GBP Chapter 973 You really have no idea what you're made of after you took over?
Chapter 973 You really have no idea what you're made of after you took over?
Emperor Zhu and Chang Yuchun's eyes lit up.
Yes, why should we try to solve problems we can't solve ourselves?
Wouldn't it be better to just copy Ningyang County's homework?
Since we've already copied the rule that sergeants retire at 45, copying the rest shouldn't be a big deal, right?
Emperor Zhu unconsciously curled his fingers and tapped the table lightly: "That supervisor and that military council, pick a few near-retirement soldiers from the Ningyang Thousand Households and transfer them to the Grand General's Office."
Chang Yuchun nodded in agreement. Emperor Zhu then turned his gaze to Li Shanchang and said with a smile, "Now that we've finished discussing the matter of soldiers being enslaved, Mr. Shanchang, shouldn't you talk about the matter of commoners keeping servants?"
Li Shanchang bowed to Emperor Zhu again and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, the matter of conscripting soldiers into slavery shall be handled by the Ningyang Thousand-Household Office, and the matter of commoners storing grain can also be handled by the Imperial Son-in-Law's Mansion."
Emperor Zhu was stunned again, and looked at Li Shanchang, asking, "The Imperial Son-in-Law's Residence?"
Li Shanchang nodded slightly and said, "As far as I know, there are no servants in the Prince Consort's residence, not a single one."
"Whether it's the cooks in the Prince Consort's mansion, the grooms who tend the horses, or even the servants who sweep the courtyard, they are all employed under employment contracts and receive monthly pay; they are not slaves."
"Even Princess Funing and Princess Fuyang only have female officials sent by the Empress to the Duke's mansion."
Emperor Zhu was stunned once again.
This is fucking wrong.
That scoundrel is not only the son-in-law of the emperor, but also the Duke of Ying of our Great Ming Dynasty. According to the laws of the Great Ming Dynasty, he can keep twenty slaves.
When we first went to Ningyang County, this scoundrel already had a maidservant serving him tea and water, and there were cooks, grooms, and servants in the backyard of the county government office.
Later, this scoundrel was transferred to the position of prefect of Dengzhou, and all these people were taken to Dengzhou Prefecture with him.
Even when he went to Liaodong, these people followed him.
So you're telling me that these people all signed employment contracts and weren't servants at all?
Chang Yuchun frowned slightly and looked at Li Shanchang, asking, "How does Mr. Shanchang know all this? How come I, Old Chang, have never heard of it?"
Li Shanchang rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Besides coveting the soldiers of the Ningyang Thousand-Household Garrison and those strong young men of Ningyang County, what else do you, Duke of E, covet?"
You don't have that kind of brain!
Chang Yuchun was speechless, but Emperor Zhu and Liu Bowen both felt a jolt in their hearts at the same time.
broken.
That old scoundrel Li Shanchang went to Liaodong and now he's learned all that sarcastic nonsense!
Emperor Zhu couldn't help but reach up and scratch the back of his head.
Having one scoundrel is already a headache enough.
Now, out of nowhere, there's another Li Shanchang.
What the hell are we going to do now?
Emperor Zhu was secretly worried, and Liu Bowen felt like he wanted to die.
Working with Li Shanchang is already difficult enough, but now Li Shanchang has secretly evolved into the Ningyang version of Li Shanchang.
Will I ever have a good life again?!
Just as Emperor Zhu and Liu Bowen were each worrying, Li Shanchang solemnly bowed to Emperor Zhu and said, "Your Majesty, I request that the Great Ming Code be amended to prohibit dukes, marquises and officials of all ranks from keeping slaves, completely abolish the slave system, and make keeping servants and trafficking people the same crime as the mutilation of children."
As Li Shanchang finished speaking, Emperor Zhu, Liu Bowen, Chang Yuchun, and others gasped in shock.
Is keeping servants the same crime as trafficking people?
Damn it, Li Shanchang, you old bastard, you're ruthless!
According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, those who traffic in people were beheaded; those who trafficked people to the point of death were punished by having their bodies cut in half; those who murdered people alive were subjected to slow slicing; and their property was confiscated and given to the deceased's family. The deceased's wife, children, and other family members living with them, even if unaware of the crime, were exiled two thousand li away. Those who acted as accomplices were beheaded. Those who harbored or concealed such individuals were beheaded. Neighbors who knew but did not report the crime were equally punished.
Even buyers are divided into those who are aware of the information and those who are unaware.
Those who have inside information will be punished the same as human traffickers.
Those who are unaware of the situation will be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled for a thousand miles.
If, as Li Shanchang said, keeping servants were equated with trafficking and killing people, then every single gentry and scholar in the entire Ming Dynasty would be dragged to the execution ground and beheaded, and their families would all be exiled to Liaodong!
Liu Bowen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then bowed to Emperor Zhu and said, "Your subject seconds the motion."
Chang Yuchun also bowed and said, "Your subject also agrees."
Emperor Zhu grunted in agreement, then unconsciously tapped the table and said, "Then let's follow Mr. Shanchang's advice and order the Ministry of Justice to revise the 'Great Ming Code' to completely abolish the slave system. Anyone who owns a servant, regardless of whether they are a commoner or not, shall be punished in the same way as those who traffic in people or commit animal cruelty."
"From the date the order is issued, all formerly enslaved people shall be released and redeemed by the imperial treasury. Local officials shall be ordered to allocate land and housing to them and make proper arrangements for their resettlement."
Li Shanchang, Liu Bowen, and the others bowed in agreement. Emperor Zhu then changed the subject, saying, "Now that we've finished discussing these two matters, let's get down to business with the steam engine."
Emperor Zhu once again pulled out a memorial from the table and had Chen Zhong hand it to Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen.
"This is a memorial submitted by Chen Mo of the Ministry of Railways."
"It is said that railways will be divided into two sets of standards. One set is for conventional railways under normal circumstances, with a width of 45 inches. The other set is for unconventional railways under special circumstances such as mines and forest farms, with the width determined by the coal mine, iron mine, forest farm, etc."
"In addition, he proposed to set up sixteen large transfer stations throughout the Ming Dynasty to group different steam locomotives together, so that a steam locomotive could carry timber, coal and steel at the same time."
Liu Bowen, Chang Yuchun, and others remained silent.
Even though Li Shanchang had seen a steam locomotive with his own eyes and knew what a steam locomotive carriage was like, he did not express any opinion.
Ultimately, I still don't really understand this stuff, and offering random opinions only makes me look ignorant.
Emperor Zhu glanced at Li Shanchang and the others, then continued, "Of these sixteen large transfer stations, two are confirmed."
Li Shanchang simply curled his lip.
Some officials from certain places are truly shameless.
Whenever there's something good, these people will try every means to push it to a certain county—it's obvious even to a fool that Ningyang County is definitely one of the sixteen large transfer stations!
As for the one that is certain?
Laugh to death.
Doesn't the capital city deserve a large transit station?
After glancing at Li Shanchang, Liu Bowen, and the others, Emperor Zhu continued, "What we need to discuss with you this time is where to set up the remaining fourteen stations?"
"Will this conflict with the number of vertical and horizontal lines we discussed last year?"
"If we really do things the way Chen Mo described in his memorial, can the national treasury afford it?"
As Emperor Zhu finished speaking, Li Shanchang almost laughed out of anger.
Do you want to listen to what you are saying?
Treasury?
To undertake the railway planning in Chen Mo's memorial?
No, don't you have any idea what the Ming Dynasty's treasury is like?