It was simpler than expected.

Even Saizo hadn't anticipated that leaving the capital would be so easy.

The soldiers guarding the city gate stopped and questioned everyone, but Cai Zang only greeted one of them and they waved the carriage through.

Zhao Zhilan kept her head down, but the guards seemed incredibly "lazy," because they didn't even glance at her.

They set off from the capital in three horse-drawn carriages, loaded with the necessary supplies: dry food and clothing.

They rose at dawn, passing through forests, orchards, and level farmland, through small villages, crowded towns, and sturdy manors, continuing their journey until dusk.

After nightfall, they set up camp to rest and ate by the firelight.

Everyone had to take turns on duty, including Zhao Zhilan.

At night, through the woods, she often caught glimpses of other travelers' campfires flickering.

The number of campfires at night seemed to be increasing, and the crowds on the main road during the day were growing stronger.

But unlike them, the pedestrians on the main road were all heading towards the capital.

According to fellow prisoners, the Regent issued a new decree: land redistribution!

Where did the land come from? How was it divided?

First, the Regent killed a group of officials, including Li Hu, the Minister of War, Zheng Changqing, and Ling Tiande.

Lin Mo reclaimed all the land under the names of these officials and distributed it to the people according to the new system.

You won't know until you receive it, and once you do, you'll be shocked.

Their land holdings accounted for half of the land surrounding the capital, meaning that most of the capital was in their hands.

Lin Mo, who had initially felt somewhat guilty, now wished he could dig them out of their coffins and kill them all again.

What about the new system?

First: The land tax system was reformed to include the poll tax. The amount of tax was determined by the amount of land owned. Those with more land paid more, those with less land paid less, and those with no land paid nothing. This measure benefited the poor but not officials, gentry, and landlords.

Second: The policy of requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes equally meant that "officials and landlords alike must pay taxes." This abolished the tax exemptions enjoyed by officials and landlords. Everyone had to pay taxes and grain tribute; no one had any special privileges anymore.

Third: People outside the capital, namely refugees and commoners from other places, could obtain land from the government free of charge on a per capita basis. Half of the grain produced would be confiscated by the government, and the other half would belong to the people themselves.

At the same time, Lin Mo will also build collective housing and provide free housing for the people.

All the land cultivated by the top 100 grain producers each year will be donated to them as their private property.

(Simply put, it's like the farming champion giving away land!)

This system was mostly conceived by Lin Mo, and subsequently improved and promulgated by Yao Guangxiao.

As a result, people from all around the capital flocked there with their families. This advanced system was hundreds of years ahead of the Great Xia Dynasty!

In ancient times, population was a key indicator of a country's strength. If people from all the surrounding areas flocked to the capital, it would undoubtedly weaken the strength of other places.

This was also a ruthless move that Lin Mo came up with to deal with those regional officials who harbored rebellious intentions!

Therefore, along Zhao Zhilan's journey, day and night, people appeared in an endless stream. There were old and young, big and small, barefoot girls and women holding babies.

Some people drove horse-drawn carriages or rode on oxen-drawn carts, but most rode animals: horses, mules, or donkeys—anything that could walk, run, or roll.

Zhao Zhilan saw a blacksmith pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with his full set of tools: a hammer, tongs, and even an anvil.

Not long after, she saw another person push a wheelchair by, but this time it contained two small babies wrapped in blankets. Most people walked, carrying their belongings on their shoulders, their faces showing a mixture of weariness and anticipation.

The experience of being a frontline worker was so bitter that Zhao Zhilan began to doubt herself.

“Everyone along the way sang praises to Regent Lin Mo, and everyone raved about him!” she thought. “But what about my mother, is everything she has done unknown to the people?”

Or perhaps, are the people so ignorant that they have completely forgotten the Queen Mother's benevolence?

On the evening of the third day, they rested briefly in the village and checked into a hotel whose exterior walls were covered with ivy.

Cai Zan counted the silver in his money bag and decided to treat them to a good meal.

“We’ll stick to the old rules and sleep outside tonight; but there’s a bathhouse here, so if you want to lather up with soap and take a hot bath, just do it yourselves,” Cai Zang announced.

Although Zhao Zhilan's body was sour and smelly, and her odor was just as unpleasant as that of other smelly men, she dared not wash herself.

Moreover, Cai Zang's previous remarks were proven true, as troubles continued to arise after he left the city.

The issues of toileting and bathing are not the big problems; it is the pardoned prisoners who are causing them headaches.

For some reason, the two men released from the death row were looking at her with increasingly strange eyes.

A chilling look that Zhao Zhilan had never seen before, as if he wanted to devour her whole.

Only then did she realize how difficult life was for ordinary people!

After dinner, Cai Cang left again.

He told Zhao Zhilan that he and his fellow disciples had agreed to meet not far from this inn.

Therefore, Cai Zang now needs to find his fellow disciples.

In short, he did not stay by Zhao Zhilan's side.

As evening approached, Zhao Zhilan decided to get some rest.

Just as I was about to leave the dining room, I heard a shrill laugh.

Turning my head, I saw the two former death row inmates.

"Young man, why do you never take a bath?" the man with no nose on his face asked with a smile.

Cai Zang had told her that her status was different now, and she needed to be fierce enough to avoid being bullied. But Zhao Zhilan didn't know exactly what constituted being fierce. Before this, everyone had taught her the proper etiquette and decorum expected of a princess.

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