I studied in modern times

Chapter 1010 Capitalism Sprouts (2)

Han Wei had never seen anything like this before.

Thousands of women, carrying baskets, chattered as they emerged from Anjiefang.

It wasn't that there were no women working in the Song Dynasty.

In Bianjing, there were many cooks who prepared meals for people, as well as strong women who earned a living by sweeping, cleaning, and washing clothes.

But in places like Anjiefang, where tens of thousands of women poured out at once...

Han Wei had never seen it before in his life!
So, they stood there, stunned, for a long time.

The women who came out of Anjiefang saw an old man riding a tall horse, dressed in brocade and wearing a turban, on the official road.

Beside the old man were more than ten burly men dressed in short clothes, with swords and knives at their waists.

Even these women, most of whom were not worldly-wise, knew that the old man on horseback must be a nobleman from the capital, an extraordinary figure!

As a result, the women instinctively lowered their heads and began to keep their distance from where Han Wei was.

This is not because Han Wei possessed the aura of a king.

The Song Dynasty government had long held immense power, instilling great fear in the minds and bodies of the people in the vast prefectures and counties. The emperors were only somewhat lenient towards Kaifeng Prefecture; if they were to be stricter, they would have limited it to Bianjing City.

After leaving Bianjing City, we passed Kaifeng Prefecture.

In Jingxi, Jingdong, Henan Prefecture, and Daming Prefecture, which common people haven't experienced the beatings and whips of the government to teach them a lesson?

These women are pitiful; just a year ago, they were honest, simple peasant women in the Huainan and Jingxi areas.

Normally, when they see government officials, they are trembling with fear, not daring to even raise their heads, and even when the whip strikes them, they dare not utter a sound.

Moreover, now she has fallen into exile in the capital and become a female worker in the market.

Naturally, one is extremely cautious, as if walking on thin ice.

As a result, a no-man's land automatically formed ten steps in front of and behind Han Wei.

This pleased Han Wei greatly, who, while riding his horse, stroked his gray beard.

He has always been arrogant!
During the Yuanfeng era, when Han Wei was the prefect of Xuzhou, Yan Jidao, the son of the former patron minister Yan Shu, was serving as an official in Xutian Town of Xuzhou.

Upon hearing of his arrival at his post, he wrote a poem and presented it to Han Wei, hoping that Han Wei would give him some recognition.

As a result, Han Wei directly and bluntly commented: "You have acquired a collection of new poems, which shows that you have more talent than virtue. I hope that you will give up your excess talent to make up for your lack of virtue. This old official of yours cannot meet your expectations!"

Poor Yan Jidao, who was nearly fifty years old at the time, was still addressed as "Young Master" by Han Wei, who treated him like a child. Han Wei's comments were merciless, almost calling him a good-for-nothing.

From then on, Yan Jidao never associated with his father's former students again.

Han Wei, naturally, felt quite pleased that the female workers in Anjiefang deliberately avoided him.

"It seems I do indeed have some popularity!"

Even this woman from outside the capital knows to give way!

"I will wait for you for a hundred years, brother..."

"I deserve a place in the capital!"

Just as Han Wei was thinking this, an official dressed in a purple robe with narrow sleeves walked out of Anjiefang.

The official approached Han Wei, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Li Zhu, the official in charge of the streets and all affairs of Anjie Ward in Kaifeng Prefecture, greets Your Excellency!"

"I was unaware of your esteemed presence, sir. What decrees do you wish to bestow?"

Han Wei, mounted on his horse, looked down at the official and scoffed, "Street Enforcer?"

"Jia Zhongmin's subordinate?"

The official named Li Zhu, upon hearing Han Wei address his superior by his first name, immediately stiffened and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, I am indeed a minor official under the jurisdiction of Jia Street..."

"Please grant me your honorific name, sir..."

Han Wei grunted and waved to Lao Yuan in front of him.

The latter took out a bronze plaque and waved it in front of Li Zhu.

The gilded bronze plaque has dragon patterns along its edges, and in the center of the dragon patterns is a Korean character engraved.

Li Zhu was immediately startled and bowed deeply: "So it is Prime Minister Han in person!"

Those in the Han dynasty who bear the surname Han are all true imperial subjects.

The Han family of Xiangzhou are descendants of Han Zhongxian, whose son, Han Zhongyan, is currently serving as the Minister of Rites.

The Han family of Yingchang produced a remarkable family where both father and son were prime ministers, and all brothers were high-ranking officials!

Han Wei looked at Li Zhu, a thought flashing through his mind, and then instructed, "I have come here on some business and wish to ask you something!"

"I am unaware of Lord Li's affairs. Would you be so kind as to enlighten me?"

Although the words were spoken politely, the tone was quite aloof.

How could Li Zhu dare to refuse?
He quickly bowed and said, "How dare I disobey the orders of the sir?"

They then respectfully invited Han Wei into the government office in Anjiefang.

Han Wei entered Anjie Ward and began to examine its layout.

It was clear that many houses and residences in the neighborhood had their walls broken down and connected into one area.

The former courtyards have all been covered with roof tiles, stretching out into the distance.

The shortest is thirty to fifty steps, and the longest is over a hundred steps.

Moreover, along the way, most of the houses and residences in Anjiefang were transformed into similar longhouses.

This must be what Anjiefang calls a workshop.

Upon arriving at the government office in Anjiefang, Li Zhu invited Han Wei to the inner courtyard behind the office and ordered someone to serve him tea and refreshments. Only then did he bow and ask, "Your Excellency's esteemed presence in Anjiefang has awed me greatly. I humbly request Your Excellency's guidance!"

Han Wei picked up his teacup, took a symbolic sip, and then said leisurely, "I have been serving as an official in other prefectures for a long time. Now that I have returned to the capital, I heard that Anjiefang outside Bianjing is doing quite well, so I came to take a look!"

"Truly extraordinary!"

Li Zhu, facing the direction of the imperial city, cupped his hands and replied, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, this is all due to the Emperor's virtuous rule and his benevolence towards the people!"

"If it weren't for the government granting the monopoly on textiles and ordering officials to manufacture the Taimu cart and the Shengmu shuttle to benefit the people... how could Anjiefang be as prosperous as it is today?"

This is the truth!

Eight years before the Yuanfeng era, apart from rural women who produced and sold their own cloth,

All spinning wheels and weaving in the world are the exclusive property of the Zhao family.

For ordinary people, let alone making a living from this, even touching it could land them in the Kaifeng Prefecture jail.

However, the current government, through its virtuous and efficient monopoly on textiles, has reduced profits for the people, enabling them to make a living.

He also ordered a dedicated arsenal to manufacture the Taimu Chariot, which was to be made public throughout the land so that all people would know its design.

As a result, the sound of looms could be heard everywhere in and around Bianjing.

Perhaps wanting to impress Han Wei, or perhaps to boast, Li Zhu continued, "Does my lord know how many imperial carriages there are in Anjie Ward alone?"

Han Wei shook his head.

Li Zhu held up two fingers: "At least two thousand vehicles!"

"The spinning wheel of the Great Mother is several times faster than the old spinning wheel, and dozens of times faster than the spindle!"

"Thus, with one woman and one cart, several spindles of yarn could be spun in a single day!"

"In Xia Li Fang, the largest workshop owner, Li's Yarn Factory, can weave tens of thousands of bolts of cloth a month!"

Han Wei's pupils suddenly contracted as he listened.

A workshop that can weave tens of thousands of bolts of cloth a month?!

How can this be?

Han Wei had served as a people-friendly official, so he knew that even skilled cloth weavers among the common people could be affected.

It would take at least ten days to half a month to weave a piece of cloth.

Therefore, a county with 10,000 households could only produce a few thousand bolts of cloth per month.

This is why cloth is so expensive.

But in Anjiefang, a single workshop can produce tens of thousands of bolts of cloth a month.
The output exceeds that of a county with more than 10,000 households!

This is too exaggerated!
In addition...

"Can all this cloth be sold?" Han Wei asked in a deep voice.

Why can't they be sold?

"Hmm?!" "My lord, you are unaware of this, but the Emperor has already decreed that all departments should have designated officials to purchase cloth at 70% of the market price each month in order to stabilize the price of cloth..."

"In just last month, the workshops in Anjie Ward sold nearly 20,000 bolts of cloth to various government departments and special agencies!"

Han Wei frowned upon hearing this.

He knew that the Zhusi Zhuangousi was established in the second year of the Yuanfeng era of the late emperor as the department responsible for the distribution and review of salaries for officials, officers and soldiers of the Imperial Guards in the capital.

All salaries of officials and military pay of the Imperial Guards must first be submitted to the Grain Bureau for verification, and then sent to the relevant departments for auditing. Only after verification can the payments be disbursed.

After the current emperor ascended the throne, he appointed Liu Weijian, a senior official in the Inner Palace Attendants Bureau, to take charge of various departments and special offices.

Then, he ordered the Grand Secretary and the Ministry of Revenue to assist in managing the affairs of various departments and their respective offices.

Therefore, not only the salaries of civil and military officials in the capital and the Imperial Guards, but also all matters of the nation, such as the construction of various departments, the repair of palaces, the maintenance of roads, and the construction of river embankments, had to be reported to the Ministry of Revenue first. A list of approximate expenses had to be prepared, reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Revenue, then reported to the Grand Council for approval, and obtained the signatures of the relevant chief officials. Finally, it was sent to the special departments of various bureaus for auditing and approval before funds could be released and construction could begin.

This was one of the new policies of the Yuan You era, known as the budget auditing system.

Legend has it that not only current construction projects, but also future national expenditures and various plans will require a budget to be prepared first, and then go through the procedures of the Ministry of Revenue, the Capital Administration, and various other departments.

The person who proposed this method was Zhang Heng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Because Zhang Heng proposed this method, there were many complaints from both superiors and subordinates.

At this moment, Han Wei heard that the various departments and special offices were actually doing the same things as the former market and trade affairs.

He was naturally filled with sorrow.

Han Wei then asked, "Have any of the various departments or special agencies engaged in forced buying or selling?"

Li Zhu cupped his hands and replied, "My lord!"

"Why should the various departments, which are responsible for their own affairs, do such things?"

"Those workshop owners are all begging the various departments and special offices to collect their cloth!"

"Hmm?" Han Wei was puzzled. The various departments were in charge of purchasing cloth at 70% of the market price. Why would those workshop owners agree to this?

"My lord, you may not know this, but there are now more than several thousand spinning wheels in and around Bianjing."

"The amount of cloth woven each month is far more than tens of thousands of bolts."

"How can Bianjing City possibly consume so much cloth?"

"The Emperor is so virtuous that he bought the cloth at 70% of the market price. The workshop owners are overjoyed!"

"Because even at 70% of the price of cloth, they can still make a profit! It's just a smaller profit!"

"Furthermore, all the departments that collect cloth always pay in cash, so the workshop owners can simply exchange the cloth they weave for money!"

"Why wouldn't you?"

Han Wei listened, hummed in agreement, and then looked at Li Zhu: "Li Gongshi, please sit down and let's talk!"

This minor official in charge of the neighborhood demonstrated remarkable insight during the question-and-answer session, showing a thorough understanding of the neighborhood's affairs, which earned him Han Wei's approval.

Han Wei was just arrogant.

But he also likes to promote people.

This is the official way of the three Han brothers—they were all born into official families through hereditary privilege (in fact, they all passed the imperial examination, but because their father was still in the two prefectures in the year they passed, the public was indignant, so the brothers 'voluntarily' gave up the imperial examination titles they had obtained).

Those who rise through the ranks of officials receiving special privileges need someone to assist them if they wish to reach a high position.

Therefore, throughout his life, Han Wei discovered and recommended hundreds of officials of varying ranks.

There were at least a dozen ministers awaiting appointment, all of whom had been recommended by Han Wei.

Some people even changed their official positions by obtaining Han Wei's guarantee.

Moreover, as he got older, Han Wei became increasingly fond of promoting and recommending talented people.

This has even become one of the few things that still excites him in the twilight of his life.

Over the past three years, he has recommended and recommended dozens of people to the imperial court in Henan Prefecture and Daming Prefecture.

His elder brother Han Jiang and his younger brother Han Zhen were both like this.

Over the decades, his students and former subordinates have spread all over the world!

This is also why Han Jiang was able to smoothly promote his agenda and reforms after returning to the capital—all the officials in the six ministries of the capital had people whom he or his brothers had promoted through favors.

Many of them are in key positions.

Throughout the land, there are also numerous disciples and former officials of the Han family.

These people are naturally willing to promote the laws and regulations established by the Prime Minister in order to repay the kindness of his promotion and recommendation in the past.

With these people around, how could Han Jiang not accomplish anything?

Now, upon seeing Li Zhu, he remained neither humble nor arrogant, answered appropriately, worked diligently, and was well-versed in his duties.

Han Wei naturally developed a fondness for talent.

Li Zhu was flattered and quickly thanked him before sitting down in front of Han Wei.

After Li Zhu sat down, Han Wei asked, "Just now, Minister Li said that the court has designated various departments to collect cloth at 70% of the market price every month..."

"Last month we even received 20,000 bolts of cloth!"

"As for official business, why are all these bolts of cloth being collected by the various departments and their subordinate officials?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, I have heard people say..." Li Zhu replied with his head bowed, "It seems that after the various departments collect the cloth, they either sell it to the Liao people or distribute it as military rewards to the various routes along the border..."

"Furthermore, this year's imperial examinations bestowed upon the tribute students with tribute robes and boots made of cotton cloth woven by my Anjie Workshop!"

At this point, Li Zhu felt a sense of pride.

Han Wei nodded slightly, having already made up his mind.

He vaguely guessed the meaning behind the emperor's words to him.

But he wanted to know more and grasp more details.

After a moment's thought, Han Wei said to Li Zhu, "I would like to meet the workshop owner in your esteemed workshop!"

"Would you be willing to make an introduction if I were to discuss any business matters?"

Li Zhu cupped his hands and said, "This humble official will respectfully obey Your Excellency's orders!"

Immediately, a constable was summoned and ordered to bring Li Erhu, the largest workshop owner in Anjie Ward, to the government office for questioning.

"Excellent!" Han Wei praised, stroking his beard.

Then, they asked about Li Zhu's personal situation.

Li Zhu naturally answered all his questions and gave a brief introduction to his situation.

It turns out that this Li Zhu, whose courtesy name is Xianyue, is twenty-five years old this year. In the eighth year of Yuanfeng, he went to the capital to take the imperial examination, but because the examination hall was destroyed by fire that year, he had to take the exam again.

As a result, he underperformed and failed the exam.

He originally planned to return to his hometown, but he ran out of money and had to stay in Bianjing, setting up a stall near the Xiangguo Temple to earn some money to return home.

This delay led to the outbreak of the corruption scandal in the Buddhist Registry that year, and the emperor established a system of public examinations for civil servants.

He was already imprisoned at the time, so he didn't care about anything else and applied for the exam.

He then smoothly entered the Buddhist Registry as an official, and in the first year of the Yuan You era, he was transferred to the Street Office. He was among the first batch of officials in the Street Office who followed Jia Zhongmin in Bianjing City as urban management officers.

Therefore, last year, he was promoted by Jia Zhongmin and sent to Anjiefang to become the person in charge of all public affairs inside and outside Anjiefang. Although he was a low-ranking official, he was not even considered a person selector.

But that still counts as being an official!

Upon hearing this, Han Wei asked curiously, "Didn't Minister Li participate in this year's imperial examination?"

Li Zhu gave a helpless look: "This humble official is from Jizhou in Jiangnan West Circuit..."

"Oh!" Han Wei immediately understood.

Of all the provinces under the Song Dynasty, the six southeastern circuits were the most difficult to manage.

Among the six southeastern routes, the Jiangnan West Road team is considered one of the top three strongest.

Often, thousands of people compete for only twenty or thirty slots.

In the Song Dynasty, quotas were awarded based on a single examination.

Therefore, passing the exam does not mean you don't have to take it again.

If you don't pass the imperial examination this time, you'll have to take it again if you want to go to the capital next time.

Since Li Zhu had won Jia Zhongmin's favor, he naturally refused to go back and seduce his fellow townsmen from Jizhou again.

(End of this chapter)