Chapter 822 – Jianzhou Prefecture, Settle on Capital (11)
【Fallen Flowers in Cold Smoke】: Burp—OMG, this mouthful of dog food is piling up on me! Can someone get me a cup of water? I’m choked to the throat!
【Free Lemon】: The host’s flirtation skills are really getting creative! At this rate, it won’t be long before she sweeps a beauty off her feet. Host, I’ve got plenty of love tips and winning charms here for you—guaranteed to make you more domineering than any rich CEO!
Although Jiang Pengji has never revealed a thing, the audience isn’t as clueless as sweet little innocent lambs.
Isn’t there a saying about not having seen a pig run but still having eaten pork?
Don’t be fooled; even if 99% of the audience are single dogs, they’ve binge-watched countless Mary Sue type romance dramas and are well-acquainted with the online novels—having weathered enough storms, what flirty tricks haven’t they seen?
They’d bet their precious dog food that the host has definitely set her sights on Wei Ci’s stunning good looks. Not just his face, but also coveting his body and wanting to claim his heart… If only they could take him down, they’d totally try to kidnap Wei Ci and declare sovereignty!
Seeing the army of 150,000 dog-headed military advisers trying to teach her how to woo, Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but remember the previous blunder. Her brows twitched.
【Host V】: Once you single dogs can use these tips to escape the single life, then come promote them to me.
If you weren’t single dogs, would you really have so much free time in the livestream, right?
Jiang Pengji’s remark hit the audience right where it hurt.
Ouch, host!
Countless fans of single folks voiced their outrage—aren’t single dogs a protected species too?
【Mushroom Out in Summer】: Secretly curses the host: May you never find a partner!
【Home in Winter】: Host, don’t get too smug. From what I see, there seems to be some conflict between Wei Ci and you. Whether it was the first meeting or now, Wei Ci seems quite resistant to your approach. He looks like a startled rabbit, ready to jump three feet high. I recently went back to the forums to relive the highlights of the past years and noticed he doesn’t shy away from others—only you.
Jiang Pengji poked at someone’s sore spot, so naturally, the audience would “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
With such a reminder, many started to ponder something might be off.
They hadn’t heard about any conflict between the host and Wei Ci—why was the latter continually resisting the former?
With this question in mind, many opened their imaginations, and the conclusions they reached made Jiang Pengji want to cry and laugh.
【Ning Ci, You Died a Horrible Death】: Maybe there’s some conspiracy? Like, Wei Ci has ulterior motives towards the host?
As soon as this conspiracy theory was proposed, it was immediately shot down.
【Good Product Shop】: No way! If Wei Ci really harbored ill intentions towards the host, he’d have to be out of his mind to say “In the world, there’s no land but the king’s.” Besides, everyone knows what kind of character the host has. I firmly stand with Wei Ci!
In addition to conspiracy theories, there were other wild speculations, such as—
【Spicy Squid Strips】: Wei Ci is a reserved person after all; the host is so bold and flirty, she must have scared him off.
【Red Agate Raisins】: Wei Ci is a rabbit, and the host is a tiger. How can a rabbit not be afraid when faced with a tiger?
Watching the discussion heat up in the livestream, Jiang Pengji didn’t join in, but instead focused on Wei Ci’s earlier words.
Given the limited land resources, land consolidation has always been a headache for every dynasty.
According to Wei Ci, instead of wasting efforts alleviating the process of land consolidation, it would be better to cut it off at the root!
Since it’s said “In the world, no land is not the king’s,” then land is owned by the state, making it entirely justified!
However, just because Jiang Pengji can step outside the box doesn’t mean everyone else can.
Not to mention Wei Ci, a well-read talent, even the illiterate ruffians in the marketplace would likely resist such an idea.
In today’s age, land isn’t just land; it’s a treasure chest for producing wealth.
As long as one can climb up and become someone important, they can rightfully take more treasure chests into their possession.
In simpler terms, it’s all about benefits.
Once land is claimed as state-owned, not only will the highborn and powerful scream, but even the common people won’t agree.
If the land belongs to the state, how can they feel secure?
The common people don’t think about the long-term future; they only care about immediate benefits.
If Jiang Pengji dares to claim land as state-owned, to the common people, it’s just her snatching away their means of survival.
If the common people react this way, the aristocrats with countless fertile lands would be even worse off; those struggling, trying to make it out of poverty, would naturally oppose this. Jiang Pengji understands these principles, and Wei Ci understands them even better, but understanding doesn’t mean they can’t act—it’s all about how to do it.
By proposing this idea, Wei Ci is also sacrificing his future interests.
Who but Wei Ci could calmly do such a thing?
“This is quite the conundrum—”
Difficult as it is, it’s not without hope.
In an era of a unified nation, recklessly proposing the concept of state-owned land would lead the whole populace to rise in revolt.
But now it’s a land of chaos; the land Jiang Pengji managed to conquer and cultivate belongs to her, as long as she doesn’t sell it, it’s all hers in name.
For instance, the “Tuntian Order,” which actually rents government land to landless commoners for farming, with the government taking a cut.
To be honest, this action is rather rogue; it wouldn’t be wrong to call it banditry.
In the end, only the strongest can call the shots; if you don’t like it, come and fight!
This land belongs to the government, not to the farming commoners as individuals.
Jiang Pengji furrowed her brows in deep thought. “Originally, I only viewed the Tuntian strategy as a way to relieve the urgent plight and settle displaced people, but now it can be implemented long-term, allowing the common people to have a sense of land ownership. They must understand that renting land is much more secure than owning land privately… if that’s the case, the scale of Tuntian needs to expand, and the government’s grain take must be reduced…”
A fat man isn’t made in a single bite; nothing good in this world happens overnight.
If Jiang Pengji wants to snatch away the cake from the hands of the aristocrats and powerful officials, she must have strong means and power.
First is the military, then the common people.
Before the situation arises, she not only needs to strengthen herself but also quietly weaken and suppress the power of the aristocrats.
With her strong and the enemy weak, this back and forth could lead to a future chance to fight.
However, before her personal strength reaches the mark, this idea with Wei Ci must not be leaked; otherwise, she’d face the wrath of the world.
Even if the land reform goes smoothly, several issues follow.
Theoretically, when land is state-owned, it can cut off the roots of land consolidation, but humans are inherently greedy, and conflicts of interest still exist. To put it bluntly, once land is successfully state-owned, as long as the royal family exists, the royal family becomes the biggest landlord!
