Tuisi Garden and Songfeng Hall in Wanhe.
Elder Xu was helped by his son to sit down and drink some tea. After a while, he sighed and said, "These two things will destroy the foundation of my Xu family."
"Yes, father." Xu Ying agreed and said, "Once the equal distribution of land and grain is implemented, those who donated government land to our family will definitely feel that it is not worth it."
"The key lies in the 'One Whip Law'." Xu Fan saw through it more clearly than him and said gloomily, "Songjiang Prefecture will soon compile the 'Tiger Head and Rat Tail Book'. By then, whether it is the workers who work for our family or the slaves who work for us, I'm afraid they will feel that they have been cheated."
"Of course. The family with more land will be ranked first and will have to pay more silver and taxes." Xu Ying nodded and said:
"Those slaves don't have to serve the government according to the new law, so why should they pay tribute to us? They must want to renounce their slavery and distance themselves from us."
"Father, what should we do?" Xu Fan was really panicking, his voice trembling. Although he had been through a lot, it was all based on the premise that his father could protect him from the wind and rain. Now it seemed that his father could no longer protect him. Xu Fan's weak nature was finally exposed.
"Alas..." Elder Xu closed his eyes and frowned as he pondered. Although he had experienced more dangerous situations than this many times, he was old, his mind was not as sharp as it used to be, and he was no longer in office.
I really didn't have the conditions, so I just dealt with it lightly...
The two prodigal sons held their breath, fearing that they would disturb their father's deep thoughts.
In Wanhe Songfeng Hall, one could hear a pin drop.
~~
Xu Jie understood that although Hai Rui's Yingtian New Deal was not designed specifically for him, due to various reasons, all the pressure fell on him.
First of all, he was the largest landlord in Jiangnan, and all the powerful families and wealthy households were watching to see if he could hold on.
Moreover, there was also Lin Run's case pressing on their heads...Hai Rui was bound to target the Xu family.
Now that I think about it, Hai Rui was frantically placing notices in Suzhou before the New Year in order to clear obstacles for the big show after the New Year.
After the Chinese New Year, he used these two new policies to create opposition between the Xu family and the people of Songjiang, thus achieving the goal of cutting off the source of the problem.
"Mr. Hai has put so much effort into planning this, he must be as powerful as thunder when he takes action..." Elder Xu suddenly laughed at himself and said, "I wonder if my old arms and legs can still withstand it."
"Yes, of course!" the two sons said quickly, "Dad must hold on!"
"Hmph..." Xu Jie glanced at the two of them coldly, really regretting giving birth to this cheating thing.
"Father, we can't just sit there and wait for death. We have to save ourselves quickly!" Xu Fan didn't care about his father's disgusted look.
"Arrange another assassin to kill Hai Rui as well?" Xu Jie asked sarcastically.
"Uh..." Even Xu Ying knew that this was impossible. If the governor who came to handle the Lin Run case had any problems again, the court would directly send troops to exterminate the Xu family.
"The only solution now is to endure." Everyone has path dependence, and when it comes to the critical moment, Lord Xu will still take out his best trick, the Turtle Magic Skill.
"If Hai Rui wants to punish us, let him do it. If he wants to return the land, we will return it. If he wants to collect more taxes, we will pay it." Xu Ge Lao obviously thought it through. He said calmly, "He can't always take advantage of me, can he? Sooner or later, he will cause trouble for others. When he offends the public, someone will naturally punish him. As long as we can keep the green mountains, we will not have to worry about firewood in the future."
"Ah..." Xu Fan and Xu Ying thought, isn't this surrender? Both of them are people who don't want to be wronged, don't mention how aggrieved they are.
"What?" Xu Jie looked at the two dead kids coldly and said in a deep voice, "You don't need to show up for the next thing. I will do it myself."
"Father, what should we do then?" Xu Fan and Xu Ying asked hurriedly.
"Keep them under house arrest." Xu Jie ordered Xu Dadao in a deep voice: "From today on, the two of them will live in Tuisi Garden. They are not allowed to go out, so as to avoid the government finding an excuse to take them away, which would be very troublesome."
"Father, it's fine to just confine the third child!" Xu Fan was shocked and said, "During such a precarious time, my son must contribute to the family!"
"Go and explain clearly to the government that this person is from the Old Three Factions and has nothing to do with you?" Xu Jie's ability to choke people was truly first-rate.
"My son knows." Xu Fan lowered his head in frustration and pulled Xu Ying, who was about to say something, away.
Watching the two scumbags disappear at the entrance of the hall, Xu Jie's face was also filled with frustration.
He regretted that he should have had a good talk with Lin Run at the beginning... At least he was sure that he could reach a compromise with Lin Run.
Now, the person in charge is Hai Gangfeng, a stubborn man.
He was no longer sure that he could maintain his own wisdom, let alone his property and his son...
We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate.
~~
Almost at the same time, the people of Songjiang also saw the announcement from the prefectural government.
They spent a day learning from others what the "Single Whip System" and "Equal Land and Grain Distribution" were all about.
Another day passed, and those who had previously taken advantage of loopholes realized that they had suffered huge losses under the new policy.
Those people spent another day pondering and mumbling, and after some ideological struggle, they could no longer sit still.
On the morning of the fourth day, those family members who had betrayed the Xu family gathered together, bringing gifts and going to the Xu Mansion in Nanchan Temple, begging the master to show mercy and take the land back.
Because as soon as the first month of the year comes, the government office will compile the Tiger Head and Rat Tail Book.
These relatives and the slaves who later surrendered and changed their surnames had tens of thousands of acres of land in the Xu family, and at least thousands of acres. Not a single one was left out, and all of them would be recorded in the Tiger Head Book.
This is like your relative borrowing 10 million in the name of your family. If there is any sign of trouble, would you panic?
But the eldest and third uncles are not here, so those in charge can't make the decision.
What, the Second Master? Hey, there is a Second Master in the mansion?
Xu Jie did have three brothers, including Xu Zhi, but as concubines, they had no power to decide matters in the mansion.
So Xu Er and several managers had to come forward to appease them, and at the same time went to Tuisi Garden to ask for instructions. After returning, they assured them that even if they were included in the Tiger Head Book, they would still be exempted.
But the family members did not believe it, because the prefectural government had announced that this time they would strictly follow the regulations and would only exempt 6,000 acres at most for the Xu family.
However, they were responsible for dozens or even hundreds of times more acres of land. Even if the Xu family gave them all the share, it would be a drop in the bucket.
Naturally, no one would be sent back so easily, and they continued to try to return the land to the master.
The managers were just getting worried when a large group of people came over. They were not here to return the land, but to take back the donated land...
p.s. I spent time with my kids today on the weekend, so I only have two updates. I’ll make up for it tomorrow.
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