Han Shizu

Chapter 1509 Good governance back then
Zhao Pu was also a frequent visitor to the Palace of Guangzheng when he was a scholar of Chongzheng beside Emperor Liu in his early years.At that time, he was still uneducated, just a lucky guy who enjoyed the recommendation of Liu Ci's posthumous work and was promoted to a servant. He had just completed his status change from a local bureaucrat to a close minister of the emperor.

At that time, ministers such as Li Tao, Wei Renpu, and Fan Zhi were sitting in the political affairs hall and governing the government, and all of these people were virtuous ministers of the court, and they had made great achievements, and they were among the 24 ministers of Qianyou.

Sometimes, Zhao Pu couldn't help thinking that if he had served Emperor Liu a few years earlier, how could he not be among the 24 ministers without his name? Zhao Pu had enough confidence in this.

But in the past few years, it has shown a huge gap in life experiences.However, even so, Zhao Pu is proud enough, but in the past ten years, he has become the prime minister with real power, and even came from behind, leaving behind many people who went far earlier and farther than him.

And nearly 20 years later, those old ministers and virtuous ministers who were intriguing and pointing out the country have gradually withered away, and it was he, Zhao Pu, who replaced him.The others represented the era of Qianyou's unification, while Zhao Pu developed the era of Kaibao prosperity. From this perspective, it is not so regrettable that he is not in the 24th minister. At least, he has already done it by leaving his name to Kaibao.

The same is the Guangzheng Palace. Compared with Luoyang, Kaifeng is more streamlined. The layout is not so grand, and the decoration is not elegant enough. This is obvious. After all, the Han Palace in Kaifeng has not undergone large-scale expansion from the beginning to the end. Renovation, some repairs are just routine maintenance, knocking, sewing and mending.

Of course, Zhao Pu didn't care. The focus was never on where to work, but who could hold power and give orders.

Dealing with general affairs and solving problems is Zhao Pu's daily life in the courtroom. Generally speaking, as long as he sits in front of the court case, there will be a steady stream of affairs coming to him, waiting for his approval or decision.

When a prime minister, especially a prime minister with real power, it may be an empty word to describe every day, but it is not an exaggeration to manage hundreds of tasks or even hundreds of things every day.

In half an hour, five people have come to report. Zhao Pu also gave instructions on eight state affairs, from the horse administration in Hexi to the party issues in Yulin, from the tea horse trade in the southwest to the autumn tax in the southeast, including the food and pay for the garrison in Liaodong. He has to ask about military supplies.

However, compared with Xijing, the intensity of work in Tokyo is obviously greatly reduced. Moreover, the most important official business must be the disaster in the Central Plains. Most of the affairs still revolve around disaster relief. Expand.

"Come on!"

"Send this article to Panyu!" Zhao Pu delivered an order in his hand.

This order is Zhao Pu's instruction on the disadvantages of pearl fishing in Guangdong and Guangxi.In Southern Guangdong, Liu Yu had a desire for extravagance, and the buildings he lived in were all decorated with tortoiseshell pearls and emeralds. In order to satisfy his selfish desires, Liu Yu also specially ordered people to organize a team of "professional" pearl divers.

The so-called profession refers to the blood and tears of pearl divers, which satisfies the evil desires of the rulers. Pearl divers in Lingnan must tie stones to their feet, tie ropes around their waists, and go into the sea hundreds of feet deep to collect pearls. Among them, the number is dangerous and cruel, which is really appalling.

When the nobles are enjoying those magnificent orbs, few people pay attention to how many souls and ghosts are buried behind them.

After Pan Mei Pingnan, after observing the matter, she went to the table to show Chen Caizhu's distress.As a result, it naturally received a positive response from the imperial court. Among the many evil policies in southern Guangdong, the pearl fishing policy may not have received so much attention, but it seemed to be something that the pearl fishermen who suffered from it hated. Naturally, it was abolished without consideration, and even stated It is stipulated that people are forbidden to fish for pearls.

It did achieve immediate results at the time, but after so many years, it was as if a reincarnation had passed, returning to the original starting point, and nothing seemed to have changed.

In the past two years, the pearl fishing industry in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions has risen again, but this time, it is not the government that leads the end, and there is no fatuous tyranny as a target for abuse, attacks and venting grievances.

Instead, some folks organized their own people to go to the sea to fish for pearls.It's just that compared to the blind exploitation in the past, it has become an employment. Although pearl fishing is dangerous and terrible, as long as there are enough benefits, there are always people who are willing to take the risk.

Although the Guangdong and Guangxi government carried out restrictions and suppression in accordance with the imperial court's policy, except for the first few years, it was basically a mere formality later on.In other words, the government's restrictions are inherently limited. It's hard to say where it can be truly banned, and even whether the Guangdong and Guangxi governments have discounted their implementation.

After all, the interests of pearl fishing are too great, and the interest groups involved in it are also huge. There are too many people begging for food around the market of "South Pearl".

The original intention of the imperial court to prohibit the people from picking pearls was to understand the sufferings of the people and to be sympathetic to the people, but not all good governance was popular.Just like the imperial court is thinking of pearl divers, there are certainly people who suffer from it, but similarly, in order to get rich and make a living, there are always people who are willing to devote themselves to it and sacrifice their lives for their lives. This is the reality.

When the imperial court prohibits the people from mining pearls as a career, some people will inevitably cut off their livelihoods, and if their livelihoods are cut off, resentment will naturally arise.Not everyone is willing to farm the land honestly, that must be conditional on the availability of land.

Therefore, it is understandable that the pearl fishing industry in Lingnan has revived rapidly after several years of silence.However, compared to the past, for pearl divers, life is a little easier. It is no longer unscrupulous and endless exploitation, and they can get enough income to maintain their lives.

Although the essence has not changed much, it is just a layer of "gentleness" covering the cruel status quo, but some people are willing to take risks and devote themselves to it.

And those organizers of pearl fishing are also changing with the times, becoming smarter, and their methods are no longer so rough and cruel.There are policies at the top and countermeasures at the bottom, taking advantage of the loopholes of the imperial court's policies, and walking flexibly in the gray area.

The imperial court banned pearl mining, so they responded positively to the imperial court's call, after all, they could not go against the government.As a result, a large number of groups in the name of fishing were established, and they organized manpower to go fishing in the sea.

Relying on the sea to eat the sea, this fishing is one of the most important means of survival for the coastal people. In this regard, the imperial court not only cannot prohibit it, but also strongly supports it.They just found some pearl agate and coral hawksbill while fishing, so it should be no problem.

This time, the matter of pearl mining was able to spread to the court, and even Zhao Pu, the prime minister, personally drafted the instructions. The oppressed pearl divers pleaded for orders from the imperial court to suppress those profiteers who violated the decree, and denounced the inaction of the local Guangdong and Guangxi officials.
Among them, one case was highlighted. Some pearl hunters went missing in an accident, but the family did not receive compensation.

This matter has been circulated several times among ministries and departments, and it has also caused quite a bit of controversy.Some people firmly pointed out that for those profiteers and businessmen who do not repent, openly take advantage of the loopholes in the court's policies, oppose the court's express prohibition, organize illegally, and oppress the people, they should be severely cracked down and severely punished.

Of course, some people implicitly suggested that pearl fishing is also a career that some people in Lingnan depend on for their livelihood, and it can also create value for the court. It only needs to be restricted and regulated. Whether it is possible to give more consideration and consideration to forbidden things.

This is said with a bit of caution, after all, it was made by Emperor Liu himself in the past, in order to sympathize with the hardships of the pearl-digging people in Lingnan.However, the meaning is very straightforward. Some people dare to raise objections. It can be seen that people's hearts have changed when dealing with the Nanzhu industry.

In the end, it was presented to Zhao Pu, and Zhao Pu hesitated several times.After some exchanges with Emperor Liu, a decision was finally made.

First, the imperial government’s policy of prohibiting people from mining pearls will continue to be implemented without changing it; second, all those involved in the incident, from officials to pearl merchants, will be held accountable and severely punished, and compensation will be given to those involved in the accident to protect their interests .

The attitude seems clear, but there is a hint of ambiguity hidden. After all, this is only a case-by-case penalty, and no further rectification measures and policy plans have been introduced.

If the policy does not change, does that mean that the current status of Nanzhu collection can also be maintained?

Perhaps this is what Zhao Pu meant, and what he expressed also represented Emperor Liu's attitude.There are some things that can never be banned, after all, the interests dictate it.

How can Zhao Pu not be able to see clearly, at least in these years, the treasures that have appeared on the surface of the capital city, the orbs used by the nobles, and even the utensils used in the palace, how closely related these are to the pearl mining industry in the south of the Five Ridges? It's not easy to scrutinize.

As long as there is a market and demand, there will be a steady stream of people investing in it, and flies and vultures will always fly around the carrion.

And those who participated in it were just a group of private merchants?Such a huge chain of interests, how can a group of lowly merchants compete for food and profit in it.

Although pearl divers are in danger and are at the bottom of the profit chain, they are a means of making a living after all, and there are always people who do dangerous or even inhumane work.

According to Zhao Pu's idea, Nanzhu can be further regulated and restrained, and it can be completely brought under the government's control system, so as to improve the treatment and safety of pearl divers as much as possible, and can also meet the interests of all parties, and give the imperial court Increase production and generate income.

It’s just that there is a problem with the specific implementation. It was because of the hardships of the pearl fishermen that the ban on the common people’s pearl fishing was issued, but now it has been abandoned, and even the imperial court once again led the collection. too much.

If that is the case, what is the difference between the imperial court and Nanyue under Liu Yu?Of course, the specific difference is very big, but it is not good to spread it.

Sometimes, the face of the emperor, the dignity of the court, is indeed greater than the sky, and it is the premise for all affairs to be considered.
(End of this chapter)