A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

When Su Qingyun erected a three-zhang-long wooden pillar at the south gate of the capital, the onlookers were all dumbfounded.

"What...what is Madam Su trying to do?"

"Wasn't the imperial court supposed to distribute land to those who had rendered meritorious service? Why are they bringing a log instead?"

"Who knows? Didn't the previous dynasty issue plenty of proclamations? Every time, the written word was better than the actual proclamation, but when it came to us, we didn't even get a drop of soup."

A murmur of commotion arose from the crowd.

Su Qingyun raised her hand.

The officer beside him immediately read it aloud.

"His Majesty has decreed that the new military merit system shall be implemented first in Weinan, and then extended to the capital region. All those who join the new military army shall be rewarded for killing enemies, scaling city walls, capturing flags, and beheading generals. Military merits can be exchanged for land, silver, titles, or military registration."

The sound carried out, and the crowd became even quieter.

It's not that nobody understands.

I only dared not believe it because I understood it.

A tall, thin man, his hands covered in calluses, squeezed in front of the crowd and couldn't help but shout.

"Madam Su, let me ask you a question: if I join the army and actually kill the enemy, will I really be given land?"

Su Qingyun looked at him.

"able."

The man's throat moved.

"Not renting?"

"no."

"Isn't this government-owned land meant to be cultivated for a few years, only to be taken back by someone else?"

"no."

Su Qingyun's voice was not loud, but it was very steady.

"The military merit land will be registered under your household. When you die, it will be passed on to your wife and children. Anyone who dares to seize it will be considered as having misappropriated military merit, and their property will be confiscated."

The crowd erupted in uproar upon hearing this.

"Pass it on to your wife and children?"

"Confiscating property?"

"Really?"

"The previous dynasty also said that military households owned land, but in the end, it was all swallowed up by powerful clans!"

Hearing these voices, Su Qingyun felt somewhat calmer.

I'm afraid they won't ask.

Asking indicates that they believe.

I just can't believe it.

This world has tormented people to such an extent that when faced with a way to make a living, the first reaction is always fear that there might be a trap inside.

She placed the bronze plaque on the table and pointed to the wooden pillar.

"Today, the imperial court has established its credibility."

Everyone was taken aback.

Su Qingyun said, "Whoever can move this wooden pillar from the south gate to the north gate will be rewarded with ten taels of silver."

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

The next moment, someone burst out laughing.

"Ten taels?"

"Ten taels for moving a log? Is Madam Su just teasing us?"

"This log is heavy, but it's not impossible for a dozen people to lift it."

Su Qingyun did not explain, but simply instructed the accountant to place ten taels of silver on the table.

The gleaming silver coins immediately caught the attention of the people in the front row.

An old man was holding his grandson and muttering curses at his son beside him.

"Don't go. There's no such thing as a free lunch. They'll say you stormed the city gate and throw you in the army."

The young man had just moved his foot when he pulled it back.

Su Qingyun saw it.

She felt a pang of sadness and a chill in her heart.

The old Wei dynasty truly humiliated the people.

Give them a way to survive, and they'll be afraid of a knife.

"Increase it to fifty taels."

Su Qingyun spoke.

The accountant's hand trembled slightly, but he still added the silver back.

The crowd was in complete chaos.

"Fifty taels!"

"Fifty taels for moving timber? Are you crazy?"

"I'll do it!"

Finally, a burly man gritted his teeth and squeezed out.

He knelt before Su Qingyun, his voice trembling.

"This humble citizen, Chen Erniu, if... if Madam truly gives me the silver, this humble citizen is willing to move."

Su Qingyun looked at him.

"Get up and move it."

Chen Erniu was stunned for a moment.

"that's all?"

"that's all."

Chen Erniu gritted his teeth, called a few fellow villagers, and together they carried the wooden pillar from the south gate to the north gate.

Along the way, half of the capital city followed to watch.

Some people are waiting to see the joke.

Some people were waiting to see the officers and soldiers turn on them.

Some people had already planned that if Su Qingyun reneges on her debt, they would pretend they didn't see anything and quickly disperse.

But just as the wooden pillar was put down, Su Qingyun's carriage arrived.

In front of the entire street, she placed fifty taels of silver into Chen Erniu's hand.

"reward."

Chen Erniu froze, clutching the silver.

He looked down at the silver, then at Su Qingyun, his lips trembling for a long time.

"Really...really giving it to me?"

Su Qingyun said, "If the Xinwu court says it will give it, then it will."

Chen Erniu suddenly knelt down, his head hitting the ground repeatedly.

"This humble subject thanks Your Majesty! Thank you, Madam Su!"

The crowd fell silent.

Immediately afterwards, someone shouted out.

"The imperial court is really generous!"

The sound was like a spark falling into dry grass.

"That's really generous!"

"Are the military merit fields really awarded?"

"Can my eldest son join the army? He's good with a bow!"

"I've fought bandits! Does that count?"

"I don't want a title, I want land! Three mu will do!"

Su Qingyun finally breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the crowd surge forward.

It became.

At least the first step was successful.

What ordinary people want is never complicated.

Food, fields, a way to make a living, and a promise that can be kept.

What the previous dynasty couldn't provide, the new dynasty will.

This is the difference.

She turned to look at the officer.

"Register."

The military officer immediately set up a table.

"Those who wish to join the new military force shall be registered according to their household registration, age, and physical condition. Only sons shall not be forcibly conscripted, and those with elderly or weak family members who have no one to care for them may be temporarily deferred. Unregistered vagrants shall be registered separately. Those who impersonate others shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane, and those who sell their places shall be beheaded."

Upon hearing these words, the expressions of the few people who had originally intended to take advantage of the situation changed.

Su Qingyun saw it all, but she didn't back down an inch.

The military merit system is a way to make a living, not a scam to make people rich.

Once this wound goes astray, the rest will rot away.

The people of the capital were stirred, and so were the powerful families in the imperial court.

The next morning at court, Zheng Wenbai, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was the first to stand up.

"His Majesty is far away in Weinan. The system of military merits is a matter of great importance. Although Lady Su is entrusted with managing finances by imperial decree, how can such important military and national policies be handled arbitrarily by a woman?"

Li Huai sat on the platform, not even lifting his eyelids.

Good guy.

The first blow came to me unintentionally.

He's been feeling really stifled these past few days.

With the implementation of the military merit system, the powerful and wealthy families were indeed uneasy.

What ancestral rules, what titles, what prohibitions against women from interfering in politics—it all boils down to the same thing over and over.

Ordinary people cannot take land.

Those from humble backgrounds cannot be granted noble titles.

People from the countryside shouldn't sit at the same table as them to eat.

On what grounds?

Just because your ancestors were reincarnated?

Li Huai put down the teacup in his hand.

"Minister Zheng, are you saying that Madam Su acted without authorization?"

Zheng Wenbai cupped his hands in greeting.

"I am merely concerned about the state system."

"You're right to worry."

Li Huai smiled.

"Guards, seize him!"

Zheng Wenbai's expression changed drastically.

"Li Huai! How dare you!"

The Imperial Guards rushed up and pinned him to the ground.

Li Huai pulled an account book from his sleeve and threw it at his face.

"The Zheng family owned 8,000 mu of land in Weinan, registered under the names of temples and monasteries, and did not pay taxes for three years. When Luo Shao became king, your family sent 10,000 shi of grain in exchange for 20 salt permits."

He leaned down to look at Zheng Wenbai.

"You oppose the military merit system. Are you worried about the national system, or are you afraid that the imperial court's land reclamation campaign will reach your ancestral graves?"

Zheng Wenbo's face turned pale.

"Disgrace! This is disgrace!"

Li Huai waved his hand.

"The Zheng family's property was confiscated. The male members were sent to the front lines to transport grain, the main culprit was imprisoned, and their assets were put into a new treasury."

The officials in the court felt a chill run down their spines.

This is not over yet.

On the third day, Cui's grain store secretly colluded with seven other grain merchants to delay the transport of military grain from Weinan, reporting in their accounts that the ships were damaged, the horses were sick, and the porters had deserted.

Li Huai led the Imperial Guards to smash open the backyard of the grain store, where they found three hundred new carts, two thousand able-bodied men, and granaries piled high with grain sacks.

The Cui family manager, kneeling on the ground, still remained defiant.

"Prime Minister Li, business always requires a schedule; there's no reason to just leave whenever you want."

Li Huai nodded.