With a million soldiers, the empress begged me not to rebel

Chen Qingwan had just recovered, but when she heard this, her eyebrows raised and she almost spit out the wine she had just drunk.

She tried to maintain a calm businessman's expression, but a huge wave of emotions was stirring in her heart:

This guy is so bold that he dares to criticize the current emperor!

If he can't explain it clearly, I will reveal my identity immediately and punish him for disrespect!

"What do you mean, Lord Lu?" Chen Qingwan suppressed her anger, but her voice unconsciously became a little colder.

Lu Yan didn't notice the change in Chen Qingwan's tone at all, and said to himself:

"Take the land, for example. 'All land under heaven belongs to the king.' That sounds quite domineering."

"But what's the reality? Land annexation is serious, and the rate of exploitation is even higher than the commission rate taken by brothel madams."

"Ordinary people have no money, but they work themselves to death year-round, and in the end, all the money goes into the pockets of the big landlords and wealthy officials. Do you think this is reasonable?"

Chen Qingwan's face darkened, and she roared inwardly:

Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!

This land policy was formulated by her personally.

In order to consolidate the imperial power and balance the forces in the court, she worked tirelessly, and this kid actually dared to say no!

"Why do you say that, Lord Lu?"

Chen Qingwan gritted her teeth, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth.

Lu Yan shook his wine glass, looking like he was giving orders.

"Think about it, the land is concentrated in the hands of a few people. Ordinary people have no land to farm, so they can only serve as tenants for these people, right?"

"At the end of the year, most of the crops I worked so hard to grow have to be paid as rent. How much is left for me? It's barely enough to make ends meet."

"If this happens to be a bad year and there's no harvest at all, our family will be ruined!"

He paused and continued:

"Besides, these landlords are so rich that they just want to keep all the money in their arms. How could they care about the lives of ordinary people?"

"They hope that the people will starve to death so that they can buy up land at low prices and further expand their power."

"If this continues, how can this country develop? The treasury is empty, the people are living in poverty, and sooner or later it will be ruined!"

Chen Qingwan took a deep breath and tried hard to control the urge to sew shut the chattering mouth in front of her.

She wanted to see what other shocking remarks Lu Yan could make.

Seeing that Chen Qingwan didn't say anything, Lu Yan thought she was convinced by him, so he became even more proud and continued:

"In my opinion, this land should be distributed to the people! Each family should be given a few acres of land, and they can plant and harvest it themselves."

"This way, they'll have something to look forward to and work harder. Grain production will increase, and the treasury will be filled. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and picked up his chopsticks and tapped the table.

"Think about it, the people have land and food, their lives are better, and they are naturally willing to spend money."

"If the market prospers and merchants make money, they will continue to invest and expand production. In this way, won't the entire national economy be revitalized?"

When Lu Yan said this, he suddenly moved closer to Chen Qingwan and asked mysteriously:

"Miss Chen, do you think I'm right?"

Chen Qingwan was startled by his sudden approach.

I subconsciously dodged backwards and almost fell off the chair.

She steadied herself and said with a forced smile:

"Lord Lu, your opinion is profound. I admire you."

Lu Yan laughed and poured himself another glass of wine.

"Come on, Miss Chen, let's go! For the people of this world, for this beautiful country!"

Chen Qingwan forced a smile and raised her glass, but she was thinking in her heart:

When I return to the capital, I must thoroughly investigate Lu Yan's background!

Is he really stupid or just pretending to be stupid? If he is pretending to be stupid, then what is his purpose?

Putting down the wine glass, Chen Qingwan calmed down and asked tentatively:

"Sir Lu, if... I mean if, you become a higher official, how would you govern the world?"

Lu Yan raised his eyebrows, pretending to be in deep thought, and said while stroking his chin:

"What if I became a high-ranking official..." He deliberately prolonged his voice to whet Chen Qingwan's appetite.

"First, I have to make some money..."

Chen Qingwan almost spit out another mouthful of wine. This... this is really an honest person!

She shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Master Lu, could you...could you be more serious?"

Lu Yan chuckled.

"Just kidding, just kidding. But seriously, if I were to become a high-ranking official, I really wouldn't know what to do."

"However, there is one thing I can be sure of, and that is, I will definitely make sure that the people live a good life."

"Oh? What do you say?"

Chen Qingwan became interested, leaned forward slightly, and stared at Lu Yan with burning eyes.

Lu Yan cleared his throat and said seriously:

"First, we must reduce taxes and levies to ease the burden on the people, vigorously develop agriculture, and ensure that the people have enough food to eat."

"We must encourage business development so that people can make money."

"Finally, and most importantly, corrupt officials must be severely punished and shown no leniency!"

Chen Qingwan nodded repeatedly after hearing this.

Although Lu Yan looks nonchalant and out of touch, he really seems to be serious when talking about serious matters.

She couldn't help but look at Lu Yan with admiration in her eyes.

"Lord Lu, what you said are indeed good strategies for governing the country. However, it is easier said than done."

Lu Yan shrugged.

"We have to do it, no matter how difficult it is. If we don't, what will happen to the people? We can't just sit there and watch them suffer, right?"

Chen Qingwan was silent for a moment, then raised her glass.

"Lord Lu, I offer you a toast to your dedication to the people."

Lu Yan also raised his glass and clinked it with Chen Qingwan.

"Miss Chen, you're too polite. I don't deserve the title of serving the people. I just want to do what I can."

The two drank it in one gulp, and the atmosphere suddenly became much more harmonious.

After three rounds of drinks, two blushes appeared on Chen Qingwan's face and her eyes became blurred.

In his heart, he secretly thought that he could grant him a marriage contract and let him join the royal family.

Such a capable person must be firmly controlled in the hands.

"Master Lu, have you...have you ever thought about getting married and having children?"

Lu Yan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Miss Chen, are you concerned about my lifelong event? Hahaha..."

Chen Qingwan's face turned even redder, and she said coquettishly:

"Master Lu, you...what nonsense are you talking about? I'm just asking..."

"Just asking? I don't think it's the case."

Chen Qingwan waved her hands in confusion.

"Okay, it's too late. I need to go back and rest. Qiao'er, let's go..."

Chen Qingwan's fleeing figure looked quite funny in Lu Yan's eyes.

He stroked his chin and watched her disappear into the night.

I couldn't help but whispered, "It's quite interesting, this little pepper."

However, the words "get married and have children" that Miss Chen said before she left caused ripples in his heart.

He had been traveling here for so long, and had devoted himself to his career, and had never thought about this matter.