Chapter 342: The Crisis of Lady Rongguo Mansion

The Marquis's mansion, Jia Cong's courtyard.

Qingwen and Zhen Ying Lady Lian had also just returned from wandering somewhere.

Lin Daiyu heard the commotion at the door, her heart gave a slight leap, snatched the handkerchief from Jia Cong's hand, her lovely face flushed with rosy hues, radiant and charming.

As if afraid Qingwen and Zhen Ying Lady Lian might see, she casually slipped Jia Cong's handkerchief into her own sleeve.

Then came Qingwen's voice from outside: "Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife is here—has she come with news?"

Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife smiled and said, "I've been sent by the old lady to speak with Third Master Cong. Please inform the young lady."

Upon hearing Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife's voice, Lin Daiyu pointed toward the study with her eyes and said to Jia Cong, "I just sent Hearing Zi Juan to distract her before I came to find you, Third Brother."

Jia Cong nodded at her—he knew Lin Daiyu was careful, wanting to retreat to the study so Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife wouldn't know she was here.

These old women in grand households had long become shrewd as foxes.

But just before she came to the Eastern Mansion, her husband had told her to merely deliver a message on this matter, and stop short of pressing further.

Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife had visited the Eastern Mansion several times before, but now the master had changed.

So she said, "Third Master, now that you've been enfeoffed, you should have some tax-exempt land quotas. The Second, Fourth, and Fifth Branches on Ningrong Street each hold hundreds of acres of prime farmland."

Such high-quality servants—where on earth did this Third Master find them? No wonder he looks down on the servants of the Western Mansion; even when the old lady offered them to him free, he refused.

But she had already raised this matter before Jia Mu, and Jia Mu had approved it, instructing her to come ask Jia Cong's opinion—she could no longer back out.

Ever since her husband became chief steward of the Western Mansion, she herself had gained status on Ningrong Street; all the branch families knew she frequently visited the old lady's chambers.

…

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I've heard that each branch's land used to be pledged to other households, but since the court just issued new policies, they've all rushed to pledge theirs to me."

"She asked me to consult your opinion—if you agree, they'll go to the government offices to complete the paperwork by month's end."

Now that she had entered the Eastern Mansion, seen its grandeur, and observed Jia Cong seated calmly before her with eyes that subtly scrutinized her,

she had been entrusted with this matter, even given generous gifts—she had originally thought nothing of it, merely passing along a message to the old lady.

If she saw Lin Daiyu right now inside Jia Cong's courtyard, she might connect the dots—that Hearing Zi Juan had deliberately delayed her, and the message had been passed along in haste to the old lady—this could spark trouble.

Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife felt a faint unease, recalled her husband's words, and suddenly wondered if she'd made a mistake taking this on…

Never let a favor bind you into reckless entanglement—Third Master of the Eastern Mansion is no man to be trifled with; he despises idle, scheming relatives most of all.

Even the old lady often loses face before him over such nonsense—what chance do I have?

This Eastern Mansion, after Jia Cong's renovations, had grown even more elegant and majestic; Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife gazed in wonder—she'd spent half her life in noble households, and her eyes could still tell quality from trash.

The old lady says they're all family branches—this matter, if accomplished, would benefit both sides.

Though few servants come and go in this mansion, each one is well-groomed, neatly dressed, and moves with strict propriety—far more refined than the old servants of the Western Mansion.

The overall grandeur of this Marquis's mansion now surpasses even the Western Mansion; as she walked through it, reverence rose naturally within her.

Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife, a servant of the Jia family for generations, knew well the family's old history—how once, that illegitimate son of the Eastern Courtyard had struggled to survive, and now he stood like this.

They begged me to petition the old lady, wishing to pledge their land to Third Master, offering to hand over forty percent of the harvest—previously, thirty percent was considered extremely generous; forty percent shows great sincerity.

If word gets out, I'll be accused of obstructing the new policy and embezzling state revenue."

Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife, startled by his words, said, "It can't be as serious as Third Master says…"

Jia Cong didn't answer her at all, saying, "I've only just established my household and need to acquire property—I've already purchased land beyond the Liaodong frontier, exhausted my tax-exempt quota, and have no capacity to accept further pledges."

"Please deliver this message: if any clan members are unwilling to pay land taxes, they'd better sell their land quickly, lest they incur the crime of resisting the new policy and bring disaster upon their families."

With that, Jia Cong lifted his teacup and took a sip.

Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife knew this was Jia Cong's way of dismissing her—telling her to leave at once.

Her husband was right—this man had no tolerance for deceit; you couldn't play tricks on him. She'd only brought shame upon herself.

…

Lady Rongguo Mansion, Feng Feng Jie's courtyard.

Wang Wang Xifeng examined Wang'er's wife's ledgers and learned that the Jia household would have to pay such heavy land taxes for summer and winter—her face darkened, her composure shattered.

Wang Wang Xifeng was a heroine among women; having managed the household for years, she knew the Jia family's foundations inside and out.

In the time of Grandfather Dai Shan, the title had been downgraded by rank, but Grandfather Dai Shan refused to let ancestral glory fade—he was a renowned general with outstanding martial prowess, entering military service young and earning glorious achievements.

Thus, he retained the title of Marquis of Lady Rongguo, and with the imperial stipend of five thousand shi of grain, it was a position of great honor.

But by the time of the First Master, there was no such ability—he could only inherit the title by the ancestral rule, downgrading the rank, and thus the estate income naturally declined.

The stipend dropped from five thousand shi to three thousand shi, but the noble estate lands were tax-exempt, bringing the Lady Rongguo Mansion over ten thousand taels annually.

Yet these were not the main source of income for the Lady Rongguo Mansion—the Jia family, enfeoffed at the founding of the dynasty, had accumulated vast properties over generations.

In Yongzhou and Jinling, through direct purchase and pledges from relatives and friends, they had amassed nearly ten thousand acres of prime farmland.

According to imperial ancestral law, a Zhou dynasty marquis could hold ten thousand tax-exempt acres of prime land.

Moreover, this tax-exempt acreage remained unchanged for three generations, regardless of title downgrades—a grace granted by the court to hereditary noble families.

Thus, the entire output of these ten thousand acres was entirely theirs, untaxed; land pledged by others could yield them a commission of two to three percent.

In reality, the Jia family's collected farmland had long surpassed ten thousand acres, yet no local officials had ever come to collect taxes on the excess.

This had become an unwritten rule in officialdom—few officials would risk offending powerful families over a few taels of land tax.

The court only conducted land surveys every five years; nobles and officials colluded, employing all manner of strange tricks to conceal their true landholdings.

Thus, the state's vital land tax was mostly extracted through layers of exploitation from impoverished peasants.

This was not unique to the Zhou dynasty—going back through previous dynasties and even millennia, this flaw had never truly been eradicated.

Wang Wang Xifeng, quick-witted, realized the court had reduced noble tax-exempt land to only thirty percent of its former amount—the remaining seventy percent must now be taxed.

Calculating roughly the Jia family's total landholdings, she estimated they would lose nearly forty percent of their annual income.

With such a large household accustomed to luxury, how could they possibly survive…?

At this moment, Wang Wang Xifeng forgot her own discomfort, tore off the plum-flower medicated patch on her temple, and struggled to rise.

She ordered Wang'er's wife to help her dress, and told Ping'er to summon the old lady and Lady Wang to Rongqing Hall—she had urgent news to report.

Such a grave matter, Wang Wang Xifeng would never shoulder alone—she must wait for Jia Mu and Lady Wang to decide.

She quietly instructed Wang'er's wife to recover all the principal of the usurious loans outside within two days—even if some interest was lost, it didn't matter.

Once she told the old lady and Lady Wang about the summer tax payment, they would surely panic—next, they'd inquire about the household's reserve silver to prepare for the crisis.

She could only delay for one day at most, so the principal of the external loans must be recovered quickly—otherwise, if the old lady and Lady Wang noticed, disaster would follow.

(End of chapter)