As the grandson of the crown prince, Zhu Yunwen theoretically had no need to personally argue with these people about this matter. However, in order to discover the problem, he still came, and indeed, he did discover the problem.

One reason these aristocratic families were unwilling to relinquish their land was that, through generations of accumulation, they had come to regard the seized land as their own. They felt that this land rightfully belonged to them.

Therefore, they were confident that they would not hand it over, and even believed that handing it over would be a loss for them.

Zhu Yunwen's solution was also found: to investigate.

Since you claim this land is yours, then fine, let's investigate and see how you acquired it.

After all, few merchants, nobles, and landowners would use proper methods to trade land.

Most of them use some kind of trickery, and they can't withstand scrutiny.

If a problem is found, it won't just be a matter of returning the land; there will also be punishment.

So they were worried that if something like that happened, they would back down.

Fearing that the imperial court would investigate the origin of the land, they had no choice but to accept their fate and hand it over.

The second possibility is like that old man in black, who did receive a reward before, but that problem is also easy to solve.

The Ming Dynasty lasted only a little over twenty years, so the number of people who received rewards from the imperial court was limited.

It's possible that very few people actually accepted the imperial court's rewards, and since this number was small, the court could reclaim them one by one. There wouldn't be a widespread situation across the entire country where land had been granted as rewards.

Even if there were, they were probably bestowed by the previous dynasty or even the dynasty before that.

To put it bluntly, our ancestors made contributions in some dynasties and were rewarded with some land.

However, Zhu Yunwen's response was quite simple: he simply refused to acknowledge the previous dynasty's actions.

Why should the Ming Dynasty bear the burden of the previous dynasty's mistakes?

With just this simple sentence, he could silence all those who had received honors in other dynasties.

The Yuan Dynasty had already been driven out of the Central Plains, so you think they would have given you land as a reward?

Besides these two options, Zhu Yunwen also considered another one: land that was indeed acquired through legitimate business dealings.

This approach is indeed a little unfair, but there's no other way. To implement sweeping reforms, some innocent people will inevitably be sacrificed.

These people can hardly be considered victims, as they were already very wealthy. They simply lost some land because of their wealth.

Overall, the problem shouldn't be too big.

After all, this land should belong to all the people of the world, and it is reasonable for the imperial court to distribute it equally.

Normal business people would not go against the imperial court for this. Those who really want to go against the imperial court are those who are unwilling to suffer losses, love to take advantage, and have impure intentions.

However, such people also understand that the gains do not outweigh the losses, so as long as the right approach is used, they will reconsider and make a choice.

Meanwhile, in the side hall of the county government office, Zhu Yunwen sat there, surveying the people in the room, and said calmly:

"Does anyone else have a question?"

The people in the room looked at each other, unable to explain themselves for a moment.

Because they knew that the land had to be distributed uniformly no matter what reasons they came up with, they could not change that fact.

If they were to truly anger the imperial court and it were to forcibly suppress them, that would be something they could not withstand.

At least for now, His Highness the Crown Prince is here, putting on a reasonable act for everyone, which is quite rare.

Thinking of this, everyone shook their heads, indicating that there was no problem. Seeing this, Zhu Yunwen spoke up:

"Since you don't see any problem, then hand over all the land you have. The county government will then conduct a unified count, and there must be no mistakes."

Everyone agreed and dared not utter another objection.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yunwen smiled and thought to himself that these aristocratic families, gentry, and landlords were considered quite clever in the world of ordinary people.

But ultimately, his thinking was still limited.

With a slightly more active mind, one can easily identify their problems and thus control them.

Thinking of this, the group of gentry, wealthy landowners and landlords all took their leave and prepared to return home and properly hand over their land.

After these people left, the county magistrate quickly flattered Zhu Yunwen, saying:

"His Highness the Crown Prince is indeed wise and brave. He subdued this group of people with just a few words. I was in a difficult position for quite a while. So it really took His Highness the Crown Prince to step in."

Zhu Yunwen snorted, thinking to himself that this was nothing compared to the last time he used tricks to fool the gentry and wealthy people of Hukou County in Xishan. That was the real trick.

Compared to this, it's not even in the same league.

Thinking this, he frowned again and looked at the magistrate, saying:

"We've already talked about their affairs. Now let's talk about yours. As a county magistrate of the imperial court, you haven't strictly enforced the imperial decrees."

They even conspired with them to devise ways to circumvent the court's policies. They deliberately delayed issuing false administrative orders. How should you sentence them for this?

The magistrate turned pale with fright and suddenly knelt on the ground, saying:

"Your Highness, I know my crime, please have mercy."

Zhu Yunwen snorted, then spoke indifferently:

"You have one week to resolve the issue of abolishing the land annexation policy, or else..."

Upon hearing this, the magistrate turned pale, but he knew that this was already a mercy to him; not killing him immediately was already a great act of kindness from Zhu Yunwen.

So he quickly kowtowed and said:

"Thank you, Your Highness. I will immediately carry out Your Highness's orders and will not dare to be negligent in the slightest."

Zhu Yunwen stopped talking, turned around, and left the county government office with Zhao Qingzhu and ten Imperial Guards.

It was getting dark, so I randomly found an inn to stay for the night.

To be honest, Qingshui County is not bad; it can be considered a prosperous small county.

Evenings are quite lively on the streets, with streetlights and candlelight everywhere, and many people are out strolling.

Some literary figures and poets even came out to admire the lanterns, trying to appear cultured.

It was only then that Zhu Yunwen realized that the reason everyone was so enthusiastic was because the Spring Festival was approaching.

People came out to admire the lanterns.

She immediately became interested and, together with Zhao Qingzhu, left the inn alone to stroll through the streets and admire the lanterns.

Lanterns were a rare item during ancient festivals that could highlight the festive atmosphere. They usually contained poems, riddles, or other elements, providing visitors with some games.

Zhu Yuntong rarely had such an opportunity to be alone with Zhao Qingzhu, so he naturally wanted to experience the unique features of the ancient lanterns.