The old village chief's words left Chu Chen and Princess Xin Yue in silence for a moment.
Princess Xin Yue's heart was filled with unreleased anger, while Chu Chen, in his past life, had seen such situations countless times through novels, history books, and television.
Apart from a trace of sadness, he didn't feel much.
Patiently, Chu Chen explained, "The imperial court collects no fees, asks for no silver, nor any other thing. What the court wants is for you to plant voluntarily."
"Anyone who plants will receive various policy support. If you, old village chief, insist on speaking of payment or cost, then it is that half of the produce for the first three years can only be sold to the imperial court."
"At the same time, regarding taxes, how much rent do you currently pay for the land you lease?"
"Sixty percent rent."
"..."
Chu Chen's lips twitched, and he cursed inwardly, "These gentry are truly vampires!"
Princess Xin Yue, standing beside him, clenched her fists, also wanting to curse.
Chu Chen continued calmly, "If you plant new crops, the imperial court will take ten percent for the first year's harvest, four percent for the second year, three percent for the third year, and for the fourth year and beyond, it will always be two percent."
"With this, old village chief, are you reassured?"
The old village chief remained silent, his cloudy eyes looking at Chu Chen, as if trying to discern something hidden in his gaze.
After a moment, he sighed, "It's useless for us to be reassured. Many people do not own land, so how can they voluntarily accept the imperial court's promotion of new crops?"
"If it is forcibly promoted, with ten percent tax plus rent, wouldn't we have to lose grain? Who would be willing? How would the villagers survive?"
This time, Chu Chen fell silent.
Without land, one could not plant new crops. And when working as a tenant farmer for others, they had no right to decide what to plant for their landlords.
Even if they planted, after paying taxes at the lowest rate, only twenty percent of the harvest would remain. Even with high-yield crops, it might not be enough to sustain them.
At this moment, Princess Xin Yue suddenly asked, "What if the imperial court only collected two percent, or even one percent?"
"If that were the case, as long as these three new crops are indeed as this lord says, and even twenty percent would allow people to survive, I believe some would be willing."
"However, this land belongs to the landlords. You two lords still need to persuade those gentlemen."
The old village chief's eyes brightened at first, then dimmed again.
"Damn it!"
Princess Xin Yue slammed her fist on the table, her beautiful face filled with anger.
"If that's the case, I will report back to His Majesty and discuss it again."
Chu Chen sighed, stood up, and cupped his hands in a salute, saying, "We bid you farewell."
Then, he took Princess Xin Yue's small hand and led her out of the old village chief's home.
Watching the two important figures leave, the old village chief, who had just stood up, sat back down.
"Alas, these two seem to be good officials, but unfortunately, in this world, good officials are also powerless. I truly don't know when we commoners will be able to live good lives."
The old village chief shook his head, holding no hope for the world.
"Chu Chen, are we just leaving like this?"
After being pulled along for a distance, Princess Xin Yue couldn't help but question.
Chu Chen released her hand and explained, "As you heard, not many in the entire village have free land to cultivate. Most of it is leased by the gentry, and the gentry, being wealthy, are generally unwilling to take risks to try new crops."
"Therefore, this promotion can be considered half a failure."
"Half a failure? Isn't it a complete failure? Our mission can't even begin!" Princess Xin Yue retorted, confused.
"The reason it's half a failure is that we know the cause, and we can devise solutions to overcome the difficulties." Chu Chen smiled.
"Solutions? You mean you have a way to help these tenant farmers own their own land?" Princess Xin Yue was confused for a moment, then suddenly realized and looked at Chu Chen expectantly.
Chu Chen smiled confidently, "I have a two-pronged plan, but it requires reporting to His Majesty, and His Majesty and you must cooperate with me."
"Mother and I cooperate? Shouldn't Mother alone be enough?" Princess Xin Yue couldn't understand her role in this. Was her mother alone not sufficient?
"Naturally, it is not enough. You will understand once we return and report to His Majesty together."
"Now, let's ride back to Shuangyue City quickly and meet His Majesty. The remaining soldiers can return on their own."
Princess Xin Yue asked hesitantly, "But with so few guards, aren't you afraid of assassins?"
Chu Chen smiled, "It's simple. The banners and specifications remain unchanged. You and I will change into soldier's uniforms and ride back lightly. I doubt anyone will know."
"Oh, alright then." Princess Xin Yue's spirits weren't high, unsure if Chu Chen could truly solve this problem.
The power of a single gentry was negligible, but the combined strength of all gentry in Yunyue Kingdom was a terrifying force, capable of overthrowing the entire Yunyue Kingdom.
Soon, Chu Chen and Princess Xin Yue changed their clothes, gave simple instructions to Wang Biao, and then, with a dozen riders, galloped towards Shuangyue City.
Two days later, in the imperial study of the palace.
Princess Xin Yue recounted her experiences and the difficulties she encountered to the Empress.
The Empress listened, her face like ice, "Chen Yuanliang is truly a good minister of mine! While I was engaged in a struggle with him, he managed to do so much. This is undermining the foundation of my Yunyue Kingdom!"
"I never imagined that since my ascension to the throne, the lives of my subjects have been declining day by day, becoming increasingly difficult. This is all my fault!"
"All my fault!" The Empress's eyes welled up with tears as she spoke.
"Mother..." Princess Xin Yue called out, wanting to comfort the Empress, but not knowing how. She couldn't help but look at Chu Chen.
The Empress turned her head, covering her face with her wide sleeves, and quietly wiped away her tears.
Then she turned back, looked at Chu Chen, and asked in a deep voice, "Chu Chen, do you have a method to help me reclaim the land from the gentry and return it to the people of Yunyue Kingdom?"
"Your Majesty, in over ten days it will be time for sowing. Even if I have a method now, it will be too late."
"However, I believe that even if farmers only have twenty percent of their produce for themselves, their income will greatly increase compared to before. The only drawback is that it will benefit those gentry."
Chu Chen's expression soured as he spoke. He hesitated for a moment and said, "If the gentry plant new crops, it will undoubtedly increase their strength. Therefore, I do not recommend promoting the planting of new crops at this time."
"Not promote?" The Empress murmured to herself.
"That's right, not promote for now." Chu Chen nodded, then smiled, "But it doesn't mean not planting. Has Your Majesty forgotten the imperial farms? Those are all Your Majesty's lands. With a single command from Your Majesty, they can all be planted with new crops, expanding our own grain production and increasing income."