Thief Emperor

Chapter 1042 A Prosperous Future
After the third prince left, Emperor Li sat in the Ganlu Hall, silently watching his departing figure without saying a word.

From the first year of Zhangwu's reign, or more precisely, from the time he entered the Central Plains until now, he has been sparing no effort in trying to design a reasonable, sustainable, and beneficial system for the people.

However, these conditions are sometimes in conflict, making this matter difficult.

By now, after a long period of consideration, the system of tributary states has been basically established.

While Li Yun may have been harsh on his descendants in terms of titles, he also compensated them in another way.

He would also distribute a portion of the royal assets as shares to his sons, and let them pass them down through generations.

These royal properties and the imperial treasury were not related to the court and were considered Emperor Li's personal property.

This even includes some imperial estates near Luoyang.

These industries are at Li Yun's disposal and have nothing to do with the imperial court. No minister can restrain them, since the imperial court doesn't have to spend money on them.

During the reign of Emperor Zhangwu, the inner court did not spend much money. Moreover, because the imperial treasury was very rich, Emperor Li could not use it all. He distributed some to his sons, which was like a landlord dividing his family property.

This method of division will likely not cause any problems within one or two generations. However, in the distant future, it's possible that an excessively wealthy branch of the royal family might lead to some issues…

Emperor Li could no longer foresee the future, and even if he could, he wouldn't bother to consider it.

After all, in an era where officialdom is paramount, money alone is not of much use; ultimately, power is essential. Therefore, in Li Yun's view, even if problems arise, they will not be major issues.

At this point, Emperor Li had essentially completed the system of tributary states.

This is one of the few systems that was established at the beginning of the dynasty and has been difficult for later generations to shake. The phrase "established by Emperor Taizu" is enough to stop later emperors.

Therefore, the system established by Emperor Li will most likely have lasted throughout the entire Tang Dynasty, until the dynasty was kicked into the grave by its successors.

By the time His Majesty the Emperor came to his senses, it was already midnight. He did not go to the inner palace to rest that night, but simply slept fully clothed in the Ganlu Hall.

The next morning, not long after His Majesty the Emperor had woken up, the Prefect of the Capital, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, and the Director of the Agricultural Bureau came to the palace to request an audience.

After being summoned to the Ganlu Hall, the three men knelt on the ground and kowtowed to His Majesty the Emperor, saying, "Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty."

His Majesty the Emperor had just finished his meal. Upon hearing this, he looked at the three men, especially at the head of the Agricultural Institute, who had dark skin and looked like an old farmer. He chuckled and asked, "What is it that made you three come together?"

The newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Xue Shou, bowed to the Emperor, his face beaming with undisguised joy: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Last year, Your Majesty ordered the new rice varieties from the Agricultural Academy to be promoted in the capital prefecture and some counties and prefectures of Henan Province."

"Currently, some rice paddies have already been harvested."

Xue Shou lowered his head and reported the good news: "These past few days, Chief Hu has traveled to several counties in the capital prefecture to work with the agricultural institute to tally the harvests. This year's average harvest for the same plot of land..."

"It's definitely more than 10% higher than last year!"

Hu, the director of the Academy of Agriculture, knelt on the ground once again, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty, I have not failed Your Majesty's trust, nor have I failed the court's ten years of great kindness."

Prince Jin and Li Zheng, the Prefect of Jingzhao, also stepped forward, bowed, took a deep breath, and said, "Your Majesty, the Jingzhao Prefecture has also sent people to work with the Agricultural Affairs Institute to compile statistics on this matter. What Minister Xue and Director Hu said is true."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Li was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with a radiant smile. He smiled for a while, then looked at the three ministers below and said with a smile, "This is a good thing. The Ministry of Revenue should immediately draft a document to inform the court and the public."

"In a moment, you will inform the Ministry of Personnel to immediately draft an edict promoting Hu Qing to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, while still concurrently managing the Agricultural Affairs Bureau."

Emperor Li paused here, then continued, "The new rice varieties should continue to be cultivated. The new rice varieties that were promoted this year should be promoted to the east next year when they are planted. As for the north and south..."

His Majesty the Emperor said quietly, “The climates in the north and south are different, so we must be careful. Starting this year, the Academy of Agriculture will set up a branch in Hebei Province, Guannei Province, Jiangnan East Province, Jiangnan West Province, and Lingnan Province.”

"Study agricultural matters."

At this point, His Majesty the Emperor remembered something and said, "Now that the court has just been established, the most important issue is not rice cultivation, but land reclamation. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works should cooperate closely to reclaim as much land as possible."

"Furthermore, the figures reported by agricultural bureaus in various regions must be verified by the Ministry of Revenue before they can be counted."

His Majesty the Emperor said in a deep voice: "Anyone who falsifies the figures will be punished for deceiving the Emperor, a crime that cannot be forgiven!"

All three knelt on the ground, kowtowed to the emperor, and bowed their heads in response.

Emperor Li gestured for the three to rise, and said with a smile, "Now that the Agricultural Academy has achieved results, the criticism of me from both the court and the public can finally be reduced a bit."

“The three of you did a great job.”

His Majesty the Emperor smiled broadly: "After I finish arranging the war in the next few days, I will discuss this matter with you in detail."

Currently, both the Privy Council and the Ministry of War are making intensive preparations for war, and the King of Yue will be leaving Luoyang in the next few days to head to Jiannan Road.

Chen Da led the Divine Martial Guard out of the capital in the last few days, so His Majesty the Emperor will be quite busy and unable to leave for the next few days.

The three men bowed in agreement and then bowed their heads to take their leave. However, Li Yun waved to Prince Jin, asking him to stay. After Xue Shou and Hu Yuanzheng left, Prince Jin walked up to Li Yun with a smile and said, "Previously, I didn't believe that the Agricultural Institute could achieve anything, but now it has actually done it. It's truly amazing."

"According to reports from the subordinates of the Jingzhao Prefecture, the harvest on some plots of land has increased by more than 30%!"

Emperor Li said calmly, “Before the five grains were domesticated, they were all like wild grass. They can naturally get better and better, but it will take a lot of time and effort.”

As he spoke, he looked at Li Zheng and asked, "Is the Jingzhao Prefecture busy lately?"

Prince Jin was taken aback, then said in a daze, "Second brother, you know that I am just a figurehead in the Jingzhao Prefecture. Most things are handled by the two junior magistrates and others. They only come to me when they encounter someone they can't afford to offend."

“Hold my signboard high.”

The Prince of Jin held a position of immense power in the court, second only to the emperor. Even the crown prince had to address him respectfully as "Uncle."

With such a status and position, the Jingzhao Prefecture would naturally find it advantageous to utilize them in every situation.

As a result, the prestige of the Jingzhao Prefecture has grown stronger in recent years, and few people in Luoyang dare to offend it.

Otherwise, Prince Jin wouldn't be joking around with you.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Li chuckled and said, "You certainly know how to shirk your responsibilities."

"Since you have plenty of free time, why don't you go back to your hometown after a while?"

Li Zheng was taken aback, scratching his head: "Second Brother?"

“My third son is about to start working. He will first learn from Marquis Changping for a few days, and then you can take him back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors.”

"Finally, let's go see Uncle San one last time."

Emperor Li said quietly, "Third Uncle... his health is getting worse and worse."

Li Zheng frowned but remained silent.

Li Yun continued, "Once you bring Lao San back, you can get him to start doing serious work."

Li Zheng nodded silently, then shook off his annoyance and forced a smile at Li Yun: "Speaking of which, I'm also the third child. It's a perfect match for me, the third child, to bring along the next generation of third children."

Emperor Li remained silent for a while before saying, "This matter is not urgent. Let's proceed next month. This month, let's get the rice seed issue sorted out and spread the word, telling the people of the capital and the whole country."

His Majesty the Emperor looked up at the outside of the palace, his gaze becoming intense: "A golden age is coming."

…………

In the blink of an eye, another ten days passed. During these ten days, Xue Fang, the Marquis of Changping, who had been traveling around for many years, finally returned to Luoyang. Upon returning to Luoyang, his first priority was to visit his seriously ill father at the Prince of Nanyang's residence.

The next day, he entered the palace to see His Majesty the Emperor and told him about his experiences during the past six months, as well as some news and intelligence from the local areas.

More importantly, they reported to the emperor the real-time grain prices in various regions, as well as the local barometers.

Even if Xue Fang is not in Luoyang, this data will be reported to His Majesty the Emperor in a timely manner through the Nine Departments.

These seemingly insignificant, even readily available, data are quite crucial in this era, determining whether an emperor is discerning and shrewd, or whether he is kept in the dark.

Xue Fang stayed in the Ganlu Palace for more than an hour before bowing to the emperor to take his leave and departing.

He had just stepped out of the Ganlu Hall and reached the door when he saw a young man in a purple robe who had been waiting there for a long time. Upon seeing him come out, the young man immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Lord Xue."

Xue Fang was taken aback and looked at the young man.

The young man bowed his head and said, "This junior is Li Cang."

Xue Fang quickly returned the greeting: "So it's the Third Prince, my apologies."

Li Cang lowered his head and said, "My father has asked me to become a student of Lord Xue."

Xue Fang remained silent for a moment, then looked at Li Cang and sighed quietly.

"His Majesty just told me."

"Your Highness..."

He said quietly, "Come find me when you leave the palace tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)