"Father Emperor, please quell your anger. You yourself have said that when the law is violated by the many, it is difficult to punish them all. There is no way you can truly punish every single one of them.
In a situation like this, if you lose your temper so fiercely, it will do nothing but harm your own health. What else could it possibly accomplish?"
Yun Shu's way of offering comfort was always blunt yet refreshingly sincere.
"Let us look on the bright side. Once the new registration is completed, the reform of combining head tax with land tax, applied equally to officials and gentry, will be implemented.
From then on, whatever they owe, they will have to pay. No one will be able to slip through the cracks.
Especially those aristocratic clans. They enjoy the generous privileges granted by Your Majesty, occupy vast tracts of land, and yet still dare to defy your will and oppress the common people.
Now, hearing that the court will be distributing new grain seeds, they scramble to snatch more benefits for themselves.
This time, let us allow them a taste of what it means to outsmart themselves and suffer a real loss for the sake of petty gains."
"..."
A sound argument, indeed. It would have been even better without that opening remark.
Though her words had interrupted his train of thought, Emperor Xuanwu's rage did ease a little, if only barely. Still, when he spoke again, his teeth were clenched tightly.
"From what We know of these noble clans, they will not be content with the status quo.
In pursuit of greater profit, they will surely devise new methods to further exploit the people, forcing land from their hands into their own estates.
To prevent such a situation from arising, after the New Year you must immediately—"
"Father Emperor, there is no need to wait until after the New Year."
Yun Shu smiled as she retrieved a memorial from her sleeve.
"Isn't New Year's Eve the day after tomorrow?
There is still one final court session tomorrow morning. We might as well finalize the policy then. Let it serve as a grand New Year's gift for the people."
"You've already written it?"
Emperor Xuanwu took the memorial with a look of mild surprise.
"You anticipated that the land registration would be completed today?"
"Your Daughter is no diviner. How could I predict something so precisely?"
Yun Shu shrugged helplessly.
"I only thought that around New Year's Eve, many laborers would finally have time to rest. After toiling through the entire year, these few days are their only chance to relax.
But in such a relaxed state, it becomes easier for ill-intentioned individuals to take advantage and stir up trouble.
Those aiming to deceive the people and seize their land would strike during this very window.
So whether the registration ended today or not, I had already planned to discuss with you and settle the matter during tomorrow's court session."
"You have thought this through thoroughly." Emperor Xuanwu gave an approving nod. "In that case, We shall leave it to you tomorrow."
"Please be at ease, Father Emperor. Your Daughter will not disappoint you."
Yun Shu had already run through every scenario of this reform countless times in her mind. The only reason she had not acted sooner was because the conditions had not yet been ripe.
But now, the moment had finally arrived.
No matter what, she would see it through to completion.
—
The following morning, being the final court session before New Year's Eve, it was typically a formality.
In years past, nothing of importance was ever discussed. Officials would attend merely to exchange pleasantries before returning home to prepare for the festivities.
As such, even the sternest ministers wore faint smiles of leisure and relief today.
Yun Shu entered at a measured pace, casually greeting certain officials along the way—specifically those whose clans had registered particularly large tracts of land in the past two months.
"Qian Daren, you appear to be in quite good spirits today."
"Deng Daren, you seem especially energetic this morning. Could it be that joyful news awaits you at home?"
"Sun Daren, a good morning to you. You look pleased—might This Princess ask what happy occasion has brought such cheer?"
The officials she greeted were left in stunned silence.
"Her Highness is not usually like this..."
Qian Daren, who had been the first to receive her greeting, stared after Yun Shu's retreating figure. A chill crept across his back.
"It feels just like when she first joined the court. There's something... unsettling about it."
"Nonsense."
Deng Daren, who had also been greeted, kept a stern face. Whether he was refuting Qian Daren or comforting himself was unclear.
"Perhaps Her Highness is simply in good spirits because New Year's is near?
It is the last court session of the year. What pressing matters could there possibly be?"
"Exactly."
Sun Daren leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"Besides, the situation now is not what it was back then.
At that time, Her Highness had just entered court, a woman in a world of men, with hardly a single supporter in the entire imperial assembly.
Our positions were also in opposition to hers. In those days, a greeting from Her Highness almost always meant ill fortune.
But now, everything has changed.
We no longer stand in conflict with Her Highness. Moreover, did you not notice how many people she greeted just now?
Surely you do not believe she plans to deal with all of us during court?"
"But..."
Qian Daren clearly wished he were simply being paranoid. However...
"Did neither of you notice? Every official Her Highness greeted today belongs to a clan that registered a suspicious amount of new farmland."
"..."
For those born into aristocratic families who had climbed this high in court, staying well-informed was simply second nature.
They knew very well which clans had registered the most land in recent months. Even if others remained ignorant, Deng and Sun Daren had kept track.
Qian Daren's piercing observation left them both speechless.
After a long pause, Deng Daren finally muttered with difficulty.
"Perhaps... His Majesty and Her Highness are indeed displeased over this matter. But since the practice is so widespread, they cannot realistically punish us all. This could merely be their way of voicing displeasure, nothing more."
Qian Daren replied dryly, "Do you truly believe that?"
This was not just anyone.
It was the Crown Princess.
When had they ever seen Her Highness swallow grievances and resort to mere passive sarcasm?
Deng Daren fell silent again.
This time, his silence lasted even longer. He said not a word even after Emperor Xuanwu entered the hall.
Instead, his eyes remained fixed on Yun Shu's back, watching her intently from afar.
And when Yun Shu stepped forward and declared that she had a memorial to present, Deng Daren, bizarrely, felt a wave of relief.
"So it is as I thought, he mused. She could never have come just to exchange pleasantries."
Still, perhaps the matter would not be too grave. After all, there were many of them present today, all ranking officials of the court.
At most...
They would simply have a rather unpleasant New Year.