The Crown Prince was stunned by my explanation. He had never imagined such a way to manage the peasantry. Dividing the fields among them to cultivate in exchange for a portion of the harvest was far superior to any method he knew. He secretly committed the strategy to memory.
Knowing he shouldn't appear too eager, the Crown Prince spent the rest of the day showing me around. Once he saw me safely back to the post house, he hurried to the palace without delay to relay everything he had pried out of me to his father.
After careful deliberation, the Emperor felt this approach was indeed better than their current system. It would prevent powerful families from growing too strong, solve the problem of uncultivated land, and ensure that those in need of land had some to work. Most importantly, the land would remain his, and the farmers would be bound to till it for him for generations. While they were already effectively doing that, this new method seemed more efficient and easier to control, preventing the peasants from hoarding grain.
Chapter 163