Chapter 1089
Chapter 1089
Chapter 1089
"In ancient times there was the Liu family, and now there is the Wang family. They are all virtuous and good people. It can be seen that only virtuous and good women can bring prosperity to the family and pass on the family line. So-called chastity is not worth mentioning."
Because of these rumors, coupled with the development of telegraph machines and newspapers, information spread faster, wider, and more deeply, the custom of applying for chastity arches for women who remained chaste in their families weakened, and even disappeared altogether in the Changzhou area.
The world is bustling with people who come for profit. In the beginning, the chastity arch was indeed a medal awarded by the court out of respect and admiration for women who upheld their virtue.
However, some people later discovered that it was profitable. If a woman in the family was a chaste and virtuous woman, not only could she marry better, but she could also marry a better wife. Even the men would have more advantages in seeking a better future outside.
This career path is not limited to officialdom; it is also applicable in other industries.
In some rural areas, families would even compete to see who had the most chastity arches.
Pan was not honored with a memorial archway for her chastity.
Firstly, the Pan family doesn't have that many officials, so they don't need this kind of thing;
Secondly, parents and brothers couldn't bear to see their daughters and sisters suffer like this, so if there was a widowed daughter in the family, as long as she was still young, they would take her home and remarry her.
To be honest, the Pan family wanted to apply for a chastity arch for Old Madam Pan back then, but she refused.
When Pan's father passed away, Pan Hong was already over fourteen years old, practically a young adult.
If she just waits two more years, her son will be able to get married and have children, and she can enjoy a peaceful life. Why would she want to marry him again at this time and cause trouble?
She had raised two sons, which was more than enough for her; she didn't want to raise any more children, let alone have another husband.
So she didn't remarry, not because she wanted to remain faithful to her husband, but because she didn't want to live a life of hardship and give up the happiness that was just around the corner.
Grandma Pan was a very honest person. Since she was not her husband, she naturally did not want this honor, so she refused it.
Nowadays, the "Virtuous and Good Person Archway" has suddenly appeared, instantly replacing the importance of the "Chastity Archway".
At Pan Yun's urging, the emperor also cancelled the application for chastity arches nationwide. If there were any exceptionally virtuous women, they could be reported to the court, which would then bestow rewards based on the standards for filial piety.
There were many refugees in the Ming Dynasty.
The Ministry of Revenue's books showed only 60 million, but Pan Yun estimated that the actual population had exceeded 100 million.
The court officials and the emperor may not have been unaware of this, but because a large amount of farmland was occupied by powerful and wealthy people, there were refugees everywhere, so the court was not short of people, unlike during the Hongwu era, when the emperor wanted to get everyone together to have children for him and create population.
It is worth noting that a population census was conducted during the Hongwu era, and the registered population was 5987 million at that time. By the end of the Hongwu era, the registered population had reached 6054 million. However, in history, the population remained unchanged at 60 million during the Wanli era.
It's obvious that the population was concealed, which is why the Ministry of Revenue's Yellow Register was inaccurate. I'm afraid no one in the world really knows how many people the Ming Dynasty had.
However, things are different now. Firstly, the imperial court's policy of surveying land and population has been in place for two years, and has been completed in some areas, resulting in the release of a large amount of land and people.
Secondly, the rapid development of industry in various regions has created an urgent need for labor input, and a large number of migrant workers and unregistered residents can be involved in industrial construction.
Although it was very subtle, the emperor had already vaguely sensed that there was a shortage of people in various places.
Because the counties and prefectures below had started robbing refugees.
Since the second half of last year, he has been receiving reports from local officials at the prefecture and county levels vying for personnel, and this year the number of reports has increased, indicating that the shortage of personnel is becoming increasingly serious.
People are not objects. If one place lacks people, one can lure or rob them from other places. But as an emperor, looking at the big picture, can he really rob people from other foreign countries to use?
Therefore, the fundamental solution is still to raise children.
Since the goal is to have children, widows should be encouraged to remarry.
What kind of talk is it to confine a woman in the prime of her life to the inner quarters to observe chastity?
Release them all. Those who want to remarry can remarry, and those who don't can go to work in the workshop.
What happened to the woman?
Men till the fields and women weave, each having their own food and clothing. Women occupy half the sky, so they should also be considered as laborers.
Of course, the emperor could think this in his heart but not express it, otherwise he would appear to be a beast.
So the matter was handed over to Empress Wang.
Empress Wang then used her title as Empress to proclaim to all women in the land that they should shoulder half the burden of the family. She said that women in their boudoirs should be literate and know numbers, and study diligently. She should learn needlework, weaving, medicine, and so on. In short, women can learn all kinds of skills in the world.
After completing her studies, she should settle down, start a family, raise her children, and contribute to the country, the emperor, and her family. This is what makes a virtuous woman.
The common people thought the empress was right, so little girls as young as six or seven followed their brothers, carrying satchels, to the community school for their first education; while girls as young as twelve or thirteen went to embroidery workshops, textile workshops, and clinics to become apprentices and learn their trades.
Empress Wang also established textile colleges in various places in the name of the royal family, which basically only recruited female students. They could enroll for free and then work in textile workshops under the royal family for at least five years.
Within five years, they will receive a basic wage, and those who perform well can be promoted and receive a raise.
Five years later, if they do not wish to stay, they may leave on their own.
However, the strongest reaction right now comes not from girls in this age group, but from young women in their twenties to forties.
The widows left their homes, either remarrying or going directly to academies to study.
These women were mostly mature and skilled in weaving, learning new spinning and weaving machines very quickly. When Empress Wang learned of this, she simply ordered local officials to post an imperial edict, allowing these women to directly register at the royal workshops. After only a little training, they could start working, and their wages were higher than those of girls who graduated from academies.
If there were no royal workshops in the local area, they would go to the Salesian Hall, where the stewards would send them to royal workshops in various states.
Empress Wang and Empress Qian joined forces and have devoted most of their energy to the various workshops of the royal family in recent years. They have money, people, and power, and their expansion speed is very fast.
The officials had many complaints about this, believing that the royal family was competing with the people for profit.
Empress Wang was initially very worried about this matter, but later, with the reform of the royal family, the emperor began to let her deal with the problems that arose in the reform.
Empress Wang suddenly realized that combining royal reforms with royal industries could not only resolve the dissatisfaction of members of the royal family during the reforms, but also free up a lot of resources for ordinary people.
The most important aspect of the royal reforms was that the privileges of the collateral branches of the princely families were reduced after three generations, and after five generations, they basically received no more stipends or rice, and various privileges for the imperial family were essentially abolished.
However, the court also relaxed some of the restrictions on them accordingly.
For example, Emperor Taizu stipulated that members of the imperial clan were not allowed to engage in commerce, take official examinations, leave their fathers' or grandfathers' fiefdoms, or compete with the common people for profit...
Zhu Qiyu relaxed these restrictions.
After three generations, officials are still not allowed to take exams, but they can engage in business, except for some special industries.
Specialized industries include, but are not limited to, salt, iron, copper, etc.
After the Five Dynasties period, they returned to the status of commoners, enjoying the same rights and privileges as ordinary citizens. They were free to engage in commerce and participate in the imperial examinations...
However, most of these members of the imperial family have been spoiled over the past few decades, and it is really difficult for them to find jobs in the short term.
At this time, the royal family's businesses could select talent from among them; those with skills could become artisans.
Those who can read, count, and do bookkeeping should become bookkeepers;
Those skilled in management should take on managerial roles...
Surprisingly, these collateral relatives of the royal family were particularly happy with their work.
What a joke! Only heaven knows how miserable their lives were before Empress Wang used them.
The ancestors stipulated that the local government was responsible for their weddings and funerals, and they also received a monthly salary and grain allowance...
In reality, the money stipulated for weddings and funerals was repeatedly delayed. In some poorer counties, the money for his grandfather's wedding was still owed and recorded in the accounts.
His father couldn't afford to get married, so he didn't get married until he was 24, and his son was born when he was 25.
When it was his turn, he was even more unlucky. The year the new emperor ascended the throne was the same year he was getting married. His family talked to the county magistrate again and again, and finally the magistrate agreed to give them money. In the end, the court issued paper money instead.
The county magistrate himself received his salary in paper money, and he immediately gave it to him as a dowry payment.
What use is paper money to them in this poor place?
He had a wad of banknotes in his hand, but he couldn't spend them all in the entire county; even the money shops wouldn't accept them.
When he finally settled the accounts, he discovered that the travel expenses to exchange the paper money in the prefectural city were more expensive than the amount of silver he received. As a result, the paper money became worthless, and his marriage was called off.
He wasn't lazy. His grandfather was allocated 120 mu of land, but his grandfather was too happy. By the time his father came of age, only 60 mu of land remained. Later, 20 mu were sold to help his father get married.
By the time he came of age, his family only had fifteen mu of land left.
Farming is too tiring and doesn't make money. He has the title of a member of the royal family, so he can't just marry any woman. The woman's family must at least be of a similar status.
The family must have at least forty acres of land and someone who can read, right?
Such a woman would demand a substantial dowry.
Sigh, if he could leave this county, he could do something else to make money. But relying solely on farming, his grandfather and father are not hard-working people, so how could they save any money?
Zhu Laosi felt he was the most wronged, born at the wrong time. If he were his grandfather, he certainly wouldn't have been so incompetent or extravagant. After all, his grandfather's father was a general of the state, and he did receive a share of the family property when the family divided, but...
Alas, I cannot think too deeply about it, for if I do, he might become unfilial.
Fortunately, Heaven took pity on them. His Majesty reformed the royal family, allowing these members of the imperial clan to leave their fiefdoms. They could not only make a living on their own, but also find employment in the royal family's properties.
As long as one isn't incompetent, even the royal workshops need staff, and one can save at least two taels of silver each month.
With two liang (a unit of weight), he can get married in half a year if he works hard.
As for the other relatives cursing and swearing... he sneered inwardly. Of course they were cursing, because they were the direct descendants, the ones with the closest bloodline. Even if the court withheld or delayed their salaries and stipends, they could still receive a lot of benefits...
But what about their descendants?
A bunch of fools who can only see what's in front of them and can't see what's in the future.
Thinking of this, Zhu Laosi felt both love and hatred for their ancestor, Emperor Taizu Gao.
Aiqi even considered their descendants and formulated policies to ensure that the imperial court would support them.
They resented that the regulations imposed on their descendants were too strict, prohibiting them from taking the imperial examinations, engaging in commerce, leaving their fiefdoms, or competing with the common people for profit. Wasn't this just letting them live off the stipends given by the court and wait to die?
Did our ancestors never consider that the imperial court might not be able to pay salaries?
Their lives were in the hands of those officials, and the feeling of being controlled by others was not pleasant at all.
Therefore, being supported by others is not a pleasant feeling at all.
A true man does not accept food offered with contempt!
(End of this chapter)