Chapter 54: Experiencing the Hardships of the Mortal World at Such Close Quarters for the Very First Time

Leaving the village houses behind and moving into the flatlands beyond, one was greeted by a vast expanse of sprawling farmland.

The autumn harvest was fast approaching.

The diverse crops planted in the fields had already matured. Aside from the varying heights of the crops, one could spot peasants toiling away across every dozen mu of land.

For millennia, agriculture had remained the most vexing problem for any nation.

No matter the dynasty, the burden of agricultural taxes always seemed crushing.

More importantly, from beginning to end, agricultural labor could never secure a proportional reward.

Thinking back to the era of his past life, despite the use of certain technologies to increase crop yields per mu, the common people could hardly reap any profit when the actual selling season arrived.

In the marketplace, Yang Chuan could see grain priced at four or five yuan per jin.

Yet when these grains were acquired from the farmers, the price was often a mere fraction of a yuan—sometimes just a few pennies per jin.

Furthermore, depending on the varying meteorological conditions each year, the increase or decrease in crop yields profoundly impacted the peasants' income.

If a certain grain or vegetable sold exceptionally well the previous year, the farmers would rush to cultivate it the following year.

This, in turn, resulted in a surplus production of that specific food item.

In milder cases, the excessively abundant food could still be sold, but the price dropped by more than half compared to the previous year.

In severe cases, due to oversupply, the majority of the grain would rot right in the fields, rendering a whole year of the peasants' arduous labor completely futile.

"Your Majesty, aside from agricultural taxes, do the peasants working in the fields nowadays bear any other extra expenses?"

"Well, according to ancestral customs, besides grain taxes, the people must also pay taxes based on the number of heads in each household, along with various other regulations. The amount that must be paid annually is indeed not a small sum."

Yang Chuan nodded and began to ponder deeply on a solution to this issue.

As thoughts constantly churned in his mind, he suddenly recalled the single-whip tax system invented during the Ming Dynasty.

On the surface, such a policy seemed beneficial as it abolished the additional poll taxes levied per household.

However, those "abolished" taxes were simply reallocated and added onto the tax per mu of farmland.

Consequently, the common people no longer even had the chance to falsely report the number of household members to evade taxes; every year, they could only grit their teeth and pay the farmland taxes.

Yet, while this method appeared to lighten the burden on the people, in years of famine, not only could they derive no profit from the farmland, but they even had to rely on leaving home to do manual labor just to make up for the taxes owed that year.

Such a hollow reform policy, after much thought, Yang Chuan decided not to emulate.

"Your Majesty, having lived in the imperial capital for so long, we have likely long since detached ourselves from the suffering masses and remain ignorant of the hardships of ordinary people. Would you be willing to accompany me into the farmland to witness the true plight of the local people?"

Reflecting on his own recent years, spent managing state affairs day after day within luxurious royal palaces, he realized the truth.

If not for this sudden whim to inspect the various regions, how could he ever have known the true condition of the common people today?

Hearing these words, Tian Yueying did not hesitate and immediately agreed to accompany Yang Chuan into the fields to take a look.

The moment they stepped into the farmland, the first sight that greeted the two of them was the farm laborers, heads bowed in deep tillage, their skin baked pitch-black.

Due to years of relentless exposure to the scorching sun, their complexions had been dyed to the absolute extreme of darkness.

Even if they were to suddenly abandon their status as farmers and go to the county town to dabble in small businesses, it would be impossible for their skin tone to ever return to that of a normal East Asian.

Aside from this, these peasant men shared another distinct characteristic: almost all of them had a slight hunchback.

This was the lingering root of illness left behind by years of bending over to till the soil, and furthermore, their lifespans were generally not long.

If an old farmer toiled diligently all his life and managed to live into his fifties, he was already considered long-lived.

As for the village women who assisted them with labor in the fields, every single one of them was sallow and emaciated, a clear sign of chronic malnutrition.

Moreover, in order to add more strong hands to the family, they gave birth almost every two or three years.

Not only did they have to raise four or five children throughout their lives, but within just a month after giving childbirth, without even allowing their bodies time to recover, they would be right back out working in the fields.

Compared to these aging farmers, whose skin and figures had long since been ruined, Tian Yueying standing before them looked much more like a fairy descended from the heavens.

Aside from the innate aura of a monarch she possessed, she bore almost no trace of the mortal world's dust and grime.

"Yang Chuan, do you think we should slightly lower the standards regarding agricultural taxation?"

Experiencing the suffering of the mortal world from such close quarters for the very first time stirred the deep compassion within Tian Yueying's heart.

"As the saying goes, dynasties rise and fall, and monarchs build their states, but no matter the era, when the state prospers, the people suffer; when the state perishes, the people suffer."

Looking at the scene before him, Yang Chuan was reminded of a poem written by a poet of later generations.

In this world where all living beings knew only pain, successive monarchs fought endlessly for supremacy over the rivers and mountains.

The common people rushed into danger and braved hardships, laying the foundation with generation after generation of lives so that emperors could securely sit upon their thrones.

Yet, every single monarch, once having conquered the realm, cared only for their own indulgence, knowing precious little of the affairs of the common folk.

The toiling masses, who ought to have shared in the prosperity of a golden age, sacrificed the lives of several generations yet still could not touch the slightest bit of benefit.

No matter the era, they had to bear heavy taxes, their lifelong toil serving only to plant the seeds of illness for their later years.

"Your Majesty, if you truly cherish your subjects, this agricultural tax must be reduced to the absolute minimum."

"Ever since our time in Xiao City, I have already established trading commercial centers in the most prosperous districts of the cities. Relying on the consumption of the middle class, our collection of national taxes will naturally improve."

After explaining the advantages of inventing such a policy, Yang Chuan cautiously spoke further.

"Your Majesty, once our trade policies mature in the future, we can also establish such commercial streets in several border cities and permit merchants from other nations to travel and trade freely."

"In this way, once the national treasury is amply filled, we can even provide a certain property subsidy to every farming household based on the amount of farmland they contract. This will encourage the people to labor more and produce more grain for Da Qi."

In this era where wars were fought with cold weapons, the principle that grain and forage must precede the movement of troops remained paramount.

Without the blessing of various technologies, boosting crop yields for the common people was clearly somewhat impossible.

However, alleviating the agricultural tax burden on farming households while granting each household a small subsidy seemed much less burdensome for a state whose national power was driven by trade.

Pondering carefully over Yang Chuan's words, Tian Yueying nodded with a half-understanding expression.

"If we can truly develop our national power through trade, I am willing to follow Young Master Yang's method and lighten the burden on the people at the bottom."