Chapter 453 Who in the world doesn't know Shen Lanxi!
Some clever women in the harem took advantage of the grain storage policy to uproot the green plants in the courtyard and plant vegetables and grains instead.
When the palace servants were gossiping about it, Emperor Renxiao overheard them. Everyone thought the emperor would be furious, but to their surprise, Emperor Renxiao not only wasn't angry, but also thought the concubine's fertility was quite good, so he even promoted her rank and favored her for several days in a row.
In the harem, there were many opportunists who changed their allegiance at the slightest provocation, and in an instant, all the concubines followed suit.
Even Consort Shu had to grit her teeth and curse inwardly while ordering her beloved crabapple and peony trees to be uprooted and replaced with crude and vulgar plants.
Everyone knows that His Majesty wants to use the Yue Kingdom to gain some prestige, and no one wants to spoil Emperor Renxiao's mood at this time.
The situation on the barren mountain side went smoothly, but things were not so peaceful at the mass grave.
When the first wave of public resentment arose, Shen Lanxi personally led troops there.
"Whoever is causing trouble, step forward before me!"
Shen Lanxi, dressed in official robes, exuded an imposing aura without being angry.
The dozens of people who had gathered together to protest were immediately too frightened to utter a sound.
"Why don't you stay right here in the capital? Go to the north!"
“The north was previously drought-stricken, leaving large tracts of land vacant. Now that you’ve moved there, each person will be allocated twenty mu of land, so you won’t have to fight tooth and nail for even a tiny plot of land in mass graves.”
Was that a relocation? No, that was exile!
“We’re not going. Our relatives are buried in the mass graves. What right does the imperial court have to level our relatives’ graves?”
“My family’s ancestral graves are all here. This is not a mass grave; these are my family’s ancestral graves. Even if the imperial court is short of food, it cannot act like this. It is simply forcing us common people into submission. Aren’t they afraid of breaking the hearts of the people?”
Shen Lanxi: "You're dressed like a farmer, yet you speak eloquently. You keep trying to sow discord between the court and the people. Could you be a spy sent from somewhere?"
"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly. If it is indeed a spy trying to harm my Great Zhou, we will show no mercy."
"Once discovered, their entire family will be implicated!"
"yes!"
The man who had been speaking so righteously just moments before was dumbfounded. How did he suddenly become a spy, and how did he implicate his entire family?
"The court is tyrannical, the court is unreasonable..."
Liu Yan raised her voice to cover the crowd: "Congratulations! The first batch of migrants has been announced. All his relatives and clansmen, get ready to set off for the north to settle down within three days!"
The dozens of people gathered were all related, and they were all furious when they heard that their future destination had been decided so hastily.
"My lord, spare our lives! We were just protecting the remains of our ancestors, what did we do wrong?"
"Just ask the adults, how would you feel if your family's cemetery were bulldozed?"
Shen Lanxi: "The imperial court has already issued a notice to relocate the graves in the cemetery where the graves are owned, and the imperial court will provide certain compensation."
"We gave you all time, but you ignored it. Now that the date has arrived, you're causing trouble. Do you think the court officials have no power at all?"
Liu Yan replied, "Don't just stand there. If you want to collect the remains, hurry up now. If not, go home and pack your things. In three days, soldiers will personally escort you to the north!"
The rioting citizens were dumbfounded.
Isn't the law about not punishing the masses? With so many of them causing trouble, does the imperial court really dare to deal with them all?
Before they could even complain again, the officers and soldiers took action.
Shen Lanxi glanced coldly over them: "Who else is stopping me?"
"Step forward!"
"The north has plenty of mountains and forests, but it lacks people to go there and reclaim the land."
With heavy military force suppressing the unrest, who would dare to cause trouble?
In no time, Shen Lanxi's reputation for arrogance and viciousness spread throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Along with the infamy came a series of land reclamation policies issued by the Ministry of Revenue.
These regulations once again propelled Shen Lanxi's name throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, and now even in the most remote and impoverished corners of the country, people knew of Shen Lanxi's name.
Unlike her infamous reputation in the capital, the common people there all spoke well of Shen Lanxi.
They were given seeds and grain without any payment. After they cleared the land, they only needed to pay a small amount of grain, which was no different from giving the land to them for free to cultivate.
They had been paying taxes on the land allocated to them by the imperial court for years, which was already barely enough to make a living. In recent years, the taxes had increased, making their lives even more miserable. If the regulations promulgated by the imperial court were not changed in the future, they could work harder and then they wouldn't have to go hungry anymore.
There might even be some left over!
I heard that the person who issued these regulations was a woman? Her name is Shen Lanxi.
What can a woman do? What does it have to do with ordinary people? They only care about filling their stomachs. Who sits on top is none of their business.
...
"Shen Lanxi cleared out the mountains and forests, and she also dug up the mass graves. Everyone is watching to see how she conjures up grain seeds!"
The court officials held back, waiting for this very moment.
It was Shen Lanxi who unilaterally offered to provide the people with free grain seeds. If she couldn't produce them, she wouldn't be able to explain herself to the officials or the people.
Those troublemakers are not as easy to talk to as His Majesty. If public resentment rises, even if His Majesty favors Shen Lanxi, he will still have to deal with her.
"We don't need to do anything, just wait for Shen Lanxi to get herself into trouble!"
While Zhou Ruyuan was busy dealing with the two rebel kings' envoys, he took the time to meet with Shen Lanxi.
"Stop immediately, apologize to your father, and make peace with the Yue Kingdom. If you continue like this, you're only digging your own grave!"
Zhou Ruyuan couldn't understand how someone as intelligent as Shen Lanxi could take such a disaster upon herself.
She's practically courting death!
Shen Lanxi looked speechlessly at Zhou Ruyuan, who was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
"This is my business, why is the Prince of Zhennan in such a hurry?"
Zhou Ruyuan said urgently, "Only those who truly care about you will stand up and dissuade you at this time."
Shen Lanxi chuckled and said, "Is it possible that they trust me to do it?"
Zhou Ruyuan froze, then thought, "Impossible."
Given Shen Lanxi's scale of operations, how much grain would it take to flatten such a vast territory as the Great Zhou?
Those were grains that were simply immeasurable in number; even if Shen Lanxi had extraordinary abilities, she couldn't accomplish that!
"Don't be angry anymore. Even if you back down now, this matter won't be resolved so easily. I will speak on your behalf before the Emperor and the officials. You just need to sincerely admit your mistake."
"Perhaps they won't hold it against you because you admitted your mistake so well!"
Shen Lanxi laughed as she listened.
"Then I really have to thank Prince Zhennan."
Zhou Ruyuan didn't detect the sarcasm and thought Shen Lanxi had given in. His expression softened, and he said gently, "You are a woman. They are being too harsh on you, which is also against gentlemanly conduct!"
Shen Lanxi was so angry she laughed. How could he be so grateful for her female identity at this moment? If Zhou Ruyuan had too much water in his brain, he could pour some of it into the north, where the people would surely be grateful to him.
As for her safety?
"My affairs are none of the concern of Prince Zhennan. Although we are officials in the same court, this little bit of colleagueship is not enough for Prince Zhennan to speak to me in such a tone!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
