Chapter 55

Liu Laoshi was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. He thought bandits had come and started shouting at the top of his lungs. Immediately, people from each household ran out, and the sounds of copper gongs, basins, and wooden clappers filled the air. The village was in chaos, with adults shouting, children crying, and chickens and dogs running around.

Some brave men came closer to take a look and found that it was actually a group of young men from the Xu family. After cursing a few times, they informed the villagers that it was a misunderstanding. The commotion gradually subsided.

These ten men were sent by Xu Hao, who had originally intended to help Liu Laoshi demolish his house. However, their first attempt ended in failure, and the reason for the failure was actually Liu Laoshi's own words.

Xu Hao did not blame his men. He realized it was his mistake to act rashly during the daytime. Now, he regretted his impulsiveness and was relieved that the plan did not succeed, as it would have been easy to trace who was behind it. He decided to let the matter drop.

Liu Laoshi did not realize that he had lost his best opportunity. He returned home, not daring to ask anyone to demolish his house or to seek help from the county magistrate. He just sat at home, feeling gloomy.

Jiang Song and his disciples went to the county school to apologize. The schoolmaster ascended to the Minglun Hall and read the county magistrate's personal review. He had long heard of Jiang Song's various misdeeds, and with the words "impartial law enforcement" clearly written, he ignored the pleas of the disciples, ordered the gatekeepers to set up benches, and had Jiang Song beaten severely before kicking him out.

Jiang Song, humiliated in public, was filled with anger. He returned home, lay on a bamboo chair, and started cursing Liu Laoshi at his door. When he was tired, he ordered his disciples to take turns, and the cursing continued until midnight.

Liu Laoshi was both angry and resentful, and he fell ill as a result, just like his mother, who was bedridden. The next day, the bailiffs came to urge him to demolish his house. As soon as they left, Jiang Song came to the door and started cursing again. Within a few days, Liu Laoshi was so angry that he lost consciousness on his bed.

Everyone could see that Liu Laoshi had given in. As the saying goes, "If the people do not report, the officials will not investigate." The county magistrate, busy with many affairs, had no time to delve into such a trivial matter. The bailiffs, unwilling to waste their time in the cold, let the matter drop.

Xu Hao sighed, thinking that good people are often taken advantage of. Since Liu Laoshi was not making an effort, he decided to let it go. Jiang Song, having gained an advantage, continued to curse for a few more days and then celebrated with a feast.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Lady Wang came early to seek permission from the old lady to visit her relatives in the city. The old lady nodded in agreement. Soon, Lady Liu also came and said she wanted to accompany her sister-in-law, suggesting they could also visit the lantern fair in the evening.

The granddaughters all wanted to go along. Lady Wang smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry. With the Wang family guards, nothing will happen."

Seeing the old lady still hesitating, Lady Liu quickly added, "Who would dare to cause trouble under the nose of the authorities? The city is loose on the outside but tight on the inside. If anything happens, will the emperor let it go?"

This made sense. Every year, there were cases of people getting lost, but it was rare to hear of kidnappings. During the festival, who would dare to upset the emperor? The lower classes were closely watched by the patrolmen.

Finally, the old lady said, "I'm just afraid that we might get lost and something unexpected happens. Very well, tell the servants to watch each other closely and be alert. Remember to have Hao accompany you."

At this moment, Xu Hao was dealing with several officials in the front yard. The leader was a Minister of Revenue, who came to inspect the land deeds of the Xu family. Xu Hao was a bit confused but relieved that they were not there to seize the family's property. He immediately ordered Wang Fu to bring all the land deeds.

While drinking tea with Xu Hao, the official said carefully, "I apologize for the abruptness, but it seems you are not aware of the situation. Let me explain. The emperor has ordered the recovery of the public lands granted to the nobles. The Wei Guogong family has already returned their lands, and I am here to conduct a routine inspection. There is no need to be alarmed."

Xu Hao thought to himself that this must be the reason why the family's finances were cut off. The imperial lands had been returned to the public. He knew that the emperor's grants were public lands, while the lands they had bought were private. He felt relieved.

"May I ask, why is this happening?" Xu Hao already had an idea.

The official explained, "In recent years, many nobles have been using their lands to commit illegal acts, causing disturbances in the regions. The emperor, who loves his people like his own children, has ordered the recovery of the granted lands and will instead provide a fixed salary. Your family, being a first-class duke, will receive 5,000 stones of grain annually."

Xu Hao smiled, showing his admiration. He thought to himself that there must be more to it. The real reason was that Emperor Zhu was worried about the nobles accumulating too much land, so he decided to收回赐地，以延缓这一过程。

朱元璋童年时曾受大地主的苦，对为富不仁者恨之入骨。登基后，他发现每次农民起义都是因为土地问题，百姓流离失所所致。

这是为了提前为后事做准备，徐灏心里猜测，下一步可能还要打击众多勋贵，然后对各地地主老财们下手，再下一步呢？会不会对各地藩王做些限制？应该是没来得及，要不然朱允炆一上台就急冲冲地削藩？

徐灏心里有了谱，自家目前的田产并不多，如果多达几十上百倾田地的话，眼前这位和蔼可亲的大人，恐怕一回京就要上书帝王了。

府上太过小心谨慎，竟然因此事一句话都不敢说，而大伯也是，这么大的事都不知情，险些闹出了人命。

真是伴君如伴虎。总算弄明白因果的徐灏心中大定，一脸轻松地端起茶来。

接下来王福拿着田契回来，官员拿出官府的凭证，两下一对照验明无误，徐灏把他们一直送到门外。

寒风袭来，徐灏有种在鬼门关走了个来回的滋味，整个背后都凉飕飕的。如果徐家有人私下里购买了大量田地而隐瞒不说，马上一个欺君之罪下来，徐家就完了。

万幸自己没有瞎搞，徐灏惊出一身冷汗。而远在外地的老爹算是事后购买田地，不算欺君，何况银子有限根本买不了多少，就算来年官府又来查也不怕，区区千百亩地不过是个大户而已。

刚才他咨询过那位户部官员，大明如今田地多达上万亩的富户大约有将近两万户，徐家相比之下算个什么？当然得排除魏国公府的存在。

五千石粮食值多少银子？不知柴米贵的徐灏也不清楚，带着这个疑问去了福寿居，路上问了下王福，王福笑道：“没几个钱，大约二千多两银子。”

徐灏顿时有些傻眼，一等公爵一年俸禄才区区二千多两银子？怎么可能够花？当然如果按照粮食来说的话，五千石大约四万七千公斤，那可是个惊人数字，换算成后世粮价，一公斤大米六块钱，魏国公的年薪是282万元。

问题是不能这么算，粮食便宜不等于其他方面也便宜。就说秋香前几天得了三百两银子，按理说是一夜暴富，当然她除了百两真正的白银外，其他都是银钞，实际价值只是银子的一半，如今一亩地二十两到三十两银子不等，能买大概十亩中等田地，或者京城附近一座小院子，算多嘛？

现在看来，人情往来永远是每家支出的大头，要不说持家有道，持家有道的，这方面拎不清，家里很容易穷下去。

精明的主妇能轻易为自家节省下大笔银子，差一些的支出相等，再不济那也就不消多说了。

徐灏不是经济学家，想不出个所以然，干脆也就不想了，这门深奥的学问得今后结合实际，慢慢专研了。

把此事说给老太君听，老太太轻叹道：“难怪了，恐怕那边为了安圣上的心，这些年购置的田产都得统统贱卖出去，手里自是拮据了。”

徐灏有意哄奶奶开心，笑道：“幸亏您有先见之明，不然全家现在就得喝西北风喽。”

老太君果然笑了起来，悠悠说道：“奶奶我就是因这层顾虑，一直不许添置庄田，要不然这些年京城里风风雨雨，能趁机买到多少亩的地？经过今天这事儿，老身当时的顾虑果然不错。”

徐灏由衷佩服地说道：“奶奶您果然姜是老的辣，孙儿远远不如。”

老太君笑道：“你那增加祠田的主意就不错，此乃祖传出了事也不会抄没。正好我让你跟着她们进京，你先去一趟府上，等见到你二爷爷时，把你的主意说给他听。”

徐灏惊讶地张大了嘴，这就要面对面地见到徐达了？

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