Zhu Yunwen's imposing presence was still very strong; at least at this moment, everyone present was trembling with fear and dared not utter a word.

The county magistrate trembled all over; as an official, he was even more afraid.

You must know that this is a great disrespect to His Highness the Crown Prince, a capital offense. Even the most severe punishments, such as confiscation of property and extermination of nine generations of relatives, are not considered serious.

Therefore, he was very scared at this moment, fearing that Zhu Yunwen would attack him.

However, Zhu Yunwen did not want to do anything to the county magistrate at this moment. His main purpose in coming here was to find out why the implementation of local government orders was very slow or even made no progress.

Therefore, the situation in Qingshui County can be considered a breakthrough for him.

He couldn't get rid of these people just because he was angry; instead, he had to find a way to identify and solve the problem.

Then he spoke again:

"Leaving aside your disrespect towards me, Magistrate of Qingshui County, explain to me why you are deliberately delaying the implementation of the imperial decrees? Are you actually here with these nobles, aristocratic families, and landlords, trying to appease the imperial court?"

In fact, Zhu Yunwen himself knew the general reason.

One reason is that the county magistrate was under pressure from the local gentry and found it inconvenient to continue implementing the policy.

Secondly, the county magistrate himself also owns a large amount of land.

If the land consolidation is abolished, then he will have to hand over any extra land he has.

In that case, he was indeed unwilling to accept it.

So, the county magistrate began to do nothing. He even consulted with the local gentry on how to solve the problem.

When Zhu Yunwen asked the question, the magistrate swallowed hard and dared not speak for a long time.

Seeing that Zhu Yunwen was getting impatient, he cautiously spoke, saying:

"Your Highness, it's not that I don't want to do something, but the abolition of land annexation will affect far too many interests. Basically, in this county, there are more than a dozen noble families, powerful clans, and dozens of landlords who will suffer huge losses."

This kind of behavior, which unjustly harms their interests, will inevitably provoke strong resistance from them. As you can see, they are sitting right here now, and it's really difficult for me to implement this policy.”

Zhu Yunwen snorted, then looked at the group of gentry and wealthy people present and said in a calm tone:

"You are unwilling to implement the court's policies, are you?"

The fat gentleman stood up and said:

"Your Highness, isn't it too unfair to sacrifice our interests to benefit those common people? After all, this land wasn't given to us by the court, so why should the court take it back?"

If we are officials, the land we hold belongs to the imperial court and the Crown Prince, a gift bestowed upon us by His Majesty. If the Crown Prince wants to take it back, I have no argument.

But the land we own is the result of generations of hard work. It's like making money; it's money that several generations have saved up, and to just hand it over like that is like dealing with bandits!

Zhu Yunwen's face darkened, and he spoke calmly:

"Are you saying that my actions and this policy are like those of a robber?"

The fat man dared not speak again. He was nervous and put on a very aggrieved look, making him seem pitiful to anyone who saw him.

However, Zhu Yunwen snorted coldly, pointed at the fat man, and said:

"The efforts of your ancestors? Do you dare say that your family's land was obtained through legitimate means? Do you really think that I, the grandson of the emperor, am unaware of the situation among the common people?"

Leaving aside you all, let's talk about ordinary landlords. How many of them acquired their land through legitimate means? This land belongs to all the people of the world.

But you always have countless methods to take land from the poor, whether by robbery, theft, or deception—you use every means possible. Who, then, is the real bandit in this behavior?

The fat man was about to say something when Zhu Yunwen stopped him and continued:

"If you feel unconvinced, I don't care. There are ten Imperial Guards outside. They have no other skills but investigating cases and uncovering the truth, which is unique of them."

I can see that you have something to be dissatisfied with. No matter what kind of dissatisfaction you have, or whether you have doubts about what I just said, it doesn't matter.

I can have these Imperial Guards investigate whether your family members acquired this land through any illegal means.

If so, you will not only have to return these lands, but you will also be punished according to the law. Do you wish for me to send someone to investigate?

These words made the fat man's expression change repeatedly; he felt guilty.

Speaking of the origin of this land, how many of them are legitimate?

Apart from some officials of the imperial court who were granted land by the court, most aristocratic landlords had unclear origins for their land, and very few had truly legitimate sources.

Therefore, their land cannot withstand investigation; if an investigation were to be conducted, countless problems would likely surface.

If they were to be convicted, the situation would be very serious.

This seems like a losing proposition no matter how you look at it.

So the fat man quickly spoke to Zhu Yunwen:

"Your Highness... there's no need for such trouble. We should support such a policy of the court... otherwise, it would seem as if we nobles are ignorant..."

Seeing that the fat man had backed down, some people present looked rather grim, but most of them already knew what was going on and dared not say anything more.

After all, most of these people have something to hide and cannot withstand investigation. Once the source of their land is discovered, they may even face the consequence of having their property confiscated.

At the very least, they would probably be charged with deceiving others about their land.

Judging from the current situation, the land must be handed over no matter what. Since it has to be handed over, why should he put himself in a criminal position?

Isn't that a sign of illness?

However, the old man in black snorted, stood up, and said:

“Your Highness, I can understand that they may have used some means to obtain their land. But my family’s land was obtained through meritorious service to the court and was rewarded by the court. Do you expect me to hand it over as well? The source of my land can withstand investigation.”

Zhu Yunwen narrowed his eyes and said:

"The imperial court? I ask you, which imperial court? And when did your ancestors receive rewards from the imperial court?"

The old man in black said very smugly:

“Naturally, it was during the Yuan Dynasty. My ancestors were granted the title of baron and were given a thousand acres of fertile land. So my family’s land was a reward, and it was not obtained through any means. It is simply unreasonable for Your Highness to take away my land.”

Zhu Yuncong sneered and said:

"What does the land that the Yuan Dynasty bestowed upon you have to do with the Ming Dynasty? If the Yuan Dynasty can bestow it upon you, the Ming Dynasty can take it back. What's wrong with that?"

The old man in black was stunned upon hearing this, and for a moment he didn't know what to do, and had no way to refute it.