I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1028 Seven Decrees on Education and Culture, Ten Articles on People's Livelihood

Gao Qiyu told the story of He Laosan, who had a limp but was still able to live a peaceful life and even had a wife and children.

There are many differences between this place and the West.

He Laosan built a shack, and the people of Yangliu Street did not drive him away; when Chaoyangmen was being renovated, the engineering corps built him half a room next to the public toilet; later, through his own hard work, he got another room; when he had a child, all the neighbors gave him money as a gift.

If this were in Taixi, how would a person with a limp and nothing survive? Gao Qiyu had been to Taixi himself, and he knew that He Laosan would definitely not survive there.

But is it enough for the Ming Dynasty to do this much?
Of course not, because it could only be done in very prosperous places like the capital or Songjiang Prefecture.

When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame. The kindness that He Laosan received was all kindness from people who were well-fed and clothed.

This is not feasible in most parts of the Ming Dynasty. We must continue to increase productivity and make the entire Ming Dynasty prosperous. These problems will be gradually solved through development.

Many of the government-built almshouses were unable to sustain themselves and had long since become defunct in name only.

When Wang Qian went to Chengdu Prefecture to oversee the case of the head-splitting incident, he visited the two almshouses in Chengdu Prefecture at the Wuhou Temple. Almost all of them were abandoned. Chengdu Prefecture was still the capital of Sichuan.

In terms of public affairs, the Ming Dynasty did indeed take the lead, but it was like a flame that could be extinguished at any moment. Once the Ming Dynasty fell into a decline, this flame would be extinguished.

It is easy to govern a strong nation, but difficult to govern a weak and chaotic one. If the Ming Dynasty becomes weak and chaotic, all evils will immediately return.

Zhu Yijun and Shen Li discussed in detail the arrangements for the emperor's journey south to Songjiang Prefecture, and then saw off the three cabinet ministers.

The emperor sent Feng Bao to Jinshan Mausoleum to inquire about Yin Zongxin's opinion. Yin Zongxin kowtowed to thank the emperor for his grace. In fact, he had already made preparations to be a carefree imperial son-in-law who did not care about anything. Just as his father said, the biggest difference between Luzon and Yunnan was that Luzon was too rich.

No one tried to take away the Duke of Qian's son, Guoguo, back then because being stationed in Yunnan for a long time was not a good job at the time. Even in the 21st year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, being stationed in Yunnan for a long time was not a good thing. The Duke of Qian's mansion, Muyuan, only had 20,000 hectares of land at most.

However, Luzon's development speed was extremely astonishing. This piece of meat was too lucrative, and Yin Zongxin did not want his father to become a criminal, nor did he want to go to war with the Ming Dynasty.

Yin Zongxin hoped that he and his descendants would be people of the Ming Dynasty, Chinese, not people of Luzon.

Being able to retain ownership of one battalion is already the best outcome.

When Yin Zhengmao led three thousand guest soldiers to Luzon to open up the region, these three thousand guest soldiers belonged to the imperial court, and their weapons and equipment also belonged to the imperial court. Without His Majesty's support, the Luzon Governor's Office could never have been so stable.

Putting everything else aside, those three fast sailing ships, including the Qilin, can't be bought with money.

Yin Zhengmao's contributions are significant and His Majesty acknowledges them, but the Luzon Governor-General's Office is the Governor-General's Office of the Ming Dynasty, not the Yin family's private domain.

After Feng Bao reported back, Zhu Yijun issued an imperial edict. This time, no cabinet ministers objected, and the ministers no longer submitted memorials one after another. The question of what would happen to Luzon after the death of the Emperor Guoxing was temporarily put to rest.

The emperor was to travel south of the Yangtze River on the third day of the third lunar month, staying in Songjiang Prefecture for a full six months before returning to Shuntian Prefecture in September.

Almost everyone assumed that the Ming emperor would stay in Songjiang Prefecture from September to February of the following year, because the official line was that he was avoiding the cold. Moreover, the capital city suffered from smog during the winter and spring seasons, so it was reasonable for the emperor to seek refuge in Songjiang Prefecture.

However, with the emperor residing from March to June, this period was so short that ministers and ordinary people alike could only be described as donkeys in a mill.

His Majesty endured the smog in Shuntian Prefecture and then experienced the power of a summer Pacific typhoon in Songjiang Prefecture. It can be said that he suffered in both places.

The purpose of this plan for the emperor to stay in Shuntian Prefecture is actually only one: to better handle government affairs. Every year, the year-end audit begins in October, and with His Majesty in Shuntian Prefecture, he can handle government affairs more quickly.

A new round of competition has begun surrounding the emperor's southward journey, starting with the list of his entourage.

The Crown Prince, who is in charge of the state affairs, is not allowed to accompany the emperor. The Second Prince, Zhu Changchao, will accompany him, as will the Empress, Consort Ran, and Consort Gu. The ministers dared not say much about the palace's arrangements, as it was already quite obvious that the Second Prince would be accompanying the emperor south.

If something happens to the Crown Prince in the capital, the Second Prince will be just as bad, but getting rid of the Crown Prince would mean incurring the Emperor's wrath.

There's no need to try to force His Majesty to compromise by killing the prince; His Majesty's personality dictates that he would only choose mutual destruction.

The most controversial part of the escort list is Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng has already retired in effect, and it seems that his political life is over. He has handed over the affairs of the Quanchu Guild Hall, the Zhang faction that was purged, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Cabinet to Shen Shixing. Zhang Juzheng no longer cares about state affairs.

Logically speaking, Zhang Juzheng should be harmless now, and there's no need to argue about whether or not he should accompany Zhang Juzheng south.

The emperor wanted Zhang Juzheng to accompany him on the southern tour, but Zhang Juzheng declined several times, citing his old age and poor health. The ministers also felt it was unnecessary.

Ultimately, Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang still accompanied the emperor south, while the crown prince, the second-in-command Ling Yunyi, and Li Rusong remained to guard the capital.

“Sir, if I do not take you with me, I fear that before we even reach Songjiang Prefecture, the news of your rebellion will have spread throughout the country.”

"They wouldn't dare to mess with Commander Qi like that, for fear of forcing the Duke of Fengguo to rebel! A bunch of bullies who prey on the weak!" Zhu Yijun was very relaxed at the Marquis of Yicheng's residence, shedding all his usual pretense, and his words were full of emotion.

On February 23, the day he ate at Zhang Juzheng's house, Zhu Yijun explained his reasons for insisting on this arrangement.

Zhang Juzheng had no choice but to go; otherwise, he would face a rebellion.

Because he lacked the ability to rebel, Zhang Juzheng could be falsely accused of rebellion. No one dared to accuse Qi Jiguang of the same, because Qi Jiguang truly could.

"Sigh." Zhang Juzheng sighed. His Majesty had invested too much to protect his posthumous reputation, and it was all for naught.

In Zhang Juzheng's view, no matter how much trouble he went through, the final result would not change, so why bother to protect it?
"Sir, you've come again." Zhu Yijun knew what Zhang Juzheng wanted to say just by looking at his expression.

"Your Majesty's words about setting aside one's reluctance to offer advice and respecting the fate of the Ming Dynasty are, in my opinion, incorrect." Zhang Juzheng no longer concealed his true feelings and spoke his mind directly.

His Majesty sometimes speaks in a strange way, but Zhang Juzheng could still understand the meaning behind his words.

The Han dynasty has produced loyal and virtuous officials throughout its history. It is enough that the government continues even after the emperor's death. For Zhang Juzheng, the reform policies were an integral part of his life. As long as the policies were implemented, loyal and virtuous officials would naturally follow in his footsteps.

Even if the ruler dies and the regime collapses, there will still be loyal and virtuous people who will be willing to sacrifice themselves for the country and its people.

Often, people already know the outcome when they embark on a journey. To strive despite knowing the result is not foolish; to do what is impossible is not foolishness, but wisdom, loyalty—loyalty to one's own heart.

Zhu Yijun stared intently at Zhang Juzheng. He knew Zhang Juzheng was right because there was a very real example right in front of him: Xiong Tingbi.

In the original timeline, when Xiong Tingbi was inspecting Liaodong in the thirty-seventh year of the Wanli reign, he submitted a memorial entitled "On the Critical Situation in Liaodong," which almost prophetically predicted the situation in Liaodong and provided seven detailed arguments to prove that the situation in Liaodong was extremely precarious.

But what good was it for Xiong Tingbi to see things so clearly? Because of this memorial, he was embroiled in factional strife and had to pack his bags and go home.

In the 47th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, after a major defeat at the Battle of Sarhu, the court reinstated Xiong Tingbi, who resolutely returned to Liaodong to clean up the mess.

In fact, Xiong Tingbi already knew the outcome the day he was reinstated, but he still did it anyway.

Zhang Juzheng was right. Even if his reputation is compromised, loyal and virtuous people will still follow in his footsteps.

"There's no need to mention this matter again." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, not giving Zhang Juzheng a chance to say anything more. He had already made up his mind.

So what if Zhang Juzheng was right? Once he made up his mind to do something, no one could stop him.

Zhang Juzheng smiled broadly. He had never liked the court officials saying that His Majesty was cold-hearted and ungrateful. On the contrary, Zhang Juzheng always knew clearly that His Majesty was a man of deep feelings and true character.

"Guess what I've discovered!" Zhu Yijun pulled a book from his desk, held it up, and said with a grin, "A high-ranking official like you, reading such miscellaneous books as novels, and even novels about talented men and beautiful women! Oh dear!"

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Juzheng's expression changed drastically. He had been looking at it for a long time last night and had casually placed it on his desk, only to have His Majesty discover it!

"The gentleman even made annotations, hahaha." Zhu Yijun flipped through it and saw that Zhang Juzheng was reading very carefully. He had even taken notes, underlined and annotated them, and even picked out the typos.

“Your Majesty…” Zhang Juzheng was somewhat helpless. His Majesty was the ruler, and he was the subject. He couldn’t take it from him. When people get old, they have to accept their age. He knew His Majesty was coming, but he hadn’t hidden these things properly, and His Majesty had seen them.

"I actually enjoy reading it too." Zhu Yijun blinked and discussed the illogical parts of the novel with Zhang Juzheng.

"Sir, you see, these novels about talented men and beautiful women are mostly the same formula. They all start by saying that the family is a scholarly family, the father is either a minister or a prime minister, and his daughter is bound to be a treasure. The beautiful woman is bound to be well-educated and knowledgeable."

"However, as soon as this beautiful woman sees the scholar, she becomes infatuated with him, forgets her parents, forgets all manners, and becomes neither a ghost nor a thief."

"It's like a man who is well-read and knowledgeable, but instead becomes a thief and fabricates a story that's completely unreliable!"

Zhu Yijun genuinely enjoyed reading these things. He wasn't just trying to fool Zhang Juzheng. In those days, entertainment was scarce, and Zhu Yijun was reluctant to reward people with money or allow performers to enter the palace. So, he could only read novels to pass the time. But they were all the same, and after reading them for a while, he got bored.

Actually, he had already guessed what would happen next as soon as he opened the book, but he still read it to the end.

Zhu Yijun commented that these novels about talented men and beautiful women were written by scholars who were simply showing off their repressed personalities.

“Your Majesty, it’s not entirely true that she’s nowhere to be found.” Zhang Juzheng said very seriously, “Your Majesty still remembers Miss Lin from Fan Yuanshan, right? She was interested in him but he didn’t reciprocate. Miss Lin was rejected by Fan Yuanshan and made a scene for a while. Now she’s declared that she won’t marry anyone but Fan Yuanshan. If she can’t marry him, she’ll remain single forever.”

Zhang Juzheng actually found a rationale: the renowned Lin Daiyu met Fan Yuanshan, which ruined her life.

Upon hearing this juicy gossip, Zhu Yijun immediately sat up straight and said, "What is this Miss Lin after? With her family background, why would she have trouble finding a talented and eloquent husband?"

“Who can argue with that? But if Miss Lin is looking for a real man, that will be difficult.” Zhang Juzheng understood why Miss Lin was unwilling to settle.

This matter has blown up, and many people know about it. It's embarrassing, but saving face is secondary. This matter will be talked about for two years, and then no one will talk about it anymore. The problem is that Fan Yuanshan is a real man, and Miss Lin likes such an upright and honest man. So forget about it.

"Tsk tsk, what is love in this world that makes people willing to die for it? This Fan Yuanshan is the same. I already told him he could take the bait, but he refused." Zhu Yijun sighed. He, as the emperor, had already given his permission, yet Fan Yuanshan still wouldn't agree. Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment and said, "If Fan Yuanshan were to agree, he wouldn't be Fan Yuanshan. Your Majesty, Xu Chengchu and Fan Yuanshan are both useful. They are sharp blades in the administration of officials, and can be used as swords to punish and govern them."

"Actually, Wang Qian is a person of excellent character and is also a capable person."

"The preliminary candidate for Governor of Luzon is Wang Qian," Zhu Yijun revealed, adding that Wang Qian is to be promoted from Prefect of Songjiang to Governor of Luzon.

"It's a pity he can't enter the cabinet." Zhang Juzheng felt a little sorry for Wang Qian. Wang Chonggu cheated when Wang Qian took the imperial examination, and the matter was exposed by the censor. Wang Qian was not lacking in virtue and ability, but he could only become the Minister of the Six Ministries. It would be difficult for him to enter the cabinet.

After Zhang Juzheng's list was finalized, the other lists were quickly finalized. The cabinet ministers who remained in charge were Ling Yunyi and Zhang Xueyan. All the officials of the Six Ministries, except for Zeng Shengwu, the Minister of War, would accompany him to Songjiang Prefecture. During the six-month stay, official documents would be circulated to the Huangpu River Palace.

The six ministries and the Censorate in Nanjing were acting like madmen, sending more than a dozen memorials to the court every day, hoping that the emperor would stay in Yingtian instead of Songjiang Prefecture. They could come up with more than a dozen reasons every day, but the emperor did not allow the Yingtian Prefecture to rebuild the Mochou Lake Palace, leaving Yingtian Prefecture in a very passive position.

The emperor replied in unison that he understood.

At this critical moment, rumors even circulated that the Huangpu River Imperial Palace had caught fire, but these rumors were quickly proven false. There was no such thing at all; Songjiang Prefecture had guards every three steps and sentries every five steps, so it was impossible for unauthorized personnel to get close to the Imperial Palace.

The Songjiang Navy even deployed a full three hundred coastal defense inspectors to the imperial palace to prevent the emperor's stay from being disrupted.

On the third day of the third month of the twenty-first year of the Wanli reign, the emperor arrived at Chaoyangmen Station in his imperial carriage and took a train south. In order to take care of Zhang Juzheng's health, the journey was slow and he did not arrive in Yangzhou until the thirteenth day of the third month. On the seventeenth day of the third month, the emperor arrived at Songjiang Prefecture and stayed at the Huangpu River Palace.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor!" Songjiang Governor Li Le, Naval Commander Chen Lin, Naval Admiral Zhang Cheng, and other ministers of Songjiang Prefecture greeted the Emperor.

"No need for formalities." Zhu Yijun stepped out of the carriage, waved his hand, and gestured for his ministers to dispense with the formalities. He then looked at the Huangpu River Palace in front of him and paused for a moment.

The Huangpu River Imperial Palace has undergone a five-year renovation and is completely different from what it used to be. From a first impression, the Huangpu River Imperial Palace is far more luxurious than the Tonghe Palace.

"Is that the main hall's bell and drum tower? How much silver did it cost?" Zhu Yijun asked Li Le, Wang Qian, and others, looking at the bell tower that had risen from the ground.

"It was built entirely in imitation of the one in the capital, costing 540,000 taels of silver." Li Le was quite proud. This was built after he arrived in Songjiang Prefecture, and it was more than half the price of the one in the capital. Moreover, it was built better, with the outer walls made entirely of white marble, making it more dignified and elegant, and more in line with His Majesty's noble status.

Wang Qian understood His Majesty better than Li Le. As soon as he heard this, Wang Qian knew that His Majesty was worried about the money. He quickly explained, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It's not that the Bell and Drum Tower cost 540,000 taels of silver. The building under this Bell and Drum Tower is the Astronomical Institute of Songjiang University, including the astronomical observatory. The total cost of its construction was that much."

It's true that Your Majesty is concerned about the money, but as long as it's worth the price, Your Majesty will still approve.

"Very good." Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun immediately smiled and said, "A bell tower, an astronomical institute, and a supporting observatory—this amount of silver is really not much, proving that Songjiang Prefecture is indeed wealthy, but it has not been wasted."

Spending money is a necessary investment; wasting it is shameful.

The Huangpu River Imperial Palace was far more luxurious than the Tonghe Palace in Beijing. Even the scenery of its gardens was much more exquisite than that of the Tonghe Palace. This was due to the natural endowment of the palace. To achieve this level of luxury in Beijing would have required far too much money.

Zhu Yijun rested for only one day before starting his work. He came to Songjiang Prefecture to handle official business. He summoned all the officials of Songjiang Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture, and after understanding the situation, he ordered Zhao Mengyou to take many imperial guards to verify the situation. Seven days later, a total of seventeen imperial edicts were issued.

There are seven decrees in the field of education alone, including bans on gatherings and lectures, a ban on extravagance on campuses, military training for students upon enrollment in June, regulations for the approval of private schools and family-run schools, standardized teaching materials for private tutors, teacher training standards, and a ban on proselytizing on campuses.

Private schools and family-run schools could no longer operate in a wild and unregulated manner; they would need the imperial court's permission to be qualified to operate.

These were mainly private schools in Songjiang Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture, of varying quality. Some were indeed renowned scholars, while others, like Tianma Academy, were simply out to rip people off.

The Tianma Academy, a notorious money-grabbing institution, was even one of the dens of thieves within the Blissful Sect, which is utterly appalling.

Apart from the seven decrees on education and culture, the remaining ten decrees all concern people's livelihood.

The regulations prohibit the sale and purchase of shops and houses, the trading and merger of land, the establishment of a housing tax system for collecting rent from rental properties, the encroachment on public land, the exemption of taxes on seventeen items including fruits, vegetables, coal, rice, and flour, the monopoly of coal markets, the prohibition of hoarding and speculation on seven items including grain and oil, the strict suppression of corrupt officials, the crackdown on organized crime and human trafficking, and the standardization of contracts and deeds.

The seven decrees on education and culture, and the ten decrees on people's livelihood, totaling seventeen articles, were impossible for Songjiang Prefecture to implement without the emperor's intervention, as the local forces in Songjiang Prefecture would certainly have resisted. However, since it was the emperor's decree, they had no choice but to comply.

Strongman politics, a political system, inevitably revolves around the will of the strongman.

For example, the contract regulations in these ten measures for improving people's livelihoods are a standard template for labor contracts formulated by the imperial court.

The reason for creating such a template was that, during the process of promoting labor contracts, the imperial court discovered that many workshops were taking advantage of the illiteracy of the people and had secretly included many clauses that were detrimental to the poor and laborers.

Some of the terms are even outright indentured servitude contracts that force individuals into a bond of dependence.

Songjiang Prefecture has formulated 132 standard contract templates, requiring all registered workshops in Songjiang Prefecture to re-sign labor contracts in accordance with the contract templates.

When Zhu Yijun was in the capital, he disagreed.

Because these 132 industries do not represent all industries, and this kind of one-size-fits-all policy is a typical example of lazy governance.

During the Wanli Reforms, the Ming Dynasty developed rapidly, but the court had its own problems of rigidity. If everything was done according to a standard template, wouldn't the economy lose its vitality?
Too much control leads to stagnation, too little control leads to chaos—this applies not only to officialdom.

However, after Zhu Yijun arrived in Songjiang Prefecture and learned about the situation, he immediately approved this lazy, one-size-fits-all policy.

Expecting a workshop owner to have a conscience is like expecting a sow to fly.

These workshop owners are really going too far. Many of them deliberately set traps and withheld wages. Not only that, they also shifted the risks of their workshops onto the poor and laborers.

Wang Qian compiled a list of all unpaid wages in Songjiang Prefecture and wrote a book called "Estimation of Unpaid Wages". In just three years, the total amount of unpaid wages in Songjiang Prefecture had reached a terrifying 314 million taels of silver, more than the sum of five imperial tombs of the late emperors!
Moreover, 90% of these cases are untraceable.

Zhu Yijun stretched out his right hand and leaned forward, holding a dossier in his hand. He said angrily, "Have they gone mad? Have they gone mad?! The common people come to work in the workshop, and the owner of Shengyong Weaving and Dyeing Workshop is paying their wages in the form of debt!"

"Poor laborers work for him and he expects to pay them back with interest?! This is outrageous! Commander Zhao, bring him here!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zhao Mengyou accepted the case file and bowed his head in acceptance.

When the emperor lost his temper, Wang Qian trembled and dared not utter a word. His Majesty's imperial power was growing stronger and stronger, and when he lost his temper, Wang Qian was truly trembling, fearing that he would be caught in the crossfire.

This case is just that bizarre.

According to the contract, all the wages paid by the workshop owner were loans from the workshop owner to the artisans. Once the artisans left the workshop, they had to repay the Shengyong Textile and Dyeing Workshop owner, with interest.

Moreover, after leaving, the craftsmen are not allowed to engage in the weaving and dyeing industry; otherwise, they must pay three times the amount in compensation.

No matter how Zhu Yijun viewed it, he felt that this was not a free employment relationship, but a forced personal dependency relationship, and that Songjiang Prefecture had already completed its transformation into a commodity economy.

Such relations of production should have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago!
The craftsmen were illiterate, and signing this contract was tantamount to signing a contract of servitude. If they didn't pay back the money, Shengyong Textile and Dyeing Workshop would hire a lawyer and sue the craftsmen until they were bankrupt. How could the craftsmen have the energy to waste time with the workshop owners? They either had to leave Songjiang Prefecture directly or accept their fate.

Zhu Yijun, still furious, sat on the dragon throne, slammed his hand on the table, and said sternly, "The owner of Shengyong Textile and Dyeing Workshop is not in it for the money at all. This little bit of money is not even a drop in the ocean for Shengyong Textile and Dyeing Workshop. The lawyers they employ are much more expensive than this!"

"The purpose is to ensure that the artisans who leave are embroiled in lawsuits, so that no workshop dares to hire them!"

"His heart is despicable! Doing such a morally reprehensible thing, isn't he afraid of retribution? Isn't he afraid that a desperate craftsman might, in a moment of desperation, wipe out his entire family?"

Wang Qian said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, it's not just Shengyong Textile and Dyeing Workshop in Songjiang Prefecture that does this. I have posted notices several times, ordering that no one should evade or disobey. But these owners, while outwardly complying, secretly continue to do as they please, even creating two separate contracts, one for the deceased and one for the deceased."

It wasn't just Shengyong Textile Dyeing Workshop that set such harsh terms; the entire Songjiang Textile Dyeing Workshop was doing the same. Wang Qian tried to change it, but despite repeated orders, it seemed to be of little use.

"They actually won't listen?" Zhu Yijun frowned, realizing that something was wrong. Logically speaking, these landlords should at least give the prefect some face.

Wang Qian took a deep breath before saying, "Your Majesty, my father, the Second Grand Secretary, has passed away."

Wang Chonggu is now the Duke of Wencheng. Wang Qian has lost his biggest backer. As an official appointed by the court, his decrees are still valid, but their effectiveness will be greatly reduced. In the past, no one dared to be so outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant; at the very least, they would give Wang Qian some face.

Furthermore, Wang Qian's superior was Li Le, a close associate of Zhang's faction. When Wang Qian encountered problems, he could not seek help from Li Le, which made it difficult for Li Le's orders to be fully implemented.

The design of a system needs strong enforcement; otherwise, even the most ingenious design will become unrecognizable during implementation.

“Your Majesty, even Governor Li is often powerless to help,” Wang Qian explained carefully, fearing that His Majesty might misunderstand and think that Li Le was unwilling to help.

Li Le is definitely not inactive. In fact, he has been doing his best in the past two years, but with little effect.

Songjiang Prefecture is such a strange place; without the tangible military boots stepping on the invisible hand, it is very difficult to implement government orders.

“The behemoth of monopoly is gradually emerging. The powerful and influential people are discovering that if they unite, they have the ability to resist government orders. They are becoming increasingly bold. You have tried your best, but you cannot effectively change the status quo. You can only try to invite me here.” Zhu Yijun fully understood Wang Qian’s meaning.

The behemoth of monopoly capital has not yet fully revealed its power, but the powerful and influential have clearly realized that they have gained some bargaining power in the face of authority. At this point, they have no choice but to call for His Majesty's support.

"Your Majesty is wise. The seven decrees on education and the ten articles on people's livelihood have long been prepared in Songjiang. We are just waiting for Your Majesty's arrival." Wang Qian immediately bowed and said. As long as His Majesty is in the capital, Li Le and Wang Qian need His Majesty's support. They will handle the matters.

As long as His Majesty arrives, the blue sky will be there.

Wang Qian presented a memorial to the emperor and said, "Governor Li has also established a yamen for rapid labor arbitration, striving to recover the wages of poor laborers within half a month. This yamen is under the jurisdiction of the Household Department and is tentatively named the Salary Arbitration Office."

The Wage Arbitration Institute, or Wage Tribunal, does nothing but labor arbitration. Its mechanism is based on four fast steps: fast filing, fast mediation, fast trial, and fast settlement. The assessment period is as short as half a month. As long as you have a labor contract, you don't need any other documents to get arbitration quickly.

However, without the premise of a written contract, this wage arbitration institution is like a tree without roots or water without a source.

(End of this chapter)