Chapter 230 Zhen Guo Temple and the National Master Liu Xiu
Wang Mang had been the true emperor for six years after assuming the title of a puppet ruler.
Yet recently, there had been more uprisings among the people, which weighed heavily on his mind, as he failed to grasp where exactly he fell short.
Six years earlier, under the guidance of a Holy Monk, he used prophecies and mystical edicts to force the young Emperor Liu Ying to abdicate the throne, thus becoming the master of the realm, donning the imperial crown, and ascending to the throne as the Celestial Son. He established a new era, and renamed Chang’an to Chang’an.
In the year he claimed the throne, he began to reform the empire’s systems, following the ideal society as depicted by the Rites of Zhou.
He converted all lands to imperial lands, replacing private lands with the notion of imperial ones, and restored the well-field system.
He renamed slaves to "private subjects," and, like imperial lands, prohibited their sale and purchase.
He also reformed the currency and the official systems several times, nationalized the salt and iron industries, and claimed mountains, rivers, and streams as state property.
At the same time, he sought to provide rest for the people, aiming for the prosperity of the nation and the peace of the citizenry.
But contrary to expectations, these reforms did not produce any visible results. Instead, the empire grew more chaotic, and rebellions were incessant.
In response, he followed the Holy Monk’s advice once more and built Buddhist temples throughout the land to alleviate the suffering of the people, believing that rebellion would naturally subside.