Chapter 00246: Rural Customs vs. Young Master He
# Rural Customs vs. Young Master He
Chapter 246
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 246: Rural Customs vs. Young Master He
Quickly galloping? Was this sudden development?
He Lingchuan didn't think too much about it, but Ding Zuodong behind him changed color slightly.
"Young Master, we haven't gathered all the evidence yet!"
"Is there no chance today?"
"Impossible."
What to do? The original plan was disrupted.
He Lingchuan's eyes turned, and he decisively made a decision: "Then let's go for it."
He whispered a few words to Ya Yuan Lingtong, who looked taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
He Lingchuan then whistled, and the rock wolf, Lu Xin, came back from somewhere.
"Set off, target: Xinxiang."
He Chunhua usually indulged his eldest son, so at this crucial time, He Lingchuan couldn't let him down.
A little over a quarter of an hour later, the group left Dunyu, riding straight towards Xinxiang.
Jiao Tai had just been dragged out of the dark cell two days ago.
His wounds had festered and needed a few more days to heal.
Following behind He Lingchuan were not just Shan Youjun, but also four or five sturdy men.
Originally, they were private soldiers of the Li family and the Shu family.
After He Chunhua's order, both families had to disband their personal armed forces on the spot.
Most of the private soldiers would be taken by the army, but Shan Youjun introduced these few men to He Lingchuan, saying they were carefully selected from a pool of fifteen hundred to sixteen hundred men, with solid strength and character, free of burdens.
The worth of a person's usefulness can only be determined through use.
So He Lingchuan casually called all of them up to accompany him on the errand.
The past few days had seen no snow or rain, the road conditions were good, and the steeds galloped at full speed, reaching Xinxiang in less than an hour.
The tax collector in Xinxiang was surnamed Zhou.
Upon seeing He Lingchuan, he was momentarily taken aback, silently recognizing the reputation.
The young master rode a tall, splendid beast, with a monkey on the left and a wolf on the right, and backed by six or seven fierce servants, showcasing a magnificent display of a young master patrolling the village.
This beast was a tribute from some small noble, although officially it was “sold” to He Lingchuan.
"Which unyielding village is this?" He Lingchuan called for his men to yield a horse for Zhou Feifu to ride.
"Lead the way."
Feifu was the tax officer in the village.
However, since the county office had a small staff, he not only collected taxes but also had to handle various chores, such as coordinating conflicts between the state office and the village, as well as between the village and the farmers.
The ground was still frozen earth but had shed the remaining snow.
He Lingchuan could see a hint of new green in the mud crevices on the roadside.
The trees and bushes were still bare, but upon closer inspection, some had already sprouted buds.
Wild chickens were scratching for food in the ground, and female deer grazed tirelessly from dawn until dusk, fleeing at the sight of humans.
Just looking at these animals, one could tell that Dunyu was not lacking in grain.
Although the farmers' taxes were heavy, it was still better than in many other places.
The cold winter was nearing its end, with a faint hint of spring in the air.
On the way, He Lingchuan asked Zhou Feifu, “So you’re saying this Shuangyu village refuses to hand over the land and even threatened you?”
Feifu sighed inwardly; the young master arrived without fully grasping the context.
What if things turned chaotic later? He heard that Young Master He had a bad temper, yet Shuangyu village was indeed a hard nut to crack.
But on the surface, he still had to explain, “Yes. A few days ago, the newly appointed government official bought ten acres of prime farmland from the villagers, with all the contracts in order. But when we came to collect the land, Shuangyu village refused, stating that all sales need the village elder’s seal beforehand; otherwise, the transaction is void. Moreover, that ten acres has already been leased out, with another seven years on the lease, so the state bought the title but not the use, making it impossible to collect the land. Last time, I went with the county magistrate, and even he was knocked to the ground.”
“Oh? There’s such a strong-willed village?” It is common knowledge that the commoners should not fight against officials.
How could Shuangyu village defy this? He Lingchuan focused on the main point, “They have no reason, right?”
“Well, I can’t say that,” Zhou Feifu stammered. “Places like Xinxiang and Yinbai have rural customs. For decades, villagers needed to have the village’s consent to sell their land; this is an unwritten rule accepted by everyone. The new officials from the governor’s office might not be familiar with our local customs and don’t know these rules.”
He Lingchuan grunted.
His father had recently ousted many old officials, putting new ones in place.
While this brought a fresh atmosphere to the officialdom, the new officials were not familiar with local customs, making it easy for them to fall into traps.
See, wasn’t this in front of him a medium-sized headache?
“Who says the villagers all accept this?” He Lingchuan sneered, “I see those few villagers who sold land to the state have no intention of complying. Where did they go?”
“They all fled the village to the south and haven’t returned.”
He Lingchuan understood, “They deceived the state officials and dared not come back? This is a one-time deal.”
In the days filled with rumors, the hearts of the people in Dunyu and surrounding towns fluctuated.
Many residents had plans to flee south to avoid the chaos, but were scared back into submission by He Chunhua's lockdown order and took action on those plans.
Some sold their properties, and the state purchased at a low price, claiming it was to buy back public land.
Buying private land for public purposes was not an idea pioneered by He Chunhua; at least twice in history, the Great Yuan had undertaken similar initiatives because public land had fallen into the hands of the powerful for various reasons, losing too much in the process.
Later, the state sought to buy back the land.
However, the new officials appointed by He Chunhua were not aware of local customs; they paid the people, but couldn’t reclaim the land.
As good news from the north spread far and wide, those who had fled south began reconsidering and turned back.
Firstly, most ran away in a panic, hardly having the time to sell their houses.
After thinking on their journey, they figured that there were homes to return to, so they set off back.
Secondly, was fleeing really that comfortable? Living the life of a stray dog, wandering about being looked down upon, scorned, and robbed is something that ordinary people simply cannot endure.
Unless absolutely necessary, who would willingly become a refugee?
Thus, when they heard that Dunyu was fine and the soldiers had won a victory, eighty percent of the over ten thousand civilians who had left with the Zhan family turned back home, gradually returning these past few days.
However, the few villagers from Shuangyu village who had sold land to the state were surely too cunning to dare come back.
This ten acres of land had become the point of contention between Xinxiang and Shuangyu village.
“I have one more question for you,” He Lingchuan finally asked the key point, “Is there any connection between Shuangyu village and the Chuan Yunge sect?”
Zhou Feifu immediately replied, “Of course there is! Who in the neighboring villages doesn’t know that the second elder of the southern courtyard of Chuan Yunge hails from Shuangyu village?”
“So it’s… Elder Liang?”
“Exactly.”
He Lingchuan exclaimed in realization.
No wonder his father discreetly sent someone to urge him to come to Shuangyu village; it was likely planned to resolve this matter before Elder Liang arrived.
If it were any other state officer, they might have retreated instead.
But He Chunhua was not one to yield.
Zhou Feifu continued, “Shuangyu village also has some ties with the Shu family in Dunyu. This refusal to recognize the transactions might be…”
He Lingchuan sneered, “Other villages are obedient citizens, but here, they are troublemakers!”
The large families had suffered too many losses at He Chunhua's hands lately, and perhaps they wanted to take the opportunity to vent their frustrations and make things difficult for the state.
Zhou Feifu hesitated again before saying, “This time, the land inspector also collected a lot of land from other areas. They must be watching Shuangyu village closely.”
The face-off of the government vs. Shuangyu village would determine whether the government bowed its head or if Shuangyu village would admit defeat, setting a precedent for handling similar incidents in the future.
He Lingchuan scoffed, “Isn't that obvious?”
Galloping swiftly across the wide fields, they soon reached Shuangyu village.
This village surprisingly had over one hundred thirty households, with quite a considerable population.
Zhou Feifu had said this was the largest village in Xinxiang, occupying the best land.
Due to the trouble caused by the land sale, the young and strong men of the village were all present.
Upon seeing He Lingchuan’s imposing arrival with his group, they all raised their farming tools to welcome him.
He Lingchuan noticed their unmasked hatred and disdain in their eyes, and could not help but raise an eyebrow.
The atmosphere turned tense, and Zhou Feifu quickly stepped forward to speak, “The state government has come to mediate the land sales; please invite the village chief!”
After a short while, the village chief arrived.
Unlike the white-bearded elder He Lingchuan imagined, the chief of Shuangyu village was only in his forties, a bit wrinkled, but still reasonably energetic.
He came up and quickly bowed but didn't kneel down, then invited He Lingchuan and others into the village for a detailed discussion.
He Lingchuan looked around; Shuangyu village was no different from ordinary villages, with the sounds of chickens and dogs and the smoke of cooking rising.
As more people left, the thin ice on the ground began to melt, and each step turned into a muddy mess.
Such a place spread news quickly.
Therefore, in less than fifteen minutes, He Lingchuan sat down in the village's large meeting hall, facing six or seven village elders, most of whom were older than the village chief.
The villagers gathered outside, stretching their necks to listen in.
Village Chief Liang began, “May I ask who this is?”
He Lingchuan sat confidently, with two monsters lying beside him and seven sturdy men standing behind him.
“I am the deputy of the land inspector.”
He thought to himself that the land inspector seemed inferior to him, but of course, the village chief did not voice this complaint, instead giving him a courteous smile.
Beside him, Zhou Feifu immediately added, “This is the long-awaited eldest son of the newly appointed governor, Lord He!”
The village elders opposite let out a complex “Oh.” Why did the state send the governor's own son here? Did they intend to intimidate them with authority?
“Lord He has appointed me to mediate the disputes regarding the purchase of public land. The land inspector has purchased ten acres of irrigated prime land from seven households in Shuangyu village, and everything is legally documented; this fact is clear, right?”
The village elders immediately began to speak, but it was a jumble of voices with no clarity.
He Lingchuan could only see that they were quite agitated.
Village Chief Liang pressed his hands down to silence them.
After a while, the room finally quieted down, and Village Chief Liang said, “We have all seen those deeds; what the land inspector purchased from them is merely the title, not the land itself.”
Ding Zuodong had explained to He Lingchuan yesterday what the terms “land title” and “land use” meant.
To summarize, land ownership is referred to as the title, with the landowner being a landlord; the usage rights are known as the land use, with the person holding those rights being a tenant or cultivator.
The North of the Yuan Kingdom implemented a dual ownership system, allowing titles and use to be separated and traded independently.
However, south of the capital, this system had not yet been fully adopted, causing He Chunhua, after bringing in talents from the capital to serve in the Xia Prefecture, to suffer a loss due to these oversights.
He Lingchuan had also reviewed the land deeds; although they were not explicitly labeled, He Chunhua and the officials from the governor’s office believed that this transaction referred to the trade of land ownership.
(Chapter End)