zChapter 862 - We Want to Be Imperial Daughter Ji An’s People (1/2)

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?