The princes and princesses sat in rows inside the hall, waiting for the emperor.

Ye Jingchen deliberately sat at the very edge by the window, where he could see the scenery outside the hall.

He saw the emperor the moment he came out of Chongzheng Hall.

The emperor walked at the front, followed by three people, but Xie Shaoling was not among them.

Ye Jingchen glanced at it and then looked away.

After a while, the emperor walked in. Ye Jingchen noticed that although he looked tired, he also had a clear look of joy on his face.

It seems he was quite satisfied with Xie Shaoling's memorial and did not dislike Yu Xu because he disliked Xie Shaoling.

The emperor is indeed very happy today.

The nation is founded on its people, and the people depend on food for survival. Food is of paramount strategic importance to Da Yuan, as it is crucial to Da Yuan's long-term stability and security.

However, whether a good harvest can be achieved depends not on whether the people take good care of the land, but on whether the heavens will cooperate.

If the weather is favorable, the country will be prosperous and the people will live in peace; if natural disasters occur frequently, the people will suffer.

Leaving aside the tangible benefits of reclaiming wasteland and building roads, the digging of ditches and the construction of dikes alone—one for flowing water and the other for storing water—can simultaneously resist floods and droughts, and fight against natural disasters. It is an action that benefits both the present and future generations.

Before this, in the face of continuous natural disasters, it wasn't that no one had considered this idea, but often their ideas were quickly defeated by reality.

Such a large-scale project cannot be completed by one or two people in a year or two, or with a sum of money.

Besides money, manpower, materials, and time, the most important thing is to have a meticulous plan and a reasonable route.

The emperor currently has spare money, the borders are secure, there are no external threats, and there is a large number of free laborers available to be used. Xie Shaoling also gave him a plan, outlining the route for him. The plan also included some seemingly novel designs that were very suitable for tools for quarrying and digging, which was like feeding him a meal.

If this is done well, it will benefit future generations, and he will surely be remembered in history!

If you don't do it well—

He is only implementing this plan in Jizhou County now. With the entire nation's resources focused on governing one county, it's impossible for him not to succeed!

Once Jizhou Commandery sees the results, the project will be gradually expanded to the surrounding areas, turning the entire Dayuan into a land of abundance.

Before today, the emperor had never imagined that he, who ascended the throne bearing the infamy of bloodthirstiness, could actually achieve such brilliant accomplishments and leave his mark on history.

The young emperor, not yet thirty, was full of energy and drive.

"Did something good happen to Father Emperor today? He seems very happy." Ye Jingchen asked as soon as he saw the emperor.

"Can Chen'er tell that I'm very happy?" the Emperor asked with a smile.

"Father is smiling, doesn't that mean he's happy?" Ye Jingchen asked back.

"Father is indeed happy because he has such filial and sensible children like you. All the ministers envy Father!" The emperor's gaze swept over the group of little rascals in the hall, and he was even happier.

Ye Jingchen shook his head and said, "We often come to pay our respects, and Father is always very happy, but today is the happiest day of all."

"Your observations are quite keen!" The emperor looked at him with satisfaction. "That's very good. A ruler should indeed have this kind of ability."

Ye Jingchen smiled outwardly, but remained silent inwardly.

Since you're so happy, why can't you share some of it with your beloved children?

He's already brought this up.

However, the emperor could not contain his joy.

During the meal, he suddenly said to Ye Jingchen, "Chen'er, don't worry, in the future your father will definitely entrust you with a prosperous, peaceful, powerful and wealthy Dayuan!"

"Then I'll just wait for the day when I can sit back and reap the rewards without lifting a finger!" Ye Jingchen replied happily.

Neither of these words were particularly flattering, and the emperor found them somewhat awkward. However, upon closer examination, he realized that they were perfectly appropriate and even apt.

He laid everything out beforehand. Even though the project hadn't yet involved the entire Dayuan when Ye Jingchen took over, it already had plenty of experience and familiar procedures. Wasn't Ye Jingchen just sitting back and reaping the benefits without lifting a finger?

Many things in this world are simply a matter of one generation planting trees so that another can enjoy the shade; this is the true meaning of inheritance.

The next morning at court, the emperor had Zhang Shunde read Xie Shaoling's memorial. He was convinced that the court officials would be as delighted as he was after hearing the contents of the memorial, and that when he announced the decision he had discussed with the ministers of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works the previous day, he would surely gain their support.

However, before he heard any praise, he first heard dissenting voices such as "No good!" and "This is not advisable!"

One morning court session completely ruined the emperor's good mood.

In the imperial court, there were very few voices in favor; the majority were against.

The opposing voices were surprisingly unanimous, all saying that the project was too costly in terms of financial and human resources, and would yield very little result, making it a losing proposition!

Moreover, such a massive project could not be completed by a mere tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers. At that time, laborers would be conscripted, and the burden of corvée labor would be increased. Taking the construction of the Great Wall by the First Emperor as an example, it would surely cause public resentment and lead to chaos!

Moreover, large-scale construction projects can easily cause unexpected disasters such as landslides and sinkholes.

In short, throughout the morning court session, the emperor heard nothing but criticisms and attacks.

He was so discouraged that he didn't even have the energy to curse anymore.

He never imagined that the biggest obstacle preventing him from leaving his mark on history would be these very officials.

Even after the morning court session ended, they still wouldn't let him go and wanted to chase him all the way to the Chongzheng Hall.

This time, even the Minister of Justice, whom he trusted greatly, opposed his plan.

"His Majesty's original intention may indeed be for the good of the people, to enable them to save themselves in the face of natural disasters. However, as His Majesty's orders are passed down step by step, it is hard to guarantee that the officials below will not force the people to perform civil service in order to complete their tasks as soon as possible and make political achievements. They may even put the cart before the horse and abandon the fields for these reasons!"

These concerns are not without merit, but these reasons alone cannot shake the emperor's resolve.

Moreover, he did not initially intend to carry out the plan simultaneously in all nine provinces. He only planned to implement it in Jizhou County first, and he did not say that he would make ordinary people perform civil service. What are they worried about?

As for financial and material support, the wealth confiscated by the Jiang family is enough to last for several years. If that's not enough, there's always the Wang family, the Gu family, or even the Ji family.

There are so many powerful families, big and small, in Dayuan. If he can deal with the Jiang family, he can certainly deal with other families too!

As long as they cause trouble, he will deal with them one by one, leaving none of them unpunished!

After dealing with the aristocratic families, there are still the noble families to deal with.

The Great Yuan Kingdom has been established for over a hundred years. Some nobles in the capital have secretly amassed a great deal of wealth. Do they really think he knows nothing about it?

In the imperial court, they were also the ones who voiced the strongest opposition!