Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1552 Inspecting the factory!

Ye Mingsheng spent more than half an hour touring the factory. According to the original plan, Ye Mingsheng was going to return to the palace, but it was noon and Ye Mingsheng was a little hungry, so Ye Mingsheng suddenly wanted to see what the food in the First Manufacturing Bureau was like.

Because this activity had not been arranged before, Su Junjie, Zhang Pengju and others seemed a little at a loss when faced with Ye Mingsheng's arrangement of experiencing the workers' meals, and they didn't even know what to do.

At Ye Mingsheng's request, the group came to the cafeteria. It was also time for lunch in the factory, and many workers were preparing to eat. In Daqian, food was very precious, so in order to save food, most people had two meals a day, eating the first breakfast at 1 a.m. in the morning and the second dinner around 3 p.m. in the afternoon.

Only the rich or those with better financial conditions could afford three meals a day. Although the craftsmen and workers of the First Manufacturing General Bureau were not rich and many of them came from poor families, the First Manufacturing General Bureau was an agency of the imperial court and had good performance. The former director Chen Changgui was a front-line worker, so he felt that the front-line workers had a difficult life and their work was very tiring and hard.

Therefore, Chen Changgui also ordered the factory to provide a lunch every day so that the workers could eat their fill and devote themselves to their afternoon work!
At this time, the people in the cafeteria were all very surprised to see Ye Mingsheng. When the first person knelt down to greet him, the others followed suit. Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng immediately asked everyone to stand up and not to be so polite. He just wanted to see how the food was...

The factory cafeteria is a two-story building. The first floor is where ordinary workers eat. Today, the dishes everyone eats include stewed cabbage with radish, a very thin tomato and egg soup, and some pickles at the end. Although the dishes are a bit poor, you can eat as much white rice as you want as long as you don’t waste it.

However, Ye Mingsheng took a small bite and found that the white rice was old rice, and judging from the taste, it had been stored for quite a while, probably about a year.

Even so, Ye Mingsheng could see that some workers, after finishing their meals, would fill another bowl of rice, and then, seeing that no one was looking at them, they would find a piece of cloth to cover their bowls and quietly leave the canteen.

It wasn't just one or two people who did this, there had to be quite a few people who did this. Su Junjie, Zhang Pengju and others who also saw this situation were all embarrassed. Zhang Pengju also took the initiative to apologize to Ye Mingsheng:
"Your Majesty, this happened because of my poor management. I will definitely make good changes to prevent this from happening again!"

Ye Mingsheng did not blame Zhang Pengju upon hearing this, but asked:
“Are these people taking the food home to feed their families?”

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng was not angry, Zhang Pengju also plucked up the courage to nod and said:

"Your Majesty, the grain price in Yijing is indeed a bit expensive. These workers have elderly parents and young children to support, so sometimes they like to save money and take advantage of small bargains. However, they work very hard..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly and said nothing, then stepped onto the second floor of the cafeteria. The second floor was where the craftsmen and factory managers ate, and the food there was obviously better than that on the first floor.

The tomato and egg soup that the ordinary workers on the first floor eat is simply water, tomatoes and some eggs. But the situation on the second floor is obviously different. It is a serious stir-fry, and the portion for one person is equivalent to the amount of tomato and egg soup on the first floor.

In addition to the tomato and egg dish, the cafeteria on the second floor also serves fried potato slices with green peppers, Mapo tofu, Kung Pao diced pork, and a small cold dish of mixed cucumber. A total of five dishes, a combination of meat and vegetables, are delicious and tasty.

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng also said:
"The food here is much better than on the first floor!"

After these words were spoken, Su Junjie, Zhang Pengju and the others looked a little embarrassed and didn't know what to say. Ye Mingsheng didn't say much about this. After all, this kind of status cannot be changed overnight. It's not only like this in this factory, but also in other government offices. Some of them even have better food!

Ye Mingsheng also got a meal on the second floor, ready to experience the factory meals. As the meal took his mouth, Ye Mingsheng was more impressed. Not only the dishes were different, but the meal was also different!
The ordinary workers on the first floor eat old rice, while those on the second floor eat new rice. The difference in taste is indeed quite big!
After eating a few mouthfuls of food, Ye Mingsheng seemed to have thought of something, and immediately asked Zhang Pengju:
"I remember that the second floor of your cafeteria was divided into east and west areas. Is that true?"

Zhang Pengju nodded repeatedly when he heard this and said:

“Your Majesty, what you said is correct. Our cafeteria used to have two areas, east and west. Craftsmen and engineers ate in the west area, while some G employees in the factory ate in the east area. But later, in order to implement the court’s order to effectively improve the treatment and status of craftsmen and engineers, Director Chen cancelled the east and west areas in all factories…”

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly when he heard this, and then asked:
"Do you have any wine in this cafeteria?"

Zhang Pengju and Zhao Fei looked at each other in bewilderment. Then Zhang Pengju said cautiously:

"Your Majesty, we don't allow alcohol in our factory, so if you want to drink, please wait a moment, Your Majesty, I will have someone buy it for you right away!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded with satisfaction and said:
"Very good! No one can drink in the factory, this is an iron rule! Even I, the emperor, cannot do this. Drinking in the factory will delay things and make mistakes. If you want to drink, go outside. There are so many hotels and restaurants outside. You can drink as much as you want!"

Su Junjie, Zhang Pengju and others also agreed!
After talking about the wine issue, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but continue:

"I know that you are either technicians or Gs in the factory. You can create more value for the factory. We don't like DG meals in our factory. You can eat some good food. It's no big deal!"

“But the workers on the first floor eat too badly. The tomato and egg soup is too watery, almost like water. You should treat these workers well. You all have five dishes for a meal, and tomato and egg count as a meat dish, which means three vegetables and two meat dishes. You can eat one less vegetable dish and add one for the workers. I don’t think it’s a big deal…”

"What do you all think?"

Hearing what Ye Mingsheng said, Su Junjie, Zhang Pengju and the others immediately knelt down and said to Ye Mingsheng in great fear:

"Your Majesty, we are ashamed of what you said. We will add more food to these workers right away!"

Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and said:
"Don't kneel down at every turn. I am telling you this. Don't say that I, the emperor, said so. Just move. You should have the awareness of treating workers well in your heart. If you treat workers well, the workers will be able to serve the factory better and have the idea of ​​dedication in their hearts. In this way, your factory will work together and have better development!"

"Your Majesty, your admonition is correct! I will definitely keep your teachings in mind!"

Hearing Su Junjie say this, Ye Mingsheng felt very helpless. He knew that this guy definitely didn't take his words to heart.

After all, Q power is only responsible to the source of Q power. This concept of M bullying the inferior is deeply rooted in people's hearts and bones. It is not something that Ye Mingsheng alone can change. Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng became a little bored and got up and walked out of the cafeteria.

On the way to the factory gate, Ye Mingsheng also said to Zhang Pengju and others:
"You all should go back! The factory still needs you to run it, no need to send me off!"

"As you command! We respectfully see your majesty off..." After Zhang Pengju and others left, besides Ye Cheng, Zhang Hu and other close followers, only Su Junjie, the Minister of Works, was left beside Ye Mingsheng. Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng suddenly said:
"Su Junjie, do you know what your first priority is as Minister of Industry?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Su Junjie spoke without hesitation:
"Your Majesty, I believe that promoting the steady development of those major projects is the top priority for me!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly and said:

"You have always had a clear mind! This is why I chose you to be the Minister of Industry. I trust you to do things! I have read the memorials you submitted a few days ago. You recommended Zhang Pengju to take over as the director of the First Manufacturing Bureau and Zhao Fei as the deputy director. This is the right thing to do!"

"The First Manufacturing Bureau is the main force in those projects. You have no relevant work experience, so you should really rely more on Zhang Pengju, Zhao Fei and others!"

"I have agreed to your petition. The Ministry of Personnel will issue the written document in the next few days!"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng say this, Su Junjie was delighted and quickly said:
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will definitely live up to your trust!"

Ye Mingsheng looked at Su Junjie after hearing this, then changed the subject and said:
"In addition to promoting those projects, I think you have other work that you should focus on completing!"

Su Junjie was startled when he heard this. Under Ye Mingsheng's gaze, he hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked:
"Your Majesty, are you referring to the issue of layoffs?"

Ye Mingsheng nodded, and then said as he walked:
"I'm not asking you to lay off those workers. These people are the ones who create value for the factory and the court. They deserve to keep their jobs and get better treatment!"

"The people I asked you to lay off are those who sit in the office reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of tea every day, doing nothing and eating nothing. These people are not only the black sheep of your Ministry of Industry, but also a burden to the court..."

Su Junjie, who was following behind Ye Mingsheng, heard what Ye Mingsheng said. Although his expression did not change much, his mood was extremely heavy. Although Su Junjie did not say anything, Ye Mingsheng seemed to sense his inner thoughts. He suddenly stopped and asked in a joking tone:
"Do you feel that these people have connections, backgrounds, and connections, and you are asked to kick them out, and you feel a lot of pressure?"

Although Ye Mingsheng hit the nail on the head, Su Junjie naturally couldn't admit it under Ye Mingsheng's gaze. He immediately shook his head and said:

"Your Majesty, since you have appointed me as the Minister of Works, I have nothing to fear!"

Ye Mingsheng smiled and said leisurely:
"I have always believed that being a G requires some very important qualities. You can't always please everyone and have everyone think well of you. This is unrealistic. You need courage, determination and determination!"

"You have to do what you think is right! Only in this way can you get rich rewards and get what you want!"

Su Junjie couldn't help but feel moved when he heard this, but before he had time to think about it, Ye Mingsheng's words came to his ears again.

"I heard that when you were in the Second Manufacturing Bureau, most of the textile machines in the Second Manufacturing Bureau were sold to a company called Xiangyuntang?"

Before Ye Mingsheng finished speaking, Su Junjie, who heard the three words "Xiangyuntang", suddenly looked a little flustered...

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and said:
"Su Junjie, don't be afraid! I'm not accusing you of a crime!"

"In fact, when it comes down to it, it's because I, as a husband, didn't do some things well!"

"But since it is a mistake, it needs to be solved and corrected!"

"From today on, Xiangyun Hall will no longer exist. You can sell the textile machines produced by the Second Manufacturing Bureau to the person with the highest bid!"

"You've always been good at business operations. I know this is your strong point! I'm sure you'll do a good job of this!"

Hearing what Ye Mingsheng said, Su Junjie was about to kneel down again, but as soon as he squatted down, he was helped up by Ye Mingsheng. Ye Mingsheng smiled and said:

"Minister Su! What I ask of you is to do your job well, to make the Ministry of Industry develop better, and to create greater value for the court, not to ask you to kneel down at every turn!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Junjie immediately said:

"I will do my utmost to repay your kindness, Your Majesty, until my death!"

"Okay! Let's stop here today. I'll come back to inspect another day!"

"I respectfully send you off to Your Majesty!"

With Su Junjie's farewell, Ye Mingsheng got on the carriage back to the palace. In the carriage, Ye Cheng hesitated for a moment and asked Ye Mingsheng with some concern:

"Your Majesty, can Minister Su understand your thoughts?"

Ye Mingsheng, who was resting with his eyes closed, sneered when he heard this and said:

“Don’t worry, Su Junjie is smarter than you think. Besides, I have already solved the most difficult problem for him. If he still doesn’t get along, he really is ungrateful. I believe that I, Ye, have not made a mistake in choosing him…”