The nights in the mountains were cold, and Minglan, whose menstruation had not yet ended, curled up in a ball and fell asleep. Gu Tingye hugged her body like a mountain, covering her cold hands and feet all night. Her cold body pressed against the man's body, which was like a small stove, and she immediately felt a lot more comfortable.
That night, the man slept very comfortably. Thinking of Minglan's interrogation before going to bed, her face turned red like a cooked fat octopus roll, and she bit her small white teeth to death. In the end, she could not hold on any longer and was almost embarrassed to climb out the window to escape. The man could not help laughing even in his sleep, and Minglan would angrily punch his chest.
Before dawn the next day, Gu Tingye led Xie Ang and other personal guards on horseback to the camp in the western suburbs.
"If you're busy, don't rush back at night." Minglan muttered sleepily, "With so many guards here, you can rest assured."
"I understand. You can make your own decision if there is anything." Gu Tingye kissed her warm cheek before leaving the farm.
Minglan's guess was not wrong. With Tulong's ferocious face and two burly and strong guards standing beside him, all the managers and heads of Heishan Villa were very honest. Minglan sat far away behind the screen and gave orders directly.
A steward like Ba Laofu, who is in charge of the farm, knew what to say and do when the master came to inquire. He brought a group of deputy stewards and the head of the farm to pay his respects to Minglan early in the morning, with a smile on his face and a lot of things to tell Minglan. But Minglan didn't ask a single question and just chatted with Ba Laofu.
Ba Laofu and others were confused and had to reply one by one.
"Madam, they are all here." At this time, Quanzhu's wife came in with her head lowered and reported.
Across the screen, Minglan's clear and gentle voice said, "Let them in according to the order in the book."
Danju took the list that Ba Laofu had just handed over from the table and began to read it slowly. Before the stewards understood what was going on, they saw Gongsun Meng directing several servants to carry in a large basket half a person's height.
There was a clang, the sound of copper and iron, and something fell heavily on the floor of the hall. Everyone turned to look and almost jumped in fright - it was a whole basket full of copper coins. Reflecting the morning light, the piles of copper coins strung together on thick red ropes shone with an exciting bright blue-gray color, and everyone was dazzled.
Minglan said lightly, "They've worked hard all year long. Now that the farm is under the Gu family name, I'm here for the first time, so I'll give them a little money to cheer them up."
"Madam, this..." Ba Laofu felt something was wrong.
Before the stewards could react, Quanzhu's wife had already called out the names loudly. When a tenant came in, she gave him a large string of coins and then asked if there were any elderly people over 60 years old in the family. If there was one, she would give him an extra 300 coins. After distributing the coins, Danju crossed out a sum of money and a name. The tenant, holding the heavy string of coins, was still confused and left the hall with unsteady steps.
The first few farmers came in either listless or trembling with fear, but after five or six were distributed, the tenants waiting behind heard the news and learned that the boss had the good fortune of giving them free money today. It was like salt sprinkled into a hot oil pan, and the front yard was in a commotion. They came in with rosy faces and left with joy, their mouths full of auspicious words and thanks.
The village heads and stewards looked at each other, puzzled by Minglan's intentions. Some looked indignant, while others loudly flattered Minglan's kindness. Ba Laofu's forehead began to sweat. With such wide-eyed village heads watching, Minglan was not afraid that the tenants would lie to the elderly at home.
There were a total of 62 hectares of registered land in Heishan Manor, with 33 registered tenant farmers. Together with the elderly people from each family, Minglan spent a total of 6,000 to 7,000 coins in the morning, almost emptying a basket.
A small incident occurred during this time. Hearing there was money to be given, several more tenant farmers arrived. They all claimed to be tenant farmers of Black Mountain Manor, but their names were not on the register. Ba Laofu immediately broke into a sweat. Minglan did not seem angry, but smiled and gave these tenant farmers money as well. Before Ba Laofu could come up with an explanation, Minglan had already ordered the brothers Cui Ping and Cui An to take several village heads and a team of guards and servants to go out and measure the land.
Ba Laofu then understood Minglan's intention and was immediately frightened and turned pale. When he wanted to explain, Minglan waved her hand lazily, told everyone to disperse, and went to rest.
As soon as she returned to the inner room, Xia Zhu couldn't help but say, "The day before yesterday, Madam asked the accountant to prepare a lot of loose change. So this is how it's used." She didn't dare to say more, but her face showed obvious regret and distress, and she used her eyes to tell Minglan how she felt.
Xiao Tao, on the other hand, had a calm expression. She always believed that whatever Minglan did was right. Danju made tea for Minglan and helped her undress. She whispered, "Madam, why don't you ask about the affairs of the manor? You haven't asked the stewards a single question in the past few days."
Minglan said sadly, "What they want to tell me may not be what I want to know; and what I want to know, they may not be willing to tell me honestly."
"How dare they deceive my lady!" Danju frowned, his chest heaving in anger. Then he whispered, "What do you want to know? We'll go find out for ourselves later."
Minglan took a sip of warm tea and carefully admired the official kiln hollow-bodied famille rose teacup in her hand. "Nothing much, but I just want to know how much land this farm has and how many tenants it has."
Apart from these two matters, the rest, such as concealing accounts and embezzling rent, can be dealt with slowly behind closed doors. Besides, the deeds of all the people in the manor, from the manager to the head of the manor, are in Minglan's hands, and there is no long-standing seniority, so she can deal with them however she wants.
Minglan's money has no white hair.
When the Cui brothers went to measure the fields, the tenants who were originally a little worried about the village head and the manager became very enthusiastic. Some of them were more clever and saw some clues. They all led the way and gave instructions, saying everything that should and should not be said. Several managers and the village head were very anxious, but they stopped under the ferocious gaze of the Tu brothers.
However, in just two days, the brothers Cui Ping and Cui An measured the huge field and carefully recorded the thickness of the farmland. Gongsun Meng asked a manager who could write to visit all the tenants who were not registered.
The faces of the village managers became increasingly ugly.
Gu Tingye only came back for two nights these days. It seemed that the inspection work was getting busier and busier. Many military camps had cases of people drawing salaries without working, and the inspection of the Hyogo Division was not very good. Every time he returned to the farm, he would ask Minglan if there was any trouble. Minglan didn't want to disturb him, so she said there was nothing wrong. Gu Tingye was extremely tired from running around day and night, and basically fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
On the third day, the check was completed and the Cui brothers and A Meng handed in the files. The situation was clear at a glance: Heishanzhuang had an additional 690 acres of fertile land, plus four or five tenant farmers, and it was reported by "certain enthusiastic people" that several managers, including Ba Laofu, had bought their own land outside, but it was in the name of relatives.
Ba Laofu and other managers knelt in front of Minglan's door with sweat dripping down their cheeks, not daring to wipe their sweat off.
Minglan sat inside, slowly flipping through the scrolls. She said simply, "You were born as slaves of a criminal official. When the Duke's Mansion was raided, everyone like you was sold off. You were given as rewards by Zhuangzi. Now that the Duke's Mansion has been completely plundered, you've still managed to hide so much of his belongings. You're truly good slaves."
The tone was very calm, but the meaning was extremely powerful. Everyone kowtowed and begged repeatedly. Ba Laofu's forehead was bruised and swollen from knocking. He looked up and said, "It's all because we were blinded by greed. We know we were wrong. We only hope that Madam will show mercy. We will immediately sell the farmland outside and hand over the money to the public..."
"Nonsense! Is Madam just after your money?!" Danju scolded loudly.
Several stewards continued to kowtow. Minglan looked at them for a moment, then softened her tone, "Never mind. You are the elders of the Duke of Ling's Mansion. You have worked hard for many years, and the savings you have accumulated are nothing—"
The others couldn't help but relax a little when they heard Minglan's tone soften. But Minglan changed the subject and continued, "However, you concealed the land of the manor and secretly kept tenants. This is a violation of the family rules. If we let it go like this, and everyone does the same in the future, the Gu family will be in chaos. This will be really difficult to deal with..."
The village heads and stewards were anxiously awaiting Minglan's decision. Seeing their faces turning pale and blue, Minglan felt that it was almost time, so she said gently, "Well, let's talk about it after the master finishes his official duties."
After saying this, Minglan took all the account books and name files, and left behind two stewards brought from the mansion to check the accounts and several guards to watch over them. Then she left Black Mountain Manor. That night, the couple met at Guyan Manor. Seeing that Gu Tingye was still somewhat energetic, Minglan told him a few words about what had happened.
"Do you want to exchange the extra land for the emperor?" Minglan's expression was very upright. When she was a child, she always handed in the money she found.
The man's frown relaxed and he said with a smile, "When the emperor granted the manor to me, did he specify how much land I should have?"
Minglan shook her head.
"We have found out the slaves who deceived their superiors and concealed the truth. We are not encroaching on the people's land. What are you afraid of?"
Minglan thought so too, and she concentrated on wiping Gu Tingye's wet hair. Seeing her relaxed expression, Gu Tingye looked a little surprised: "They lied to you like this, and you are not very angry?"
"...I'm not really angry." Minglan looked up and thought for a moment. "Although they took some money and land, they were still sensible and didn't force the tenants to death."
Minglan had recently checked around and found that most of the tenants in the manor were living quite well; no one was selling their children, and no one was starving to death. The Black Mountain Manor residents left Minglan with the impression that they were not very courageous and collectively enjoyed petty theft.
However, because of this, the slave of Zhuangzi was not notorious, so he was not sold, but was directly transferred to a meritorious official.
Of course, in essence, it is because Minglan does not agree with the efficiency of ancient slaves.
For slaves indentured to their masters, performing service work within the mansion was fine, with a fixed monthly salary and, if appreciated by their masters, additional rewards. However, assigning these slaves to manage farmland presented a complex problem. The failure of the "big pot" system proved one thing: humans are profit-driven creatures. Long-term, stable performance cannot be achieved without incentives and punishments.
Those managers who handled large sums of land and money made their farms prosperous through hard work, but as slaves without personal freedom, they could not have their own property. This was absolutely against economic laws and human principles.
The key point is how much Balaofu and the others swallowed. If it is within a certain range, it is not unforgivable. After all, it seems that Black Mountain Villa has been managed well in the past few days. Besides...
Minglan sighed: "There are fewer trustworthy people around us. You might as well think about whether there are any loyal old family members in the Marquis' Mansion. If they are reliable, there is no need to worry..." She didn't believe that the lady could catch them all in one fell swoop. What about those servants who had been in the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion for generations? After all, Gu Tingye was also the real master.
Gu Tingye was silent for a long time before he nodded slightly and changed the subject, saying, "Black Mountain Manor has a good reputation. If anything bad happens, you can decide how to deal with it. When you return home, just ask Hao Dacheng to do it." After a pause, he pointed to the ground and said, "This manor is different. I'll leave a team of soldiers for you tomorrow."
Minglan paused, tilted her head and smiled, "No need, I have enough manpower."
She is currently very satisfied with the deterrent power of the Tu brothers.
Gu Tingye raised his handsome eyebrows, smiled and did not answer: She is smart and has a clear view of things, but she still lacks some experience.
He pulled Minglan over, turned over and pressed her on the bed, and kissed her red lips hard. Her skin was smooth and tender under her thin clothes. He couldn't help but feel moved and said in a low voice, "Are you okay?" As he spoke, he reached into her clothes.
Minglan was rubbed so hard that half of her body softened and her face flushed: "...still, still, still...still, still..."
The big hand on her body was getting more and more restless. She panicked and said hurriedly, "You, you, you...you have to change three horses a day, and you'll be busy tomorrow. You'd better not...do that. Just rest well."
"Little stutterer, why are you so nervous!" Gu Tingye couldn't help but smile. He turned over and lay flat on the bed, holding Minglan in his arms, smiling, "I was just asking, did you get the wrong idea?" His dark and playful eyes pretended to be righteous.
Minglan: ...
——She wanted to tickle him to death!
【Author has something to say】
Recently I have been looking up information about the estates of wealthy families in ancient times, and I will explain it here.
First of all, the ancient times was an agricultural society (isn't this nonsense?). The working people in ancient times worked and obtained the necessities of life as a family unit. Therefore, in the tenant's record book, the names of all people would not be recorded. Instead, only the name of the most important man in the family would be recorded. The rest of the elderly, women, and children all belonged to this family.
As the family develops, it becomes a clan. That is why in ancient times, we often saw names like Wangjiacun and Lijiacun. That is to say, an entire village was basically made up of people from the same clan. In ancient times, there was a saying that "people from the same village cannot marry each other" or "outside daughters-in-law and sons-in-law are accepted". The original reason was to prevent blood ties from being too close.
How did ancient villages form? (You can ask Baidu, but that's just nonsense.)
I summarized it: Generally speaking, human power was weak in ancient times, and it was difficult for each family to resist the power of nature, such as digging wells, reclaiming wasteland, hunting, guarding against thieves, etc.
So a group of people gathered together to live and gradually formed a village. Because they needed to trust and rely on each other, the closer the better. Therefore, ancient villages were mostly composed of relatives.
In ancient China, 70-80% of the land was villages, which were governed through village heads, village heads, or other village systems. Usually, the county magistrate stayed in the city, and the yamen runners and the county magistrate helped with city affairs. If there were other matters, they would notify the elders, clan leaders, village heads, and village heads to pass on the message to the ordinary people.
Therefore, the power of the gentry in the Ming and Qing dynasties was very strong. On the lower level, they owned land and tenant farmers on the land. On the upper level, their families often had children who entered officialdom and had a say in the court.
This semi-autonomous village model was praised by many ancient scholars.
But things were not so wonderful. Land annexation has happened to almost all dynasties in our country for thousands of years. It seems that it cannot be avoided no matter what. After a dynasty lasts for two or three hundred years, land annexation becomes serious to a critical point, and then there will be uprisings and rebellions, which may succeed or fail, and then the dynasty will change.
This topic is too broad. If I really want to talk about it, I can write a paper entitled "On the Evolution of Ancient Land Annexation and the Gradual Progress of Peasant Uprisings and Their Various Impacts on the Rise and Fall of Dynasties."
Let’s get back to the topic and talk about the rich family’s estate.
The big families in ancient times, such as those with titles (Marquis of Ningyuan), and those who had served as officials for generations (the Hai family)... These families had vast land and properties, so how did they manage them?
Especially for the wealthy families in the capital, their farms are often some distance away from their homes and they cannot check them every day. At this time, they need helpers, which are similar to the role of general manager, to manage the farms on behalf of the owner.
The fact is that most slaves in ancient times served their masters in their mansions, but there was also a group of them who were deeply trusted by their masters. They managed the tenants on the farms (farmers who did not have their own land), managed the harvest, collected rent, and then sorted it out and handed it over to their masters.
(For details, see the scene in Dream of the Red Chamber where the "Old Beheaded Man" pays Jia Zhen his annual tax.)
There are usually two ways to manage a farm. One is that the farm managers are very capable and loyal. They manage the crops diligently, buy seeds themselves, purchase farm tools and oxen themselves, decide what varieties to plant themselves, and then only hire helpers to work in the fields. The other is to divide the fields into pieces and rent them out to tenants. Then, when the time comes, they collect the rent and don't care about anything else.
The former is just to pay the helpers and all the harvest can be collected; the latter is the relationship between Huang Shiren and Xier's father. The latter situation is more common, and the former is used as a supplement.
The tenants only rented the land to farm and were not slaves of that family, so they did not need to kneel down to Minglan, but this was just an idealistic idea.
For example, due to natural reasons or family illness, the tenant farmers suddenly cannot pay the rent or default on the rent. At this time, the village head will ask them to write IOUs. As the debts accumulate, do you think these tenant farmers will be afraid of the village head?
Especially since these farms were owned by wealthy families, the tenant farmers dared not resist at all. Over time, although the tenant farmers were personally free, they were actually half slaves. There were even many tenant farmers who could not survive and were very willing to be taken in by their masters.
Because once you become a slave of the master, at least you will have something to eat and will not starve or freeze.
There are good and bad masters, and there are good and bad managers. Here we will talk about the latter.
When the head of the family neglects management for many years (the whole family is idle, unwilling to study, and ignores household affairs), then these village managers will do something tricky, such as concealing some fields and tenants.
In this way, those fields that were clearly named after the XX family were actually cultivated by the village heads themselves, and those tenants became the village heads' private tenants.
Of course, after years of service, old servants of large families would accumulate some savings and would secretly go out to buy property. According to ancient etiquette and law, this was absolutely not allowed and could be confiscated once discovered (a good deal).
Therefore, there were not many slaves who would actually buy property outside. Unless they had very reliable relatives outside, they would rather hide the silver.
These slaves who manage the manor actually live a very comfortable life as long as they can get the position of manager. Although the exquisite level of daily life cannot compare to the enjoyment in the mansion, they are valued by the master and can live freely in the manor where the emperor is far away.
But if as a slave you were not in charge and just helped out on the farm (chopping wood, cooking, fetching water, and occasionally farming), then your life would be miserable and difficult.
Some maids who committed crimes in the inner courtyard were punished and sent to the farm. If they did not have their parents, brothers or sisters-in-law to protect them, they would be sent to labor reform. It was a very tragic punishment, from heaven to earth, from the enjoyment of a deputy lady to a maid on a farm.
If you are unlucky and meet bad parents, they will even think of marrying their daughters off to gain benefits (unlucky Qingwen).
…
All in all, the life of a tenant farmer was not pleasant. A historian once said that thousands of years of peasant uprisings were all for a piece of land!
The greatest wish of ancient farmers was to have their own land, the more the better (if everyone thought so, how could there not be land annexation?).
Okay, that’s all I have to say about the farm. Now I will list the copper coin purchase situation set in this article.
One tael of gold = ten taels of silver
One tael of silver = one thousand copper coins (one string, one string)
One string of money = ten coins
One stone of rice = ten dou of rice
One dou = one hu
In the early Northern Song Dynasty, the price of rice was approximately between 300 and 600 wen per dan. In the middle period (during the reign of Emperor Renzong), it was between 600 and 700 wen. In the early Southern Song Dynasty, the price of rice was around 2 guan.
According to calculations, one stone of rice in ancient times was about 59,200 grams, or 59.2 kilograms.
If this is not clear to you, let me explain it in simple terms.
Granny Liu said that a crab feast in the Grand View Garden was enough for her family to eat for a whole year.
A crab feast costs twenty taels of silver. Granny Liu's family is considered a middle-class family in the village and they have their own land. The poor peasants cost less, and the tenant farmers even less.
The copper coins Minglan gave as a reward were roughly equivalent to half or one-third of a tenant farmer's annual income.
Don't tell me that that money can't buy much rice.
Do you think that farmers in ancient times could eat rice and flour every day?! Stop dreaming!
That's what we eat during the Chinese New Year. Usually, it's mixed with coarse grains. When a poor family has a bad harvest, it's common for them to dig wild vegetables and peel tree bark!
The lives of farmers in ancient times were very hard. They could only live a good life during a short period of peace and prosperity. At the end of a dynasty, when there was war and chaos, the most unfortunate people were the small farmers!
(As an aside, when I was researching, I read the Ming Dynasty vernacular novel "Three Words and Two Fears." Comparing it with the lives of ordinary people in the Qing Dynasty, I was tempted to say that the Ming Dynasty people seemed to have a more comfortable life. But forget it, I'll just go back to research.)
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