The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 210: New Arrangements in the Forbidden City and the Relationship with the Wu Kingdom

Zhu Jianxuan, his parents, and his eldest brother's family arrived in Shuntian Prefecture on January 24, the 43rd year of Xianning.

Due to the civil uprising in Yingtian Prefecture, there was a sudden return to the capital, and a large number of people suddenly came to Shuntian Prefecture, but there was not enough place to accommodate them.

We can only temporarily live in the original Shuntian City.

However, the city temporarily housed the central government agencies, military command system, royal family members and nobles, civil and military officials, and garrison soldiers.

Ordinary residents are still not relocated to the city.

The supplies and services needed for the lives of all people in the city are provided by a specially established Shuntianfu Supply Company.

Move out after special houses are built outside the city.

It is now slightly warmer inside the city than outside. The old emperor is old now, so it is better for him to live in the city.

Zhu Jianxuan lived in Xiyuan with the old emperor.

Prince Liang and other members of the royal family were arranged to live in other houses in the city.

After the group settled down, they rested for a few days to adapt to the environment. Then Zhu Jianxuan took his parents and eldest brother to visit the old Forbidden City.

The family, wrapped in fur coats, slowly walked around the Forbidden City, and finally sat inside the Fengtian Hall to chat.

The old emperor Zhu Zhonglin looked at the decorations and family around him, and said to Zhu Jianxuan with emotion:
“Even if you treat the entire Shuntian City as a museum, there is no need to preserve it exactly as it is.

"The Qing invaders have lived here for more than a hundred years, and many things have been rebuilt, including these three main halls.

“They didn’t know the logic of lightning rods before, so they had to repair them several times.

“There are already many traces of the Qing dynasty, and many inexplicable old-fashioned styles.

“Also, the Ciqing Palace is gone and has been changed into the South Third Office.

"We should not preserve this Forbidden City, as it is not what the Forbidden City of our Ming Dynasty looked like.

“It’s better to rebuild the whole thing and then preserve it.

“Now the old craftsmen are still here, and they can build it for you completely according to the old methods.

“Moreover, we have lands in Australia, North America, Northeast China, and Southeast Asia, which have large amounts of virgin forests, and we also have large ships of 6,000 tons.

"We can simply transport large timber back to build a larger palace.

"At least we should restore the scale of the Yongle period, right?"

Zhu Jianxuan's mother, the Queen, couldn't help but say:
"The decorations of the Qing Dynasty are really not good. They look like those of a rich old man in the countryside. We cannot keep these things and use them as decorations for our Ming Dynasty..."

Zhu Jianxuan laughed and said:
"How much money would it cost to demolish the entire building and rebuild it? It would be a waste of money and time..."

The old emperor immediately said:

"Are you still short of money? I wonder how much money you can make from this wave of harvesting from private manufacturers...

“Moreover, the imperial court has been promoting concrete buildings in recent years, and the old carpenters are becoming less and less useful.

“It shouldn’t cost too much money to gather them together now, and it will also allow them to make use of their remaining energy.

"And you had steam engines and electric tools, and carpentry became much easier and cheaper than before.

"The Ming merchant ships went out to sea and had nothing to carry on the way back, so it was a good opportunity to bring back some more wood.

“Besides, in the future, the Ming Dynasty will also need a place to hold various court ceremonies in Shuntian Prefecture.

"It is still necessary to renovate the Forbidden City..."

Zhu Jianxuan thought for a moment and said:
"Father, I plan to build a special place outside the city for future court ceremonies. It will be made larger and more solid using reinforced concrete structures."

The old emperor said:
“You might as well save this money and use it to renovate and rebuild the Forbidden City.

"In the future, ceremonies and rituals can be held directly in the Forbidden City, and the Forbidden City can also be repaired and maintained for this purpose.

“If a house is to be preserved for a long time, it still needs people to live in it for a long time.

“A yard without people will have a rotten and dilapidated feel no matter how regularly outsiders repair it.

“Because no one checked carefully, no one touched and looked at all the places.

“There will be omissions during repairs, and damage cannot be discovered immediately.

"The key is that if you want to preserve this wooden palace, you need workers to continue to learn and pass on the technology of repairing this kind of palace.

"Otherwise, it will definitely not be repaired in the future, and sooner or later it will rot away and only the outer shell will remain."

After hearing this, Zhu Jianxuan finally realized that he had been thinking too simply before.

Houses without anyone in them are prone to decay, and the key is that it is difficult to detect when they have decayed, so there is a real need to retain craftsmen with relevant skills.

When the Forbidden City was renovated, this craft could be passed down to the next generation.

The renovation of the old buildings in the entire Shuntianfu city and the surrounding gardens is enough to support a group of specialized craftsmen.

But this is also a huge sum of money. Instead of just spending it and leaving it empty, it is better to use it for the time being.

Zhu Jianxuan thought about it for a while:

"Father is indeed very thoughtful. An old man in the family is like a treasure."

The old emperor thought for a moment and said:
"Let your mother and I take care of this matter. You should concentrate on handling the affairs of the merchants in the south and sorting out the affairs of the vassal states." Zhu Jianxuan immediately bowed and said:

"Thank you, Father."

Zhu Jianxuan and his family settled down in Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhu Jianxuan prepared to concentrate on managing the south.

Apart from that, there shouldn't be any major events this year, because the orders from the south have been stopped, which means that construction in the north has also slowed down.

Only after his disciples have completed the exploration of the Yellow River and the Huai River will a major project truly begin.

However, Zhu Jianxuan didn't wait long before he encountered something slightly unexpected.

Chen Weizhi, president of the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, came to Shuntian Prefecture to petition on behalf of Zhejiang businessmen and wrote a very sincere letter.

Zhu Jianxuan also realized that Zhejiang was a little special. His King of Wu was supposed to be in Zhejiang, and it was Zhejiang that provided taxes in the early stages of the construction of the Wu Kingdom.

Zhu Jianxuan thought about it for a moment and decided to meet the group of businessmen first.

In the West Garden of the Imperial City, Chen Weizhi saluted Zhu Jianxuan respectfully:

"I, Chen Weizhi, on behalf of my colleagues at the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, would like to pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince—"

Zhu Jianxuan signaled him not to be polite and asked him to explain his purpose.

Chen Weizhi laid out his prepared speeches one by one.

It mainly expresses the loyalty of merchants from Zhejiang and Hangzhou, and cuts off ties with merchants from Southern Zhili, especially Yingtianfu.

Then pray that the crown prince will not treat Zhejiang the same way he treats the merchants from Yingtianfu.

Zhu Jianxuan listened patiently and said:
“I understand what Mr. Chen means. Now I want to ask you and the Zhejiang businessman a few questions.

“First, is the fastest-growing new industry in recent years the new technology that I invented and popularized?
“Second, has the rapid development of Jiangnan’s industry and commerce in recent years been dependent on the court’s disaster relief, the development of Australia and North America, and European trade?
“Third, did you merchants and employers not take the initiative to increase the wages of your workers without the court’s request?

“Fourth, if ordinary workers don’t get enough wages, will they march in unison, call for a break, or even riot and rebel?

“Fifth, if there is no purchase from the imperial court, how much value can these factories and businesses of yours be? Is it what you see now?

“If so, in order to stop the workers from causing trouble, shouldn’t the court take the initiative to pay them money?

"At the same time, we can directly purchase private factories and operate them according to market value?"

Faced with this series of questions, Chen Weizi was speechless.

Today's hottest and most profitable industries were all created by Zhu Jianxuan.

Now the largest customers of these industries are all directly managed and provided by the imperial court.

The current valuations of these industries, if there were no orders from the imperial court, would be very low.

The owners of factories and businesses did not take the initiative to pay workers their wages, which did lead to workers constantly making trouble.

After a long period of thinking and confusion, Chen Weizhi fell to the ground and cried:

"I beg His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to give the merchants in Zhejiang a way out for the sake of the Wu Kingdom..."

Zhu Jianxuan waved his hand and said:

"Wouldn't it be over if you had just said this earlier? There's no point in talking to you guys, you can only talk to me about your relationship.

“For the sake of Wu, I can indeed give you a way out.

“All of you Zhejiang factories and businesses will hand over 30% of your shares to the imperial court, and your original shareholders will keep 30%.

"Forty percent of the shares are given to all the employees and workers. If they join the factory or the industry, they will have them, but if they leave the factory or the industry, they will have none. Moreover, they only have the right to dividends, not voting rights. The voting rights belong to the court.

“The court will allow Southern Investment Company to hold all shares and voting rights, but will only be responsible for supervision and auditing.

"Normal business decisions will still be made by you, the original owners, and all workers will be guaranteed a minimum wage of five silver dollars or three Wu King gold notes.

"Accept this plan, and the court will give you orders from now on to revitalize your factories and businesses.

"It's like exchanging the imperial court's orders for your equity."

When Chen Weizi heard this suggestion, he suddenly felt like he had been saved from a desperate situation.

The court's investment was a good arrangement, as it meant that factories and businesses had the court's protection while still retaining their autonomy.

In fact, many factories and businesses would give equity to shopkeepers, managers, and foreman, but the amount would not be too much, and they would not be given to ordinary workers.

Now that ordinary workers have received wage increases and have been given stock dividends as an incentive, there will definitely be no problem with the operation of factories and businesses.

In fact, the owners and managers themselves know that this plan is very good, but it is impossible to achieve it without external pressure.

Therefore, Chen Weizhi immediately subconsciously wanted to try to discuss the specific issue of share distribution:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince...this share ratio..."

But Zhu Jianxuan raised his hand to stop the other party from continuing:

"This is to give everyone in Zhejiang an additional way out out of consideration for the Wu Kingdom, rather than letting them fend for themselves like ordinary manufacturers.

"Don't talk to me about additional conditions. If you don't agree, just go back now."

Chen Weizhi immediately bowed and agreed:

"I agree. I agree. Thank you, Your Highness, for your grace..."

(End of this chapter)