"Bring it here quickly."

Eunuch Su rushed forward, snatched the letter, and then respectfully presented it to the old emperor.

The old emperor slowly opened the letter, and the moment his eyes fell on the contents, his pupils contracted instantly, and his expression became complicated.

Staring at the words on the paper, no one knew what he was thinking.

...

The next day, during the grand court assembly, the atmosphere in the court remained as somber as ever.

When the officials brought up land reform again, the eldest prince, Li Chengyou, calmly stepped forward.

Crown Prince Li Chengyu stood in front of him, lazily yawning as he glanced contemptuously at Li Chengyou.

In Li Chengyu's view, all his elder brother wanted to say was to oppose land reform and try to get closer to the powerful families. He was already tired of hearing these words and they were nothing new.

After taking two steps to the center of the Golden Hall, Li Chengyou said loudly, "What Father Emperor said is true. Land reform benefits all people. Your son agrees."

As soon as he spoke, all of the Crown Prince's followers stood up and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty's civil and military achievements are brilliant and divine! We submit to your cause!"

"We, your subjects, submit to righteousness!"

Crown Prince: "..."

Other opposition members: "..."

The sudden turn of events stunned the Crown Prince and the other opposition members, especially the Crown Prince, who never expected that Li Chengyou would switch sides at the last minute.

With Li Chengyou's support, the land reform faction quickly gained the upper hand. Seeing this, the emperor immediately issued an edict to remeasure the land after the autumn harvest and carry out land reform.

Upon the issuance of this decree, it felt as if the sky had fallen for all the noble families and powerful clans in various regions.

People all over the world are overjoyed.

Joyful sounds filled the streets and alleys; the people were celebrating as if it were Chinese New Year.

The eldest prince, Li Chengyou, was also very happy. His birth mother, Consort Gao, had been promoted to Imperial Noble Consort and was once again given the Phoenix Seal, representing the Empress in managing the six palaces.

When the Empress learned of this, she was so angry that she fell ill and never recovered. The Crown Prince almost burned down the Eastern Palace.

The political landscape in the imperial court is suddenly shifting, with undercurrents surging.

Outside the imperial court, it was much quieter.

Theater.

Jiang Shuwan leaned lazily against the exquisite chaise lounge, which was framed in rosewood and carved with beautiful patterns, and covered with soft brocade cushions.

As soon as she lay down, all the fatigue of the day vanished.

On the small table in front of her were all the snacks she usually loved to eat. The octagonal incense burner was filled with wisps of fine ambergris. Behind her, a maid was massaging her shoulders.

Jiang Shuwan let out a comfortable groan and glanced at Li Chengyun on her right.

These days, that bastard Li Chengyun keeps bothering her, and she's tried to avoid him several times, but this time she couldn't escape and he brought her to watch a play again.

It's the same theater as last time.

The opera troupe has changed again, and the female lead is a rising star who is very talented.

Jiang Shuwan listened for a long time to the babbling but still couldn't understand it. All she knew was that it was a story about an honest official who outwitted a corrupt official for the sake of ordinary people.

The honest official was exceptionally clever and a righteous and upright magistrate. Even when he was not by the emperor's side, he still managed to bring down the corrupt official who had committed all sorts of evil deeds and harmed the people.

When the corrupt official's head rolled, a burst of applause erupted from the crowd downstairs.

"How can a person's hand stretch out so far?" Li Chengyun suddenly turned to Jiang Shuwan and said.

Jiang Shuwan: "..."

Jiang Shuwan was stunned for a moment, unsure whether Li Chengyun was referring to the play or real life.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Shuwan said, "What? Are you unhappy? No, you seem quite happy."

With the land reform, half of the aristocratic families' world collapsed. Although it's unclear why Li Chengyun dislikes the aristocratic families so much, it's obvious that Li Chengyun's mood has improved recently.

Upon hearing Jiang Shuwan's words, Li Chengyun indeed smiled and said, "I am happy to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight."

After saying that, he looked out the window.

Outside the window, cars and people thronged, and everyone, from vendors to ordinary citizens, wore a joyful expression.

Today is the beginning of autumn, and most of the grain has been harvested. Compared to last year, the harvest is actually 50% less, as the heavy rains before the autumn harvest affected the yield.

However, they couldn't contain their joy at the thought of the upcoming new land law.

They used to register their land under the names of powerful families, seemingly gaining an advantage, but in reality, they didn't pay any less tax; it was just that the tax was now paid to the powerful families instead of the state.

Moreover, during years of famine, when they had nothing to eat, they had no choice but to sell their land at low prices to powerful families and local gentry.

Over time, their land dwindled, and they eventually became landless farm laborers.

The new law will distribute land to individuals. Although it's unclear why there are regulations prohibiting them from buying and selling, taxes will be reduced. From now on, they will only pay the taxes stipulated by the state. If local corrupt officials impose additional taxes, the imperial censors will handle it.

"They say people get more senile as they get older, but I think our Emperor is getting more shrewd with age."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The streets and alleys were filled with the sounds of celebration, and people were also mentioning Pei Yanzhi.

"I heard that the new law was drafted by Prince Pei..."

"Young Master Pei? Is that the young Master Pei who's currently repairing the river? The other noble families must hate him to death..."

"The young master is currently repairing the river, and the various noble families are too far away to intervene. When he returns, they will likely target him."

The people whispered amongst themselves, calculating when Pei Yanzhi would return.

Repairing the river is a huge project, which could take a year or several years. However, the land reform is also inseparable from Pei Yanzhi. The old emperor has ordered him to return to the capital before the snow, and someone will be sent to take over his work.

"We'll go pick up the Crown Prince then."

"Let's go, we'll go too."

Hearing the excited voices of the people downstairs, Li Chengyun's lips curled into a half-smile.

Jiang Shuwan glanced at him briefly, but since she couldn't figure out what he was thinking anyway, she simply ignored it, picked up the script, and ordered a play that Qingxing liked, The Legend of the White Snake.

"Miss still treats me well," Qingxing said with a smile, holding a plate of melon seeds in her hands.

The master and servant ate melon seeds and listened to the opera, and time flew by. Li Chengyou kept looking out the window, and his expression became more and more strange.

Jiang Shuwan became suspicious, wondering what she had seen that made the person look like that.

Then she heard Li Chengyou say to her with a smile, "I heard that your second sister and the Crown Princess have been getting very close lately."

Jiang Shuwan: "..."

Jiang Shuwan was stunned for a moment, then got up and walked over. Sure enough, she saw Jiang Yao accompanying the Crown Princess into a treasure shop.

The Crown Princess, with her discerning eye, glanced at the jewelry on the counter and lost interest, while the two of them kept talking non-stop.

Jiang Shuwan knew that Jiang Yao had been getting close to the Crown Princess recently.

Ever since Jiang Yao found out she was pregnant, she's been like a completely different person. She's put away all her former arrogance and now treats everyone with deference.