I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 7: Go straight to the point
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"I have heard that the problems of the Song Dynasty's land system are so severe that they are difficult to reverse. The rich have fields stretching for miles, while the poor have no place to stand. This is truly a concern for the country. If we want to eliminate these problems and promote their benefits, we should implement the following measures:
First, measure the land area throughout the country. Dispatch competent officials to all prefectures and counties to thoroughly investigate the number of fields and clearly distinguish between public and private property rights. Anyone concealing land ownership will be punished according to law, and their land will be confiscated by the government and declared public land. The benefits of public land can be used to increase tax revenue and provide relief in times of famine.

Second, implement a land quota system. Land quotas were set for officials and civilians based on their rank. For example, a first-rank official's household was limited to 50 mu (approximately 156 hectares); commoner households were limited to 20 mu (approximately 156 hectares) based on the number of people in their household. Those exceeding the quota were allowed to retain a suitable amount of land for sacrificial offerings or permanent land. The remainder could be sold to the landless poor, or purchased by the government at a fair price and resold to the poor.

Third, encourage wasteland reclamation. Allow citizens to freely cultivate wasteland, exempting them from taxes for three years. Once the land is reclaimed, they will pay taxes according to normal regulations. Officials and powerful families who lead their people in reclaiming wasteland will be rewarded by the government with titles and salaries or tax reductions.

Fourth, establish land deed laws. Regulate the sale and purchase of land, ensuring that people have permanent property and clear ownership. All land transactions must be approved by the government; failure to do so is considered illegal. Forced purchases and sales, as well as the annexation of land by force, are strictly prohibited.

If these policies are implemented, they may be able to alleviate the land annexation problem faced by the Song Dynasty to some extent, so that farmers can own their own land, land taxes can be distributed evenly, agriculture and sericulture can flourish, the foundation of the country can be strengthened, and the world will be fortunate.

However, during the reform, we must guard against resistance from the powerful and wealthy. The court must uphold justice and enforce the law strictly, only then can we expect significant results..."

This "Memorial on Land Reform" was not written by Zhao Ya, but by Zheng Xiansu.

Of course, the content was narrated by Zhao Ya.

When Zhao Ya put forward relevant ideas and content, Zheng Xiansu felt that if Zhao Ya's expression was followed, it would be too straightforward and inappropriate, and might even backfire.

So, after obtaining Zhao Ya's consent, Zheng Xiansu began to polish Zhao Ya's "Land Reform Memorial".

Zheng Xiansu's beautiful face is like a blooming flower in spring, pleasing to the eye, and her talent is like a shining pearl, emitting charming brilliance in every communication and discussion.

Zheng Xiansu was always courteous, graceful, gentle, and measured in her speech and writing, showing great potential to be a virtuous queen.

No.

It wasn't that Zheng Xiansu had the potential to be a virtuous queen, but that she was certain to become one.

Historically, when Zheng Xiansu became the queen of Zhao Ji, there were tens of thousands of young women in Zhao Ji's harem.

At that time, Concubine Liu and Concubine Liu were the most beautiful among all the other concubines. Concubine Qiao, Concubine Cui, and Concubine Wang and Concubine Wang were competing with each other for beauty. There were definitely many beauties in Zhao Ji's harem.

Even so, Zhao Ji often left the palace to seek pleasure from prostitutes and visit prostitutes.

Such a large and eventful harem should have been in chaos and full of jealousies, but under Zheng Xiansu's meticulous management and careful coordination, it always maintained an amazingly harmonious atmosphere.

It is no exaggeration to say that in Zhao Ji's harem, all the concubines, female officials and palace maids performed their duties, and there were few fierce disputes caused by jealousy and resentment. They never caused trouble or distress to Zhao Ji, so Zhao Ji did not have to worry about the affairs of the harem at all and could focus on what he wanted to do or his personal preferences.

If Zhao Ya became emperor and had a queen like Zheng Xiansu, he would be satisfied.

The key is that Zheng Xiansu can provide some help in Zhao Ya becoming emperor.

"How about making her my queen?"

What Zhao Ya didn't know was that just as he was considering making Zheng Xiansu his queen, Zheng Xiansu also began to look at him with admiration.

Before this, Zheng Xiansu only thought that Zhao Ya was filial and there was nothing outstanding about him in other aspects.

Zheng Xiansu even felt that Zhao Ya was a bit reckless and unwise, as he dared to offend even the emperor and the future queen, and was very immature politically.

But now Zheng Xiansu didn't see it that way. From the "Land Reform Memorial", it was not difficult to see that Zhao Ya was far from being as simple as she had thought before.

Over the years, the Zhao Song Dynasty has been caught up in the factional struggles between the New Party and the Old Party.

The focus of their debate was whether the Zhao Song Dynasty should reform and how to reform it.

The New Party had Wang Anshi as its spiritual leader. They upheld the idea of ​​enriching the country and strengthening the military, and strived to sweep away the shadow of poverty and weakness of the Zhao Song Dynasty through radical reform measures.

They advocated a comprehensive reform of the fiscal and taxation system. For example, the Qingmiao Law was designed to provide low-interest loans to farmers to help them through the lean season, while also increasing fiscal revenue for the state.

The Market Exchange Law attempts to strengthen state regulation of commerce, stabilize prices and stabilize the market.

In the military, the Baojia system and the Jiangbing system were implemented in parallel, hoping to revitalize the Zhao Song Dynasty's armaments and enhance the combat effectiveness of the Song army.

The old party was represented by Sima Guang and others, who were worried that too rapid reforms might cause social unrest.

In their view, although the ancestral laws had their drawbacks, they had been closely integrated into the social fabric of the Zhao Song Dynasty after years of sedimentation.

Moreover, during the implementation of the Qingmiao Law, some local officials forced farmers to borrow money in order to achieve political achievements, causing many farmers to be overwhelmed and fall into deeper difficulties; the Shiyi Law also met with strong resistance because it touched the interests of many wealthy businessmen, disrupting the originally relatively stable business order.

The old party members believed that they should follow the old system, take it step by step, solve the problems facing the country through moderate reform, and focus on the stability of people's livelihood and the maintenance of traditional order.

As a result, in the court, the two sides argued back and forth endlessly, and the government orders became erratic.

Up to now, the New Party and the Old Party have developed to the point where they are incompatible and can hardly coexist.

The Zhao Song Dynasty stumbled forward amidst the tug-of-war and game between the old and new parties, and its fate gradually moved towards an unknown direction in this endless vortex of party struggles.

The common people can only struggle to survive in this ever-changing political situation. They hope that the court can find a path that will truly benefit the long-term stability of the country and the people's peaceful and prosperous life as soon as possible.

In Zheng Xiansu's view, the New Party had the desire for reform, but they did not know how to do it. Moreover, the new laws formulated by Wang Anshi had huge problems in themselves, but they refused to repent and just wanted to defeat the old party and forcibly push through these new laws with serious problems.

However, Zhao Ya's "Memorial on Land Reform" seems very feasible.

The key point, Zhao Ya proposed, is that this method needs to be tested in the capital area for three years first. If it is successful, it can be promoted. If it is not successful, the problem should be found and solved until it is confirmed that this method is indeed feasible, and then it can be promoted.

This shows that Zhao Ya wanted to make changes and make the Zhao Song Dynasty stronger, while also taking into account the idea proposed by the old party of carrying out reforms in a moderate and reform-oriented manner.

Zheng Xiansu glanced at Zhao Ya without leaving any trace. "He can carry out land reform with a sharp vision and courage, and at the same time, with a prudent and comprehensive attitude, first piloting it before expanding it, balancing the interests and ideas of all parties. If Prince Shen were the emperor, the conflict between the New Party and the Old Party might be resolved, and the open and covert struggles in the court might gradually fade away. In that case, the ministers might focus their energy on how to make our Song Dynasty truly prosperous, rather than being mired in the quagmire of factional strife..."

More than an hour later, with the joint efforts of Zhao Ya and Zheng Xiansu, the "Land Reform Memorial" was successfully completed.

Zhao Ya praised him generously: "The guard has great literary talent. I admire him."

Zheng Xiansu said modestly, "Your Majesty, thank you for your kind words. I am very satisfied that I have not delayed your important affairs."

Zhao Ya waved his hand and said, "There's no need to be so modest, Chief. I only injured my wrist, not my head. How could I not see your talent?"

Zheng Xiansu was a little uncomfortable with Zhao Ya's straightforward praise, but at the same time, she was secretly delighted! Wasn't it for the powerful to appreciate her talent and take her under their wing that she studied the classics and history books?
Although Zhao Ya did not have much power, he was a real prince after all, and he still had a say in matters concerning the royal family.

Zhao Ya has successfully attracted the attention of Empress Dowager Xiang again, and may become a favorite of Empress Dowager Xiang in the future.

If this is true, it would definitely be beneficial to Zheng Xiansu if Zhao Ya spoke well of him.

This is also the main reason why Zheng Xiansu was willing to help Zhao Ya.

Now, Zhao Ya's words have proved that he admires Zheng Xiansu very much.

However, Zheng Xiansu never expected that Zhao Ya's tone would change and he would say bluntly:

"Ya Ban truly loves me. Now that I've met him, how could I not be pleased? I'd like to ask the Queen Mother to grant me marriage, so that Ya Ban can be my princess. What do you think of Ya Ban?"

……

(End of this chapter)