Chapter 460 Land Policy

The carriage slowly approached the grain field in Qingquan Township where taxes were collected.

But I saw a temporary table set up in an open space, and several clerks in black uniforms were busy working.

The team moved forward slowly, the air was filled with the fragrance of new grain, but also mixed with the smell of sweat and dust.

When it was an old man's turn, he tremblingly took off the heavy sack from his shoulders.

The clerk stepped forward and scooped up the golden grains with a wooden bucket.

The wooden bucket was filled to the brim, and the grains formed a pointed hill.

At this time, another clerk holding a flat wooden ruler came forward and, with an expressionless face, quickly scraped the edge of the bucket with the ruler.

With a "swish", the top part of the grains were swept to the ground, where they had piled up like a mountain.

The old man's lips trembled, and a trace of regret flashed in his turbid eyes, but he said nothing.

He just lowered his head silently, as if he had already gotten used to this kind of scene.

Not only him, most of the people waiting in line around him looked numb.

Looking ahead with empty eyes, or staring at the ground beneath his feet.

They have become accustomed to this blatant "waste" and have accepted it.

Qin Minghuang watched the scene quietly through the gap in the car curtain. Her phoenix eyes were calm, yet deep and unfathomable.

Qin Zhaoyue also put away his lazy attitude, his eyes fell on the swept grains and the numb faces of the people, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Xiao Liu," Qin Minghuang's voice was low, breaking the silence in the car, "Do you know why that clerk insisted on doing this?"

"For what else? Exploitation at every level, lining one's own pockets."

"Not entirely." Qin Minghuang shook his head slightly.

“The tax quota set by the imperial court is fixed, but the grain is collected from the fields and transported to the government warehouse.

The long journey, carriage and shipping, manpower expenditure, and even rat bites and insect damage were all considered reasonable losses.

Part of the scraped-off 'tip' may go into his own pocket, while the other part will be used to fill these holes."

"Is that so..." Qin Zhaoyue thought thoughtfully. She had never thought about these things.

"Then do you know why the imperial court's taxes, sometimes high, sometimes low, are distributed to every household, and most people work year-round just to make ends meet, rarely getting a chance to eat meat?"

Qin Minghuang's gaze was still looking out the window, his tone was calm, but he raised a heavy question.

Qin Zhaoyue did not answer immediately, she had some guesses in her mind.

She is not sure about the exact proportion of land actually controlled by ordinary farmers.

But she understood one thing: the risk resistance of the lower-class people was extremely fragile.

Once faced with natural disasters or man-made disasters, the final choice when left with no other options is often to sell the land passed down from ancestors and become a tenant farmer dependent on others.

For them, the difference between the high and low taxes levied by the imperial court may not be as big as they imagine.

Because the harvest that ultimately falls into their hands is often determined by the rent paid by the landlord.

When the harvest is good, the landlord will increase the rent; when the harvest is bad, the rent may not necessarily decrease.

The largest landlords in the world are none other than the four great families that were once deeply intertwined with each other.

Qin Minghuang did not insist on Xiaoliu giving an answer.

She heard her daughter's intermittent thoughts, and it was rare for her to think of this.

She believed that Xiaoliu had probably guessed what she was going to do next.

It was recorded in the secret files of Xuanjiwei that after the four major families were captured, the handling of the huge real estate under their names was temporarily shelved, which was precisely due to Xiaoliu's order.

Simply pointing this out is enough to illustrate the problem.

The demise of the four great families, in addition to releasing a large amount of annexed land, also had another most direct effect - killing the chicken to scare the monkey.

If even the deeply rooted aristocratic families can be moved, then why can't those landlords and gentry of various sizes spread across various states and counties be moved?

Once the northern and southern borders are completely at peace, she will return to Fengjing and begin to promote this long-planned event.

This was the second fundamental national policy she planned after the expansion of the imperial examination system.

Now, the conditions are finally ripe.

If the third and fourth brothers were sharp enough, they would have been racking their brains over how to draft relevant strategies.

This topic is so huge that even a small move can have a far-reaching impact.

It involves land policies, tax reforms, grain merchant regulation, grain transport management, local governance, and the redistribution of interests among countless families.

In addition to formulating a detailed strategy, who will take the lead and how to supervise its implementation are also difficult problems.

Qin Minghuang had a vague idea in his mind and was unwilling to leave the matter entirely to Xuanji Guard.

So, who in the court can take on this important task?

While thinking, her eyes unconsciously glanced at Xiaoliu beside her again.

Perhaps, leaving this matter to Xiaoliu is the "simplest" way.

With her abilities and the strength gathered around her, she might be able to carry it out smoothly.

But this is destined to be a long and difficult process. With Xiaoliu's impatience and impatience, he probably won't be able to endure it.

Oh... never mind, we need to think about it in the long run.

The carriage slowly drove away from the barnyard.

The roadside grain shops are at their busiest at this time. In addition to buying and selling grain, there are also transactions of exchanging fine grains for coarse grains.

Many farmers work hard to grow rice, but they are reluctant to eat a bite of white rice. Most of them switch to brown rice and coarse grains which are more filling.

Even so, one can still see simple smiles on the faces of some people.

This year, Tianxuan Dao had favorable weather and good harvests, and was not affected by major floods.

If you have a few acres of land of your own and have a slight surplus after paying taxes, you might be able to buy a piece of mutton to reward yourself for your hard work in the autumn harvest.

Without staying too long at the grain field where taxes were collected, the carriage slowly passed through Qingquan Township as if on a horse-drawn tour.

Passing by the solemn and majestic county government office with its blue bricks and gray tiles;

Passing by a bustling market filled with the sounds of hawkers, the air is filled with the smell of fruits, vegetables, cooked food, and livestock;

Passing by the rural school where the sound of reading could be heard, the young and serious faces were seen in the windows;

Passing by a quiet farm with curling smoke and the sounds of chickens and dogs;

Passing by fields that had just been harvested, leaving only neatly arranged rice stubble, the fields seemed somewhat empty...

In this way, the carriage carried them through Qingquan Township and continued to their next destination.

In this way, we walked slowly and made turns, seeing all the autumn colors and understanding the people's sentiments.

As the Cold Dew season passed and the Frost Descent approached, the weather became colder day by day.

The official road was covered with withered yellow leaves, and they finally set out on the journey back to Fengjing.

When the towering Fengjing city wall finally appeared on the distant horizon, the familiar outline became clearer as the carriage approached.

The city gate was lined with people and carriages waiting to enter the city, making it noisy and lively.

Qin Zhaoyue looked at the familiar scene, feeling mixed emotions and his thoughts were in turmoil.

On this journey south and back north, I experienced many ups and downs and saw the mountains, rivers and people. At this moment, only this one thought is extremely clear:

Finally... home.