Chapter 506: One Must Try

For people who have lived in Chang'an for a long time, life seems to be the same day after day.

Maybe it's just that there are more merchants entering the city, or it's just that the market price of miscellaneous slaves is lower.

Maybe there are a few new restaurants in East and West Market, or maybe a shop selling ironware has put iron pots on the shelves.

People who go into the city at midnight every day to collect sewage have received subsidies from the government and can buy a few new cars.

Chang'an Shaofu rarely closed Zhuque Street section by section, and it is said that Tian Street will be rebuilt.

Originally, these changes were at least enough to make us talk.

But a new notice posted at Chang'an City Gate at the end of July completely drew the attention of the whole city.

Notices were posted at the city gates, and the emperor distributed punishments and rewards.

The city gate is where Chang'an enters the city, and there are many people coming and going every day.

Therefore, every time there is a new government decree, the government will also post notices here and publish them throughout the world.

Pei Xingjian, who had just returned from riding horses outside the city, wiped the sweat from his forehead and felt particularly fresh looking at the blocked city gate in front of him.

The coursework at Hongwenkan is far from heavy, so students often find other things to do in their free time.

After Pei Xingjian came back from Liangzhou, he simply changed the time he used to practice calligraphy to practicing riding. He took his pony out of the city to run twice every morning, and when everyone was tired, he returned to the city to do his homework. .

In the battle formation, Xue Rengui rode his horse and fired with his bow, and Su Dingfang was able to rush hundreds of miles in a blink of an eye. The two brothers were both good at riding, and Pei Xingjian was not willing to lag behind.

And if you go to the Western Regions, how can your riding skills be worse?

But at this time... Seeing the people at the city gate making as much noise as the East and West Markets around the Chinese New Year, Pei Xingjian also became curious: What happened?

After listening attentively, the surrounding discussions came to my ears clearly:

"...There is no Yongye field. What kind of equal field is this Qinghai Road?"

"What about twenty acres of Yongye farmland? In my opinion, these two hundred acres of heirloom farmland are more reliable!"

"Bullshit! Didn't this bitch's heirloom field change its name to Fenguchi Field?"

"What a talented dog. Your Majesty's decree is clearly written. Heirloom fields can be divided among children. If the fields are not adjacent to each other, the government can measure them and fill the gaps. How come you are illiterate?"

"Damn dog slave, it doesn't matter that I can't read, but I can report it to the government to arrest Naigong..."

Pei Xingjian pinched his brows and took out a few pennies to buy a pony for the owner of the tea stall next to him. He also showed the talisman on hand to prevent him from having any evil intentions.

Then he took advantage of his short body at the age of thirteen and got in. It wasn't until he saw the notice at the city gate that Pei Xingjian realized what had happened.

The notice in front of me is clearly written, and it is the land equalization order issued by the current emperor due to the merger of Qinghai Road into the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

Both the Land Equalization Order and the Renyong Transfer Order were issued in the 7th year of Wude, and people in the Tang Dynasty are no strangers to them now.

Moreover, after the victory over the Turks last year, the current Holy Emperor issued an order to equalize the land from Shuofang to Qikou, which was once occupied by the Turks, and also issued an additional relocation order, free of charge for the people who were willing to go to Monan to equalize the land. Taxation and corvée.

Because of this, after hearing about the imperial court's extermination of Tuyuhun, many interested people were silently waiting for the new land equalization order.

Although Monan is vast, it is located in severe cold and has inconvenient transportation. If it encounters wandering Turkic thieves, the imperial court may not be able to provide assistance.

Qinghai is different. It is located in the west of Hexi and is an important road that often has garrison traffic. Moreover, merchants who came to Chang'an also mentioned that the green salt produced in Qinghai Road is excellent. Even if it does not reach the salt fields, it is close to the water and towers. Can you get the moon first even if you don't think so?

Even if it doesn't work, just considering the geographical location, we should be able to make some conveniences from the merchants from the Western Regions, right?

But today's land equalization order in Qinghai Road is different from the past.

In the original land equalization order, males over the age of 16 were granted 100 acres of land, of which 20 acres were privately owned Yongye fields, and 80 acres were oral allotment fields taken back by the court after their death.

Qinghai Dao's land equalization order stated that males over the age of 16 could be divided into 100 acres of land, and if they got married, an additional 100 acres would be added.

However, this decree did not mention anything about Yongye fields and Koufen fields. Instead, they were unified into heirloom fields that could be passed down to children and could not be bought and sold. If a family died or fled, the heirloom fields would be taken over by the emperor.

If there is a private redemption, both the buyer and the seller will be punished with the same crime.

After reading it hastily, Pei Xingjian had an uncontrollable thought: Your Majesty actually wants to compete with the people for profit?

The notice is not very detailed, because there is still space to describe the relocation policy of Qinghai Road, which is not much different from the previous Turkic areas.

Although the notice is not very detailed, Chang'an has never been short of people who can analyze the meaning of the text. Just relying on the meaning contained in it, Pei Xingjian feels that at tomorrow's Yuezheng court meeting, the civil and military officials will probably prepare a lot of questions for His Majesty. Sparse.

After all, Your Majesty, if you can not issue Yongye Fields today, then the day after tomorrow you may issue an order to abolish all Yongye Fields. Although this conjecture is too shocking, this decree is really intriguing, and it is difficult not to think about it in this regard. .

However, it is useless in the end. Pei Xingjian, who has personally experienced the Qinghai Road battlefield, knows clearly:

How powerful the sound of the artillery is, how firm is His Majesty's determination.

It's just a pity that although I have meritorious service now, I don't have an official status and can't attend the court meeting. I won't be able to see the court meeting tomorrow with my own eyes.

However... Pei Xingjian also thought of his master, who had been closing the door to thank guests since returning to the capital. Could it be that his master already knew about such criticism?

Li Shimin, who was worried by Pei Xingjian, was enjoying himself in the harem, tasting the bean curd made by the queen, and even commented on it leisurely.

"The bean curd prepared by Guanyin maid with bare hands is delicious."

Empress Changsun didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she still carefully cut a piece of tender white tofu for Li Shimin.

Watching her husband cut the still warm tofu into several pieces with chopsticks, and then dipped it into the black bean curd meat soup and canned sugar, shaking his head and tasting it, Empress Changsun finally couldn't suppress her curiosity and sighed softly:

"Qinghai Road controls Hexi and remotely controls the Western Regions. Although it is not fertile land, it can be called good land."

"Your Majesty has implemented equal distribution of land, but if the land of one road belongs to the emperor, it may be criticized by the world."

Li Shimin focused on the tofu in front of him, and said without raising his head:

"Do you think I am wrong?"

It was at this point that Li Shimin could abandon the imperial etiquette and forget to call himself a monarch.

Empress Changsun knelt down beside Li Shimin, leaning against him and whispering:

"Of course you are right, I am just worried, the public sentiment is so overwhelming that you are worried."

Li Shimin sighed with satisfaction and said:

"I don't care about the barking of the scoundrels."

Then there was no sound in the palace, only Chu Suiliang standing by and writing silently on the book in his hand.

As Li Shimin's daily recorder, Chu Suiliang saw the other side of His Majesty during this period.

He watched the young emperor stay up all night, flipping through the notes on the light screen without saying a word.

He watched the ruler of the Tang Dynasty summon wise ministers and scholars for several days to ask about the explanation of land annexation.

He finally watched the king who killed his brother and forced his father either open his heart or jump up and curse, and finally persuaded the prime minister to try out the new equal land order.

Even regarding that debate, he followed your Majesty's words and recorded every word in his daily notes. He could see the end of the debate by turning two pages forward in the book in his hand.

Xuanling said: Can this decree be passed down through the ages?

The emperor said: Not yet.

Ruhui said: Why not wait for the detailed laws of later generations and change them to please the will of heaven?

The emperor said: This is a good opportunity, and it may be a lesson for future generations. We must give it a try.