The Slender Waist-Chapter 36 - 30 Her Husband_2

He Qia smiled, facing a sea of indifferent faces.

"Official documents regarding the new policies will be issued tomorrow. Today, I’m giving you all a heads up."

"Firstly, every citizen currently in Andu, regardless of their household registration, may apply to establish a new household."

The commoners were silent but internally grumbled non-stop.

With no food to eat, did it matter if their household registration was Qi or Jin? After all, the Emperor was replaced every few days; having enough to eat was what truly mattered.

He Qia continued, "Secondly, any business that resumes operation within ten days will be exempt from taxes for five years."

When Qi’s Governor was in charge, the tax burden was not light.

But with the war in such a state, how could businesses recover? And even if they did, how long would that stability last?

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

He Qia stroked his small mustache and squinted with a smile.

"Thirdly, listen carefully——"

The crowd instantly quieted down.

He Qia cleared his throat with satisfaction, "The Great General, in consideration of the people’s plight, has presented to the Emperor a proposal to distribute the unclaimed land within Andu County to those without land or with little land. The distribution will be based on the number of household members, ensuring that no land lies fallow, and every citizen has land to farm. Men above the age of fifteen will receive twenty acres of land per person, and women ten acres. Households headed by women will pay half the taxes."

What is He Qia talking about?

Distributing land equally?

The crowd looked at each other in disbelief, hardly daring to believe it.

"Everyone, everyone! Starting today, please hurry to the General Residence to register your households. The fields for distribution—be they dew-covered or mulberry—any unclaimed lands, will be available on a first-come-first-served basis."

"However, there is one stipulation: lands with owners who are still present will not be altered for now. The detailed policies will be posted tomorrow in the notice boards of every county, town, street, and village..."

"Those who can read, please help to spread the word, and those who can’t, please ask around!"

He Qia stood on the stone platform, hands on hips, and spoke for nearly a quarter of an hour.

More and more people gathered, clogging up the streets.

At noon, as usual, the General Residence brought out the vats of porridge. The crowd hadn’t completely dispersed, and people came to get their share of porridge while also inquiring about the situation.

In front of the screen wall, beside the stone drums, and under the tree stands, there were crowds gathering in several circles, a massive throng of people.

Feng Yun didn’t join the excitement and had been sitting in Changmen Academy reading books for most of the day.

All the news from outside was relayed to her by Alou.

"The Great General is a good person! Truly a great person—I had him all wrong before..."

Alou spoke enthusiastically about the wartime policies soon to be issued by the Great General, admiration written all over her face.

"Those without land or with too little land can go to He Qia to establish a household and then receive land. Even those who are not from Andu, as long as they will live and work in Andu from now on, can settle down and register a household in Andu."

"Let the tiller have his land, miss, did you hear that? The Great General is a savior of the people."

Feng Yun had no reaction.

She didn’t tell Alou that this was her own suggestion.

Nor did she tell Alou why she was sure Pei Jue would agree.

Because the Equal-field System policy had been issued by Pei Jue himself in her previous life.

To her, it was simply a matter of feeding Pei Jue soup made from his own bones.

Leading troops in battle, the most crucial element was food. Pei Jue’s conquest of counties like Wanning and Andu was precisely because this area had fertile farmland, which, once acquired, would become a major granary for Jin Country.

This is why the loss of Wanning County and Andu County caused such a significant reaction from Qi Country; the Qi Emperor had no choice but to appoint the Prince of Jingling, Xiao Cheng, who he had always been wary of, after Feng Jingyao repeatedly urged him with the civil and military ministers...

Pei Jue is not just a barbarian with a fondness for slaughter—he understands the importance of Andu County, and he knows the principle that "you cannot endlessly exploit a population in poverty." When it is time to nurture the wellbeing of the people, he understands how to govern.

Therefore, Pei Jue was the first to advocate for the distribution of land equally among the people.

But in the past, when this policy was implemented, it encountered many practical issues.

Thus, Feng Yun cleverly "borrowed" Pei Jue’s perspective, added the difficulties of governance, and the solutions, as well as corrected some errors that were discovered later, and proceeded to write several documents, each tens of thousands of words long...

She knew they would resonate deeply with Pei Jue.

But she didn’t know whether Pei Jue would be pleasantly surprised or terrified upon finding someone whose thoughts and ideas so closely aligned with his own...

Feng Yun asked Alou, "Where is Clerk He now?"

Alou replied, "In the Hall of Political Affairs."

The former residence of the Grand General was initially the Prefectural Governor’s Office, complete with a main hall for handling official business and rooms for the officers. Besides Feng Yun’s residence in the back courtyard, there were living quarters for the officials on both the east and west sides.

Once He Qia arrived, Andu would soon regain order, and many matters would no longer require Feng Yun’s attention. But since Feng Yun was not appointed as an official, she couldn’t feel genuinely happy, as if her heart were clogged.

Luckily, one of the edicts from Pei Jue had a clause.

"Land with an owner shall not be altered."

This meant that the land and estates previously acquired by the Feng Family in Andu County still belonged to her.

The Feng Family from Xuzhou was a major clan, like other prestigious families, with countless fields as they controlled waters and mountains.

Among them, Feng Jingteng of the least influential branch, had the least prestige, but still owned more than a hundred acres of land in Andu County. The Feng Family had arable land, paddy-fields, mulberry fields, as well as a large expanse of barren hills and five orchards.

On the former estates, there were hundreds of servants, tenant farmers, and retainers, but with the outbreak of war, the people scattered, leaving only an empty shell behind...

Feng Yun pondered, feeling a faint excitement.

Under the new policy, she could apply for the establishment of a female household, which would cut her taxes in half and completely separate her from the Feng Family of Xuzhou, allowing her to become her own family head.

Early the next morning, Feng Yun, accompanied by Alou and two maidservants, hurriedly went to the Hall of Political Affairs.

He Qia was speaking with several officials. When he saw Feng Yun, he immediately came forward and greeted her with a courteous bow.

Then, he struck her with a bolt from the blue.

"A lady cannot establish a household."

Feng Yun looked at the documents on his desk, the ink still wet, and offered a faint smile.

"What do you mean by this, Clerk He? Others may, but I may not? Has the new policy of the Great General changed when it comes to me?"

"Not at all, not at all,"

He Qia stroked his beard and shook his head, smiling calmly.

"The land with an owner is the lady’s private property, and I can immediately issue a new land deed for the lady. However, the lady cannot establish a household alone."

Feng Yun, seeing he had no intention of deliberately making things difficult, was somewhat puzzled.

"I don’t quite understand what you are saying, Clerk... "

He Qia bowed and said, "The lady is the concubine of the Great General; a household follows the husband, how can another female household be established?"

Feng Yun: ...

Has Clerk He been struck by lightning?

How did Pei Jue become her husband?