Chapter 386

Ye Xiaoxian asked, "can't you rent the land to the people for planting?"

Yao Fangbin said, "it's only with the consent of the squires. Our yamen doesn't have this right."

Xiao Baoshan looks at Ye Xiaoxian, and ye Xiaoxian also looks at Xiao Baoshan.

After a while, Xiao Baoshan said to Yao Fangbin, "Lord Xian Cheng, please take us to Kun's house in major townships."

Yao Fangbin was stunned, and then immediately took orders.

……

Although Mobei county is poor, there are several local rich people here, namely Wu family, Ji family, Ma family and rich family.

Now, Yao Fangbin leads Xiao Baoshan to the Wu family.

The big house of the Wu family is in the south of the city. Ye Xiaoxian also saw their house when wandering in the street yesterday. The two big stone lions in front of the door are particularly eye-catching. It must be either rich or expensive.

At that time, ye Xiaoxian thought that with so many beggars outside, the house was so good that it should be the squire's home.

But did the post-war squires not be affected at all?

Yao Fangbin led Xiao Baoshan. When they arrived, the servants outside went to inform them. Soon, they were led into the house and arranged to sit in a wide front hall.

There is a stove in the front hall. Several heads of the Wu family are in it. There are seven or eight servants. Some are responsible for serving tea and others are responsible for serving snacks. It seems that the family is doing well.

The one sitting in the middle with a long beard and a small cotton hat is master Wu, the head of the family.

Master Wu said with a smile: "I've seen Xiao Hou. I don't know he's coming. It's too far to welcome you. What brings you here today?"

Master Wu was very respectful to xiaobaoshan, but he didn't mention Yao county magistrate, as if Yao county magistrate was not worth his welcome at all.

Even for Xiao Baoshan, he was perfunctory.

The squire is equal to the local emperor. He thinks he is superior to others. No one can win them.

Xiao Baoshan said, "I'm a newcomer. I'd like to visit your house."

"In fact, we should have visited you. It's really disrespectful. It's just that the weather has been too cold recently. My legs and feet are inconvenient. I also thought that it should take time to adjust when Lord Xiao first arrived. I wanted to go another day. Unexpectedly, Lord Xiao came on his own initiative." Master Wu smiled and said.

Master Wu smiled and didn't smile. Obviously, he was waiting for Xiao Baoshan to say his purpose.

Xiao Baoshan asked, "the land in Master Wu's house is the shuttle ridge from Mobei to the south?"

"That's right." Master Wu hehe said: "it's suitable to plant sorghum in the area of suziling. However, there was no big harvest last year. The previous harvest was also given to the military camp. We only left some food to eat. Did master Xiao come for food?"

No wonder Master Wu doesn't like xiaobaoshan very much and doesn't care about the county magistrate. It turned out that he always thought xiaobaoshan came to ask for food, just like Yan Ziyan before.

Xiao Baoshan said, "the grain of the army in the north is allocated by the imperial court. You don't need to pay. I'm here to ask you how much land there is now, how to distribute the land, how many long-term workers and tenants do you have? How much harvest do you have now?"

Master Wu was on guard: "what's the matter with master Xiao?"

"Could you please show me the account book?" Xiao Baoshan asked again.

"This..." Master Wu obviously didn't want to show it.

Xiaobaoshan Road: "Is master Wu in any trouble? Yes, Xiao certainly knows that you are a squire, and the land around suziling belongs to you, but in the final analysis, it is the land of the imperial court, not your own. Now the new emperor takes office and takes it as his duty to make the people live and work in peace and contentment, while people with a little intention know the situation of Mobei city. The days of the people are in dire straits. If it can't be said, Xiao will To improve their lives. "

Master Wu said: "Lord Xiao, look at what you said. It's your duty as an official whether the people live well or not. What does it have to do with me, a squire? Our land has been inherited since my grandfather's generation. The tenants have no land and can only rent our land for planting. They don't have much harvest. In addition, we can only deduct from their harvest if your army collects all kinds of grain It makes sense. "

Hearing this, ye Xiaoxian thought that she had a hard stubble this time.

In ancient times, these squires had good and bad. When they met good ones, they could share weal and woe with the people. When they met bad ones, they were like the property bullies in Third Sister Liu. The people only had to be bullied.

Xiao Baoshan's attitude was also much colder: "I just want to see your account books and understand your share. If you don't show it to me now, it will naturally have its own method."

Master Wu still refuses: "Lord Xiao, if you want to talk about military grain today, I can join the other three families to pay tribute grain to your barracks every month. However, if you want to occupy our land, or ask for a statement for those tenants, that's no good. The state-owned laws and family rules, and our Squires occupy the land reasonably, then we have the right to dominate. Even if you are Lord Xiao, you can't do it It involves our management, unless you have the right to take back our land, but you don't have this right? "

"..." Xiao Baoshan was so angry when he saw Master Wu's attitude.

Master Wu treated them as soldiers and beggars, talked about cooperation with him, and then colluded with others to harm the people.

Not only that, Lord Wu also took the tenants who rented the land as his slaves.

Yes, xiaobaoshan does not have the right to recover these lands at present, which does not mean that he has no other measures.

Xiao Baoshan stood up and said, "Master Wu, this matter will be discussed after I have verified it. If you do something wrong, I will uphold justice for the people!"

After that, Xiao Baoshan led Yao Fangbin and ye Xiaoxian out of Master Wu's house.

……

Outside, Yao Fangbin was angry and said to Xiaobao mountain: "Lord Xiao, you see... Now you know there are so many beggars in the county? They used to farm for several squires, but the squires worked hard as cattle and horses. After a year, the food they planted is not enough for them. Who dares to farm for a long time?"

Ye Xiaoxian asked, "this is too much? As far as I know, the fields in the south are also in the hands of the squires, but the farmers only need to receive a certain amount of grain, so they won't starve to death."

She refers to Qinghe County.

Yao Fangbin sighed: "it's also strange that there have been no county magistrates here, let alone ministers with higher official positions to inspect, coupled with the war, so the squires have always regarded themselves as local emperors, Lord Xiao. You have to punish them this time."

Xiao Baoshan said, "take me to some other places."

"Yes!"

Next, they went to Ji's house in the east of the city, Ma's house in the south of the city and rich families in the north of the city.

The attitude of these families towards xiaobaoshan is the same as that of Master Wu. They all intend to form an alliance with xiaobaoshan and want to provide military salaries to the barracks, but when it comes to tenants, they immediately turn their faces.

In their understanding, tenants are slaves and work for them. There is no room for bargaining.

This makes xiaobaoshan very angry.

……

It was night. Xiao Bao and ye Xiaoxian returned to the house. They were both unhappy.

Ye Xiaoxian said to xiaobaoshan, "Baoshan, Mobei seems a little tricky. Do you want to continue to take care of it?"

Xiao Baoshan firmly said, "nature is to be managed."

"But the four squires refused to cooperate."

"Tomorrow, I will go to various places for inspection, implement the specific situation, and then make a final decision." Xiaobao mountain road.

Ye Xiaoxian, a woman, went with Xiao Baoshan today, but she didn't say anything to avoid making people think she was in the limelight.

Besides, her ideas have always been in conflict with people of this era.

Ye Xiaoxian looked at Xiao Baoshan and said, "Baoshan, in fact, I have an idea."

"Tell me, madam, you must be right." Xiaobao mountain road.

Ye Xiaoxian smiled, Then he said, "you know, my concept has always been different from that of the local people. In my heart, everyone is equal and there is no distinction between high and low. However, our world is divided into 369 classes. The tenants are tired and hard, but they can't eat enough. This is too unfair to them. Obviously, as long as they work hard, they can also have a harvest."

Xiao Baoshan held Ye Xiaoxian's hand and affirmed: "what madam said is very true."

Ye Xiaoxian added, "therefore, I naively think that these fields should be taken back, distributed to each household, and then reduce taxes. In this way, the enthusiasm of tenants will be higher and greater output can be created."

Xiao Baoshan looked at Ye Xiaoxian quietly.

"Why, don't you agree?" Ye Xiaoxian asked with a smile.

Xiao Baoshan said with a smile, "madam is broad-minded, considerate and comprehensive, and will think for the people, and your idea is also very good. If you can do so, the bitter days of the people in Mobei will come to an end. Madam, it seems that it is right to bring you here. You can not only accompany me here, but also benefit the people."

Ye Xiaoxian was praised again. She was a little embarrassed. She smiled and said, "now the fields have not been taken back. How can you benefit one party? And how can you benefit them? Dare you kill or bind those squires and brazenly ask for their land?"

Xiao Baoshan held Ye Xiaoxian in his arms and said, "go and investigate again tomorrow."

……

The next day.

When ye Xiaoxian got up early in the morning, she heard from the housekeeper that someone had sent some gifts.

The housekeeper made an inventory. All the goods here were sent by the four squires, including four loads of good white rice sent by the Wu family, pure sorghum wine sent by the Ji family, cloth sent by the Ma family, and several cows sent by the rich family.

After a while, Xiao Baoshan also got up. Seeing these things, he immediately understood in his heart.

Yesterday, he went to his family to sit for a while. The four squires seemed arrogant, but they were actually worried that Xiao Baoshan would take back their fields by taking advantage of Lord Hou's identity, so now he is in a hurry to curry favor with him.