The princess arrives and the prosperous Tang Dynasty begins

Chapter 144: Prosperity Again

After a long and arduous struggle, the Tang Dynasty was like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, regaining its former glory and prosperity. The streets and alleys of Chang'an were bustling with people. The vendors in the streets and alleys shouted and sold a wide variety of goods; children played and laughed in the alleys, and their cheerful laughter echoed in the air; literati gathered in teahouses, talking and reciting poems.

In the farmland outside the city, the endless wheat waves swayed gently in the breeze, like a golden ocean. Farmers worked hard in the fields, their faces filled with the joy of harvest and vision for the future.

Lin Xiao and Li Yi stood side by side on the high building of the palace, overlooking the prosperous scene, with a lot of emotion in their hearts. They knew that this hard-won prosperity was the result of the joint efforts of countless people, and it was also the result of their hard work in governing the country together.

In the agricultural sector, Lin Xiao and Li Yi spared no effort to implement a series of innovative and pragmatic policies. They sent many experienced agricultural experts to remote villages. These experts not only brought advanced farming techniques, such as improved plows and planting methods, but also taught farmers efficient irrigation techniques. Under the guidance of experts, farmers learned how to use land rationally and how to choose suitable crop varieties according to seasonal and climatic conditions.

In order to further increase the yield of farmland, Lin Xiao and Li Yi ordered the construction of water conservancy projects. Large-scale irrigation channels crisscrossed the vast fields, and clear water continuously nourished the dry land. This not only solved the water shortage problem in the dry season, but also greatly improved the irrigation conditions of farmland, allowing crops to thrive.

At the same time, they reduced the heavy tax burden on farmers, allowing them to truly enjoy the fruits of their hard work. This move greatly stimulated farmers' enthusiasm for production, and many previously barren lands were reclaimed and turned into fertile farmland. In order to cope with possible natural disasters and food shortages, they also established a large and complete food reserve system. Granaries were set up in various places to purchase excess food in good years and store it, and to open the granaries for relief in bad years to ensure that the people would not be displaced due to famine.

In terms of commerce, the Tang Dynasty developed rapidly. Lin Xiao and Li Yi knew the importance of commerce to the prosperity of the country, and they strongly supported the trade activities of merchants. First, they invested a lot of manpower and material resources to build wide and flat roads to closely connect various cities and villages. Both carriages and pedestrians could travel unimpeded on these roads, which greatly improved the efficiency of commodity transportation.

They reduced commercial taxes and reduced business costs for merchants. This move attracted merchants from all over the country and even neighboring countries to flock to the Tang Dynasty market. Chang'an, Luoyang and other large cities became prosperous commercial centers with numerous shops and a wide variety of goods. Spices and jewelry from the Western Regions, silk and tea from the south of the Yangtze River, furs and medicinal materials from the north were all available here.

In order to regulate the business order and protect the legitimate rights and interests of merchants, Lin Xiao and Li Yi formulated strict and fair business regulations. They severely cracked down on unfair competition such as fraud and monopoly, and maintained a fair competition environment in the market. At the same time, they also set up a special business management agency to supervise market transactions and handle business disputes, promoting the healthy development of business activities.

In the field of education, Lin Xiao and Li Yi also devoted a lot of effort. They understood that talents are the foundation of national development, and education is the cradle of cultivating talents. Therefore, they ordered the construction of schools on a large scale across the country, so that there were institutions of learning to impart knowledge in both prosperous cities and remote villages.

In order to improve the quality of education, they spared no expense to hire many knowledgeable and virtuous teachers. These teachers not only taught Confucian classics, poetry, songs and prose, but also taught practical knowledge such as astronomy, geography, mathematics and technology. In terms of textbook compilation, they organized scholars to carefully compile a set of systematic, comprehensive and rich textbooks covering many fields such as classics, history, natural sciences, humanities and arts.

The imperial examination system was further improved and developed under their reform. The examination content focused more on the examination of practical ability and comprehensive quality, and was no longer limited to rote memorization of classic articles. Officials selected through the imperial examination not only had a profound cultural heritage, but also had the ability to solve practical problems and innovative thinking. The annual imperial examination became a national event, attracting countless aspiring young people to participate in it and work hard to realize their ideals and ambitions.

During this period, culture and art experienced unprecedented prosperity. Poetry and songs became an important way for people to express their emotions and aspirations. A large number of outstanding poets such as Li Bai and Du Fu emerged. Their poems had different styles, some bold and elegant, some melancholy and frustrated, showing the diversity and tolerance of Tang Dynasty culture. Calligraphy and painting art also reached its peak. The works of masters such as Yan Zhenqing and Wu Daozi have been passed down through the ages and have become artistic treasures admired by later generations.

Music and dance also flourished. The palace music and dance were solemn and elegant, and the folk songs and dances were cheerful and lively. During every festival celebration, people sang and danced, immersed in a joyful atmosphere. Lin Xiao and Li Yi not only strongly supported the artists' creations, but also personally participated in cultural activities and exchanged ideas with literati, which greatly stimulated the artists' creative enthusiasm.

However, the prosperity is not without worries. With the rapid economic development, the phenomenon of land annexation has gradually surfaced. Some wealthy landlords and dignitaries have taken advantage of their power to annex farmers' land, causing many farmers to lose the foundation for their survival. Lin Xiao and Li Yi are keenly aware of the seriousness of this problem.

They immediately took a series of decisive measures. First, they strengthened supervision of land transactions, strictly examined the legality of land sales, and put an end to illegal mergers. At the same time, they enacted relevant laws to limit the maximum size of land owned by individuals and prevent excessive concentration of land in the hands of a few people. For the land that had been merged, they ordered an inventory and returned the illegally merged land to the farmers.

In addition, in order to fundamentally solve the problem, they implemented land reform policies, encouraged farmers to cooperate in farming, jointly develop wasteland, and improve land utilization efficiency. They also set up special institutions to mediate land disputes and protect the legitimate rights and interests of farmers.

Behind the commercial prosperity, some undesirable phenomena have also emerged. Some businessmen are blinded by greed and in pursuit of high profits, they do not hesitate to resort to fraudulent means, passing inferior products off as good ones and harming consumers. Disorderly competition in the market also occurs from time to time, and monopolies have emerged in some industries, destroying the environment of fair competition.

In order to solve these problems, Lin Xiao and Li Yi formulated strict business regulations. Once fraudulent behavior is verified, it will be severely punished, not only to compensate the victim's losses, but also to impose a high fine. Monopolistic behavior will be resolutely cracked down, monopoly enterprises will be split up, and diversified competition in the market will be promoted.

At the same time, market management has been strengthened, market supervisors have been added, and commodity quality has been regularly inspected to ensure that commodities on the market meet quality standards. A consumer complaint mechanism has been established to encourage the public to report illegal merchants and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests.

In politics, although the court has selected a large number of excellent officials, there are still some corrupt elements hidden among them, who have engaged in corruption, bribery, and favoritism, which has seriously damaged the court's image and credibility. Lin Xiao and Li Yi know that corruption is a cancer in national development. If it is not eradicated, it will erode the foundation of the country.

They have stepped up their anti-corruption efforts and established a strict supervision system. They have set up a special supervision agency, given it independent investigation and disposal powers, and comprehensively supervised officials at all levels. At the same time, they encourage the public to report corruption and give generous rewards to those whose reports are true. For corrupt officials who are investigated, no matter how high or low their positions are, they will be severely punished without mercy and will never be tolerated.

In addition to cracking down on corruption, they also focus on the moral education of officials. They regularly hold lectures and training on clean governance, invite scholars and officials of high moral character to give lectures to incumbent officials, and cultivate their awareness of clean governance and sense of responsibility. They advocate the style of being honest and upright in office, set an example, commend good officials who are honest and dedicated to the public, and do practical things for the people, and encourage more officials to follow suit.

In terms of military, the border of the Tang Dynasty faced intrusions from surrounding minority regimes. In order to defend the country's territorial integrity and the safety of people's lives and property, Lin Xiao and Li Yi attached great importance to the construction of the army.

They recruited a large number of strong and brave young men to join the army to enrich the army. At the same time, they invested a huge amount of money to equip the army with sophisticated weapons and equipment, including sharp swords, solid armor, powerful bows and crossbows, etc. They strengthened military training to improve the soldiers' combat quality and combat capabilities. They not only focused on physical and tactical training, but also cultivated the soldiers' team spirit and loyalty.

In terms of strategy and tactics, Lin Xiao and Li Yi recruited talents, listened to the advice of military strategists, and developed flexible and changeable combat plans. According to different enemy situations and terrains, they adopted corresponding strategies and tactics, so as to know themselves and the enemy, and fight a hundred battles without danger. They successfully resisted foreign invasions many times and safeguarded the peace and stability of the border.

In the field of diplomacy, the Tang Dynasty actively established friendly relations with neighboring countries. Lin Xiao and Li Yi sent experienced and talented envoys to visit various countries. These envoys brought precious gifts and friendly greetings, conveying the Tang Dynasty's desire to coexist peacefully and develop together with other countries.

In its exchanges with other countries, the Tang Dynasty demonstrated the demeanor of an open and inclusive great power. It actively absorbed the excellent culture and technology of other countries, and at the same time spread the advanced culture and technology of the Tang Dynasty, promoting cultural exchange and integration. Through trade exchanges with neighboring countries, economic ties were strengthened and mutual benefit and win-win results were achieved.

On a sunny day, Lin Xiao and Li Yi decided to go on a private visit to experience the prosperity and changes of the people. They changed into ordinary people's clothes and strolled on the streets of Chang'an.

The shops on both sides of the street were doing a booming business, with many customers. In a silk shop, the colorful silks were dazzling; the food stalls nearby gave off tempting aromas, attracting passers-by to stop and taste them.

"Li Yi, look at this lively scene. People's lives are getting better and better." Lin Xiao's eyes were full of joy.

Li Yi smiled and nodded: "Yes, this is the result of your wise decision and the joint efforts of the people. But we can't take it lightly, we need to continue to find and solve problems."

As they were talking, they came to a market. There were crowds of people, shouting and bargaining. An old farmer was selling fresh vegetables he grew at the stall, with a satisfied smile on his face.

Lin Xiao walked up to the old farmer and started talking to him: "Old man, how is the harvest this year?"

The old farmer saw that Lin Xiao and Li Yi had extraordinary temperaments and spoke gently even though they were dressed in casual clothes, so he replied respectfully: "Thanks to your majesty and all the adults, the weather has been good this year, the harvest is good, and our lives are getting better and better."

Lin Xiao and Li Yi felt very relieved after hearing this.

On the way back to the palace, Lin Xiao and Li Yi discussed the future development plan as they walked. They knew that although they had made remarkable achievements, there was still a lot of work to be done.

"Li Yi, we need to increase our efforts to popularize education. We cannot let children in remote areas lose the opportunity to receive education." Lin Xiao said.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I will start making arrangements after I return." Li Yi responded.

"Also, medical care cannot be neglected. We need to train more doctors so that ordinary people can afford medical treatment." Lin Xiao continued.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will formulate relevant policies as soon as possible." Li Yi promised solemnly.

As time went by, the Tang Dynasty became more prosperous under the careful governance of Lin Xiao and Li Yi. The cities continued to expand in size, and the buildings became more magnificent; rural life became more prosperous, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. The cultural influence continued to grow, and envoys from various countries came to learn and exchange.

At a grand celebration, the whole city of Chang'an was immersed in a sea of ​​joy. People dressed in their best clothes, sang and danced, celebrating the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. Lin Xiao and Li Yi stood on the high platform, looking at the happy crowd, their hearts filled with hope and longing for the future.