Chen Qingqing's lips curled up slightly; Zhou Jingyuan's move was truly masterful.
I wonder how these wealthy people will react when they hear they want their land. I bet they'll just yell at her and send her packing.
“It’s wonderful that everyone supports the princess so much. In that case, I’ll get straight to the point.” Zhou Jingyuan cleared his throat and continued, “Her Highness believes that the most urgent task for the people of Anyang to live a relatively prosperous life is to solve the land problem, so that every family has land to cultivate and every household has surplus grain. Therefore, she hopes that all the wealthy people can give up their land and distribute it to those landless people.”
These words immediately caused an uproar in the reception room.
"What? You want us to hand over the land? Absolutely not!"
"Yes, Lord Zhou, this land is our lifeline. Without it, what will we eat?"
"That's right, it's understandable that the princess wants to win people over, but she can't touch our land!"
“That’s right, our family’s land is the family property accumulated by my ancestors bit by bit. How could I possibly give the land to those poor bastards? That would be out of my mind!”
"That's right. No matter how ruthless or black-hearted Qin Shousheng was in the past, he never had any designs on the land we own. Now, suddenly a princess appears and comes up with such a terrible idea. Isn't this just bullying people by taking advantage of her status as a princess?"
"Yes, this is bullying the weak. Even if you cut off our heads, we won't agree. At worst, we'll swear a blood oath and go to the capital to appeal to the emperor."
Fan Tong didn't react at first, but after hearing Zhou Jingyuan's words, he was completely shocked.
He never expected that Chen Qingqing would set her sights on the land they owned.
Those lands are the legacy of our ancestors; we cannot agree to them, no matter how much we try.
He made up his mind but didn't say anything.
Upon hearing this, Fan Hun became restless. In his mind, Chen Qingqing's extraordinary abilities made her seem like a god.
Ever since that last time he inexplicably started losing hair, it almost scared him to death.
After being cured, he vowed that Chen Qingqing was his reborn parents, and he would repay her life-saving grace by doing anything for her.
He suddenly stood up. "That's a great idea! I agree! I'm willing to give the land to the princess."
The sudden shout silenced the once noisy council chamber instantly.
All eyes turned to Fan Shenquan.
Fan Tong's head suddenly swelled three times larger, and he stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.
"Young Master Fan, what do you agree with?" one of them asked.
Fan Hun looked unconvinced and said, “I think the princess cares about the people and is wholeheartedly dedicated to bringing them benefits. This is a wise move, and I agree with it.”
Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately began to criticize him.
"What good is your agreement? In the whole of Anyang, your Fan family has the least amount of land. What are you pretending to be so knowledgeable about? Let me tell you, if you're willing to give your land to those poor bastards, then go ahead and do it. Don't drag us down with you."
"Your father hasn't even given his opinion, so how dare you, you brat, spout nonsense?"
"That's right, if your Fan family wants to die, don't drag us down with you!"
"As expected of the eldest son of the Fan family, isn't he a once-in-a-century spendthrift!"
Fan Hun, his face flushed, gritted his teeth and retorted loudly, having been scolded.
"Say whatever you want, I wholeheartedly agree with this idea."
Fan Tong finally came to his senses, trembling with anger, and really wanted to slap Fan Hun a few times.
Isn't this a complete spendthrift?
Land is our lifeline. Without land, what will we eat and drink?
Although Chen Qingqing saved their family's life, they can't just squander all their family's wealth!
He glared at Fan Hun and couldn't help but shout angrily, "Hun'er, shut up! You have no right to speak here!"
After saying that, he looked at Zhou Jingyuan with a smile on his face, "My son has never seen much of the world. He was just talking nonsense. Please don't take offense, Lord Zhou."
Zhou Jingyuan had anticipated these people's reactions. They were all greedy and would never give up their land to others.
Zhou Jingyuan sighed and quickly tried to comfort him.
"Please calm down, everyone. It's not as serious as you're making it out to be. The princess's actions are for the sake of relieving the worries and bringing happiness to the people of Anyang."
Think about it, if people have land, they can eat their fill and work in peace, and then Anyang will prosper.
Furthermore, we won't take your land for free. We will purchase it at market prices. You get the money, and the people get the land. This is a win-win situation.
"We've lost all the land, so what's the point of sharing profits or winning anything? Princess Anyang has gotten all the fame and fortune, while we've lost everything. Are we just fooling some idiot?"
"That's right, we don't want money, and we won't sell the land."
"Yes, we won't sell it even for money. If those poor bastards have land, who will still work for us and risk their lives? This is clearly cutting off our source of income!"
"That's right. Even if she's a princess, you can't just take it by force. I would never give this land to those poor peasants, no matter how many times I try to expound it."
"Lord Zhou, let's just have a small get-together today and tell some jokes. There's no room for negotiation on this matter."
Seeing the crowd's resistance, Zhou Jingyuan inwardly groaned, but maintained a forced smile on his face.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Her Highness has made up her mind. I hope you can understand her good intentions and also think about the people of Anyang."
“We understand her! Why doesn’t she understand us? Our family business has been passed down from generation to generation. Why should we give our land to those poor bastards? That’s nonsense!”
"That's right. Those poor people are destined to be poor for generations, suffering generation after generation, and it's impossible for them to turn their lives around. Even if you give them land, they'll still be poor and hungry. They'd be better off buying a couple of piglets instead. Saying such absurd things is just pure fantasy."
The crowd was chattering away, one person saying something after another, which gave Zhou Jingyuan a headache. He quickly waved his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet.
"Don't rush, everyone. We're not asking you to give the land away to the people for nothing. These fields were purchased by the government. Each mu of land, regardless of its condition, will be compensated with twenty taels of silver. As long as you bring the land deed, we'll settle the cash payment immediately."
Think about it carefully. The best fertile land on the market costs only fifteen taels of silver per mu. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. From now on, the land will be under the unified management of the government. You will get the money and be saved the trouble of managing the land. It's a good thing.”
"Pah! We wouldn't sell even if you gave us a mountain of gold!"
"What nonsense! What kind of princess is she? She doesn't know anything! Land is our life. Without land, what will we eat and drink? This is utter rubbish!"
"Exactly! What a terrible idea that princess came up with! If she really cared about the people, she would have exempted Anyang from taxes. Instead, she tried to take advantage of us. It's just too immoral."
...
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