newbobooks Chapter 887 The Emperor's Boundless Grace
Chapter 887 The Emperor's Boundless Grace
"He also said that if he survives to leave the military camp, he will definitely come back to find you," Chen Guang said, spouting a string of lies.
This wasn't simply to please Lin Ping, but also to quell Zhang Yuelu's anger.
Zhang Yuelu's strength was evident from the table that had been split in two; at such close range, killing Chen Guang would have been a piece of cake.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuelu's murderous expression calmed down, and a hint of tenderness began to flow in her scarlet eyes.
She knew what being exiled to the frontier meant; even if she repeatedly distinguished herself in battle, she would have to wait until she was sixty years old to leave the army.
That was a border region, where war could break out at any time. Lin Ping was only in his twenties, and what awaited him was more than thirty years of war. Among the ten people who lived to be sixty, only one in ten could survive.
Even if she could come back, Zhang Yuelu would be an old woman whose youth has faded.
More than thirty years is, in terms of numbers, half a person's life, not to mention the fleeting nature of those thirty-odd years.
"No matter what you become, I will wait for you to come back. I just hope you won't dislike my wrinkled face." Zhang Yuelu couldn't help but shed tears, whether from sadness or happiness, it was hard to tell.
Seeing Zhang Yuelu's reaction, Chen Guang wished he could slap himself a few times.
What was said unintentionally was taken to heart by the listener; a simple sentence was enough to ruin Zhang Yuelu's life.
There's no reason to take back what's said, and he wouldn't dare to.
To conceal his inner panic, Chen Guang suddenly pulled out an imperial edict, instantly transforming his demeanor into one of great power and authority.
Upon seeing the golden color that symbolized royalty, tens of thousands of people knelt on the ground.
Even Zhang Yuelu was pinned to the ground by the Weinan City Lord who suddenly rushed over.
They might not be afraid of offending a county magistrate, but they could not disrespect the imperial edict.
"By imperial decree, the magistrate of Weinan County has been killed, and the position is vacant. The Lord of Weinan City will temporarily assume the position and have full authority over the affairs of Weinan City. So be it!"
Chen Guang responded loudly in the tone of an imperial attendant.
The lord of Weinan City thought he would be implicated this time, but to his surprise, the emperor not only did not question his city lord's mansion, but also handed over the management of Weinan City.
Although the county magistrate was only a minor official, he was of great significance to the lord of Weinan City.
He could finally take charge of tens of thousands of his subjects. Although he couldn't immediately lift them out of poverty, he would never make their lives worse.
Seeing that the Lord of Weinan City was somewhat dazed, Chen Guang reminded him, "Lord of Weinan City, why aren't you accepting the imperial decree?"
Zhang Jing then realized what was happening, carefully held the imperial edict in both hands, and kowtowed with deep gratitude.
"The Emperor has issued another decree: Weinan County has been conscripting soldiers year after year, causing immense suffering to the people. Therefore, a special amnesty is hereby granted, and no more conscription will be carried out for ten years," Chen Guang continued.
If the previous appointment of officials was an opportunity for the lord of Weinan to protect his people, then this imperial edict undoubtedly allows the common people to completely escape their miserable fate.
Let alone ten years, in just five years, some of the men in Weinan City will have come of age and be able to shoulder the responsibility of supporting their families.
Once the fertile fields outside the city are cultivated, the poverty of the people will surely be completely resolved, and they may even be able to live a relatively wealthy life.
"Long live the Emperor!"
This time, not only the Lord of Weinan City knelt down, but also tens of thousands of people, and even Zhang Yuelu knelt on the ground willingly.
A slight smile played on her lips as she gazed northwest, a hint of sadness in her eyes: "Little brother, how wonderful it would be if you could hear this news too."
Lin Ping once told her that if the people of Weinan City were to escape poverty, the first step would be to have philanthropists fund the establishment of abstinence homes, then to rent fertile land to soldiers, and finally to wait for the men in the city to grow up.
The construction of Anji Temple is in full swing, and the common people are spared the suffering of conscription, but the imperial army has not yet arrived.
She knew Lin Ping's kind heart and hoped he could hear this exciting news. Little did she know that it was all arranged by Lin Ping, and even the troop deployment was already prepared.
As expected, Chen Guang continued, "I have heard that there are large areas of barren land here. I wonder if it would be possible to allow the soldiers of the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission to cultivate them, and the resulting grain will be divided equally among the people."
The appearance of the garrison had already surprised the city lord of Weinan, and when he heard that the spoils would be divided equally, he almost fainted from excitement.
It should be noted that the imperial court only collected one-tenth of the rent from the common people, and even if the tax burden increased due to war, it would not exceed 30%.
Now that Chen Guang is giving away 50%, it's no different from voluntary labor; at most, it's just earning some rations for the soldiers.
It should be noted that almost all adult men in Weinan City have been conscripted into the army, which will inevitably reduce the city's food consumption by half, since the elderly, weak, women and children have very small appetites.
If the grain produced from dozens of acres of land were distributed among a single household, not only would they have no worries about food and drink, but they could even exchange it for some extra money.
Before this policy, nobody wanted to come to Weinan, a poor place. But after this policy was implemented, the people of Weinan became highly sought after. Making money while lying at home and sleeping was something ordinary people couldn't imagine.
It is said that after the news spread, many people from neighboring counties wanted to obtain local residency, but Zhang Jing flatly refused.
Hiding in the shadows, Lin Ping also smiled. Through the thick wall, he glanced at Zhang Yuelu before reluctantly leaving.
Lin Ping had planned this departure long ago and had already instructed Xu Jianren to prepare a carriage.
Leaving with the caravan would not only prevent Zhang Yuelu from noticing, but would also make it easier to pass a search.
"Brother Lin, why didn't you say goodbye to that Miss Zhang? After all, it's not her fault that she's beautiful," Xu Jianren asked, puzzled, his eyes filled with envy and regret.
If he were Lin Ping, he wouldn't mind taking in another beautiful woman.
After all, in this feudal society where men were superior to women, no one would worry about having too many wives; in fact, no emperor throughout history had.
"I can give you the opportunity," Lin Ping said sarcastically.
Upon hearing this, Xu Jianren's hormones surged, and he no longer cared about anything else, immediately wanting to turn the car around.
Even if he is very rich, he doesn't have many opportunities to get close to a beauty like Zhang Yuelu, which makes people envious just thinking about it.
"You said it yourself, so don't say I stole your clothes," Xu Jianren said seriously.
"Just go, you're not afraid of dying anyway," Lin Ping said nonchalantly.
"Brother Lin, that's not fair of you. You just said you'd give me a chance, and now you're trying to settle scores in private," Xu Jianren said with displeasure.
Lin Ping shook his head: "I never said I was going to kill you."
Xu Jianren was completely confused, but in the end he still wanted to muster up his courage.
“Zhang Yuelu’s strength far surpasses mine. She could crush your throat even with her bare hands,” Lin Ping said calmly. “Oh, by the way, she’s also an assassin from the Nightmare Palace, the kind with a very high status. Alright, now you can go find her.”