flstandardbreds Chapter 169 Having connections in the imperial court makes things easier; villagers smoothly settle
Chapter 169 Having connections in the imperial court makes things easier; villagers smoothly settle
"Do you two gentlemen have some time now? Why don't you come to my residence for a visit? I'd like to express my gratitude by treating you both well," Minister Zhou sincerely invited.
“Lord Zhou, we still need to go to the yamen to handle the household registration. There are several hundred people waiting to be settled. Why don’t we wait until we are settled before we go to your residence to bother you?”
Su Yunhai pointed to the villagers of Peach Blossom Village who were hiding far behind him, not daring to approach the high-ranking official, and politely declined with a smile.
Now is not the time to visit.
"In that case, why don't I accompany you two on this trip? We can finish this quickly and then you can visit my residence." Minister Zhou was determined to invite the two of them to his home.
Seeing this, Su Yunhai no longer refused and nodded in agreement.
"Madam, please return to the manor quickly to prepare the family banquet. We'll be back later." Lord Zhou's face lit up with joy as he immediately instructed Madam Zhou.
Madam Zhou was also very pleased and left first with her maid.
Jingzhao Mansion.
Gu Changfeng's elder brother, Gu Changyao, the eldest son of the former prime minister, was already waiting at the entrance of the yamen.
"Brother, what brings you here?" Gu Changfeng's face lit up with joy upon seeing this, and he quickly stepped forward to ask.
“Your uncle was worried that you were unfamiliar with the area, so he asked me to show you around.”
After speaking, Gu Changyao saw the two people behind his cousin, and then saw that Minister Zhou was also behind them. He was slightly shocked and immediately stepped forward to pay his respects.
"Greetings, Lord Zhou."
"Yes, no need to be so polite. It turns out that Minister Gu and this young brother Gu are brothers."
"Yes, we are cousins," Minister Gu replied with a smile.
Although Lord Zhou had already learned of Gu Changfeng's identity from his wife, he still pretended to be unaware and feigned surprise.
If he hadn't known the Gu family's identity, he wouldn't have personally gone to their door to pay his respects and try to befriend them.
After exchanging pleasantries, the four of them walked hand in hand into the Jingzhao Prefecture government office.
The Prefect of Jingzhao was surprised to find two distinguished guests arriving at his office so early in the morning, and immediately rushed out to greet them with bated breath.
"Greetings, sirs. May I ask what brings you here?"
The Prefect of Jingzhao was of a lower rank than Minister Zhou and Vice Minister Gu. He was so nervous that he was covered in sweat and bowed tremblingly, trying to get information out of the situation.
Minister Zhou, being the highest-ranking of the three, spoke first. "Lord Wang, there's no need to be nervous. I've come to ask you to help with a few household registrations."
Lord Wang breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this.
As long as he's not asked to adjudicate cases for these two powerful figures whom he can't afford to offend.
Upon seeing this, Su Yunhai immediately waved to the villagers who were still standing outside the yamen, too afraid to come in.
Tell them to come in and complete the formalities as soon as possible.
Lord Wang hadn't expected to have to handle so many household registrations all at once.
Not just anyone can settle in Beijing.
When Minister Zhou saw that Lord Wang was in a difficult position, he also knew that obtaining household registration in the capital was not so easy.
He smiled and looked at Su Yunhai, asking, "Brother Su, where do you plan to settle down? It might not be easy if all of you, dozens of households, settle down in the capital."
Su Yunhai naturally knew these things.
In any case, the Su family will not settle in the capital.
The barbarians are about to attack; the capital is no place of peace.
But he has already taken the villagers to the capital and will not continue with them.
Besides, there were basically no more refugees on the road ahead, so the Su family didn't need to bring so many people to intimidate others.
Although many villagers sold themselves to the Su family, Su Yunhai didn't really want to buy them; he was just looking for an excuse to take them with him.
As for the money they owed the Su family, Su Yunhai knew that it couldn't be recovered for the time being.
"Lord Zhou, Lord Wang, I'm wondering if there's a village that can accommodate the villagers of Peach Blossom Village? Even if it's a bit remote, it doesn't matter."
"If not, I wonder if it's possible to allocate another piece of land for the people of Peach Blossom Village to settle down? Preferably in a location south of the capital," Su Yunhai proposed.
Now that two high-ranking officials are present to support him, he naturally wants to seize the opportunity to secure some benefits for the villagers.
Lord Wang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they had no intention of settling down in the capital.
However, settling down in other villages within the Beijing area is not easy either.
The difficulty lies in getting so many people to settle in one place.
When Lord Wang couldn't think of a good place to go, he quickly ordered his registrar to look up information about the surrounding villages and towns.
Finally, they found a village that met their requirements, located 200 miles south of the capital.
The village had a major fire more than ten years ago, which burned down most of the village and cleared out a lot of land, enough to accommodate several hundred people.
There are also many fertile fields over there, as well as a small river.
The environment is already quite good.
Lord Wang was worried that the fat man in front of him might not be satisfied, or that the place was too far away, so he carefully explained the situation of the village in detail.
Upon hearing this, Su Yunhai felt there was absolutely no problem.
That village was more than 200 li away from the capital, which was neither too far nor too close for the locals.
Being too close to the capital, prices were actually higher, making it unaffordable for the villagers of Peach Blossom Village.
Moreover, they also need to find ways to build houses and acquire land, so it would be more beneficial for them to be farther away from the capital.
Furthermore.
anyway.
That village, after all, belongs to the capital. The villagers of Peach Blossom Village will now be true residents of the capital.
What else are they not satisfied with?
Su Yunhai relayed Lord Wang's words to the heads of the households in the village, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of the village to them in detail.
None of the homeowners were dissatisfied after hearing this.
They immediately agreed to let him settle there.
Seeing how sensible these outsiders were, Lord Wang's mood improved considerably.
He immediately ordered his subordinates to take the household registration records to exchange them for new ones.
My subordinates are already working very quickly.
It took me all morning to get it done.
After all, in addition to the villagers of Peach Blossom Village, there are also more than 80 households in Mountain Valley Village, making a total of more than 200 households.
It also requires careful questioning and investigation of the parties involved, filling out various information, and leaving no room for error; it is a very time-consuming task.
Noon.
All the formalities were finally completed.
Su Yunhai told the villagers to take their household registrations back home, while he, Gu Changfeng, and Gu Changyao went to the Zhou residence for a banquet.
It was expected that the villagers would all choose to settle in Beijing.
They no longer wanted to continue fleeing the famine.
The various crises they encountered along the way were enough to keep them in their memories for a lifetime.
If they could settle down, no one would want to continue living a nomadic life.
Moreover, the prosperity of the capital city left a deep impression on the villagers, and this place was right under the emperor's nose.
They felt that this place was already safe enough, and there was no need to continue risking themselves by wandering aimlessly through the famine.
Even if he didn't want to stay, Su Yunhai made it clear that he would not continue to travel with them.
As for the Shen family, needless to say, they will definitely follow the Su family.
The next morning.
Lord Wang dispatched his registrar to take the villagers who wanted to settle down to Shangxi Village, which was 200 li away.
Su Yunhai, being a good Samaritan, sold off the team's surplus carts and some older oxen, donkeys, and mules, using the proceeds to give each household twenty taels of silver to help them settle down.
In addition to all the debts the villagers had previously owed the Su family, everything was converted into silver, and they were made to sign IOUs.
The registrar had been specifically instructed by the Prefect of the Capital to take good care of these people.
But the main thing is to take care of this fat man who is being watched by important figures.
The registrar never expected that the fat man was actually the creditor of these people.
Knowing that the Su family wouldn't stay in the capital for long, he immediately came up with a brilliant solution.
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