bookrandom Chapter 1315 Insights
Chapter 1315 Insights
Chapter 1315 Insights
"Who allowed this thief to say such a thing?"
The emperor was furious when he read the memorial submitted by the censor impeaching Zhang Yue.
Cai Que, who was staying behind to make a comment, said cautiously, "The officials below are talking nonsense. Your Majesty, please punish them."
The emperor said, "It is true that Mr. Zhang was late, but he is loyal to me. Did this Censor Lao have any grudge against Mr. Zhang before?"
Cai Que curled his fingers in his sleeves and said, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, there is no festival."
The official walked to the gilded Suanni censer, which was filled with the fragrance of agarwood. He said, "Back then, Emperor Gaozu of Han wanted to grant Zhang Liang 30,000 households in Qi, but Zhang Liang only took 10,000 households."
"It is not too much to appoint Zhang Qing as a dual military governor after he resigns as prime minister for his merits. But if you only give him the title of pacification envoy, some people will say that I am too stingy."
Cai Que said: "Your Majesty, from ancient times to the present, the merits and demerits of ministers have all been determined by your majesty's judgment."
"If it weren't for Emperor Gaozu's kindness, how could the name of Liuhou be recorded in history?"
"It's up to you to handle this matter!" the official said.
"Yes, the position of the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is vacant. Who do you think is suitable?"
Cai Que said: "Your Majesty, the selection of the prime minister concerns the foundation of the country. I dare not interfere even if I die."
The emperor clapped his hands in delight. Compared with Zhang Yue's outspokenness and Wang Gui's ambiguity, Cai Que's submissiveness was most in line with the emperor's wishes.
The emperor said: "This time, Lu Huiqing has made great contributions in repelling the enemy in the northern border."
When Cai Que heard the emperor mention Lu Huiqing's name, the fingers under his wide sleeves suddenly tightened.
The image of Lü Huiqing as a dictator and his cruelty in excluding dissidents is still fresh in our minds. He was not only radical but also good at political manipulation. Even Cai Que felt that Lü Huiqing had gone too far and ruined the reputation of the new law.
So when Lu Huiqing was demoted, Cai Que did not say a single good word for Lu Huiqing, and even secretly added insult to injury.
The emperor asked Lu Huiqing to return to the court to serve as the Minister of the Imperial Household.
The emperor paused and said, "However, Mr. Lu is not well-respected in the court, and his nature of ganging up on dissidents has not changed. Although I have this intention, I will still reward him separately."
Cai Que breathed a sigh of relief.
The emperor suddenly changed the subject and said, "Zhang Dun is stationed in Dingzhou this time and has made great contributions in assisting Lu Qing in repelling the Liao army. How about he be appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Household?"
Cai Que's heart trembled, he also knew that this was a common political tactic used by the emperor.
First come up with a name that no one accepts, and then settle for the next best thing.
Cai Que knew that the emperor had long intended to promote Zhang Dun back to the court, but had been unable to do so because of Zhang Yue. Now that Zhang Yue had resigned, he could do whatever he wanted.
Cai knew that Lü Huiqing was also in the same party as Zhang Dun, and he had a good relationship with Zhang Dun. Although Zhang Dun was radical, he was not as good as Lü Huiqing in playing political games.
Cai Que said: "Your Majesty, Zhang Dun is resolute, loyal and pure, and will definitely live up to your expectations."
The emperor nodded and said, "Thank you for your concern for the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai."
Cai Que said: "I will obey your orders and do my best."
After saying this, Cai Que stood up and left. Halfway through his walk, he suddenly heard the emperor calling from behind him, "Mr. Cai."
"Your Majesty, do you have any other orders?"
Cai Que stopped and saw the emperor standing on the red steps. The corner of his black robe brushed against the blue bricks and he said, "Don't just think about me. Think about yourself too."
Cai Que was stunned when he heard this, his eyes suddenly heated up, and he knelt on the ground three times and said: "I am a minister blessed by heaven, even if I sacrifice my life..."
When Cai Que said this, his throat was choked.
The emperor supported Cai Que and said, "Qing Cai, remember my words."
Cai Que immediately bowed deeply to the emperor and left the hall.
The official watched Cai Que's back in silence for a moment.
Soon the medical officer brought the medicine cup and took the emperor's pulse.
The emperor was gazing at the red clouds outside the hall, and the inky medicinal soup in the cup was reflecting his haggard face.
"Imperial Physician, can my illness be cured?"
The doctor said, "Your Majesty, this disease can be cured."
"How long can this disease extend my life?"
The medical officer was stunned.
The official said: "If you are not a good doctor, you can cure the disease but not the life."
The emperor frowned and said to himself, "I have to hold on for at least a few more years!"
After saying this, the emperor stretched out his hand and pushed away the medicine and sweet honey held by the eunuch, then picked up the medicine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
After drinking, he knocked the bottom of the gilded cup heavily on the rosewood table. The emperor looked up at the sky outside the palace and said, "I just don't believe in fate!"
……
In Hangzhou, it is not yet dawn.
Zhang Yue and Chen Guan had already reached a bluestone bridge and saw hundreds of idle workers holding tools gathered at the bridge head, standing in the cold fog. The lame old man selling Hu pancakes opened the rattan tray, and the heat blurred the blue-gray sky.
Chen Guan said: "Teacher, most of these people are experienced weavers in the countryside, waiting for the weavers to come and select them."
Looking at this scene, Zhang Yue was reminded of the labor market in the city at four or five in the morning in his previous life, which was also crowded.
Zhang Yue asked: "Who are the machine owners?"
Chen Guan said: "In the past, they were artisans of the imperial court, but nowadays they are mostly merchants who have dozens of looms or loom rooms."
After a pause, Chen Guan said, "Teacher, Liangzhe is the most convenient place for the court to implement the exemption law. This change in service is convenient for officials and civilians."
Zhang Yue nodded, and Chen Guan said, "On weekdays, these weavers have regular owners and are on duty on a daily basis. If they encounter a problem, the weavers will go to the bridge to recruit workers, which is called a replacement. Over the years, the weavers have provided capital and the workers have provided labor, and they have relied on each other for survival."
Zhang Yue lamented that life was not easy for the people. It was always like this in every dynasty. The people at the bottom of society lived just to have a bite to eat today, and they would forget about tomorrow.
Soon there was a commotion at the bridgehead, and the operator arrived at the bridgehead with a list of people to pick out: "Third row, fifth from the left, seventh from the right, follow the car!"
The man who was chosen jogged through the crowd, while the others still rolled up their sleeves and looked at the machine operator expectantly.
When the morning bell rang, the machine owners had all selected the machine workers. As for those who were not selected, they still stood on the bridge, stretched their necks to look, and were reluctant to leave for a long time.
Several people said: "No one will hire us today, so we will have to listen to the sound of the waves with empty stomachs all night."
"Teacher, let's go to the computer room and take a look." Chen Guan said to Zhang Yueyan.
Zhang Yue nodded, walked a few steps and looked back to see the mechanics still standing at the bridge head and looking into the distance.
The lame old man opened the rattan drawer again, and hot steam rose up, blocking Zhang Yue's view again.
After hearing a few sounds of the cloud board, the machinists filed into the workshop.
Chen Guan showed his badge and reported that they were from the Hangzhou government. The machine owners did not dare to neglect them and allowed them to watch.
Zhang Yue arrived at the workshop and saw dozens of flower looms arranged in rows, the sound of the looms like heavy rain.
The craftsman stepped on the pedals and pulled the heddle with his hands. As the warp and weft intertwined, the outlines of dragons and phoenixes or twined flower patterns gradually appeared on the satin surface. The complex structure of the flower loom required the cooperation of many people. The young apprentice who pedaled the pedals was covered in sweat, the master who pulled the heddle had an eye on all directions, and the jacquard worker on the elevated platform was singing the pattern formula.
The old craftsman at the side scolded the apprentice: "The beauty of brocade weaving lies in the unity of hand and eye."
The twelve or thirteen-year-old apprentice followed his instructions and stared closely at the longitude and latitude.
Immediately, the old craftsman slapped him in the face and said, "If you are not careful, the thread will break. You need to redo the work overnight."
The apprentice immediately perked up after hearing this.
The machine operator at the side followed Zhang Yue and Chen Guan closely, fearing that he would not serve them well enough.
After the two had finished touring the workshop, the machine owner immediately stuffed something wrapped in red paper into their hands. Chen Guan wanted to refuse, but was stopped by Zhang Yue.
Zhang Yue asked the operator, "How much profit do you think you will make when you get off the machine?"
Chen Guan said: "You don't have to hide it. We are all from the Fang family. Just answer carefully."
The machine operator twirled his beard and smiled flatteringly, "My Lord, thanks to the court, I can get one out of five."
Zhang Yue asked: "What happens after calculating the benefits?"
“Buy a phone.”
"How many decades does it take to add a new machine?"
"Every two decades can add one opportunity."
Zhang Yue nodded. The fact that the machine owners used their profits to expand reproduction showed that the entire industry was thriving and still expanding. At the same time, businessmen were not afraid of political suppression, otherwise they would easily use their profits to buy land and houses or donate to government positions, so as to avoid the expansion of production being noticed by the government.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was a case called Pan Bicheng, who was also born into a family of machinery and had accumulated a fortune of millions. However, due to disputes over inheritance, internal strife occurred in the family, which attracted the intervention of the government and eventually led to the ruin of the entire family.
Only when production is concentrated and the scale of production is expanded, and a certain degree of concentration is achieved, can technological progress be promoted and productivity be improved. Otherwise, most of them are family workshops and it is difficult to succeed. In the 16th century in Britain, the scale of centralized factories was already very large, and factories often employed hundreds of people. In contrast, in the late Ming Dynasty, which was known as the embryonic stage of capitalism, only dozens of people were employed.
Therefore, it was correct for Zhang Yue to liberalize the textile industry and allow private capital to intervene. As long as the imperial court could control cotton and silk futures, set entry standards, and control quality, it would be enough. Then they could just sit back and wait for money to fall from the sky.
Zhang Yue was still very happy to hear this and asked: "Shanye, what difficulties do you usually have?"
The machine operator said, "In reply to your Excellency, the imperial taxes seem to be a bit too heavy, and there are still machine operators who want to take a break!"
"Call for a break?" Zhang Yue raised his eyebrows and his face suddenly darkened.
The machine owner's heart trembled. Everything was going well just now, but somehow this sentence angered this official who looked so "imposing".
Zhang Yue pointed outside and said, "There are so many hired workers on the bridge who can't find a living, how dare anyone call for a break?"
Chen Guan scolded: "The mechanic asked for a break because you guys don't treat him as a human being."
"The sound of looms in the workshops never ceases all night long. The workers are detained in the workshops for three months and are not allowed to go home. If they fall ill, they are thrown into the charity cemetery?"
Zhang Yue suddenly realized that the mechanics here were not working 996 at all, they were working 007.
The machine operator said, "We are all hired willingly. Besides, everyone in the industry is like this. It is better for the people to have food to eat and save their extra money than to starve to death outside."
"Let's go!"
Zhang Yue didn't want to say anything more, so he threw the red envelope given by the other party to the ground, and Chen Guan also threw it aside.