The reforms a feudal dynasty could conceive of: taxes and land.
Pan Yun could tell with her toes that it would be a storm of blood and rain.
The new emperor had only just ascended the throne. His prestige was insufficient, his methods immature; he simply could not accomplish it.
Yet emperors, like generals, had to build prestige through achievements—by winning "victories."
Zhu Qizhen had been so insistent on fighting the Battle of Luchuan partly because he wanted to accumulate political prestige.
And Pan Yun clearly did not want Zhu Qiyu to wage war. At the very least, she would absolutely not take the initiative to raise the subject of war or expand one.
Then they would have to start elsewhere.
For example, military equipment. With overwhelming armaments, if enemies started a war again, they could win at little cost. Pan Yun still wanted to set sail and venture out into the world;
For example, farming tools, fertilizer, seeds, and the like—raising agricultural yields and freeing more laborers from the land;
And then there was handicraft industry, weaving, even steam power. Given the Ming Dynasty's current industrial technology, they could absolutely give it a try.
"If the people are to have land to farm, food to eat, clothes to wear, and medical care, then productivity must be raised..."
Once productivity reached a certain level, reform would be much easier to propose. By then, not only would Yu Qian have built up prestige, but the emperor would as well.
Zhu Qiyu of the other timeline had not been politically less capable than Zhu Qizhen. He had merely been soft-tempered, indecisive, narrow-hearted, and somewhat hypocritical.
He had been too insecure, and so he had been afraid.
Pan Yun believed that whether it was Zhu Qiyu in this timeline or the other one,