Chapter 2455: Chapter 2455: Wouldn’t That Be Harming Others

If it weren’t for this classmate having connections in the county government, he wouldn’t have proactively made friends with him. Perhaps, it’s not a lie but the truth.

But is that really possible? How many scholars are there in the Daqing Kingdom? If the land were returned to its original owners, how would these scholars survive? Wouldn’t the scholar examinations become meaningless?

"Brother Ziyu, according to what you say, in the future, the tax exemption for the land owned by scholars would be just empty talk? Would farmers have to submit their grain to the county government?"

"Well..."

The classmate was momentarily speechless.

How could he respond? He was also a scholar, and quite a bit of his relatives’ land was registered under his name.

However, he wasn’t as ruthless as An Que; he only collected a symbolic amount of grain and wouldn’t collect more than taxes.

Doing so would be harmful, and he couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing.

"That’s not entirely the case. What I heard is that in the future, the scholars’ land holdings might determine their degree of importance in relations. In short, the more land under a scholar’s name, the less likely they are to be employed."

Upon hearing this, An Que was struck with a sudden realization.

He indeed had a lot of land registered under his name. Initially, to increase his income, he accepted benefits from anyone who came to him, whether they were relatives or not.

If this was true, wouldn’t he be the least likely to be employed, and perhaps this could even affect his future civil service examinations?

He raised his hand and pinched his brow, feeling this matter was quite serious.

"However, Brother An, you can handle it gradually; it probably won’t be implemented quickly. I estimate the County Magistrate hasn’t set any rules yet, and perhaps I’m mistaken, who knows.

Besides, even if it starts, it has to be done step by step, right? At most, the County Magistrate might notice, but once you return the land, he wouldn’t remember it anymore.

At least you should collect this year’s harvest, shouldn’t you?"

The classmate patted An Que’s shoulder, earnestly advising him, knowing very well that given An Que’s tendency to prioritize personal gain, he’d believe a warning even if it were a mere rumor.

Intentionally saying these words was just to make An Que lower his guard against him.

Otherwise, if he abruptly came to talk about this, An Que would definitely suspect him of having ulterior motives, although An Que’s schemes were indeed beneath his attention.

"Brother An, I’ve informed you about this matter; you can decide for yourself. I need to visit Brother Qing Ke, so I won’t stay longer."

With that, he prepared to leave.

Upon hearing that his classmate was also going to another scholar’s home, An Que was even more inclined to believe his words.

Qing Ke was also a scholar, and had a better relationship with this classmate. However, Qing Ke’s home was farther than An Clan Village, so it happened that passing by would mean going by his home.

"Then, Brother Ziyu, take your time walking; thank you for taking the trouble to inform me today."

He felt it inappropriate to detain someone, so he expressed his gratitude to the classmate and watched him leave hastily. As he turned around, he furrowed his brow, pondering internally.

Ever since he passed as a scholar, a considerable amount of land was recorded under his name, making life much easier for his family. He had also saved quite a bit of money.

It seemed it was time to return those lands to their original families; he couldn’t throw away his future prospects for such meager benefits, could he?

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