Everyone was a little silent.
Especially Zou Ji, the Minister of Rites in Nanjing.
They did not expect that His Highness the Crown Prince would be so forward-thinking.
How can this be done so well and the status of women should be elevated?
Women are responsible for taking care of their husbands and raising their children. This is not something unique to the Ming Dynasty, but has been the case in all dynasties!
The prince now has such a dangerous idea. If the world's scholars find out, what will happen in an instant?
However, Zou Ji had just been named and criticized, so even if he was dissatisfied, he did not dare to speak at this moment.
Zhou Chen, the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, was more courageous. After considering his words, he tentatively said: "Prince, if you really do this, it will not only be difficult for the court to explain, but it will also affect you, the prince." The reputation..."
"Oh, reputation?" Zhu Gaoxu smiled, "What kind of reputation does Gu need? Do you think Gu has a reputation?"
After hearing this, everyone's expressions suddenly became strange.
Putting it this way, it seems that our prince really does not have a good reputation.
When the Crown Prince was still the Prince of Han, he was famous for being arrogant, domineering and willful.
Now that he is the crown prince, he is also known to do whatever he wants and regard patriarchal rituals as bullshit!
Have you ever seen a prince quarreling with His Majesty the Emperor?
Zhu Gaoxu felt a little melancholy. He did not expect that the thoughts of these confidants were still imprisoned in those rules and regulations.
Even though these confidants had vigorously presided over and cooperated in the promotion of new learning and accepted the baptism of new ideas, they still collectively resisted women's rights, which is very unacceptable.
How low was the status of women in the Ming Dynasty?
unimaginable!
The Ming Dynasty was still a typical patriarchal society. Among the vast number of women, only a very small number of upper-class women had the opportunity to participate in politics, which is also known as concubines participating in politics in the popular sense.
However, all dynasties have adopted a negative attitude towards concubines participating in or intervening in politics.
Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang also noticed the dangers of concubines intervening in politics, so he strengthened the management of the harem and explicitly prohibited "concubines from participating in political affairs even though their mothers honor the world." He also established a female cult in the harem, used etiquette to brainwash the concubines, and strictly prohibited the harem from intervening in politics. .
This is true even for women in high positions. One can imagine the situation of ordinary women, who have almost no power at all.
A normal woman needs to experience the roles of being a woman, a wife, and a mother in sequence throughout her life.
When women in the Ming Dynasty were women, they could be collectively referred to as unmarried women. At this stage, they had no rights and freedoms at all. First, they needed to obey their parents, and secondly, according to the regulations of the distinction between concubines and concubines, and the order of elders and younger ones, the status of the family was divided. High and low.
Moreover, unmarried women basically have no right to inherit. According to the Ming Dynasty laws and regulations, unmarried women only have the right to inherit property when the household is extinct.
In addition, unmarried women have no right to choose their favorite husband. Most of them follow "the orders of their parents and the words of the matchmaker" and marry a man they have never met before entering the stage of becoming a wife.
At this stage, women's status is not necessarily very good. Not only can they not be seen in public, they can only stay at home to support their husbands and raise children. They must also abide by ideological constraints such as the Three Cardinal Guidelines and Five Constant Rules, and everything must be obeyed by their husbands.
For example, when a husband and wife fight, with the same degree of injury, the legal punishment for the wife is much heavier than that for the husband. Most people even regard the wife as the husband's private property, even the most basic right to life. None are guaranteed.
Perhaps only after becoming a wife and leaving children, and entering the stage of motherhood, did women's status and power improve slightly. However, they would also be restricted by their husband's power. To put it bluntly, they would still serve their husbands throughout their lives.
And it would be fine if she gave birth to a son, but if she gave birth to a daughter, the woman's status would be even more difficult, and she would have even less human rights!
This is the Ming Dynasty, a patriarchal society!
No wonder Zhou Chen, Zou Ji and others are so resistant, after all, they are also vested interests in this patriarchal society!
Zhu Gaoxu didn't just have nothing to do when he was full. He wanted to change this situation and improve the status of women as soon as his forehead became hot.
But because this is the need to develop a commodity economy.
Due to the rapid development of the cotton textile industry in Jiangnan, there was a demand for manpower and technology.
And women are undoubtedly more suitable for this work. They are more delicate in mind and more skilled in craftsmanship. They are far more suitable for the textile industry than men!
So in summary, whether it is for the women of the Ming Dynasty or for the development of the Ming Dynasty, the prince Zhu Gaoxu must now find a way to carry out reforms. At least he must first liberate the women of Jiangnan and eliminate the ideological imprisonment brought by Cheng and Zhu Confucianism.
"I came to Nanjing this time not just for fun."
"Jiangnan's industry and commerce are developing vigorously, and the textile industry is a top priority, so liberating the women of Jiangnan has become an urgent matter!"
"You guys should stop talking to me about the Three Cardinal Principles and the Five Constant Rules, and about caring for your husband and raising your children. What's the use of talking about these meaningless nonsense?"
"Why don't you think about it, these women have brought income to their families and improved their lives with their own efforts and labor. What is there to be ashamed of?"
Hearing this, everyone looked at each other in shock and did not dare to say a word.
The prince also gave this matter a layer of sacred glory, what else do they have to say!
What else can be done now?
Just obey the orders honestly!
As for the possible impact of this matter, the prince doesn't care anymore, what else do they care about!
The worst that can happen is that he will be impeached and scolded. As long as the prince does not fall, none of this will matter!
After understanding this, everyone felt relieved.
Zhou Chen immediately said: "Then, Your Highness, what should I do?"
"How is the construction of the factories in Jiangnan Wufu?" Zhu Gaoxu asked rhetorically.
Zhou Chen immediately took out his small notebook, took a look at it, and then gave the answer.
"It's not bad. There are wealthy businessmen in the five prefectures to attract investment and build factories to develop the textile industry."
"In addition, these merchants have also reached a strategic cooperation with Daming Bank. Daming Bank is responsible for the initial investment to ensure the construction and early operation of the factory, and then the factory's annual income will be divided into dividends with Daming Bank!"
Zhu Gaoxu nodded when he heard this and showed a happy smile.
This is also his arrangement.
When he was still the prince of Han Dynasty and was developing industry and commerce in Peiping, he proposed this cooperation model.
After all, Daming Bank was a royal property, and with the endorsement of the emperor and the court, those merchants were eager to cooperate with Daming Bank.
This cooperation model has many advantages. It can help merchants establish factories to develop industry and commerce in a short period of time, and the Daming Bank can also control the development progress of local industry and commerce in real time, allowing the court to coordinate the layout and make a little money by the way. Check out the treasury.
So when Zhu Gaoxu gave the order to start developing industry and commerce in the south, those merchants flocked to the area and copied this cooperation model. They were the first to find Daming Bank and began to enclose land and build factories.
“The only difficulty lies in the lack of manpower and technical problems.”
"So this is about to liberate the women of Jiangnan. With this main force, Jiangnan's textile industry will be the best in the world!"
