The more cowardly a person is, the more wild they are; I've driven the villainous minister craz

Only after watching Prince Qi leave did Xu Haifu dare to let out a breath he had been holding in.

He glanced cautiously at the departing figure of the King of Qi and sighed inwardly.

None of these princes are easy to deal with.

He lowered his head and glanced at the memorial in his hand.

I couldn't help but sigh silently again.

Even Prince Chen, who seems to be the most gentle-natured, has begun to take action.

If Prince Chen makes a move, the other princes in Shengjing City will probably not be able to rest easy.

……

Chaohua Hall, the sleeping quarters of Consort Zhou.

A palace maid rushed in to report, "Your Highness, the Prince has arrived."

As she finished speaking, the beautiful woman standing by the window, who was teasing the caged birds, slowly turned her head, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty and elegance.

Her aura was complex, a natural and harmonious blend of noble elegance and innate charm, without the slightest incongruity. It was a face that no man could ever forget once he saw it.

With just that face, she could probably win the emperor's heart, not to mention that Consort Zhou had more than just a pretty face.

After emptying the spoonful of birdseed into the birdcage, Consort Zhou, with the help of a palace maid, gracefully walked to the main seat and sat down.

At this moment, King Qi also entered the hall. He bowed to Consort Zhou and sat down to the side.

As he took out an item carefully wrapped in a handkerchief from his bosom, he said, "Mother Consort likes hibiscus jade hairpins. This hairpin was carved by the best craftsman I hired from the most beautiful hibiscus flower in the Hundred Flowers Garden. Mother Consort, take a look, do you like it?"

Consort Zhou smiled and called out, "Yue'er."

The palace maid Yue'er immediately took the handkerchief from Prince Qi's hand, carefully unfolded it, and presented the hairpin to Consort Zhou.

This jade hairpin is carved from natural pink jade. Compared to the pure white hibiscus flower, the pink hibiscus flower adds a touch of delicacy.

Consort Zhou held the hairpin in her hand and examined it carefully, a smile on her lips. "My son is so thoughtful. Your mother likes this hairpin very much."

The King of Qi smiled gently, "If Mother is pleased, that's good. If Mother desires anything else, just tell me, and I will find it for you."

Consort Zhou smiled and nodded. She handed the hairpin to Yue'er and asked, "You don't usually come to my palace. Why did you come here so suddenly today? Is something wrong?"

Prince Qi didn't mince words and said directly, "Li Yuanhe has submitted a memorial to the Emperor, proposing to use Huicheng County as a pilot area to experiment with the policy of free land trading."

"Free trade of land?" Consort Zhou frowned upon hearing this, already displeased. "Most of the land is now in the hands of powerful families. How could they be willing to give up their land? Those powerful families understand the principle of having enough to eat every day better than we do."

The King of Qi frowned and shook his head. "Originally, I thought so too, but after reading Li Yuanhe's memorial, I feel that his method is indeed feasible."

Consort Zhou sat up straighter and asked in a cold voice, "What method?"

"The free sale of land that Li Yuanhe mentioned does not refer to land that has already been cultivated, but rather to persuading aristocratic families to invest in hiring landless farmers and refugees to cultivate wasteland. Within three years, eight out of ten of the produce from this wasteland would belong to the aristocratic families, and after three years, the land and its produce would belong to the farmers themselves."

"This method can settle those homeless refugees in the shortest time. First, it will give them something to do, and second, it will win people's hearts. There are thousands of refugees in the world today. If they knew that there was a place like Huicheng County, wouldn't they all flock to Huicheng?"

"Although Huicheng County is remote, it is a sparsely populated place. Currently, Huicheng County has a population of just over 50,000. However, if this method is successfully implemented, the population of Huicheng County may surge in a short period of time. Mother, this is definitely not good news for us."

Consort Zhou's expression darkened the moment she heard the King of Qi speak his first words.

"Did Prince Chen come up with this idea himself?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Qi smiled slightly, as if he and Consort Zhou were of one mind, and said, "Your subject has already sent people to inquire. During Li Yuanhe's trip to Huicheng, he met a rare talent at Bailu Academy. This person has now been taken as a disciple by Xie Qizheng, the dean of Bailu Academy, and is being cultivated to the utmost."

"He's actually Xie Qizheng's disciple." Consort Zhou murmured, raising her eyes and saying, "Anyone who can be accepted as a disciple by Xie Qizheng must be no ordinary person. If you had such a person by your side, it would be like adding wings to a tiger."

"Send someone to make contact with this person first. If you can persuade him to join your cause, treat him as a first-class staff member. If you cannot persuade him..."

Before Consort Zhou could speak, Prince Qi added with a smile, "If we can't persuade him, we'll have to nip it in the bud."

Consort Zhou met his gaze and nodded slightly.

He cautioned, “Remember, those who achieve great things must not be soft-hearted or indecisive. Some things are better left unsaid than unattainable; don’t let them become your stumbling blocks.”

King Qi rose and bowed to Consort Zhou, saying, "Your subject will remember your teachings, Mother."

While the mother and son were chatting and laughing, they had already taken a person's life into their own hands.

Meanwhile, in Huicheng County.

Prince Chen received the memorial sent back from Shengjing, which was concise and to the point, with only one word written on it: "Approved."

For Prince Chen, this one word is enough.

For this matter to proceed smoothly, it would require the approval of Emperor Wenjing and the support of the court. With Emperor Wenjing's approval, those aristocratic families would be even more willing to do this.

From the perspective of people's livelihood, Prince Chen felt that the policy proposed by Yun Shang would benefit millions of refugees and be a meritorious deed for generations to come.

Nowadays, most ordinary people can only beg for food from the powerful families. Although the powerful families do not deliberately mistreat them, being controlled by others for their entire lives and having no future in sight means that for most of them, their lives are hopeless.

Without hope, one won't think about working hard.

The fact that there is sufficient manpower but production is only decreasing and not increasing has led to the increasingly depressed situation we see today.

Prince Chen felt pity for these people and was eager to do something for them.

This time, persuading the aristocratic families was not done through coercion or bribery, but rather through sincerity.

The various prominent families in Huicheng County also gained a different understanding of this noble prince.

Prince Chen was not a superior who viewed human life as worthless and could decide life and death with a single word.

He is the ruler, he is also a citizen, and he is just one of the myriad people.

Because of his sincerity, the policy of free land trading was implemented more smoothly than expected.

Led by the Huicheng County government and with the active cooperation of prominent families, in less than a month, about three thousand refugees poured into Huicheng County and began working enthusiastically according to the planned land reclamation map.

During this period, although the refugees still had to sleep under the open sky and on the ground every day, the gentry would send people to distribute food and porridge. Even though each refugee could not fill their stomach, this little bit of food was a lifeline for them.

They gripped their hands tightly, not daring to loosen them even slightly.