After being exiled, I led my whole family to rebel.

Chapter 344 Finale
However, Fang Ningmo said, "But your majesty, what if there are orphans and widows who are short of manpower at home and really need someone to take care of them? Well, for example, in my family, almost everyone in my family goes out to work, and there are only two elderly people at home, my grandparents. If we don't leave one or two loyal servants to take care of them... we will not feel at ease..."

Feng Er laughed at her, "Could it be that Miss Fang can't afford the two taels of silver for the slave tax?"

"It's not two taels of silver. I'm just talking about my situation. I think since it's not a one-size-fits-all approach, we have to analyze the specific situation. My family has many people working, so we don't have to worry about the slave tax. But what if the family burden is heavier, only one person goes out to work, and the family is full of elderly and weak people who need slaves to take care of them?"

This sentence made everyone look thoughtful.

Xu Zhenying smiled and said, "This is simple. It's just abolishing the human trafficking, not really prohibiting ordinary people from hiring helpers. You can destroy the indenture and sign a labor contract, right? It's similar to restaurants and inns, where you don't sell your body, you only sell your labor. Both the buyer and the seller make a two-way choice."

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Feng Er praised sincerely: "Your Highness is really resourceful. In this way, the slaves will be free, and it will not affect those who really need help."

Everyone praised for a while.

Xu Zhenying raised his hand and said, "Okay, stop flattering me. The maid issue is relatively simple. The difficult part is how to eliminate the three types of human trafficking: prostitutes in brothels, concubines, and child brides."

Xu Yinxi said, "Your Majesty, can't you use the same method as the slave tax to raise the taxes on brothels? Once the taxes are high, the madams will make less money, and naturally they won't be able to continue their prostitution business."

The woman's face turned pale and she immediately stood up to protest, "No. When taxes are high, the prostitutes will suffer. The madams will not lose a penny. They will just squeeze the girls to pay taxes. They may even entertain dignitaries during the day and send them to low-class brothels at night. They will do any business with men who work as laborers at the docks, butchers at the market, and sailors, until the girls have no money left."

The woman's words made the girls in the room change their expressions slightly.

Especially Xu Yinxi.

She made another fatal mistake.

A policymaker, without fully understanding the situation of the policy beneficiaries, adopted the most brutal and direct approach and made a policy on the spur of the moment.

If this decree is implemented, how many girls who are already struggling to survive will be harmed by Xu Yinxi.

She was so self-righteous, so high and mighty, so detached from the masses——

Xu Yinxi's face turned red, she was embarrassed and ashamed.

The other girls looked reluctant.

Feng Er said, "In the past, the trend of visiting brothels was prevalent. It was nothing more than the scholars who regarded this as a romantic affair. In the past, it was a patriarchal society, so they naturally didn't pay attention to the suffering of prostitutes. Many people even thought that this was a way out, at least the prostitutes didn't die of cold or starvation. But now we are a new dynasty, and we absolutely cannot allow such exploitation to exist! Even if we don't use the method of collecting taxes, we can think of other ways!"

The other girls also nodded, "Since it has become a trend before, let's put an end to it now."

Qian Zhenniang pondered for a moment, "Instead of collecting heavy taxes... we can also use soft means. For example, restrict our officials from visiting brothels. Anyone who visits brothels will be regarded as a model of not being upright in body and mind. We can put a stop to their assessments."

Xu Yinxi said, "It is a method, but this measure will inevitably cause opposition from male officials. His Majesty once said that if the majority of people oppose it, it will not be an easy decree to implement. It will encounter various obstacles during its implementation, especially at the local level."

"That's right. The quality of a decree is not determined by its original intention, but by whether it can be implemented through layers of tests and achieve satisfactory results. Including officials' personal lives in the assessment will encounter some resistance. Why not turn the assessment into a proposal? We can draft a proposal, referring to the three prohibitions of 'no drinking, no visiting prostitutes, and no gambling' in the military before, and we can also further refine it and move it to the entire officialdom."

Someone immediately chimed in: "For example, don't accept invitations to dinner from interested parties!"

"One man and one wife, no concubines."

"What if it is violated?"

"Your assessment will not be blocked, but there is no hope for promotion. Over time, someone will naturally come to their senses. As the saying goes, if the superior likes something, the subordinates will follow it. If you still can't figure out the direction of the court at this time, there is no need to promote you."

"But if that's the case, Your Majesty, if you want to abolish slavery and achieve true equality between men and women, won't it take more than a decade?"

Xu Zhenying laughed, "Do you really want to achieve it all at once? The people's ideas are deeply rooted and cannot be changed overnight. We can only work slowly."

Xu Yinxi also laughed, "If officials and scholars don't go to brothels, then we can really stop the brothel business from flourishing."

Feng Er said: "Not only that, we also have to tighten control over brothels and other places where trouble is likely to occur. For example, we should focus on checking accounts and patrolling. I don't believe they can still do it with such a blunt knife!"

"That's right. We should also encourage brothels to transform themselves. If they can't do the flesh trade, wouldn't it be good to run a restaurant or an inn? If there is a sober madam who is willing to cooperate with the court and transform the brothel and let the prostitutes become good people, we will publicize it in the newspapers and let the owners of other brothels know that the wind has changed now and they should actively pursue progress and get closer to the court."

"That's one way. But what if there are some stubborn people who refuse to change their ways?"

"Then follow the method just now. Check taxes every month and have patrol soldiers go to brothels every month. Over time, which brothel can withstand such a torment? We are the imperial court, so we have to be tougher. Otherwise, those who take advantage of loopholes will do bad things and make a lot of money. Those kind and unfortunate people who abide by the rules will not have a good ending."

The woman said, "Yes, although we don't advocate fighting violence with violence, sometimes violence is a shortcut to achieve the goal and can save a lot of administrative costs."

Xu Zhenying raised his eyebrows and couldn't help looking at the woman. Zhou Houfang beside him observed her expression and immediately said, "This person's name is Du Yuehua. She was born in Yangzhou. She was admitted to the Jinzhou government two years ago. She looks gentle, but she speaks and acts very strongly. She became the head of the department in two years. It is said that her subordinates are very convinced of her."

"Born as a skinny guy?" Xu Zhenying raised his eyebrows slightly, but he understood in his heart. No wonder when the matter of rectifying the brothel was mentioned just now, this Lord Du seemed a little emotional and his methods seemed a little extreme.

It turns out that birds of a feather flock together.

Xu Zhenying was also very pleased.

There are prostitutes among the Chinese officialdom, which fully demonstrates the open atmosphere in the officialdom.

But it also shows that Mr. Du is definitely an important figure.

As a former prostitute who became a female official one day, this story must be full of thrills and humiliation.

Xu Zhenying couldn't help but look up to Du Yuehua.

"Okay, let Lord Du take care of the banning of brothels. You can go and test the waters for now, but don't be too harsh. We are here to save those prostitutes, not to make enemies for ourselves. We will try to gradually eliminate the practice of visiting prostitutes within five years, and don't forget to follow up when legislation is enacted next year or the year after. We must protect the rights of these poor women."

Xu Zhenying made the decision at the exchange meeting. Du Yuehua was very surprised and immediately expressed her gratitude.

"There is one last tricky thing, and that is taking concubines. This custom has lasted for nearly a thousand years. Not only are men accustomed to it, but women also see it as a way out. If we want to achieve true equality between men and women, we must promote monogamy, but the resistance we will encounter will be unprecedentedly great."

Someone asked in confusion: "Why?"

Xu Yinxi smiled and explained for Xu Zhenying: "Because we have to be mentally prepared, that is, it is not only men who oppose monogamy, but also many women. Especially women who have become concubines."

Feng Er said, "That's right. According to the latest demographic report from the Ministry of Statistics, among our tens of millions of people, women account for 58.7%. Of course, under natural conditions, the ratio of men to women should be close to half and half. But in the past, the Great Zhou Dynasty fought wars year after year, and many men died in the wars, so the number of women increased. Among them, there were millions who became concubines out of necessity. We have to consider the rights and interests of these people."

Some people below don’t understand.

How many women in this world really want to be concubines? Which one is not forced to do so for a living?
Now that they are able to stand up and live uprightly, why are there still people opposing this?

But on second thought, it made sense.

They have already become concubines, and their fate cannot be changed. If monogamy is rashly implemented, what will happen to these concubines?
But when it comes to monogamy, the girls in the room naturally agree with it wholeheartedly.

Because the people in this conference room are either unmarried girls or married women.

Girls naturally don’t want their husbands to have three wives and four concubines, not to mention that they are the “new women” mentioned in the newspapers today, that is, women who can go out to work and have a career to support themselves.

They thought that they were capable of supporting themselves and they were officials, so why should they force themselves to share a husband with other women?
The women were even more in favor of it. After all, who wants to have one more person in the family?
When these women become officials, their status naturally rises in both their natal and in-laws' families, so they naturally act and speak more assertively.

If their husbands dare to take concubines, she will divorce them!

Anyway, she is an official of the imperial court. When she gets old, the imperial court will take care of her. Why should she put herself in such a difficult position?

Someone else asked, "Can't we just legislate to promote 'monogamy'?" Xu Zhenying said, "Legislation can only come later. In fact, the fundamental reason for this is that most women are not capable of being self-reliant, so they can only rely on men for their livelihood. In addition, women used to have a low status, and if there was a family that was short of money and food, they would have to sell their daughters first. As long as poverty is not eliminated, as long as women are not educated, and as long as they are not able to stand on their own feet, rashly legislating to promote monogamy will only force girls to embark on another dead end."

The women in the room were naturally deeply touched.

"Your Majesty is kindhearted and considerate. The past cannot be reversed, we can only find ways to avoid it in the future."

"Yes. That's what I thought."

Xu Zhenying never used words like "I" or "I" when speaking. When meeting with his subordinates, he would always address them as "you and I". He would not allow his subordinates to belittle themselves, and would often address them as "your humble servant" or "your subordinate". At first, people were not used to this kind of address, but gradually, under their forceful push, they seemed to gradually notice the subtle changes in the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

"What I think is that we should naturally open women's colleges first, so that women can have the ability to settle down and make a living. We should also vigorously create an atmosphere for women to go out and work, whether it is software or hardware..."

Everyone here looked at Xu Zhenying in confusion.

Even veterans like Xu Yinxi and Qian Zhenniang do not understand the words "hardware" and "software".

Xu Zhenying had no choice but to say, "It means creating an atmosphere where women can stand up on their own, and policymakers must create a soil suitable for them to stand up on their own in terms of laws and morals. Otherwise, if there is no system to protect them, no policy will be implemented."

Xu Yinxi nodded, "That is to say, our customs should be further relaxed, and the laws should be gradually improved so that girls dare to go out, dare to be independent, and be self-reliant. For example, in our Jinzhou Prefecture, the girls did not dare to go out at the beginning, but later they caught a few hooligans and punished them severely. In addition, the patrol team kept moving around, so the girls dared to go out anytime and anywhere."

"Let's talk about concubines. I think a different path should be drawn. Those born before this year can use the old method. But the rights of illegitimate children will not be protected. How much of the family property the illegitimate child gets is entirely up to the couple to decide. After this year, no rights of illegitimate children will be recognized, which means that it will be clearly stipulated that those who are not born by the legitimate mother will not get a penny. Most concubines only hope to give birth to a child to consolidate their favor or to provide for their old age. Now that this last path has been cut off by us, I'm sure no girl would be willing to be a concubine."

Feng Er smiled and said, "Your Majesty's move is like cutting off the firewood from under the cauldron. Now even if there are girls who are willing to degenerate or are born lazy, they will be forced to do things on their own."

"Girls like this are a minority after all. We can't let a few bad apples spoil the whole pot of soup. We can't let these people drag down the girls who really want to stand on their own."

"Your Majesty is right."

Therefore, in the fourth month after Xu Zhenying took over the city of Bianliang, he launched a massive rectification movement.

The six "no's" initiative she issued, "no gambling, no visiting prostitutes, no drinking, no accepting banquets from interested parties, no doing business, and no competing with ordinary people for profits," was circulated across the country, drawing cheers from women.

Especially for the female officials, gambling, visiting prostitutes and drinking had little to do with them. As female officials, they were already in a weak position in official circles. Especially when the superiors came to receive them, they were always persuaded to drink.

But how could a drunk woman be inappropriate? Even if they were officials, a drunk woman would always attract attention and lead to bad speculation.

The reason why they took the civil service examination was, firstly, to look good, and secondly, they really wanted to make a career.

It’s not for drinking with Shangfeng!
If they run into a crooked superior who reveals his true colors after a little drinking, they will be unable to express their grievances in silence.

And those who like to go to brothels after drinking, how can the female clerks accompany them? Even if they do a good job in the previous work, they will inevitably be taken advantage of by their male colleagues at this time.

Male colleagues accompanied their superiors to drink a few more glasses and then went to a brothel. What couldn't they say? What couldn't they do? What relationships couldn't they smooth over?
This is also the reason why male colleagues are always promoted faster than female colleagues at the grassroots level.

Your Majesty's move can be said to have helped many female officials at the grassroots level to relieve their burdens.

The female clerks at the grassroots level rushed around to tell each other, wishing they could tell more people the good news immediately, while at the same time they silently admired His Majesty's wisdom.

This was like a bolt from the blue. Not only did the officials make demands, but the entire officialdom was shaken.

This is even more true among the people.

Because Your Majesty implemented a "slave tax", the people were in an uproar.

Nowadays, the people of Bianjing City have gradually developed the habit of visiting the dozens of bulletin boards under the imperial city every day to see if there is any new news.

Those who know how to read policies can often find many business opportunities in them.

However, this time the "slave tax" still caused an uproar.

Early in the morning, every bulletin board was crowded with people.

The notice was written in the form of text and pinyin, and this writing style was maintained in the city of Bianjing for a long time, in order to let more people know the latest developments in the country.

Although universal education in Bianjing City was still in its infancy, many people had already learned pinyin in advance, so the number of ordinary people in Bianjing City who could read notices increased a lot compared to before.

"Oh my God, this slave has to pay two taels of silver in tax per year. Five taels per person per year for more than five people. Ten taels per person per year for more than ten people - this... this... who can afford to keep slaves..."

"That's right! It only costs two or three taels of silver to buy a slave. Even if it's more expensive, it's only five or six taels of silver. Now, not only do we give them monthly wages, but we also have to pay taxes! And this tax is too heavy. Look, it says here that it's every year, right?"

"Yes, every year. Who can afford this... Isn't it said that His Majesty is kind-hearted and benevolent? How could he impose such heavy taxes as soon as he came to power?"

"Oh, old man, didn't you see? The grain tax is low this year, so we farmers can breathe a sigh of relief. If we are not taxed, then we have to tax others, right? I think it's good. After all, those who keep slaves and maids are all wealthy families, and they have plenty of money. I think your majesty is doing a good job. In the future, we have to collect taxes from those who are rich! We ordinary people have worked hard to farm for a lifetime, and we don't have many copper coins. If the tax is heavy, we can't survive. These masters and mistresses call slaves and maids and live a life of luxury, so they have to pay more taxes!"

"That's right! They earn so much money, they should pay taxes!"

"Yes, anyway, our family can't afford to keep slaves. Only the wealthy families can afford to keep slaves. We, the common people, don't need to worry about these wealthy families!"

"That's right. It's written here that human trafficking is not encouraged. People are not animals and cannot be bought and sold at will. In the past, families sold their children because they were poor and couldn't make ends meet. Now our China is not the Zhou Dynasty. No matter how poor you are, you will not go hungry. Even if you are at the worst, you can go to an orphanage. Those who still sell their children must be hoping to get rich, and they have no good intentions!"

An old woman immediately burst into tears, "Then... then does the notice say what to do with the girls who have been sold? Can they still go home? My eldest daughter, her family was so poor that they had to eat tree bark, and my younger brother was seriously ill. My eldest daughter was sensible and sold herself to a wealthy family as a maid, so that my family didn't die out... Over the years, we have asked people everywhere, but we don't know where her family has moved to. I have no other wish in this life, except to meet my eldest daughter once--"

Someone sympathized and said, "Auntie, don't worry. Our emperor is a kind-hearted man. Didn't he let all the maids and eunuchs in the palace leave the palace? I see that the slave tax is so heavy that many families can't afford to support them. Maybe your daughter is one of them. You might as well go back and clean up your hometown. If your daughter is released, she will definitely come back to look for you."

"Hey, hey, hey, can we write a proposal to your majesty? In the past, there were many people who sold their children in the Great Zhou Dynasty. If we really collect taxes like this, I'm afraid many slaves will be released. People from all over the country have moved away because of wars, plagues, etc., so they won't be able to find anyone when they go back. We can suggest that your majesty set up some service points to give some guidance to those who are released back home, just like the previous dismissal of the palace servants, forming a team for those in the west and a team for those in the south, so that it is convenient and safe for them to go home together."

The old woman was obviously a little scared. "I...I...I dare not go to see His Majesty..."

"Auntie, you don't need to see His Majesty. There is a reception office in the palace... oh no... over at the government hall. I think you can't read, so just tell the receptionist what you think and put your fingerprint on it, and His Majesty will know it soon."

The old woman was even more frightened when she heard this. "How can I do this? If I give advice to the emperor, I will be beaten to a pulp... or even have dozens of sticks... I dare not..."

"Oh, Auntie, that's not popular now! That's from the old dynasty, it's not like that in our new dynasty! Every day people go to the reception desk at the entrance of the palace to give their opinions, and it's said that if the opinions are adopted, they will be given rice!"

"Is there such a thing?"

"Really! It is said that His Majesty encourages us to give suggestions, especially those targeting corrupt officials. Anyone who provides clues will be rewarded when the corrupt officials' houses are raided in the future."

The old woman said in horror: "Then...then...aren't you afraid of retaliation?"

"What are you afraid of? Minister Zhao of the Inspection Department is very capable. If you are afraid, just run to the courtyard of the Inspection Department. After all, the Inspection Department is an independent department and reports directly to His Majesty. They won't kill people in broad daylight in the Inspection Department."

"Oh my God." The old woman covered her chest with her hands. Although she was worried about her eldest daughter, she still shook her head, thinking that the people in Bianjing City were crazy.

This is too courageous.

Don’t these people know the principle of officials protecting each other?
You are living a good life now, why should you make things difficult for the officials?

However, this massive movement to liberate slaves still began -

The finale

There are two or three more extra chapters later——

I hope you won't think the ending is too hasty. The framework of this book is too big, and the performance is not good. I only make two or three hundred yuan a month. The editor has always suggested cutting the text, so I dare not write many branch stories too much, but I never give up! Finally, I did not disappoint the little cuties who followed me and completed a 160 million-word novel. Zhou Zhou also thanks all readers for their tolerance and support!
The new book next door, "The Prince's White Moonlight is Reborn Again" in the Rebirth and Revenge series, has been fattened up, don't miss it if you pass by!