Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

At the Chai Mansion, Butler Ye and Jiaxing discussed sending New Year's gifts to each household, all of which were close to the prince or to senior members of his family. Ye Heng informed the butler, "Don't give too much. Two boxes of wine per household, and more vegetables, as they're scarce in winter. Also, give pork, beef, and mutton, but not too much. Be frugal!" Both Butler Ye and Jiaxing agreed, "Okay."

Ye Heng returned to the palace to review the year's account books and income, which Butler Ye had placed in his study. Ye Heng looked at the farm's grain income list and saw that his own palace had only collected 30% of the grain. He sent out personnel to verify this. The secret guard quickly reported back, "The people have surplus grain and are very happy." "Your Highness, the people say that with two crops planted and only one harvested, every household has a surplus. No one is starving, and every household can sell grain."

Ye Heng didn't mention the matter again. He'd been reviewing letters from various places these past few days. He knew nothing major had happened! Minor matters were being handled by the Ministry of Revenue's audit team. Chai En was leading a group of young people, working on the matter. New policies were being released! [Omitted.]

Ye Heng specifically asked Chai En about the assessment results of all the officials sent by various places. Chai En explained to Ye Heng one by one, "There are corrupt officials, and there are honest officials as well. The corrupt officials were not dealt with because they were not serious. The serious corrupt officials were reported to the emperor, and those who were demoted were demoted. Those who were exiled were sent to repair canals." Ye Heng asked again, "Is the number of people large?" Chai En said, "Compared to last year, it is much smaller. There are more than a dozen families exiled nationwide. The emperor is merciful and only exiled a few people from each family. The rest of the clan members were sentenced to return to their hometowns to farm."

Ye Heng nodded, "Okay. Are there any heinous crimes?" Chai En replied, "Yes, two people will be executed on the spot. Those responsible for the majority of deaths will be sentenced to death. Even servants in the harem cannot be killed at will." Ye Heng thought about it. Women are also human beings, and servants are also human beings. Killing people in the harem cannot be done casually. So he said, "This item should be added to the code."

Chai En agreed with the prince's approach. Women are also human beings, and servants are also human beings. You can buy and sell them, but you cannot kill them casually. "Okay!"

"How is the economic situation in various places? Do you have statistics?" Chai En replied, "Yes, our Great Yan Kingdom has 19 prefectures and 310 counties under its jurisdiction. Some prefectures and counties have large populations while others have small populations. The number of people varies. In the wealthy counties, every household has surplus grain. In more than 120 counties, there is just enough to eat. In about 100 counties, food is still scarce." Ye Heng: "See which counties are the poorest. You can check and start sending grain and seeds as soon as the New Year. Statistic the total demand and how much each region needs. The Ministry of Revenue will arrange this as the main task for next spring." Chai En bowed, "I have made a note of it."

Ye Heng then instructed: "Other matters are yours to handle. Important matters should be discussed with the Ministry of Revenue or reported to the Emperor. The Prime Minister is now old, so you should prepare to take on the work and gain experience in each department. After the New Year, I'll transfer you to the Ministry of War for six months, and the remaining six months to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice. You'll also need to understand the various criminal laws. Managing the six ministries as Prime Minister will be very daring!" Upon hearing this, Chai En said seriously, "I have a request." "Tell me about it," Chai En said, "I need a team of my own." Ye Heng: "Come and select the list of personnel. I'll review it and report it to the Emperor." Chai En: "Yes." Ye Heng also thought of it, "It's like another management method." Chai En chuckled, "This way, the Prime Minister won't be overworked. Forming a department, with multiple people working on it, will also avoid many pros and cons."

Ye Heng was also excited when he thought about it. What would happen in the future? "Okay, let's try! Reform!" Chai En said again: "There is one more thing, just my idea. Your Highness, please listen to it. If it's good, we will do it. If it's not, just pretend I didn't say it?" "Okay. Tell me." "Your Highness knows that I have learned a lot of things, and my ideas may not be accepted by everyone at the moment. Let me briefly explain it. Take a county as an example. The emperor only gives a few officials, but a large county has a large population, perhaps more than a dozen villages, with a population of tens of thousands. County officials have to recruit people from the local area to help handle the affairs of the county, and they have to have a source of money and grain to spend, but the emperor gives officials a fixed amount of money. This will cause problems in local governance.

I will simplify things. When a county hands in grain, the state collects 30% from the people. Of this, 60% is paid to the state. 40% is reserved for local daily expenses or stored locally. In case of a local disaster, the problem can be solved locally. The local government can purchase or store the leftover grain from the people at a fair price. Each state and county will build a large granary. The excess grain can be sold to areas with insufficient food or disaster areas, and then redistributed back and forth. In this way, there will be no problem of food being too far away to save the immediate disaster." "Well, your idea is good. Our Dayan grain granary is indeed far away from the people. This is a good way to reform this matter slowly. I will ask the emperor to issue an imperial decree. The local granaries will rely on the people selling their surplus grain to collect the money. That's all for today, let's go back home." Chai En: "Well." Ye Heng: "Come with me in the carriage." Chai En: "Okay."

It's the Lunar New Year, and time for vacation has begun. In the car, Ye Heng said, "Transfer Qin Binbin back and find someone to take his place." Chai En said, "Okay, let Ma Yuru go. She's a good math teacher. Although she's a girl, she ranked fourth in the imperial examination." Ye Heng agreed, "Okay, women can still do well if they study hard!"

Ye Heng continued, "The Ministry of Revenue will establish an audit bureau dedicated to auditing accounts. Every prefecture and county across the country will be audited. Of course, there are risks involved. There are secret guards in the prefecture, so bring them with you when you go out." Chai En took note. "This is the most important matter," Chai En understood. A country's money and grain are national affairs.

After the New Year, several imperial edicts were issued at the same time, and officials from all over the country were busy with personnel transfers, cabinet formation, and other matters. This is a story for later.

Even though Ye Heng had taken a long vacation, he still had a lot to do. This was the responsibility of a prince! He was always concerned about the livelihoods of his people.

Dayan is changing and getting better and better!