plumnovel Chapter 19: Law of Containing Fields
Chapter 19: Law of Containing Fields
The clerk was in charge of criminal cases, finances, and other official documents within the county government office, and was responsible for various departments.
Those appointed to these positions were mostly selected from wealthy local families who were knowledgeable in laws and arithmetic.
Generally speaking, if a family produces such a clerk, the position is often passed down from father to son, forming a local family of clerks.
In the Northern Song Dynasty, such clerks were considered "officials outside the official ranks," and it was extremely difficult for them to be promoted.
Zhu Binghe, the registrar whom Li Chong came to see this time, belonged to this category.
Upon hearing that the county magistrate had come looking for him, Zhu Binghe was taken aback at first, then immediately got up to greet him.
"I was unaware of the magistrate's arrival and have failed to greet him properly. Please forgive me."
Zhu Binghe was very respectful.
Li Chong smiled and waved his hand casually: "It's alright, I just came on a whim and uninvited. I'm just glad that Registrar Zhu doesn't mind my sudden arrival."
"How dare I, how dare I?" Zhu Binghe bowed even more deeply. "What instructions does the magistrate have?"
Li Chong wandered around the room casually, occasionally flipping through the books around him.
"I heard that Registrar Zhu is a local of Yanggu? And also the eldest son of that highly respected Old Master Zhu?"
Zhu Binghe, unaware of the reason, could only reply truthfully: "Indeed, it is only thanks to my father's protection that I have been able to hold this position, and I am truly ashamed."
"Well, it doesn't matter," Li Chong said with a smile. "Family-based official appointments have always been a rule in our dynasty. Even high-ranking officials in the court are treated this way, let alone our small county."
"Yes, yes." Zhu Binghe nodded repeatedly.
As he walked, Li Chong suddenly stopped and sat down at the head of the table, picking up a book and starting to read it.
Zhu Binghe's eyes lit up with anxiety, and he hurried forward, wanting to say something.
But before he could speak, Li Chong spoke again.
"Speaking of which, given Zhu Lushi's family background, he should be able to afford to study, right? Why doesn't he think about taking the imperial examinations? If he could pass the examinations, wouldn't that be a great honor for his family?"
Upon hearing this, a shadow crossed Zhu Binghe's eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
Faced with Li Chong's question, he could only honestly reply, "I have also taken the imperial examinations, but I am still not very learned and am only a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar). Naturally, I cannot compare to the county magistrate's extensive knowledge."
"I only got the award by luck, it's nothing special," Li Chong said modestly.
As he spoke, Li Chong kept turning the pages of those books.
Zhu Binghe stepped forward again, bowed, and said, "I wonder what Your Excellency wishes to investigate? I have served in the government office for many years. Your Excellency may ask me anything you wish to see."
Li Chong glanced at him, then turned back to the book in his hands and calmly replied, "It's nothing. You know I'm new here, so I need to know about Yanggu's fields, population, and finances, right? Otherwise, how can I carry out my work in the future?"
"You go ahead and do your thing, I'll just stay here and take my time."
Zhu Binghe noticed that Li Chong's gaze was fixed on the book in his hands, so he took the opportunity to turn around and wink at the others. Immediately, someone understood and quietly slipped out.
Seeing this, Zhu Binghe felt somewhat relieved and put on a smile: "I'm not too busy right now; serving the county magistrate is more important."
"Really?" Li Chong looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Then I'll have to trouble you. Come on, can you help me find the documents that record the land deeds of Yanggu County over the years?"
"this......"
Zhu Binghe hesitated for a moment.
Li Chong's expression changed, and he said in a deep voice, "What? I, as the county magistrate, have no right to inspect these things?"
"Of course not!" Zhu Binghe replied immediately, then turned away helplessly. "I will go and look for it now. Please wait a moment, Your Excellency."
Li Chong's lips curled up; this feeling of intimidating others with power was not bad.
Shaking his head to ignore it, he continued to look through the account books of Yanggu County from previous years.
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On the other side, the minor official who had been signaled to by Zhu Binghe found Yang Chengde outside the government office, panting heavily.
At this time, Yang Chengde was discussing matters with others.
"Gentlemen, it's not that I, Yang, am being aggressive, but this is the law of the court, and I have no choice but to comply."
Most of the people present were prominent figures in Yanggu County, including the Xue and Zhang families.
Yang Chengde stood at the head of the table with a helpless expression: "The imperial court has ordered a search of land deeds in various places. For any land deeds whose source cannot be found, taxes and rents will be increased. If you all have good connections, you should have heard about this. The prefectures have already started taking action, and Liangshan Lake has been heavily taxed."
"Judging from the situation, the prefect's order will be issued soon. If you don't want to disobey, you'll have no choice but to pay taxes. By then, it will be too late for you to regret it. Spend less money now, and you can save it all in the future. Think about it carefully."
After saying that, Yang Chengde sat down and picked up his teacup to moisten his throat.
Seeing the panicked look on the faces of the people below, he smiled slightly, feeling quite pleased.
These words, a combination of coercion and enticement, are sure to be very effective.
By taking advantage of this opportunity, he will likely be able to secure a position in the county after his term ends, based on his merits and filial piety. His future looks bright.
"Grand Tutor Yang, you truly live up to the reputation of being from the Yang family. You've done a great job!"
In his moment of triumph, Yang Chengde silently thanked Yang Jian.
Yang Jian's land survey decree, also known as the "legislation to demand land deeds from the people," was specifically designed to examine local land contracts.
If the land deed cannot be found, then a heavy tax must be levied.
However, because the Northern Song Dynasty did not suppress land annexation and land transfers were frequent, and because many people's land was reclaimed, they could not find land deeds at all.
This decree immediately brought in a large sum of revenue for the imperial court.
Another method is to measure the land with a newly made ruler. The new ruler is shorter than the old one, which means that the same piece of land will appear to be larger when measured with the new ruler.
Larger land naturally means more taxes.
Yang Jian used these two methods to amass wealth for the imperial court.
Of course, Yang Jian, as the person in charge of it, also made a fortune.
Moreover, this law did not only target the common people at the bottom of society; it actually harmed the local wealthy families and gentry the most.
In terms of exploitation, Emperor Huizong and his ministers treated each other equally; how much money did ordinary people have?
Only those who gamble against big players make the most money.
After all, only the wealthy landowners have more land, and only they can afford to pay the taxes.
Because of this law, historical records state that: as a result, bankruptcies occurred one after another, with some becoming wealthy in the morning and begging in the market by evening. In total, more than 34,300 hectares of land were acquired.
Therefore, this is why Yang Chengde has gathered so many people today; he wants to finalize this matter quickly before Li Chong, the county magistrate, has gained a firm foothold.
Either these people will pay to renew the land deeds, or they will wait a few days to bleed them dry. Either way, Yang Chengde won't suffer any losses.
Just as he was feeling quite pleased with himself, someone came up to him and whispered a few words in his ear, causing Yang Chengde's expression to change slightly.