FID – Chapter 974

Chapter 974: You’re Unwilling? Then You Also Collect Thirty Percent

The man across didn’t even glance at him and gestured with a finger toward the guards behind him. “Get out. Do you think there’s room for you to stand in my hall?”

“The guests are here, but Landlord Liu’s way of hosting them isn’t very polished,” the fat man said, motioning for his men to move inward. Then he ordered the guards behind him, “Block the doors. Don’t let anyone in or out until this is settled!”

Over twenty guards immediately sealed off the hall’s entrance completely.

Seeing Liu Zhiqiu’s face darken, the fat man couldn’t hide his smugness.

“Wei Zi, throw them out. They’re blocking the light,” a clear, commanding male voice came from the innermost part of the hall.

The tone was calm, light even, but somehow made Liu Zhiqiu’s own firmness seem weaker by comparison.

Everyone looked toward the source, finally noticing a corner they hadn’t paid attention to before. A man in a purple robe sat elegantly, angled casually, radiating natural nobility and unparalleled dignity.

The newcomers immediately tensed. In their entire county, they hadn’t seen anyone with such an imposing presence. Who exactly were these people?

In the brief moment they were staring at him, all the guards they had been instructed to block the door were already tossed out of the courtyard, wailing and unable to get up!

The fat man’s face fell. They had deliberately brought the strongest men from the estate to intimidate the other side first. 

Unfortunately, their show of force had completely backfired, leaving them utterly humiliated!

Worse, they didn’t even see how the attacker had moved. When they turned around, their guards were already on the ground. The only figure standing at the door, hands behind his back, was not one of their men.

“Why summon Wei Zi? I can take them down by myself,” Liu Zhiqiu said, looking at the sprawled bodies on the ground with obvious dissatisfaction. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to act.

The man raised the corner of his eyes and glanced at him lightly. “You’re the master. Isn’t it beneath you to tussle with mere dogs?”

“…” Beneath him? Liu Zhiqiu fell silent, returning to his seat, then looked at the few men still standing opposite them. “The thirty percent rent is what I decided. This estate is mine, the fields are mine, and I lease them as I please. What business is it of yours?”

“You!—” The fat man’s face flushed red, but before he could speak, the man in official attire next to him stopped him.

The man stepped forward, bowing slightly to Liu Zhiqiu, Liu Zhixia, and Feng Qingbai. “I am Ji Hong, magistrate of Fangyuan County. Chuanjiu Village falls under my jurisdiction. When unexpected matters arise, it is my duty to investigate. May I ask who you are, and from where?”

Liu Yuzheng and the others ignored his inquiry. This estate had been purchased by Liu Zhiqiu; it was his place to handle matters.

“So it’s the magistrate,” Liu Zhiqiu said with a smile. “I am but an unknown nobody, Liu Zhiqiu. I don’t understand what ‘unexpected matter’ Your Excellency refers to. Is it that I lease my estate fields at thirty percent rent? Does the law of Nanling forbid a landlord from setting their own rent?”

“Indeed, there isn’t.”

“Then I’m truly puzzled. Since there isn’t, what’s the meaning of you all barging in here so aggressively, even sending people to block the doors of my hall? And coming in strong? If that doesn’t work, are you trying soft?”

“Landlord Liu, don’t act so recklessly!” The fat man’s eyes darkened. “You can afford to buy an estate, and I suppose you are not short of money either, but you changed the rent proportion on the fields. That’s breaking the rules! Throughout the entire Nanling regions, there has never been a field leased at only thirty percent rent! By doing this, you’re stepping on all our shoulders to climb higher! You gain all the glory, while the rest of us are vilified as unscrupulous landlords and become public targets! This is not how things should be done!”

Nanling had many wealthy landowners, and even more tenant farmers. If the news spread that Liu Zhiqiu was charging only thirty percent rent, could the other landlords sit still? If a conflict broke out, the ones who would be in trouble first would be them!

“You don’t like it? Then you can also charge thirty percent rent,” Liu Zhiqiu shrugged.

“Hmph, there’s a saying: a strong dragon cannot suppress the local snake! Landlord Liu, you’re determined to go against us, aren’t you?”

“I only do what I want to do. If you insist on treating me as an enemy, that’s on you, not me.”

The two sides faced off, neither willing to yield.

Moreover, all the reinforcements they had brought were instantly defeated. Anyone capable of bringing armed guards along could not possibly be an ordinary person. The ‘unknown nobody’ story was clearly a lie.

For this reason, the fat man and his company dared not act rashly, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Outside, Liu Tiao, who was leading a group of tenant farmers, hurriedly ran back with sticks to protect their master. When they reached the yard, they saw the main courtyard littered with people, struggling to get up. Each wore a pained expression, unsure what heavy-handed force had struck them.

At the hall entrance stood a man in black, his aura deadly and solemn, exuding the stance of a lone guardian holding the gate.

In the back courtyard, upon hearing the commotion, Liu Gen and Liu Zhi rushed over with their two daughters, their hearts filled with worry, only to freeze at the scene before them.

All their fears were for nothing.

Besides their master, the hall housed the Yunzhou governor, and none other than the reigning Nanling Prince and Princess, so of course there would be guards present. They just hadn’t noticed.

“We were rash to come uninvited, and it’s understandable that Landlord Liu is angry. The fault lies with our own impudence,” said a slightly older man in fine clothes, bowing politely to those present to ease the tension. “We are prominent landowners from Fangyuan County and nearby towns. I am Zhou Tong, this gentleman is Landlord Zhang, and this is Second Master Gao from the Gao family in the county. We came unannounced with Lord Ji, not to create conflict with Landlord Liu. Regarding the rent issue, perhaps we can sit down and discuss it properly. After all, the matter affects many, and if we can reach a fair resolution together, wouldn’t that be the best outcome?”

Zhou Tong’s words essentially offered a way for both sides to save face. As long as Liu Zhiyu nodded, they could sit down and negotiate properly, and the tense atmosphere would naturally ease.

Outside, Liu Tiao and the tenant farmers who had hurried over listened in, holding their breaths without realizing it, each of them tense.

If Landlord Liu agreed, he could build relationships with these people in the future, without suffering any loss and might even gain additional benefits. Would he refuse?

At this moment, the tenant farmers’ hearts sank into hopelessness. They were people living at the very bottom. How could Landlord Liu possibly pass up an opportunity to curry favor with local gentry and influential figures, only to side with them tenants?

Moreover, although they had signed the tenancy contracts, the documents had not yet been officially stamped at the county office. Landlord Liu could still back out at any moment.

Liu Gen, Liu Tiao, and their family exchanged glances, their faces serious and solemn.

They trusted their master’s character, but even so, at this moment, they dared not guarantee to the tenant farmers that he absolutely would not compromise.

They understood clearly how much of a stir reducing the rent could cause throughout Nanling. The Liu family was already like half of the local administration; to stabilize the region and appease disgruntled wealthy gentry, it was not impossible that their master might eventually make some concessions.