The horse-drawn carriage slowly approached the grain threshing ground in Qingquan Township where taxes were collected.
On a vacant lot, a table had been temporarily set up, and several clerks dressed in black robes were busy at work.
The team moved slowly forward, the air filled with the fresh scent of new grain, but also mixed with the smell of sweat and dust.
When it was an old man's turn, he shakily unloaded the heavy sack from his shoulder.
The clerk stepped forward and scooped up the golden grains of rice with a wooden scoop.
The wooden container was filled to the brim, and the grains piled up to form a small, pointed hill.
At this moment, another clerk holding a flat wooden ruler stepped forward and, expressionless, quickly scraped along the rim of the container with the ruler.
With a "whoosh," the protruding grains were swept to the ground, where they had already piled up like a mountain.
The old man's lips trembled slightly, and a trace of regret flashed in his cloudy eyes, but he said nothing.
She simply lowered her head silently, as if she had long been accustomed to this scene.
Not only him, but most of the people waiting in line around him had blank expressions.
Staring blankly ahead, or staring at the ground beneath their feet.
They've become so accustomed to this blatant "loss" that they've resigned themselves to it.
Qin Minghuang watched this scene quietly through the gap in the carriage curtain. Her phoenix eyes were calm and undisturbed, yet unfathomably deep.
Qin Zhaoyue also abandoned her lazy demeanor, her gaze falling on the swept-away grains and the numb faces of the people, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
"Xiao Liu," Qin Minghuang's deep voice broke the silence in the carriage, "do you know why that clerk insisted on doing this?"
"What else could be the reason for this, with layers of exploitation and embezzlement?"
"Not entirely." Qin Minghuang shook her head slightly.
"The tax quota set by the imperial court is fixed, but the grain is harvested from the fields and then transported to the official granaries."
The long journey, the cost of transportation by carriage and ship, the manpower, and even the damage caused by rodents and insects were all considered reasonable losses.
Some of the scraped-off 'sharp' material may have gone into their own pockets, while the rest was used to cover these losses.
"I see..." Qin Zhaoyue seemed thoughtful; she hadn't thought of these things.
"Do you know why, even though the imperial taxes are high or low, when they are distributed among every household, most people work hard all year round and barely manage to fill their stomachs, rarely getting to eat meat even a few times a year?"
Qin Minghuang's gaze remained fixed on the window, her tone calm, yet she posed a weighty question.
Qin Zhaoyue did not answer immediately; she had some guesses in her mind.
She didn't know the exact proportion of land that was truly in the hands of ordinary farmers.
But she understood one thing: ordinary people at the bottom of society are extremely vulnerable to risks.
When faced with natural disasters or man-made calamities, and with nowhere else to turn, the last choice is often to sell the land passed down from their ancestors, thus becoming tenant farmers dependent on others.
The difference between the amount of taxes levied by the imperial court might not be as significant to them as they imagined.
Because the harvest that ultimately ends up in their hands is often determined by the landlord's rent.
When the harvest is good, landlords will raise rents; when the harvest is bad, rents may not necessarily decrease.
The largest landowners in the world were none other than the four powerful and intertwined families of the past.
Qin Minghuang did not insist that Xiao Liu provide an answer.
She heard her daughter's fragmented thoughts, and it was already remarkable that she could think of this.
She believed that Xiao Liu probably already guessed what she intended to do next.
The secret files of the Xuanji Guard record that after taking over the main families of the four great families, the handling of their vast real estate holdings was temporarily put on hold, which was due to Xiao Liu's order.
Simply pointing this out is enough to explain the problem.
The destruction of the four great families, besides releasing a large amount of land that had been annexed, had another direct effect—to make an example of them.
If they can even touch deeply rooted aristocratic families, what can't they touch about the landlords and gentry of all sizes scattered throughout the prefectures and counties?
Once the northern and southern borders are completely at peace, she will return to Fengjing and begin to promote this long-planned major event.
This was the second fundamental national policy she planned after expanding the imperial examination system.
Now, the conditions are finally ripe.
If the third and fourth sons were perceptive enough, they would already be racking their brains over how to draft relevant strategies.
This is a very large topic; affecting one part will have far-reaching consequences.
It involves land policy, tax reform, grain merchant regulation, canal transport management, local governance, and the redistribution of interests among countless families.
Besides formulating a comprehensive strategy, the question of who should lead it and how to supervise its implementation is also a challenge.
Qin Minghuang had a vague idea in her mind and was unwilling to completely hand over the matter to the Xuanji Guard.
So, who in the court is capable of shouldering this important responsibility?
While she was thinking, her gaze unconsciously drifted to Xiao Liu beside her again.
Perhaps, handing this matter over to Xiao Liu is the "simplest" solution.
With her abilities and the support she has gathered around her, she may be able to implement it successfully.
But this is destined to be a long and difficult process, and given Xiao Liu's impetuous nature, he probably won't be able to endure it.
Sigh... never mind, we need to think about this more carefully.
The carriage slowly drove away from the valley.
The grain shops along the roadside are at their busiest at this time of year, not only buying and selling grain, but also exchanging fine grains for coarse grains.
Many farmers work hard to grow rice, but they can't bear to eat a single grain of white rice themselves, and mostly switch to brown rice and other grains that are more filling.
Even so, you can still see simple smiles on the faces of some ordinary people.
This year, the weather in Tianxuan Road has been favorable, resulting in a good harvest, and it has not been affected by major floods.
If one has a few acres of land of one's own, and after paying taxes there is a slight surplus, one might be able to buy a piece of mutton to reward oneself for the hard work of the autumn harvest.
Without lingering at the tax collection threshing ground, the carriage slowly traveled through Qingquan Township, as if taking a quick look around.
Passing by the county government office with its blue bricks and gray tiles, solemn and dignified;
Passing through the bustling market filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares, the air was thick with the smells of fruits, vegetables, cooked food, and livestock.
Passing by the village school where the sound of reading aloud could be heard, one could see young and earnest faces inside the window.
Passing by a tranquil farmhouse where smoke rises from chimneys and the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard;
Passing by fields that had just been harvested, leaving only neat rows of stubble, the fields appeared somewhat empty...
And so, the carriage carried them through Qingquan Township, continuing on to their next destination.
Traveling slowly and meandering along the way, we took in the autumn colors and observed the lives of the people.
As the solar term Cold Dew passed and Frost's Descent approached, the weather grew colder day by day.
The withered yellow leaves covered the official road, and only then did they finally embark on their journey back to Fengjing.
As the towering walls of Fengjing finally appeared on the distant horizon, their familiar outlines became increasingly clear as the carriage drew closer.
The city gate was bustling with people and carriages waiting to enter the city, a lively and vibrant scene.
As Qin Zhaoyue gazed at the familiar scene, she was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, her thoughts churning with turmoil.
Having traveled south and returned north, experiencing many hardships and witnessing the beauty of the land and its people, at this moment, only one thought remains crystal clear:
Finally... I'm home.
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