We Want to Be Imperial Daughter Ji An’s People
Qian Feng Shou explained very clearly, and the citizens understood very well, as a more straightforward person said: “Then isn’t it to say that the Teng family was formerly Ji An Prefecture’s guard dog? Because the owner did not return home for too long, they began to think of this place as their own home. They made decisions for themselves for so long, and we were actually being controlled by a group of guard dogs!”
Once these words came out, the people began to discuss this. Although it was a bit difficult to accept, when they thought about it carefully, this was indeed the case. The people felt extremely resentful! They had been controlled by a guard dog for so many generations. This truly was…
Someone became worried: “Our family home was built by our grandfather. Could it be that this is not actually ours? If the prefecture will be taking our land, where would we go and live?”
As for those that had moved in later, they had already prepared themselves for such an event. Although they also felt unreconciled, unlike for the citizens that had been living here before now, it was not as though the sky had fallen. It was the people that had come to open shops to earn a profit that began causing a commotion after some discussion: “It cost us a great deal of money to build those shops. You can’t just take it back like that!”
“That’s right! We all built two-story buildings. Even if the family fortune was not completely spent, it’s close enough. If it’s taken back, how should we live? You can’t be unreasonable!”
The merchants loudly shouted, and it caused the citizens nearby to feel irritated, as someone finally lost their patience and said: “Did you come here to open shops? You’re clearly in cahoots with the Teng family and discussed coming here to rake in the money! Just a single steamed bun cost a ten copper coins, while the steamed buns in Yu Zhou only cost one copper coin. Isn’t this just robbery?”
“That’s right! When eating at one of your restaurants, we had some warm water. When it came time to pay the bill, we were charged for the water. Who has ever heard of paying for water? You people are clearly just unscrupulous merchants!”
“You are on the same side as the Teng family! You should all be arrested!”
In an instant, the citizens and the merchants had begun opposing each other, and neither side was willing to back down. The sound of the arguing grew louder and louder. By the end, Li Zhu suddenly let out a shout: “Shut your mouths!” Only then did the people quiet down and look toward Feng Yu Heng’s side in horror. At the same time, they wondered to themselves about which side the newly-arrived Imperial Daughter Ji An would favor.
Feng Yu Heng, however, laughed from hearing what they said, as she asked the merchants: “I heard that you were formerly merchants in Yu Zhou? Then who told you to come to Ji An Prefecture to open shops?”
The merchants were stunned, as someone said: “It was Prefecture Guard Teng.”
“Oh, it was Teng Ping.” Feng Yu Heng nodded and reminded everyone: “Teng Ping is no longer the prefecture guard. Instead, he is a criminal. But since you said that Teng Ping had you come, you should go and demand repayment from Teng Ping. You also saw which direction he was headed in. Going to chase them down now would not be too late. But I need to remind you that the Teng family’s wealth has entered the public coffers, and the coffers belong to Da Shun’s court. To reclaim your losses, you can just go straight to the capital and kneel in front of the gates to the imperial palace. We’ll see whether or not the Emperor wishes to see you. Oh right, there is another matter. You said that you came here and built buildings. That’s fine, present your deeds now. As the owner of Ji An Prefecture, I need to inspect them.”
Everyone was worried about deeds being brought up, yet she insisted on bringing it up. Ji An Prefecture did not have deeds. The Teng family was not foolish enough to produce fake documentation because it was very likely that clues would begin leaking out later on. Either way, they had lived in this place for many generations, and who in Yu Zhou did not know that Ji An Prefecture belonged to the Teng family. It was just something that could be mentioned. What was the need for a deed?
But with Ji An Prefecture falling into Feng Yu Heng’s hands, things needed to be done in accordance with the regulations. She said: “What is it? You don’t have one? But land that has been handed out needs a deed as proof. The entire world knows about this logic. Now, you aren’t able to provide a deed, yet you still say that the land belongs to you. You actually dared to build a building on that land. This imperial daughter wants to settle this debt of ruining the land of my Ji An Prefecture.”
The people were dazed. They had built these buildings for nothing, and they would be fined? But Feng Yu Heng earnestly began to calculate it. Not only was she calculating it, but the sixth prince, Xuan Tian Feng, was also calculating it. By the end, Xuan Tian Feng said: “With each zhang* being valued at 20 taels, we will send people to each building to see how large each building is to determine the fine.”
“This…” The merchants lowered their heads and began to calculate it. At 20 taels per zhang, each shop would be hundreds of taels! In Ji An Prefecture, this was a large sum. They had spent quite a large sum of money to build these buildings. If they paid even more, they would have lost it all.
These people were all bitter yet unable to cry; however, they were indeed without any place to go and argue because they had absolutely no argument. The land never belonged to them, and it was the Teng family that had control in the past. But just over the course of a single night, the Teng family fell, and they did not even have control over whether they would live or die. How could they possibly support anyone else. Someone quietly said: “Know when to feel satisfied! You haven’t even been charged with conspiring with the Teng family. Just think a bit less about it!”
They thought about it and reached a similar conclusion. Everyone had personally seen the outcome of the Teng family. If they were said to have collaborated, who could possibly get off lightly?
Thus everyone fell silent. Although they felt unreconciled, they could only endure it. As for the shops that belonged to the people that had lived in Ji An Prefecture before this, they were still a bit worried. They were all small businesses. They were not the same as those large shops! In a single year, having 20 to 30 taels of income was already pretty good. With the fine being 20 taels for a single zhang, how could they possibly live on?
Everyone looked at Feng Yu Heng and finally received an answer from Imperial Daughter Ji An, as she said: “Since this imperial daughter has accepted this place, I cannot do without taking the future of Ji An Prefecture into account. Listen to what this imperial daughter has to say before deciding if you want to be the Teng family’s Ji An’s people or my Da Shun’s people.” She said: “From this day onward, Ji An Prefecture will begin receiving applications for deeds. To the people that were living in this prefecture before, regardless of whether you are just a normal citizen or own a shop, you will be given a free deed. At the same time, the poor citizens will be provided with a certain level of service, which includes repairing buildings, access to schools for their children and free medical care. To the merchants that were brought in by the Teng family, it will be 20 taels per zhang. Bring the money to the prefecture guard’s manor within three days to receive the deed. At the same time, the prefecture will begin unifying prices on your things. You will definitely not be permitted to increase prices on your own. This imperial daughter will clearly tell you that if you want to gain a cheap advantage, there is no such chance. If you want to scam the citizens, there will be even less of a chance. If you have such thoughts, just scram from Ji An Prefecture early on! Don’t try to gain an advantage from the chaos. If you want to live a quiet life in Ji An Prefecture, you need to follow these new laws. In this imperial daughter’s place, this sort of thing has no room for negotiation!”
She made it very clear to the merchants to not have any weird ideas, and Feng Yu Heng even said: “If you feel that it’s not fair, you can report it. I want to see where you will go and report it! This imperial daughter will wait here for your triumphant return. I want to see, unless you collude with the enemy and betray the country, nobody in Da Shun would dare come to my Ji An Prefecture to search for trouble!”
Once these words came out, everyone gave up on hope. Where could they report it?! They were just normal merchants, and they were the lowest rank merchants. With this venerated Imperial Daughter Ji An stationed here, who could possibly stand up for them? Moreover, when they had come, they had come for the sake of a quick profit. Now, they would not be able to make this profit. Instead, they had to pay up. Speaking of, this served them right.
They accepted it and expressed that they would go and pay up. At the same time, they accepted the new prices. Of course, there were also some that wanted to leave Ji An Prefecture. Feng Yu Heng expressed that this was fine, but she would not concern herself with the register and repeated those same words. Seek out whoever changed it first. Those people withered once more.
After resolving the problem of the merchants, there were still the people who had been robbed of their businesses and forced to move in. Feng Yu Heng provided them with the same treatment as the citizens from before, giving them the deeds for free. She also thanked them for supporting the growth of Ji An Prefecture. At the same time, she promised them that their former businesses in Yu Zhou City would be returned within three days. As for whether those people would return to Yu Zhou or continue to remain in Ji An Prefecture, it was up to them. If they wanted to leave, she would change their family registers and return them to Da Shun. At the same time, she would provide compensation for the buildings that they had built in Ji An Prefecture. It was very generous.
When the people heard this, they were all moved to tears. They never thought that Imperial Daughter Ji An would actually be so reasonable and would think of the citizens so much. This was a completely different style from the Teng family. If Ji An Prefecture could continue like this, the path ahead was very bright!
At this time, someone said: “You still don’t know it, right! The jade mine outside of Yu Zhou belongs to Imperial Daughter Ji An! In the past, that mine belonged to the third prince. When we went to work at that mine, we were treated poorly and were beaten when we didn’t go. Ever since the mine was handed over to Imperial Daughter Ji An, the workers at the mine earn three times more than before. They also eat well. During the holidays, they are also gifted things. Most importantly, if they were injured in this mine, the Hundred Herb Hall in Yu Zhou provides them with free treatment.”
With someone bringing this up, the people immediately remembered this. Yu Zhou produced jade, thus it received such a name**. Being next to a jade mine, the citizens naturally relied on that mine to earn money for food. The manager of the mine hired them to work in the mines, and this was the source of income for the majority of the residents. Ever since the mine was handed over to Feng Yu Heng, the former tyranny of the third prince was changed. The miners were taken care of and treated very well. The wages were high, and the workers were treated very well.
Thinking along these lines, if Ji An Prefecture would also have Feng Yu Heng managing it, with the jade mine as an example, they would not suffer a loss! Where else could they find such a good imperial daughter. Ji An Prefecture’s future would be very bright!
Those that moved in later on felt very moved. Their blood boiled, and they all expressed that they wished to stay and that they would make their buildings even better.
After all of this was arranged, the topic was brought back to where it began, as Feng Yu Heng asked: “Then do you wish to be the Teng family’s Ji An’s people or my Da Shun’s people?”
The people understood this time, as someone said: “We want to be Imperial Daughter Ji An’s people!”
She laughed, “But this imperial daughter is Da Shun’s imperial daughter. My future husband is also one of Da Shun’s princes. I am a Da Shun person, through and through!”
“Then we will be Da Shun’s people! We are Imperial Daughter Ji An’s Da Shun’s people!” The people kneeled on the ground and loudly expressed their views: “We will be Imperial Daughter Ji An’s Da Shun’s people!”
*TN: 1 zhang = 3.65 meters
**TN: The character for Yu in Yu Zhou is jade 玉