Daming: I, the emperor who trains the carpenter

"Donglin party members are more hateful than one, hateful!"

Zhu Youxiao thought about the disgusting things that the Donglin party members did and wanted to kill himself, so he couldn't help but want to kill all these worms: "If there are no these Donglin party members in the world, Daming will be clean. gone."

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "Your Majesty calm down, Donglin Party's jumping like this is a good thing in my opinion."

"This shows that they have already felt the majesty of the New Deal and are afraid of it."

As he said that, Zhang Haogu told Zhu Youxiao a short story: "Your Majesty, it is said that once upon a time there was a family who raised a flock of sheep. Protect."

"Of course the wolves can't eat the sheep, but some sheep are dissatisfied. They complain that the family restricts them, doesn't let them eat the grass outside, and doesn't let them go out. It's inhumane. This is killing the sheep. "

"The family didn't take it seriously when they heard it, but the wolf also said that what they did was wrong and they had to listen to the sheep. After all, the sheep don't know what life they should live. What should they do?"

"The wolf said the same, and the sheep said the same. Seeing the wolf and the sheep scolding themselves, the family was gradually persuaded. He dismantled the sheep pen, and the sheep were happy, saying that this was a benevolent government, and it was right to do so; the wolf was also happy. Yes, I even praised this family for being reasonable and doing a good deed."

"This family also felt that they had done the right thing, and went to bed happily. That night, the sheep were eaten by wolves."

Zhu Youxiao murmured: "Master's story is quite philosophical. Then Master thinks, the wolf is right, the sheep is right, or the man is right?"

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "It's all right, but they don't look at things from the same angle. People want to protect their sheep, sheep want their own nature, and wolves want to eat sheep. If people are too With a kind heart, sheep will not only not appreciate people, but will feel that people are not doing enough, and wolves will not be afraid of people."

"Your Majesty, the public opinion of the people is certainly admirable, but it should be listened to and should not be credulously trusted. Be it the Donglin Party or the common people, they all look at things from their own perspective, not from the perspective of the overall situation. Look at things from the court's point of view."

"Throughout the ages, those who do great things have understood the will of the people, but they will not trust the will of the people. After all, it is never the common people who control the public opinion, but the gentry and wealthy families."

"Take the New Deal as an example. If we listen to the gentry and don't compete for the interests of the people, the New Deal cannot be carried out, the court tax cannot be collected, and the court's orders cannot reach places. What will the court look like?"

With that said, Zhang Haogu poured Zhu Youxiao a cup of tea: "Your Majesty, sometimes it is normal for the people not to understand the court's decisions; after all, the people only see one side of their own family; , the above decisions are normal.”

"Taking Qin as an example, countless people scolded the first emperor for burning books and burying scholars, and building the Great Wall without regard for the people's power.

"If there was no Great Wall, how could the Han Dynasty spend 70 years to cultivate the people's livelihood? How could Emperor Wen and Jing manage the government with peace of mind and fill the treasury with money and food? How would Emperor Wu conquer the Huns?"

"To put it bluntly, I think it's okay if the gentry and the common people don't understand the imperial court's policies. Just talk about the interests and benefits. Even if the gentry don't understand, can the common people still understand? If so, when will these Donglin party members agree? The policy of the imperial court was changed, and even applauded, but the minister felt that the imperial court should reflect on it, and see if something went wrong."

Zhu Youxiao said with a smile: "Master's words are reasonable. If Donglin party members and Huang Taiji of Liaodong praise the imperial court's policies, then the imperial court should think about whether what they did there made these people happy. .”

Zhang Haogu continued: "The reason why I agree with Huang Zongxi and Gu Yanwu's disposition is not only to show the majesty of the New Deal to the people, but also to let the people know that the imperial court has not only grace but also law, and more importantly, I want to strictly prohibit local drowning of female babies , the sale of women, if possible, even brothels and boats are strictly prohibited."

After hearing this, Zhu Youxiao asked: "Master, it is strictly forbidden to drown baby girls and sell women. I agree; but this brothel painting boat has existed since ancient times. Shouldn't it be safer?"

Zhang Haogu got up and bowed: "Your Majesty, what I said is not out of spite, but the result of careful consideration."

"Take the example of folk drowning baby girls and selling women. Folks value sons over girls, because boys can provide for the elderly, and girls end up marrying other people's homes, which is just the water thrown out and unable to provide for the elderly."

"But Your Majesty, there can't be only men in this world. If girls are drowned and women are sold in Daming, there will be fewer and fewer folk girls and more and more men. What will happen?"

"How many more males will be unable to get married in the Ming Dynasty. This is not to break the inheritance of each family, but to break the inheritance of the Han family."

"Your Majesty, can you imagine how many troubles will arise in the future when civilian men can't find women?"

"At present, the imperial court divides the land evenly. The reason why the land is distributed according to the population of each family is also out of such considerations. It is not allowed to prevent the civilians from drowning female babies, and the sale of women is even more unacceptable."

"Speaking of selling women, where did these women who were trafficked and sold to others by their parents go? They became concubines, child brides, and were sold to brothels to serve men when they grew up."

"Your Majesty, the case of Zuixianglou is enough to prove that this brothel is not an elegant place. On the contrary, it is full of filth. The existence of these places will do more harm than good to Daming."

"This land of smoke and willows does not pay taxes to the court, and most of them are women who were forcibly sold and robbed. These women are all in their prime. They could have married a good family and gave birth to a pair of children in their best years. Add population to the imperial court."

"Not to mention that the imperial court does not pay half of the tax, these women cannot marry, even if they get old and fade away and leave the brothel, they will not be able to give birth to children. This is the hidden population lost by the imperial court."

"The imperial court needs to develop, and the Ming Dynasty needs to be strong and prosperous. It cannot be separated from the people, and it cannot be separated from the newborn babies. The more children are born in the Ming Dynasty every year, the stronger the future of the Ming Dynasty will be."

"There are no brothels and boats in various parts of the Ming Dynasty. How many couples will there be in this place, how many newborns will be born to the Ming Dynasty, and how many talents will appear in the court in the future."

Zhu Youxiao nodded slowly: "Master said yes, these girls who are in brothels are either in their twenties or eighties or in their twenties, and they are all in their prime, just at the age of their queens. It is indeed a waste to spend time in brothels now. "

Zhang Haogu said again: "Your Majesty, in the case of the Zuixiang Tower, the main criminal behind it used the Zuixiang Tower as an unnoticed place to collude with local officials. The collusion of officials and gentry can affect the land of the three prefectures. If you talk about breaking the sky, it is a financial transaction."

"The Yangzhou skinny horse cultivated in Yangzhou is well-known in the government and the public. Whether it is an official or a gentry, having a Yangzhou skinny horse in the family seems to increase a lot of face. This status is not ordinary."

"Your Majesty, this Yangzhou skinny horse has won over so many officials and gentry, and learned so much about it. What is the meaning of the existence of this brothel?"

"The imperial court repeatedly issued orders not to allow officials to enter and leave brothels, but these officials still couldn't be stopped. It's not that they don't have wives and concubines at home. Why do they go to such a place?"

"Over time, the brothel has become a place where some officials form cliques and bribe each other. Why does this kind of place still exist?"

Zhu Youxiao couldn't help thinking about it, and Zhang Haogu said again: "Your Majesty, if there were no brothel and painting boats, the number of liberated women in this world would definitely not be a small number."

"Nearly a thousand women were rescued in Yangzhou. This is still Yangzhou. What if Jinling is a province? Would it cost tens of thousands or more? This is not counting the maids in the homes of gentry and officials."

"Extended to the entire north and south of Daming, how much should this be?"

"Isn't it the court's loss that so many women are trapped in the brothel?"

Zhu Youxiao finally made up his mind: "Master, you are right."

"There are nearly a thousand people found in Yangzhou alone, and the entire Daming, maybe hundreds of thousands?"

"With so many women, how many are voluntary and how many are forced, I was negligent."

As he said that, Zhu Youxiao looked at Zhang Haogu: "Master, you can do this matter, I have thought it through clearly. There is no need for the existence of this brothel. Let these women be liberated and placed properly. , Daming will at least have hundreds of thousands more households, and there will be millions of people in the future, this matter must be done."

Zhang Haogu saluted and said: "Your servant, take orders."

The emperor made up his mind, so Zhang Haogu could do things easily.

The next day at the regular cabinet meeting, Zhang Haogu sat at the head with a smile on his face: "Everyone, have you heard about the Yangzhou incident?"

Huang Liji caressed his beard and said: "The old man already knows about the Yangzhou incident, Yuanfu, isn't it a bit rough in handling the Yangzhou incident, and punishing the parents in front of the children, isn't it putting the children in an unfilial situation? "

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "If you don't punish severely, how can you show the power of the court's new policy? If everything cannot be controlled, will the court's policy continue to be implemented?"

"Speaking of which, Huang Xiang and Wei Xiang should pay attention to the public opinion of the gentry in the south. Which of these imperial court policies is not the result of repeated discussions among the court officials? The southern scholars and gentry have nothing to do with governing the country and assisting the government. Yes, if you don’t know the truth, it’s wrong to criticize the government rashly like this?”

Wei Guangwei said: "Yuanfu, it's just a group of young people. Young people are full of enthusiasm, worrying about the country and the people. Sometimes they are a little excited. After all, everyone came from that stage. Youthful spirit, scolding Fang Qiu. It's a good thing."

Apparently, Zhang Haogu, who was now the chief assistant of the Ming Dynasty at the age of 26, is not regarded as a young man, but as a peer, as if the experience and age of the official title also come up.

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "It's a good thing for young people to scold Fang Qiu, but young people are easy to be misled. According to the meaning of this pavilion, it is a good thing for young people to have enthusiasm, but it should be used in schoolwork, for the sake of Ming Dynasty. It is not too late to think about these things when you are successful in your studies. What do you think, Mr. Wei?"

Wei Guang nodded slightly and didn't speak any more.

Zhang Haogu continued: "Speaking of which, this pavilion is very ashamed."

"Now that the Double Ninth Festival has passed, and this year is almost at the end of the year, something like this happened."

"Think about those women who were kidnapped by the strong and sent to the place where the brothels and boats were in their prime, and then they were sent to that filthy place to waste their time. When I mentioned this to His Majesty, His Majesty was also very sad. It should have a good future, find a good husband's family, give birth to a few children, and live a stable life."

"Let's talk about the officials of Yangzhou Prefecture. When did going to the brothel become a normal official entertainment? Why doesn't this pavilion know, when did the court allow officials to go to such places?"

"The matter of Yangzhou Mansion, give us a warning. A small brothel can collude with the local government and influence the local government. Shouldn't we be vigilant about this financial transaction?"

Lu Xiangsheng immediately said: "What Yuan Fu said is that the officials of the imperial court don't want to serve as officials to benefit one party. They only think about running around, forming cliques for personal gain, indulging in wine, sex and money, ignoring local people's livelihood, and even disregarding the court's laws and regulations. This is not a severe punishment. to frighten people."

Zhang Haogu nodded: "Qiao Xiang, what do you think?"

Qiao Yunsheng was stunned for a moment, and then said: "This brothel and fence place is really harmful."

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "So, Qiao Xiang also agreed to ban brothels and Goulan and other places where flesh and blood are traded?"

Qiao Yunsheng was dumbfounded: "Huh?"

Not to mention Qiao Yunsheng, Huang Liji and Wei Guangwei were dumbfounded.

What is Zhang Haogu going to do?
He wants to ban Daming's brothel Goulan?
Does he know how many brothels there are in this place?
How close is the relationship between these brothel and Goulan places and the local government gentry?
Can this be cancelled?
Huang Liji quickly said: "Yuanfu, you need to be cautious about this matter."

"Since the existence of this brothel, there must be a reason for it, and it is closely related to the local livelihood. If it is abolished rashly, it will be easy to pull out a pus, and I am afraid that there is still flesh and blood in it."

Zhang Haogu said sternly: "Because of this, it is necessary to pull it out as soon as possible, isn't it?"

"Right now, it's connected to flesh and blood, isn't it just connected to muscles, bones, and viscera?"

"As for the fact that brothels are closely related to local livelihoods, this pavilion does not agree. This is the dossier of the Yangzhou Mansion case. Everyone, please take a look."

Huang Zongxi and Gu Yanwu distributed the dossiers to Huang Liji, Wei Guangwei, Zhang Ruitu, Lu Xiangsheng, and Qiao Yunsheng. Zhang Haogu took a sip of tea slowly: "Huang Xiang can see how bad the Yangzhou case is." !"

"A Zuixiang Building actually controls the people's livelihood of the three prefectures. The local government doesn't even know the imperial government's decree, and the people fear it like a tiger. If this brothel is so closely related to the local people's livelihood, then it is our fault!"

"Everyone may wish to take a look at how many girls have been kidnapped and sold in this Zuixianglou. These women should have been married to increase the population of Ming Dynasty, but they were trapped in the brothel, wasting their time, and this Zuixianglou every year. Earn that huge amount of money, have you ever paid a tax to the court? All of it was used to bribe the local government!"

"Looking at the leopard in the tube, it can be seen that it is normal, this Yangzhou is like this, Huang Xiang, do you dare to say that other places are not like this?"

"Nearly a thousand women are trapped in Yangzhou alone. How many innocent women should be trapped in the brothels and Goulan in the provinces of Ming Dynasty?"

"Only these innocent women, how many households can Huang Xiang add to Daming?"

"If you don't ban brothels, let them continue to rob and sell women, causing the court to lose household registration and taxation?"

"Or, what connection does Huang Xiang have with it?"

Huang Liji became anxious when he heard it: "Yuanfu, the truth has been kept clean all his life, how can he have anything to do with such a dirty place!"

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "Don't be anxious, Prime Minister Huang, there is no connection between Prime Minister Huang and this place, this pavilion must believe it."

"Speaking of which, don't the sages also like brothels and hooks? If so, why can't they be banned? After all, these places are full of filth. How many innocent women have been kidnapped to these places, and how many people have lost their children. , how many lovers have lost their families?"

"Huang Xiangzhai has a kind heart, so it doesn't mean that the people are suffering, right?"

Huang Liji was speechless, he was saying, I am afraid that the reputation among the people should become infamy.

Zhang Haogu looked at Wei Guangwei again: "What's your opinion, Prime Minister Wei?"

Wei Guangwei said: "Yuan Fu, it is not an easy task to ban brothels. These brothels are spread all over the prefectures and counties of Ming Dynasty, and they are ordinary entertainment places for the common people, and there are so many people in Ming Dynasty who make a living from them. , I am afraid that something will happen to the people."

Zhang Haogu said: "This pavilion naturally takes these into consideration."

"This brothel Goulan, this pavilion plans to ban it in batches, gradually from north to south."

"The first step is to ban all the places in the north of the Ming Dynasty, Jiangnan, and Hubei. These places are full of dogs and dogs, and they hide filth. They should be banned first, followed by brothels."

"In the future, brothels and Goulan will not be allowed to exist in the territory of Ming Dynasty. People want to entertain, there are theaters and teahouses, how much does the theater and teahouse consume at a time, and how much does the brothel goulan consume at a time, the people still can't figure it out?"

"As for the livelihood of the rescued women, the cabinet and the Ministry of Household Affairs will make arrangements. At present, the imperial court is promoting the improvement of women's status and encouraging women to go out to work. These women are liberated and can just work. Silk reeling, weaving, embroidery... so much work, the total Those who can accommodate these women."

"Even if these are not enough, there is still a medical center. The imperial court is training more doctors. This woman is always delicate and studies pharmacology. In the future, she can be a local doctor or a doctor in the army."

"If these are not enough, the factories of the imperial court also need manpower, the cafeterias of various government offices, the logistics kitchens of the army also need manpower, as well as theaters, teahouses, and accountants in inns. I don't believe it. The Ming Dynasty can't accommodate hundreds of thousands of women."

As he said that, Zhang Haogu looked at the ministers in the cabinet: "From now on, the imperial court ordered that the local yamen be banned immediately, and the brothel boats will be strictly inspected to verify the roster of personnel, and new brothel boats are strictly prohibited from appearing. The existing brothel boats must be Take its personnel to the hospital for physical examination to ensure the health of those women."

"In the next few years, brothel painting will be gradually banned!"