Huan Yue frowned.
Xie Zhou comforted his wife, saying, "Now the Bai people can't hold their heads up high."
Huan Yue glanced at him. What was she worrying about?
Xie Zhou blinked, wondering which one his wife was worried about.
Huan Yue was just speculating wildly: "In times of peace and prosperity, the population increases; in times of chaos, the population decreases. Neither of these methods is humane. In times of chaos, people die from war and disaster. In times of prosperity, the population increases, but there is only so much land. If land is reclaimed indiscriminately, it will damage the environment. Once the population exceeds a certain limit, there will be a shortage of food, and fighting for food will inevitably lead to conflict."
Xie Zhou instantly fell into deep thought.
Huan Yue said, "Dynastic changes are all a violent reshuffling of the system. What appears to be a prosperous era has already sown the seeds of disaster. The common people are always poor, and it's good enough if they can have enough to eat and wear. Most of the wealth is concentrated in certain places, and its acquisition is not necessarily legitimate. Various sins, land annexation, and consolidation occur. In the end, only violence can break the cycle."
Xie Zhou pulled his wife to sit down in Jixian Pavilion and began to speak slowly.
He also wanted to be a wise ruler, a wise ruler for all time!
Huan Yue said it casually and shouldn't be taken seriously: "It's not necessarily better for the royal family to have more children. They have to be supported by the common people, and they still don't have enough to eat. Few of them are capable on their own. So, at the beginning of the dynasty, it's like going into battle lightly, but it becomes heavier and heavier as it goes on. If we want to avoid the cycle, we have to find a solution. For example, the system of granting titles of princes. After five generations, the princes are pardoned or killed, and after six generations, the relatives are exhausted. This system must be implemented. The title of prince can only be inherited for a maximum of five generations, and then it will be managed by the royal family, giving opportunities to those who work hard."
Xie Zhou nodded, agreeing that there was some truth to it.
Huan Yue said, “Just like in the court, there are only so many people, no matter how much the population of the country increases. The royal family is like giving only thirty princes. If there are more people, there will be competition. Or they can just give titles, a kind of honor. In short, it is to reduce the burden and give more opportunities to those who are ambitious. The royal family always gets some benefits than others.”
Xie Zhou probably knew. He was treating the imperial family as if they were part of the imperial court.
Huan Yue, with his eyes closed, said, “The common people have many problems, but there are things that need to be done. We advocate having fewer children, but we won’t force them. However, we’ll set a standard of two able-bodied men per family, with heavy taxes for families with three, and even heavier taxes for families with four. We can consider reducing or exempting taxes for families with only one able-bodied man, to create a balance for everyone. Families with many male members are also more likely to cause trouble or oppress others. Implementing this will also be a problem, but it will take a long time to have an impact. A family with three able-bodied men, three sons to six grandsons, will be a very large family.”
Xie Zhou nodded: "If we make him pay more taxes, he'll be scared."
Huan Yue said, "Families with many sons usually have heavy burdens, such as getting married and needing a house. If you want them to have fewer children, you need to consider all aspects. For example, give them a reward if they get married after the age of twenty. Give women a reward or tax exemption if they get married after the age of twenty. Also, consider women's property rights and the issue of female households, so that families with daughters but no sons will not be anxious."
Xie Zhou calculated: "People usually get married at fifteen and have at least one child by the time they are twenty. If they postpone getting married, they will have one less child."
Huan Yue nodded: "Moreover, people are more mature after the age of twenty, and the children they have can be raised well. Of course, there is another way, to expand outwards and go beyond the Great Zhao. But having fewer children is very important."
Xie Zhou stared at his wife.
Huan Yue closed his eyes, feeling quite at ease.
Xie Zhou felt that she had hit her head quite hard.
There's a reason why people want more children.
But from a holistic perspective, control is necessary.
If there are too many people and no food, they will starve to death. Isn't that tragic?
Eating is a big problem.
Huan Yue knew that it was difficult to get people to have fewer children. But no matter how difficult it was, it had to be done.
Xie Zhou knew: "Actually, not every family wants to have so many children."
Huan Yue said, "Many families don't have many children. But having one more child in a family is a huge burden overall. Therefore, we need to increase grain production, cultivate the land well, and find better food."
Xie Zhou asked, "Is this what Your Majesty meant by 'going out'?"
Huan Yue denied it: "I didn't say anything."
Shut up, I wasn't talking about her.
Xie Zhou was amused and hugged his wife, thinking it over carefully.
First, we need to do what needs to be done.
Power is in our hands.
Then reason with them to strengthen their authority.
Xie Zhou said, "The royal family is born without worries, so naturally they have no motivation. Or they spend all their time scheming. We need to put more pressure on them."
Huan Yue said, "It's not the sheep's fault, it's that there wasn't a pack of wolves behind them."
Xie Zhou understood: "The royal family has basic protections, and then there's a pack of wolves."
Huan Yue said, "Our ancestors were able to conquer the world, and their descendants always produce a few outstanding individuals in each generation."
The Emperor has arrived.
Huan Yue and Xie Zhou quickly went to greet the emperor.
After taking a stroll around the Qing'e Palace, I went out to the Liubei Hall.
This is a photo of him when he was the crown prince.
Huan Yue followed the sage in his remembrance.
The main hall of Liubei Hall has five bays, but it is very large, enough for the Crown Prince to entertain guests.
There is water flowing from a lotus pond in front of the hall, and on the east side, one can enjoy the flowing water and the game of "floating wine cups".
To the east is an open and exquisite little garden with artificial hills, trees, and a pavilion. If you want to drink outside, the area around the pavilion is the best place.
There are side halls on the left and right sides of the main hall, and there is also a rear hall at the back. The whole place is quite spacious.
In the past twenty years, very few people have come.
The general structure remains unchanged.
He asked, "Erlang, you've learned how to grill meat?"
Xie Zhou quickly said, "I just learned it, so it's not very good."
Today, he happily said, "Let's grill it right there in front."
Okay, no one dares to object.
Huan Yue looked on, thinking, "Is the Emperor here to watch his son roast meat?"
Today, she's called a "hand player".
Huan Yue blinked; she was certain she would lose anyway.
The hall was spacious, and the furniture was casually placed near the window, which was also cool.
Xie Zhou sat next to his wife, intending to cheat.
The man glanced at his son and asked his daughter-in-law, "Do you think it's better to have many sons or few?"
Huan Yue laughed and said, "Things are valued for their rarity. Three or five good sons are ideal, ten or so is just right. Too many would be too noisy, too few would be too quiet."
The question nowadays is: "What if you have many sons?"
Huan Yue said, "It is a joyous occasion to have a good harvest. However, human energy is limited, and nothing can be accomplished without rules."
The question asked today is: "What kind of rules would you set?"
Huan Yue didn't understand, but what about running a company? Anyway, she racked her brains: "You'd need one person to handle daily affairs, one to handle important matters and the overall direction, and one to oversee things. Like the Three Departments and Six Ministries, or even within a family."
The question today is: "What about managing important matters and the overall direction?"
Huan Yue nodded: "These people don't participate in daily life, or they have established daily rules."
Okay, let's continue playing.
Huan Yue regretted his move.
This is quite amusing.
Huan Yue remained unfazed, regretting his actions three times but still losing.
I am very happy today.
King Peng and King Zheng stood obediently to one side.
Today, he asked, "Why are you all here?"
The eldest son, Peng, replied, "My second brother invited me here."
The emperor was displeased: "You've forgotten about me."
Xie Zhou quickly said, "Qing'e is timid."
The lesson we learn today: "Now that you're successful, you always use your wife as a scapegoat."
Xie Zhou replied, "Thank you, Father Emperor, for finding me a good wife."
The saying goes, "A good wife isn't someone you use as a scapegoat."
Wen Miao came over and stood with Huan Yue.
Today, looking on with satisfaction, he said, "Da Lang is a fool, but he has a fool's luck."
Prince Peng hurriedly declared, "Your subject's greatest blessing is having Your Majesty."
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