Chapter 738 837 Yingtian Prefecture

"How is the cleanup going? How many people are involved?"

Hai Rui walked slowly into the lobby of the Yingtian Governor's Office and said to several lawyers who were sorting out the petitions.

"Mr. Dong, it has been roughly sorted out, but..."

An older lawyer raised his head, walked up quickly and bowed, with hesitation in his words.

"Just tell me how many people are involved, there is no but."

Hai Rui frowned and immediately answered.

"Mr. Dong, from the current situation of these petitions being sorted out, they involve Xu Fan, the eldest son of the Xu family, Xu Kun, the second son, and Xu Ying, the youngest son, as well as several nephews of Lord Xu and more than ten servants in the mansion."

This time, the lawyer did not hesitate and directly reported the results of their sorting.

"More than 20 people? How many fields are there?"

It feels that the number of people involved is a bit too many, and the key is that all three sons of Xu Jie are included, which is a bit tricky.

So, Hai Rui asked how many fields were donated in these petitions, which is also very important.

If the amount is too large and it is exaggerated, the Xu family will be guilty.

"There are more than 30,000 acres at present, but there is another petition sent today, so it is hard to say the final number."

The master said this, hesitant again.

Hai Rui was dissatisfied after seeing this. These masters were all supported by him with his own money. How could they be so cautious in doing things? These things should be considered by him as the boss.

Master is also called assistant, guest, guest, etc., which is a common name for people who work as assistants.

In ancient times, generals went to war and ruled in an irregular place. The shogunate was called the government, so it was called the shogunate, and its assistants were collectively called assistants.

Later, **** became a synonym for military and political offices at all levels. Literati who applied to help military and political officials handle various affairs were also given the titles of assistants, guest, and friend.

The legal advisor is hired by the vassal boss privately, and the relationship between the legal advisor and the vassal boss is actually an employment relationship. The vassal boss respects the legal advisor as a guest and a friend, and the legal advisor calls the vassal boss Dong Weng or Dong Jia.

The legal advisor originated from the Zhou official Mu Ren, and has developed in all dynasties. In the Ming Dynasty, the legal advisor began to sprout as a special form of the vassal industry.

According to its origin, the legal advisor originated from the official of the Zhou king - "Mu Ren". "Zhou Li Zhushu" says: "When the king leaves the palace, the Mu Ren will send the curtain and curtain to the resting place, and the next in charge will open it."

The Ming Dynasty was the budding and brewing stage of the legal advisor, but the role of the Mu You in government affairs was not mentioned in the government documents of the Ming Dynasty, and there was no image of the "legal advisor" in the novels and operas of the late Ming Dynasty.

Although the legal advisor as an independent industry had not yet emerged in the Ming Dynasty, it had already taken shape.

A striking phenomenon in the Ming Dynasty was the rise of the Shaoxing Xu Li Gang, which was the origin of the Shaoxing legal advisor in the Qing Dynasty.

Although it was not yet taking shape, officials in the Ming Dynasty had already begun to recruit Mu You when they were officials, and most of them were introduced to each other by their peers.

After all, it was very tiring for officials to handle criminal law, money and grain accounting, paperwork and other aspects by themselves, and the court did not have a staff for these people, so they could only recruit them out of their own pockets. As for the expenses, they were naturally not covered by official salaries, and most of them were local miscellaneous taxes.

The literary style in Jiangnan was flourishing, and ordinary civilians were ashamed of not reading, which led to a large number of literati, and the admission rate of the imperial examination was very low, so the scholars who failed the exam had to find other ways out, either to go out to do business or to enter the government office as clerks, and Shaoxing, Zhejiang, was the most popular among them.

Later, as more and more people became clerks, the Shaoxing Clerk Gang gradually formed.

The scholars of the Shaoxing Gang, because their predecessors had accumulated rich experience and knowledge as clerks, made them extremely outstanding in this line through mutual learning and teaching, and the Shaoxing lawyers were famous for their expertise in criminal law and money and grain affairs.

It was just that in the Ming Dynasty, for those who were engaged in the profession of lawyers, the host family often called them "mubin" or "muyou" when introducing them to the outside world, instead of the "teacher" that everyone knew in later generations.

In fact, this was also the case in the early Qing Dynasty, but the title was only used in the middle and late periods.

The title of "Secretary" did not appear in the novel "Dream of Red Mansions" in the early Qing Dynasty, but the Jia family raised many guests and friends. In fact, these people were a group of people who helped Jia Zheng handle official affairs.

Hai Rui was dissatisfied at this time, and his face was naturally very ugly.

The secretary was a little panicked after seeing this, so he hurriedly said: "Dong Weng, I just heard that the people who sent the petitions from Changzhou, Zhenjiang and Songjiang happened to be from the same hometown as me. I heard them talk about it when we were drinking together yesterday, but I can't be sure."

"Just say what you know, don't be nagging."

Hai Rui was more straightforward and didn't like the character of these secretaries beating around the bush, so he spoke directly.

"I heard that the land under the name of the Xu family in these three prefectures alone exceeded 100,000 acres."

The secretary finally plucked up the courage to tell the news he heard, and it was like thunder rolling in Hai Rui's ears.

"Are they all the names of the three sons of the Xu family?"

Hai Rui frowned and asked.

"No, about half of them are, and the rest are the names of Xu's nephews and servants. However, they have all stayed there for several years, so they know who the real owner is. In fact, it is the one in Huating County."

The lawyer said carefully.

Hai Rui turned his head and looked at the pile of petitions that were like a small mountain. He knew that this move had already stirred up a hornet's nest.

As far as it can be seen now, the land that the Xu family has obtained through donations is probably more than 100,000 acres, or even more. Don't forget that it is only the land of three prefectures.

Although other places are farther away from Huating, the fact that petitions have been sent from various prefectures is already very telling.

Moreover, Hai Rui only has jurisdiction over the ten mansions of Yingtian. It is unknown whether there are others beyond the ten mansions.

You know, Mr. Xu Ge moved his place of origin to Jiangxi, so he naturally had industries in Jiangxi.

Don’t underestimate these 30,000 acres of farmland, but there are thousands of families behind it.

Most of the fields owned by the people of the Ming Dynasty were abandoned lands that were cultivated in the early Ming Dynasty. After all, after the war, many of the lands had long been without owners.

In order to appease the people, the imperial court distributed part of it to private households and took most of it as official land. The wasteland reclaimed by the farmers themselves was owned by the farmers and tax-free for several years.

Therefore, during this period, every household in the Ming Dynasty had land, which was passed down from generation to generation. Some had a few acres of land, while many had 20 or 30 acres. This was the main family property of the small people in Shengdou.

From this, we can roughly infer the family behind these 30,000 acres of land, which is a very huge number.

"I understand, you continue to clean up."

Hai Rui didn't want to stay here any longer, so he turned around and walked out of the lobby to the backyard.

Although the affairs of the Xu family are difficult, they still have to find a way to solve them, otherwise the whipping method that they have requested to be implemented will not be implemented.

But Hai Rui was also considering whether these matters should be resolved through private negotiation or whether they should really be brought to light and the Xu family's children should be summoned to appear in court.

For people like Xu Jie, if they really bring their son or nephew to the lobby for interrogation, their face will be completely lost, and this will lead to a big feud.

Moreover, when he was in the capital, Mr. Xu Ge often helped him speak in front of Emperor Jiajing.

He had also heard rumors that Emperor Jiajing planned to kill someone when he first read "Public Security Shu", but Xu Jie and Huang Jin used irony to save his life and only spent a few months in prison. , until the emperor died.

Is it true that Hai Rui enforces the law impartially and is unreasonable?

Of course not, he also has the human sophistication that should be expected, but he is more principled than other officials, can distinguish right from wrong, and can find ways to change things within the scope of principles to satisfy both parties.

But now, Xu Jie's case has put a lot of pressure on him.

On one side is the savior, the former prime minister, and on the other side are tens of thousands of people.

On the way back to the back hall, Hai Rui finally made up his mind that he must make the Xu family give in. Not to mention returning the donated land, but at least they should be turned into tenants, and those with evidence should be returned. This is the principle.

As for the provisions of the "Da Ming Law", let's not touch it, so the best way is not to go to court and negotiate to resolve the matter privately.

Back at the houya, Hai Rui put the letter paper on the desk and started grinding it, preparing to write a letter to Xu Jie to inform him first.

There was such a big commotion in Shifu. Hai Rui felt that Mr. Xu Ge must have heard about it, so he told him the situation in detail. With Mr. Xu Ge's intelligence, he must have understood the seriousness of the matter.

What's more, there are rumors in Beijing that Gao Gong, Xu Ge's old enemy, is making a comeback.

If the case cannot be concluded as soon as possible and it falls into the hands of Gao Gong, I am afraid it cannot be solved privately. It would be wrong if Gao Gong did not send the Xu family children to guard the border.

It can only be said that it was not that Gao Gong did not want to take this opportunity to kill a few Xu family members, but that the highest punishment for Toutian in the "Da Ming Law" was guarding the border, not even death.

Don't look at the ancient trials in later movies and TV dramas, which often refer to Qiuhou asking for execution. In fact, the Ming Dynasty could not kill many people throughout the year, and most of them were exiled thousands of miles to guard the border.

After all, people are the primary productive force these days, and the court will not kill people casually.

Hai Rui felt that he was helping the Xu family think about it. Xu Jie, as the chief assistant for so many years, should understand, so he picked up the pen and started writing quickly.

The letter was written in one go. Hai Rui read it again after finishing it and thought it was very good.

After waiting for a while, after the pen and ink dried, he carefully folded the letter paper, put it into an envelope, and painted it with wax.

If the contents of this letter fell into the hands of others, it would be a big deal. It would affect his reputation, so he should naturally handle it with caution.

He called his entourage who had been following him for many years and solemnly handed the letter to him, asking him to set off directly to Huating County early tomorrow morning, and repeatedly asked him to hand it over to Mr. Xu Ge in person.

Although he is a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister, Xu Jie is an official who has become an official after all, and he is a local parent. The so-called county magistrate is not as good as the current manager. Although the servants sent by Hai Rui must be taken seriously in the Xu Mansion, he can personally There is still some dignity in sending a letter.

After leaving the study, Hai Rui sat down and thought quietly. He didn't know what Xu Jie's reaction would be after reading the letter, but he also hoped that Xu Jie would understand his good intentions.

Now, just wait for Xu Mansion's reply.

Just as he thought, although Xu Jie had become an official, he was not only concerned about the affairs of the court at home, but also knew what was happening around him recently.

He himself had no objections to the implementation of a whipping law in Yingtianfu's jurisdiction.

In fact, most officials during this period supported the one-whip law, because the implementation of this law could greatly simplify the tax collection work, and it was easy to incorporate some exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes into it without having to go to great lengths to pay taxes. Think of a nice name for miscellaneous taxes.

When the government levies taxes, you naturally have to have a name for the tax collected, otherwise you can't name the tax, and it is difficult to get money easily.

"Are you saying that because the imperial court is going to implement a whipping method for a long time, those who donated it before want to take back their fields?

Haha, I went up to the pole to beg my family to hand over their land deeds in order to be exempted from the corvee. Now that I know that I can collect taxes in lieu of taxes, I feel more excited. It is so easy. "

At this moment, Xu Jie was sitting in a pavilion in the back garden, with only the housekeeper standing next to him.

"The three young masters left home one after another yesterday to deal with this matter, but this time Governor Yingtian was said to have obtained the emperor's will and implemented the new law, and the news spread quickly.

In addition, this method started to be implemented in Jiangxi last year has been implemented for more than ten years according to the mud-legged people, so it has a great impact. Many people are quarreling with villagers in various places and want to take back their fields. "

The housekeeper reported to Xu Jiehui in a low voice.

"Hehe. I really didn't expect that the whipping method I supported in the court would actually involve my own money."

Xu Jie turned his head and looked at the beautiful scenery in the garden with his cloudy eyes.

"What do they want?"

Suddenly, Xu Jie asked rhetorically.

"Take back the fields and change your nationality back."

The butler replied in a low voice.

"We can promise them to change their household registration. There is no need to discuss the land, but they can sign and pledge it. The land will be leased to them for a long time. The government cannot take it back without reason."

Xu Jie gave his own limit.

That is land, and Youdao says, "If you have land, you will have wealth." This means that only when a person has his own land or real estate can he truly have wealth.

Land is the source of wealth, how can it be abandoned casually?

Although the land was not bought by the family, it is their own land after all, and of course it cannot be returned.

As for the rest, he also understood why these people were making trouble. They were worried about affecting their children's future.

At first, I donated money because I was afraid of being taken away to do corvee labor. At that time, I might have to face the fate of family ruin and death. Now that my life is better, I just want to think about such a good thing.

This rule cannot be allowed, otherwise the Xu family will not be able to mix in the circle.

Because it is not only his Xu family's loss of wealth that will be affected, but more seriously it will also affect other gentry families.

When the time comes for people to hate their own family, they dare not make mistakes while they are alive. If they are no longer around, the Xu family will probably become the target of public criticism immediately.

"But sir, now some people's petitions have been handed over to various prefectures and counties. They are afraid of being punished, so they transfer the petitions to the governor's office. This Hai Rui"

When the housekeeper said this, he didn't know how to continue.

Hai Rui's name was already very famous in the Ming Dynasty at this time. After all, he was the Qingtian Grand Master who was touted by gentry in many places, so he was a strong deterrent to the gentry in other places.

Xu Jie also frowned slightly when he heard the name "Hai Rui".