"We are willing to return the public fields we purchased without knowing what they were."
Liu Jie offered a solution.
"So you won't return the ones you knowingly purchased?"
Hu Zun countered.
Liu Jie hurriedly said, "We never knowingly purchased any."
The other representatives of the great clans nodded in agreement.
Hu Zun sneered. "Whether you knew or not, the public fields must be returned. I checked the figures for previous years, and the numbers haven't added up since Emperor Wen's time! You must make up the shortfall!"
"What?!"
Before Liu Jie could speak, several of the others could no longer contain themselves.
Why don't you just start counting from Emperor Wen of the Former Han's time?
Back when warfare engulfed the realm, farmland everywhere had lost its owners. The Cao Wei regime led the common people in reclaiming land and consolidated vast tracts of farmland as public fields, having the people cultivate them for the imperial court.
Only during Cao Pi's reign did those restrictions begin to loosen step by step. Though this improved the common people's living standards, it also allowed the great clans to begin nibbling away at these fields.
Naturally, the great clans would not accept Hu Zun demanding the amount of public land recorded in Cao Pi's time right off the bat.
"Grand General, since Emperor Wen's reign, public fields have fallen into disuse and fertile fields have ceased to exist. Such things are commonplace. How can you demand that we make up the shortfall?"
"Our willingness to return the farmland is already a gesture of respect for you!"
Facing Hu Zun together, these great clans were not particularly afraid.
Especially those with powerful backers at court.
They believed the emperor would not move against them.
Hu Zun looked at Hu Lie beside him. "This