The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Jiao Tong stood to one side, his mouth slightly open, watching Pan Yun, carrying a black cat on his shoulder and a long sword on his back, slowly descend from mid-air.

The Three Treasures Cauldron landed on the platform with a thud, and she leaped down before it.

Xue Shao addressed the shocked soldiers and civilians, saying, "This is thanks to the Imperial Advisor. Cao Rong's misfortune was entirely due to the Imperial Advisor's help. Otherwise, if they had transferred the embezzled funds, the country and the people would have suffered heavy losses."

"Now that all the embezzled funds have been confiscated, all the military households who lost their land due to Cao Rong's coercion over the years can reclaim their own military land!"

Upon hearing this, a deafening roar erupted: "Imperial Advisor! Imperial Advisor—"

The most excited people rushed to the front and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly to Pan Yun.

The spirit realm was beeping frantically, and the previously slow-moving blue merit bar began to visibly move forward.

Pan Yun was deeply moved by the roar of the mountains and the surging waves.

That's what it means to repay kindness!
The people are so kind to her, how could she bear not to repay them in some way?
To ensure the well-being of all people, the nation must become prosperous and strong.

Only a wise ruler can make a country rich and strong.

Pan Yun's gaze was sharp. He took two steps forward, raised his hand to stop their tsunami of praise, and said loudly, "His Majesty is already aware of what has happened here. He is deeply saddened. Since the time of Emperor Taizu Gao, military households have been the first line of defense for our Great Ming. Defending the country and protecting the land is the duty of soldiers, and all soldiers come from military households."

“The sons of military households paid more, so Emperor Taizu gave them more!” Pan Yun said, “With the military farms, the sons of military households did not have to pay taxes, but instead paid military rations. The military rations we paid supported ourselves, our comrades, and our brothers and sisters! The sons of military households had access to education, housing, and medical treatment… These were all blueprints set by Emperor Taizu for the sons of military households, but unfortunately, the country’s strength was limited at the time, so they could not be fully implemented.”

"But now, with the nation's strength rising, as long as we work hard, these things are entirely achievable," Pan Yun declared loudly. "Your Majesty is willing to work together with all the military households to realize the Emperor Taizu's wishes as soon as possible!"

The soldiers were filled with excitement, and even the children of civilians who came to join in the fun couldn't help but tug at their fathers' sleeves and say, "Father, I want to join the army! I want to become a soldier!"

His father's excited face froze, and he calmed down, turning around to slap his head: "Shut up, do you think it's so easy to become a military household? It's just a pie in the sky, something you can see but can't touch, let alone eat."

Before he could finish speaking, Pan Yun said from the high platform, "His Majesty has issued an edict."

Pan Yun took out the imperial edict that the emperor had written for her before she left the palace from her sleeve. This edict was originally intended for Xue Shao, but Xue Shao gave it to her and asked her to read it aloud on the stage.

Pan Yun unfolded the imperial edict and found the classical Chinese text too convoluted, so he simply spoke in plain language: "His Majesty has decreed that next year, the military rations for the garrisoned troops in Guangdong will be reduced by 30%. This year, each adult male household will be allocated five dou of grain, and each half-adult male and female male household will be allocated three dou of grain, as provisions for winter food."

The scene fell silent, and then the soldiers knelt down, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" At this moment, the new emperor reached his peak in the hearts of the soldiers and civilians of Guangdong.

Pan Yun smiled slightly and looked at Xue Shao.

Xue Shao smiled broadly, and when he saw her looking at him, his eyes overflowed with joy. He then looked at Jiao Tong, who was standing not far away.

Jiao Tong looked at him silently, his thoughts a jumble of emotions.

After the publicity was over, everyone started to get down to business. The military households lined up according to their military settlements, took their household registration documents, gave their names, and received their new land deeds.

Xue Shao, together with the remaining officers and soldiers of the Commandery and the county government's household registration office, basically returned the land that had been forcibly seized from the military households to them in its original state.

Those fields that couldn't be reclaimed were instead allocated a nearby plot.

As long as you follow the land deeds, you're sure to find it, and the military garrison manager will also help with the measurement and confirmation. After the land deeds are issued, you can turn around and go next door to receive the newly issued farm tools, winter provisions as required by the emperor, and some seeds.

In Guangzhou Prefecture, it is possible to plant melons, beans, and various vegetables in winter because the garrison soldiers are endlessly exploited and have no time to tend to their own vegetable gardens.

Now that the heavy burdens of Cao Rong and others have been lifted, everyone can plow the land and plant vegetables.

Growing vegetables, beans, and melons not only provides food for our own consumption but also allows us to sell them.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not prohibit the sons of military households from engaging in business or taking the imperial examinations. As long as each military household had one adult member who enlisted in the army, the rest could choose to cultivate their own farmland, study for the imperial examinations, or go out to do business.

It could be said that the children of military households actually had relatively more freedom.

If a household engages in commerce, it will be labeled as a merchant. Craftsmen suffer even more, as they cannot move around freely and must serve in the military year after year.

If it weren't for the frequent wars in the Ming Dynasty, which meant that military households' children had to go to the battlefield, this would have been the most popular household registration.

However, the newly allocated landowners felt as sweet as if they had been given honey, and they couldn't wait to carry their spears and swords to the battlefield to fight for the emperor and the Ming Dynasty. They didn't think it was a bad thing for them to go to the battlefield as military households.

Jiao Tong looked at all this and felt even more complicated: "What we have been working hard for many years to achieve, the Imperial Preceptor accomplished as soon as he appeared."

Song Hao asked in surprise and doubt, "My lord, is that really the Imperial Advisor?"

"Who in the world would dare to impersonate the Imperial Preceptor? Who would dare to falsely convey an imperial edict?" Jiao Tong glanced at him and said, "Even in front of you, me, and Imperial Censor Xue."

Song Hao stared at Pan Yun on the stage and murmured, "Is he really the Imperial Advisor? The Imperial Advisor is so young..."

Jiao Tong stared at Pan Yun. He had met Pan Yun once before, but it was only a brief encounter in the capital.

At the time, Pan Yun was, in his eyes, the daughter of Pan Hong, the censor in the Xue Xuan case.

Unexpectedly, the two bitter children who once sought justice for their fathers and uncles in the capital have now become the Imperial Advisor and the Censor, respectively.

The two who once fought side by side still stand side by side today.

Jiao Tong said to Song Hao, "Don't think about Cao Rong's embezzled money anymore. Do your best to help Xue Shao clean up the mess."

Song Hao was startled: "Sir, there's still a shortfall of 200,000 taels in Guangzhou Port. The official road from Guangzhou City to Guangzhou Port needs to be widened, and the preliminary estimate is that there's still a shortfall of 13,000 taels. Not to mention that the Guangzhou Maritime Trade Office only bought bricks, and these expenses..."

Jiao Tong interrupted him: "Let's think of another way. Most of this money is with the Imperial Advisor. Since Xue Shao dared to record it clearly in the account book and let the Embroidered Uniform Guard keep it, it's clear that he didn't want to embezzle the money with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but rather to bypass us and send it back to the national treasury. Do you think you can get the money out of the Emperor's hands and the Ministry of Revenue's pockets?"

Song Hao couldn't help but mutter, "Cao Rong is the Guangdong Military Commander, and he has embezzled a huge amount of money. This ill-gotten money clearly includes the hard-earned money of the people of Guangdong. I have no objection to appeasing the military households, but how can the rest be entirely confiscated and put into the national treasury?"

Jiao Tong frowned.

Song Hao refused to give up, nagging incessantly in his ear: "Guangzhou Prefecture is in dire need of funds right now. Besides Guangzhou Port and the official roads everywhere, education also needs to catch up. My lord, the imperial court is promoting the popularization of elementary education and plans to open many community schools. Our education in Lingnan is already inferior to that of Jiangnan and the Central Plains. If we fall behind in community schools, I'm afraid there won't be any Guangdong students on the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations." (End of Chapter)