Zhou Jingyuan paused for a moment, then smiled awkwardly, “Your Highness, Anyang is indeed a major producer of salt, and the profits from salt are quite substantial, but the management authority belongs to the Salt Commissioner, and I have no right to interfere.”
Chen Qingqing was speechless for a moment. She coughed twice and asked, "What does the Emperor Emeritus mean by giving me the poorest county?"
Human greed is insatiable; she's like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. So much tax revenue from so many lands goes to her, and she's still complaining.
It should be noted that there are still many people in Anyang who are not getting enough to eat.
They toil in the fields year-round, their sweat dripping onto the ground and shattering into eight pieces, all for a bite to eat.
In the end, after paying land rent and taxes, the grain they obtained could only be eaten as bran and wild vegetables every meal.
Zhou Jingyuan shook his head and sighed softly, "Actually, Anyang County is not poor. The land is very fertile. It's just a pity that the good land is in the hands of a small group of people. Renting their land requires paying a lot of rent, which is why the people of Anyang are not clothed and not fed."
Chen Qingqing nodded. The lives of ordinary people under the feudal system were indeed very difficult.
But she, coming from the modern era, was very lucky. China was prosperous and strong, and all the land was distributed to the members of the commune. Everyone had land to cultivate and everyone could have enough to eat.
Although most of the grain was handed over to the state when the country was first established, everyone had a responsibility to contribute their efforts when the country needed it.
Now that I am the ruler of Anyang, if I can centralize the management of privately owned farmland and then rent it out to the people at low prices, it should solve the food problem.
I just don't know if this idea can be implemented.
Chen Qingqing looked up at Zhou Jingyuan and smiled faintly.
"Lord Zhou, I have heard about what you have said. I have a bold and hopeful idea that I would like to try. I don't know if it is feasible. I hope you can enlighten me."
Zhou Jingyuan misunderstood Chen Qingqing's meaning again, thinking she was up to some trouble again and causing trouble for the people, and his tone was somewhat distant.
"What does the princess intend to do? Please enlighten me."
Since meeting Zhou Jingyuan, although he was quite respectful to her on the surface, his tone and body language revealed his dissatisfaction with her.
Did I offend him? Or did he think of me as a villain who oppresses the people?
To completely change someone's perception of another person, you must prove it with your abilities; otherwise, it's all just empty talk.
Chen Qingqing remained calm and composed; from now on, she would be the local tyrant of Anyang.
Since he is a local tyrant, he should ensure that the people of Anyang live a prosperous life and make it a paradise on earth.
She smiled faintly and spoke her mind.
“Lord Zhou, since the Emperor has bestowed Anyang upon me, I have an obligation to ensure that the people of Anyang live a prosperous life, have money in their pockets, and have enough to eat every day.”
Zhou Jingyuan's eyes lit up immediately. He had misunderstood; this Princess Anyang was not at all like he had imagined.
His tone was tinged with urgency, "Your Highness, is that really what you think?"
Chen Qingqing nodded solemnly, "As the saying goes, 'The people are the foundation of the nation, and food is the most important thing for the people.' Although Anyang has a vast territory, most of its people still go hungry."
The land was in the hands of a few people, while most people had only a small amount of land or no land at all.
My idea is to pool all the fertile land together and then rent it out to the people at a low price. Do you think this method is feasible?
Zhou Jingyuan had never heard of such a bold idea before, and he was instantly shocked.
If land could be centrally managed, ensuring that all the people of Anyang have land to cultivate, it would certainly be a good thing.
But how could those wealthy landowners and gentry possibly hand over their land to the government for management?
He calmed down from his agitation and shook his head regretfully.
"The princess's idea is good; it's a great thing for the people of Anyang."
However... however, implementing it is as difficult as climbing to heaven.
The wealthy landowners in every town considered their land their lifeblood; how could they possibly hand it over so easily!
"I know this is not an easy task, but in order for every family to have land to cultivate and surplus grain, we must give it a try."
Chen Qingqing knew this matter would be fraught with difficulties, but she didn't intend to give up. She casually added,
"Tomorrow, inform those large landowners that the government is buying their land at a high price. As long as they are willing to hand over their land to the government for unified management, they can be allowed to invest in any good industries in Anyang in the future."
“This…” Zhou Jingyuan looked troubled, hesitating to speak.
Chen Qingqing smiled faintly, "Lord Zhou, please speak frankly and don't hesitate."
Zhou Jingyuan gritted his teeth and voiced his concerns, "Putting aside whether the wealthy people agree to sell the land, our Anyang government is dirt poor. Forget about buying land at a high price, we can't even come up with five taels of silver per mu!"
Chen Qingqing frowned and pondered. If one mu of land was worth twenty taels of silver, and Anyang had more than 30,000 mu of fertile land, that would be more than 600,000 taels of silver.
What if the emperor gets displeased one day and revokes her title of princess? Wouldn't she be at a disadvantage?
No, we absolutely cannot hand over the land to the county government to manage; it's safer to keep the land deed ourselves.
She chuckled, "Lord Zhou, as long as they are willing to sell the land, I will take care of the money, but the land deed must belong to me."
Land grabbing—openly and legitimately grabbing land under the guise of the county government!
If the fertile land were put in her name, she would surely exploit the people even more ruthlessly than those wealthy landowners.
As soon as Chen Qingqing finished speaking, Zhou Jingyuan had this thought in his mind.
His brows furrowed tightly, and he spoke coldly, "So that's what the princess is thinking. I'm afraid I cannot comply."
Chen Qingqing immediately understood the meaning behind his words, and gave a cold laugh.
“Lord Zhou, you think too badly of me. More than 30,000 mu of land is worth more than 600,000 taels of silver. With that much money, I could never spend it all in several lifetimes.”
If it weren't for my concern for the people of Anyang, what use would so much fertile land be?
My restaurant, sugar mill, and clinic all rake in money every day. Why would I need to go through the government to buy land?
Zhou Jingyuan was rendered speechless by these words.
Yes, Chen Qingqing's sugar mills are all over the Great Ning Dynasty, and white sugar is the royal supplier. Why would she care about a mere ten thousand acres of fertile land?
It seems I was truly judging others by my own petty standards.
Once he understood this, Zhou Jingyuan quickly bowed and apologized, "It was my misunderstanding, please forgive me, Your Highness."
“You are also thinking of the people, so I don’t blame you. Please arrange this matter as soon as possible and let the county government handle it. Once spring plowing begins next year, the people will have land to cultivate.”
"Yes, I will invite the wealthy merchants from each town to the county government as soon as possible." Zhou Jingyuan's tone was sincere, his previous prejudice gone.
Chen Qingqing is indeed different from other young ladies; if she were a man, she would surely have achieved great things...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
