In a flash, Zhao Ming had been back in Nanjing for several months, and gradually it was late December, and ten days were the New Year of 1665.Approaching the New Year, the city of Nanjing is more prosperous than before.
Today, Nanjing, as the cultural and political center of the Ming Dynasty, has become the largest metropolis in the world, with a large number of powerful people and gentry and businessmen living in the city, and the fixed population plus floating population has exceeded one million.At this time, as the New Year is approaching, the city is bustling with people, and the people of Nanjing have come out one after another to buy New Year's goods on the street.At noon that day, Zhao Ming put on a little makeup, wore a six-fold hat, a cotton coat inside, a brocade robe outside, a leather belt around his waist, and a fan in his hand.However, he stayed in Southeast Asia for two years, and his skin became dark and rough after years of conquest, and he really didn't look like a boy or a scholar, and he looked a little nondescript in his dress.With Zhao Ming, he paid a private visit to Weifu, and it was Du Yinxi and Chen Mingyu, two ministers, who were very similar to Mr.
Teaching.Although it is said that if it is peaceful today, the great enemy of the Ming Dynasty will be eliminated, but the regent has destroyed a lot of countries, and there may be remnants of forces with bad intentions, so behind the three of them, there are more than 30 Jinyi guards far away.The guards all looked nervous, staring at the surrounding situation without blinking, for fear that Zhao Ming would make a mistake.However, Zhao Ming, who was protected, did not have the consciousness of being cautious at all, and ran around the city at will, not worried about his safety.This is because Zhao Ming feels that no one wants to kill him in the current Ming Dynasty, and the second is that he feels that except for muskets, it is difficult for ordinary assassins to get close to him.At this time, Zhao Ming and the three of them watched around the street, the purpose was to understand the lives of all strata and people in the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing today, especially the feelings of the people at the bottom.The three of them wandered around the street for a while, and when it was noon, they found a stall on the street and sat down.The guards who followed, with large heads for a while, could only spread around, observing the surrounding situation without affecting the regent's investigation.Zhao Ming ordered a pot of wine and a few snacks, and then sat and chatted while eating.Zhao Ming sat for a long time, and found that there was no customer in this wine stall for half a day, so he couldn't help but ask the boss: "Uncle, your stall has been supporting for a long time, why is no one patronizing!"
”The boss looked at the three of them and said with a smile: "It's a cold day, now everyone has money, and the guests are willing to go to the house to sit, so I am naturally deserted here."
However, I see that the three guests, who are also rich and noble, have just returned from Nanyang, so why not spend a few more copper dollars to sit in the store. ”Zhao Ming raised his eyebrows, "Are Nanjing people very rich?"
”"That's natural, Nanjing Daming Jingshi, how many princes and noble grandsons, live here.They are all rich, and we, the common people, do something with them, or go to work in the factories in Waiguo City, and the income is not bad!
”The stall owner smiled: "If it wasn't us from Nanjing, now even Suzhou and Yangzhou can't compare with us!"
”Zhao Ming said with a smile: "They are all so rich, then the old man's stall, isn't there no one to eat!"
”The old man said: "That's not it, those who work for people will only have a salary of two or three silver dollars a month, where can they go to the restaurant every day."
I'll be fine with this business when I get off work later. ”While talking, there were already a few men, sitting down on the stall, and eating was relatively simple, just a big bowl of noodles, looking at the clothes, it should be workers from a nearby workshop.The worker seemed to have heard the conversation between Zhao Ming and the old man, and interjected: "Although you can't go to the restaurant every day, but you have enough to eat and drink, there is no problem, you can still have some money left every month, add a new clothes to your family at the end of the year, and then cut half a sheep, dozens of catties of pork, life is much better than before." ”"That's right!
This is all thanks to the regent. ”Although the diners were blowing the cold wind and eating noodles, they did not forget to praise Zhao Ming, "If it weren't for the regent, who eliminated those vassal kings, and let the gentry and merchants pay taxes, and didn't put taxes on us poor, how could there be such a good life." ”"But it's also annoying to say, those old money paid taxes, they are still richer than us, we are tired and tired, but the money of the factory is earned by them!"
Some workers laughed and scolded.Zhao Ming listened to it for a while, and it seemed that his approach of making the cake bigger and alleviating internal contradictions basically felt effective.Although the gentry and merchants now bear the main taxes and pay a large amount of taxes and silver to the imperial court, they enjoy the dividends of overseas trade and colonial expansion, and on the whole, they must have earned as much as before, so they are basically satisfied with the imperial court, and are not as antagonistic as before.Because Zhao Ming pacified the clan, reformed the clan, solved more than 100,000 privileged classes, confiscated the clan's land, and added the commercial tax in the Jiangnan Qingzhang field, which changed the tax situation of the Ming Dynasty and solved the two stubborn diseases of the gentry and the clan who did not pay taxes, which naturally reduced the pressure on the people who originally paid taxes.Now the people have to pay less taxes, and they have participated in the commercialization and industrialization of the Ming Dynasty, their income has increased, and their lives have become better, but in the face of richer gentlemen and businessmen, there is a little imbalance in their hearts.Zhao Ming smiled and asked: "A few old brothers, the money in the factory was earned by the businessman, how did the businessman treat the workers?"
”Some of the men said: "I used to live a lot of money and little money, and I was tired and tired every day, so I could only barely make ends meet."
However, in the past few months, I heard that because the regent won the battle in Nanyang and opened up the market of tens of millions of people, all factories are looking for people to expand production, so the wages given by the owner have also risen!
”"Humph!
Can he not go up?
If it doesn't rise, I won't do it here, go to the Li factory in the west of the city, their owner, the moon silver has reached three yuan!
”A grumpy man, obviously a little dissatisfied with the current owner."
Li Shi gave more before, but he worked until the third watch in the morning, and he went to work for more than six hours a day, and he couldn't stand it.""
In this way, you have to find a way to enter the state-owned factory, four hours a day, and the monthly silver is also high, but it doesn't matter, it's difficult to enter!""
Speaking of which, it's still a workshop run by the regent, and the treatment is the best, but it's a pity that it's not easy to enter!"
Zhao Ming listened to the discussions of the people and knew that the Ming Dynasty's mercantile policy, and most of the overseas trade were taken away by merchants and gentry, but the people actually did not get much benefit.The development of commerce has brought more opportunities to the people and made more money, but it is still hard money, and oppression and exploitation are still very heavy.Zhao Ming did not want to cultivate big capitalists and monopoly chaebols, squeeze and suck the blood of the people, but to let the people of the Ming Dynasty live a prosperous life, and it seems that the decree to safeguard the interests of the workers should also be introduced.Zhao Ming is preparing to rebuild the Da Ming Law, which can be carried out at the same time.()