With the completion of the novice missions and a substantial amount of points, Ding Yun quickly opened the point mall and settled the items that had been in her shopping cart for the past month.
Then, she received a large haul of goods.
A large pile of things she desperately needed, or didn't urgently need, but would definitely use in the future.
For instance, high-yield grain seeds, processes for the production and manufacturing of basic fertilizers along with corresponding equipment, processes for the production and configuration of basic pesticides along with corresponding equipment, the Hundred Refinement Steel process, basic chemistry tutorials, basic physics tutorials, processes for making a hundred types of paper, basic generator technology and equipment...
In short, everything she could think of, both items and technologies.
She bought it all.
And she didn't use her current status as emperor to promote these things. Instead, she continued as she had for the past month, largely uninvolved in court affairs.
Her main focus was developing her workshops, courier stations, and the like.
The newly acquired technologies and equipment were also supplied to her workshops and to the truly capable individuals.
These were the people who had not yet entered the court.
These were her loyal subordinates who were still doing business for her.
These people formed Ding Yun's fundamental support base.
And her operations undoubtedly projected an image to the outside world that she was not particularly inclined to manage court affairs, only caring about how much money her businesses could make. This significantly lowered the vigilance of the officials and noble families. The cost was merely some officials launching mild impeachments against her for doing business.
Accusing her of competing with the common people for profit.
Thus, Ding Yun smoothly transitioned through three years.
Over these three years, her presence in court was extremely low. If she hadn't attended court three to five times a month, people might have almost forgotten that there was an emperor.
She basically did not interfere in major or minor court matters.
She let the officials make their own decisions.
At most, she would urge them on during times of disaster relief.
From any perspective, she appeared to be a mediocre and incompetent ruler. Some noble families even began to feel fortunate about their decisions, thinking that women's vision was indeed narrow; even as empress, she only cared about her own small territory and her own businesses. However, such an emperor was precisely the kind they favored the most.
If future emperors were all like this.
Serving as obedient mascots, not meddling in affairs.
That would be the best possible outcome.
However, these were merely surface phenomena.
Over these three years, Ding Yun had been busy behind the scenes. Her lack of attendance at court was not due to unwillingness, but because she was genuinely occupied privately, too busy to bother with court, to face the officials.
How to describe the amount of work she had done?
During these three years, of the three thousand side quests, six hundred and seventy-two that did not involve the court or the realm had all been successfully completed.
Her commercial network had essentially spread throughout the entire realm.
The land and farms she had purchased privately, after three years of cultivating high-yield strains, had accumulated enough grain to support an army of millions for a year of campaigning, and this grain was distributed across the realm.
Once she raised an army, it would save significant transportation time.
And also reduce considerable transport losses.
In addition, the total number of escorts and guards specifically protecting transport teams in the courier stations had long exceeded one million. This was Ding Yun's preparation specifically targeting those noble families.
Beyond those escorts, the hired farmers she had arranged to work on the lands and farms she had purchased had also undergone some training during their off-seasons. Once Ding Yun began her major operations, they could immediately transform into soldiers ready to fight.
Furthermore, the personnel she had cultivated and educated in secret were also very comprehensive.
Even if she were to dismiss most of the officials nationwide at once, Ding Yun would have enough personnel to directly replace them and take over corresponding affairs, ensuring the stability of the court.
It could be said that everything was ready, only lacking the east wind. This east wind was the noble families causing trouble.
Although Ding Yun intended to deal with the noble families, she could not simply send troops to suppress them. Actions still required reason and justification. Therefore, the first thing she needed to do was to begin implementing the measures she had intended to undertake for a long time: comprehensive political reforms.
Through reforms, she would eliminate the privileges of the noble families and reclaim benefits for the common people.
And as soon as Ding Yun did this, the noble families would inevitably be unable to tolerate it, resorting to underhanded tactics, or even plunging the realm into chaos. At that point, it would be the time for the preparations Ding Yun had made over the years to be revealed.
...
The first day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Feng Luan.
At the first grand court session of the year, not only were all officials and nobles present, but even members of the imperial clan, who did not usually attend court, and diplomatic envoys from surrounding smaller nations, arrived at the palace on such an occasion. The attendance was exceptionally high.
And Ding Yun, specifically choosing this day.
Skipping over the prime minister and others.
Issued three imperial edicts externally through the courier stations.
Here, "through the courier stations" does not mean that Ding Yun issued an edict in the imperial palace and then handed it to the courier station to be announced nationwide. Instead, it refers to Ding Yun having already given the edicts to the courier stations in advance and instructed them to announce them simultaneously across the country on the first day of the first lunar month.
Therefore, Ding Yun's three imperial edicts were likely the first in history to be announced simultaneously nationwide.
Unlike past edicts that took at least a month to reach the entire country, and sometimes, even after a month, certain remote areas remained unaware.
As for the specific content of the three imperial edicts:
The first imperial edict abolished the previous system of recommending officials based on filial piety and integrity (Ju Xiao Lian) and officially established the imperial examination system. It would be divided into civil and military examinations, with the civil examination further subdivided into specialized subjects such as mathematics and legal jurisprudence.
Anyone in the realm, regardless of gender or social status, who was not an evildoer, could participate.
The second imperial edict abolished the tax exemption privileges for all noble families, officials, nobles, and members of the imperial clan.
It mandated the surveying of all land in the realm and the calculation of all population figures.
A tax system reform was implemented, levying land tax based on the amount of land owned by individuals, with a tiered tax system. Land less than ten mu would be tax-exempt, while land exceeding ten mu would be taxed.
For land exceeding ten thousand qing, the tax rate would be 48%.
For land exceeding one hundred thousand qing, the tax rate would be 85%.
In addition, head taxes and other exorbitant levies were abolished, and taxes on commerce and luxury goods were increased.
As for the third imperial edict, it was even more drastic.
Its specific content was the abolition of the human trafficking and slavery system. No family would be allowed to keep slaves. Servants and maids could only be employed, not bought or sold. Employment required a signed contract, and the status of servants and slaves would be equal to that of ordinary citizens. Harming them would be a crime, and causing their death would warrant a death sentence.
All existing deeds of servitude would be nullified.
This also applied to establishments like brothels.
Local government offices would be required to register and categorize such individuals, incorporating them into the household registration of free citizens.
In addition, strict restrictions were placed on private soldiers and guards maintained by individuals or families. Officials below the third rank or nobles below the third rank could only possess up to ten private soldiers or guards. Second-rank officials could have fifteen, and first-rank officials were only allowed twenty.
Even princes and kings were not permitted to exceed fifty.
Individuals without official rank would not be qualified to maintain private soldiers.
Merchants worried about their safety could hire escorts from the courier stations. Maintaining private guards was out of the question.
These three imperial edicts, in combination, were more than just cutting off the supply at the roots for the noble families; they were aimed at shattering their foundations, their heritage, and their future.
Therefore, as Ding Yun's edicts were issued.
The officials present immediately became restless.
While some, reacting more slowly, were still shocked that Ding Yun dared to issue such edicts, perhaps thinking she had gone mad, the faster-reacting officials were already enraged, shouting loudly.
They accused Ding Yun and cursed her.
Some even wanted to rush forward and beat the incompetent ruler.
In short, the reaction was immense. It was estimated that even if their entire families were exiled, the reaction would not have been this intense.