Chen Qingwan had just recovered when she heard this, her eyebrows furrowed, and she almost spat out the wine she had just drunk.

She tried her best to maintain a calm businesswoman's expression, but inside, a turbulent storm was brewing:

This fellow has some nerve, daring to speak ill of the current emperor!

If he can't give a clear answer, I'll immediately reveal my identity and punish him for the serious offense of disrespect!

"What do you mean by that, Lord Lu?" Chen Qingwan suppressed her anger, but her voice unconsciously turned cold.

Lu Yan was completely oblivious to the change in Chen Qingwan's tone and continued speaking to himself:

"Take this land for example. 'All land under heaven belongs to the king.' That sounds domineering."

"But what's the reality? Land consolidation is rampant, and the rate of exploitation is even higher than the percentage taken by brothel madams,"

"Ordinary people have no money. They work themselves to the bone all year round, and in the end, it all goes into the pockets of those big landlords and fat officials. Do you think that's reasonable?"

Chen Qingwan's face darkened, and she roared inwardly:

Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!

She personally drafted this land policy.

In order to consolidate imperial power and balance the various forces in the court, she racked her brains, and this kid actually dared to say it was bad!

"Why do you say that, Lord Lu?"

Chen Qingwan gritted her teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth.

Lu Yan swirled his wine glass, looking as if he were surveying the world.

"Think about it, all this land is concentrated in the hands of a few people. The common people have no land to cultivate, so they can only become tenants for these people, right?"

"After a year of hard work, most of the grain we grow goes to rent. How much is left for ourselves? Just enough to make ends meet."

"If we encounter a year of famine and there is no harvest, then our families will be destroyed!"

He paused, then continued:

"Moreover, these landlords and rich folks are all rolling in money and want to pocket all the money. They don't care about the lives of ordinary people."

"They would love for the people to starve to death so that they can buy land at low prices and further expand their power."

"If this continues, how can this country develop? With an empty treasury and people living in misery, it will be doomed sooner or later!"

Chen Qingwan took a deep breath, trying hard to control the urge to sew up the incessantly chattering mouth in front of her.

She wanted to see what other shocking things Lu Yan could say.

Seeing that Chen Qingwan didn't speak, Lu Yan assumed she had been persuaded by him, and became even more smug, continuing:

"In my opinion, this land should be distributed to the people! Each family should have a few acres of land so they can cultivate and harvest it themselves."

"This gave them something to look forward to, and they worked even harder. Grain production increased, and the national treasury became full. Wasn't that a win-win situation?"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and picked up his chopsticks and tapped them on the table.

"Think about it, when ordinary people have land and grain in their hands, and their lives improve, they will naturally be more willing to spend money."

"When the market prospers, merchants make money and will continue to invest and expand production. In this way, won't the entire country's economy be revitalized?"

At this point, Lu Yan suddenly leaned closer to Chen Qingwan and asked mysteriously:

"Miss Chen, do you think what I said is right?"

Chen Qingwan was startled by his sudden approach.

I instinctively flinched back, almost falling off the chair.

She steadied herself and said with a forced smile:

"Lord Lu's insight is truly admirable; I am deeply impressed."

Lu Yan laughed heartily and poured himself another glass of wine.

"Come, come, Miss Chen, let's have a toast! For the people of this world, for this beautiful land!"

Chen Qingwan forced a smile, raised her wine glass, but in her heart she was calculating:

Once we get back to the capital, we must thoroughly investigate Lu Yan's background!

Was he genuinely naive or just pretending? If he was pretending, what was his purpose?

Setting down her wine glass, Chen Qingwan composed herself and tentatively asked:

"Lord Lu, if... I mean if, you were to become a higher official, how would you govern this land?"

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow, pretending to be deep in thought, and stroked his chin as he said:

"If I become a high-ranking official..." He deliberately dragged out his words, whetting Chen Qingwan's appetite.

"First, I need to make a quick buck..."

Chen Qingwan almost spat out another mouthful of wine. This...this really is an honest person!

She shook her head, both amused and exasperated.

"Lord Lu, can you...can you be serious for once?"

Lu Yan chuckled.

"Just kidding, just kidding. But seriously, if I were really made a high-ranking official, I really wouldn't know what to do."

"However, one thing I am certain of is that I will definitely make people live a good life."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Chen Qingwan became interested, leaned forward slightly, and stared intently at Lu Yan.

Lu Yan cleared his throat and said seriously:

"First, we must reduce taxes and levies to alleviate the burden on the people, vigorously develop agriculture, and ensure that the people have enough to eat."

"We must encourage business development so that people can make money."

"Finally, and most importantly, we must severely punish corrupt officials and show absolutely no leniency!"

Chen Qingwan nodded repeatedly as she listened.

Although Lu Yan seems carefree and unreliable, he's actually quite capable when it comes to serious matters.

She couldn't help but look at Lu Yan with newfound respect, her eyes revealing admiration.

"Lord Lu, what you have said are indeed good policies for governing the country. However, they are easier said than done."

Lu Yan shrugged.

"We have to do it, even if it's difficult. What will happen to the people if we don't? We can't just stand by and watch them suffer, can we?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!