Chapter 116 There are talented people left in the wild, and they are in my hands.
After a breath or two, the two maids standing at the door suddenly spoke timidly, "Your servant, your servant..."
Baozhu still had a hint of fear on her face, but she bravely took a step forward and said loudly, "I think what you said is right, my lady!"
Yuzhu has always been reserved and cautious, but after hearing Qingwu's suggestion, she couldn't help but stand up and say, "Now the land around this palace is all yours, and the people on this land are all your subjects. Madam is worrying about this matter for your sake."
Unlike Baozhu, Yuzhu thought more. She felt that what her wife said was right, but she was also afraid that her wife would be reprimanded for this and be disliked for discussing serious matters.
Hearing the protection in her words, Qingwu couldn't help but smile at Yuzhu.
The voices of the two maids startled the others. The village head opened his mouth, wanting to say that this was against the rules. But the land belonged to someone else, so they had their own rules. Furthermore, women could rent land from their owners, which was a good thing for them. Who in the village didn't have two daughters?
After thinking about it, he found nothing to stop it, so the village head simply shut up and looked at Xiao Ji.
Now all that was left was for Xiao Ji to say something. As long as he agreed, the matter would be done.
But Xiao Ji didn't say anything. He just raised his head and looked at Qingwu, with a strange light flashing in his peach blossom eyes.
This was different from the way he admired the lady's courage to speak freely just now. There was no trace of affection between men and women in this look. Instead, it was as if he was sizing up some extraordinary person.
Xiao Ji was indeed surprised that Qing Wu could think of this and had the courage to say it out loud.
To be honest, he had come across similar remarks before, but where had he seen them? In the handwritten notes of his great-aunt, Princess Mingyi.
When he was twelve or thirteen years old, he accidentally broke into the Minghua Palace. Out of curiosity, he looked through the letters left by his great-aunt in the palace.
The notes mostly contained political thoughts, including one about women being able to share land. Of course, the main content of the note was tax reform, which intended to change the tax collection based on the number of people to the number of acres of land.
But that was the daughter of Emperor Yang, Princess Dayu, who could repel the Xiongnu and wield great power in the court. She had been supported by the people of the world since she was born, and could do things that other women could not do. And the lady in front of him—
Xiao Ji didn't mean to look down on Qingwu for her rural origin, it's just... it's just that she grew up in the countryside and the education she received was far inferior to that of the princess, so how could she have such an idea?
Of course, Xiao Ji didn't think that all sages were born in wealthy families, but how come he just happened to meet one?
Thinking about the fate of a clever girl like Qingwu who had come to his side and become his wife, the young man's gaze shifted from admiration for the wise man to one of happiness and contentment.
As everyone was anxiously waiting for Xiao Ji to make a decision, they saw him put down the pen in his hand and hold the hands of his wife beside him.
"There are talented people left in the wild, and they are in my palm."
Such a sentence was suddenly inserted into the serious atmosphere, so abruptly.
But the young man was completely unaware of this. He just kept raising his chin and looking up at the girl. There seemed to be stars twinkling in his eyes, and the word "pride" was written all over his face.
It was as if he was telling everyone how smart his wife was!
Qingwu was stunned for a moment and subconsciously wanted to pull his hand back. Why, why did he suddenly say that outside? If it was just the four of Zhao Tong, it would be fine, but now the village head and several villagers in the distance are also here.
However, Xiao Ji had already grasped her hand tightly. When Qing Wu met his starry eyes, her heart stagnated. She finally realized what his behavior meant.
Then joy instantly overwhelmed the shyness and took over Qingwu's heart, surging like a mountain and a sea.
"You... agree?"
"Of course, what you said is a good idea, and I naturally agree with it."
Qingwu's eyes instantly became moist.
She didn't expect Xiao Ji to accept this shocking suggestion so readily. He was once the crown prince. He must have thought about what kind of precedent this suggestion set and what far-reaching significance it had.
Although it was only being carried out in this village, his status meant that it would be seen by many more people. Moreover, he had not given up on his ambition to conquer the world. If he could return to the palace in the future, this incident would surely be recorded in history. However, whether it would be a compliment or criticism was uncertain.
As if hearing Qing Wu's inner thoughts, Xiao Ji smiled and said slowly: "Also, if I can return to the peak, I will continue to implement this strategy."
Seeing Qing Wu's eyes filled with tears, the young man shook her hand again, "Qing Qing, don't cry, you should be happy now."
Qing Wu smiled and nodded, reaching out to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Only then did she notice that the half-written contract had been stained by the pen that Xiao Ji had put down.
Xiao Ji followed her gaze and chuckled, "That's perfect, let's draft a new one and discuss some details."
He turned to the village head and asked, "What does the village head mean?"
The village head nodded hastily, showing no refusal. Although he didn't understand the meaning of many of the words just now, he knew that the young master had agreed.
Therefore, the later "Jingming Shilu·Nongzheng Volume" recorded:
In April of the twenty-third year of Deyou's reign, the Emperor and Empress were banished to the temporary palace. Seeing the barren land surrounding the palace, they felt sorry for it and summoned the village head to discuss reclaiming it and renting it to the villagers. At the time, Hedong Village had sixty-seven households, few people, and the land was ineffective.
The emperor and the empress personally established the "Hedong Land Contract": First, men and women were granted equal land; second, widows were granted an additional acre, so that orphans and widows would have someone to rely on; third...
When I first visited Hedong, people from neighboring villages came to see me. Within half a year, seeing the prosperity and abundance of rice in Hedong, they flocked to visit and seek help. Ten years later, the population of Hedong Village had tripled.
There is also a record in "Empress Ming Zhao's Political Strategy":
"The empress was intelligent and often discussed politics with the emperor. She advised, 'A country is based on its people, and the people are the mothers. Nowadays, women are looked down upon and many are drowned or abandoned. To correct this evil, we should make it easier for women to be born. Women who are beneficial will survive, and those who survive will raise children, and a large number of children will help meet taxes.' The emperor was deeply impressed and so established a contract, which marked the beginning of the system of granting land to women."
But at this time, the young couple did not know whether they would be praised or criticized by future generations, nor did they know what the future held.
They simply got together and signed two thin contracts with the head of a small village, hoping that the surrounding land would not be wasted, the villagers would have more food, and the good seeds from Jiaozhi could be gradually promoted.
That's all.
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