Ministry of Industry.
Zheng Ci, the minister, was calculating various expenses and checking whether the remaining silver could be reconciled with the accounts. After moving the bead several times, he took the brush and filled in the amount.
Huang Fu, the assistant minister, held an account book in his hand and walked slowly to Zheng Ci's desk. He saluted and said, "Sir, there is something new coming from the harem. Please take a look."
"Harem? Oh, the headquarters arranged for you to check the clothing inventory. Instead of reporting the results first, you talked about the harem. Is this how you do it?"
Zheng Ci said with some dissatisfaction.
Huang Fu had become accustomed to Zheng Ci's attitude. He shook the account book in his hand and said, "Sir, this account book was compiled for the harem. It lists all kinds of treasury, including the clothing treasury."
Zheng Ci took the account book, opened it and looked at it, and couldn't help but be stunned.
The account book in front of you is not full of text, but a grid outlined by horizontal and vertical lines, and strange symbols are filled in the grid.
"Sir, I have inquired, and the symbols in this grid are Arabic numerals."
As Huang Fu spoke, he took out a book of "Elementary Mathematics" from his arms and said: "This kind of mathematics has become the main subject of the Imperial College, and has the same status as the Four Books and Five Classics. The Imperial College is promoting this kind of mathematics."
Zheng Ci looked through it, then looked at the form, and said, "So, this kind of grid..."
"My lord, the palace calls this type of account book a statement."
Zhang Fu explained.
"Report?"
Zheng Ci heard this for the first time. He looked at the report carefully and said seriously: "This report has clear accounts and is easy to fill out. It saves a lot of trouble. It is also much easier to read and check. Such a magical thing came from the harem." Hand?"
Zhang Fu nodded slightly and said: "How I got it, my subordinates didn't ask, but I heard from the eunuch in the palace that the first person to recommend the report was the concubine Shu in the palace."
"Concubine Shu? Why have I never heard that there is a concubine in the palace?"
Zheng Ci was a little confused.
"Sir, Concubine Shu is the talented person from Luo."
Zhang Fu explained quickly.
"Oh? That's the case. It seems that this Concubine Shu is very clever and quite intelligent." Zheng Ci picked up the report book, thought about it, and said, "You also think that this kind of account book should be implemented, right?"
Zhang Fu nodded solemnly and said: "Account books like this should be used by both the government and the public."
Zheng Ci handed the account book to Zhang Fu and said with a smile: "In that case, it's up to you to submit a memorial and request an order to implement the new account book. We don't dare to change the account book specifications without authorization."
Zhang Fu naturally knows this. The "empty seal case" in the Hongwu Year was caused by changes in the account books, which resulted in a large number of heads. If there were another round, his head would not be guaranteed...
Be cautious, follow the rules, and ask your boss for instructions. This is the way to protect yourself.
Court the next day.
Zhang Fu, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, came up with a new type of account book and advocated the implementation of digital account books to replace complicated written account books.
Zhu Yunwen readily agreed and arranged for the dealer to send "Elementary Mathematics", saying: "New things have their advantages, so learn and use them. Decayed things have their disadvantages, so discard them. I hope you can have great success." Thoughts are widely spread all over the world, and the best ones should be chosen regardless of their origin.”
All officials are good.
Zhu Yunwen did not ask for the right to invent the new account book. The court officials thought it was Concubine Shu who invented it, so Concubine Shu should be the one. In this way, when they criticized women entering the Imperial College in the future, they could also take the account book and ask him if he used such an account book.
By August 10, more than 46,000 registered victims had all been transferred to the capital.
Thanks to Nanjing's geographical location, grain transshipment is extremely convenient, and it is surrounded by grain-producing areas. Although there are tens of thousands more people, grain prices have not fluctuated at all.
When food prices stabilized, the impact of population growth on the capital was much weaker.
It has to be said that the execution ability of the Ming Dynasty officials was first-class. Zhu Yunwen just said "relief with work and resettle the victims", and the officials arranged the people, and there were more than 8,000 young people.
Two thousand people were allocated to the granary outside Sanshan Gate, two thousand people were allocated to Dongshuiguan Wharf, and the remaining four thousand people were all allocated to Dabaoen Temple and the Monument of Heroes.
Considering that the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching and winter was not far away, the imperial court set up a large "cotton factory" outside each of the three gates to recruit women to play cotton and weave winter clothes and quilts.
Empress Ma Enhui took Concubine Ning, Concubine Xian, Concubine Shu and other people in the harem to weave winter clothes with the women and stayed with the victims for several days, winning the hearts of the people.
Ma Enhui, Shu Fei and others are real weaving experts, and their proficiency even amazed the clever folk women.
"Madam Liu, how are you doing in the capital?"
Ma Enhui smiled and asked the woman aside.
Mrs. Liu was a little flustered, and immediately stopped moving her hands, and replied: "Okay, very good."
Ma Enhui signaled Mrs. Liu to relax and asked, "Is there anything wrong with it?"
"No, the Emperor and Queen are too kind to us."
Liu replied.
In Liu's view, it couldn't be better if the imperial court took care of food, drink, and housing, and also provided people with work and wages.
When Ma Enhui saw that Mrs. Liu didn't say anything, she stood up, clapped her hands, and said to everyone: "I came here because I want to know what's wrong with you and what else the court can do for you. Don't have any scruples. You can talk to me directly."
"Speaking of which, like everyone else, I have no control over family affairs, but the emperor is the sage. If he knows that everyone still has difficulties, he will definitely find a way to solve them. Tell me, it doesn't matter if you are wrong. Madam of the Li family , let me tell you."
Mrs. Li quickly stood up and wanted to kneel down, but was stopped by Concubine Shu beside her.
Concubine Shu said softly: "Don't always kneel down. There are only common people here, and we are also the daughters of the common people."
When the women heard this, they couldn't help but be moved.
Mrs. Li nodded seriously and said to Ma Enhui: "Queen, if there are any difficulties, there is one."
"Well, let's hear it."
Ma Enhui encouraged with a smile.
Mrs. Li sighed and said: "My man went to the dock, and my old father became a fireman. Now, only my mother and two eight-year-old children are left at home. The old mother can do well, but the children are a bit naughty." , always going out, and yesterday they secretly went to the city gate. If there were no guards guarding them, they would have run into the city."
"It's always like this. We don't feel at ease. The capital is so big. If we get lost and can't find it, how will we survive? We also know that this matter has nothing to do with the officials. It's just that we don't know how to do it."
After Ma Enhui heard this, she nodded slightly, looked at the others, and asked, "Don't you all have this difficulty too?"
The women nodded.
Ma Enhui's face became serious and she said seriously: "How can the problem of children be a small problem? People say that to be a queen, a mother must be respectful to the world. Your children are not my children. In this case, how can I be my queen's child? I’ll help you solve this problem.”
"Sister, where is the emperor?"
Concubine Ning asked.
"There's no need to ask the emperor about his intentions. I have the final say in this matter."
Ma Enhui expressed domineeringly, then looked at Mrs. Li and said: "In the future, we will open a school and let everyone's children come to the school. Not only can we discipline the children to prevent them from wandering around, but we can also introduce the children to learn how to read and write." , what do you think?"
Mrs. Li knelt down with a plop, and the other women knelt down one after another, all of them were grateful and shed tears of gratitude.
Only one day, the construction work outside Sanchuan Gate, Jubao Gate, and Dongshui Pass suddenly stopped for a morning. Parents took their children and entered the capital for the first time under the guidance of the guards.
Li Jiuhong opened his eyes and glanced at his son who was looking around, his heart filled with happiness and gratitude.
"Old squad leader, your youngest son is already twenty and is going to start a family, so there is no need to go to school, right?"
Li Jiu shouted to Li Laosan.
Li Laosan is white
He glanced at Li Jiu and said, "My son is twelve, what's wrong with him?"
Li Jiu almost fell. Your son is twelve years old and a head taller than you? I went there and the government didn’t recognize it.
"This saves us from worry. The children are sent to school, and food and accommodation are taken care of. They can be taken home for one day every ten days, which saves us the worry."
Li Laosan looked ahead and sighed.
On August 14, the first year of Jianwen, the queen cared about the victims and worried about the safety of their children. She requested the wealth from the harem to set up a capital junior college west of the Xiang River in the Imperial College to accommodate the children of the victims and provide them with education.
Zhu Yunwen discussed with hundreds of officials and supported many people.
Zhuo Jing, the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, took the initiative to propose that as the daughter of the disaster victims, the court also had responsibilities and should not just consume the wealth of the harem, and then allocate 100,000 taels from the Ministry of Household Affairs to support the living needs of the daughter of the disaster victims.
The Ministry of Revenue is so grand. In addition to the stable autumn grain production in Jiangnan, Beizhili, Shanxi and other places, and the prospect of tax revenue, the money gained from the confiscation of former navy commander Chen Xuan is also put into the treasury. This is also the source of his confidence.
The emperor gave him face and did not move the confiscated money to the palace. The Ministry of Household Affairs must also give the emperor and empress face, and be generous when they should support them.
When the Capital Junior College came into being, it was only for the children of disaster victims at the beginning, because the enrollment age group was from six to twelve years old. At this time, they were all ignorant and simple children, and there was no question of female virtue.
In the view of many officials, the Capital Junior College was not a formal school, but a "Salesian Hall" similar to a nursery. It was the queen's "charitable act" of compassion for the victims.
Therefore, when the Capital Junior College came out, there were not many objections, but what they did not expect was that the Capital Junior College would become a symbol of the development of education in the Ming Dynasty, and an era in which women would enter the schools in a dignified manner would begin here.
Although children are young, they will eventually grow up.
Shanxi, Datong.
With a smile on his lips, Chang Qianli said to the seven Shanxi merchants in front of him: "That's what happened. This is an opportunity for us Shanxi merchants to atone for our sins and an opportunity for us to rise. Think carefully whether you are willing to do this deal or not. If you don’t want to do it, give me an accurate answer.”
Qiao Gong, who started from scratch and is worth a millionaire, thought for a moment and then said to Chang Qianli: "It's not us who don't believe Brother Chang. If Brother Chang is willing to produce the Commander's warrant or the Security Bureau's warrant, I, Qiao Gong, will do this for me." Yes, I’ll send two shopkeepers to follow you. If we can’t get it out, we won’t dare to take the risk. Dusi doesn’t blink when he kills someone.”
Cao Youshan, a wealthy businessman from Datong with a prominent position, nodded in agreement and said: "You all know how great the benefits will be from going north to the outside world. Even if you go back and forth, even if you share the government's share of the benefits, we will still have nine to twenty times. Beili, if there is such a good opportunity, you cannot miss it. But, can you ensure that you can get out safely? If possible, I will also provide two shopkeepers. "
Other businessmen expressed their opinions one after another, with only one premise: a customs clearance order.
There was no way, Guo Ying was too strict and left too deep a shadow on everyone.
Chang Qianli picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, stood up and said solemnly: "Everyone, the people who have been killed the most by Guo Dusi are my people. Now that I personally lead the team to the outside of the pass, what worries do you have? Since you need Commander Du's command, I'll just give it to you. But have you thought clearly? Going north this time is not a matter of two hundred miles, but two or three thousand miles!"
"If I fail to complete the tasks assigned by the court, or if something goes wrong, it doesn't matter if I, Chang Qianli, die, I'm afraid it will affect the entire Shanxi merchants! If the Shanxi merchants fail to recover because of this, then all the merchants in the Ming Dynasty will have to look up to the Hui merchants. "
"So, when we go out this time, we not only have to do it successfully, but we also have to do it beautifully. This is our best opportunity to impress the court, and it is also an opportunity to improve the status of Shanxi merchants! Don't you want to contribute to the future of Shanxi merchants? Put in a little more effort?"
Cao Youshan frowned, looked at Chang Qianli with a cold gaze, and said, "Chang Qianli, what do you want to say?"
Chang Qianli burst out laughing, then suddenly stopped smiling, supported the table with both hands, and said to everyone: "Everyone, come out of seclusion with me!"
