People in the Ming Dynasty are lawless

Chapter 775 Dimensional Reduction Attack!!
Before dawn, the Songjiang Wharf was already bustling with activity. The Persian merchant Ali, holding a contract, shouted, "I'll pay double the deposit! As long as the weaver puts his fingerprint on it, the money will be paid directly to him!" More than ten weavers sat in front of a mahogany table, with a detailed list behind them: six taels of silver per month, five coins per bolt of cloth, and medical care and medicine provided by the workshop for the injured or sick.

An old man with a limp squeezed through the crowd and asked in a trembling voice, "Really cash?" Zhang Si Niang stuffed a heavy silver ingot into his hand: "Grandma Wang from Zhou's Dyehouse received eight taels of silver as her share of the profits last month. If your daughter is willing to learn, I will teach her myself."

Suddenly, a commotion broke out. Shen Rong rushed over with his servants, shouting, "The government is colluding with foreign merchants to drive down prices! This contract is a slave contract!"

Chen Han waved his hand, and the guards immediately seized the Shen family members. He picked up the contract and unfolded it, his voice booming: "Everyone, look carefully! The artisans of the Heroines' Workshop will still receive 30% of their pension after ten years. Manager Shen, why don't you also bring out the contracts of your workers for comparison?"

Shen Rong choked. Li Chongyi, hiding in the crowd, fanned the flames: "By what right does the imperial court interfere in merchants' business dealings?"

"Based on this alone," Zhu Youwei said, raising a bright yellow silk cloth. "His Majesty personally approved that the Songjiang Textile Bureau is a major policy to benefit the people. Anyone who obstructs it is defying the imperial decree!" She turned and pointed towards Shen Rong's workshop. "Go and see for yourselves. Do their weavers have calluses on their hands? Do their eyes shine? I, Zhu Youwei, swear today... that anyone who learns the art of water weaving will be guaranteed a lifetime of comfort and security by the Women's Workshop!"

As the sun began to set, Shen Rong's workshop was completely empty. Staring at the mess, Li Chongyi finally dropped his pretense: "Go to Yingtian Prefecture! I'm going to sue Chen Han for monopolizing the market!"

A sneer came from the shadows. Lin San Niang appeared, knife in hand: "Young Master Li, do you want me to read aloud the confession you bribed the idler to spread rumors?"

……

A night breeze rustled through the newly planted sycamore trees as Chen Han and Zhu Youwei walked side by side down the widened street.

“Tax increases are not a long-term solution,” she said softly, her brows furrowing slightly. “We must make all the artisans in the world understand that following the likes of the Shen family, no matter how good they are, they are nothing more than watchdogs who will be discarded at any time.”

Chen Han walked with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the brightly lit women's workshop area, where the buzzing of looms formed a continuous chorus, the most beautiful and powerful melody in Songjiang Prefecture at this moment.

He nodded slowly, his voice low and calm, carrying a sense of worldly wisdom: "You're right. So we need to walk more steadily and pave a wider road ahead. Not by making decisive killings in a short time or place, but by using real rules and benefits to unite people's hearts."

His gaze seemed to pierce through the lights in front of him, revealing a much broader vista.

"When the sound of looms in Songjiang, the lives of the workers, and the ways of making money for the merchants become living examples and spread to Yingtian and other prefectures in Jiangnan, then, without us forcing them, there will naturally be savvy people eager to learn our methods and our rules."

He paused, his tone becoming even more resolute: "Shen Rong and Li Chongyi are nothing more than wisps of dust rising up during this transition between the old and the new. They will dissipate with a gust of wind. The path beneath our feet is what the future of commerce and industry in the Ming Dynasty should look like."

Zhu Youwei's eyes reflected the lights of the workshop. After hearing her husband's words, the gloom in her heart caused by Shen Rong's despicable methods completely dissipated.

She understood the weight of Chen Han's words and was even more aware of his determination to protect her all along.

She gave a soft "hmm," leaning slightly towards him, absorbing the certainty and strength conveyed in his words.

In the distance, the sound of looms pounded like a tide, rhythmic and powerful, truly like a dull thunderclap crushing the old ways, one after another announcing the arrival of a new era.

Back in the study of the government office, the candlelight flickered.

On the table was a detailed interrogation record and a thin ledger.

Lin San Niang stood solemnly to the side, her posture holding a knife exuding a chilling aura, her gaze as sharp as a blade.

“Lord Duke, Princess.” Lin San Niang’s voice was not loud, but clear and strong. “Li Chongyi is spineless. He vomited everything without much effort.”

She pointed to the account books on the table, “It’s not just about hiring people to spread rumors and smear the workshop and defame the princess’s reputation, but also about him instructing Shen Rong to collude with grain merchants to mix sand and moldy rice into the weavers’ rations and buy them at low prices.”

"Several old cases were also uncovered, in which some despicable means were used to force small weavers in neighboring counties to hand over their ancestral recipes for infectious cloth, resulting in the destruction of some families."

“Every single thing is recorded in this ledger, showing exactly how much he received in benefits, down to the last penny.”

Chen Han picked up the ledger; the paper was rough, the handwriting crooked, and it exuded the filth of the marketplace.

He didn't open it to examine it closely; he merely weighed it in his hand, as if that weight alone carried enough sins.

He looked up at Lin San Niang, his eyes eerily calm: "You've worked hard. Keep a close eye on the person, and keep a close watch on them along with this evidence."

Lin San Niang bowed and accepted the order: "San Niang understands. The prisoner is locked in the innermost cell of the government office, guarded by my trusted confidants. Not even a fly can get in."

"Okay." Chen Han put down the ledger and turned his gaze to the deep night sky outside the window.

He remained silent for a moment, and only the soft crackling of the lamp wick filled the study.

Zhu Youwei sat quietly to the side, without urging him, knowing that her husband must be weighing something in his mind.

Finally, Chen Han turned around, his face devoid of any intense emotions, only displaying a cold indifference that suggested he had seen through the ways of the world.

"Third Sister, tomorrow morning," his voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable determination, "tie up Li Chongyi, beat the drums and gongs, and escort him back to the Ministry of Justice prison in the capital."

"When you pass by Shen Rong's empty workshop outside the city, stop for a moment and loudly recount to the passersby a few of the most important things Li Chongyi has done."

"It is said that this person is insidious and vicious, habitually resorting to despicable means, corrupting the business environment, and framing honest and good craftsmen. Now that his crimes have been exposed, Songjiang Prefecture will arrest him according to law and send him to the capital for trial."

He paused, his voice growing even colder: "As for Shen Rong,"

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "He can't escape. Issue my order: effective immediately, seize all of Shen Rong's properties in Songjiang and the surrounding area, including his workshops outside the city. Inventory his illegal gains. Any artisans or merchants who have been bullied, forced to buy or sell, or extorted by him may register at the government office with their certificates."

"After verification, a portion of their assets may be returned or compensation may be provided as appropriate."

"Shen Rong—" Chen Han's lips curled into a cold smile, "The prefectural government shall post a public notice revoking his merchant status and ordering him to leave the territory under the jurisdiction of Songjiang Prefecture within three months, never to set foot there again. If he dares to disobey orders and linger, or secretly collude with others, he will be punished the same as Li Chongyi and arrested and brought to the capital!"

"Yes!" A hint of pleasure flashed in Lin San Niang's eyes as she clasped her hands in response, her voice like the clanging of metal.

As Zhu Youwei listened to her husband's methodical approach, she felt both intimidated and incredibly reassured.

Chen Han's methods can be described as ruthless.

Directly stripping merchants of their merchant status and driving them to extinction might seem too tyrannical and even "low-class" to seasoned businessmen who value "harmony" and "leniency," and would be unbecoming of a duke.

But she knew that Chen Han had his own judgment.

He had read too many files on the bloody primitive accumulation of capital in later generations, and how miserable those losers were who were swallowed up by the big fish and left with nothing but bones.

In the early days of commerce and industry on this ancient land, when faced with parasites like Shen Rong and Li Chongyi who greedily sucked blood from the old rules and were willing to use any insidious means, being merciful would be a crime against oneself and all the workers and merchants who followed and trusted them.

Chen Han would not allow this newly ignited hope, this hard-won lifeline, to suffer any mishap with his wife, Zhu Youwei, who truly wanted to make a name for herself on this land. His swift and decisive actions were an iron wall erected for this nascent seedling.

Behind this lies an urgent need to establish rules, an immense appreciation for the future vision, and the strongest possible protection for everything Zhu Youwei has poured her heart and soul into creating.

The following morning, Matsue City was not yet fully awake.

A small escort team shattered the tranquility with lightning speed.

Lin San Niang personally escorted him, with two elite black-clad guards guarding Li Chongyi, who was bound hand and foot and gagged, like door gods.

Li Chongyi had lost the sinister aura he had displayed yesterday when he was stirring up trouble among the crowd. His face was ashen, his hair disheveled, his brocade robe stained, and his eyes were filled with fear and despair.

Several government officials led the way, while a gong clanged loudly, its sound piercing the morning mist.

"The Songjiang Prefectural Government is escorting the criminal Li Chongyi to the capital!"

The sounds of gongs and shouts immediately attracted curious onlookers.

As the procession passed the entrance to the Shen family's workshop, which was tightly shut and looked like an abandoned workshop, Lin San Niang raised her hand, and the procession suddenly stopped.

She turned to face the growing crowd, and a literate constable stepped forward and, in full view of the crowd, loudly read aloud the official document that encapsulated Li Chongyi's crimes:
"...Investigate the criminal Li Chongyi: First, he has repeatedly refused to mend his ways and, out of personal resentment, has bribed local ruffians with large sums of money to spread rumors, defame the reputation of the Women's Workshop, and maliciously slander the princess! He claimed that weaving luminous cloth drains people's yang energy, causing the female workers to become weak; and that the cloth is stained with chemicals that cause their hands to rot, harming the village! This is truly heinous and a framing of a loyal and virtuous person!"

"Both are insidious and cunning. They instigated Shen Rong to maliciously raise wages under the guise of hiring women, but in reality, they plotted to destroy the foundation of the women's workshop, disrupt people's livelihoods, and coerce the government into submission! Their actions are heinous and will have far-reaching consequences!"
"Thirdly, their hearts are corrupt, and they are blinded by greed! They instructed Shen Rong to collude with unscrupulous merchants to mix sand and moldy rice into the weavers' rations, buying them at low prices and selling them at high prices, thus exploiting the workers' livelihoods and causing several weaving workshops and artisans to go hungry and suffer unspeakable misery! They have lost all conscience and are no different from beasts!"
"Fourthly, they are insatiable and use despicable means! In the past, they used coercion and bribery to seize the ancestral secret techniques of small weavers in neighboring counties, causing many families to be ruined and people to die! The evidence is irrefutable, and their crimes are unforgivable!"
......"

As one horrific crime after another was read aloud in public, the faces of the onlookers showed a mixture of shock, contempt, and anger.

The murmurs grew louder:

"My God! Those terrifying rumors were all fabricated by this bastard?"

"Cutting off our food supply? That's incredibly cruel! No wonder the rice we bought last time smelled moldy!"

"How utterly heartless! Stealing ancestral recipes? Causing families to be ruined and killed? They deserve to be torn to pieces!"

"Look at Shen Rong's place, the workshop is all empty! And they're raising wages to poach workers? Turns out they're just putting on a show for people!"

As Li Chongyi listened to the humiliation of being stripped naked and exposed to the light of day, and heard the increasingly loud jeers and curses around him, he trembled violently, wishing he could die immediately.

"...Li Chongyi's crimes are heinous. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, he has been arrested and sent to the Ministry of Justice prison to await further judgment! The other involved persons are being apprehended by name, and there will be no leniency!"

After the reading was finished, Lin San Niang coldly waved her hand: "Let's go!"

The gong sounded again, and under the watchful eyes of countless disdainful gazes, the procession, escorting Li Chongyi, slowly but firmly marched towards the official road in the east of the city.

Behind the group, the gate of the Shen family's deserted workshop looked even more ironic and dilapidated in the morning light.

The crowd lingered for a long time, their angry curses and discussions continuing for quite some time.

The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching every corner of Songjiang Prefecture.

The Shen family mansion was plunged into a deathly silence and despair.

When the government office posted notices announcing the "seizure of all of Shen Rong's properties," the "revocation of Shen Rong's business registration," and the "expulsion from the country within a specified period," the business community of Songjiang Prefecture truly felt an unprecedented chill.

The afterglow of the setting sun once again painted the newly paved bluestone path red.

The workshops were closing time, and groups of weavers walked out of the tall gates. Their faces showed fatigue, but also an unprecedented sense of peace and dignity.

The sounds of laughter and chatter drifted through the streets as they talked about their day's work, their increased wages, and the joy of their children being able to attend free school and receive subsidies.

Their brand-new indigo work clothes stood out brightly in the setting sun.

Chen Han and Zhu Youwei stood at the highest point of Wangjiang Tower, overlooking the city that was undergoing a transformation.

On the docks, the flags of foreign merchants fluttered in the evening breeze as unloading and loading continued in full swing; the newly widened streets were bustling with orderly pedestrian and vehicle traffic; the lights in the workshops were already lit, and the low hum of the looms sounded like the steady heartbeat deep within the earth.

“Husband,” Zhu Youwei called softly, her gaze tenderly falling on the resolute profile of the man beside her, where a barely perceptible tension seemed to be slowly relaxing. “We’re determined to walk this path. No matter how difficult it is, we will continue.”

Chen Han turned to look at her, the coldness in his eyes softened into warmth by the setting sun.

He reached out and gently took her hand. The calluses on Zhu Youwei's palm rubbed against his fingertips, the medals of her hard work day and night.

“Of course we must continue down this path.” Chen Han’s voice was not loud, but it carried immense weight. “And we must make this path wider and more stable. Wide enough to reach Yingtian, wide enough to reach the entire Jiangnan region, and even further afield. Let everyone see what a path truly looks like that ensures artisans are well-fed and clothed, allows merchants to make money, provides tax revenue for the court, and guarantees the livelihood of the people.”

He tightened his grip on her hand. "This is the path we chose together, and it's the path that the Ming Dynasty should take in the future. Whoever blocks our way, we'll crush them and clear the way for those who come after. On this path, nothing is worth me taking a step back or letting you suffer even the slightest injustice."

Zhu Youwei's eyes welled up with tears. She gripped his hand tightly and nodded vigorously.

As darkness fell completely, the city lights began to twinkle, winding like a river.

Chen Han put his arm around his wife's shoulder and gazed at the deep horizon.

A few early stars began to adorn the sky there.

He recalled what his master had said long ago when he was learning his skills on the mountain, pointing to the Big Dipper: "When a person is lost, look at the stars, and you will know the direction."

At this moment, the stars twinkled in his eyes, not as guidance when he was lost, but as witnesses on his journey.

The city lights beneath our feet are far brighter than the starry sky; they are a galaxy of stars ignited by the sweat and hope of countless people, a path they paved together.

The road lies beneath our feet, right here in Songjiang Prefecture during the Hongwu era, stretching steadfastly towards the future…

(End of this chapter)