After lunch, Li Zexuan sat in the front hall and happily drank the chilled fruit wine that Han Yuxi had taken from the ancient well. He was chatting with Han Li in the house.
There was no helping it. The weather had been a little abnormal recently. It was just May and the weather had started to heat up. The afternoon sun was especially scorching. Even though Li Zexuan had internal energy and was immune to both heat and cold, he didn't want to be exposed to the scorching sun. He could only wait for the sun to warm up a little before going to Plum Village. After all, it was less than two li away from the Han Manor.
Lan 'er, this crazy girl, wasn't afraid of the sun. She followed Iron Egg to the manor to play with Da Niu and Er Niu. Li Zexuan wasn't too worried. Now that everyone in the manor knew that Lan 'er was his sister, there shouldn't be anyone who was blind enough to bully Lan' er.
Li Zexuan didn't know that while he was enjoying the cool air in the Han Manor's courtyard, there were many manor owners in Plum Village who were exposed to the scorching sun.
… …
Many manor owners gathered at the entrance of Plum Village. Everyone was sitting under a big tree and chatting with each other while looking into the distance, as if waiting for something.
"Big Mouth Mei, is what you said true? Why isn't Lord Jue here yet?"
A tanned old man with bare arms was fanning himself with a straw hat as he asked casually.
Mei Jun quickly nodded and said with certainty, "Fourth Master, I wouldn't dare to lie about this. I went to the Han Manor this morning and my brother-in-law personally told me that Lord Jue came to the Han Manor. Think about it, our manor is so close to the Han Manor and it's Lord Jue's fief. Lord Jue will definitely come and take a look."
"I say, Mei Laosi, why are you in such a hurry? It's such a hot day. Won't you let Lord Jue rest for a while?"
An old man was lying on a bamboo mat and enjoying his eldest grandson fanning him with a cattail leaf fan. When he heard Mei Laosi's words, he couldn't help but rebuke him.
"Hey, Second Brother Liu, I'm just anxious. When I heard that Lord Jue's fief was in our manor yesterday, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep well the entire night! Haha, our manor's good days are coming! "
Mei Laosi hurriedly explained when he heard the old man's reprimand.
"Tsk, look at you!"
The old man on the ground was the Second Master Liu, Liu Wanshan, whom Mei Jun had met in the East Market a few days ago. This man was a man of virtue and prestige in Mei Village. His elder brother was the village chief, Liu Qingfeng.
Liu Qingfeng was just a scholar with a weak personality. In the past, when he saw Liu Shiren and his son bullying the villagers, he did not dare to speak up. However, Second Master Liu was not like his elder brother. He was a fearless master. As soon as he saw Liu Shiren and his son bullying the villagers, Second Master Liu would directly pick up his walking stick and hit the heads of the father and son. In his opinion, he had seven sons, all of whom were tall and strong. If they really fought, he would not be at a disadvantage. Taking a step back, he was already so old. Could it be that Liu Shiren and his son could beat him to death?
One had to know that in ancient society, people were very respectful to the elderly. If Liu Shiren really dared to beat Second Master Liu to death, it would be a very serious case. The father and son's lives would not be spared.
Therefore, Second Master Liu's reputation in Mei Village was even higher than his elder brother, Liu Qingfeng. It was not an exaggeration to say that he could rally hundreds of people at a single call during critical times.
Yesterday, when Zhao Laoer of Mei Village brought back the news that Li Zexuan was enfeoffed and that his fief was in Mei Village, the entire village was in an uproar. One had to know that the Han Manor's situation was not much different from Mei Village's. After the Li family took over the Han Manor, they reduced the rent. The Han Manor was able to provide for food and clothing. The overall situation was slightly better than Mei Village's.
Recently, Li Zexuan had taken over the Li family's authority and personally managed the Han Manor. Not only did he increase the income of the villagers by purchasing wild fruits, he also reduced the rent by letting the villagers help raise chickens. Furthermore, the eggs that the chickens laid would belong to the villagers. It was said that after the reduction, the annual rent of many villagers was only 10%.
This was amazing. There was probably no other village with such favorable conditions in the entire Tang Dynasty. As the neighboring village of the Han Manor, the villagers of Mei Village were envious. They secretly hated that they were not born in the Han Manor.
Now, Mei Village had become Li Zexuan's fief. The entire village would probably be able to enjoy the same treatment as the Han Manor. When the news reached the village yesterday, Liu Wanshan was the first to jump out. Ignoring Liu Qingfeng's obstruction, he shouted in the village, "Liu Shiren, get out of Mei Village!"
Liu Shiren's land was about to be taken away by the imperial court, so he, Second Master Liu, had nothing to be afraid of. He rolled up his sleeves and fought. If he did not vent this anger, he would not be satisfied even if he died.
Second Master Liu's prestige in Plum Village was very high to begin with. With his shout, how could the villagers who were usually bullied by Liu Shiren hold themselves back? In an instant, hundreds of villagers responded to his call. Hundreds of villagers scrambled to follow him, majestically charging towards Liu Shiren's mansion.
"Liu Shiren, get out of Mei Village!"
"Get out of Mei Village!"
"Get out of Mei Village!"
…
Outside Liu Shiren's mansion, hundreds of villagers shouted in unison. Their shouts shook the heavens, frightening Liu Shiren and his son. The father and son hurriedly ordered their servants to block the door with all their might. However, they hid inside the house, trembling as they waited for the villagers to disperse when they were tired of shouting.
Outside the mansion, Second Master Liu saw that Liu Shiren had become a coward. They could not pry open this turtle's shell, so he took the lead and threw stones at Liu Shiren's house. The other villagers followed suit, picking up things that were convenient for them and throwing them at Liu Shiren's house. What was strange was that someone even used leaves to wrap cow dung and threw it in.
As night fell, the villagers could not stay there forever. They all dispersed, agreeing to come back the next day. Liu Shiren and his son hurriedly packed their belongings in the night, including the compensation given to them by the government. After packing the gold and silver into boxes, the father and son took a few guards with them. They did not even care about the dilapidated mansion and escaped through the night.
When Second Master Liu brought people to the Liu residence this morning, they naturally did not find anything. Second Master Liu spat at the door of the Liu residence in disdain and left!
When it was close to noon, there was news that Li Zexuan might come to Mei Village. Other than those who had work today, all the villagers were excited to welcome the new master of Mei Village at the entrance of the village. Second Master Liu naturally followed along. That day, he followed behind Mei Jun and also bought a curved plow. When he returned home, he tried it out. It was indeed very useful. Therefore, he was both excited and curious about the new master of Mei Village.
At this time, although the sun was scorching and the heat was unbearable, no one was willing to leave. Many people were looking forward to the good days ahead under the trees. It seemed that their families would not starve anymore. They could even sew new clothes for their children during the New Year.
There were also some farmers who were telling their children how benevolent the new Lord Jue was. Perhaps in the future, they might have eggs to eat every month and meat to eat during the New Year. Those naughty children listened and unknowingly drooled for a long time.
…
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