Chapter 907
Private Visit on Weibo
Chapter 907 Private Visit on Weibo
In the Ming Dynasty, as long as the money is there, things will be done very quickly.
Empress Wang was not only wealthy but also powerful, so Pan Yun found a good location and drew up the design plans. In less than a month, a textile workshop was established in the eastern suburbs of the capital.
Palace maids who were released from the palace but had nowhere to go and were unwilling to marry could choose to work in workshops, earning a monthly wage of eight to five taels of silver.
Apart from those palace maids who had some savings, the vast majority of palace maids chose to go.
"I found out that the workshop provides food and lodging, and offers two days off every ten days, just like government officials."
Will we all receive our wages?
"I made some inquiries, and everyone says it's a workshop personally overseen by the two empresses, so the manager wouldn't dare to cause trouble. We should be able to get all of it."
Palace maids also received salaries, but they rarely managed to save any money because of the many rules and regulations in the palace.
Some palaces require offerings after receiving the money; others deduct a portion and distribute the money directly.
In addition, their daily expenses and medical care required extra money, and palace maids who received few rewards could not save much money in their entire lives.
If the workshops could pay real silver, that would be just as good as working in the palace.
"Besides us, the workshop also posted a notice that it would recruit some more spinning and weaving workers from outside. I think they will be even less likely to withhold money."
"Then... they won't issue paper money, will they?"
The palace maid who went to inquire about the news immediately fell silent.
The palace likes to issue paper money, and for the past few months, their salaries have been paid in paper money, until this time when the resettlement allowance for leaving the palace was paid in silver.
But... paper money isn't worth much.
The palace maid sighed, "Shouldn't it be silver coins, not paper money?"
Compared to the anxious palace maids, the female workers outside the palace had much simpler thoughts.
Upon hearing the news of the job openings, they immediately went to apply. After finding out the wages and learning that it was a workshop run by two empresses, they immediately tried their best to get in.
As for whether it will be issued in paper money or silver coins, is there any question left?
Of course, it's money.
The paper money had no market among ordinary people; even if you tried to buy a bunch of scallions with it, the vegetable farmer would refuse.
Today, Pan Yun took a handful of banknotes and dragged the Empress along to see the workshop officially open for business, and also went shopping.
Today is a day off, and the streets are bustling.
On days off, officials would spend time with their families and socialize with their colleagues. Schools such as the Imperial Academy would also take days off in accordance with the imperial court, and students would come out to relax. Even the five armies outside the city had the same days off.
Therefore, the capital city is especially lively on these two days every ten days, and even the beggars on the street are more alert.
The Imperial Guards were scattered around, following the Emperor and Empress at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
Pan Yun and the emperor and empress were accompanied only by Yin Qingjun, a female official Chunxi, and a eunuch Cheng Jing.
The six of them had just left the imperial city when they encountered Yu Qian, who was walking against the flow of traffic.
Yu Qian: ...
Yu Qian watched them silently.
The emperor and empress paused, instantly feeling guilty, and shrank back like well-behaved model students who had skipped class and saw the head teacher.
Pan Yun, standing to the side, was an arrogant underachiever. Not only did he not feel guilty about abducting the emperor and empress, he also enthusiastically raised his hand to greet Yu Qian: "Lord Yu, you're working overtime on your day off? That must be hard work."
Yu Qian said coldly, "There are still some memorials that have not been reviewed. In order to avoid any urgent matters, they need to be processed and submitted as soon as possible."
Yu Qian's gaze slid from Pan Yun to the Emperor and Empress, his eyes narrowing slightly: "Where are Your Majesty and the Empress going?" It's one thing for the Emperor to leave the palace.
Anyway, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty always liked to sneak out of the palace, and Yu Qian didn't think it was a bad thing. As long as they didn't encounter assassins, it was also beneficial for the emperor to understand the affairs of ordinary people by mingling in the city.
Even if you can only see a drop of water in the vast ocean, it's still better than staying in the palace with your eyes covered.
But why did the Empress also leave the palace?
The number of times each empress left the palace could be counted on one hand; some empresses even could only leave the palace once before their death.
Yu Qian's gaze swept quickly over the Empress, and he frowned without saying a word.
Empress Wang was also a little nervous and couldn't help but look at the Emperor. Seeing that his face was red and he dared not speak, she was about to explain when Pan Yun stepped forward with a smile and stood to her side, saying, "Your Majesty is compassionate to the poor and weak. The textile workshop in the eastern suburbs is about to open, and Your Majesty and Your Majesty would like to go and see the new spinning and weaving machines in the workshop."
Yu Qian's attention was immediately diverted: "New-style spinning and weaving machines?"
“Yes,” Pan Yun said casually, “I heard it’s three times more efficient than modern spinning and weaving machines.”
Yu Qian was immediately invigorated and decided to go with them to see it.
Pan Yun tilted her head: "Isn't Lord Yu going to review the memorials?"
Yu Qian said calmly, "There's still time for a retrial this afternoon."
That's so pitiful. This isn't just working half a day, it's a whole day of overtime, and it's automatic overtime.
Pan Jun looked at the emperor and exclaimed, "With such a diligent and capable minister, Your Majesty, how can you worry about the world not being peaceful and prosperous?"
Seeing that Yu Qian didn't blame him for leaving the palace, the emperor immediately straightened up and nodded repeatedly, saying, "With Yu Qian around, I am indeed much more relaxed."
So everyone went to the eastern suburbs together.
Before they even left the city, Yu Qian spotted Chen Xun in the crowd and immediately called out to him, "Lord Chen, new spinning and weaving machines have come out of the textile workshops in the eastern suburbs. Won't you go and take a look?"
Holding his son's hand in his left hand and his daughter's hand in his right, Chen Xun, who was waiting outside the silk shop for his wife to choose fabric, was thus pulled into the ranks of those working overtime by Yu Qian.
He could only call his wife out to pay respects to the Emperor and Empress, then hand his children over to her and silently join the procession.
When the group arrived at the eastern suburbs, the number of people decreased, and the accompanying Imperial Guards slowly appeared, following the Emperor and Empress at a respectful distance.
However, with Pan Yun around, the emperor and empress would not be in great danger, which was one of the reasons why the emperor was willing to take Empress Wang out of the palace.
The workshop is divided into three parts: one is the work area, the weaving workshop and the spinning workshop face each other, the factory building is rectangular, and there is a wide road in the middle that can accommodate three horse-drawn carriages side by side;
One is the warehouse, located at the back and left of the work area. It is also the sorting area. The raw materials brought in must be sorted in the sorting area next to the warehouse and then sent to the corresponding workshops. The threads and fabrics produced in the workshops must also be put into the warehouse.
One is the accommodation and dining area.
The textile workshops were mostly staffed by women, but not only women. For example, the porters were men, and the managers were also split between men and women. So the dormitory area was divided into two sections, but the canteen was in the same area.
These were all built within a month. The mud-brick houses were covered with tiles, and the houses were uniformly equipped with spinning machines, looms, and kang (heated brick beds). They were somewhat simple, but they were clean and tidy.
However, Yu Qian and Chen Xun didn't pay attention to that; they only looked at the looms and spinning machines.
The female workers had previously learned how to use the new looms and spinning machines, and today they officially started work. Those who knew how to use them immediately started working, while those who didn't continue to learn. The workshop was bustling with activity.
Yu Qian and Chen Xun stood with their hands behind their backs watching a female worker spin thread.
Both of them were familiar with the spinning machine; one was the Minister of Revenue, and the other had helped his wife pull the thread before.
Since both of them had served as local officials, they had naturally seen many spinning machines.
After watching for a while, the two discovered the secret.
(End of this chapter)