Officials and local gentry breathed a sigh of relief after dealing with the land.
Then, some drank tea, and others amused themselves.
With the land given away, they were finally at ease.
Just a few days after they had disposed of their land, officials from Great Qin indeed arrived.
Not only did the officials from Great Qin come, but they also issued a proclamation to the entire realm, announcing a re-survey of land. Those possessing vast tracts of land were required to declare their origins.
Anyone found to have forcibly seized the land of commoners, or to have purchased it at an unfairly low price, would be severely punished.
Such an announcement instilled fear in many.
Subsequently, they felt a sense of fortune.
"Phew! Thankfully, we managed to give away our surplus land. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to explain!"
"Indeed! They execute officials in the imperial court so readily. How could someone like us escape the army's wrath?"
"It's a good thing we were smart enough. Otherwise, we would have been doomed this time!"
Having given away their land, they believed they had narrowly escaped disaster.
Even if an investigation were to occur, they would no longer live in constant dread.
However, they were unaware that some among the common people were astute. Particularly among those they had oppressed, there were many with sharp intellects.
They were remarkably intelligent and quickly discerned a hidden meaning from the proclamations.
Combined with the actions of the officials and gentry, they immediately understood why those officials and gentry had acted as they did.
"They intend to offload all their surplus land to distance themselves from any scrutiny by the officials!"
"To achieve this, they not only gifted their land to commoners who had bought it at low prices but even compelled many to acquire more land!"
"So, they've finally reached their limit!"
"This means this is my chance for revenge. They dared to seize our family's land and kill my father. This time, I will make them pay with their lives!"
As he spoke, a fierce glint appeared in the commoner's eyes.
They were originally a group of honest, peace-loving individuals, generally content with their lot and kind to others.
But the officials and gentry had driven them to desperation, not only seizing their land but also murdering their family members.
Therefore, their hearts were filled with an unquenchable hatred.
However, they lacked the strength for revenge and the opportune moment, so they had endured in silence.
Now, their chance had arrived. They could leverage this situation for revenge, and they could no longer suppress their emotions.
They resolved to seize this opportunity to exact vengeance, ensuring their enemies met a miserable end.
Thus, when soldiers entered the homes of those officials and gentry, they stepped forward voluntarily, kneeling before the soldiers.
Then, they cried out:
"My lord, I wish to accuse Cai Yuanqing. Not only did Cai Yuanqing seize our family's land, but he also murdered my father! I beg your lordship to dispense justice for us!"
"Oh? They seized your land and killed your father?"
Upon hearing this, a general's interest was immediately piqued.
His question made the local gentry member instantly nervous.
The group of gentry stared intently at the accuser, wishing they could kill him on the spot.
Simultaneously, they glanced around, their eyes warning others nearby not to step forward at this critical juncture.
If any among them dared to speak out now, it would spell their doom.
Their menacing gazes did have some effect; besides the accuser, no one else stepped forward.
This brought them a sigh of relief.
Dealing with just one person would not be difficult.
At worst, they would have to return the land they had seized.
With this thought, their tension eased considerably.
However, the next words spoken by the accuser struck at their very core.
"My lord, I am not only here to accuse them of seizing our land and killing my father!"
"But also to accuse them of transferring their land. Before your arrival, they had already distributed their land to the commoners!"
"Some commoners didn't want it, yet they were forced to accept it!"
"Later, it became even more amusing. They offered their land to the commoners as loans, intending to reclaim it when the time was right!"
"The time? What time?"
"Naturally, the time after your lords depart and no longer concern themselves with this matter!"
This commoner had thought through the entire situation.
Therefore, he understood the intentions and thoughts of those gentry perfectly.
He even anticipated their next moves.
His predictions aligned almost exactly with the plans of the gentry and officials.
Consequently, when he uttered these words, the local gentry became frantic.
"Nonsense, you're spouting nonsense! This is slander, pure and simple slander! We never did such a thing!"
"The land we possess is ours. How could we possibly give our land to others?"
"The commoners' land belongs to the commoners. It has nothing to do with us, so where does this talk of loans and gifts come from?"
"I believe you are simply jealous of my superior landholdings and are trying to frame me!"
Under these circumstances, the gentry could not possibly admit to their actions.
If they confessed, their troubles would escalate immensely.
However, it made no difference whether they admitted it or not, as the matter would not be difficult to investigate.
Indeed, this accuser had already prepared many pieces of evidence in his mind.
"Is that so? Then tell me, why do our commoners' lands exceed the officially registered acreage by so much? Are you suggesting that we commoners were hiding our land?"
"And tell me, how did those beggars, who can barely sustain themselves, suddenly acquire so much land? If they had so much land, why would they be begging?"
"Furthermore, if this land wasn't a loan, why would you have created loan agreements?"
"Loan agreements? What loan agreements? Where did you get a fake loan agreement and claim it's mine?"
Upon hearing the mention of loan agreements, the local gentry member appeared visibly confused.
He had not instructed anyone to create loan agreements. At such a critical juncture, he had done his utmost to distance himself from any entanglements.
Why would he leave behind something as foolish as a loan agreement?
Therefore, he immediately questioned the authenticity of the loan agreements mentioned by the accuser.
However, upon hearing his words, the person who had come to accuse him simply smiled.
"With your intelligence, you naturally wouldn't leave behind such things as loan agreements!"
"However, your subordinates were not as clever as you. They were uneasy and therefore left loan agreements in many households!"