80. Repatriated to their place of origin
"I'm your mother's only younger sister."
"Didn't Your Highness bring the Crown Prince's tutor to Jinzhou along with you? Why don't you just ask the tutor?"
"Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened. I'd like to hear what you have to say." Shi Ye picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Shen Suqin gently stroked the rim of the teacup with his fingertips, thought for a moment and said, "What I said may not be entirely correct, Your Highness, please take it with a grain of salt. The matter of equal land distribution in Jinzhou is basically settled. If there are any drawbacks, that will be ten or twenty years from now, so there's nothing to talk about."
"I want to know how the equal-field system should be implemented after leaving Jinzhou?"
Shen Suqin shook his head: "There is no solution. The reason why things went so smoothly in Jinzhou is because everyone who should have fled and everyone who shouldn't have fled fled. There are no powerful families, nobles, or large landowners monopolizing the land, and there is a lot of unclaimed land, so it can be forcibly distributed equally. Outside of Jinzhou, land grabbing is rampant, and your power cannot suppress the powerful families, so thinking about it is useless."
"As for taxes, previously it was a poll tax, but now with the land equalization decree, everyone has land, so there's no need for major changes."
"But the poll tax is limited in amount, and the national treasury has been empty for a long time. Relying solely on the poll tax is far from enough."
"Then nationalize salt and iron and levy taxes uniformly."
Daliang had official salt and iron reserves, but the quantity was extremely limited, and most of them were controlled by local gentry or powerful families.
They amassed wealth from the salt and iron taxes of Daliang, enriching themselves while starving the national treasury.
How to collect it?
Shen Suqin raised an eyebrow, a smile in her eyes: "If there's no rush, we can wait for His Highness to ascend the throne and issue his own decrees to make reforms; if there is a rush, then we can send the Black Flag Army south to persuade them one by one."
Shi Ye chuckled. Shen Suqin's second idea was nothing short of a combination of threats and outright robbery—quite ruthless.
“Sometimes I feel that the girl doesn’t seem like someone from our era.” He said earnestly.
Shen Suqin asked calmly, "What does Your Highness mean?"
"There is no woman in the Great Liang like you."
What am I like?
Shi Ye carefully chose his words: "intelligent, decisive, learned, ruthless yet kind."
Shen Suqin lowered her guard and joked, "Perhaps I am sent by Heaven to save Your Highness? Is there anything else Your Highness would like to know?"
Shi Ye's eyes darkened. After a long while, he lowered his gaze and said in a low voice, "How do you think we should encourage farming and sericulture?"
"If the benefits are returned to the people, they will be more motivated to farm and make money."
"You mean no taxation?"
"What will you eat if you don't pay taxes?" Shen Suqin asked curiously. "It would be good if you didn't arbitrarily increase taxes."
"The imperial court has never arbitrarily levied taxes on the people, has it?"
Shen Suqin curled her lip, "It seems that Your Highness's years of travel in Daliang were really just a cursory glance. Do you know how many people will jump out to try to profit from a government decree from its issuance to its implementation? Therefore, even the best tax policy depends on its actual implementation. You know, local officials, relying on the fact that the emperor is far away, dare to increase the tax from 30% to 70%."
Shi Ye's face was grim. "If the Great Liang really has such parasites, no wonder it's declining."
"Your Highness, do not be discouraged. Take it one step at a time, and one day we will restore order to the Great Liang."
Shi Ye laughed from the bottom of his heart. Every time he chatted with Shen Suqin, he felt extremely comfortable.
"Sometimes I really envy Xiao Jin'an," he remarked.
"As long as Your Highness has the money, I will also do my best."
Shi Ye waved his hand, "I can't afford the money you want. It's fine for me to mooch off you like this."
Shen Suqin gritted her teeth: "Next time Your Highness wants to chat with me, it won't be so easy."
"It's alright, I'll remember to bring enough money next time."
————
Inside the General's Mansion.
Aunt Zhao's heart pounded as she was startled by Xiao Pingchuan's roar of the four words "propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame."
Zhao Yunxiang was so frightened that he burst into tears.
Aunt Zhao felt heartbroken upon hearing this. She had doted on this daughter since she was little, providing her with the finest food, clothing, and daily necessities. She couldn't even bear to raise her voice at her, let alone let her cry like this.
"My dear child, don't cry. Your crying breaks my heart."
With tears welling in her eyes, she looked at Xiao Pingchuan: "I am your mother's only younger sister, and Yun Xiang is your only cousin. Can you really bear to punish us for the sake of your future?"
"You're the one who failed to properly educate your daughter, so why should I clean up her mess?"
"What heinous things could a little girl like Yun Xiang do to deserve that you treat her like a criminal? Yun Xiang is your own cousin, you can't bear to see her suffer, can you?"
Xiao Pingchuan was too lazy to argue with her. He simply beckoned someone over and ordered, "Send the two of you back to your hometowns, and then exile them."
exile!
Zhao Yunxiang was stunned.
She was just confused for a moment, how could she have implicated her whole family?
She stared blankly at her mother, who was in a daze, and struggled toward her, sobbing, "Mother, Mother..."
This wasn't her idea alone.
Originally, they had come north specifically to see the Crown Prince. After meeting him, Zhao Yunxiang was immediately smitten by his outstanding appearance and eloquence, as well as his kind attitude towards her.
But who knew that her momentary impulse would lead to her entire family being exiled?
"Take the man away, don't stop for a moment, send him straight out of the city," Xiao Pingchuan said.
"It is the general."
"Also, gag them."
And so, Zhao Yunxiang and her daughter were discreetly escorted out of the city, awaiting the exchange of travel documents upon returning to their hometown before being sent to Lingnan overnight.
After dealing with the Zhao mother and daughter, Xiao Pingchuan had someone summon Yuanxiang.
Yuanxiang roughly guessed why Xiao Pingchuan wanted to see her. She lowered her eyes and came in. Before Xiao Pingchuan could get angry, she knelt down and admitted her mistake, saying, "Yuanxiang will never dare to do it again. I've changed."
Xiao Pingchuan's gaze turned cold: "I gave you a chance before, when I sent Miss Zhou back to Yongluo; this time you instigated people to use my power to get close to the Crown Prince, do you know that this will backfire?"
"I didn't expect Miss Zhao to be so bold."
Xiao Pingchuan waved his hand, "Starting today, you will take Aunt Jiang south to the capital to help me guard the General's Mansion in the capital. If you decide to quit and want to get married, I can prepare a dowry for you and send you off in a grand wedding."
Yuanxiang immediately deflated, collapsed to the ground, and stopped arguing.
Before the start of summer, Yuanxiang and Aunt Jiang set off for the capital, and it's unknown when they will return.
Shen Suqin only learned the next day that Xiao Pingchuan had sent off everyone he was supposed to, and that he himself was about to set off for Liangzhou.
She knew that Xiao Pingchuan was worried that these people would cause her trouble again after he left, so he cleaned things up once and for all.
However, this time Shen Suqin did not intend to leave him alone. She had coveted Liangzhou for a long time and wanted to see it for herself.
So she went to Xiao Pingchuan and said, "Take me with you."
"I went to investigate the situation."
"That means there's no danger. I'm going to Liangzhou to investigate the land and climate conditions and see which piece of land is suitable for growing cotton. It's a serious matter."
Xiao Pingchuan had always known that the cotton she was cultivating was very important, and since she had brought it up, there was no reason for him not to cooperate.
Therefore, he relented and said, "Every time there is a severe drought, there will be popular uprisings. I can take you there, but you must stay close to me and not wander off."
"Don't worry, I'll follow the general's orders."
Xiao Pingchuan chuckled helplessly, knowing full well that he couldn't possibly control her.
The next day at daybreak, Xiao Pingchuan led his team to set off.
This time, they didn't bring many people, just the regular guards who stayed behind in the mansion, about ten people in total, all on horseback, running at lightning speed.
This time, Shen Suqin did not ride in a carriage, but rode a horse with them. The official road heading south was still full of potholes, but the fields on both sides of the road were crisscrossed and lush with greenery, which was much more vibrant than a year ago.
They were still within Jinzhou territory, under a vast and clear sky. Shen Suqin glanced around, then spurred his horse to Xiao Pingchuan's side and said, "It seems the Equal Fields Decree is indeed effective."
“That’s natural. Even barren lands like Yiyang County are now green, let alone here,” Xiao Pingchuan replied.
"I hope this autumn will be a bumper harvest."
Yes, it will.
The group continued south, crossing the border between Jin and Liang prefectures, where farmland gradually became barren.
Especially upon entering Liangzhou, one immediately feels the dry heat of the surrounding air, and the grass underfoot gradually turns from green to yellow, eventually withering into dry grass.
As you walk further on, the area gradually becomes deserted.
Looking around, millions of acres of fertile land have become barren wasteland, with millet lying sparsely on the ground, and the seeds that have grown are not plump at all.
Everyone dismounted to inspect the situation. Shen Suqin bent down, picked up a few millet grains, rubbed them between her fingers, and then let out a long sigh.
“There is a Lishui River in Lishui County, which runs through the entire Liangzhou. If even this place is so dry, it goes without saying that other places are in even worse condition,” Xiao Pingchuan said. “Let’s go and see what happens further ahead.”
Shen Suqin nodded.
The group walked for most of the day before finally spotting a village in the distance.
Shen Suqin was about to walk in that direction when Xiao Pingchuan stopped her and beckoned someone over, instructing, "Go and scout ahead first."
A short while later, the man returned and silently shook his head.
Xiao Pingchuan gritted his teeth and said, "Let's continue on our way."
"Aren't you going to take a look?" Shen Suqin asked.
"No need."
"Why?"
Xiao Pingchuan was silent for a moment, then hesitated before replying, "They're all dead. There's no one alive."
Shen Suqin took a step back, unable to describe the feeling in her heart.
After a while, just as the group was about to leave the village, she suddenly stopped and calmly said to Xiao Pingchuan, "Take me to see it."
Xiao Pingchuan turned to look at her.
"I want to go and see."
"......good."
And so, Xiao Pingchuan led her into the village alone. What they saw was an old man, skin and bones, lying on his doorstep. Probably because there was not much water in his body before he died, his body quickly dried out and his face was grotesque.
Almost every household has someone who has died, mostly elderly people with limited mobility...
An unsettling silence hung over the village. Shen Suqin stared blankly for a moment, then turned to Xiao Pingchuan and asked, "Do you know how many counties have been affected by the disaster?"
"I don't know yet," Xiao Pingchuan shook his head. "We came here to investigate this matter, and then we will report it to the imperial court, and someone will take care of it."
"But there were many twists and turns in the process, and by the time the imperial court arrives to rescue us, we don't know how many more people will die."
Xiao Pingchuan sighed: "There's nothing we can do about it. Human strength is limited, and we dare not fight against fate."
Shen Suqin fell silent.
"Let's go, we still have many places to go."
"Um."
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