The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 259 Good people rarely achieve great things

After successfully persuading Zhu Yuanzhang, Chen Jingke breathed a long sigh of relief, and then felt a strong sense of joy and accomplishment.

This was not the first time he persuaded Zhu Yuanzhang, but it was definitely the most difficult and uncertain one.

The topic this time seems to arise from the employee security system, but in fact the core is to loosen the constraints of the people.

People are generally reluctant to leave their hometowns. Firstly, they are restricted by court laws, and secondly, they have no support at all if they leave their hometown.

A very cruel reality is that in ancient times, refugees were not considered human beings.

No one is willing to leave their hometown until they are desperate.

Now that the imperial court has given legal protection to "refugees", it will stimulate some people to migrate in disguise.

Allowing population movement, something unthinkable in ancient times.

In the past, his reforms seemed radical, but in fact, similar things can be found in history for reference.

If an outsider commits a crime, the general target can be identified by asking if there are any outsiders.

It is unrealistic to completely lift restrictions and allow people to move freely.

Business has always been the target of suppression, and the policy of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business has been implemented for thousands of years.

Rather than saying it was successful lobbying, it was better to say it was a reflection of Zhu Yuanzhang's trust in him.

It is very difficult to convince him to do something completely contrary to his own knowledge.

It's a very simple truth. In a society of acquaintances, everyone knows who has committed a crime.

Again, Zhu Yuanzhang is a very stubborn person, and few people can change his mind.

He knew the disadvantages of vassalage very well, but he still insisted on doing it.

Fortunately, the final result did not disappoint him.

This is the kind of education Zhu Yuanzhang received since he was a child. When he grew up, he read and learned, and the management experience he learned was all of this type.

The Ming Dynasty is stuck in its ways, and the West will continue to do so.

Zhu Yuanzhang was willing to believe his words due to the exhaustive strategies in the past and the positive effects brought about by various reforms.

Although it was difficult to escape the fate of people being exterminated and the government dying in the end, it also set a good example for the world.

Next, Chen Jingke, Zhu Biao and Zhu Xiongying discussed how to loosen the bonds of the people and how to formulate an employee protection law.

In order to convince Zhu Yuanzhang, he thought for a long time before sorting out two lines from the fragmented information of history.

Zhu Yuanzhang himself could see the benefits of changing the course of the Yellow River.

Doing so will cause extremely serious social security problems, so restrictions must be relaxed conditionally.

Anyone who knows his history knows how stubborn Zhu Yuanzhang is.

The issuance of road guides has been relaxed in various places, but people are required to explain the reason for leaving their hometown and their destination.

His heart has been occupied by this kind of thinking, which is difficult to change.

But today, Chen Jingke went against the norm and put forward various detailed suggestions on the management of floating personnel.

Either you can foresee the good and the bad, or you can borrow some experience from your predecessors.

Based on previous experience, they finalized the general framework and left the details to the people below to improve.

The new policy of Baochao is an improvement of the Baochao system.

If you don’t want to be beaten again, you have to take the initiative to pursue it.

If you want to convince him, it doesn't depend on whether your words are correct or not, but on whether he is willing to listen to you.

However, there is no precedent for the business alliance plan and the relaxation of restrictions on ordinary people, and it goes against the experience left by history.

Dividing a small family into an acre may seem radical, but in fact it is not particularly new.

In the end, we can only make a fuss about the road guide.

Restricting the movement of people can not only prevent people from gathering to rebel, but also alleviate public security problems to a certain extent.

Moreover, the benefits of spreading the land from one person to another are foreseeable.

Industrialization is a historical trend that is unstoppable.

And this is very important to Chen Jingke.

After people arrive at their destination, they have to go to the local government office to apply for a temporary residence certificate.

He didn't know if he could succeed, but he always had to give it a try.

Although it is still a bit cumbersome, it is already a staged improvement compared to before.

However, he also knew that the real reason that convinced Zhu Yuanzhang was his past performance.

If we want to industrialize, we must develop industry and commerce, and we must loosen the constraints on people.

To be radical, it would be Emperor Wen of Han who directly abolished agricultural taxes.

The same is true for most other New Deals.

Although the poll tax has never been officially abolished, good governance such as "exempting a certain area from the tax" has happened countless times in the past dynasties.

For example, all temporary residence permits must be free. If there is a fee, the yamen will arrest people from all over the place to apply for temporary residence permits.

"Others who are just passing through their jurisdiction may be caught and apply for a temporary residence permit."

"When a person goes out, he may be forced to apply for several temporary residence permits."

This situation is most likely to occur in big cities.

Don't ask how Chen Jingke knew it, it was all the tears of the times.

But in the eyes of Zhu Yuanzhang and the others, Chen Jingke should have been preparing this plan for a long time, otherwise he would not have considered it so carefully.

Chen Jingke did not explain. It was completely unnecessary. This misunderstanding would be good for everyone.

When we discuss the employee protection system later, the situation is similar.

The imperial court issued a slave contract before. Although it was very simple and only contained about ten clauses, it also ensured the most basic rights of slaves to a certain extent.

What Zhu Biao originally thought was to learn from this slave contract and come up with some terms.

But Chen Jingke soon told him what true fineness meant.

For example, regarding the arrears of wages, Chen Jingke proposed dozens of loopholes so that employees could not get a penny.

There are also various fines that can even make employees pay back money.

Zhu Biao couldn't help but marveled at his delicacy again.

Zhu Xiongying looked admiring: "Jing Ke, if you were in business, you would definitely be the biggest profiteer in the world."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was gloomy. The various situations Chen Jingke imagined reminded him of his boyhood.

The whole family worked for the landlord's family. They worked hard every day and were criticized for all kinds of faults.

I promised to take care of the food, but the food provided was comparable to swill, and I still didn't want to eat too much.

As for wages...

Hehe, you should thank me for giving you the opportunity to work, and you still want wages?
What's even more sad is that what they said is still right.

Later, the landlord's family had no food left, so he fired both his parents.

Then his parents and brothers all starved to death.

Thinking of the grief, his lips trembled and his eyes turned red.

This time, Zhu Biao, Zhu Xiongying and Chen Jingke were frightened. What happened to this old man?

Before they could ask, Zhu Yuanzhang said in a tone that left no room for doubt:

"We must formulate this employment law for us. The more detailed and complete it is, the better."

"Whoever dares to violate this law will be severely punished."

Zhu Biao knew his father well, and he had already guessed the reason from these words, and solemnly said: "Don't worry, Dad, I will definitely enact this law."

Later, Chen Jingke also knew the reason and couldn't help but feel happy.

In an imperial society, if a law resonates with the emperor and he is an emperor with real power, it will definitely be implemented.

Before, he was worried that the employment law would become a piece of waste paper, but now he no longer has this worry at all.
-
At dusk, after finishing his official duties, Zhu Yuanzhang came to Kunning Palace with his hands behind his back.

Queen Ma, who was having her meal, joked: "Hey, you shouldn't stay at my place tonight, right? Aren't you afraid that your beauty will be angry?"

Although he said this, he directed the waiter to bring the spare tableware.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer, but waved all the waiters to exit.

Queen Ma knew immediately that something big was going on and put down the bowls and chopsticks in her hands.

After all the servants left, he said, "You four have been in Qianqing Palace for most of the day today, but what trouble did Jing Ke make?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and took out a roll of paper from his sleeve: "You will know after taking a look."

Queen Ma took it and felt that it was very heavy. There were at least twenty or thirty pieces of paper.

I couldn't help but be a little surprised. Although Chen Jingke often lectured, he rarely taught so much content at once.

Even the imperial plan is not half as big as this.

What on earth did we talk about today that contains so much content?
Thinking like this, she unfolded the paper in her hand and looked down.

The handwriting is very familiar, it belongs to the eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying.

But she didn't care about it and started reading the text directly.

Zhu Yuanzhang picked up his chopsticks and ate honestly and politely.

He deliberately came here with a meal order in order to eat.

There was food elsewhere, but who told him not to be curious about it?

Just this one.

The more Queen Ma looked, the more shocked she became.

centralization? human rights? Relax population restrictions and allow people to move?
Chen Jingke's thinking is indeed different from ordinary people.

But then she showed a real expression:

"From the time he proposed the empire plan, I have been thinking about how he would solve this problem because industrial and commercial development requires a large population."

"Now it's time for Tuqiongdajian."

Zhu Yuanzhang swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "It's just that his Dukang map is a bit long, and we all got caught in it."

Empress Ma was not surprised at all: "He never fights a battle that he is not sure of. Now that he has taken action, it means he is sure to convince you."

"But he actually persuaded you from this perspective, which is really beyond my expectation."

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "It seems to be true...Actually, we are not persuaded by his logic, but believe in him."

Queen Ma naturally understood what he meant and said:

"His ideals can be summed up in two. One is to make Chinese civilization more powerful, and the other is to make people's lives easier."

"All previous policies were also centered on these two goals."

"And he has never concealed his thoughts..."

"Unsurprisingly, the Empire Plan should be his ultimate goal."

"To this end, he spent more than five years proving his ability."

"It is also appropriate to give him some special trust."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and suddenly sighed: "What impressed me more deeply is that he never forgets his original intention."

"How many people made great ambitions when they were poor, and how they will do what they want when they become prosperous in the future."

"But when that day comes, I turn around and forget all the vows I made in the past, including us."

"After becoming the emperor, we have only one thought in our mind, which is to safeguard the country and the country of Ming Dynasty."

"The common people are just slaves of our Zhu family. It's enough to have them stutter."

"I have completely forgotten how difficult it was for our family back then."

"I even forgot how we prayed to God when we were in the most difficult times."

"But today Chen Jingke taught us a good lesson. He has never changed from beginning to end."

Queen Ma nodded first, and then said with some confusion:
"This is also the strangest thing to me. His family has been practicing medicine for generations. Although they are not rich, they are not poor either."

"He was born after the founding of the Ming Dynasty and lived in Yingtian City, the richest city since he was a child."

"You shouldn't be so understanding of the sufferings of the people, so why do you have such a compassionate character?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "There are too many mysteries about him, which I can't figure out clearly."

"As long as we know that he can be used by Ming Dynasty, that's enough."

Empress Ma affirmed: "He is too pure. If someone else has such ability, I would not trust him."

"But he just can't be suspected."

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "I feel relieved about him because he is too kind. This kind of character cannot achieve big things."

Queen Ma nodded.

To be able to be the founding emperor, neither of the couple is good at each other, and they understand this better than anyone else.

Chen Jingke's character would not survive three days in troubled times.

This is one of the reasons why they feel comfortable using him.

Seeing that the topic was about to go off track, Zhu Yuanzhang took action to pull it back:

"We are still a little worried about relaxing population restrictions. Please analyze for us whether it is feasible."

Queen Ma did not answer, but stood up and went to the head of the bed, taking away the pillow to reveal a wooden board.

Push the wooden board away, and there is another wooden board underneath, but this wooden board has a keyhole.

Take off the key from your body and open it. Below is a one-foot-square space with a small box inside.

He took out the box and opened it. It was full of similar papers, as many as half a box.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked over and said, "Are there so many? When will we compile these into a book and pass them on to future generations?"

Queen Ma put the roll of paper in her hand and said, "How can I have time to sort this out now? Let's wait until you abdicate."

"Besides, many of Jing Ke's ideas still need time to be verified as true or false. There is no rush."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Over the past few years, we have pondered his words when we had time, and we have benefited a lot."

"However, some of the content is indeed dangerous, and we have been hesitant to make changes."

Queen Ma locked the box and said, "What's the point of changing it or not? Don't forget your good grandson. The final decision rests with him."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled bitterly and said: "It's true, that's all, we won't worry about it anymore."

"Just organize it according to his original intention, and then pass it on to your good grandson."

"If you want to change it, let it go how you want to change it."

Queen Ma hid the box and said with a smile, "That's right."

"But we can't do anything. We can write down what we have learned throughout our lives and pass it on in books."

"Future generations will believe whatever they want to believe."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly and said: "This idea is exactly what we want. When we abdicate, we will write a book."

(End of this chapter)