The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

When the clan leader heard that Lu Linlang was planning to buy land, he nodded and agreed with her approach. They all guessed that Lu Linlang must have made some preparations when she came back this time. However, seeing that there had been no movement in the past few days since they came back, the clan leader was ready to give them some advice.

"It's great that you're planning to buy land. Nothing compares to crops. Food is a reliable source of income, and with food in hand, there's no need to worry. I'll go and find out for you. How much do you plan to buy?"

"Uncle, I don't know much about the prices here, so I came to ask you, what is the price of this field, what is the price of land?"

"The fields are divided into several grades according to their fertility. The best paddy fields are the most expensive, fetching five taels of silver per mu, the medium ones four taels, and the worst two taels. Dry land is also divided into best and worst grades, with the best fetching three taels and the worst one tael.

So I said that it was a waste for you to take out five taels of silver at once. You should save as much as possible. This amount can buy an acre of high-quality paddy field. If you buy the land, you will have to pay more taxes in the future. None of those officials are pushovers. Even if you pay all the grain in full, they can take away a small portion of it. Either you continue to pay the full amount according to his requirements, or you have to pay him money to be lenient.

There's also the head tax, forced labor, substitute labor, the capitation tax, the agricultural tool tax, the silkworm salt tax, and so on. There are so many taxes to pay, and they all require money to pay. Your aunt and I have calculated the accounts for your five taels of silver, and there's still about one or two taels or three hundred coins left. I'll save it all for you. Take it back, and you can buy an acre of low-quality dry land with that much."

Lu Zhan and Yun Yi were also shocked when they heard the clan leader say this. They didn't expect that they would have to pay so much tax. Yun Yi had read books and knew that the laws of Daqi only stipulated population tax and land tax, and there were no requirements for other miscellaneous items.

"Uncle Patriarch, I read in a book that Daqi doesn't have so many types of taxes. Besides the two taxes, all other corvée and labor service are levied every ten years. Why do you say it's payable every year?"

When Yun Yi didn't understand something, he immediately wanted to ask the clan leader for help.

"Alas, you don't know that this is what the law says, but with the wars every year, there are so many places where money is spent. The government said that the court asked them to squeeze in as much as possible and send food and military pay to the people on the front line. Otherwise, the soldiers can't fight, and how can we ordinary people survive?

These are all added up little by little, year after year. Our county magistrate is already merciful. At least everyone can still eat until the New Year. I heard that the taxes collected in other places are many and harsh. If anyone has any objection, they will be taken to jail.

"Being in jail doesn't mean you can just sit back and eat and drink. Instead, your family has to send you money and food. If they don't, you'll starve to death. You can't go back until your family pays all the taxes."

The clan leader shook his head and sighed when he thought of this. They, the common people, had the hardest time. Everything cost money, and there was no place to make money. So many people were vying for odd jobs in the county town that they would even do it at a lower price, for fear that someone else would take the job.

"Uncle, if I have a title, can I be exempted from some taxes?" Before, they had planned to use the title to see how much tax they could be exempted from, but after the clan leader said this, even Lu Linlang was silent.

"A title? That's not something we ordinary people can even dream of. I haven't inquired about it, but I heard that scholars who pass the imperial examinations and become scholars or Jinshi can be exempted from some land taxes. Even higher-ranking officials, I'm not sure, but I heard that they don't have to pay any taxes. Do you still have your titles?"

The clan leader didn't expect at first that their titles were still there. He also dealt with the government and knew that many titles were not hereditary. He was afraid that when Lu Linlang and the others came back, their titles would be gone. However, he still had an illusion, what if?

"To be honest, Uncle, we originally planned to keep a low profile, so we didn't tell anyone. In fact, before we came back, the Emperor gave Lu Zhan a title of Baron, but he had to wait until he came of age before he could take up a position. That's still many years away, and there are too many variables, so we didn't plan to tell everyone from the beginning."

Lu Linlang initially thought that she would have no idea what Daqi would be like after a year, and she was not clear about the situation of the local government. If she was too high-profile and attracted other people's attention, her family would only have a title but no power, and they were still living in this mountain village. She was afraid that others would deliberately bully them.

However, now that she heard about so many types of taxes, she felt that the title had suddenly become popular again, and she should at least have some privileges.

Anyone who has had privilege, no matter when, knows its benefits.

"Ah, you have a title. This, this, I didn't know. Brother Zhan is really promising. If you have a title, then there is no need to worry. Even if you go to the government, the county magistrate will ask people to take good care of you."

The clan leader stood up happily, turned around a few times, and then took Lu Zhan's hand and said excitedly.

"Uncle, this is all thanks to my father's protection. If my sister hadn't made a prompt decision to return the house in the capital to the emperor, I would have been punished long ago, and you wouldn't even be able to see me today." Lu Zhan touched his head when he saw the patriarch so excited. He thought that this was all due to his sister's cleverness. Otherwise, if he had really gambled away the house rewarded by the emperor and the news got out, the result would not be what he saw today.

"What punishment? What happened?" The patriarch was a little confused when he heard this.

Lu Zhan took the initiative to tell the clan leader about his previous experience. He thought about it for several nights and felt deeply that he had made a mistake. His sister did not tell the clan leader because she wanted to save his face, but he was determined to change his ways and would ask the clan leader to supervise him in the future.

"Hey, Zhan'er, you were indeed confused before. Fortunately, Linlang is a sensible girl and pulled you back in time. That was an abyss. The clan has set clan rules and does not allow our descendants to gamble. Gambling harms people. Listen to your sister's words from now on.

Linlang girl, I'll go ask around and see if anyone around here is selling land. The sale of land must go through the government and pay the deed tax to be considered legal, so there won't be any disputes later."

"Thank you, uncle. Please help us find out. We plan to buy a thousand acres of land, whether it's paddy fields or dry land. It would be great if there is one nearby. Oh, and we also plan to buy a few hills to see if we can grow something in the future."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out. It's best to buy near our village. Buying a hilltop is much cheaper than buying fields. There are so many hilltops, but they're not worth much here. The hill behind our village belongs to the village. The rest haven't been bought yet, so they can be bought and sold. After you buy them, you can arrange for someone to guard them. If these hilltops become yours, no one can go to collect firewood without permission. They all belong to you."

The clan leader felt excited when he thought about this. Although he was not the one who bought it, he could still help handle these large-scale businesses. In the eyes of the masters in the county government, he was also a well-known figure. The more he showed his face, the more likely the masters would think of him when there were any benefits in the future. Moreover, these were the property of the younger generation in the village. Their village really had a big man.

After Lu Linlang thanked her, she took out another five taels of silver. To get information, one needs money to pave the way. This was the hard-earned money for asking the clan leader for help. Naturally, the clan leader didn't want it, but after Lu Linlang's persuasion, he accepted it and would return the rest to her later.

When he learned that they were planning to buy a shop, he said that he would go and show it to them. He had been here for so many years and knew some acquaintances. Once he found a suitable one, he would let them choose.