If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

Su Mingyue then snapped out of her reverie.

She glanced at the approaching dusk outside the window, then at Zhou Ming sitting calmly opposite her, and stood up:

"Come on, let's go eat together."

With just this one sentence, Zhou Ming's position in Su Mingyue's heart was completely set.

From his initial role as kitchen manager to his later role as a staff member, then to his research into magic, creation of the divine phoenix auspicious omen, bringing back sword manuals and magic jade slips today, and just now, those few unheard-of policies for governing the country.

Su Mingyue's attitude towards Zhou Ming has changed from "a useful talent" to "an irreplaceable person".

This transformation isn't written on their faces, it's etched in the details:

She asked him to dine with her, a privilege Su Mingli had never received except from her parents.

The ancients believed in not speaking while eating or sleeping, and dinner was eaten in silence.

Back in the Qian Yuan Hall, Chunlan served hot tea again, and the candlelight was brightened, illuminating the entire hall as if it were daytime.

Su Mingyue sat back down behind the desk, picked up her hot tea and took a sip. She then looked up at Zhou Ming with a more serious expression than before.

"You continue."

"The fourth step is to severely punish private fights and reward military merits."

Zhou Ming put down his teacup and sat up straight.

"Youzhou has always been known for its fierce and valiant people. The young men from the border regions are skilled in swords and spears from a young age, and they will draw their swords at the slightest disagreement."

"But once on the battlefield, these people often back down in the face of battle. They are known as 'brave in private fights but cowardly in public battles,' which is an old problem."

"Therefore, civilian armed fights must be prohibited, and those who engage in private fights should be punished according to the severity of their crimes, with the most serious offenses punishable by beheading."

"But conversely, military merits on the battlefield are richly rewarded. Killing one enemy soldier grants a noble title, land, or even an official position. Killing two enemy soldiers can exonerate the family members."

"Kill three armored soldiers, and even slaves can become commoners."

"When military merits are accumulated to a certain level, they can even be exchanged for corresponding spells and sword techniques, such as the sword control technique that the young lady just saw in the jade slip."

Those who retreat in the face of battle shall be stripped of their titles and enslaved.

"Of course, this is just a rough idea; the specific reward details still need to be determined."

Su Mingyue nodded, showing little to no objection.

She herself had fought her way up from the battlefield and had a deep affection for the soldiers who charged into battle.

It had always been her wish to provide these soldiers who had sacrificed their lives with a comfortable life.

Zhou Ming's words were simply a way of expressing what she had been thinking about for a long time but didn't know how to put into words, using a clear system.

"The fifth step is to reward farming and weaving, encourage childbirth, and emphasize agriculture while suppressing commerce."

Seeing that Su Mingyue did not object, Zhou Ming continued speaking.

"Anyone who produces more grain or cloth than the standard shall be exempt from corvée labor."

"Anyone who has a child, whether male or female, shall be exempted from corvée labor and taxes for that year, and may even be rewarded with land."

Merchants were severely suppressed; they were forbidden from holding official positions, from wearing silk, and had to bear heavier taxes than farmers.

"In particular, we must prohibit merchants from buying and selling grain, and prevent the hoarding of grain by powerful families, which could lead to a situation where the rich feast on meat and wine while the poor freeze to death on the streets."

"At the same time, we should use favorable policies to attract people from other regions to settle in Youzhou."

"For example, give them land, give them houses, and exempt them from corvée labor."

"Youzhou is sparsely populated, so as long as people come, the land will not be barren."

"In this way, in less than two years, the granaries of the Ming Dynasty will be piled up like mountains."

Su Mingyue raised an eyebrow slightly when she heard the words "rewarding childbirth", but did not interrupt him.

She knew that population was the country's greatest resource, and that Youzhou had suffered heavy losses of men due to years of war, so this policy came at just the right time.

"The sixth step is to change the nature of the land." Zhou Ming raised his last finger, revealing the most crucial point.

"Convert privately owned land into publicly owned land."

"Now most of the land is in the hands of powerful families. Those who own land have no one to cultivate it, and those who cultivate it have no land."

"The land was nationalized and redistributed according to the population. Powerful families who wanted to acquire more land had to exchange it for military merit."

Upon hearing this, a bright light suddenly flashed in Su Mingyue's eyes.

She remained silent for a long time, even longer than when her hereditary titles and stipends were abolished.

State ownership of land was a forbidden zone that even she dared not easily touch.

Hereditary official positions and stipends affect titles and ranks, while state-owned land affects the very foundation of one's status.

Why are aristocratic families aristocratic families? It's not because of their surnames, but because they own land. With land comes food, with food comes people, and with people comes soldiers.

A family without land is like a tiger with its teeth pulled; no matter how fierce it is, it can't turn the world upside down.

Su Mingyue stood up and paced back and forth behind the dragon desk a few times.

Then he stopped in front of the map, his back to Zhou Ming, his voice deep and resonant:

"The reason why powerful families were able to rule the country together with the emperor was because of the land, talent, and influence they had over local governance."

"Once these laws are implemented, Youzhou will be thrown into chaos."

Zhou Ming put down his teacup, his gaze falling on Su Mingyue's retreating figure:

"That depends on whether the young lady has the courage."

"The world has no shortage of people, and I believe that when faced with life and death, many people will choose to compromise."

Zhou Ming's voice was calm as still water, "Besides, isn't the young lady's Black Armor Army meant to suppress chaos?"

Su Mingyue turned around and looked at Zhou Ming with a complicated expression.

The man in front of her was her childhood follower, the one who had been beaten black and blue by her but never dared to fight back.

At this moment, it was paving the road beneath her feet in a way she had never seen before, making it wide and straight.

She remained silent for a while, then suddenly changed the subject and asked:

"Have you thought about your fate after the law is implemented?"

Zhou Ming looked up and met Su Mingyue's gaze.

The candlelight flickered deep within his pupils; his voice was not loud, yet it carried a heavy weight:

"If it benefits the country, I will risk my life; how could I avoid it because of personal fortune or misfortune?"

Su Mingyue's brows twitched slightly.

Zhou Ming added another sentence, his tone still unhurried: "To accomplish the affairs of the emperor and the world, and to win fame both before and after death."

Su Mingyue glared at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of helplessness and reproach:

Speak like a human.

Zhou Ming moved the teacup half an inch closer to him, his playful expression fading as he looked at Su Mingyue seriously.

"May the world be one of harmony, and may everyone be like a dragon."

Su Mingyue "..."

Su Mingyue glared at him again, but didn't say anything more.

She shifted her gaze from Zhou Ming's face to the pitch-black night outside the window.

As night deepened, most of the lights in Yongning City had gone out, with only the candlelight still burning in the imperial palace.

She remained silent for a long time, then turned around and sat back down behind the desk.

The Qian Yuan Hall remained brightly lit for the entire following night.

Chunlan went in and out countless times, each time bringing in fresh tea and removing the old, cooled tea, but she could never get a word in edgewise to their conversation.

The candle flame burned from a full cup to only half a flame, and then from half a flame to a pile of wax dripping down.