Chapter 112 - The Unemotional Emperor

Chapter 112: Chapter 110: The Unemotional EmperorIn the past life, the reason for the rapid fall of the Hong Dynasty was not only due to his decision-making errors but also because of the decline in the dynasty’s national strength.

The Hong Dynasty had been established for one hundred and fifty years, experiencing a cycle from ruin to prosperity and then to the current decline. Although the Capital City was bustling, disasters continued to plague various regions over the years, and the National Treasury was not full. Coupled with the exploitation by officials at every level, the money and grain that reached the hands of the disaster victims were simply not enough to sustain them, leading to the sale of their land and themselves into servitude.

As a result, tax revenue shrank, creating a vicious cycle where the number of serfs increased, landlords grew richer, and the National Treasury became increasingly empty. Reform was imperative.

Ye Qiu drafted the main content of the land reform: First, encourage the reclamation of wasteland, exempt taxes for the first three years, and reduce taxes by half for five years; second, landlords cannot hold more than fifty acres of land, and tenant farmers cannot exceed twenty households; third, besides migrations and the inability to afford burials, land cannot be traded at will; fourth, encourage widows to remarry, allow the establishment of female-headed households, who shall be taxed the same as male-headed households; fifth, Monks, Taoists, and nuns shall be taxed the same as farmers.

At the same time, Ye Qiu also regulated the Permanent Farmland and public land owned by the nobility and officials. Nobles with titles, from Princes to Dukes, Marquises, and Lords, would have their allotted Permanent Farmland decrease from one hundred acres to five, and officials from First-rank to Ninth-rank, from sixty acres to two. Permanent Farmland cannot be traded, and in addition, public land will be used to supplement the salaries of local officials and be returned to state ownership.

Ye Qiu had only outlined the plan; the specific implementation details still needed to be discussed with Prime Minister Xiao and the officials from the Six Ministries, and the power of implementation was entrusted to Xiao Bairen.

Xiao Bairen, having received the imperial decree, was thoroughly caught in a dilemma. Land reform was undoubtedly a huge shock to the nobles and bureaucrats, and implementing it would surely face multiple obstructions. Yet, if he chose not to proceed, he would lose Ye Qiu’s trust and could no longer serve as Prime Minister.

The real beneficiaries of the land reform were only the state and the farmers. Nobles, bureaucrats, and landlords were all targets of impact. By setting limits on land ownership, it meant they would have to sell off their properties in a short time, but with everyone selling and fewer buyers, prices would not rise, so they naturally resisted the reform.

Furthermore, since the Permanent Farmland of nobles and officials could not be traded, when one’s title decreased or an official retired, their Permanent Farmland would naturally revert to the state. Who would be happy to see their wealth shrink?

Therefore, Xiao Bairen was in a tough situation, unable to retreat or advance, but what he did not know was that land reform was just the beginning. Ye Qiu’s plans included bureaucratic reform and commercial reform to follow.

On the day of the grand court session, the matter of land reform indeed caused a great uproar. Ye Qiu boldly entrusted Xiao Bairen and coerced officials with immense power, while he himself closed the palace gates and tranquilly began to tutor the Crown Prince, refraining from seeing anyone except the officials involved in the reform.

During this time, Li Yanlan lived the most comfortable days since she got married. The Capital City was turned upside down because of the land reform, but no one came looking for trouble with her Li family. Although the Emperor visited her palace only on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, since Noble Consort Xiao was under confinement, no one in the harem was causing trouble, and as for the Empress Dowager, she was busily caring for the Third Prince and had no time to suppress her. What made her happiest was that the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Emperor was growing closer.

Father and son diligently practiced Body Forging Technique in the martial arts field every day. Persistent effort showed results, as Ye Huaijin’s appetite had greatly increased lately, and his stature had shot up. Ye Qiu’s frame, which was once frail, had become well-defined and increasingly virile.

The progress of land reform was slow. Ye Qiu, in partnership with Xiao Bairen, dealt with the two individuals who were most obstructive. Although the court was unstable, Ye Qiu’s reputation among the common people reached its pinnacle, with nearly every farmer singing his praises.

When land reform entered a rapid development phase, Ye Qiu utilized the debts collected during the previous period to vigorously develop the military. The Xiongnu in the north were coveting aggressively, and pirates in the south often raided, which made strengthening the military forces a must.

At the same time, Ye Qiu sent a secret letter to General Li Xiu in the north.

The Xiongnu’s southern invasion was motivated firstly by their leader’s ambition and secondly by the scarcity of arable land in the north, which left the pastoralists short of food.

Ye Qiu’s secret letter suggested that Li Xiu dismantle them from within.

Since there are several Xiongnu tribes, Li Xiu could certainly select articulate staff members to conduct confidential talks with other chieftains, offering them the Hong Dynasty’s grain and silk in exchange for their wool and horses. Meanwhile, the chieftains who accept the trade will be ennobled and supported by the Hong Dynasty.

Thus, the pastoralists could spend a warm and prosperous winter without shedding blood, and the chieftains’ positions would be recognized without the daily fear of being engulfed by other tribes. Why wouldn’t they agree to it?

Such ideas had been proposed by courtiers before, but successive emperors had refrained from taking action, fearing collusion between the border warriors and the Xiongnu. But now, Ye Qiu granted Li Xiu this authority, believing that within a few years, through trade and intertwined interests, the Xiongnu would be assimilated and lose their desire for war.

The reason they wage war now is merely for a prosperous life; with a more convenient alternative available, why should they risk their lives to plunder?

When the imperial decree reached the border, Li Xiu and his staff wept with joy, seeing hope in the edict, especially after news of the land reform reached the border, the reverence for Ye Qiu among the border warriors increased even more.

Everything is difficult at the beginning, infiltrating deep into the Xiongnu is fraught with danger, but not a single warrior recoiled. Since Your Majesty has trusted them, they must repay with achievements.

Land reform and border improvement progressed side by side, and in the blink of an eye, six years had passed, during which the Hong Dynasty had undergone a complete transformation.

"Your Majesty, the Noble Princess Consort Xiao is feeling unwell; please go see her," said a person from Ganquan Palace, who had actually been waiting there for a long time; Eunuch Shun was attending on the side but waited until Ye Qiu stopped writing to speak up.

Five years ago, when Prime Minister Xiao’s reforms faced obstruction, Ye Qiu found an excuse to release Xiao Rou, making it clear that the Xiao Family had not fallen from favor.

But after being confined for nearly a year, Xiao Rou did not take the hint. Previously, she had the Third Prince as her excuse, but now, Empress Dowager Xiao reluctant to let go, Xiao Rou kept using herself as a raft, either being sick today or in a bad mood tomorrow, insisting on his visit to get better.

It was only because Xiao Bairen was preoccupied with land reform in recent years that Ye Qiu gave her any regard.

But now that the land reform is largely settled, Xiao Bairen’s authority has grown significantly. Relying on his substantial achievement, he has increasingly disregarded the courtiers and nobility.

Ye Qiu originally intended to use the land reform to both deplete Xiao Bairen’s connections and reform the land. Now that both goals have been achieved, he underestimated the prestige Xiao Bairen had built through the reforms.

He is a hero with substantial accomplishments; thus, it wouldn’t be easy for Ye Qiu to take action against him now.