"This is the situation. Now I have finished all the follow-up, and there are still some moves that I am not willing to give up. But the situation has gone. After staying in Beijing for a few days, they dispersed on their own."
In the imperial garden, Fang Zhengyi and Emperor Jing were strolling around.
The garden is covered with greenery, and the clear chirping of birds can be heard from time to time.
During this period of time, Fang Zheng explained everything in detail.
After hearing this, Emperor Jing paused for a moment and said with a smile in his eyes: "This matter is indeed done beautifully. I didn't expect you to have such a solution."
Fang Zheng said: "This is nothing. There is no beginning and no end. Moreover, those scholars have their own selfish motives. Naturally, they cannot persist for a long time if their purpose is not pure."
Emperor Jing nodded: "Zhou Hong has followed me and worked hard all his life. Since his son has good intentions and works under you, you should remember him better."
Fang Zheng grinned and said, "Don't worry about this. Mr. Zhou is really bright and discerning, and his son is not bad either."
"Working under me, I promise to accelerate his growth and become a brick and mortar of the country as soon as possible."
Emperor Jing raised his eyebrows and was noncommittal.
Fang Zhengyi asked: "I wonder what your Majesty thinks of the situation in the black factory?"
Emperor Jing's steps slowed down, he raised his head and thought for a while, "I think it's a bit of a fuss. Scholars don't understand the sufferings of the world. According to what you said, life in the factory seems to be good. I have seen worse things. If we work hard to improve the treatment of the people, The factory is related to the lifeblood of the railway, and I am worried that it will delay the process."
Good guy, more radical than me!
It seems that this eternal emperor, no matter how kind and caring he was, could not resist the temptation of building wonders and leaving his name for eternity.
Fang Zheng nodded and said: "Your Majesty is wise. If you strive to improve the treatment of the people, it will indeed delay the construction process. But if you blindly favor the factory, they will intensify their efforts sooner or later. The court still needs to strike a balance."
"There are already signs of this. People are short-sighted and often only seek immediate benefits. Children as young as a few years old are sent into child labor in exchange for a meager income. For children, the work in the factory is very dangerous, and it is not only a waste of money but also a waste of time. You may have a good life, but you may even become disabled in the future.”
"Factories will be built in the future. If the situation spreads, it will harm the country. I suggest that the court consider it early and legislate restrictions."
Emperor Jing frowned and said: "This is indeed a question. What can a child of what age do? There is nothing better than this. You can draw up a set of regulations and submit them to us, and discuss this matter as soon as possible."
"I have already written it and brought it with me." Fang Zheng took out a set of memorials from his sleeve.
The child labor issue was something he learned a lot in his history class. Although Yu Guo was not a big problem for him, it would be best if it could be solved as soon as possible.
In order to save a little profit, capitalists even exploit children, which is really unnecessary.
People's lives are indeed hard and they want to exchange for more money. Fang Zhengyi can understand this.
But looking at the overall situation, most people will not be able to get rich if they have more, and they will not starve to death if they have less.
Legal restrictions can filter out some people, but as for the remaining extremely poor people, there are always loopholes for them to exploit.
"You came well prepared today." Emperor Jing smiled and gestured to Guo Tianyang to put the memorial away, "What about the prince? You told me that he has a deep understanding of the situation in the factory. He has not been in the palace recently. He is here. where?"
Fang Zheng said: "I just said that we need to find a balance between the factory and the workers. His Highness already has an idea and is exploring management methods."
Emperor Jing's face was expressionless, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Fang Zheng looked him over and over and added:
"It is urgent for Your Highness to learn more about factories and management methods. The current situation has changed. In the future, countless factories will rise on the land of Dajing."
"Dongjiao University is still working hard to transform steam engines. If the transformed steam engines are rolled out into factories on a large scale in the future, the entire Dajing production process will be completely different from the traditional method, and the coordination of manpower will also take on a completely new look. This is something the imperial court has never experienced before, and even if we want to draw lessons from history, there is no precedent.”
"Now is the right time to start from the beginning to understand deeply and grasp the rules. Therefore, Your Highness asked me to ask for leave from Your Majesty on your behalf. I may not be in the palace from time to time. I will explain it to Your Majesty when the matter becomes clearer."
Emperor Jing thought for a long time before speaking: "It's like the emergence of firearms, and the strategy of war is in urgent need of adjustment, right?"
"Yes, that's exactly what it is."
"Forget it, then let him go. When the late emperor was young, I and several other brothers had experience outside. It was nothing to go out for activities, and I can't control him now. But I told him that he still has to set the time. Return to the palace, there are many reports in the palace and I have copied them for him, political affairs cannot be delayed."
Hearing this, Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.
Fairly smooth.
The two of them stopped in front of the pavilion. Emperor Jing said, "I'm tired. Come sit with me."
When the two entered the pavilion, Emperor Jing was about to ask more questions.
Fang Zhengyi took it out of his arms twice and took out a small box covered with gold silk and embroidered with cloud patterns and presented it to Emperor Jing: "My son came today and actually brought a gift to my father."
Emperor Jing looked at the small box and couldn't help but be happy: "It's not a festival, what gift should I give? Just open it and take a look."
As soon as Fang Zheng opened the box, he revealed the golden little object inside.
Emperor Jing's eyes narrowed: "Pocket watch? Didn't you give me a pocket watch? No, why is it still wearing a strap?"
Fang Zheng shook his head and said with a smile: "No, this is not a pocket watch, it is a watch. It is worn on your hand. I will help you put it on."
Emperor Jing stretched out his hand curiously, and Fang Zheng put the watch on his wrist three or two times, and the buckle clicked securely.
He raised his hand and shook his wrist, looked at his watch again, and felt happy.
A large gold watch, the chain and case are made of pure gold, the outside glass cover is buckled, the inside is surrounded by broken glass, and the crown is also made of glass.
Although the hands are small, there is a faint golden dragon visible on them, with glass embedded in the center...
It sparkles in the sunlight and is extremely beautiful.
"This is really a good thing. It makes it easier to tell the time." Emperor Jing said in surprise, "Is this a product of Taoyuan County again?"
Fang Zhengyi took out another watch from his pocket and put it on his hand.
This watch is unpretentious and made entirely of sterling silver.
A large silver watch studded with diamonds.
It's not that Mr. Fang is stingy, it's just that the processing of this diamond is not easy, and it's not as perfect as the glass.
After trial-making two watches, I felt they were not as good looking as glass, so I simply used all the broken diamonds for my own use. They were all scraps. Diligence and frugality are virtues.
Besides, my father-in-law is the emperor, so there is no need to use good things. Diligence and frugality are virtues.
"Your Majesty, this is indeed a product of Taoyuan County. Pocket watches have always been popular on the market, and there have been many more watchmakers in recent years. There are people in Taoyuan County who specialize in watches and have reduced the size of pocket watches a lot. Now I have it in my hand. It’s just right and a nice decoration.”
Emperor Jing raised his wrist to admire it, his affection beyond words.
Beautiful, this thing is indeed beautiful. Although the original pocket watch was also very beautiful, in terms of convenience, it was obviously far inferior to this watch.
Emperor Jing put down his hand and looked at Fang Zheng with a smile: "Yes, I like this thing very much. Do you have something to tell me?
...
