Chapter 58: Poverty is Not a Prosperous Era, the Ambitious Hu Jun

The thugs immediately panicked and no longer dared to obstruct them.

Hu Jun entered the house and looked at the scattered brown rice on the ground, as well as the injured family. Even the young girl had a clear palm print on her face.

“Official, we pay taxes, we pay taxes. Even if we sell the ten mu of land, we will gather enough three dan of grain. Please, don’t take our Ying’er away. She’s only twelve years old!”

Wang Erniu crawled to Hu Jun’s front and kowtowed repeatedly.

Hu Jun was moved, looking at the family kneeling before him, pleading with tears in his eyes!

Land!

It was their means of survival, the foundation of their lives!

Once they sold their land, they would no longer be self-sufficient farmers but become tenants of the landlords. At that time, all the harvested grain would be taken by the landlords as they pleased. They would never be able to rise up in their lifetime!

Ten mu of land, three dan of grain?!

One mu of land for three dou of grain?!

Damn it!

Currently, the average yield per mu of ordinary land was only around one to two dan of wheat, and fertile land yielded around three dan.

In the case of Changxing, where they were, the paddy yield per mu was roughly between two to three dan.

Last year, Changxing experienced little rainfall and a poor harvest. It was heard that the yield per mu was only slightly over one dan.

Based on one dan being equal to ten dou, paying three dou of tax would be nearly three-quarters of the yield!

With such heavy taxes, it was the tax system from the time of Emperor Taizu, which had been abolished by Zhu Yunwen in the thirty-first year of Hongwu!

These despicable grain administrators dared to deceive the villagers, continuing to enforce heavy taxes while paying according to Zhu Yunwen’s new tax system to the court!

What went in and what came out all ended up in the pockets of these people!

In the astonished gazes of the Office manager Yang Chengxuan and others, Hu Jun knelt down, supported Wang Erniu with both hands, and shouted, “No need to sell the land, and no one will take your daughter! It’s the fault of the court, the court has let you down! I, Hu Jun, tell you here that from now on, no one will take your land, and you no longer need to pay heavy taxes!”

After Hu Jun finished speaking, he kneeled down.

Boom!

A muffled sound that touched the hearts of everyone present!

Wang Erniu looked at the official before him in astonishment. He actually knelt down to him this poor and ragged farmer?

What was going on?

It seemed like he was even shedding tears.

Hu Jun helped Wang Erniu up and pulled up the entire Wang family. He turned to the people outside and said, “Office manager, Zhou Bunong has violated the national law, arrogantly exploiting and abusing the villagers, forcing them to sell their land and seizing their daughters. Such wicked criminals, if you don’t take action, I will report to the court and inform the Emperor. This is the truth of our Great Ming! This is the prosperous era in the eyes of His Majesty!”

Yang Chengxuan gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and shouted, “Arrest Zhou Bunong and bring him to the county office of Changxing. Let the magistrate interrogate and convict him personally!”

“Heh, I don’t trust the magistrate of Changxing! Office manager, I suggest you go there in person!”

Hu Jun suppressed his anger and said.

Yang Chengxuan nodded slightly and said, “In that case, I will go there in person, and you should come early too! It seems that Changxing is about to face a storm.”

Hu Jun solemnly said, “I will petition the court and stay here. If things are not settled in the local area, I will not return to the Imperial Academy or the capital!”

“Brother Hu?!”

Yang Chengxuan looked at Hu Jun in shock.

Hu Jun was an outstanding student of the Imperial Academy, and he was even one of the main participants in the design of the three national symbols “national flag, national emblem, national anthem” at the Imperial Academy. If he abandoned the national symbols and actively participated in the law enforcement of Single whip method, it was enough to earn Yang Chengxuan’s admiration.

If he further gave up returning to the Imperial Academy and stayed in the local area, it would mean that it would be difficult for him to enter the Grand Secretariat! At most, he would spend decades enduring hardships and trials in the local area, and he might only become a magistrate!

This sacrifice was too great!

Hu Jun waved his hand and said to Yang Chengxuan, “The Emperor wants a prosperous era, right? But you should know that poverty is not a prosperous era! I, Hu Jun, will stay here and show the Emperor when the real prosperous era comes and the people can eat their fill. It won’t be too late to go back then!”

Yang Chengxuan solemnly respected Hu Jun, deeply bowed to him, and stood up, saying, “Since Brother Hu has such great ambition, then count me in!”

“Brother Yang!”

Hu Jun approached excitedly.

Yang Chengxuan laughed and said, “Only when external things are in order can knowledge be attained.

Only when knowledge is attained can intentions be sincere.

Only when intentions are sincere can the mind be righteous.

Only when the mind is righteous can the self be cultivated.

Only when the self is cultivated can the family be harmonious.

Only when the family is harmonious can the country be well governed.

Only when the country is well governed can there be peace in the world.”

“We study to acquire knowledge, cultivate our minds and refine ourselves. Now that our family is harmonious, it is our duty to serve the country. This place is impoverished and cannot bear the label of a prosperous era. Therefore, let us stay here as the Emperor suggested, working together in unity, overcoming challenges, and transforming it into a prosperous era. What do you think?”

Hu Jun tightly grasped Yang Chengxuan’s hand and nodded, saying, “I understand, and we are not alone! We are not alone in this endeavor!”

Capital, Wuying Hall.

Zhu Yunwen looked at the memorial from Hu Jun and Yang Chengxuan, his eyes showing a mixture of admiration and boundless anger.

The officials beneath him really disregard his orders! It has been several months since the heavy taxes were abolished, yet there are still people openly collecting them! Forcing people to sell their land and daughters!

Even in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which are close to the capital, if it were further away, wont they treat themselves as local emperor?

“Inform the Grand Secretariat, hold the court tomorrow!” Zhu Yunwen said angrily.

Shuangxi was somewhat surprised and hurriedly went to convey the message to the Grand Secretariat.

The three members of the Grand Secretariat, Yu Xin, Zhang Dan, and Xie Jin, exchanged glances and felt the Emperor’s anger.

Since Zhu Yunwen changed the court meeting time, he had never convened an impromptu court session. This was the first time!

“It seems that the situation in Jiangsu and Zhejiang has angered His Majesty,” Yu Xin sighed.

Zhang Dan picked up a teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and said, “Little did we know, the local officials and gentry at the prefectural and county levels had so many issues. If even one of them is mishandled, the disasters of the Hongwu era may reoccur. The two of you should consider how to appease the thunderous wrath of His Majesty.”

The disasters of the Hongwu reign referred to Zhu Yuanzhang’s brutal methods.

When it came to corrupt officials, Zhu Yuanzhang had only one method: execution.

You’re corrupt? Off with your head. Let’s see how you can be corrupt without a head.

Violence couldn’t solve the problem, but can’t it solve you?

Kill one, replace with another, continue to be corrupt, kill again!

The Hongwu era was filled with bloodshed, and surviving officials were like those whose ancestral graves were on fire, praying for their safety every day.

Although Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Yunwen, possesses benevolence and virtue. Following the footsteps of one’s grandfather is not an impossible task.

Xie Jin picked up a copy of Hu Jun’s memorial and carefully read it, saying, “Let me speak. It is inevitable for the Emperor to wield the butcher’s knife, but this butcher’s knife may not necessarily be aimed at the grain administrators, village heads, militia leaders, or county officials.”

Zhang Dan furrowed his brows and asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

Xie Jin pointed to the memorial and said, “This Hu Jun is quite insightful. Although he comes from the Imperial Academy, he is not rigid and is adaptable. Look at this sentence, ‘The root cause of corruption lies in the local gentry, who greedily monopolize the land, with millions of acres unable to satisfy their desires.’ And then this sentence, ‘The rich have vast fields while the poor have no place to stand.'”

“It is evident that the farmers in the prefectures and counties are not living easy lives. His Majesty has always advocated for problem-solving, not people-solving, as the case of the King of Yan demonstrated. In my opinion, this knife may very well fall on the land.”

---

Dear Readers, Sproutling here translating Ming Dynasty: Reborn as Zhu Yunwen, If you have enjoyed my translation and would like to show your support. Please consider donate to my Ko-Fi (Click here) page. Your help mean so much to me, Thank you in advance!