The capital city of the Ming Dynasty is as bustling and lively as ever. The spacious concrete roads are bustling with traffic and people. Traditional four-wheel carriages and new bicycles are racing at high speed.
The young man with short hair, clean shaven beard, wearing shorts and shorts, and the scholar wearing a long shirt, with straight hair and beard, did not like each other.
The ancient and majestic palace is in sharp contrast with the tall buildings outside the city. The vermilion palace walls and dazzling glass set off each other, illuminating the transition between old and new in this great era.
The scholars in the Imperial College were shaking their heads, chatting, and giving pointers, while the students at Imperial College were studying all kinds of novel things.
"Finally back~"
Sitting on the four-wheeled carriage, Liu Jin admired everything in the capital. The tide of the times was constantly surging, pushing this huge empire towards unprecedented history and glory.
"Master is back, master is back~"
As soon as they arrived at the door of their mansion, the servants in the family immediately shouted excitedly, which soon alarmed the entire Liu family.
"Daddy~Daddy~"
Several little kids at home hurriedly came out and swarmed over. They all opened their arms to hug each other. However, one left hand, one right hand, and a few older ones could only stand aside and feel aggrieved.
He seemed extremely unhappy, and it was not until Liu Jin took out the small gift he brought from Jiangnan that he happily opened the gift.
"Master~"
Xu Waner and Li Zhen also received the news and hurriedly came to greet him. When they saw Liu Jin, both of them couldn't help but burst into tears.
This Chinese New Year is a time for family reunion. Liu Jin has been away for two months, and the first month has passed before he comes back.
"Haha, my good wife, come here and give me a kiss for your husband."
Looking at his beautiful wife, Liu Jin immediately hugged her, one on each side, and couldn't help but kiss her.
"There are servants here~"
Xu Waner felt shy and quickly reminded her.
As for the maids waiting on the side, they couldn't help covering their mouths and started laughing, and turned around quickly. This was not the first time.
"What are you afraid of? We are an old married couple~"
Liu Jin didn't care about this. He hadn't eaten meat for two months and was so greedy that he moved his hands dishonestly and kissed him with his mouth.
"That's right~"
Li Zhen was always bold and open-minded, so she kissed her herself.
"I'm so ashamed~"
Xu Waner covered her old face, her face was red. Although they were an old married couple, they were always embarrassed in front of so many maids.
"What are you ashamed of? Let's go, let's go~"
The shyer he became, the more excited Liu Jin became. He held one in each hand and led the two of them into the room. The maids who followed immediately turned red in the face. They quickly closed the door and stood guard at the door silently, sometimes pricking up their ears.
Listen to the bursts of blushing sounds coming from inside.
"Dead ghost~"
"We thought you were possessed by some vixen in Jiangnan. You haven't come back for two months."
For a long time, Xu Waner nestled in Liu Jin's arms on the comfortable big bed, pinching Liu Jin hard from waist to waist.
"Oh, be gentle, be gentle, you are murdering your husband."
Liu Jin pretended to be in pain, moved his hands dishonestly, and replied: "It seems that I have been hungry for too long and haven't eaten enough."
"Don't, don't~"
Hearing Liu Jin's words, Xu Waner quickly begged for mercy, but Li Zhen on the other side was acting mischievously.
"I can't help it. The emperor's life is on my side. How can I come back until the matter in Jiangnan is settled?"
"I'm fine now. I can rest at home for half a month."
Liu Jin sighed helplessly. Going on a business trip during the Chinese New Year was not something people did. Fortunately, Emperor Hongzhi was a conscientious boss and granted Liu Jin half a month's leave.
"Master, master, the father-in-law who sent the message from the palace is here. Your Majesty has summoned him~"
However, as soon as Liu Jin finished speaking, a voice came from outside that made Liu Jin extremely unhappy.
"I know~ I'll enter the palace right away."
Liu Jin suddenly felt helpless and could only reluctantly get up from Rourou Village, put on his official uniform and hurried into the palace.
Inside the Qianqing Palace.
Emperor Hongzhi was discussing with important ministers what Liu Jin had reported.
"Everyone, take a look. This is a memorial written by Liu Jin. Although the Nanjing incident has passed, there are many places worthy of our reflection."
"Liu Jin mentioned a few points. The first point is about the introduction of laws to protect the rights and interests of workers. All factories, workshops, firms, etc., workers' wages must be paid in full on a monthly basis. It can no longer be the same as before. , once a year or once every six months.”
"It's easy to go wrong like this. When the market is good and business is good, the boss still has enough money to pay wages. But once the market is bad, or there is a loss, or the funds are misappropriated, it is easy for Nanjing to appear again. Such a thing."
"I think what Liu Jin said is very reasonable. What do you think?"
Emperor Hongzhi took out a memorial, which was written by Liu Jin.
Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, Xie Qian, Zhang Mao and others took the memorials one by one and read them carefully. Liu Jin rarely wrote formal memorials, but the things he mentioned every time were very important. Therefore, Emperor Hongzhi was extremely We take it seriously and discuss it every time.
"Your Majesty, what happened in Nanjing only happened by chance. It was also intentional by the big factory owners in Nanjing, so it almost caused a catastrophe."
"This is just an example and not universal. We Ming people have always attached great importance to our own reputation and the reputation of our family, just like a bird cherishing its own feathers and not daring to tarnish it in the slightest."
"As far as I know, at the end of the year, many businesses actually lost money, but even if they lost money, they would still choose to do everything they could to raise funds and pay workers' wages."
"If someone does not pay wages to workers, his reputation will be completely ruined. Not only will he no longer be able to recruit people, but he will also be despised by many colleagues, and no one will be willing to cooperate with him."
"Furthermore, in the operation process of factories, workshops, firms, etc., the demand for funds is very large. If wages are paid on a monthly basis, this will cause many factories and workshops to be short of funds and not run smoothly."
"So I think there is no need to introduce mandatory laws. I, the Ming Dynasty, regard reputation as the top priority and regard reputation as more important than my own life. I absolutely dare not break trust with others. What's more, even if there is a breach of trust, there will still be The imperial court stepped in to protect the rights and interests of workers.”
Liu Jian was the first to stand up and express his opposition.
His family recently opened a large textile factory in his hometown of Henan, employing more than 20,000 people. In addition to the original factory, there are tens of thousands of people under his command working for the family.
If the wages of the workers in this factory were paid once a month, it would bring great financial pressure. If the wages were paid once a year, the wages of tens of thousands of people would be a very huge amount, even if they were placed in the bank to earn interest.
A lot of money can be generated out of thin air.
Of course he is opposed to the introduction of such a law. Once a month, his family is not like Liu Jin, Zhang Mao and others, who have deep pockets and abundant funds.
"Yes, Your Majesty, we Ming people value credibility the most, and credibility is worth a thousand pieces of gold."
"Actually, it's not just the workers' wages, but also the payment for goods. In many cases, just one sentence is enough. Anyone who writes private messages will find it difficult to gain a foothold in our country."
"There is no need to introduce special laws to stipulate this matter. If we rely on credibility, we can save a lot of trouble."
Zhang Mao also expressed his agreement.
There are many industries under Lao Zhang's family, large and small factories, including British public-owned factories, firms, plantations, ranches, manors, etc. There are hundreds of thousands of people under his command working for Lao Zhang.
A true Ming Dynasty super capital giant.
If wages were paid on a monthly basis, a huge amount of funds would be distributed every month. He preferred to distribute them on an annual basis, keeping a large amount of funds in his own hands, whether deposited in a bank or used to invest in expansion of production.
The choice is all yours.
But if it is to be distributed, the money will be in the hands of the workers, and they will not have the final say.
"Your Majesty, what Liu Gong and Zhang Gong said are reasonable~"
"I also believe that there is no need to introduce relevant laws to force the payment of wages on a monthly basis."
"Workers basically have food and lodging in the factory. With food and lodging included, workers basically don't need to spend anything. At the end of the year, they get a year's salary at once. This money is accumulated together and will not be spent arbitrarily.
Lose."
"But if it is paid on a monthly basis, many people will spend their money carelessly, and some may even use the money to gamble and lose their hard-earned money overnight."
Li Dongyang also stood up and said.
The old Li family is in great need of money now. Ever since they heard Liu Jin say that the Persian Gulf is a good place, the Li family has stepped up its expansion in the Persian Gulf, which requires a lot of money.
The Li family's factories are working hard to deliver money to Li Zhaofan. If this is paid on a monthly basis, it means that the Li family will lose a large amount of funds, which will have a great impact on the expansion of the colony.
"Yes, I also think this is inappropriate~"
The other ministers also nodded their heads.
Every family has a large factory, and there are a large number of factories under their command. They all wish that the wages are paid once a year, or once a month. Has Liu Jin's head been crushed by the door?
You, Liu Jin, have countless large and small industries under your command, and you have hundreds of thousands of workers. You have been doing it once a month, but don't drag everyone into the water.
You, Liu Jin, are rich and have a lot of money but no place to spend it. We all need money very much now. No matter how much money we have, it is not enough for us. You still want to bring this matter up. Aren't you looking for something to do for everyone?
We are not those people from Jiangnan, so don’t worry, we will definitely be able to pay wages in full.