The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 554: The Duty of Monarch and Subject
In the imperial study, the flame in the bronze lamp flickered slightly, stretching Qin Shou's figure long and casting it on the screen painted with mountains and rivers. The secret letter that Li Ru had just presented in his hand was as heavy as a thousand pounds, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

"What a 'legal transaction'!" Qin Shou suddenly threw the secret letter on the rosewood table, shocking the eunuch Wang De standing beside him. "70% of the fertile land in Guanzhong belongs to the court officials. This is the peaceful and prosperous era they have given me!"

Prince Qin Chengqian stepped forward and said, "Father, calm down. Is this secret report from Lord Li true? I remember that Grand Secretary Gu often said at the court that his family only had a hundred acres of thin land."

"One hundred acres?" Qin Shou sneered, took out a blue booklet from the drawer of the desk and threw it in front of the prince, "Look for yourself! Gu Yong alone owns 500 hectares of good farmland in Lantian County, and his clansmen own thousands of hectares! And Jia Xu, Zhong Yao, my most trusted ministers, which one of them doesn't own tens of thousands of hectares of good farmland?"

Xun You and Zhou Yu exchanged glances. Xun You showed a trace of embarrassment on his face. The Xun family had also purchased a lot of land in Guanzhong, and Xun You also had a lot of it in his name.

Zhou Yu coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty, the most difficult ones are the merchants like Mi and Zhen. They use gold and silver to open the way, not only to bribe local officials, but also to form an alliance of interests with ministers in the court. Secret reports show that the Mi family alone has purchased 800 hectares of high-quality irrigated land in Guanzhong in the past two years."

The brothers Mi Zhu and Fang were famous businessmen with even more land under their names. With Zhen Mi around, it was common for the Zhen family to buy high-quality land.

A flash of lightning flashed outside the window, and the sound of thunder came closer and closer. Qin Shou walked to the window, looked at the palace wall washed by the heavy rain, and said in a terrifyingly low voice: "How did the previous dynasty fall? Wasn't it because of land annexation and people's misery! Now these termites are going to push my Tang Dynasty into the abyss!"

"Your Majesty, this matter requires long-term consideration." Xun You folded his hands and said, "One move can affect the entire body. Many ministers in the court have marriage relations with aristocratic families. If you act rashly, I am afraid it will damage your majesty's wisdom."

"I know what you are worried about." Qin Shou turned around, his eyes flashing with coldness, and snorted coldly: "But because of this, we must cut the Gordian knot quickly. Send Li Ru!"

The eunuch turned around, and Xun You's face became even more embarrassed.

"Gongda, I didn't say that you are not allowed to buy land, but you have bought too much! If you include the fiefdom, what do you want so much land for?" Qin Shou glanced at Xun You. Xun You was at the top of the list.

"I deserve to die." Xun You blushed.

At three o'clock in the morning, the rain gradually subsided. Li Ru, the Left Imperial Censor-in-Chief, hurried into the palace, his official robe soaked by the rain. After hearing the emperor's order, this capable official known for his iron fist couldn't help but change his expression.

"Your Majesty wants me to investigate all the land in Guanzhong? This... will probably cause a stir in the court and the country."

"What I want is a shock!" Qin Shou slammed his palm on the table, and the teacup jumped up an inch. "Tomorrow morning, I will announce the establishment of the 'Land Clearing Office'. You will be the chief, and the prince will assist. Within three months, I want to see the detailed ownership of every inch of land in Guanzhong!"

Li Ru took a deep breath, glimpsed the prince's pale face, and said with a stiff face: "I dare to ask, if it is found that the land owned by the ministers in the court exceeds the quota,

"Check first, and then talk about it after that." Qin Shou said with a frown.

In fact, facing so many ministers, Qin Shou didn't know what to do.

Qin Shou was reviewing memorials at his desk. Suddenly, there was a slight sound of footsteps outside the palace. The old eunuch Wang De came in with his body bent and whispered, "Your Majesty, Father-in-law Cai has entered the palace."

Qin Shou paused with his red brush and frowned even more tightly: "Why is Cai Qing entering the palace at this time?" He put down his brush and rubbed his swollen temples. "Announcement."

Soon, a white-haired old man walked in slowly, supported by palace servants. Although Cai Yong was over seventy years old, he was dressed in a neat and new robe, with his back straight. But his hands, which once could distinguish the subtle sounds of the zither, were now trembling slightly.

"Your Majesty, your old minister is here to pay his respects." Cai Yong wanted to perform the ceremony, but Qin Shou quickly stepped forward and supported him.

"Don't be so polite, father-in-law." Qin Shou personally helped the old man to sit down, turned around and told the eunuch, "Go and get the Mengding Ganlu that I have treasured."

Then he said to Cai Yong in a gentle voice: "The father-in-law is old. If you have anything to say, just let the servants pass on the message. Why bother coming here in the rain?"

Although this father-in-law has retired, he still enjoys a very high reputation in the court and the country.

Cai Yong took the teacup but did not drink it. He looked at Qin Shou with an old gaze and said, "I heard that Your Majesty wants to conduct a thorough investigation of the land in Guanzhong?"

The smile on Qin Shou's face gradually froze. He turned around and walked back to the imperial desk and sat down, his fingers unconsciously stroking the secret memorial on the desk, nodded, and said, "It seems that Zhong Yao and his men are moving faster than I thought.

He immediately understood that Cai Yong's visit to see him this time must have been the intention of several important ministers.

Cai Yong smiled bitterly in his heart, and immediately took out a bamboo slip from his sleeve with trembling hands: "I heard that Your Majesty wanted to implement the policy of clearing the fields, so I came to present the old notes of "Salt and Iron Theory"." His skinny fingers lightly touched the four words "Rest with the People" on the bamboo slip, and sighed: "The disaster of Sang Hongyang back then was because he acted too hastily."

Qin Shou stared at the bamboo slips without saying a word. He certainly knew why Cai Yong came to see him.

There was a drumbeat outside the window, and Cai Yong suddenly started to cough violently, with blood streaks on his handkerchief. Qin Shou was shocked, but saw the old minister waving his hands and saying, "I don't have much time left. Today, even with my broken body, I will help Your Majesty to solve this dilemma."

"Land annexation in Guanzhong is indeed a chronic problem, but if we use thunderous means to deprive them of everything," Cai Yong panted and pointed to the landscape map on the screen, and said with a wry smile: "These ministers followed Your Majesty in the battles, and the scars are still there. They are certainly wrong, but Your Majesty cannot be so ruthless!"

"I understand what the father-in-law said." Qin Shou nodded.

"I, your Majesty, would like to ask you to issue an imperial decree." Cai Yong smiled and continued to persuade, "Allow the meritorious officials to declare their own land, and the excess land can be sold to the government at half the price. This will not only fulfill the loyalty between the monarch and his subjects, but also gradually recover the land."

The moonlight after the rainstorm shone through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the rosewood table. Qin Shou stroked the edge of the folded book with a complicated expression.

"Forget it." Qin Shou sighed, helped Cai Yong up, and said, "Let's follow the father-in-law's plan. But we must add one more rule: from today onwards, officials above the third rank cannot own more than 100 hectares of land. Anyone who exceeds the limit will be beheaded!"

Cai Yong's cloudy eyes were filled with tears. He was about to bow again, but Qin Shou held his shoulders. The emperor looked at the gradually brightening sky outside the palace and said softly, "Do you still remember when you taught me to read the Book of History? 'The people are the foundation of the country. If the foundation is solid, the country will be peaceful.' I have never forgotten these principles."

(End of this chapter)