After swapping bodies with the princess, this prince slaughtered his way through the court and becam

At this time, Wei Xinyan was unaware that Ren Jingxing was using waterwheels to solve the problem of irrigation for the people.

Upon hearing this, the other princes and princesses began to clamor.

"How could a royal estate possibly prevent ordinary people from carrying water?"

"The farmland is right there; we can't just stop farming it because it's near the river, can we?"

"Exactly, is it a crime to open a royal estate?"

The princes and princesses in the palace generally defended the imperial estate.

Because the princes and princesses in the palace school almost all owned a royal estate.

This is their main source of income.

"So everyone thinks that the imperial estates and noble estates are innocent, and the common people should endure it, right?"

At this moment, the fourth prince shook his head:

"Sir, Mingchen doesn't think so."

Cheng Yizhi raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Oh, what are your thoughts, Fourth Prince?"

"I believe that the officials in charge of the imperial estates and noble estates have made a mistake!"

These words immediately drew the attention of all the princes and princesses in the Wenhua Hall.

Some people looked puzzled, while others scoffed and disdainfully.

"The estates of the imperial family and the nobles originally belonged to the nobles."

The owner has already enjoyed all the riches and honors.

However, the surrounding people live in poverty. Not only is their farmland in poor condition, but they also have great difficulty getting water to irrigate their fields.

I have previously heard the teacher say that the people are the foundation of a country.

Are we now abandoning the very foundation of the nation for the sake of the interests of the nobles and the princes and princesses?

Among the royal family members inside the hall, some showed expressions of guilt, while others looked dissatisfied.

Cheng Yizhi, standing on the podium, revealed a playful expression and asked in return:

"So, Fourth Prince, how do you think this matter should be resolved?"

The fourth prince declared with righteous indignation:

"The fertile fields along the riverbanks should be transferred to the common people, while the inferior fields far from the river should be transformed into estates for the emperor and nobles!"

After the Fourth Prince Wei Mingchen finished speaking, those who had originally looked guilty also looked puzzled.

Should inferior land be distributed to the nobles?

Is this a reward or a slap in the face?

Furthermore, if the imperial estates are converted into inferior land, will they still receive any income?

Cheng Yi smiled without saying a word, neither nodding nor shaking his head.

He turned his gaze to Wei Xinyan, who was sitting in the corner.

In the entire Wenhua Hall, the person he valued most was Wei Xinyan.

Although the fourteenth princess has only been here for ten days, her diligence and hard work in her studies are extremely rare, even among those from humble backgrounds.

Sometimes Cheng Yizhi couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

If Wei Xinyan were a man...

No, if Wei Xinyan is a man outside the palace.

If she could participate in the imperial examination, with her hard work and intelligence, passing the examination should be a piece of cake, right?

"Princess Xiaoqin, what are your thoughts on this?"

Wei Xinyan was not interested in matters of the imperial court.

Every time Cheng Yizhi talked about matters of the court, she would drift off into a mental reverie.

They either recall the details of their life in Renhou or try to guess what kind of person Ren Jingxing really was.

"Princess Xiaoqin?"

"what?"

Wei Xinyan came to her senses and realized that Cheng Yizhi was calling her.

She quickly stood up, her face flushed, and said awkwardly:

"I'm sorry, sir, Xinyan was lost in thought just now..."

The people below couldn't help but sneer.

This bookworm is incredibly focused when studying, but gets distracted when talking about interesting things.

Cheng Yizhi did not scold her, but instead kindly repeated the question.

Wei Xinyan blinked and replied softly:

"If there's a problem, then let's solve it. Why not have the Ministry of Works dig a canal to divert the river water to the farmland on both banks?"

Or they could carve out a path between the two banks of the river specifically for people to fetch water.

This way, it won't have a significant impact on the nobles and estates, and it will also solve the people's problems.

The seemingly simple and correct words failed to elicit a response from the crowd in the Wenhua Hall.

"Tch, easy for you to say. If it were useful, we would have dug it up long ago. Why wait until today?"

How can this irrigation ditch be dug fairly?

"I'm afraid that once the irrigation ditch is dug, the people will fight over whose field it should be closest to!"

"Exactly. Besides, once the irrigation ditches are dug, the fields on both sides will become imperial estates, so won't they still end up in the hands of the common people?"

The fourth prince, Wei Mingchen, shook his head and sighed.

"Womanly compassion."

Cheng Yizhi smiled and nodded, gesturing for Wei Xinyan to sit down.

"What the princesses said was basically similar to what the officials in the court said."

"Hehe, this perhaps means that you are all now able to participate in political affairs in the imperial court."

After Cheng Yizhi finished speaking, the princesses and emperors in the Wenhua Hall all laughed.

"Most of the princesses' thoughts are in line with those of the nobles in the court."

The ancestral laws cannot be changed; in this way, the imperial estates of the nobility are transferred to inferior lands, while the fertile lands are transferred to the common people.

Then the fertile land will eventually return to the hands of the landlords, and the meritorious officials will become ruthless towards the court.

After Cheng Yizhi finished speaking, all the princes and princesses nodded in agreement.

"Yeah yeah!"

"We're not acting in our own self-interest; we're doing it for the sake of the imperial court!"

The fourth prince frowned, and his expression darkened almost imperceptibly.

"There are similar opinions in the court regarding the fourth prince's ideas."

However, the ministers advocated for taxing estates to control their growth.

The fourth prince's expression softened slightly; having someone share his opinion made him feel less embarrassed.

But he still felt that this method was a bit too soft-hearted.

"In general, since the princes and princesses are above the common people, it is understandable that they turn a blind eye to the difficulties of the common people."

The princes and princesses who had initially echoed Cheng Yizhi now looked embarrassed.

Why do you speak so bluntly, sir?

"The fourth prince is kind-hearted and willing to benefit the people."

However, the fourth prince's proposals were too radical.

If the interests of the nobility are not taken into account, not only will the nobility in the court dislike him, but even the ministers will think that the Fourth Prince is short-sighted.

If the fourth prince wants to implement his ideas in the future, he will likely find very few supporters.

The Fourth Prince, Wei Mingchen, narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Cheng Yizhi.

Does this guy know something?

Cheng Yizhi finally smiled and said to Wei Xinyan:

"Princess Xiaoqin's idea is in line with the way of a benevolent minister."

Liu Zhenji, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, and Ren Hou, the Marquis of Xuanwei, put forward ideas similar to those of Princess Xiaoqin.

However, the water canal proposal was refuted by Xun Gui and was difficult to promote throughout the Great Wei, so it was eventually dropped.

However, Ren Hou invented something called a waterwheel, which could directly pump water from the river to both banks.

This item can solve the problem of watering irrigation for people on both sides of the river for a long time.

Moreover, it requires no manual operation, making it a beneficial product that can be promoted nationwide, benefiting both the country and its people.

When Cheng Yizhi spoke, his tone was filled with admiration for Marquis Xuanwei.

"This also tells us that what craftsmen create is not entirely a matter of ingenious techniques."

Sometimes, it is precisely these overlooked things that solve the people's difficulties.

The princes and princesses in the Wenhua Hall were either curious about who the Marquis of Xuanwei was or what the waterwheel looked like.

Only Wei Xinyan was stunned.

Dad? He invented the waterwheel?

This was done by Ren Jingxing, right?

This must be Ren Jingxingqian's!