The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"How was the cleanup going? How many people were involved?"

In the lobby of Yingtian's governor's office, Hai Rui walked in slowly and spoke to several masters who were sorting out the lawsuit.

"Dong Weng, it's been sorted out for the most part, it's just..."

An older master raised his head, walked forward quickly and bowed, his words full of hesitation.

"How many people are involved? Just tell the truth. It's nothing."

Hai Rui frowned and immediately answered.

"Dong Weng, judging from the current clearing up of these prosecution cases, they involve the eldest son Xu Fan, the second son Xu Kun and the youngest son Xu Ying of the Xu Mansion, as well as several nephews of Xu Ge and more than ten servants in the mansion."

This time, the master did not hesitate and directly reported the results they compiled.

"More than twenty people? How many fields are there?"

It feels like there are a lot of people involved, and the key is including Xu Jie's three sons, which is a bit tricky.

So, Hai Rui asked how much land these Zhuangzi donated, which was also very important.

If the amount is too large and it goes online, the Xu family will be guilty.

"Currently there are more than 30,000 acres, but there is still a lawsuit sent today, and the final number is hard to say."

When the master said this, he looked hesitant again.

When Hai Rui saw this, he felt dissatisfied. He had supported these masters with his own money. How could he be so hesitant about doing things? These things should have been considered by his employer.

Shiye is also called curtain friend, curtain guest, curtain guest, etc. It is a common name for the person who makes the curtain.

In ancient times, generals went on expeditions to manage unpredictable places, and used the shogunate as their residence, so it was called the shogunate, and its administrative staff were collectively called staff.

Later, "cheng" became the synonym for military and political offices at all levels. Scholars who applied to help military and political officials handle various affairs would also be given titles such as "staff officer, secret guest, secret friend, etc."

The master is hired privately by the master of the curtain, and the relationship with the master of the curtain is actually an employment relationship. The master of the curtain respects the master as a guest and a friend, and the master calls the master of the curtain as Dong Weng and Dongjia.

Shiye originated from Zhou Guanmu people and developed in all dynasties. By the Ming Dynasty, Shiye began to sprout as a special form of curtain industry.

According to its origin, Shiye originated from the official of the Zhou king - "curtain man". "Zhou Rites Commentary" says: "When the king leaves the palace, the curtain man will bring the curtains and curtains to the resting place, and then open them with the palm of his hand."

The Ming Dynasty was the budding and gestation stage of the Shiye, but the role of secretaries in government affairs was not mentioned in the government documents of the Ming Dynasty, and there was no image of the "Shiye" in the novels and operas of the late Ming Dynasty.

Although Shiye as an independent industry had not yet emerged in the Ming Dynasty, it had already taken shape.

A striking phenomenon in the Ming Dynasty was the rise of the Shaoxing subordinate official gang. The Shaoxing subordinate official gang was the origin of the Shaoxing masters in the Qing Dynasty.

Although it was not yet taking shape, officials in the Ming Dynasty had already begun to recruit curtain friends when they became officials, and most of them were introduced to each other in the same year.

After all, it is very troublesome for officials to deal with criminal laws, money and food accounting, paperwork, etc. on their own. The court does not have a staff for these people, so they can only recruit them out of their own pockets. As for the expenses, the official salary cannot be afforded. Most of them are local miscellaneous taxes.

The literary style in the south of the Yangtze River was at its peak, and ordinary people were ashamed not to study. This resulted in a large number of literati, and the acceptance rate for the imperial examination was very low. The unsuccessful scholars had to find another way out, either to do business or to work as scribes in the yamen. Among them, Especially Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province.

Later, as more and more people became scribes, the Shaoxing Subordinate Officials Gang was gradually formed.

The scholars of the Shaoxing Gang have accumulated rich experience and knowledge due to their predecessors working as subordinate officials. Through mutual learning and teaching, they have become extremely outstanding in this industry. The Shaoxing Master is famous for his expertise in criminal matters and money and valley affairs.

It's just that in the Ming Dynasty, when people who were engaged in the profession of master were introduced to the outside world by their masters, they were often called "Gu Bin" or "Gu Friend" instead of "Shi Ye" as everyone would know in later generations.

In fact, this was also the case in the early Qing Dynasty, and it was only in the middle and late periods that this title was used.

The title "Master" does not appear in the novel "A Dream of Red Mansions" in the early Qing Dynasty, but the Jia family maintained a lot of guests and friends. In fact, these people were a group of people who helped Jia Zheng handle official affairs.

Hai Rui was dissatisfied at this moment, and his face was naturally very ugly.

The master was also a little panicked when he saw it, so he quickly said: "Dong Weng, I just heard that the people who sent the petition from Changzhou, Zhenjiang, and Songjiang happened to be from the same hometown as the old man. Yesterday we heard them while drinking together I can say one or two, but I can’t do it accurately.”

"Just tell me what you know, no need for mother-in-law or mother-in-law."

Hai Rui has a straightforward temperament and doesn't like the oblique character of these masters, so he speaks directly.

"I heard that in these three mansions alone, there are more than 100,000 acres of farmland under the Xu family's name."

The master finally had the courage to tell the news he heard, and it was like thunder in Hai Rui's ears.

"Are they all the names of the three sons of the Xu family?"

Hai Rui frowned and asked.

"No, about half of them are, and the rest are the names of the Xu family's nephews and servants, but they have all stayed there for several years, so they know who the real owner is. In fact, it is the one in Huating County."

The master said carefully.

Hai Rui turned around and looked at the pile of things like a hill. He knew that this move had already stirred up a hornet's nest.

From the current point of view, the Xu family's land through donation is probably not more than 100,000 acres, or even more. Don't forget that it is only the land of the Three Prefectures.

Although other places are further away from Huating, the fact that various prefectures have sent imperial edicts speaks volumes.

Moreover, Hai Rui only has jurisdiction over the ten mansions of Yingtian. It is unknown whether there are others beyond the ten mansions.

You know, Mr. Xu Ge moved his place of origin to Jiangxi, so he naturally had industries in Jiangxi.

Don’t underestimate these 30,000 acres of farmland, but there are thousands of families behind it.

Most of the fields owned by the people of the Ming Dynasty were abandoned lands that were cultivated in the early Ming Dynasty. After all, after the war, many of the lands had long been without owners.

In order to appease the people, the imperial court distributed part of it to civilian households and took most of it as official land. The wasteland cultivated by the farmers themselves belonged to the farmers and was tax-free for a few years.

Therefore, during this period, every household in the Ming Dynasty had land, which was passed down from generation to generation. Some had a few acres of land, while many had 20 or 30 acres of land. This was the main family property of the small people in Shengdou.

From this, we can roughly infer the family behind these 30,000 acres of land, which is a very huge number.

"I understand, you continue to clean up."

Hai Rui didn't want to stay here any longer, so he turned around and walked out of the lobby to the backyard.

Although the affairs of the Xu family are difficult, they still have to find a way to solve them, otherwise the whipping method that they have requested to be implemented will not be implemented.

But Hai Rui was also considering whether these matters should be resolved through private negotiation or whether they should really be brought to light and the Xu family's children should be summoned to appear in court.

For people like Xu Jie, if they really bring their son or nephew to the lobby for interrogation, they will lose their face completely, and this will lead to a big feud.

Moreover, when he was in the capital, Mr. Xu Ge often helped him speak in front of Emperor Jiajing.

He had also heard rumors that Emperor Jiajing planned to kill someone when he first read "Public Security Shu", but Xu Jie and Huang Jin used irony to save his life and only spent a few months in prison. , until the emperor died.

Is it true that Hai Rui enforces the law impartially and is unreasonable?

Of course not, he also has the human sophistication that should be expected, but he is more principled than other officials, can distinguish right from wrong, and can find ways to change things within the scope of principles to satisfy both parties.

But now, Xu Jie's case has put a lot of pressure on him.

On one side is the savior, the former prime minister, and on the other side are tens of thousands of people.

On the way back to the back hall, Hai Rui finally made up his mind to make the Xu family give in. Not only to return the donated land, but at least to turn them into tenants, and to return them if there is evidence, this is the principle.

As for the provisions of the "Da Ming Law", let's not touch it, so the best way is not to go to court and negotiate to resolve the matter privately.

Back at the houya, Hai Rui put the letter paper on the desk and started grinding it, preparing to write a letter to Xu Jie to inform him first.

There was such a big commotion in Shifu. Hai Rui felt that Mr. Xu Ge must have heard about it, so he told him in detail what he knew now. With Mr. Xu Ge's intelligence, he thought he knew the seriousness of the matter.

What's more, there are rumors in Beijing that Gao Gong, Xu Ge's old enemy, is making a comeback.

If the case cannot be concluded as soon as possible and it falls into the hands of Gao Gong, I am afraid it cannot be solved privately. It would be wrong if Gao Gong did not send the Xu family children to guard the border.

It can only be said that it was not that Gao Gong did not want to take this opportunity to kill several Xu family members, but that the highest punishment for Toutian in the "Da Ming Law" was guarding the border, not even death.

Don't look at the ancient trials in later movies and TV dramas, which often refer to Qiu Hou asking for execution. In fact, the Ming Dynasty could not kill many people throughout the year, and most of them were exiled thousands of miles to guard the border.

After all, people are the primary productive force these days, and the court will not kill people casually.

Hai Rui felt that he was helping the Xu family think about it. Xu Jie, as the chief assistant for so many years, should understand, so he picked up the pen and started writing quickly.

The letter was written in one go. Hai Rui read it again after finishing it and thought it was very good.

After waiting for a while, after the pen and ink were dry, he carefully folded the letter paper, put it into an envelope, and painted it with wax.

If the contents of this letter fell into the hands of others, it would be a big deal and it would affect his reputation, so he should naturally handle it with caution.

He called his entourage who had been with him for many years and solemnly handed the letter to him, asking him to set off directly to Huating County early tomorrow morning, and repeatedly asked him to hand it over to Mr. Xu Ge in person.

Although he is a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister, Xu Jie is an official who has become an official after all, and he is a local parent. The so-called county magistrate is not as good as the current manager. Although the servant sent by Hai Rui must be taken seriously in the Xu Mansion, he can personally There is still some dignity in sending a letter.

After leaving the study, Hai Rui sat down and thought quietly. He didn't know what Xu Jie's reaction would be after reading the letter, but he also hoped that Xu Jie would understand his good intentions.

Now, just wait for Xu Mansion's reply.

Just as he thought, although Xu Jie had become an official, he was not only concerned about the affairs of the court at home, but also knew what was happening around him recently.

He himself had no objections to the implementation of a whipping law in Yingtianfu's jurisdiction.

In fact, most officials during this period supported the one-whip law, because the implementation of this law could greatly simplify the tax collection work, and it was easy to incorporate some exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes into it without having to go to great lengths to pay taxes. Think of a nice name for miscellaneous taxes.

When the government levies taxes, you naturally have to give the tax a name, otherwise you can't name the tax, and it is difficult to get money easily.

"Are you saying that because the imperial court is going to implement a whipping method for a long time, those who contributed to it before want to take back their fields?

Haha, I went up to the pole to beg my family to hand over their land deeds in order to be exempted from the corvee. Now that I know that I can collect taxes in lieu of taxes, I feel more excited. It is so easy. "

At this moment, Xu Jie was sitting in a pavilion in the back garden, with only the housekeeper standing next to him.

"The three young masters left home one after another yesterday to deal with this matter, but this time Governor Yingtian was said to have obtained the emperor's will and implemented the new law, and the news spread quickly.

In addition, this method started to be implemented in Jiangxi last year has been implemented for more than ten years according to the mud-legged people, so it has a great impact. Many people are quarreling with villagers in various places and want to take back their fields. "

The housekeeper reported to Xu Jiehui in a low voice.

"Hehe. I really didn't expect that the whipping method I supported in the court would actually involve my own money."

Xu Jie turned his head and looked at the beautiful scenery in the garden with his cloudy eyes.

"What do they want?"

Suddenly, Xu Jie asked rhetorically.

"Take back the fields and change your nationality back."

The butler replied in a low voice.

"We can promise them to change their household registration. There is no need to discuss the land, but they can sign and pledge it. The land will be leased to them for a long time. The government cannot take it back without reason."

Xu Jie gave his own limit.

That is land, and Youdao says, "If you have land, you will have wealth." This means that only when a person has his own land or real estate can he truly have wealth.

Land is the source of wealth, how can it be abandoned casually?

Although the land was not bought by the family, it is their own land after all, and of course it cannot be returned.

As for the rest, he also understood why these people were making trouble. They were worried about affecting their children's future.

At first, I donated money because I was afraid of being taken away to do corvee labor. At that time, I might have to face the fate of family ruin and death. Now that my life is better, I just want to think about such a good thing.

This rule cannot be allowed, otherwise the Xu family will not be able to mix in the circle.

Because it is not only his Xu family's loss of wealth that will be affected, but more seriously it will also affect other gentry families.

When the time comes for people to hate their own family, they dare not make mistakes while they are alive. If they are no longer around, the Xu family will probably become the target of public criticism immediately.

"But sir, now some people's petitions have been handed over to various prefectures and counties. They are afraid of being punished, so they transfer the petitions to the governor's office. This Hai Rui"

When the housekeeper said this, he didn't know how to continue.

Hai Rui's name was already very famous in the Ming Dynasty at this time. After all, he was the Qingtian Grand Master who was touted by gentry in many places, so he was a strong deterrent to the gentry in other places.

Xu Jie also frowned slightly when he heard the name "Hai Rui".