Chapter 205: Two-faced

In the study, Lu Zhaoshi read the letter and handed it to Wang Yannian, with his head down and no words.

"How quick!" Wang Yannian muttered, "Have you found Huanggou Village?"

"Not yet. My daughter overheard it when we were setting up a stall in the county town." Su Bucheng replied.

"Heling, what should we do?" Lu Zhaoshi tapped the table with his fingers.

"I'm just a small clerk in the army, supervising and evaluating officials, and I have no control over the sale of land." Wang Yannian smiled bitterly.

"Besides, the transaction procedures are complete, and the law allows for free buying and selling. Why shouldn't people trade? Can it be stopped?"

"Okay, Heling, stop pretending. You've read the letter and you've also saved Mr. Su. Can you stay out of this?" Lu Zhaoshi said with a smile.

"I knew you were waiting here!" Wang Yannian pretended to be deceived.

"Sir, before things get out of hand, find a way to stop it immediately! Report this to the higher-ups, this matter is of grave importance!"

The two seasons of rice are about to be planted. If the weather is favorable, it will be a bumper year!

If the problem is not curbed quickly, a large amount of good farmland will be lost in the spring, and farmers will be forced to lose their land due to forced sales.

It will cause all kinds of conflicts, trigger armed fights, group fights, and various unjust cases, delay farming time, and leave the fields abandoned. Everything will be in vain!

The losses and serious consequences caused are not something that adults can bear alone."

Su Bucheng's last sentence was very heavy and harsh. It was uncomfortable to hear and was completely alarmist.

But Lu Zhaoshi and Wang Yannian were not angry, because they knew that what Su Bucheng said was true.

Seeing the two adults remain silent, Su Bucheng continued, "Not every county magistrate is like County Magistrate Hu. Many are like County Magistrate Mei, who aid and abet the tyrant."

"What do you mean, Mr. Su?" Lu Zhaoshi was puzzled.

“There were quite a few people crying out for justice in the prison. They were farmers who had just been arrested. They were illiterate and were tricked into pressing their fingerprints to sell their land.

In a fit of rage, he started a fight, was thrown into jail, lost his land, and had to eat prison food.

"What? So shameless?" Lu Zhaoshi stood up in anger. "I didn't expect them to be so shameless!"

Lu Zhaoshi thought he was getting a high price, but he didn't expect such despicable tactics! Most farmers are illiterate and easily deceived.

If this continues, there might be bloodshed one day, and people might be driven to desperation and risk their lives.

"If the atmosphere in Tong County is not right, won't more farmers suffer?" Wang Yannian said worriedly.

"Sir, I'm afraid that this matter is not limited to Tong County, other counties are also involved!" Su Bucheng revealed a more shocking reality.

"What?" the two officials exclaimed.

They come from aristocratic families, but they are marginalized figures. Living in a remote place like Lingnan, there are occasional forced purchases and sales, but they are not frequent and not intense.

In our perception, forced buying and selling is a matter between the buyer and the farmer. What does it matter if the county government gets involved?

He comes from a noble family, but he doesn't dare to get involved in this mess. Is the county magistrate crazy?

"Sir, without the involvement of the government, how could the farmers be so easily deceived? After beating someone, they threw the farmer into jail. It doesn't make sense that the county government had no involvement!"

Here, the emperor is far away and the noble families don't have so many concerns. It is more efficient to drag officials into the water, saving them a lot of trouble.

Officials also profited from it and received huge sums of money. At the same time, they took advantage of the situation to buy more fertile land for themselves.

"Are you sure Meishan is involved?" Lu Zhaoshi still couldn't believe it.

How narrow-minded this is. For the sake of immediate interests, he doesn't care about his future or career.

"When you walked into the prison, many people cried out for justice. Some of them were farmers who were arrested years ago and tricked into putting their fingerprints on the paper and then selling their farmland!"

Su Bucheng looked at the governor. He was kind-hearted and had been an official for many years, but he still maintained his original intention. He was just a little naive.

The higher an official goes, the harder it is to get promoted, especially for low-level officials, most of whom come from humble backgrounds and spend their entire lives in low-level positions.

Since there is no hope of promotion, it is better to focus on the present, make as much money as possible, and go along with the aristocratic family without any psychological burden.

Being an official always has to pursue one thing, either fame or fortune, you can’t have nothing!

Besides, when it comes to two seasons of rice and a good harvest, the ones who benefit are the farmers and the imperial court. As an official, it is just a matter of getting an excellent performance evaluation. Where can you get promoted?

It is more practical than a pile of money, which can ensure that you and your descendants have enough food and clothing.

After listening to this, Lu Zhaoshi looked at Wang Yannian. These officials below were really playing so many tricks. He was still naive and thought that everyone was like him, caring about reputation and political performance evaluation!

"Sir, Wu County can only hold out for a short time. Using the theft of the official seal as an excuse can only delay the transaction, not stop it. Sir, please make a decision as soon as possible!"

Su Bucheng saw that Lu Zhaoshi was struggling and hesitant.

Lu Zhaoshi didn't say anything and paced around the room. If he took this step, it would mean standing against the family and would be despised by the family.

I was supported by my family, and doing this would be really unfair to them.

"Sir!" Su Bucheng shouted, "The two crops of rice are very important to the court. If we don't report it, and something happens in the future, the first person to be held accountable will be you, sir!"

The double-season rice will quickly make Lingnan the next prosperous Jiangnan. This place is remote, and the power of the aristocratic families has not penetrated much, and the local families do not have deep roots. It is a rare granary that the court can hold in its hands!

The two-season rice yield in Lingnan can provide the imperial court with sufficient food, giving it the confidence to provide disaster relief or wage war.

If the court fails to report this and allows the noble families to divide up the fertile land, it will miss the opportunity. Then the Khan will be furious, and no one in Lingnan will be able to escape!

Especially the governor of Wuzhou, who concealed the source of the incident and did not report it, and his crime is even more serious!

"Sir, it's true that you come from an aristocratic family, but in Wuzhou, you are first and foremost the governor, the chief official of a state. The people of the state are all your subjects. You cannot sit back and do nothing!"

Su Bucheng was heartbroken. "This matter will not only affect Wuzhou, but will even affect the structure of the imperial court. Your Excellency cannot stay out of it and be indecisive!"

Those who are involved are often confused, while those who are on the sidelines can see things clearly. It is a pipe dream for Lu Zhaoshi to want to keep his job clean, not offend his family, and keep his official position.

Every struggle for interests requires sacrifices to resolve conflicts and balance relationships.

"Forget it, forget it! There's never a perfect solution!" Lu Zhaoshi gritted his teeth and made a decision. "Submit the report and let fate take its course."

Once this report is written, it will sooner or later be heard by the family. From then on, I will be the sinner and shame of the family!

"Mr. Su, do you know why the noble family came to buy the land so quickly?" Lu Zhaoshi asked.

"Could it be that there is another drought or locust plague somewhere?" Su Bucheng reacted immediately.

"Frost disasters in Henan and Hebei have killed countless wheat seedlings. During the lean season of March and April, many more people will starve to death! Grain prices there have already risen to 40 or 50 wen per jin, and they'll be even higher in the near future!"

This was mentioned in a family letter. Lu Zhaoshi only thought that the noble families seized the land in Lingnan for profit and made a fortune from this disaster.

He didn't expect anything more profound until Su Bucheng's words woke him up and he realized the far-reaching significance of the fertile land in Lingnan. He really couldn't shoulder this heavy responsibility, so he finally chose to stand on the side of the court.

If I don't report it, I will not be able to escape the blame when something happens in the future. I will be the best sacrifice for the aristocratic families to appease the anger of the Khan. I am destined to become a victim in the game between the aristocratic families and the court.