The sun was scorching, and an official sedan car was walking on the official road, accompanied by a few soldiers on horseback to follow the guards.

There are two signs hanging on the car, one is "Daming Honest Government" and the other is "Sipin Zhengtang Sea", which is very eye-catching.

The weather was hot, there were few pedestrians on the pipes, and a few of the soldiers who were guarding were dizzy from the sun and whispered complaints.

"On this hot day, what is the dean going to Songjiang Mansion in such a hurry?"

Hai Rui, who was stuffed in the sedan car, didn't know that Xiao Feng only told him that there was a grievance in Songjiang Mansion, and the people had no way to complain, so let him go over and take a look.

If Xiao Feng directly asked him to find out who it was, then Hai Rui would most likely refuse.

Because he thinks that the Incorruptible Yuan should only listen to the cabinet and Banzai, and cannot be used as a knife by others, even Xiao Feng should not do this.

But Xiao Feng just asked him to come to Songjiang Mansion to see the legendary grievances, which was what Hai Rui should do, and this face must be given.

A black crowd suddenly appeared in front of the road, and the soldier in charge of the escort immediately cheered up and pulled out his waist knife from his waist.

"Who dares to stop the car of Lord Hai of the Honest Government? Get out of the way! ”

Instead of getting out of the way, those people knelt down together, blocking the official road tightly, and the cry was shocking.

"Sure enough, it's the Incorruptible Government that came, and sure enough, it was the Hai people who came! Lord Hai, you have to be the master for us, we are wronged! ”

Hai Rui led the people directly into the lobby of the prefect of Songjiang Mansion, and the prefect of Songjiang Mansion was so frightened that he hurriedly ran out to greet him, and Hai Rui didn't talk nonsense, and sat directly on the main seat.

"Have these people ever come to you to complain?"

The prefect said with a smile: "Lord Hai, these people are indeed Diao Min!" They intended to blackmail the Xu family, and the lower officials dealt with it impartially. ”

Hai Rui sneered: "The Xu family of Songjiang Mansion turned out to involve Lord Shoufu, no wonder Lord Prefect is so timid and biased in favor of the defendant." ”

The prefect hurriedly defended: "Lord Hai, where did you start with this?" They are really Diao Min, and the Xu family is not at fault! ”

Hai Rui said angrily: "Their land has been taken away by the Xu family, do you know?" ”

The prefect smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Hai, this ...... There is actually an inside story in this, and it is not the Xu family who robbed them of their land. ”

Hai Rui said coldly: "Don't think that this official doesn't eat fireworks in the world, what do I not know about such things?"

Isn't it that the Xu family relies on their official status and can not pay taxes, so they trick these people into forging contracts, becoming slaves and servants, and taking refuge in the door? ”

The prefect breathed a sigh of relief, and said in his heart that if you knew this, I wouldn't have to talk nonsense with you, this is something that happens everywhere in the Ming Dynasty, what are you doing for me?

"Come on, bring Xu Fan to the mansion, and the official will be promoted to the court to ask about the case!"

When Xu Fan was taken to the lobby of Songjiang Mansion, he was very confused and extremely sad and angry.

He has done everything he can to mobilize the speakers of the whole province to explain to those who have taken refuge.

The place has not yet been selected for changing rice to mulberry, and even if Songjiang Mansion is really selected, Guofang will never be able to give out 50 taels of silver per acre.

The land here in Songjiang Mansion, except for the best ones, is basically a dozen taels of silver, and those that can reach twenty taels are considered the top price.

Guofang is not a fool, there are so many places in Nanzhili and so many places in Zhejiang, why did he not buy the land of Songjiang Mansion at a sky-high price?

But the refuge households didn't listen, and the news that reached their ears became more and more, more and more realistic, and it is said that Guofang has prepared a budget of up to 821 acres, which must be Songjiang Mansion!

It's always much easier to spread rumors than to refute them, and the people in Xu Fan's mansion are about to break their legs and their voices are hoarse, and they can't compare to the occasional sentence in the crowd.

"I have a friend, he has a relative friend who works in the capital, and he knows a friend in Guofang, and he said that he is going to settle Songjiang Mansion!"

"I heard that Lord Xiao has tested the word! Tell long live that if you don't change rice to mulberry in Songjiang Mansion, you won't be able to do it! ”

"Eighty taels of silver is not too high, I think we should ask for one hundred taels!"

"That's right, wait for a thousand years! If Guofang is low, Lao Tzu will not sell it, let him have a mulberry forest surrounded by a rice field in the middle! ”

In the end, the people's demands became more and more excessive, and even proposed that if Xu Fan did not terminate the contract, he would first take out fifty taels of silver per mu of land.

In the end, Xu Fan was also physically and mentally exhausted, and decided to cancel the contracts of the most troublesome people, and repeatedly told these families not to talk about it.

These families agreed, and then turned around and told their brothers and sisters, and his wife's brothers and sisters, and the rest of the people made even more trouble......

When Xu Fan was anxious to deal with it, he was dragged to the lobby of Songjiang Mansion by Hai Rui, and his heart suddenly sank, knowing that it was broken.

Now, he regretted it a little, maybe he should have given up the idea of fighting against Guofang and lifted all the people who took refuge earlier.

But now that his face has been torn, and the reputation of the Xu family's land has also been moved by the government, he can only hold on to the end.

But he really didn't understand, Hai Rui was obviously investigating the case from a long distance a few days ago, why did he suddenly jump to Songjiang Mansion?

Hai Rui looked at Xu Fan coldly: "Young Master Xu, these many farmers have accused you of bullying others and taking away people's land, what do you have to say?" ”

Xu Fan was helpless, at this time, to say that they came to take refuge for tax exemption, that is, to publicly admit tax evasion and evasion, and to collect the wool of Daming and Jiajing.

So he can only be stubborn to the end, anyway, the contract is real, in black and white, according to the handprint!

"Lord Hai, the Xu family never bullies others. These farmers all volunteered to sell their land to the Xu family when they were in difficulty. ”

Hai Rui sneered, "Oh? What is the value of these lands per acre? ”

Xu Fan gritted his teeth: "Five taels to ten taels or so, you have to look at it according to the ground." ”

Xu Fan is a smart person, of course he knows that Hai Rui's problem is followed by a problem, so he deliberately lowered the price a little.

Hai Rui nodded: "When people are in a hurry to use the money, it is reasonable to sell the land at a low price." But how many acres of land do these lands add up? ”

This cannot be denied, not to mention that there are so many farmers kneeling in the hall, even the contract can be found.

"About 200,000 acres."

Hai Rui said with a smile: "It should be more than 200,000 mu, let's count it according to 200,000 mu, five taels to ten taels of silver, just count it according to seven taels, and it will also cost 1.4 million taels."

Although Lord Xu's family is a big family, it is not easy to take out this lot of silver at once. I wonder where this money comes from? ”

Xu Fan was speechless suddenly, the conscience of heaven and earth, his family wants to say hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, then he can still take it out, 1.4 million taels of silver, that is really nothing.

Even if there is, I don't dare to say that there is. His family's most earning source is the smuggling income at sea over the years. But this income is also disgraceful!

"Lord Hai, my Xu family has lived in Songjiang Mansion for generations, and they have accumulated wealth from generation to generation. And my ancestors dug up gold when they built their houses......"

This trick used by Xu Fan was the most common trick used by officials at that time to explain unknown property, that is, my ancestors were virtuous and dug up treasures!

The way of digging treasure is eclectic, and in different versions of the story, the most frequent is to build a house, followed by digging a well, and the more bizarre is the reward from God.

For example, a man is said to be very filial, but his family is poor, and then one day he digs up two large jars of gold in the vegetable garden of his family!

And there are also words written on this altar: This is God's reward for a filial son, the government can't rob it, and the robbers can't take it, otherwise they will all die of bad luck!

In stories such as "Liao Zhai" and "Zi Bu Yu", similar stories have appeared, Xiao Feng read books when he was a child, and he was once stupidly moved.

Later, after reading a lot of such stories, Xiao Feng discovered a rule, that is, all filial sons who were rewarded by God later went to high school and became officials.

Then Xiao Feng felt that the chronology of this story might be a bit problematic, that is, this was often a memoir written by this filial son after he became an official, or it was told by his descendants to others, and then it was recorded by the family.

Since then, Xiao Feng has not been blindly moved, but deeply felt that he is not afraid of hooligans who can do martial arts, but afraid that corrupt officials are educated!

Hai Rui is not the kind of little naïve who believes in God, he smiled slightly after listening to Xu Fan's words.

"If Xu Gongzi is a word, the official will naturally investigate. But since it is a fair trade, why do these farmers sue you for bullying others and plotting to seize the land? ”

Xu Fan shouted injustice: "My lord, there have been some rumors recently, saying that the imperial court will implement the transformation of rice into mulberry in Songjiang Mansion, and the land will be requisitioned by Guofang.

It is said that it is 521 acres of land, and these farmers are red-eyed, and they want to take back the land, and they are already coordinating and dealing with it, please rest assured. ”

Hai Rui looked at the farmers in the hall: "What Xu Gongzi said, but is it true?" ”

Lao Zhang, a representative of the peasant households, said loudly: "My lord, we did not sell the land to him, but all went to the Xu family, just to pay less land tax and be exempted from forced labor.

Now I regret it, and I want to get rid of my slave status and return to our land.

The Xu family is bullying and refuses to live or die, and asks Lord Qingtian to be the master of our minds! ”

Xu Fan said angrily: "Selling yourself and taking refuge in order to exempt the state from land tax and forced labor, this is also a sin, you don't care about it?" ”

Hai Rui said coldly: "Yes, they would rather admit their guilt, which shows that this matter is not false." So does Xu Gongzi also admit this sin? ”

Xu Fan shook his head and said, "They are talking nonsense, and they also ask Lord Hai to investigate." ”

Hai Rui looked at Xu Fan in surprise: "Young Master Xu, I heard that you are talented and have the name of a prodigy when you are young. How can you be so stupid?

Don't you know that those farmers have you to sign the private contract? Those paperwork are enough to prove that you are lying! ”

The private contract document mentioned by Hai Jui is aimed at the deed of mutual covenant of selling oneself and taking refuge, and it is also the core part of the entire tax avoidance trick of selling oneself and taking refuge.

The public contract stipulates that a certain farmer, a family of several people, is willing to sell themselves as slaves of the Xu family because of the compulsion of life, and all the real estate also belongs to the Xu family.

The private contract separately stipulates: The deed of mutual covenant for my family to sell itself is fake!

Both sides agreed that it was only for tax avoidance. In fact, we are free, and the property is also mine, and I have the right to take it back at any time.

The deed of mutual covenant is in the hands of the Xu family, and it is for the government to show to prove that these lands belong to my family, so you don't need to collect taxes. These people are also slaves of my household, so don't apportion the levies.

The private contract is in the hands of the farmers, which is also their last resort to protect themselves from being hacked by the big ones. Once this private contract is lost, the net worth and life will be in the hands of others.

There is no doubt that those farmers who dare to go to court to sue must have this private contract in their hands, so Hai Rui wondered, what did Xu Fan rely on so stubbornly?

Rely on your father? Then you are really too young, too simple, don't you know who Lao Tzu is? Don't say that your father is Xu Jie, your father is Xiao Feng, and Lao Tzu doesn't give face!

Facing Hai Rui's gaze and doubts, Xu Fan was confident: "Lord Hai, I said that they are a bunch of nonsense, because their evidence is not counted. ”

Hai Rui asked puzzledly, "Is their private contract fake?" ”

Xu Fan shook his head: "Whether the private contract is true or false, I don't believe it if I say it, adults can investigate it themselves." ”

Hai Rui picked up a few private contracts on the official case: "They handed over a few to the official, and the official can check the fingerprints on them now, if it is true?" ”

Xu Fan smiled: "Even if it's true, it still doesn't count." ”

Hai Rui was furious: "Why don't you count? ”

Xu Fan put away his smile and said with a straight face: "Because they sue their masters as slaves, this evidence will not count!" And they are all guilty, and your lordship should condemn them to exile! ”

This sentence was like a thunderbolt from the sky, and everyone was stunned.

Hai Rui suddenly realized why Xu Fan was fearless, in the face of everyone's accusations and ironclad evidence, he was still not in a hurry.

The name of a child prodigy may be exaggerated, but it is by no means unfounded. There are many things in the world that have taken refuge, and it is not without a court of action.

But it is often the government that mediates, the two sides reconcile, and the reason of "suing the master with a slave" is used to fight a lawsuit, which is really unprecedented!

Hai Rui pondered for a moment: "But your private agreement, the deed of sale is fake!" ”

Xu Fan still had a straight face: "Lord Hai, a private contract is a private contract, and a deed of mutual agreement is a deed of mutual agreement." May I ask Lord Hai, is it a public university or a private university? ”

Hai Rui was stunned, of course he knew that Xu Fan was using strong words, but this reason was ruthless enough to kill Hai Rui, and Hai Rui couldn't say that private was greater than public!

"Although the force of the DMC is greater than that of the private contract, the private covenant, as a supplement to the DMC, is a description of the DMC, and you also endorse it by fingerprint......"

Xu Fan smiled slightly: "Lord Hai, not to mention whether the private contract can overturn the deed of mutual covenant, let's first say that according to what the adults said, this private contract is a supplement to the deed of public deed."

It stands to reason that the private contract should be signed at the back of the deed of mutual covenant, because there must be a supplementary contract for the supplementary explanation, right? ”

This cannot be said to be a strong word, but reasonable. You have to sign a supplementary agreement to a deed, and this supplementary agreement must be signed after the deed. Otherwise, what are you adding?

Hai Rui nodded, and Xu Fan smiled: "But look at it, my lord, the signing date of these private contracts is earlier than the deed of mutual covenant!" How can this be used as evidence? ”

After speaking, Xu Fan took out a few deed of mutual covenants from his arms, and Hai Rui looked at the private contract in his hand, with a solemn face.

Xu Fan is right, these private contracts were signed earlier than the corresponding deed of mutual covenant, some a day earlier, some a few days earlier, without exception.

Hai Rui looked at the farmers who were already frightened: "Why do you sign a private contract first, and then sign a deed of mutual agreement?" ”

Lao Zhang, a farmer, was so frightened that he cried: "Lord Qingtian, how do we know that there are so many twists and turns?

At the beginning, it was the housekeeper of the Xu Mansion who told us that we should sign a private contract first, and then sign a deed of mutual agreement.

Otherwise, if the Deed of Mutual Covenant is signed, the Xu family will turn around and not sign the private contract, and the fake will come true, and we will all be finished! ”

This reason is really irrefutable, and any peasant household will resolutely ask to sign a private contract after hearing this.

After all, if the private contract is signed and the deed of mutual agreement is not signed, there is actually no harm to both parties; But if the deed of mutual agreement is signed first, and the Xu family refuses to sign the private contract, then the farmers will really be hacked!

Hai Rui looked at Xu Fan with a gloomy face: "Although what you said has a certain amount of truth, the whole thing can be seen by a discerning person!" ”

Xu Fan also looked at Hai Rui: "Oh? I've always heard that the most important rules are the most important of the sea. When did you use this kind of words to judge the case? ”

Hai Rui gritted his teeth: "You were ready to harm these farmers from the beginning, and you really can't be punished!" ”

Xu Fan said loudly: "If this is true, they begged me for the Xu family at the beginning, not for me!"

Now when they hear the slightest disturbance, they will make Zhi faint, regardless of the reason and human feelings, not only make a big fuss in Xufu, but also sue me in court!

Lord Hai, you touch your conscience and think about it, is it my heart that can be punished, or their heart that can be punished? ”

Hai Rui sighed, knowing that he had encountered hard stubble today, and he couldn't say that Xu Fan could be reasonable, so he had to soften his breath.

"Xu Gongzi, Ling Zun is the first assistant of the dynasty, and your Xu family is also a Songjiang family. These are poor people, so why do you have to force each other?

Why don't you just break the contract, remove the slave status, and return the land to them, which is also a good deed, okay? ”

Xu Fan sneered: "Lord Hai, since you know about this matter, is it possible that you will no longer pursue the Xu family's crime of accepting refuge and deceiving the country?" ”

Hai Jui was silent, he couldn't do it. Although there are many such things in the world, most farmers and large households have a tacit understanding to unite against the imperial court, and the imperial court can only turn a blind eye.

But now that the farmer has sued the Xu family, the matter has seen the light of day, and Hai Rui has accepted the case, he can't say in public that he will not pursue such a thing.

That is, there is a law that is not followed, that is, there is a negative court. This kind of worldly affairs, Hai Rui can't learn it, and can't do it.

"No, since the official knows about this, he has to investigate it to the end."

Xu Fan smiled bitterly: "So it's impossible for me to admit it." They are suing their masters as slaves, and the evidence they provide is already flawed and should be invalid.

Sue the master as a slave, what is the crime, as the president of the Anti-Corruption Court, Hai Daren should know better than me, please sentence. ”

All the farmers were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and wept, they never expected that if they sued Xu Fan in court, not only did they fail to make a fortune, but they would also be exiled!

"Lord Qingtian, the villains have all heard of Hai Qingtian's name, Hai Qingtian can't be biased towards big households, can't be biased towards the Xu family!"