webnovelfull Chapter 118: Persuading the Village Head
Chapter 118: Persuading the Village Head
"Okay, Mom, let's go now." Seeing Aunt Zhang so worried, Shen Wanning had no choice but to agree with her and accompany her to the headman's house.
When they arrived, the village head and his family were washing up. Seeing them coming, the village head quickly rinsed his mouth and took them to the main room.
"Aunt Zhang, Wan Ning, why are you two here so late? Is there something urgent?" The head of the village looked at Aunt Zhang's panic and his heart began to lift as well.
Aunt Zhang looked at Shen Wanning and motioned for her to talk about it. Shen Wanning nodded slightly and slowly began to speak.
"Uncle Village Head, our family has bought a lot of land now, and my third brother can no longer keep so much land under his name. Can you talk to other people and ask them to move their land out of my third brother's name?" Shen Wanning said directly.
The village head was about to speak when Shen Wanning interrupted him, "Uncle Head, I know that in recent years, the village's farmland has been registered under my third brother's name and we've gotten used to it. But I heard from the county magistrate that the emperor is strictly investigating the issue of registered farmland, and it may soon reach us. Our Daqing Village has finally produced a scholar like my third brother, and no one wants to ruin his future, right?"
"Wan Ning, aren't you being too serious? Since ancient times, when a family raises a scholar, the family's land will be registered under the name of the scholar. It has always been done this way before, so how could something go wrong? This news may not be reliable, right?" The head of the village thought about it and still felt that the news was unlikely.
"Uncle Village Head, it's better to be safe than sorry. This concerns Third Brother's future, we can't take any risks. Third Brother has studied so hard, we can't hold him back. Besides, tax reductions are just a small gain. If Third Brother can take a step forward and enter the imperial court, wouldn't the benefits for our Daqing Village be even greater?"
"Yes, Village Head, what Wan Ning said makes sense. If my third son is successful and can become a high-ranking official in the capital, he will be a famous figure who can speak in front of the emperor. It will be a simple matter to seek some benefits for our Daqing Village!" Aunt Zhang echoed.
"But... not to mention that the emperor will conduct a thorough investigation to see if this is true, even if he asks them to transfer the land out of your third son's name right now, they may not be willing to do so." The village head was in a dilemma.
"Uncle Village Head, there is one more thing I forgot to tell you. The county magistrate said that the discovery of cassava has been reported to the court, and the emperor's decree of reward will come down in the next two days. This is what the county magistrate said in person. Why don't we see if there is an decree of reward? If there is a decree of reward, it means that the news the county magistrate received is true." Shen Wanning believed that County Magistrate He would not make up stories.
"What? Are you serious? Wan Ning, you can actually receive the emperor's reward?" The village head slammed the table excitedly.
"Absolutely true! This incident further proves that our Daqing Village has caught the emperor's eye. If my third brother can really become an official in Beijing in the future, it will be easier to seek benefits for our Daqing Village. Of course, if someone mentions that the matter of the registered land is related to Daqing Village, the emperor will think that our Daqing Village is hypocritical, thinking that he has just rewarded Daqing Village. Will he be angry and punish us more severely?" Shen Wanning didn't care about anything and spoke seriously.
"What Wan Ning said makes sense! Okay, I'll gather everyone tomorrow to make this matter clear. Plus, you're buying more and more land, and it won't be long before Jingyou only has enough land to register with your family. It's better to move out sooner rather than later." The head of the village was still a little disappointed, but he could only try to comfort himself.
"Thank you, uncle village head. By the way, there is one last thing I need to talk to uncle village head about first. The county magistrate also said something today. If our village can solve the problem of refugees, the county magistrate will order that our Daqing village will be exempted from taxes for three years." After giving a slap in the face, you have to give a sweet reward.
"How can this be possible? No, no, are we expected to support so many refugees? Every household in our village can barely feed itself, how can we support the refugees?" When the headman heard Shen Wanning talking about the refugees, he refused repeatedly.
Shen Wanning explained with a smile, "Uncle Village Head has misunderstood. We're not helping to support the refugees, but solving their problems. I already have an idea for this. We've bought tens of thousands of saplings and plan to plant them on the newly acquired hilltop. Our village can only have two or three hundred people to help, and we can hire refugees to do the rest. I'll provide them with accommodation and food while they're planting the trees, but they'll have to rely on themselves from then on."
"But what if the refugees hurt the villagers? These refugees are able to survive until now, they are not good people." The head of the village was still a little worried.
"Don't worry, uncle Li Zheng. The county magistrate will send people to help until these refugees settle down. Besides, these refugees have no household registration. After three years, if they settle down in Daqing Village, the county magistrate will help them register. This is a great temptation for these refugees." Shen Wanning explained.
"Okay, that's great. Then I feel relieved." The headman slapped his thigh and laughed.
"Thank you for your understanding, Uncle Lizheng. It's getting late, so I won't disturb you from resting."
After resolving the matter, Shen Wanning supported Aunt Zhang and went home together.
Fearing the imperial edict would arrive, Shen Wanning did not go to the county town the next day. Only Lin Jingce went there. Like the other villagers, she was summoned by the village head to gather under the old locust tree.
After everyone gathered, the village head told everyone that they should move the land from Lin Jingyou's name. However, as soon as he finished speaking, there was a commotion below, and no one was willing to do it.
"We are registered well, why do you want us to move out?"
"That's right. There's been a severe drought this year, and the harvest isn't good. If we still have to pay taxes, how are we going to survive?"
"That's right, the Lin family is too selfish. They're rich, but they can't even give us this little bit of benefit."
"Yeah, they eat meat, but they won't even give us this little soup?"
Hunter Chen squeezed to the front and said, "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment and listen to the headman. We've been in the same village for so long, don't you understand what kind of people the old Lin family is? They must have their reasons for doing this."
After Hunter Chen finished speaking, everyone quieted down and looked up at the headman standing on the stone.
The village head repeated Shen Wanning's explanation last night to them, and the villagers finally understood a little.
"But, could it be that the county magistrate deliberately said this to deceive us in order to make us pay taxes?" someone asked.
The village head glared at the man and said, "Nonsense! The county magistrate is an upright official. How could he cheat poor people like us for such a small amount of food?"