My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 487 The case has reached the highest levels!
a few days later.

The government office in the prefectural city was solemn and imposing.

Confident in his plan, Zhang, the scholar, presented a strongly worded complaint accusing Magistrate Wu of "using criminal charges to arbitrarily alter ancestral land systems, and attempting to create new pretexts to levy private commercial taxes, exploiting the local people and undermining the foundation of the nation."

As the presiding judge, Prefect Lu looked at the indictment, he also caught a glimpse of the wink from Zhang, the scholar below the court, and his heart already leaned towards the Zhang family.

Prefect Lu slammed his gavel and said:

"When a commoner sues an official, according to the Ming Dynasty law, he should first be punished with thirty strokes of the cane. However, considering that the person who filed the lawsuit is a scholar with a degree, he is exempted from the cane punishment for now."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Wu, who had been summoned to hear the trial, felt a jolt of unease.

He knew that many of the officials in the government's criminal division were relatives or friends of the Zhang family, and he had already taken care of them.

If the presiding prefect were to show such bias towards the other side right from the start, the case would probably have been adjourned long ago.

Magistrate Wu sighed inwardly. Just a few days ago, he had seen off Li Yiyuan and his party. When they parted, Li Yiyuan had assured him that he should just wait patiently.

To Magistrate Wu's surprise, instead of receiving support from his superiors, he received an official document from the prefectural government, ordering him to go to the prefectural government to hear a complaint.

Now Magistrate Wu had a bad feeling.

Magistrate Wu knew that many of the officials in the criminal division of the prefectural government were relatives or friends of the Zhang family. He was certain that the Zhang family had already made proper arrangements before daring to file a lawsuit against the government.

Zhang, the scholar, was well-versed in criminal law and was well-prepared for this occasion, speaking eloquently in the courtroom.

Prefect Lu nodded repeatedly, clearly indicating that the case was about to be overturned.

Magistrate Wu was filled with anxiety.

When he had just seen Li Yiyuan off, Magistrate Wu was still full of ambition, thinking that he could promote the reform of land ownership in the county and then start collecting commercial taxes as soon as possible.

Unexpectedly, it turned out that Zhang, the scholar, was more skillful and went directly to the prefectural government office.

Prefect Lu slammed his gavel and declared:
"Although the method of confirming property rights is in accordance with the law, the new law on land ownership has not been explicitly ordered by the imperial court, nor has it been approved by the provincial government. It is an act of usurpation and recklessness. It is hereby ordered to stop immediately and to submit a written statement of repentance."

"The ownership of Zhang's land and houses shall be submitted to the government for retrial."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Wu lowered his head.

The prefectural government rejected the legitimacy of the new land reform law. Although it did not immediately overturn the verdict, the case was handed over to the prefectural government for judgment, and the result would certainly favor Zhang, the scholar.

In this way, the land ownership reform he himself promoted is about to fail before it has even been implemented.

Looking at the smug-looking scholar Zhang, Magistrate Wu felt a chill in his heart, and even the thought of resigning and retiring from office came to mind.

Magistrate Wu could only return to the county office.

Unexpectedly, things changed the very next day.

A group of well-worn but imposing knights escorted a blue cloth carriage straight to the county government office.

The carriage door opened, and Liu Zhijie, the Provincial Governor of Henan, stepped out with a calm and composed expression, dressed in a scarlet robe of a third-rank official.

Upon hearing that the Provincial Governor had arrived at his small county office, Magistrate Wu hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

He was also puzzled. There was no prior notice of Liu, the provincial governor, visiting this time, nor was the county instructed to make any preparations.

If Magistrate Wu hadn't met Liu Zhijie in person in the provincial capital, he would have suspected that someone was impersonating the provincial governor and still managing to swindle him.

Could it be that Scholar Zhang has once again established connections with the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office?

Nope.

Zhang Juren was only influential in the prefectural government. He wasn't influential enough to have a provincial governor, a high-ranking official of the third rank, stand up for him.

Could it be that Lord Li?

After the verdict was announced by the prefectural government, Magistrate Wu dared not have too much hope. He suppressed his emotions and welcomed Liu Zhijie to the main hall of the county government.

"Magistrate Wu, you have done a good job."

Magistrate Wu's heart pounded, and then he heard Provincial Governor Liu say:

"I am already aware of the prefectural government's judgment. Such words of clinging to old ways and obstructing new policies are not worth worrying about!"

really!

Magistrate Wu was overjoyed, never expecting that things would take another turn for the better!

Liu Zhijie said:
"Lord Su, the Inspector of the Fifth Office of the Secretariat and the Chancellery, has heard about Magistrate Wu's laws on land ownership confirmation, conversion of five-year leases to perpetual tenancy, and prohibition of wasteland. He highly approves of these laws and has already petitioned His Majesty to implement them on a trial basis in Henan."

"The imperial decree will be delivered to the county soon."

Magistrate Wu was dumbfounded!
Henan is not far from the capital, so he naturally knew who "Lord Su" was that Liu Zhijie was talking about.

How did things that happened in my own county reach that official's ears?
Moreover, Lord Su supported his own reforms and submitted a memorial to the court to implement them on a trial basis throughout Henan.
Magistrate Wu was about to faint!

Liu Zhijie then said:

"This Provincial Governor has decided to conduct a pilot program in your county, aiming to clarify property rights and stabilize the people's livelihood. Anyone within the province who obstructs the new policy or falsely accuses an honest official will be severely punished by the Provincial Government!"

Magistrate Wu was so moved that he burst into tears.

Needless to say, this must be thanks to that "Lord Li".

Liu Zhijie then said:

"The levying of commercial taxes in this county is carried out by imperial decree and the order of the Provincial Administration Commission!"

Then Liu Zhijie continued:
"The county will immediately hold the civil service examination to select the first batch of qualified officials who are proficient in mathematics and law. The list will take effect immediately and will be directly appointed by the provincial government. The required salaries will also be paid by the provincial government."

"Once the county's commercial tax revenue shows results, the payments will be transferred to the county."

"The new official is in charge of the upcoming collection of commercial taxes and the auditing of taxes after the confirmation of land ownership."

"also."

Liu Zhijie's tone became serious:

“As the local official, one should naturally love the people as one’s own children. However, there are always some unscrupulous people in the county. If we are too lenient with them, these people will corrupt the local customs and affect the governance of the county.”

Liu Zhijie said:
"When I was in the provincial capital, I heard that your county had a litigious culture, and that some scholars did not think about taking the imperial examinations to advance their careers, but instead spent their days studying criminal law and judicial techniques to exploit the local people."

"If these pests are not eliminated, how can the countryside be peaceful, and how can the new policies be promoted?"

Magistrate Wu immediately said, "I have failed in my duty to govern the county! Your Excellency, please forgive me!"

Liu Zhijie waved his hand and said:

"This matter is not your fault. These scoundrels have been entrenched in the countryside for many years and have committed numerous bloody crimes. How could someone like you, who is new to officialdom, possibly deal with them?"

"However, Prosecutor Su has already thought of this for you."

"Di Xu, the chief of the Ministry of Justice, is a master of solving cases in our Great Ming Dynasty. Chief Prosecutor Su has already recommended him to be the inspector of Henan Province to handle the accumulated wrongful cases in Henan."

"This Chief Inspector Di was the one who handled the Chu Zong case back then." "Chief Inspector Di's first stop was your county, allowing the people to seek redress for their grievances. Chief Inspector Di will naturally eliminate this scourge for the people."

Magistrate Wu was deeply shocked; he now understood the power and influence of this Lord Li!
He actually managed to get the powerful Prosecutor Su to come!
And Su Jianzheng was too powerful. He immediately sent Liu Zhijie, a third-rank official in Henan Province, and then dispatched a clerk from the Ministry of Justice to deal with the lawless gentry in the county.

If Di Xu can solve the case of the dignified Chu Zong, then handling local cases will be a piece of cake for him.
As Liu Buzhengshi said, how could the Zhang family, a gentry family that entrenched themselves in the countryside, possibly be clean?

They just used to act recklessly because of their connections.

Magistrate Wu knew very well that the Zhang family was finished.

Who exactly is this "Lord Li"?
Liu Zhijie said to Magistrate Wu:
"Go and get on with your business quickly, and don't let those officials down."

"As ordered!"
-
The news spread the next day that the Henan Provincial Governor had come to the county to support Magistrate Wu.

Immediately afterwards, the county posted a notice announcing that it would hold an examination for civil servants to select scholars to serve as county officials.

Magistrate Wu then ordered his yamen runners to post notices announcing the continuation of the land reform and the promotion of land ownership confirmation.

This time, Liu Zhijie brought with him a large number of officials from the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office when he came to the county.

These were all capable clerks in the household registration department who could write and calculate. With their help, the county's land reform process accelerated immediately.

Many farmers who had long-term leases rushed to the county government office upon hearing that the government was going to grant them land rights.

The land ownership was separated from its physical structure, but the lack of official confirmation of ownership still caused unease.

Now that the county government has clearly stated its intention to confirm land ownership, this also means that land ownership can now be traded as a form of property right.

Compared to the cost of paying taxes for confirming property rights, the benefits of confirming property rights are clearly greater.

Historically, the value of field skin has always been higher than that of field bones.

Moreover, the value of farmland will continue to rise.

The reason is simple: generally, landlords will give priority to leasing out the barren land. Farmers who buy the land also need to improve the land, so the land rights are also known as manure land rights in folk terms.

This requires long-term investment from landowners to transform barren land into excellent arable land.

With investment in infrastructure such as water conservancy, the value of paddy fields will continue to rise, and the price of many paddy fields will even reach two or three times that of paddy field bones.

However, the government levies taxes based on land ownership, meaning that the holder of the land ownership certificate is also responsible for dealing with the government and bearing the land taxes and corvée labor.

The holder of the land cover only needs to pay "perpetual tenancy fee" to the holder of the land bone every year.

Moreover, the perpetual tenancy money may have been agreed upon by the previous generation or even several generations ago. With rising prices, that is, under long-term slow inflation, the actual purchasing power of this money is getting lower and lower.

This is why Zhang Juren wanted to seize the land belonging to the Zhang family—because the land itself was less valuable than the soil.

The next day, upon hearing the news that Provincial Governor Liu had come to the county, the local Prefect Lu also rushed to the county.

However, Liu Zhijie was not at the county office; instead, he had gone to inspect the countryside with Magistrate Wu.

Prefect Lu also rushed to the village, only to be told by the village elders that the provincial governor and the county magistrate had already left.

Now the prefect understood the situation. With Provincial Governor Liu supporting Magistrate Wu, no matter how much he flattered him, he couldn't escape being purged.

Prefect Lu sighed and slunk back to the county office, where he finally met Provincial Governor Liu Zhijie.

As expected, upon meeting, Liu Zhijie put on an unpleasant expression, and Prefect Lu quickly stepped forward and said:

“Your Excellency, I have been misled by my subordinates and judged the case hastily. I request the Provincial Department of Justice to re-examine the Zhang family case.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhijie's expression softened.

The fact that Prefect Lu was able to immediately sever ties with the Zhang family shows that his connection with them was not deep; at most, he was only influenced by personal relationships within the prefectural government.

This is normal. Generally speaking, local officials and local gentry see each other all the time, and they are intertwined.

Therefore, local officials rarely go to extremes unless there is external intervention.

Of course, the Zhang family's case was no ordinary case; it was a case that high-ranking officials like Prosecutor Su were concerned about.

Liu Zhijie's complexion improved slightly, and he said:
"This case need not trouble Prefect Lu. The imperial court has already dispatched Di Xu, the principal of the Ministry of Justice, to Henan to clear up backlog cases. His first stop is here. This case can be handed over to the patrol office."

Prefect Lu's expression changed. To become a prefect meant he was no longer like Magistrate Wu, who was completely unaware of news from the imperial court.

Di Xu is hailed as the capital's top detective, having solved many mysterious cases and being known for his impartiality, always judging cases without considering personal feelings.

The Imperial Envoy was an imperial envoy dispatched by the court. Unlike the Governor, whose position focused on supervision, the Imperial Envoy was generally responsible for handling judicial cases.

Di Xu's first stop was this county, and this wasn't aimed at the Zhang family, which Prefect Lu didn't believe.

But this was the work of Liu, the Provincial Governor?

Prefect Lu shook his head. Liu Zhijie was the Provincial Administration Commissioner, but to be appointed as an Inspector by the Imperial Court was not something a Provincial Administration Commissioner could do alone; it must have been someone from a higher level.

Liu Zhijie also generously said:
"Magistrate Wu's land reform received the support of Prosecutor Su."

Prosecutor Su!
Prefect Lu gaped in astonishment; how could he not know this name!
Prefect Lu looked at Magistrate Wu behind Magistrate Liu and said, "You have this connection, why didn't you say so earlier?"
If Prefect Lu had known that Magistrate Wu had Su Ze behind him, he would never have shown favoritism towards Scholar Zhang in judging the case!

How could anyone betray their superior like this!

Prefect Lu was heartbroken. Even if he had offended Liu Zhijie, the provincial governor, Liu still had connections. At worst, he could just be transferred to another province.

But if he offends Prosecutor Su, will he still have a place in the Ming Dynasty's officialdom?

Liu Zhijie knew what Prefect Lu was thinking and sneered inwardly.

However, Liu Zhijie did not immediately intend to replace Prefect Lu.

If Prefect Lu is dismissed and the court appoints another prefect, a long time will have passed.

Seeing that Prefect Lu was in this state, if he was not deeply involved with the Zhang family, Liu Zhijie would not mind letting him continue to serve as prefect, giving him a chance to redeem himself.

To promote land reform throughout the prefecture, it is essential to mobilize the prefect's own initiative.

Liu Zhijie's expression softened slightly, and he said to Prefect Lu:
“These days, Prefect Lu and I will stay in the county to observe the land reform.”

Prefect Lu felt a glimmer of hope; was this a chance for him to redeem himself through meritorious service?
Right!

I had long heard that Prosecutor Su values ​​practical matters most and hopes to appoint capable officials.

Magistrate Wu was probably also involved in the land reform, which caught the eye of Inspector Su.

If I follow suit and complete the land reform throughout the prefecture, I can atone for my sins!
The only thing that puzzled Prefect Lu was how Su Ze could know so much about the situation in a county in Henan.

Five days later, Di Xu arrived in the county and a flood of lawsuits were delivered to the county government.

Di Xu only took three days to thoroughly investigate the massacre at Zhang Juren's house, uncovering three past massacres, one of which was directly ordered by Zhang Juren.

With the confession and physical evidence in hand, Provincial Governor Liu Zhijie stamped the document on the spot, stripping Zhang of his scholar title. The provincial yamen then proceeded with the imprisonment and sentencing, resulting in a death sentence with reprieve.

(End of this chapter)