In the ship's cabin, Liang Xiao noticed the dark circles under Yue Lian and Zhuo Xun's eyes and immediately understood the situation.
"No ghost stories this time, I'll tell you fairy tales instead."
The girls' beautiful eyes lit up, and Zhuo Xun eagerly asked, "Is it still about the little girl selling gunpowder barrels?"
Considering Li Jinyu was present, a certain person's old face flushed, and he quickly shook his head, "No, no, no, that's a dark joke. I'll tell you the story of Snow White and the seven little… damn it, Snow White and the seven dwarfs. These stories can also be made into content for the newspaper each issue."
The girls were instantly overjoyed.
Before the newspaper was even released, they could hear stories. This was a perk!
Ten miles away, Hong Jie and Xiao Jing were resting in a small boat, with the boatman being the same coachman.
Gazing at the blue sky, Hong Jie couldn't help but sigh, "Long have I regretted this life is not mine, when will I forget the worldly hustle and bustle? The night is deep, the wind is still, the ripples are smooth. From this small boat, I shall depart, and my remaining years shall be spent in the rivers and seas…"
"Brother seems to like the poems of Marquis Anguo very much too," Xiao Jing's voice was still as obedient as ever.
Hong Jie gave a wry smile, "I have to admit, this person is an unprecedented marvel of the ages. 'From this small boat, I shall depart, and my remaining years shall be spent in the rivers and seas,' perhaps this is my end…"
"If brother and he had no conflict of interest, they might have become sworn friends," Xiao Jing said softly.
Hong Jie merely smiled, but his heart was in a turmoil.
The young lady before him clearly possessed no emotions within, her belief in living sustained solely by familial ties, yet she could feign her part.
She wasn't acting like someone, she was simply becoming whoever she acted as!
Facing such a woman, Hong Jie felt a profound sense of awe and helplessness, and could only play along.
Xiao Jing picked up Liang Xiao's poems from the table and softly recited a few lines, her gaze distant.
"Brother, do you think Lin'er is acting convincingly?"
"Flawless," Hong Jie could only exclaim as such.
Xiao Jing then smiled playfully and said no more.
"Who did you learn all this from?" Hong Jie couldn't help but ask.
"Lin'er wants to keep it a secret," Xiao Jing's reply even made the boatman's heart race.
"Jiu Si, don't take it seriously," Hong Jie reminded her.
The boatman outside was one of Zuo Wushang's three confidantes, and also the sworn brother of Hong Qu and Hong Jie.
Shangguan Jiusi!
"I still want to live, what am I supposed to take seriously?"
Shangguan Jiusi's helpless response allowed Hong Jie to breathe a sigh of relief.
Only Zuo Wushang and his three brothers understood what a dangerous existence the head of the Yuntian Guard was.
Every Yuntian Guard had a codename that accompanied them for life.
Zuo Wuji's daughter, Zuo Jing, Yuntian Guard codename "Jade"!
"I hope the Huichun Sect behaves themselves and doesn't keep stirring up trouble," Hong Jie sighed again.
Zuo Jing merely said softly, "If they cause trouble, Lin'er can also eliminate them directly."
Spoken so casually, was this the might of the Yuntian Guard?
Hong Jie couldn't help but shiver and decided to remain silent.
Just as Liang Xiao's group was heading to Jinling, the capital maintained a superficial calm, and a unit of Shadow Guards returned to the imperial palace.
"Master Ding's letter still doesn't mention my elder brother or General Tian…"
Xiao Qing repeatedly flipped through the letter from Ding Wuyi, sent by the Shadow Guards, with a look of disappointment.
"Commander Ding also said that he believes Young Master Liang the second would never harbor rebellious intentions, and Young Master Liang the second has promised to explain everything to His Majesty personally upon his return to the capital," Ning Xuejun comforted.
Xiao Qing then lowered her head shyly, "Explain personally? Oh my…"
Who General Tian was, and whether General Tian was alive, was very important to her and the people of Da Gan.
But her troublesome elder brother was the most important!
It's just that, if he really was General Tian, wouldn't that mean…
Now Xiao Qing truly wished she could fly to Jiangnan, appear before Liang Xiao, pinch his cheeks, and force him to confess honestly!
As the Emperor and her minister were conversing, Wang Canghai arrived with several official documents for an audience.
"Your Majesty, Young Master Liang the second has recruited over a hundred talents in the areas of Luzhou and Chuzhou, sixty of whom are willing to head north to the capital!"
Wang Canghai said as he handed a detailed list to Xiao Qing.
Xiao Qing glanced at it and was quite satisfied.
Each person on these lists had their name, origin, specialty, and an estimated score of their abilities meticulously recorded.
"Let the Prime Minister arrange it, select the outstanding individuals among them, and send them to the Prime Minister's mansion for training. In the future, they can replace the positions held by the noble families and powerful clans throughout the country."
After acknowledging the order, Wang Canghai presented another official document, "Your Majesty, the reports of barren and fertile land from all over the country have reached one hundred and ninety million mu, of which one hundred and sixty million mu are suitable for repurchase, with a total estimated value of approximately two hundred and seventy-five million eight hundred thousand taels of silver. Once the time is ripe, we can repurchase them in one fell swoop! Furthermore, if we cultivate new crops on a portion of these lands, perhaps our Da Gan will no longer fear famine in the future, and the instances of peasant rebellions will greatly decrease!"
Xiao Qing was both surprised and delighted, "One hundred and sixty million mu, that's not a small amount!"
The cultivated land area of Da Gan had long exceeded six hundred million mu, with official lands accounting for thirty percent, a rule set by the founding emperor, stipulating that at least thirty percent of agricultural land must be officially controlled and strictly forbidden from being sold.
Even so, these forty percent of agricultural lands still required farmers to cultivate them, with limited actual income, and they also had to supply the entire nation.
If the one hundred and sixty million mu of land that had been encroached upon could be recovered and used as屯田 (túntián - garrison farms), and then handed over to more farmers to cultivate, while increasing the farmers' share of grain, it would be enough to appease the hearts of the people and greatly alleviate the conflict between the Son of Heaven and the populace!
When the time is ripe, implementing the system of摊丁入亩 (tāndīng rùmǔ - merging head tax into land tax) would further greatly reduce the burden of per capita tax on the populace, so why would the hearts of the people not return?
In such a situation, allowing more talented individuals not from noble families to replace the officials from the noble families and clans in various regions would surely garner more support from the common people.
Great matters could be accomplished!
At this moment, Wang Canghai was also in high spirits.
Xiao Qing received over forty million taels of gold. Exchanging it gradually for four hundred million taels of silver would be no problem at all, and they could even purchase directly with gold. Those landlords and gentry would certainly be overjoyed!
This was because gold was always more valuable than silver; the exchange rate was always one to ten, and at its most valuable, it could even reach a ratio of one to twenty!
"If it weren't for my elder brother, even with so much gold, I wouldn't have thought of repurchasing land to alleviate the problem of land annexation," Xiao Qing said spiritedly.
Wang Canghai and Ning Xuejun smiled knowingly and nodded.
"What about the salt fields in the East Sea and Jiangnan?" Xiao Qing asked again.
Mentioning the salt fields, Wang Canghai became even happier, "It's going very smoothly. The East Sea military camp and the Marquis of Dingguo's army firmly control the salt fields, strictly prohibiting any private operations! The combined daily output of salt fields in both regions has already exceeded one million catties! If this trend continues, the national treasury might increase its revenue by twenty million taels of silver annually in the future!"
Xiao Qing's heart was about to leap out of her chest!
This was a long-term income. Even if the salt price dropped in the future, with low profit and high sales, they could still maintain an additional salt revenue of around twenty million taels of silver!
Salt was known as the king of a hundred flavors; everyone needed it.
All these revenues were brought to her by Liang Xiao!
"Oh dear, when is my elder brother coming back to the capital?" Xiao Qing pouted.
Ning Xuejun and Wang Canghai stifled their laughter: they had only been apart for a short while, and the young lady was already impatient.
In Jinling, some of Zhuo Zifang's thousand mu of fertile land had been planted with potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn.
Watching the seedlings grow robustly, Zhuo Zifang couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and filled with anticipation.
The chief guard, San Quan, reported, "Master, Marquis Anguo sent someone with a letter. He should be arriving in Jinling today!"
Zhuo Zifang was overjoyed and trembled, "You must let him come here and see. Your old servant and his wife have not failed his trust!"