Capítulo 1640: Chapter 1615: Might Not Be Able to Hire

Manbao was startled and said, “I never intended to turn the official land into private land. Wouldn’t that be phoridae?”

She said, “I was just thinking of managing the tenants and official land myself, cultivating more meticulously, and gaining higher yields. If I no longer hold office in the future, or if I change positions and lands, the original land will definitely have to be returned.”

Liu Huan said, “I also said you weren’t such a person. Grandfather didn’t doubt it, he just mentioned that managing official land is quite complicated. If you wish to manage it yourself, you must first apply and report to the Ministry of Revenue.”

Bai Shan then said to Manbao, “In that case, it should be possible. The day after tomorrow, when I have some free time, I’ll go with you.”

Manbao rolled her eyes and said, “Mr. Zhuang’s official land is right next to mine. Let’s invite him to join us.”

Mr. Zhuang wasn’t concerned about such matters. All his efforts were focused on reading and teaching the Crown Prince and his three disciples. Such matters about official land shouldn’t be different from the salary; just claim what is due in time, right?

But Manbao was full of confidence, combined with having many people from the Zhou Family in the capital, when it comes to farming, they are much more skilled than him. So, after some thought, he nodded.

He then said, “It’s not easy for you to come out from the palace. Since you’ve already mentioned it in front of Minister Liu, you can leave this matter to me. I’ll apply and complete the formalities at the Ministry of Revenue.”

Manbao and Bai Shan both secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this was an exceptional matter, and the two of them felt a bit embarrassed.

Mr. Zhuang smiled at them, comforted them a little, and then let them go for fun, keeping the matter in mind.

The reason he took on this matter was to glean more detailed information.

For official land management, he didn’t know much either, but as far as he knew, the official lands were always managed by the Ministry of Revenue. After the summer and autumn harvests each year, the Ministry of Revenue would calculate the output and rental income for each person and deliver it altogether.

Even for local officials, there were dedicated personnel in the yamen responsible for this matter. However, compared to capital officials, most local officials could manage the official lands themselves.

After all, it’s under their jurisdiction, especially convenient.

Unlike the capital officials, whose official land radiated all the way to Yongzhou, Shangzhou, Liangzhou, and other regions.

So, apart from certain official lands that are particularly numerous, most officials would entrust the Ministry of Revenue with the management.

Because the cost of management is also significant, it’s better to hand it over to the Ministry to save effort.

When Mr. Zhuang arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, the official in charge of the official lands there took just one look at him before handing him two forms to fill out.

And said, “Lord Zhou Junior still needs to use her seal to confirm that it’s indeed her wish.”

Upon seeing this, Mr. Zhuang realized that someone had already given a heads-up and smiled as he inquired about the current status of the official lands.

Don’t be fooled by the Ministry of Revenue managing the official lands of all sizes of officials, yet the ranking of the official in charge of this matter isn’t high, only of the seventh rank, slightly higher than Mr. Zhuang.

Since Mr. Zhuang was applying for self-management, it just so happened that the official also needed to explain some precautions clearly to him, taking the opportunity to talk about the management of these official lands.

Mr. Zhuang returned to the Chongwen Pavilion with a thoughtful expression, then called Manbao over, and of course, Bai Shan and Bai Erlang, who were eating lunch, so all three were summoned.

“Manbao, you have a thousand acres of official land in total. Have you thought about how to cultivate it?”

Manbao immediately said, “Aren’t there tenant farmers? I’ll just instruct them when the time comes. My dad wants to manage it in person.”

Mr. Zhuang said, “There might be no tenants.”

Manbao’s eyes widened, and Bai Shan also raised his head in surprise, “How could there be no tenants?”

“Because tenants are hard to hire,” Mr. Zhuang said, “Do you think the Ministry of Revenue is so lenient with you because they immediately let you manage the land yourselves?”

He said, “Because managing official land is not easy at all.”

It’s not just difficult, but a laborious exertion, and unrewarding too.

Don’t be fooled by most official lands being good fields; people at the Ministry of Revenue said that there are very few who are willing to lease and cultivate official land among the tenants. “The court rarely gives them good seeds and farm tools, and the rent is fixed, ranging from two to six dou of rice per mu, depending on the fertility of the land.”

Bai Shan, after calculating, said, “That’s quite reasonable.”

Mr. Zhuang nodded and said, “But this is mandatory. Leasing other people’s land, the owner might still provide some good seeds and tools, yet the court offers nothing, so they don’t like renting official lands.”

“Many tenants are coerced into renting them, so if you want to manage official lands yourselves, it would probably be challenging to recruit tenants.”

Manbao said, “We’d have to see it in person to really know.”

Bai Shan calculated the dates and said, “In a few days, it’s going to be the Mid-Autumn Festival. I’ve heard this year, with foreign envoys visiting, there’ll be an extended holiday. Why don’t we go to Yongzhou and take a look?”

Manbao’s eyes lit up and she immediately said, “Sure, sure.”

Even if we don’t see the official lands, it would be nice to visit Yongzhou for a bit.

Bai Erlang also wanted to go, “Anyway, it’s not far; it only takes half a day. We can even spend a few more days in the countryside estate. I heard the lamb spine hot pot in Yongzhou is especially delicious.”

Bai Shan and Manbao were more eager to go.

Mr. Zhuang, who still had many words left unsaid, fell silent for a moment before simply handing a booklet to Manbao, “Although the official lands are handed over for us to manage, there are still requirements. For instance, with the tenants, all rent and tax division agreements must not exceed six dou of rice in fixed rent or sixty percent in sharecropping.”

This was the only measure from the court to protect tenants.

Manbao nodded, and after going through the regulations, she said to Bai Erlang, “They can actually take up to sixty percent for sharecropping, quite greedy! I thought everyone would take forty percent, didn’t your family always take forty percent?”

“It varies by region,” Bai Erlang, who didn’t know much, but heard a bit during the yearly reports from the estate manager at home, said, “In some places, my dad also takes fifty percent.”

Manbao was curious, “Why is it different?”

Bai Erlang: “How would I know? Should I ask my dad for you when we get back?”

Bai Shan said, “It’s because the places are different, the land’s fertility varies too.”

He continued, “Luojiang County, being our home region, should levy less tax to maintain relationship with local neighbors. In other areas, thin soil should have lesser demands, while fertile lands can take more. Now, in Longzhou, rent taxes my family collects mostly around forty percent, only some places are fifty percent.”

Manbao and Bai Erlang listened in a daze.

“Grandmother said, even if we don’t live in Longzhou now, it’s still our hometown, where our family is, so we should better manage the local areas.” Bai Shan mentioned meaningfully, “Rabbits do not eat the grass around their own burrow. Generally, those who levy heavy rents even around their own area cannot last long — even aristocratic families have to be more lenient with their local tenants.”

It was a very realistic issue, but somehow, Manbao felt a bit cold inside. She silently thought: Isn’t this the kind of exploitation described in some books at the encyclopedia pavilion?

Bai Shan evidently thought the same, looked at Manbao and said, “Managing the official lands by yourself may not be a bad thing for the tenants.”