When he was a scholar of Chongzheng under Emperor Liu in his early years, Zhao Pu was also a frequent visitor to Guangzheng Hall. At that time, he was still an illiterate, just a lucky man who was promoted to the imperial court after being recommended by Liu Ci's posthumous memorial. He had just completed the transformation from a local official to a close minister of the emperor.
At that time, the ministers such as Li Tao, Wei Renpu, and Fan Zhi were sitting in the Zhengshi Hall and managing the government. All of these people were virtuous ministers and achieved great success, ranking among the twenty-four ministers of Qianyou.
Sometimes, Zhao Pu couldn't help but think to himself, if he had surrendered to Emperor Liu a few years earlier, how could his name not be among the twenty-four ministers? Zhao Pu was confident enough in this.
But just in the past few years, there has been a huge gap in life experiences. However, even so, Zhao Pu is proud of himself. In just ten years, he became the powerful prime minister of the dynasty, and even came from behind, leaving behind many people who had gone far earlier and further than him.
Nearly twenty years later, those old ministers and wise ministers who guided the country and the country gradually withered away, and was replaced by him, Zhao Pu. Others represent the era of the unification of Qian and You, while Zhao Pu develops the era of Kaibao. From this perspective, it is not that regretful to not be among the twenty-four ministers. At least, he has done it by leaving his name to Kaibao.
It is also the Guangzheng Hall. Compared with the one in Luoyang, the one in Kaifeng is more streamlined. The layout is not so grand and the decoration is not grand enough. This is obvious. After all, the Han Palace in Kaifeng has not undergone large-scale expansion from beginning to end. Renovations and some repairs are just routine maintenance, just knocking, sewing and mending.
Of course, Zhao Pu didn't care. The focus was never on where to work, but who had the power and who could give orders.
Dealing with general affairs and solving problems is Zhao Pu's daily routine when sitting in court. Generally speaking, as long as he sits in front of the court, there will be a steady stream of affairs coming to him, waiting for his approval or decision.
When a prime minister, especially a prime minister with real power, managing everything on a daily basis may be an empty word to describe it, but managing hundreds or even hundreds of things on a daily basis is no exaggeration.
Within half an hour, five people had come to report, and Zhao Pu also gave instructions on eight state affairs, from the horse administration in Hexi to the party issues in Yulin, from the tea and horse trade in the southwest to the autumn tax in the southeast, including the food and salary for the Liaodong garrison. He has to deal with military supplies.
However, compared with Xijing, in Tokyo, the intensity of the work is obviously greatly reduced. Moreover, when driving on the eastward tour, the most important official business is the issue of disasters in the Central Plains. Most of the affairs still revolve around disaster relief and aftermath. Expand.
"Somebody come!"
"Send this article to Panyu!" Zhao Pu handed over an order in his hand.
This order was Zhao Pu's instructions on the shortcomings of pearl fishing in Guangdong and Guangxi. In the southern Guangdong period, Liu Yuan was very extravagant and lustful, and the buildings he lived in were all decorated with tortoiseshell pearls. In order to satisfy his selfish desires, Liu Yuan even specially organized a team of "professional" pearl divers.
The so-called profession is to use the blood and tears of pearl divers to satisfy the evil desires of the rulers. Pearl divers in Lingnan must tie stones to their feet and a rope around their waists, and go into the sea hundreds of feet deep to collect. Every year, the number of people who drown due to pearl divers is not counted. The number of them, the dangers and cruelty involved, are truly appalling.
While the nobles were enjoying those beautiful pearls and treasures, few people paid attention to how many innocent souls and resentments were buried behind them.
After Pan Mei Pingnan inspected the situation, he once went to the table to show the distress of Chen Zhuzhu. The result naturally received a positive response from the court. Among the many evil policies in southern Guangdong, the pearl fishing policy may not have received much attention, but it seemed to be something that the pearl divers who suffered deeply hated it, so it was naturally abolished without consideration, and even explicitly stated It was stipulated that people were forbidden to engage in pearl fishing.
It did achieve immediate results at the time, but after so many years, it feels like a reincarnation has passed, and everything seems to have not changed when we return to the original starting point.
In the past two years, the pearl fishing industry has flourished again in Guangdong and Guangxi. However, this time, it is not the government taking the lead, and there is no tyranny as a target for verbal abuse and venting of grievances.
Instead, some people among the people privately organized people to go to the sea to fish for pearls. It's just that compared to the past blind exploitation, it has become employment. Although pearl fishing is dangerous and terrifying, as long as there is enough profit, there will always be people willing to take the risk.
Although the officials in Guangdong and Guangxi carried out restrictions and suppression in accordance with the imperial policy, except for the first few years, it was basically a formality later on. In other words, the government's restrictions themselves have limitations. It is difficult to say where it can be truly completely banned, or even whether the governments of Guangdong and Guangxi have compromised its implementation.
After all, the benefits of pearl fishing are too great, and the interest groups involved are also huge. There are too many people begging for food from the "Southern Pearl" market.
The original intention of the imperial court to ban people from pearl fishing was to understand the sufferings of the people and sympathize with their sentiments. However, not all good governance is popular. Just like the imperial court is thinking about the pearl divers, there are certainly people who suffer from it, but similarly, in order to make a fortune and make a living, there are always people who are willing to join in and work hard to survive. This is the reality.
When the imperial court prohibits people from taking up pearl fishing as a profession, some people will inevitably lose their livelihoods. If their livelihoods are cut off, resentment will naturally arise. Not everyone is willing to farm honestly. That must be done under the condition that there is land for farming.
Therefore, it is understandable that the pearl fishing industry in Lingnan has quickly regained its vitality after being dormant for several years. However, life is a little easier for pearl divers than before. They are no longer subjected to unscrupulous and endless exploitation, and they can get enough income to sustain their lives.
Although the essence has not changed much, it has only given the cruel status quo a "gentle" coat, but there are still people who are willing to take risks and join in it.
The organizers of pearl fishing have also changed in response to the times, becoming smarter, and their methods are no longer so rough and cruel. There are policies from above and countermeasures from below, taking advantage of the loopholes of the court's policies and flexibly walking in gray areas.
The imperial court banned pearl fishing, so they would actively respond to the imperial court's call. After all, they could not go against the government. As a result, a large number of groups were established in the name of fishing. They organized people to go to the sea to fish.
Relying on the sea and eating from the sea, fishing is one of the most important means of survival for coastal people. In this regard, the court not only cannot prohibit it, but also strongly supports it. They just discovered some pearl agate and coral tortoise shell while fishing, so this should be no problem.
This time, the issue of pearl fishing was spread to the court, and even the prime minister Zhao Pu personally formulated the instructions. The reason is also very simple. An official named Zhao Ning revealed the situation of the pearl fishing industry in Lingnan, and he was full of eyes. The oppressed pearl divers requested orders from the imperial court to reduce regulations and crack down on profiteers who violated government orders, and denounced the inaction of the local Guangdong and Guangxi officials...
One case was highlighted. A man who went to the sea to fish for pearls had an accident and disappeared. However, his family did not receive any compensation. They appealed to the government, but they had no evidence, and they complained to the heavens and the earth.
This matter circulated several times between ministries and departments, and also caused quite a bit of controversy. Someone resolutely proposed that those profiteers and evil businessmen who are unrepentant, blatantly exploit loopholes in the court's policies, go against the court's express prohibitions, organize illegally, and exploit the people should be severely cracked down and punished with priority.
Of course, some people have implicitly suggested that pearl fishing is also a career that some Lingnan people rely on for a living, and it can also create value for the court. It only needs to be restricted and regulated. Can more consideration be given to prohibited things?
This was said with some caution. After all, it was Emperor Liu who made the decision himself back then, out of sympathy for the plight of the people fishing for pearls in Lingnan. However, the meaning is very straightforward, and some people dare to raise objections. This shows the change in people's hearts towards the Nanzhu industry.
In the end, it was submitted to Zhao Pu, and Zhao Pu also hesitated several times. After some exchanges with Emperor Liu, a decision was finally made.
First, the imperial court’s policy of banning pearl fishing as a profession will not be changed and will continue to be implemented; second, all those involved in the incident, from officials to pearl merchants, will be held accountable and severely punished, and the missing people will be compensated to protect their interests. .
The attitude seems clear, but there is a hint of ambiguity hidden there. After all, this is just a penalty for individual cases, and no further rectification measures or policy plans have been introduced.
If the policy does not change, does that mean that the current status quo of southern pearl collection can continue?
Perhaps, this is what Zhao Pu meant, and what he reflected also represented Emperor Liu's attitude. Some things can never be stopped, after all, the interests dictate.
How could Zhao Pu not be able to see clearly how closely the treasures that have appeared on the streets of the capital city in recent years, the orbs used by nobles, and even the imperial utensils in the palace are closely related to the Lingnan pearl fishing industry? It's not easy to study carefully.
As long as there is a market and demand, there will be a steady stream of people investing in it, and flies and vultures will always fly around the carrion.
And the people involved are not just private businessmen? With such a huge chain of interests, how can a group of humble businessmen compete for food and profit in it?
Although pearl divers are in danger and are at the bottom of the profit chain, they are a means of making a living after all. There are always people who do dangerous and even inhumane work.
If Zhao Pu's idea is followed, the Nanzhu can be further regulated and constrained, and it can be completely brought under the government's control system to maximize the treatment and safety of pearl divers, and also meet the interests and needs of all parties, and provide the imperial court with Increase production and generate income.
However, there is a problem with the specific implementation. It was for the sake of the suffering of pearl divers that the ban on the people's pearl fishing industry was just issued. Now it has been abandoned, and the imperial court has even taken the lead in collecting it again. Among them, the most controversial thing is too much.
If that's the case, what's the difference between the imperial court and Liu Yuan's Southern Guangdong? Of course, the specific difference is very big, but it just doesn't sound good when it's spread out.
Sometimes, the emperor's face and the court's dignity are indeed greater than the sky, and are the prerequisite for all considerations...
