People in the Ming Dynasty are lawless

Chapter 744 Women Can Hold Up Half the Sky
Zhu Youwei spun the silver scissors in a circle between her fingers. "Lord Wang, do you think this is a trivial matter?" Her voice was very soft, but everyone could hear it clearly. "Then do you know why the workshop was able to weave an extra 3,000 pieces of cloth last month?"

Wang Zhen choked. Of course he didn't know that the Ministry of Industry's account books only recorded the final figures.

"Just because we listened to Aunt Zhang's advice, we added moisture-proof pads to the looms." Zhu Youwei walked to a machine and lifted the felt nailed to the base. "This way, it won't get damp and deform on rainy days, and we can weave two more hours a day."

Chen Han took over the conversation: "Doctor Li just asked why we should listen to their opinions." He patted the loom and said, "This machine has been used by seven generations of weavers. They know better than anyone what needs to be changed."

Xiao Tao came back with talcum powder and just happened to hear this. She mustered up her courage and walked up to the official from the Ministry of Industry and asked, "Would you like to see our account books?"

Li Yan frowned: "What's so good about the account book?"

"Every time we modify a machine, we record the effect." Xiao Tao opened the account book and pointed at the densely packed numbers. "This is the record after modifying the shuttle. Each person can weave three feet more cloth every day."

Wang Zhen came over to take a look and was surprised to find that the account book not only recorded numbers but also had simple diagrams. A young weaver with a bun on his head whispered, "We didn't draw it well, but we can understand it."

Chen Han stood behind the officials without knowing when. "Now you understand, don't you? The best craftsmen are here." He pointed to the weavers in the yard, "The threads they have touched are more than the rice we eat."

As the sun rose higher, the discussion in the courtyard became more and more heated. A brave young wife said that the loom pedal was too high, and Zhu Youwei immediately asked someone to bring a saw. Seeing the princess squatting on the ground to modify the machine, the officials of the Ministry of Works almost dropped their jaws in shock.

"This... this is really inappropriate." Li Yan said while wiping the sweat off his face.

Chen Han cut the wooden wedge without raising his head: "Then what do you think is the best way to change it?"

Li Yan was speechless. He didn't even know how many parts a loom had.

At noon, the modified loom made its first crisp sound. The shuttle moved briskly on the new rail, more than 30% faster than before. Aunt Zhang touched the woven cloth and smiled with her missing teeth showing: "Good! This cloth is denser than yesterday's!"

The officials of the Ministry of Industry looked at the cheering weavers with complicated expressions. Wang Zhen quietly pulled Xiao Tao over and asked, "Are you usually so... so unruly?"

Xiao Tao was writing down data in a notebook. She looked up when she heard this and asked, "What rules?"

"It's just that there are differences between the high and the low..." Wang Zhen's voice became lower and lower. He saw Zhu Youwei and a young weaver sharing a tea bowl in the yard, and the girl was laughing so hard that her teeth were exposed.

Chen Han came over and patted Wang Zhen on the shoulder: "Master Wang, do you know why the cloth from the Women's Workshop is better than that from other places?"

Wang Zhen shook his head blankly.

"Because every inch of cloth here carries their thoughts." Chen Han pointed to those rough but flexible fingers, "They treat the loom as their own child, thinking about how to make it better every day."

On the way back to the Ministry of Works, Li Yan remained silent. It was not until he saw the government office plaque that he suddenly spoke: "Brother Wang, do you think we are wrong?"

Wang Zhen touched the cloth sample Xiao Tao had stuffed into his sleeve and did not answer. The fine lines on the cloth looked very much like the wrinkles at the corners of the eyes of the weavers in the yard.

When they were done working in the evening, Zhu Youwei called Xiaotao and said, "You did a great job today."

Xiao Tao was packing up her tools and was startled when she heard this: "I didn't do anything."

"You let the officials in the Ministry of Industry see the truth." Zhu Youwei's silver scissors shone golden in the sunset. "This is the most powerful proof."

Xiao Tao nodded, not quite understanding what was going on. She looked at the weavers who were leaving the yard one after another, and suddenly realized that their walking posture was different - they walked with their backs straight, just like the scholars in the opera.

The last ray of sunlight shone on the newly modified loom, and the wood gave off a faint pine scent. Chen Han locked the door of the workshop and turned around to see Zhu Youwei standing on the steps in a daze.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

Zhu Youwei put away the silver scissors: "I was thinking, when Aunt Zhang touched the black gold wood today, her hands were shaking badly."

Chen Han was silent for a moment: "She has been weaving cloth for forty years, and no one has ever asked her how to modify the machine."

The sound of the night watchman's clappers in the distance startled the sparrows under the eaves. The birds fluttered towards the sunset, just like the sound of the looms in the yard regaining new life, free and cheerful.

As the night deepens, the lights in Jinling City light up one after another.

In the small house at the backyard of the workshop, Aunt Zhang stroked her newly received wages by the light of an oil lamp.

The words "Hongwu Tongbao" on the copper plate were rubbed by her until they shone, just like what she said in front of everyone today - "This is the first time in my life that a craftsman can hold his head high and live a human life."

As dusk fell, the teahouses and taverns in Jinling City were crowded with scholars who were talking lively.

In a private room on the second floor of Juxian Building, several scholars in long gowns were sitting around an eight-immortal table, the water in their teacups having already gone cold.

"Have you heard? Today, Duke Chen actually squatted beside the loom and listened to those women's comments!" The square-faced scholar slammed the table, making the teacups clink. "How disgraceful!"

The tall and thin man sitting by the window put down the "Hongwu Zhengyun" in his hand and said slowly: "Brother Li, what you said is wrong. The cloth of the Jinguo Workshop is now exported to Southeast Asia, and even the Mu Palace is scrambling to get the goods. If you say that women are useless, how do you explain this?"

"But they are women after all!" The scholar surnamed Li blushed. "There has been a difference between men and women since ancient times. Now, women who serve men are allowed to be on an equal footing with the emperor. This..."

Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden commotion downstairs. Everyone looked over and saw a group of female workers wearing blue headscarves coming from the direction of the Women's Workshop. The leader was Xiao Tao, who was holding an account book in her hand and talking to her companions.

"See? That's the female worker who gave advice to the Duke today." The vendor at the next table lowered his voice, "I heard that the loom she improved can double the output!"

Li Xiucai's brows knitted into knots. He stared at Xiao Tao's straight back and suddenly thought of his wife who huddled behind the stove at home all day.

"Even if...even if they have some ability, they should know the difference between high and low." His voice gradually became lower, "What is the status of the Duke..."

The tall and thin man suddenly laughed: "Brother Li, do you know how much tax the workshop paid last month?"

"How many?"

"Three thousand taels." The tall and thin man dipped his hand in tea and wrote a number on the table, "It's equal to half of the annual income of the county government."

The teacup slipped from Li Xiucai's hand, and the broken pieces of porcelain splashed all over the floor.

At the same time, in the backyard of Xu's Cloth Shop, Shopkeeper Xu was sighing over his account book. A clerk came running in and whispered something in his ear.

"What? They want to expand the workshop again?" Shopkeeper Xu's fat face wrinkled into a ball. "Is this going to kill us?"

"Boss, I heard that they are going to recruit 300 female workers this time, and the wages are 20% higher than ours..."

Shopkeeper Xu slammed the account book shut: "Prepare the sedan chair! I want to go see Mr. Zheng!"

As the night deepened, the candlelight in the study of Zheng Qingzhuo's house was bright. The old minister stared at the thick stack of documents in front of him, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Mr. Zheng, you have to make the decision for us!" Shopkeeper Xu wiped away his nonexistent tears, "Those women are getting more and more rampant now, they even want to interfere with the looms..."

Zheng Qingzhuo suddenly looked up, and a gleam of light flashed in his cloudy old eyes: "Shopkeeper Xu, the accounts of your cloth shop last month don't match, what's going on?"

Shopkeeper Xu’s crying came to an abrupt end.

"Old... old..."

"The accounts of the Jinguo Workshop are recorded clearly, down to every penny." Zheng Qingzhuo picked up a blue booklet from the desk. "This is the 'New Accounting Method' brought back by my granddaughter. Do you want to take a look?" Shopkeeper Xu's fat face turned pale instantly.

When the fifth watch drum sounded, Zhu Biao was reviewing memorials in the Eastern Palace. The candlelight cast his shadow on the window paper, making it look particularly slender.

"Your Highness, Duke Chen requests an audience."

Zhu Biao put down his red brush and said, "Explain."

Chen Han strode in, still damp from the night dew. He simply bowed and took out a roll of blueprints from his sleeve.

"The new loom has been modified and the efficiency can be increased by 40%."

Zhu Biao unfolded the drawing and saw that it was densely covered with marks of improvements in clear and neat handwriting.

"This is……"

"These are suggestions from the female workers." Chen Han's lips curled up slightly. "Aunt Zhang said the pedal was too high, Aunt Liu suggested widening the shuttle, and Xiao Tao thought of using talcum powder..."

Zhu Biao's fingertips gently stroked the blueprint: "Someone in the court wrote a letter saying that this is against etiquette."

"Lord Wang from the Ministry of Rites went to the workshop to peek in this morning." Chen Han said with a smile, "Xiao Tao later discovered it and forced a copy of "Records of Loom Improvements" on him."

The candle flame burst into a lamp flower, casting uncertain light on the two people's faces.

"Chen Han, do you think the world has really changed?" Zhu Biao suddenly asked, "In the past, women didn't even leave the courtyard, but now they can talk freely to officials from the Ministry of Works."

Chen Han looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky and said, "It's not the world that has changed, but people's hearts. Your Highness, do you still remember the faces of those people when we were promoting the new school three years ago?"

Zhu Biao chuckled. He certainly remembered that at that time, all the civil and military officials in the court knelt on the ground, saying that this was a sign of the country's demise.

"Report!" the guard shouted outside the door, "The Ministry of Public Security has an urgent report!"

Zhu Biao unfolded the urgent report, and his brows gradually relaxed. "Interesting. The Suzhou Weaving Bureau wrote a letter requesting that female workers from the Women's Workshop be sent to instruct on the use of the new machine."

When the morning light penetrated the clouds, the morning market in Jinling City was already bustling. Old man Wang, who was selling pancakes, kneaded the dough while saying to the people in line: "My daughter told me that the workshop will distribute last month's dividends today, and everyone can get an extra half a coin!"

"Is this true?" A peddler carrying a load of rice stared with wide eyes, "Women can also share in the profits?"

"Why not?" Old Man Wang threw the dough on the chopping board. "My daughter can recognize more words than I do now. She even replaced the tiles at home a few days ago!"

The peddler scratched his head and suddenly asked, "Uncle Wang, is the workshop still hiring? My wife is very skillful..."

At the same time, in the lecture hall of the Imperial College, young students were arguing. A pale-faced scholar slammed the table and said, "Women should take care of their husbands and children. It is immoral for them to show their faces in public like this!"

"Brother Zhou, what you said is wrong." A dark-skinned young man stood up from the back row. "It is said in the Book of Rites of Zhou that women's work is to make silk and linen. Weaving is a woman's duty, so how can it be said to be immoral?"

"But now they are..."

"What's wrong now?" The dark-skinned young man took out a piece of indigo cloth from his arms. "This was woven by my mother in the Women's Workshop. The money she earned last month was more than my father's salary. If Brother Zhou feels it is inappropriate, you don't have to use this 'indigo cloth'."

The pale-faced scholar was speechless. The long gown he was wearing was made of "Quanqing cloth".

At noon, the courtyard of the Women's Workshop was crowded with people. Zhu Youwei stood on the steps, holding a big red account book in her hands.

"We exceeded our targets last month, so according to the rules, everyone will be given an extra half month's salary!"

The cheers shook the sparrows in the trees into flight. Xiao Tao and a few literate girls were helping to distribute copper coins. An old woman with gray hair holding a purse suddenly knelt down.

"My Lady Princess, I have never seen so much money in my life..."

Zhu Youwei quickly helped her up: "Aunt Zhang, get up quickly. This is what you deserve."

"Grandma!" A little boy with pigtails came out from the crowd and threw himself into the old woman's arms. "The teacher praised my good handwriting and gave me candy!"

Aunt Zhang trembled as she took out a few copper coins from her purse: "Go... go to the school to buy paper and pens, and study hard..."

Outside the courtyard gate, several passing scholars stopped to look at the cheerful female workers in the courtyard, then looked at their shabby clothes, and suddenly felt that their knowledge of poetry and books was a little dull.

"Brother Li, how about... we also go to the workshop to find a job?"

"Nonsense! We are scholars..."

"Scholars also need to eat. I heard that the monthly salary of the workshop manager is five taels of silver!"

Li Xiucai's Adam's apple rolled. He thought of his sick mother at home, and also of the back of the female worker who stood straight yesterday.

"Let's go...let's go..."

As the sun sets, Zhu Youwei stands on the attic of the workshop and looks out into the distance. Smoke from cooking fires in Jinling City rises and blends into the sunset.

"Today, another seventeen students signed up." Xiao Tao came over holding the account book. "They are all literate. I want to arrange for them to teach the female workers."

Zhu Youwei's silver scissors gleamed in the afterglow: "Just do whatever you want."

"Princess..." Xiao Tao hesitated, "Do you think the world has really changed?"

Zhu Youwei looked towards the direction of the imperial palace, where the sound of a long bell was coming from.

"It's not the world that's changed," she said softly, "it's the people."

……

A month later, the sun rose and ripples appeared on the Qiantang River.

Xiaotao stood at the bow, her fingers tightly gripping the bundle until her knuckles turned white.

Two years ago, she was still a little maid in the princess's mansion, but now she has to manage the women's workshop in Hangzhou alone.

"Don't be afraid." Zhu Youwei stood beside her, her silver scissors gleaming in the sunset. "You have memorized the workshop's rules. Two hundred female workers are waiting for your arrangement. Just follow the procedures."

Xiao Tao nodded, but her throat was choked with pain. She remembered her mother's crying and scolding before she left, saying that women should not show their faces in public, and should not go to work thousands of miles away from home.

"Princess, my mother..."

"Your mother will understand." Zhu Youwei patted her shoulder, "When you present the wages to her, she will know that you are right."

……

(End of this chapter)