ATPnovel Chapter 33 Old Dismissals and New Policies
Chapter 33 Old Dismissals and New Policies
Yang Yan's fingers tapped incessantly on the table; it was an unconscious habit of his.
"This kind of radical and permanent solution should rightfully be done by you, Yang Jian. That would be the most legitimate and prudent undertaking!"
He lowered his voice, speaking to the air as if he were conversing with the figure high on the throne, his voice carrying a hint of regret and sigh that no one could understand.
Yang Jian was the founding emperor, his prestige at its zenith, and he wielded the sword with decisive ruthlessness. Even if such drastic national policies encountered enormous resistance, he could forcefully suppress them with his illustrious military achievements and supreme authority.
Yang Guang, however, had an illegitimate accession to the throne and an unstable foundation, yet he was eager for quick success and attempted to solve the long-standing problems of several generations with a single decree.
The result was like cooking oil in a raging fire, which ultimately led to the downfall of the entire Sui Dynasty!
"A radical solution... a permanent solution..."
Yang Yan's knuckles unconsciously tapped on the cold windowpane, making a soft, rhythmic "tap-tap" sound.
A crazy idea in his mind became crystal clear at that moment.
"What if... what if this 'removing the fuel from under the cauldron' strategy hadn't been hastily proposed by Yang Guang, who had an illegitimate and unstable position, more than a decade later, but instead was presented 'privately' to Yang Jian by Yang Yong, the crown prince?"
The moment this idea popped into his head, it was like a thunderclap, instantly illuminating all the fog in his mind!
This move kills three birds with one stone!
Firstly, this was the most direct and blatant pledge of allegiance! It clearly told Yang Jian: the political stance of the Eastern Palace is absolute supremacy of imperial power, completely aligned with you, the founding monarch! We are willing to offend the entire Guanlong Group in order to consolidate imperial power!
Secondly, it could instantly reverse Yang Jian's stereotypical impression of Yang Yong as "benevolent but cowardly" and "incompetent." A crown prince who dares to challenge the powerful and influential, even if he only proposes this idea, carries far more weight than the mere charge of "extravagance and usurpation"!
Thirdly, it was a decisive blow to Yang Guang! Yang Guang's feigned frugality and attempts to please Empress Dugu were ultimately aimed at gaining a reputation for "filial piety" and "wisdom." Once Yang Yong gained the upper hand in national policy, Yang Guang's petty actions would instantly appear narrow-minded and unworthy of serious consideration!
"Yes, that's what we'll do!"
A surge of passion welled up in Yang Yan's heart. He turned back to his desk, grabbed the wolf-hair brush that had been causing him such discomfort, and, disregarding any rules or techniques, dipped it in pine soot ink and began to scribble his core ideas on a rough piece of hemp paper at an almost frantic pace.
His handwriting, somewhat hasty due to his excitement, yet it revealed an undeniable sharpness: "The powerful clans of Guanzhong and Longxi use slaves as henchmen, seize land beyond the bounds of the law, and hoard grain and troops. The flaws in the national law are the true source of private armies. Their essence in opposing imperial power lies in their control of the population, which can be used as soldiers in wartime and as farmers in peacetime, forming a state within a state..."
I paused here.
The ink spread slightly on the rough hemp paper fibers, forming a dark ink dot, just like his heart, which had suddenly cooled down.
"Wait... isn't that too direct?"
He looked at the four words "a country within a country" on the paper, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
Ultimately, I was influenced by the way of thinking of later generations. If I said this to a history professor, I might get a high score.
But if it were presented to the suspicious and distrustful Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian…
He wouldn't believe that Yang Yong wrote this; its origin is self-evident.
How could a mere sixteen-year-old imperial grandson so profoundly perceive the empire's deep-seated problems and even pinpoint the essence of a "state within a state"?
What would Yang Jian think? Would he marvel at his grandson's extraordinary talent, or would he be terrified by his grandson's cunning and shrewdness, which far exceeded what one would expect for his age?
Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; those who are too sharp and outspoken will die the fastest!
"We must ease the tension, we must find a 'legitimate' pretext!" Yang Yan immediately rejected his earlier impulsiveness, a sense of powerlessness welling up in his heart.
It took him a while to force himself to calm down. He closed his eyes, and the original owner's experiences flashed by like a slideshow.
The land regulations of the Sui Dynasty could not possibly be hidden only in the annotations of the Kaihuang Code.
According to the official system of the Sui Dynasty, decrees related to land and household registration were mostly managed by the Tuntian Langzhong and Hubu Langzhong under the Shangshu Province, and daily documents were stored in the Tiancao Archives of the Shangshu Province; while those imperial edicts and memorials concerning the fundamental policies of the country would be copied and archived by the Neishi Province and stored in the more confidential archives of the Neishi Province.
Although the Eastern Palace did not have these original copies, Crown Prince Yang Yong, as the heir apparent, was entitled to copy some of the important court documents for his own reference.
However, his father was still normal; he must have copies of these files, though they were probably already gathering dust in a corner of the study.
In his memory, the original owner, Yang Yan, did indeed spend a lot of time in this study to escape the oppressive atmosphere within the Eastern Palace.
He had seen his father's study containing a copy of the full text of the "Kaihuang Land Decree," and even the "Memorial on the Occupation of Land by Slaves and Maids" jointly submitted by Gao Jiong and Su Wei. However, at that time, he was young and did not delve into the details.
"It must be here!"
With a firm resolve, Yang Yan disregarded the stinging pain in his buttocks and legs, got up, and quickly walked to the bookshelf.
His fingertips traced rows of cold bamboo slips and thick hemp paper pages, his gaze sweeping quickly over the labels written in clerical script.
"The Commentary and Subcommentary on the Book of Documents..."
"The Book of Han, Treatise on Food and Commodities..."
"Miscellaneous Discussions on the Land Ordinance of the Ministry of Works, Third Year of the Kaihuang Era..."
Found it! His gaze was fixed on the label.
"Yang Jian implemented the system around this time, and it was the Tian Ling (a type of land decree), so the system originated from this. If this were brought back to modern times, it would be incredible."
Yang Yan bent down, enduring the excruciating pain from his wound being pulled apart, and carefully took out a roll of hemp paper pages that had clearly been forgotten for a long time from a dusty wooden box at the bottom.
The cover of the book has turned yellow and become brittle. On it, in slightly dim ink, is written a line of words: "Tian Cao • Kai 'The Third Year of the Emperor's Reign: Discussion on the Occupation of Land by Slaves'".
Yang Yan's heart began to pound wildly.
He laid the pages flat on the desk and carefully unfolded them by candlelight.
A pungent smell of old paper, ink, and dust assaulted his nostrils, causing him to sneeze. But his eyes were held captive by a magnet, unable to look away.
Sure enough, the book contained a copy of the "Kaihuang Field Order".
The opening chapter contained the key clauses, and those neat lines of clerical script, in his eyes at that moment, were nothing less than the sharpest dragon-slaying blade in the world!
"No slave or servant may independently receive land. If a master seizes land beyond the limit, the number of slaves or servants shall be used to offset the excess, with each slave receiving half a plot of land. Any land exceeding the limit shall be confiscated by the government!"
Every word struck his heart like a heavy hammer!
He excitedly continued flipping through the pages, and in the latter half of the book, there was a fragment of Gao Jiong's memorial from back then...