Chapter 230 Gains and Losses

Chapter 230 Gains and Losses

When Du Min arrived, the Xing family's old house was surrounded by layers of people, but the gate was closed and guarded by servants holding sticks. The onlookers only dared to shout and did not dare to do anything.

Two people dressed in blue silk robes walked towards Du Min. The one in the lead greeted him, "Lord Du, are you here on business as well? The two county magistrates have already gone inside."

"Master Sima, Fourth Master, what are you doing here?" Du Min nodded in greeting. This was another powerful clan in Huai Prefecture, the Sima clan of Henan. This clan was mainly distributed in Wen County and Henan County.

The people standing on the perimeter heard the voice, turned around and saw that it was Prefect Du. He exclaimed with delight, "Prefect Du is here! Open the gate quickly!"

Everyone turned to look, and a path was made in the crowd.

Du Min looked at the Sima family members and asked, "Would you two like to come inside with me?"

“My brother and I share the same idea,” Master Sima nodded.

Du Min led his guards forward, and when they reached the gate, the servants opened it without the guards having to speak.

The people gathered outside the gate were eager to take the opportunity to follow him inside, but the servants stood in front of the gate with sticks, threatening: "If anyone dares to break in, we will immediately report to the authorities."

Du Min gestured to the guards, who stopped and went out, saying, "This is a respectable family, an official business, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter."

Upon hearing this, Master Sima said, "It's rare that Prefect Du still has a bottom line and didn't let these people take the opportunity to cause trouble."

“You’re mistaken. This has nothing to do with bottom line. Every word and action of this official is based on the laws and regulations of the Tang Dynasty,” Du Min said. He stopped and asked, “Regarding the decrees of the court, I wonder what Master Sima’s views are? Your Sima family has been passed down for far longer than the equal-field system has existed for many years. It can be said that your ancestors have witnessed the development of the equal-field system, so you must have a deep affection for it.”

Master Sima shook his head. “The Sima family of Hanoi can be traced back to the end of the Warring States period. Our ancestors have witnessed the rise and fall of too many dynasties. For the sake of the continuation of the family, we will not have any deep feelings for anything.”

Du Min had no way to refute it; this was the confidence of a powerful family.

"The equal-field system was established in the Northern Wei Dynasty and flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. This shows that any decree must stand the test of time. Now the court is trying to revise the equal-field system. Whether this decree is correct is still unknown to us, after all, it has only just begun to be implemented." Master Sima said again, "But I am clear about one thing. The current situation of the equal-field system is the result of the test of time and is the most suitable for the current situation."

"I suppose Emperor Wu of Jin shared this view regarding the land allocation and taxation system implemented during the Western Jin Dynasty," Du Min sighed. He then challenged, "How do you view the demise of the land allocation and taxation system?"

"You!" Fourth Prince was so angry that he was about to attack Du Min.

"Fourth Master." Master Sima spoke up to stop him, but his expression changed, and he could no longer maintain his gentle demeanor.

Du Min smiled and said, "It seems that you are not without deep feelings for anything. However, I can understand. If there were emperors among my ancestors, I would also remember their glory."

"Du Biejia, be careful with your words," Sima Fuzi sternly reminded him.

"The situation brought about by the development of the equal-field system is man-made, and it can naturally be changed by man, rather than watching it be eliminated," Du Min said solemnly. "The Sima family of Hanoi has a long history and a great reputation, which I respect very much. I strongly oppose bringing people to cause trouble, as this would be an insult to the Sima family. I hope you two can take my words back and ask the head of the Sima family to make reasonable arrangements so that we can still meet with dignity."

Master Sima did not respond.

Du Min stepped around the screen wall and followed the sound of the argument.

"I'm going to complain to Prefect Du! I'm going to Luoyang to sue you!" Xing Tian threatened loudly.

"What are you complaining about?" Du Min asked, walking inside. "I'm here. Go ahead and complain."

Xing Tian was startled.

Magistrates Xing and Gu came over upon hearing the commotion. Du Min waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities. He walked into the main hall, which was filled with shadowy figures, and sat down in the seat of honor.

"My lord, Magistrate Gu has discovered twenty acres of unclaimed land and intends to confiscate it for the government, but Xing Tian, ​​the eldest grandson of the Xing family, is obstructing us in every way and refusing to let us leave," Magistrate Xing complained.

Du Min understood immediately. The twenty acres of land that the county magistrate had investigated belonged to the Xing family, but the Xing family dared not admit it. If they did, they would be charged with over-occupying land and would be sentenced. If they did not admit it, the twenty acres of land would be gone, and the government could continue to investigate land along this route, confiscating any land that no one claimed.

"Why did this happen to me again? The last person who imprisoned me was exiled to the Western Regions. Not only did he lose his post, but he also caused Prime Minister Lu to resign and retire to his hometown." Du Min shook his head. "Where is the person in charge of the Xing family? Are they really planning to imprison us?"

"My lords, you've misunderstood. There's no such thing." The clan chief, who had been hiding his face, appeared leaning on his cane. He pointed his finger at Xing Wudu: "Magistrate Xing, didn't you say it would last for a month? Half a month hasn't even passed yet, why are you here again? Don't push your luck."

"Chief Xing has misunderstood. It was I who invited Magistrate Xing here," Magistrate Gu said. "Our county clerks have discovered twenty acres of unclaimed land, but the local tenant farmers say the owner's surname is Xing. I don't know if it's the Xing of the Xing family in Henan or the Xing of Magistrate Xing, so I can only ask him to come to Henan County for questioning."

The clan leader stared at Xing Wudu, who looked at Du Min with a slight smile. He blatantly told the Xing family that he was not afraid of them exposing his true identity.

"What if it's from the Xing family?" the clan chief asked Du Min.

“Whoever occupies the land will go to jail. The land will be taken over by the government, and the owner will be found for the unclaimed land afterward,” Xing Wudu replied.

Du Min glanced at him and acted even more ruthlessly, confiscating all his property.

“If the land has an owner and the owner is still alive, the government cannot confiscate it,” Master Sima said. “As far as I know, those who occupy land beyond the permitted limit are subject to a maximum sentence of one year in prison, and their crimes do not warrant the confiscation of their property.”

"There's a premise to your statement. Unless there are twenty acres of land with twenty owners, it's not considered land with owners. If there are fewer than twenty, the unallocated land is considered land seized from others. If the government awards property used as evidence to the criminals, how is the government any different from robbers to the original owners?" Xing Wudu didn't recognize this person and asked, "You're not an official, are you?"

"No."

Xing Wudu breathed a sigh of relief. "No wonder you're not good at the law."

Sima Fuzi felt ashamed and indignant after being slapped.

Du Min suppressed a laugh, giving Sima Shi face by not revealing his identity.

“This is a member of the Sima family, serving as a teacher in the prefectural school. He’s read more books than you’ve eaten salt. Who gives you the right to judge him?” Xing Tian shouted as he jumped out.

Xing Wudu glanced at Sima Fuzi in surprise.

Master Sima regretted interrupting and chiming in. He waved his hand and said, "Magistrate Xing is right. I was too talkative."

Xing Wudu looked at Xing Zhiqing and asked, "Clan Chief Xing, I will ask you one more time, do these twenty acres of land belong to the Xing clan?"

"No," the clan chief decided.

"Grandfather!" Xing Tian was unwilling. These twenty acres of land belonged to him, and if sold, they would be worth at least ten thousand strings of cash.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you today, I'll take my leave." After getting the answer he wanted, Magistrate Gu stood up and said, "Lord Du, I'm sorry to have troubled you to make the trip. The matter has been investigated and cleared up, I will take my men and leave now."

"I should go too." Du Min stood up.

No one dared to stop them.

Xing Wudu lagged behind, slowing his pace as he approached the clan chief. "You have nineteen days left. After that, I'll be investigating the land on behalf of Magistrate Gu. I won't be visiting you then; you'll have to wait for the government's summons. Admit it, and you'll be imprisoned; deny it, and the land will immediately change hands. Oh, and please pass on a message to Xing's in-laws. Thanks to you, my next step is to investigate them."

The clan chief was so angry that he felt dizzy, but he managed to stay upright. As soon as Xing Wudu left, his cane struck the floor tiles with a clear sound.

"Grandfather! Grandfather! Quick, call the doctor!" Xing Tian shouted.

The others then gathered around.

Xing Wudu glanced back, a mocking smile on his face, and continued walking without stopping.

In the days that followed, the Xing family searched for buyers to sell their land. Influenced by them, their relatives by marriage also took action, fearing that if they were a step too slow, their land would be confiscated by the government.

Within half a month, the number of redeemed fields received by the Hanoi district government increased daily, reaching over 700 hectares by the end of April.

Du Min immediately wrote a memorial to the court to report the good news and ordered the redeemed land to be distributed so that farmers would be more willing to work hard if they benefited.

"My lord, Magistrate Gu requests an audience," the guard reported as he entered.

"Please." Du Min looked at the three characters "Sima Family" that he had written, pondering whether he should go to the door. Hearing footsteps coming in, he looked up. After the Xing family incident, his opinion of Magistrate Gu had changed. He didn't know if the man had become enlightened or was eager for promotion, but he had been quite proactive in his work for the past half month.

"This humble official greets Your Excellency."

"Magistrate Gu, please sit down. What brings you here today?" Du Min asked.

"It concerns the redemption of land. After the news spread that the land had been redeemed and redistributed, some farmers came to claim their land, saying they were the original owners and that they had no choice but to sell it," Magistrate Gu replied. "Should the land be returned to its original owners?"

Du Min chuckled, "We didn't even bother to deal with them, yet they still dare to come knocking. Anyone else demanding land, be made to sit on a bench and be beaten ten times. Anyone who buys or sells land is guilty. If these people still want land, make them wait in line. Only after all the men who participated in the land distribution for the first time have received their full share will it be their turn."

The magistrate was in a dilemma. “But these people have already become tenant farmers. Now that the land in the hands of the landlords has been taken away and redistributed, they have also lost their livelihood. If they lose their source of income, they may fall into the status of lowly people and become slaves.”

"Persuade them to consider relocating. If they agree to move elsewhere, they can receive the full amount of land." Du Min didn't forget to mention the merchants' original intention in buying back the land. The northern region had too many people and too many powerful families. In the future, most of the wealthy merchants who would gain admission to the Imperial Academy would move to the prefectures and counties near the Eastern Capital. In a decade or two, after these young men entered officialdom, with their families providing funding, it would be inevitable that they would acquire land. At that time, the tragedy of farmers being forced to lose their land would be repeated. He planned to solve two problems at once to alleviate the conflict between people and land as much as possible.

“This…” Magistrate Gu did not expect him to give this choice. He said incredulously, “You want to relocate the farmers of Huai Prefecture? Have you thought it through? Once Huai Prefecture becomes Zhong Prefecture, the ranks of the officials in the prefectural government will all drop.”

“Don’t we still need to divide the households? For every household that moves out, we’ll create new households to make up the difference,” Du Min replied, reminding him, “Don’t just focus on dividing the land; don’t forget about dividing the households.”

"You've given us yet another difficult problem," Magistrate Gu said, rising to his feet. "I understand. I'll pass it on immediately."

"Hmm." Du Min laid out the paper again, intending to send orders to the remaining four counties.

After the magistrate had left, he returned and asked, "Lord Du, let me confirm again: men who were allocated land and then sold it are not included in the initial land allocation, is that right?"

“Yes, not an inch.” Du Min replied without looking up. “If you think you are not up to the task, ask Lady Wu for her assistance. She is well-regarded among the people, and they do not reject her advice.”

Du Min emphasized the words "handling official business," as he had not forgotten how Magistrate Gu had previously disliked his second sister-in-law for interfering in official duties.

Magistrate Gu: ...

He left silently.

"Lord Du, there is a letter for you." The guard strode in. "The messenger is from Prime Minister Zheng's residence, and he is waiting in the front yard."

Du Min put down his pen, took the letter, tore open the envelope, and found only one sentence on the paper: Zheng Chang has been demoted to the position of Prefect of Runzhou. Please return the people who are imprisoned.

Du Min put down the letter and sighed deeply. He did not take action against Zheng Chang; Prime Minister Zheng took action himself.

Du Min's heart sank. He had sent Prime Minister Zheng all the reasons for changing his stance, but the other party had not adopted them. He couldn't help but waver. Could it be that he had lost his gamble? Did Prime Minister Zheng not have the ambition to be remembered for generations?

He needs to go back and talk to his second sister-in-law.

-----------------------

Author's note: See you tomorrow night. I can't write tonight, I'm on my period, my back hurts, and I can't sit still.