vrcanaries Chapter 214 Governing the Border
Chapter 214 Governing the Border
"Lord Ye, I admit your idea is good, but don't forget that those refugees are from two small neighboring countries. Who can guarantee that they don't covet Jin Kingdom? If you just take them in to the border like this, what will happen if disaster strikes? How will Jin Kingdom cope?"
"I have naturally thought about these issues as well. The people of Jin Kingdom have household registration certificates to prove their identity. These migrants do not have household registration certificates, so they cannot go to other prefectures of Jin Kingdom."
To make a living and have something to eat, they would inevitably stay on the border to farm. Moreover, as far as I know, the land in the surrounding countries is mostly in the hands of nobles, and the land in their own countries is even less in the hands of farmers.
Almost no farmers own their own farmland, and their corvée labor is even heavier than that of our Jin Kingdom. This is why many ordinary people have migrated to Jin Kingdom to make a living.
Before they developed a deep sense of patriotism towards their country, what did ordinary people value most?
"It's about one's own survival and livelihood." At this moment, amidst a group of civil and military officials, His Highness the Crown Prince walked through the crowd and met Ye Yuwu's gaze.
Ye Yuwu was so intimidated by his gaze that she dared not look at him and quickly turned her head away from his burning eyes.
No one knew when His Highness the Crown Prince arrived or how long he had been listening.
After His Highness the Crown Prince finished speaking, he walked straight to the Emperor and bowed to him.
“Your Majesty, I am late. I will punish myself.”
The emperor slightly raised his head and remained silent, which was taken as agreement.
Having received the order, His Highness the Crown Prince promptly stood before the Emperor.
After His Highness the Crown Prince took his place, he saw that the civil and military officials below remained silent.
He then gestured for them to continue speaking.
"Please continue," he said, glancing slightly at Ye Yuwu standing on the outer circle, and giving her a bright smile. "Was what I said just now correct, Lady Ye?"
His last "Lord Ye" made Ye Yuwu's ears itch inexplicably.
I had a feeling that he deliberately emphasized those three words.
Ye Yuwu sighed helplessly: This person...
The ministers' gazes returned to their original focus, turning their attention back to Ye Yuwu.
What else could Ye Yuwu say but nod in agreement?
"As Your Highness said, what the people of the world value most is their own survival. I would like to say something outrageous: the people don't care which country they live in. Whoever provides them with a livelihood, they will follow wholeheartedly."
In fact, Ye Yuwu wanted to say something truly outrageous.
That is, no matter who is the ruler of the world, or even who is the emperor, the people don't care at all. As long as they can have a good life, anyone can be the emperor.
But clearly, Ye Yuwu couldn't say such a thing in order to survive.
However, what he said was enough to greatly shock all the civil and military officials in the imperial study, including the emperor.
This boy is incredibly audacious! He actually dares to say such things to His Majesty!
Even if some people are fully aware of this, no one has ever dared to say such a thing.
Some ministers secretly glanced at the person at the head of the table, seemingly trying to observe the emperor's expression, fearing that the emperor's anger would implicate them.
The prime minister and others standing nearby inexplicably gasped for her.
Oops! Lord Ye! We can't say things like that.
Several high-ranking officials were extremely worried about her; that's why they say she's highly skilled and daring.
Whether she was afraid when she said those words is unknown to them, but they were certainly terrified.
Fearing that His Majesty might lose his temper and actually drag her away to punish her, the Prime Minister and the others were prepared to plead for her.
Ye Yuwu wasn't afraid at all; on the contrary, the ministers who knew her other identity were sweating profusely.
But Ye Yuwu's thinking was also very simple; she believed that what she said did not have the connotation of "intrusion".
If the emperor cannot even accept such words, then she can only say that the emperor is not broad-minded enough, and there is no need for her to change such a country.
Fortunately, the emperor did not take her words to heart, but instead seriously considered the feasibility of the methods she had suggested.
Neither of the parties involved cared at all, but the civil and military officials watching the spectacle were so frightened that they fell silent, not daring to utter a single word.
"Continue." The emperor's fingers continued to rub.
Ye Yuwu's mouth was getting dry from talking, so she just coughed lightly, and a little eunuch brought her some fresh tea.
She took it and sipped it.
Hmm? She took a sip and secretly lifted the lid of the teacup a little.
It really is milk tea.
Ye Yuwu: ...
Ye Yuwu took a few sips of milk tea before speaking again.
"I intend to start with the household registration certificates. These refugees, who suddenly have their own farmland, will naturally be reluctant to leave the border, and they will be eager to obtain the household registration certificates of our Jin Kingdom."
At this time, our court only needs to issue a decree: all refugees who have been cultivating the land on the border for two years can obtain a household registration certificate of the Jin Dynasty and officially become citizens of the Jin Kingdom.
I believe these people will absolutely not be able to resist these benefits.
There aren't many people on the border to begin with. This will not only increase the border population but also promote land reclamation and agriculture—a win-win situation!
"Lord Ye, I'll say it again: your ideas are good, but you've never actually been to the border. Your ideas are just wishful thinking."
"Lord Ye, the land on the border is not easy to cultivate. In addition, due to the barren land and climate, even if these refugees were to grow grain, the amount of grain produced would not be much."
With so many refugees, yet the grain produced is insufficient to feed them, how can we persuade them to stay willingly?
In that case, the imperial court would have to provide silver and grain to solve their livelihood problems.
This would only greatly increase the government's expenditure. It's not worth it! Not worth it at all!
The two officials arguing this time were no longer as disdainful as before. Their words were quite pertinent, and they had clearly considered the situation carefully before raising the questions.
I'm not afraid of having problems, I'm afraid of having no problems at all!
Ye Yuwu smiled mysteriously.
"How difficult is this!"
"What brilliant plan does Lord Ye have?"
"I don't have a brilliant plan, but I wonder if any of you have ever heard of a 'potato'?"
Potato?!
Some of these officials had naturally read the storybooks, but others had not.
"Is Lord Ye referring to the potatoes in 'The Little Chef of the Hidden Dynasty'?"
For some reason, Ye Yuwu felt inexplicably ashamed by the words spoken by these respectable officials and the book's title.
"Exactly!"
Upon hearing the mention of potatoes, the prime minister and others sitting in their chairs revealed intriguing expressions. It turned out that Ye Yuwu had gone through all this trouble to wait here!
To be honest, although they tasted the legendary potato at the teahouse, they were still very interested in it.
Potatoes are a treasure!