Chapter 110 Chapter 110 The Storm is Coming (Part 7)...
"Is this your handkerchief, brother?"
On the ridge of the field lay a white scarf, with a silver thread edging and a few blooming lotus flowers embroidered on the corners.
The little girl bent down to pick it up and looked at the man enjoying the cool breeze under the willow tree. He was wearing a wide-sleeved robe made of the same brocade material she had only seen on the rich and powerful on the street.
She remembered her father once said that to judge a person's background, one should first look at his clothes and then at his fingers.
The little girl walked over with the handkerchief, looked up and asked again: "Brother, is this yours?" Her fingertips couldn't help but stroke the silk material, which felt as smooth as clouds, a world away from the coarse cloth in her home.
Ji Lian stretched out her hand from beneath her wide sleeves and said softly, "It's mine."
The little girl looked down at her fingers, which were cracked from farming, then looked at the other woman's flawless white fingertips and obediently handed the handkerchief back.
Daddy was right. Such delicate hands would only grow on someone who never touched mud. And such a person was someone they couldn't afford to offend.
Ji Lian fished out a piece of maltose from her sleeve and placed it in the little girl's hand. "I accidentally dropped it just now. Thank you for picking it up for me."
After her family fled from the north to the south, the little girl was forcibly conscripted into slavery by the local powerful Yu clan. She went from being a free woman to a private slave. She had to work at the crowing of the cock and only had a bite to eat at sunset.
She stared at the piece of maltose in her palm, swallowed hard, and looked up and asked, "Can I really eat it?"
Seeing Ji Lian nod, the little girl put the candy into her mouth without hesitation, and her eyes lit up as the sweetness melted away.
Ji Lian looked at the people working in the fields and asked softly, "I thought this was a wasteland, but I didn't expect people were actually cultivating it. But are these your fields? Are those your relatives?"
The little girl shook her head and mumbled while biting the candy: "It's not ours. We planted it for someone else."
She pointed to the end of the ridge where a group of people were busy working. "That's my mom and dad."
He drew a large circle in the air again. "This whole area belongs to the Yu family. I heard they're so rich that even their bowls are made of gold. We weren't originally farming here, but a very vicious person forced us here, saying it was a remote place and no one would be able to find us."
"So you're hiding here?"
"There are many people hiding in different places. They said that if that evil man finds us, we will have no place to sleep, no food to eat, and will have to become beggars on the streets."
Ji Lian was about to ask again when she heard a sharp, angry curse: "How dare you be lazy, you little jerk! Everyone else is working, and you're enjoying yourself? I don't even have time to rest, and you're just slacking off!"
The supervisor raised his whip in the air and suddenly saw Ji Lian behind the willow tree, and was stunned.
There is such a beautiful man in this world.
This young man not only has a stunning appearance, but his luxurious clothes also show that he has an extraordinary family background. He exudes a natural majesty, which is clearly the bearing of a noble family. He is definitely not someone a small person like her can mess with.
She hurriedly put away the whip, forced a flattering smile and bowed to Ji Lian, then turned around and glared at the little girl fiercely. The child was smart and quickly ran back to the edge of the field.
When the supervisor turned around again, he saw a young man standing next to a woman in gorgeous clothes. Her skirt was flowing, her hair was tied up with jade hairpins. But a single glance at her was enough to make her feel as if a mountain was pressing down on her, making her feel suffocated and unable to move. She retreated back to the edge of the field in shame.
Xie Tingyu walked back with Ji Lian by his hand, "Look, I told you, if you come earlier, you might get something unexpected."
Ji Lian shook her fingertips and said, "It is true. These people have slandered you as a villain behind your back, wantonly ruining your reputation, and even threatened the tenants that if you find them, they will become beggars."
The two of them boarded the carriage, and Ji Lian took out a book from the secret compartment and took up his pen to record what he had seen today. For example, the so-called wasteland was actually hidden fields, which detailed the geographical location, scale of cultivation, etc.
Ji Lian lowered his head and wrote with a focused expression. He pressed the paper lightly with one hand and raised his wrist with the other hand to move the pen. With a few rustling sounds, he finished a line of neat and elegant handwriting.
Xie Tingyu leaned on his chin and gazed at her, a smile in his eyes: "Is this my confidante? She even prepared the memorial for me to submit to the Fengge Pavilion on my return trip."
"Just make fun of me."
Ji Lian handed over the book, "If we compare the official records with the secret investigations of the past few days, the Yu clan is hiding at least a thousand people."
At this point, Ji Lian paused and asked in confusion, "Where did you get that official booklet?"
Xie Tingyu lowered his head and examined the album leaves. "Of course, they were stolen by someone climbing over the wall at night."
"The Yu clan has extensive connections in Kuaiji, far from Jiankang, and has always disregarded central government orders. The current Kuaiji Internal History, Ji Li, has likely been secretly colluding with the Yu clan to maintain his position of power. I wonder how many open and hidden ledgers he has in his possession. This is only what I stole before the enemy arrived, but who knows how much more filth lies beneath."
Xie Tingyu shook his head and sighed, "With the refugees from the north migrating south, the Yu family has hidden countless tenants, and the amount of imperial resources they've embezzled is incalculable. This number of thousands is a conservative estimate; it's just the tip of the iceberg."
She tapped the pages a few times. "My strategy is to secure yellow registration for these refugees, so that they are no longer privately owned. Instead, they can be naturalized as citizens, enjoying the same taxes, labor service, and protection as the local people."
"This is clearly a good plan for the benefit of the people, yet it has been falsely accused of spreading rumors. I will hunt down these hidden individuals one by one and make sure those powerful families who have devoured fertile land and human lives have nowhere to hide."
After he finished speaking, he suddenly saw Ji Lian staring at him, with stars in her eyes. He couldn't help but ask with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Ji Lian smiled slightly. "You always keep your word. I believe you can accomplish it. Once this is completed, your reputation will spread far and wide, and your status in the court will rise to a higher level."
"I really don't care about these good reputations. As long as I can do my job well, that will be the reason I came out this time."
Xie Tingyu leaned over, put his arms around Ji Lian, rested his chin on his shoulder, and whispered, "I'm a little sleepy, Lianlian, let me lean on you for a while."
The group entered the city gate for inspection and saw the pass document handed over from the carriage. They immediately sent someone to deliver the message to the Kuaiji Internal History Office.
"Inner history! Inner history! Inner history!"
The county magistrate came running over in a panic. Ji Li looked up from the documents on the desk, frowned, and immediately spitted and scolded: "You are a county magistrate after all, so impetuous! How can you be so impulsive!"
"Neishi, Mr. Xie from Jiankang arrived in Yuyao County today. He just passed the city gate inspection and is now staying at the posthouse."
The county magistrate waited until he had calmed down, then took out the document from his pocket and presented it with both hands, "This is the certificate I just checked, please take a look at it."
Ji Li took it and read it through. "According to the date, she should be in Lujiang County right now. How come she came here so quickly?"
He looked at the county magistrate and asked, "Where is the population register I asked you to prepare this morning?"
The county magistrate was on the verge of tears. "I prepared five copies of the Yin-Yang Book according to your instructions, but they are all gone."
"Gone?"
The county magistrate shrank his neck and stepped back, fearing that the internal historian would slap him.
At this moment, another official hurried in, "Neishi, thank you for the visiting card."
Ji Li took it and saw the name listed on the card: Xie of Chen County, Marquis of Wu'an, Shangqi Duwei of Sirong Mansion, Sizhi of Tingweitai and Supervisor of Tuduan, Xie Tingyu.
She opened it and read it. There were only a few words inside: "I have arrived in Yuyao now, awaiting review and verification. Please prepare the registration quickly." In the lower right corner was the seal of the Xie family of Chen County.
The county magistrate stepped forward to take a look and asked in confusion, "Why didn't Mr. Xie write down the date of the visit?"
Ji Li's face grew even darker, and she slapped him, "You idiot with your eyes on your ass. This ominous letter clearly tells me to be prepared at any time so as not to be caught off guard. It's an ultimatum from me!" After that, she glared at her.
The County Magistrate was stunned by the slap, and asked with tears in his eyes, "Then... then, Nei Shi, what should we do next?"
What should I do? Ji Li also had doubts in her heart.
Ever since she learned that the current emperor had ordered the implementation of Tuduan and sent Lord Xie to supervise it in person, she had already secretly gathered some information.
Although this man was still young, his reputation was gradually rising. He was not only extremely smart, but also had great martial arts skills. He had won victory in several of his military campaigns.
Moreover, her mother was the Grand Tutor, a high-ranking official, with the support of a towering tree. And she herself was not just a family with a good family background, but also had real talent and knowledge, making her a rare and outstanding female prostitute from an aristocratic family.
Now, this visiting card does not specify the date and only contains a few words. I don’t know whether it is an ultimatum or this person has seen through Yuyao’s hidden situation and is deliberately testing it.
Ji Li clenched the visiting card in her hand, her mind in turmoil.
He pondered for a few moments with his hands behind his back, then said to the county magistrate, "Come, follow me to the Yu family garden tonight."
————
Yu's Garden.
Yu Yi put his hands in his sleeves and invited Ji Li to the council hall to discuss the strategy for this land decision.
Ji Li got straight to the point: "Lord Xie from Jiankang has already stayed at the post station. He will soon personally inspect the refugees' farmland. What are your plans?"
Compared to Ji Li's anxiety, Yu and the others looked calm, and one could not even find any trace of panic in their expressions.
Someone sneered, "He's just an official from Jiankang, what's there to be afraid of?"
Someone else chimed in, "That's right. She's so young, having wandered the world for a few years, witnessing the suffering of the untouchables. To dream of redressing their injustice and seeking justice is naive. She relies on the support of her mother, the Grand Tutor. Even if we handed over the population list, she might not be able to see the clues."
Ji Li's forehead veins throbbed as he heard this. "As far as I know, the Tuduan strategy was drafted personally by this young Lord Xie, without any instruction from Grand Minister Xie. Furthermore, many of the noble families in Jiankang surrendered under his pressure."
There was a moment of silence in the hall.
Yu Yi lowered his eyes, smoothing the wrinkles on his sleeves. He said calmly, "We have to behave in Jiankang. How can we act rashly in front of the emperor? But this is Kuaiji County, a thousand miles away from the capital. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. This Lord Xie can't cause any trouble. Ji Nei Shi, please be patient."
Seeing everyone so disrespectful, Ji Li felt a burning rage. She had once sided with the Yu family to protect Kuaiji's power, but now, with the truth about her actions about to be exposed, these people were still living in ignorance. She wanted to slap each of them in the face.
Damn it, the situation is urgent, and you are still sleeping here. What a bunch of dead people!
She shouted gruffly, "This Lord Xie is definitely not an ordinary person. If she really finds out anything, the news will be sent to Jiankang, and you and I will be dismissed from office and stripped of our titles."
Before he finished speaking, some people at the table changed their expressions and sat up straight, while others remained indifferent.
Yu Yi rubbed his fingertips against the table and said calmly, "Instead of panicking, it's better to treat her well. Invite her to a banquet and offer her a gift of 100,000 strings of cash as a token of sincerity. If this attempt at appeasement still fails, we'll have to devise another plan. We absolutely cannot allow her to stir up trouble in Kuaiji."
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