Chapter 975: I Am Here (Wishing Book Friend Mu Jin a Happy Birthday)

Chen Xun opened his mouth to look at her, then whispered: "People will die."

Yu Qian remained silent, his expression unchanged.

Hu Ying sighed: "His Majesty has only been on the throne for a year; now is not the time to survey land—it won't uncover much hidden acreage. Grand Secretary Yu proposes this now for three reasons: first, to find an excuse to reorganize official conduct; second, to help the Ministry of Revenue increase output; third, to make an example of a few to frighten others into behaving themselves for the next few years."

Hu Cheng, a southern man, said nothing.

Hu Ying glanced at Pan Yun, then smiled softly: "It's not entirely bad. With land surveying first, the Ministry of Works will find it easier to carry out these tasks afterward—but this memorial must not leak. It may be shown to His Majesty alone."

Some state policies require advance public announcement, to rally officials and the people alike;

others must remain secret, achieved under false pretenses.

For once something is made public, it faces immense resistance from the very start.

If certain people see this memorial, they'll think land surveying is trivial by comparison.

The most critical point of this memorial is people!

It speaks entirely of people!

If what the memorial claims comes true, not only will landless people across the realm be settled, but many peasants will be pulled off their land.

How many of those peasants actually till land they own?

Hu Ying was a Metropolitan Graduate of the Jianwen era, had toured the realm, and, from annual reports of the Ministry of Revenue alone, could guess how many tenant farmers existed.

Once these people move from the land to the mines, factories, workshops, and other industries listed in the memorial, who will till the vast estates of the landlords?

Can the landlords themselves go out and till the soil?

And which noble or high official in court isn't a major landlord?

Hu Ying glanced at Yu Qian—oh, this man is an exception.

Hu Ying thought: if the memorial's proposals are truly carried out, even his own household will have to lower rents to keep tenant farmers.

Rents may need to drop to thirty percent—or even less; two percent might be necessary to retain them.

Currently, landlords charge tenants forty to seventy percent.

The harshest charge seventy percent; the most generous, forty; most charge fifty.

Hu Ying's family has always charged forty percent.

He was seventy, had accepted his fate, held no great expectations for his descendants—each generation has its own fortune; he had already given them all he could.

So he accepted it calmly.

Hu Cheng cared only for forging; he had no desire for politics. While Chen Xun and others scrambled to enter the Grand Secretariat, he was the only Minister who had no wish for it whatsoever.

Moreover, like Yu Qian, he owned no land.

Oh, by the way, this Hu Cheng was Vietnamese; both he and his father were top-tier scientific talents from Vietnam, but his father had an especially foul mouth, so when Emperor Yongle invaded Vietnam, he provoked the emperor's interest—and the entire family, along with other artisans, was relocated to Great Ming to serve it.

This Minister Hu was obsessed with forging, building houses, repairing bridges and paving roads; his greatest passion in forging was making guns and cannons.

Before Pan Yun appeared, the most advanced guns and cannons in Great Ming were almost all designed by him.

His ancestral lands were extensive, but they meant nothing to him now; in Jingcheng, like Yu Qian, he owned little land beyond a single house, enough for his own family to farm.

He didn't farm himself; he could ask his disciples to do it—he didn't need tenant farmers.

So he simply nodded and praised the memorial highly.

Thus, the only one who remained silent was Minister of Revenue Chen Xun.

Everyone turned to him. Chen Xun grew nervous and hurriedly said: "I naturally agree too—after all, if this succeeds, the state will never again lack funds."

Pan Yun: "Not quite that dire. Money is made to be spent—it comes from the people and returns to them; you mustn't let it rot in treasuries or divert it to the Inner Treasury."

Pan Yun remembered and asked: "Does the Inner Treasury still draw funds from the state treasury?"

Pan Yun had only recently learned that the imperial family had a tradition: every year they withdrew silver from the state treasury and repaid it in copper coins, thereby siphoning off state wealth.

Chen Xun muttered inwardly: So it was her who told His Majesty—no wonder he'd been looking at me wrong for a while.

His Majesty must have thought I deliberately told the State Preceptor, to have him give advice.

Heaven and earth bear witness—I merely complained once to Vice Minister Wang, and Pan Yun, standing nearby, overheard it and took the ledger to examine.

Chen Xun replied: "His Majesty previously didn't know of this. After learning, he showed compassion for the people and strictly ordered the Imperial Household Department to cease drawing silver from the state treasury. He even returned part of the funds from the Inner Treasury, and even for this Emperor's Birthday, the Inner Treasury contributed funds, greatly easing the state treasury's burden."

Pan Yun nodded: "Good. Back to the topic—Minister Chen, do you truly agree, or are you just saying so?"

She said with deep implication: "Don't agree now, then leak the memorial after leaving."

Chen Xun's face flushed red with anger: "State Preceptor, I may own more land than you all, but state affairs come first—and I, Chen Xun, would never do something so unprincipled!"

Yu Qian looked at Pan Yun with mild disapproval: "Though Minister Chen isn't as clever or insightful as the State Preceptor, who can devise so many fine plans, his character is excellent."

Yu Qian sighed regretfully: "He simply lacks ability."

Chen Xun: … This defense didn't make him happy at all.

Pan Yun said: "I naturally trust Minister Chen's character—otherwise I wouldn't have invited him. But… I don't trust his ability to judge people."

Chen Xun: … Even less happy.

He paused, then shot back: "State Preceptor, did you invite me because you truly trust my character—or because the Ministry of Works needs money for these projects?"

According to the memorial, carrying out all these projects requires vast sums.

Such sums clearly cannot come from individuals—they must come from the state treasury.

Chen Xun snorted: So this is about extracting funds from me.

But Pan Yun shook her head: "It's good if the state treasury pays—but even if it doesn't, I have other ways."

She counted on her fingers: "My own money, the Emperor and Empress's Inner Treasury funds, the principle of one begetting two, two begetting three—combined with talent from across the realm, all at His Majesty's disposal—accomplishing these things won't be hard."

"I invited Minister Chen not for capital, but for management."

Chen Xun was astonished: "Management?"

Yu Qian mused: "Each has his own expertise. Minister Hu is not skilled in management; even if a steel mill is built, he won't make it profitable. That's why we need Minister Chen's help."

Pan Yun nodded firmly: "Correct. Besides the steel mill, all the factories listed here require joint cooperation between the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works."

She said with deep implication: "If the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works handle this, these things belong to the state; if the Ministry of Works and the Emperor and Empress handle this, they belong to the imperial clan."

Chen Xun immediately shouted: "I'll do it!"