official land is divided into three types. One type is owned by local government offices and can only be rented out, not sold. The output of this type is used to subsidize the expenses of local government offices and the living expenses of officials of all ranks."

"You know that the salary of the officials in Dasheng is indeed quite low. If the officials can't even afford to eat, how can they not reach out to the common people?"

The second and third types were not under the jurisdiction of the government office, but were governed by the local land administration office, which had the power of supervision.

"The second type is for rent only, and the third type is for sale only, and the third type is for sale only. Those who want to rent or buy government-owned land must be farmers who do not own land."

"The price of land for sale is set annually by the local government based on the circumstances, while the price for renting land is one-tenth of the harvest. As long as the Land Bureau has government-owned land for rent, local landlords' high-priced land will not be able to be rented out."

"On top of that, if the land is abandoned, a fine can be added for abandoned land. This will force landlords who have land but are unable to cultivate it to find ways to rent or sell their land."

"Firstly, it can improve the current situation of excessively high land rents, and secondly, it can make the land as useful as possible."

"If the majority of the land is seized by wealthy merchants and powerful figures, the common people will be unable to escape the situation of toiling year after year for these people, yet remaining poor and lowly..."

The tea in Liang Lingfeng's hand had gone cold, but he didn't touch it. Instead, he looked at Xu Qiu and smiled sincerely, "This method is good. No wonder it's not easy to implement in Shengjing."

"This time, so many merchants' homes were raided in Shaanxi, and a lot of farmland was seized. Moreover, this is a disaster year when disaster victims have no land, so there will be the least resistance to the trial implementation."

Xu Qiu smiled innocently, “Indeed, there are quite a few. Xi’an Prefecture has the most counties and the widest jurisdiction in Shaanxi Province. If things go well here, things will be easier later.”

Liang Lingfeng pondered for a moment, “Your idea is good, but there are still many loopholes for corrupt officials and unscrupulous merchants to exploit. We need to add more restrictions. For example, each household should be limited to purchasing government land, and when they sell it, they can only sell it back to the Land Bureau. The buying and selling prices should be consistent.”

“What you say makes sense, sir. I humbly request that you work with me to improve this law.” Xu Qiu rose and bowed respectfully.

“This…” Liang Lingfeng was tempted. If this was done well, it would be a glorious achievement in history and make him famous.

"This is your method; I will only do some auxiliary or coercive work."

Liang Lingfeng had already forgotten why he had sought out Xu Qiu. He had originally intended to resign from his official post and retire, entrusting all affairs of Xi'an Prefecture to Xu Qiu.

He stayed here because he was worried that after he stepped down, the position would be given to Sun Gu's people. Now, half of the officialdom in Shaanxi is Sun's faction.

Shaanxi was originally a military stronghold with an extremely important geographical location. The people there were living in poverty and hardship. If it were handed over to Sun Gu's people, he was afraid it would cause a popular uprising, and then he would become a criminal.

Therefore, even though he was disheartened, he dared not back down easily.

He received the disaster relief funds, and the counties and prefectures below him received the full amount. He couldn't even imagine what kind of lives those disaster victims were living if it were anyone else.

Now that Xu Qiu and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had arrived, his dormant heart began to beat again. If he could resolve the land issue, it would be a great achievement.

"Prefect Xu is a young and talented man. I am ashamed to say that I am not as good as you. The work of local officials can never compare to that of the emperor's close advisors. If Prefect Xu ever enters the cabinet, I hope that you will not forget your original intentions and the people."

Xu Qiu paused for a moment, then laughed, "Lord Liang, you flatter me. My parents were farmers, and if that day ever comes, I will certainly not forget my roots."

"By the way, there's also the matter of grain seeds. I came to see you once before, but we didn't meet. You should have heard that my wife's trial planting has yielded good results, several times that of millet and other grains. I would like to ask you to allocate a few acres of land for trial planting in mid-spring."

"I have heard of it, but I always thought it was just a rumor. After all, a yield of three or four bushels of grain per mu is a rare and precious thing."

"Whether it's a rumor or not, you'll know once you try it, sir."

Liang Lingfeng's previously depressed mind suddenly opened up. The people had land and food to fill their stomachs, and the disaster-ridden face of Shaanxi was changed in an instant.