Chapter 245: 乡规VS He Dashaol

"At full gallop? Had something happened suddenly?"He Lingchuan didn't think much of it, but Ding Zuodong, who was behind him, turned slightly pale: "Young Master, we haven't gathered all the evidence yet!"

"No chance today?""Impossible.""What should we do? Our original plan is ruined." He Lingchuan's eyes darted around, and he immediately decided: "Then we'll just force our way in."

He whispered a few words to Lingguang, the medicine ape, who looked visibly stunned before hesitating and then nodding.

He Lingchuan then blew a whistle, and Lu Xin, the rock wolf, appeared from nowhere.

"Let's go. Destination: Xinxiang."

He Chunhua usually indulged his eldest son, but He Lingchuan couldn't let him down at a critical moment.

A little over fifteen minutes later, the group left Dunyu, riding their horses directly to Xinxiang.

Jiaotai had only been released from the dark cell two days prior, his wounds were festering, and he needed two more days to recover. Besides Shan Youjun, four or five strong men followed He Lingchuan.

They were originally private soldiers of the Li and Shu families. When He Chunhua issued an order, both families had to disband their private forces on the spot. Most of these private soldiers would be conscripted into the army, but Shan Youjun introduced these few to He Lingchuan, claiming they were handpicked from fifteen to sixteen hundred men, exceptional in both strength and character, and without any dependents to hold them back.

Whether they were useful or not could only be determined by using them. So, He Lingchuan readily called them all to go on the mission together.

There had been no snow or rain for the past few days, and the road conditions were excellent. The horses galloped at full speed, reaching Xinxiang in less than an hour.

The reeve of Xinxiang, surnamed Zhou, was also stunned upon seeing He Lingchuan, thinking to himself that the rumors were true. The young man rode a tall, dappled crimson-green beast, with a monkey on his left shoulder and a wolf at his right, followed by six or seven intimidating retainers, exuding the air of a young master parading through the countryside.

This dappled beast had been presented by a minor noble as a token of respect, though ostensibly "sold" to He Lingchuan.

"Where is that uncooperative village?" He Lingchuan called for one of his men to yield a horse for Reeve Zhou to ride. "Lead the way."

A reeve was the tax official of a township. However, due to the small administrative structure and insufficient staff in the township government, he also had to perform various duties besides collecting taxes, such as mediating disputes between the prefecture and the township, and between the township and villages.

The ground was still frozen, but the last remnants of snow had melted, and He Lingchuan even saw specks of new green in the cracks of the mud by the roadside.

The trees and bushes were still bare, but a closer look revealed some had already begun to bud. Pheasants foraged in the fields, and does grazed continuously from morning till night, fleeing at the sight of people.

Just by observing these animals, it was clear that Dunyu itself did not lack grain. Although farmers' taxes were heavy, their situation was still better than in other places.

Winter was nearing its end, and traces of spring were emerging.

En route, He Lingchuan asked Reeve Zhou: "You said this Shuangyu Village refused to surrender the land and even threatened you?"

Reeve Zhou inwardly sighed, thinking, 'This young master has come without understanding the full story. What if things turn ugly and difficult later?' He had heard that Young Master He had a bad temper, but Shuangyu Village was an even tougher nut to crack.

Yet, outwardly, he had to explain: "Yes. A few days ago, a newly appointed official from the Governor's Mansion purchased ten qing of fertile land from villagers, with all contracts complete. But when they went to take possession of the land, Shuangyu Village refused, claiming that all village land sales must first be approved by the village elders' seal, otherwise the transaction is invalid. Furthermore, those ten qing of land are already leased out for another seven years, so the prefecture bought the 'land bone' not the 'land face,' meaning they cannot take possession of the land itself. Last time I went with the county magistrate, even he was pushed to the ground."

"Oh, a village this bold?" It was common knowledge that commoners didn't contend with officials. Why could Shuangyu Village go against the grain? He Lingchuan focused on the key point: "They're being unreasonable, right?"

"It's not quite like that," Reeve Zhou stammered. "Places like Xinxiang and Zhangbai Township have their local customs. For decades, villagers selling land have needed the village's consent. This is an unwritten old rule that the locals all acknowledge. The new officials from the Governor's Mansion might not be familiar with our area and these particular ways."

He Lingchuan grunted. His father had removed many old officials from their posts and appointed new ones shortly after taking office. This action had both advantages and disadvantages. While it certainly refreshed the official atmosphere and made the new officials more loyal to He Chunhua, their unfamiliarity with local customs and traditions meant they were bound to stumble.

Look, wasn't this a minor but not insignificant problem right before them?

"Who says all the villagers acknowledge it?" He Lingchuan sneered. "It seems to me that the few households who sold land to the prefecture never intended to abide by it. Where did these people go?"

"They all abandoned the village and went south, never returning."

He Lingchuan understood: "They cheated the prefecture officials, so how could they dare to return? This was a one-time transaction."

In the days when rumors were rampant, the hearts of the people in Dunyu and its surrounding townships were unsettled. Many residents had considered fleeing south for refuge, and He Chunhua's lockdown order truly prompted them to act.

When people sold, the prefecture would take over at a low price, calling it "repurchasing public land."

This practice of converting private land into public land was not unique to He Chunhua; it had been carried out at least twice in the history of the Great Kite Kingdom. In both instances, public land had fallen into the hands of powerful figures for various reasons, becoming significantly depleted, leading the state to find ways to buy it back.

However, the new officials appointed by He Chunhua were unaware of the local customs. Money had been paid, but the land could not be taken possession of.

As news of victory from the north spread across the land, those who had fled south for refuge reconsidered and began to turn back.

For one, most people had fled in a hurry, with no time to sell their homes. On the road, they thought, 'We have homes to return to anyway, so let's go back.'

Secondly, was fleeing really comfortable? The life of wandering like stray dogs, being scorned, despised, and robbed, was unbearable for ordinary people.

Unless absolutely forced, who would willingly become a refugee?

So, as soon as they heard that Dunyu was safe and the imperial army had won a victory, eighty percent of the over ten thousand commoners who had fled with the Zhan family decided to return home. They had been steadily trickling back to their villages and into the city over the past few days.

However, the Shuangyu villagers who had cunningly sold their land to the prefecture naturally dared not return. These ten qing of land had become the source of conflict between Xinxiang and Shuangyu Village.

"Let me ask you one more thing." He Lingchuan then got to the point. "Is there any connection between Shuangyu Village and the Daoist sect, Transcendent Cloud Pavilion?"

Reeve Zhou immediately replied, "Of course there is! Everyone in the surrounding ten li knows that the second elder of Transcendent Cloud Pavilion's Southern Court is from Shuangyu Village!"

"So it's... Elder Liang?"

"Precisely."

He Lingchuan let out an "Oh." No wonder his father had secretly urged him to come to Shuangyu Village; he most likely intended to settle the matter before Elder Liang arrived.

Any other prefecture official might have backed down.

But He Chunhua would not.

Reeve Zhou added, "Shuangyu Village also has some ties with the Shu family in Dunyu. Their refusal to acknowledge the sale this time might be because..."

He Lingchuan scoffed, "Other villages have compliant people, but this one has troublesome rascals!"

These prominent families had suffered too many losses at He Chunhua's hands recently; perhaps they wanted to seize this opportunity to vent their frustration and make things difficult for the prefecture.

Reeve Zhou hesitated again before saying, "The Land Records Registrar has also acquired a lot of land from other places this time. They must all be watching Shuangyu Village."

The outcome of the confrontation between the government and Shuangyu Village—whether the government would yield or the village would concede—would set a precedent for future incidents of this kind.

He Lingchuan snorted, "Isn't that obvious?"

Galloping at full speed across the wide fields, they soon arrived at Shuangyu Village.

The village surprisingly had over 130 households, a considerable population. Reeve Zhou had mentioned it was the largest village in Xinxiang, occupying the best land.

Due to the trouble caused by the land purchase, all the able-bodied young men in the village were present. Seeing He Lingchuan and his group approaching aggressively, they all raised their farm tools and came out to meet them.

He Lingchuan noticed the undisguised disgust and disdain in their eyes, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

The atmosphere was tense, so Reeve Zhou quickly stepped forward and announced, "The prefecture has come to mediate the land sale matter. Please invite the village chief!"

Soon, the village chief arrived.

Unlike the white-bearded old man in He Lingchuan's imagination, Shuangyu Village's chief was only in his early forties. Though he had some wrinkles, he could still be considered in the prime of his life.

He bowed upon approaching, but not fully to the ground, and then invited He Lingchuan and his group into the village for a detailed discussion.

He Lingchuan looked around. Shuangyu Village was no different from any ordinary village, with the sounds of chickens and dogs, and wisps of cooking smoke. As more people walked, the thin ice on the ground melted into water, turning into mud with every step.

News spread quickly in such a place, so fifteen minutes later, He Lingchuan was seated in the large assembly house of Shuangyu Village. Opposite him were six or seven village elders, more than half of whom were older than the village chief.

The villagers gathered outside the house, craning their necks to hear something.

Village Chief Liang began, "May I ask who this is?"

He Lingchuan sat imposingly, with two demonic beasts lying beside him and seven burly men standing with their hands behind their backs.

"I am the deputy of the Land Records Military Advisor."

'I'd say the Land Records Military Advisor looks more like your subordinate,' the village chief thought, though he didn't voice this remark, instead offering a polite smile.

Reeve Zhou, standing nearby, immediately added, "And he is also the eldest son of the new Governor, Master He!"

The village elders opposite all let out a prolonged "Oh," their expressions complex. Why would the prefecture official send his own son? Was he trying to intimidate them with his authority?

"Master He has instructed me to resolve the dispute regarding the repurchasing of public land. The Land Records Military Advisor, on behalf of Xinxiang, purchased ten qing of irrigated fertile land from seven households in Shuangyu Village, with complete contracts and evidence. This fact is clear, isn't it?"

The village elders immediately began speaking, but it was a cacophony of voices, making it impossible to distinguish anything clearly. He Lingchuan could only tell that they were somewhat agitated.

Village Chief Liang pressed down with both hands, signaling for everyone else to quiet down.

After a long moment, the room quieted. Village Chief Liang said, "We have examined those contracts. What the Land Records Military Advisor purchased from them was the 'land bone,' not the 'land face.'"

Ding Zuodong had already explained in detail to He Lingchuan the previous day what "land bone" and "land face" meant. In brief, land ownership was called "land bone," and the person who owned the land bone was the landlord. The right to use the land was called "land face," and the person who owned the land face was the tenant who cultivated the land. The northern region of the Kite Kingdom practiced a system of "one field, two masters," where the land bone and land face could be separated and bought and sold independently. However, this system had not yet been widely adopted south of the capital, which was why the talents He Chunhua recruited from the capital suffered a setback after taking office in Xiazhou Prefecture.