The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 552 Land
The autumn breeze brings coolness, and the golden rice ears sway in the wind in the fields, forming undulating waves. Emperor Qin Shou of the Tang Dynasty rode on his horse, looking at the scene of the harvest on both sides of the road, with a gratified smile on his face. He had just pacified Liaodong, and seeing this scene on his way back to the capital, he was naturally happy.

"Gongda, it looks like this year will be a bumper year." Qin Shou turned to Xun You beside him and said, pointing to the golden rice fields in the distance, "I am very pleased that the people can have enough food and warm clothes."

Xun You stroked his beard and nodded slightly: "Your Majesty is wise. Since your Majesty ascended the throne, you have reduced taxes and levies, encouraged agriculture and sericulture, and the people have indeed lived and worked in peace and contentment. This bumper harvest is the reward from heaven for your majesty's benevolent rule."

Zhou Yu, who was standing by, also laughed and said, "I see that the rice ears are heavy. One mu of land can yield at least three stones of rice. If the whole country is like this, the national treasury will be full in no time."

Qin Shou was in a good mood. He pointed his whip at a village not far away and said, "Come on, follow me to see how the people celebrate the harvest."

The group got off the official road and walked along the path along the ridge towards the village. The autumn sun was shining brightly, and the air was filled with the fragrance of rice. Qin Shou deliberately changed into casual clothes, not wanting to disturb the people. He walked in front, followed only by Xun You, Zhou Yu and a few personal guards.

At the entrance of the village, an old farmer with gray hair was turning over rice in the drying yard. The old man had a slightly hunched back, wrinkles all over his face, and his hands were as rough as tree bark, but his movements were very skillful.

Qin Shou walked up to him and asked kindly, "Father, how is the harvest this year?"

The old farmer looked up when he heard the voices and saw several strangers in luxurious clothes. He quickly put down his work and bowed respectfully: "Sir, thanks to God, the rain this year is evenly distributed and the rice is growing well."

Qin Shou noticed that although the old man was talking about a good harvest, his face was not very happy, but rather sad. He squatted down, grabbed a handful of rice and rubbed it in his hands. The grains were full and golden, and it was indeed a good harvest.

"With such a good harvest, father-in-law should be happy. Why are you so worried?" Qin Shou asked directly.

The old farmer's expression froze, his eyes flickered, and he hesitated, not daring to answer.

Xun You saw the old man's concerns and said gently, "Don't be afraid, old man. We are just merchants passing by here and want to know the price of grain this year."

Hearing that it was a merchant, the old man seemed relieved, but he still looked around cautiously, and then lowered his voice and said: "Gentlemen, you don't know that although the crops are good, we don't get much."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Qin Shou frowned and asked.

The old farmer sighed and pointed to the fields in the distance: "These lands belong to Mr. Lu, we are just renting them. We have to pay 50% rent for one acre of land, plus taxes from the court, and the rest... the rest..." The old man choked and couldn't continue.

Qin Shou's face suddenly changed: "What? Fifty percent rent? What about taxes?"

"Taxes are collected per mu, and one mu of land requires one and a half dou of tax." The old man stretched out his rough hands and gestured, trembling, "One mu of land yields three shi, and the rent is one and a half shi, and the tax is one and a half dou. After deducting the cost of seeds and oxen, there is less than three dou left."

Zhou Yu blurted out in shock: "Doesn't that mean 90% of it has been handed over?"

The old man smiled bitterly and shook his head: "This master has calculated it clearly. We are a family of five and rent ten acres of land. At the end of the year, we can only keep three stone of grain, which is barely enough to eat until the beginning of next spring. If we encounter a disaster or disease..." The old man did not continue speaking, but the despair in his eyes said it all.

Qin Shou felt a surge of anger rising from the bottom of his heart. He suppressed his emotions and asked, "Father-in-law, didn't this land originally belong to your family? According to the court regulations, you should have the land!" Under the rule of the Tang Dynasty, "those who till the land own the land" was the most basic national policy.

The old man heard this and tears welled up in his cloudy eyes. "To answer your question, this land was originally the ancestral property of my Zhao family. Ten years ago, during the war, we fled to the south. When we came back, the land had been occupied by the Lu family. I went to the county government to file a complaint, but was beaten with twenty boards instead." The old man pulled up his trouser legs, revealing the hideous scars on his legs. "This is what was left at that time."

Qin Shou unconsciously clenched his hands, his nails digging deep into his palms. He took a deep breath and continued to ask, "Are there many cases like yours in the village?"

"Of course there are many." Old man Zhao pointed to the village, "Eight out of ten households rent the land from the Lu family. The remaining two households are either relatives of the Lu family or skilled craftsmen like blacksmith Wang."

Xun You and Zhou Yu exchanged glances and saw the shock in each other's eyes. They had accompanied the emperor on many incognito visits, but they had never discovered that land annexation had reached such a serious level.

"Father-in-law, take us to your house." Qin Shou suddenly said.

Old man Zhao was a little apprehensive: "Master, my humble abode is simple, I'm afraid..."

"It doesn't matter, we just want to take a look." Qin Shou insisted.

Old man Zhao had no choice but to lead the group to the village. The villagers they met on the road avoided the outsiders in fancy clothes, and only a few brave children hid in the corners and secretly watched.

Old Man Zhao's home was a low thatched hut with mud-pasted walls that had cracks. Pushing the door open, the room was dark and damp, with almost no furniture except for a worn-out wooden table and a few stools made of tree stumps. There were a few bags of grain piled in the corner, which seemed to be the "three stone" of grain that the old man had just mentioned.

A pale and skinny woman was busy at the stove. When she saw a guest coming, she wiped her hands with her apron and stood aside awkwardly. Two children, about seven or eight years old, hid behind their mother and looked at the visitor timidly.

"This is my wife and two little grandsons," said Old Man Zhao. He then said to his wife, "Go and boil some water to entertain the masters."

Qin Shou raised his hand to stop him: "Don't bother." He walked to the corner, opened the grain bag and looked inside. There was indeed not much grain inside, and there was a lot of chaff mixed in. "Will this grain be enough to last until next year?"

Zhao Laohan’s wife suddenly knelt down and burst into tears: “Master, please be kind and lend us some food to tide us over the winter famine. We will work like cows and horses to repay you next year!”

Qin Shou quickly helped the woman up, feeling a pain in his heart. He turned to Xun You and whispered, "Remember this village and send someone to deliver some food."

After leaving the Zhao family, Qin Shou visited several other families and found that their situations were similar. Most of the villagers rented the land from the Lu family and had to pay rent for most of their harvest, so they lived in poverty. Only one family with a brick house lived a wealthy life. After asking around, he found out that it was the housekeeper of the Lu family who was responsible for collecting rent.

As the sky gradually darkened, Qin Shou and his party left the village and returned to the official road. The setting sun cast golden afterglow on the harvested fields. This should have been a beautiful picture, but at this moment it seemed particularly ironic in Qin Shou's eyes.

(End of this chapter)