"Indeed! All of this is thanks to His Majesty and Her Highness the Crown Princess!"
...
The ministers' endless flattery took quite some time.
By the time Yun Shu and her entourage returned from the fields, the palace kitchen had just finished preparing the dishes she had previously ordered.
Naturally, there were a variety of dishes featuring Tudou, but Yun Shu had not stopped there. Corn and Sweet Tudou had also been transformed into a stunning array of delicacies.
From vermicelli pancakes to dried sweet Tudou slices, everything had been brought out. The officials gorged themselves to the point that several had to secretly loosen their belts before Yun Shu finally smiled and spoke.
"Gentlemen, do you know why, even though these grains have been in Tian Sheng for three or four years now, Father Emperor and This Princess chose only today to bring you here?"
"Such high-yield crops are clearly of immense benefit to the realm," one Daren quickly replied. "Presumably, the yields were not yet stable in the early years, and Your Highness was focused on improving the output per mu. Should word have leaked during that sensitive period, hostile foreign powers might have dispatched spies to sabotage the effort. Therefore, His Majesty and Your Highness chose to keep it secret."
After delivering this guess, the Daren didn't forget to add another layer of flattery for good measure.
"His Majesty is wise beyond compare. Her Highness the Crown Princess is brilliant indeed."
Yun Shu raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Cui Daren is quite clever. Your words are not wrong. But more importantly, the reason Father Emperor and This Princess chose to bring you here today is because—"
She paused deliberately, then said with clarity,
"After this year's harvest, the grain seeds of these new crops have finally been cultivated to a point where they are suitable for distribution among the common people."
"Does that mean that next spring, the people will be able to plant these high-yield crops themselves?"
Tian Daren gasped in astonishment.
"Then, from next year onward, our people of Tian Sheng will never go hungry again?"
"More or less," Yun Shu replied with a smile. "But if you're asking when the common households will truly see their own harvests, that may take until the following year."
She explained gently,
"After all, the quantity of seeds we currently possess is only enough to distribute a small amount per household. They'll need another planting season before they can truly reap the full harvest."
"That is still wonderful news!"
Tian Daren nodded vigorously. His emotions surged again, but he caught himself just in time. Turning his head away, he used his sleeve to dab at the corners of his eyes. Then, grinning, he repeated,
"It is still wonderful news!"
"Yes, quite wonderful indeed," Yun Shu replied with a soft laugh. Then, at last, she addressed the true purpose behind this entire presentation.
"The Court's decision to distribute these grain seeds to the people, free of charge, was made to benefit the populace.
But if someone were to exploit this opportunity—using tricks to hoard seeds for personal gain—then the very people who deserve these seeds most may end up with nothing.
Such an outcome would completely betray the Court's original intention.
Therefore, This Princess intends to re-register and update the records of each household's land holdings before the spring planting begins.
Based on these newly updated records, we shall distribute seeds according to a fixed ratio: one portion per mu of land.
What do you all think?"
"Your Highness has considered the matter most thoroughly. This is indeed how it ought to be done!"
Yun Shu's reasoning was sound and just. In fact, for many of the officials, the policy even offered a few quiet benefits. Naturally, none raised objections.
Once they returned to the capital, many officials—especially those from noble families—immediately sent word back to their clans.
Although they themselves, being titled and holding official positions, were exempt from agricultural taxes, His Majesty had implemented policies in prior years to curb land annexation and encourage the cultivation of wastelands. Back then, the Crown Princess, still bearing her title as a princess, had introduced numerous innovations and supportive policies to promote such efforts.
As a result, their households had indeed opened up significant amounts of wilderness for farming.
Of course, that was not the whole story.
They had also seized a good deal of land from commoners. Much of this seized land had never been formally reported or registered, to avoid unnecessary complications.
But now, after so many years, even if someone wanted to investigate, the trail had long gone cold.
In this situation, if they wished to receive more seeds from the Court and maximize their profit, they would naturally need to register those hidden plots as well.
And it was not only the officials.
As soon as the Capital Weekly published an urgent bulletin the following day—announcing that starting next spring, the Court would be distributing high-yield crop seeds for free based on registered land holdings—wealthy merchants and landlords throughout Tian Sheng followed suit.
After a quick round of internal discussions, they all began reporting the fields they had previously concealed to avoid taxation.
Only one group of people had nothing more to do during this period: the ordinary citizens who, from the beginning, had neither the power nor the means to falsify records. Their land had long been registered properly.
Still, that did not mean they were idle. There was always gossip to pass the time.
"Did you hear? Old Master Liu's family in the western quarter went to the yamen to register more than seventy mu of land!"
"Heavens above! Seventy mu! I wouldn't even dare to imagine what that much land looks like in a dream!"
"Who knows how much silver these old masters have. We cannot begin to comprehend it.
Still, with His Majesty and Her Highness, life is finally improving for people like us!
I still cannot believe it—grains that can yield ten thousand jin per mu? If such treasures truly exist, why did our ancestors never discover them all those centuries before?"
"Can the Crown Princess's ability be compared to that of ordinary folk?
Is it not said that Her Highness descended from the heavens themselves, an immortal sent to aid the suffering and lift the people into a better life?
Our ancestors never stood beside gods."
"Exactly! Do not worry.
If the grain seeds were false, would those old masters be scrambling to register every inch of land they own?
Would they be so eager, if there was nothing to gain?
They'd have to be fools."
"I never said the seeds were false! I'm just so shocked, so happy!
I even heard the new grains aren't just high-yielding, they taste excellent too!"
...
The matter of re-registering farmlands stretched on all the way to the end of the year.
Though Emperor Xuanwu had long known that many unregistered lands existed—and likely in great numbers—he was still so enraged by the final tally that he slammed his dragon seal against the imperial desk in the study with a thunderous crash.
"Those vile ingrates!
No wonder the national treasury was always short in those early years.
They hid vast swaths of farmland, paid no taxes, and still had the audacity to claim these fields were newly cultivated only recently…
Do they take Us for a fool?
They simply assumed that the law would not punish the masses. With so many of them doing the same, they believed We would not be able to punish them all!"
===
Just a quick personal note about After Killing Dao Partner, the Villainess Becomes the Demon Ancestor (✧ω✧)
I've translated all the chapters so far, and honestly? I'm really impressed. This novel is not your typical xianxia—schemes and plots are at the heart of the story. From the early chapters, you'll see layers upon layers of intrigue, and even beyond chapter 100, the scheming stays intense. You can't just skip to the fight scenes—the story lives in the tension, the planning, the clever maneuvers. It's almost like Gōngdòu (宫斗) but in a xianxia world, which is super rare and exciting to see.
Yun Qingyue, the protagonist, is sharp, ruthless, and not a saint. Watching her navigate the schemes, outwit her enemies, and crush anyone in her way is strangely satisfying. And when the fights do happen? They're well-written and complement the intrigue rather than overshadow it.
Personally, I also really enjoy the author's distinctive style. Translating it gave me this unique feeling that I haven't experienced in other novels—it's clever, tense, and full of character.
So yeah… if you want a xianxia that's more than just cultivation and fights, one that's full of clever schemes, morally gray characters, and surprises, I'd definitely recommend giving this a shot. It's one of those novels that keeps you thinking and entertained at the same time (≧▽≦)