Chapter 77: The ancestral rule is only practiced in the tombs of the Xiaoling Mausoleum.

Abolish the official lands and tax-exempt lands?!

Zhu Di’s words caused the officials to take a deep breath, each of them looking miserable and dejected.

What are they seeking as officials?

To leave a mark in history?

To be remembered for generations?

To benefit all of humanity?

Don’t joke around; those are pursuits of the ambitious.

As officials, we seek a piece of land, a bit of privilege. If these privileges were taken away, how would we survive?

Just relying on the imperial court’s pitiful salary of a few dan or a dozen dan every month?

Without the land we possess, we would be eating coarse rice every day, living in shabby houses, and wearing tattered clothes.

After much difficulty, we managed to acquire some land and money, after struggling for half a year, go to the Qingyan Tower to see our beloved. And now, these beloved ones wouldn’t even recognize them. Do you think it is easy for us?

However, when they looked at the pitch-black sand table, they felt somewhat helpless.

If the scenario depicted by this sand table continues, in ten years, thirty years or more, their own tomb is still unfinished, the funeral bells of the Ming Dynasty would have already tolled…

Damn Zhu Di!

It was rumored that you went insane, and now it seems to be true.

Only an insane man would say such things.

His single sentence has offended all the gentry; a sane person wouldn’t dare to do such a thing.

He wanted to burn himself and shine brightly for the sake of the Great Ming, but why must he drag everyone else into the abyss?

Oppose him?

Who dares to voice opposition now?

The Emperor is clearly on the verge of a rampage. His question “are you guys willing to become fourth-class citizens, bowing to the whims of foreign invaders?” forces everyone to consider the destiny of the Great Ming. Anyone without a sense of the bigger picture will be best off taking off their official robes and returning home to farm.

Didn’t you see Hou Tai sitting weakly on the ground, unable to utter a word?

Didn’t you see Jing Qing looking dejected and remaining silent?

When the leaders dared not oppose, naturally, no one else would.

With a cold and imposing gaze, Zhu Yunwen swept his eyes over everyone, and no one dared to meet his gaze, bowing their heads one by one.

“The calamity of land disputes will harm our descendants! If we do nothing about it, our descendants will have no future! I have decided to thoroughly investigate the lands of the Great Ming. All the lands owned by kings, officials, wealthy gentry, rich farmers, and self-cultivating farmers will be subject to investigation! If anyone obstructs, their lands will be confiscated and distributed to the common people!”

Zhu Yunwen’s resolute decision left everyone stunned. This would signify that the Ming Dynasty’s land inspection would be reopened, and this time, the scale and intensity would far surpass the previous Hongwu reign!

“As for the official lands and tax-exempt lands, they will all be taxed at the rate of 1/15. For any lands beyond the stipulated official lands, they will be taxed at the rate of 1/5. All gentry’s lands will be investigated for their origins, and any lands obtained through coercion or expropriation will be returned. For each mu of land, they will be required to compensate self-cultivating farmers with one tael of silver!”

“In the future, all land transactions will be managed by local agriculture tax offices, supervised by the auditing office, and reported to the Provincial Administration Department! Don’t mention anything about ancestral rules! The ancestral rule is at Xiaoling Mausoleum! If anyone desires the founding emperor’s system, then from tomorrow onwards, they need not enter the court and can directly go to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to kneel there! Do any of you have objections?”

The officials’ faces turned pale!

With such words, who would dare to object?!

But, you playing this hand means most of the land in the country will be distributed to farmers.

The tax rate of 1/15 on official lands can still be accepted, but the land outside the official salary land, which is subject to a 1/5 rate, is a heavy burden! Then, why should I keep this land?

After deducting taxes, how much will be left for us if we lease the land to tenant farmers?

If the harvest is poor, and after a year, only one dou of grain can be stored in the granary from one mu of land, wouldn’t they be crying to death?

It seems that they can only rely on official lands to make a living.

For those local gentry, their situation will be even worse.

Who doesn’t have a bit of dirt on himselves?

Coercion, oppression, and secret manipulation. If this doesn’t work, they will find a stray dog to bite them. All the money will be used for medical treatment, and when there’s no money left, they will have to sell the land.

There are many ways to take away their land, but who could have thought that the court would thoroughly investigate the sources of their lands? If tenant farmers say that their land was seized from them, then it’s all over. Not only will they have to return the land, but they will also have to compensate the self-cultivating farmers with one tael of silver per mu!

The Emperor’s move is like wanting to extract flesh from the gentry!

“Since there are no objections, then let us not cause any further disturbance in the future! The Grand Secretariat has ten days to present statutes and methods, carefully considering any deficiencies and making sufficient preparations. After the ten-day period, the powers to inspect and regulate land holdings will be entrusted to the tax inspection teams, to curb the trends of land consolidation and land entrusting.”

After Zhu Yunwen finished speaking, he looked deeply at Zhu Di before leaving the throne and heading to the harem.

After Zhu Yunwen left, the court officials did not depart from the Fengtian hall; they remained inside and engaged in discussions.

“Secretary Xie, how can this be good? If we proceed with this plan, we will suffer great losses! How can we sustain ourselves with these meager salaries?” Right Censor Lian Zining approached Xie Jin, his face gloomy.

The other officials quieted down upon hearing this and looked at Xie Jin.

Xie Jin clapped his hands and gave a slight nod to Zhu Di, then addressed Lian Zining and the other officials, “Gentlemen, we have all witnessed the implications of the land disputes through this demonstration on the sand table. His Majesty has no choice; if he does not act like this, the entire sand table would be consumed by black, with no yellow left.”

“Secretary Xie, We understand the reasoning, but if things continue like this, we will have no way to survive,” sighed Lu Yi, Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel.

Xie Jin chuckled and said, “How do you know that His Majesty hasn’t considered our concerns? He is a wise ruler and would not let us go hungry.”

“Oh? What do you mean?” the officials asked eagerly.

With the officials showing renewed enthusiasm, Xie Jin smiled and continued, “His Majesty has issued an edict to the Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of Revenue, calling for a reassessment of official salaries. Although the details are still uncertain, I can assure you all that the new salaries will be significantly increased from the current levels.”

“Really?” Lian Zining and others showed delight on their faces.

Though they knew that the new salaries might not fully make up for their losses, any improvement was welcomed.

Xie Jin clapped his hands again, signaling the officials to calm down, and said, “Everyone, His Majesty has shown mercy. He has given you all ten days to handle your land properties. I believe you all know what to do during this period. Once the Grand Secretariat presents its strategy, you must act according to the law.”

The officials nodded in agreement.

Returning the lands they had taken from others as soon as possible would at least prevent them from compensating others for the loss.

If they waited for the imperial decree to be issued and circulated throughout the country, not only would they lose their lands, but they would also have to pay compensation.

One mu of land costs one tael of silver, so for someone who has taken eight thousand mu of land, wouldn’t they have to cough up a lot of blood?

Outside gate of Jiangdong.

Zhu Geng wiped his sweat and said to Zhu Zhi, who seemed calm and composed, “Will this plan work? We’ve invested six thousand taels of silver, and if we lose, we’ll truly have to eat cold steamed buns.”

Zhu Zhi sat on a reclining chair, leisurely swinging his legs, and replied, “Don’t worry. The court officials haven’t made their way to office yet. Once they do, they’ll be the ones in a hurry.”

Meanwhile, Left Censor in Chief of the Censorate Jing Qing returned to his residence and hastily wrote a letter. He called for two servants and solemnly instructed them, “This letter is of utmost importance. It must be delivered promptly to Zhenning, Shanxi. Hand it over personally to my grandmother and ensure she acts on it without any delay!”

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