Su He looked at this special factory building in front of him.
Inside the factory are young female workers, who look to be twelve or thirteen years old.
At first glance, it was densely packed, with more than 500 people in total.
The textile machines they use are much smaller ones.
Under the guidance of several female stewards, they stood in front of the loom and weaved cloth.
Su He did not expect that the largest textile factory in the Dahua Dynasty would use a large number of child labor.
This benchmark factory uses a lot of child labor.
From this we can deduce that child labor should be common in Dahua Dynasty factories.
Yang Wencai saw Emperor Su He suddenly angry. He looked confused. He didn't know what taboo this situation violated?
He immediately knelt on the ground, waiting for Emperor Su He's punishment.
Yang Wencai didn't even know what was wrong, and he couldn't even find a way to defend himself.
The accompanying officials were also confused. They looked at the scene in front of them. This was a normal situation. They didn't quite understand why Emperor Su He was angry.
Su He suddenly got angry, and he blamed himself a little.
The people of the Great China Dynasty were still too poor. If they had enough food to send their children to school safely, they would not be sent to factories.
After he got angry, he saw the behavior of civil and military officials and Yang Wencai, and realized that the use of child labor was very common nowadays.
His moral standards are somewhat high, but the moral standards of this era are very low.
These child laborers can live a normal life, and it is not a problem for today's people.
Su He took a closer look and found that these child workers had relatively rosy complexions, and at least they had not been abused by the factory.
He glanced at Yang Wencai and said, "Get up first and introduce to me the origins of this group of child laborers."
Yang Wencai stood up and heard Emperor Su He asking these apprentices.
He didn't understand why Emperor Su He was angry.
But he explained seriously: "Your Majesty, these are apprentices recruited by the factory.
Skilled female textile workers are too scarce now, and too many textile factories have been opened recently, leaving a shortage of workers who cannot be supplemented.
Sometimes you can't recruit people even with money, and the machines sit idle in the factory, waiting for workers to come to work.
We can only train a group of female workers by bringing in the old and bringing in the new, and sign long-term contracts with them.
Among these people are a group of apprentices.
They are all teenagers who were sent to the factory by their parents to learn a technology that can support themselves.
Our factory provides food and accommodation, and we also give them one or two silver coins as wages every month.
A large factory like ours must have a sponsor when recruiting apprentices.
All apprentices are clean-blooded people and have signed good contracts with their parents.
In many places, you need to ask someone to give you an introduction fee before you can send your children to our factories as apprentices.
It's because large factories like ours never owe apprentices wages in arrears.
They can really learn a skill, and they can start working immediately after learning the skill."
Su He continued to ask: "Are these apprentices common in major factories?"
Yang Wencai said truthfully: "Your Majesty, apprenticeships are very common in technical factories.
For example, in a textile factory, the main task is to operate the machinery, which does not require much effort.
Factories that sell coolies generally do not recruit apprentices."
Su He looked serious and then asked: "How are these apprentices living in the factory? Will they die from overwork?"
When Yang Wencai heard this question, sweat continued to flow from his face, and he responded bravely: "Your Majesty, a large factory like ours pays great attention to reputation.
What we think is that we can still recruit apprentices in a few years or more than ten years.
The work intensity will be arranged based on the apprentice's situation.
In some small factories, apprentice workers are used as strong laborers, and strong laborers are used as livestock.
This will indeed cause the death of some apprentices. This kind of matter is usually resolved through negotiation between the factory owner and the parents of the apprentices, and rarely meets with the official.
It caused a large number of apprentices to become disabled and attracted the attention of the government. This was also a very troublesome matter that most factories would not do.
The chamber of commerce composed of our merchants also exercises some self-restraint, so that a large number of apprentices will never be disabled."
Yang Wencai heard Emperor Su He's question and he finally knew what the emperor was worried about?
He did not dare to lie, but when answering questions, he also told relevant situations to dispel the emperor's anger.
Yang Wencai saw that Emperor Su He's expression relaxed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Giant businessmen like them have to consider reputation when doing things.
His reputation has become bad, many things are difficult to handle, and he is easily treated like a pig by some officials.
What's more, people like them have the means to buy foreign slaves.
They can exploit these slaves and make more money for them.
In this way, there is no need to squeeze too much from the Dahua people recruited.
They, businessmen, are the best at weighing the pros and cons and will never leave any fatal clues to the government.
When Su He listened to Yang Wencai's statement, he did not listen to one side or the other, and immediately asked Zhou Fangzhi to randomly call an apprentice worker.
Liu Zhuer was called out, and she walked out nervously.
Looking at the group of people standing outside the door, she was extremely nervous and did not dare to speak.
Su He said in a soft tone: "Little girl, I'm going to ask you something. If you answer truthfully, you'll be rewarded."
Liu Zhuer looked nervous and looked back at the aunt in charge behind her.
The manager knew that these people who came were all important people. The biggest owner of the factory was all accompanying them.
She immediately comforted her: "Liu Zhu'er, please answer these adult questions truthfully.
I’m just asking you some questions, you don’t have to be afraid.”
Su He asked: "Little girl, how are you living here? Are you tired from work?"
Liu Zhuer timidly replied: "The factory provides food and accommodation. I live a good life here and I have friends to play with.
The aunt in charge also treated us very well.
Working in the factory is not too tiring, and I feel less tired than at home.
At home, we also need to cut pig grass for cooking, and we are busy from morning to night every day.”
After Liu Zhuer answered this question, she lowered her head and rubbed the corners of her clothes with both hands.
After she answered the question, she stared at the expressions of these people, not noticing the danger, and then relaxed.
Su He continued to ask: "Little girl, do you miss home? Are you willing to go home?"
When Liu Zhuer heard this question, he immediately shed tears and sobbed: "I miss my parents and younger siblings, but I can't go home.
My father said that he could not stay in the factory any longer and would get married when he returned home.
I don't want to get married so early. The sister next door got married too early and died in childbirth.
Before I went to the factory, my mother told me that there was publicity in the countryside that marrying young would lead to difficult childbirth.
I must find a way to stay in the factory and never go home."
After listening to Liu Zhuer's answer, Su He understood why these teenage apprentices came to the factory.
The most fundamental reason is that the family is poor and cannot afford to raise so many children.
Especially girls, in the eyes of many people, they are losers.
Many parents are willing to send teenage children to factories outside to earn money.
It has only been a few years since the transition from Ming Dynasty to Dahua.
These ideas have influenced the Chinese people for hundreds of years, and it cannot be changed by just a few years of propaganda.
Long-term publicity is needed, especially changes across generations.
Let the people see that their daughters can change their own destiny and feed their families through studying.
Only when people see real benefits will they change their minds.
Su He looked at the little girl's pure face and asked, "If you have the opportunity to go to school, would you like to go?"
When Liu Zhuer heard this, she had a happy expression on her face and looked at Su He with big bright eyes.
Then her bright eyes dimmed again.
"Uncle, my father said I am a loser.
The village chief grandpa said at that time that he could go to school on credit.
My father heard that he could work as an apprentice in a factory and be paid monthly.
He did not hesitate and sent me to the factory, and would not allow me to go to school at all.
I want to go to school, I want to learn and read.
The aunties in charge are all literate. I don’t want to be a worker all my life, but I also want to be the auntie in charge in the future.”
Su He looked at the little girl's expectant eyes, and his heart was touched.
Dahua Dynasty is not yet able to provide every school-age child with free access to primary school.
However, if we choose to provide some financial support to drop-out children who are talented in learning and work hard, they can still use this amount of funds to go to school.
Su He was not prepared to ask the imperial court to provide this amount of money. He was prepared to ask the royal family to provide this amount of money, which would also increase the reputation of the royal family.
He rubbed Liu Zhuer's little head and said, "You can go to school from now on. Go back and wait for the good news!"
Liu Zhuer's eyes widened and she said happily: "Is this true?"
"Really." Su He said decisively.
Su He already had a basic understanding of the situation in Tianjin Industrial Zone, and he took people out of the industrial zone.
Yang Wencai saw Emperor Su He boarding the carriage and driving away. He wiped the sweat from his head.
Accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. If anything goes wrong today, the Yang family will be doomed.
He was thinking in his mind: "I didn't expect that the biggest difficulty I encountered today would be the apprenticeship.
I wonder how much of the apprentices who have worked so hard to train will be left after going through this setback?
Fortunately, those slave laborers in Japan will not affect the normal production of the factory.
The Japanese slaves were not placed in this factory, and their living environment was even worse. This is really lucky.
The Japanese slaves worked fourteen hours in a shift, and it was difficult to manage them when they were mixed together. Unexpectedly, they escaped disaster.
It should be fine! The emperor can't uphold justice for these Japanese slaves."
Su He was on the carriage and told Zhou Fangzhi: "Old Fang, please remember this and remind me when you return to Beijing to ask the Queen to establish a scholarship fund.
Specially subsidizes people around ten years old who have learning talent.
Early-stage personnel are found among dropouts and apprentices.
If their performance is outstanding, they will continue to be subsidized. If their performance declines seriously, the funding will be stopped."
Suhe sponsors some gifted and disadvantaged children so that they can go to school and change their destiny.
He will also ask Parliament to improve relevant laws and protect the interests of apprentices.
If the factory really caused the disability of the apprentice workers, the accident can be forgiven. The factory owner who deliberately caused the accident must not pay for the accident and should be made to pay the price.
Su He took the accompanying officials and took a carriage to check into the palace in Tianjin.
After they have lunch, Su He will take them to inspect various yamen in Tianjin.
…………………………
Navy Minister Li Qingmu respectfully reported: "Your Majesty, the Third Fleet will arrive at Tianjin Port on December 18.
The Royal Navy is ready to receive His Majesty's review."
Su He nodded and said: "This is the first time the Royal Navy has held a ship review ceremony, and General Li must be prepared.
After the ship review ceremony is over, we will rush to Tangshan Prefecture, where there is the Navy’s test ship, which is the future of the Navy.”
After Li Qingmu reported the news, he took the navy personnel to Tianjin Port to prepare.
This is the first time for our navy to do something like a ship review ceremony. We must not make any mistakes.
Zhang Shengbei, the censor of Qiandu, saw Li Qingmu, the Minister of Navy, coming out.
He was allowed to meet Emperor Su He.
Zhang Shengbei took the thick memorial and walked into the study.
He saw the Emperor Su He sitting at the desk, bowed and saluted, and said: "Your Majesty, after several days of investigation, the minister has clearly investigated the corruption of officials here in Tianjin.
Officials headed by Zhao Zhengli, the prefect of Tianjin, ignored the "Dahua Law" and formed gangs. He was the main envoy of Tianjin's nest.
The largest gang in Tianjin is Zhao Zhengli's clan brother. The government and gangs collude with each other to oppress the people wantonly.
Zhao Zhengli, the prefect of Tianjin, used various methods to corrupt and win over many officials.
His methods were unable to win over high-ranking officials, but instead chose junior officials of seventh or eighth rank, including Yang Zhengfeng's master.
It was precisely because Yang Zhengfeng's master helped Zhao Zhengli and his group to cover up.
Yang Zhengfeng, the governor of Hebei, knew very little about what Zhao Zhengli and his group were doing.
According to Weichen's investigation, Zhao Zhengli used methods to win over subordinate officials.
They can even erect a yamen and turn the chief official into a puppet.
The most typical yamen is that the Criminal Bureau of Tianjin Prefecture was directly sidelined, resulting in Tianjin Prefecture's patrols losing their leadership, and they colluded with the gangs here."
When Su He heard Zhang Shengbei's story, he felt that Zhao Zhengli's case was very different from the cases he had encountered before.
He immediately asked Zhou Fangzhi to take out the memorial, and he opened it and looked at it carefully.
Zhao Zhengli's case, he thought it was just ordinary official corruption.
He did not expect that this was the nest of corruption for most officials in the Hebei Governor's Yamen.
Officials led by Zhao Zhengli continued to win over relevant officials through gangs.
Forming a circle of corrupt officials.
All major officials in the governor's yamen are basically involved in this circle, especially the yamen in Tianjin Prefecture, which are basically excluded from this circle.
Among them is the Tianjin Prefectural Procuratorate.
The various yamen arranged by Su He checked and balanced each other and completely lost their effectiveness.
In addition to Yang Zhengfeng's status being too high, various officials could only unite to exclude him.
The chief officials of other yamen did not cooperate with their actions and were all excluded from Hebei officialdom.
After Su He read it, he said angrily: "Talent, this person is really a talent. These people must be severely punished."
He personally wrote an imperial edict and handed it to Zhang Shengbei.
“Fortunately, the imperial court strictly implemented the separation of civil and military affairs, and the military did not get involved.
With my imperial edict, you mobilize the security forces to arrest all these people and bring them to prison, and destroy all gangs."
Zhang Shengbei went out carrying the imperial edict. He mobilized the security forces to arrest relevant officials and crack down on the arrogant gangs.
Su He continued to write imperial edicts, notify the capital, and dispatch officials from other places.
The officialdom here in Tianjin must undergo a major change.
At the same time, let the cabinet study this case carefully and come up with solutions to prevent other places from making the same mistakes.
Yang Zhengfeng made such a big mistake, and the dignified governor was ignored by his subordinates, making him unfit to continue to serve as governor of Hebei.
Su He decided to demote him to the northwest to serve as Song Kangnian's assistant.