pdf-ebookys Chapter 1003: Being schemed against by you, the son-in-law of the Ma family, time and again, is this
Chapter 1003: Being schemed against by you, the son-in-law of the Ma family, time and again, is this
Upon hearing the name Liu Dingbei, Emperor Zhu, Zhu Biao, Li Shanchang, and others immediately turned pale.
When Liu Dingbei was first captured, he told Emperor Zhu, "If you don't kill me and are willing to let me return to the northern desert, I will definitely make the Hu Yuan and the Ming Dynasty make peace forever and never fight again."
Now things have really turned out this way. Hu Yuan is now the only son of the pseudo-emperor and the future successor of the pseudo-emperor Hu Yuan. Emperor Zhu was actually willing to let him go back, but instead of returning to Mobei, he cried and begged to join Zhu Biao in sealing the wolf's lair!
What the hell is going on?!
Even more amazing is that Marquis Guide, Chen Li, was the son of Chen Youliang, and Marquis Guiyi, Ming Sheng, was the son of Ming Yuzhen. These two were stirring up trouble on the Korean side. Chen Li even offered his head to Wang Zhuan to behead him, his mind filled with how to become an envoy of the Han.
Now there's also Liu Dingbei, the son of the Hu Yuan emperor Ayushiridara, and these three together...
Emperor Zhu couldn't help but glare at Yang Shaofeng.
Who did Chen Li and Ming Sheng learn bad habits from?
Who sent the schoolteacher to corrupt Liu Dingbei?
That bastard!
Seeing the Emperor Zhu's ugly face, as if he had swallowed a fly, Yang Shaofeng felt a great sense of relief, because the resentment he had accumulated over the past few days due to Lao Deng's repeated schemes had completely dissipated.
This is right.
I am, after all, the renowned Yang the Madman, yet I have been outmaneuvered by you, a son-in-law of the Ma family, for the past few days. Is this acceptable?
This is outrageous!
The script should have been "Deng, is the will-o'-the-wisp safe?" Why do you, old Deng, think you can scheme to make me work like a slave for you?
It should be me who schemed against you!
Yang Shaofeng glanced at Emperor Zhu and Li Shanchang, then chuckled and said, "Your Excellency, I have just thought of something else."
Emperor Zhu's mind was filled with alarm bells, while Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen exchanged a blank glance.
Fine.
The revenge I'd been waiting for for days finally arrived.
Finally, I don't have to worry and overthink anymore.
Yang Shaofeng said while considering his words, "A couple of days ago, my father-in-law asked me if we could resolve the labor issue immediately."
"My son-in-law said at the time that soldiers over the age of 35 should retire from the military."
"It was also mentioned that we should buy more and recruit more workers."
Emperor Zhu hummed in agreement and preemptively said, "The methods proposed by my son-in-law are all quite good, and Wang Zhuan has even offered himself up for us, hasn't he?"
Yang Shaofeng shook his head slightly and said, "Wang Zhuan's initiative to come to our door has certainly alleviated some of the manpower shortage, but for the manpower that the entire Ming Dynasty is currently lacking, relying solely on the Koreans... Goryeo is not enough."
"I've been thinking about this for the past two days, and I think that our Great Ming can actually squeeze out more manpower, and that each prefecture and county can squeeze out a portion of it."
"After all, things like building community schools and railways are major events that concern the fate of the Ming Dynasty. It's more reassuring for the people of the Ming Dynasty to use them, and it also gives them more opportunities to make money."
As Yang Shaofeng finished speaking, Emperor Zhu and Li Shanchang's hearts were in their throats.
The fact that people could be squeezed out from various prefectures and counties shows that these people who were "squeezed out" were all ordinary citizens of the Ming Dynasty.
All prefectures and counties are now facing a shortage of manpower, so where can people be "squeezed out"?
Garrison?
As mentioned a couple of days ago, the garrison system will be piloted in Shandong Province and Zhili Province. Soldiers under the age of 35 stationed in these two garrisons will be discharged from the military and their status will be changed from military households to civilian households.
Their destinations had even been arranged in advance—either they would be transferred to work in the Liaodong reclamation area, or they would be directly incorporated into the local government as yamen runners.
The problem is, besides the health center, where else can we find a large number of people to squeeze in?
common people?
Requisitioning people from the countryside would mean affecting agriculture and sericulture, which are the things that cannot be affected the most.
To put it bluntly, the Ming Dynasty couldn't even collect a single penny of land tax, yet it still sent out its garrisons to plunder neighboring vassal states.
But what if agriculture and sericulture are affected, and food security is affected?
Ordinary people who can't survive won't care about the Ming Dynasty!
Just as Emperor Zhu was pondering this in his mind, Yang Shaofeng chuckled and said, "Back when I was in Ningyang County, I shouted the slogan 'Women are used like men, and men are used like livestock' in order to dig Daming Lake and the Prince Canal."
“Even now, there are still a large number of women working in workshops in Ningyang County.”
“Even brick kilns have female workers.”
Emperor Zhu and Li Shanchang fell silent.
Should women be made to work like men?
Can it work?
This involves more than just whether women can do heavy work like men.
Do equal pay for equal work?
Safety concerns for women working in factories?
Even the traditional model of men working outside the home and women working inside the home, which has been stable for thousands of years, is about to be broken.
Is the impact of this good or bad?
……
After leaving Lao Deng, Li Shanchang, and the others with a whole host of questions that would make them lose their hair, Yang Shaofeng strolled off to the meeting hall.
After all, they were easy prey, so they had to give Wang Zhuan some face.
So, Yang Shaofeng looked at Wang Zhuan, who was bowing to greet him, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, no need for formalities."
Wang Zhuan was completely bewildered by the phrase "no need for formalities".
I am the King of Goryeo.
According to Park Sung-sung's account of the Ming Dynasty's tributary system, this official was at least equivalent to a prince.
You, Yang the Madman, actually dare to ask me to dispense with formalities?
No, are you this arrogant when you see a prince from your own Ming Dynasty?
Wang Zhuan was a little confused, but Park Sung-sung, who came out to greet him with him, dared not be confused at all—even a proper prince would have to go up and call him brother-in-law when he saw Yang Dianfeng. What use is a prince-ranking vassal king?
Park Sung-sung stepped forward and bowed to Yang Shaofeng, saying, "This humble subject greets Your Highness, the Prince Consort."
Yang Shaofeng smiled and nodded, then took the lead and walked into the meeting hall.
Once they were seated in the rooms that had been arranged in advance, Yang Shaofeng said with a smile, "According to the rules, when a prince comes to the Ming Dynasty, the Court of State Ceremonial should make the reception arrangements first, and the Ministry of Rites should also arrange a banquet."
"However, the Ministry of Rites has been extremely busy lately, and the Court of State Ceremonial is equally overwhelmed. As a result, we have neglected Your Majesty. We hope Your Majesty will forgive us."
Wang Zhuan had calmed down by this time, and upon hearing this, he smiled and replied, "The Great Ming is the parent of all nations under heaven. Goryeo is the son of the Great Ming. My visit to the Great Ming to pay tribute to His Highness the Crown Prince's wedding is like a traveler returning home. We are family, so there is no need for so many formalities. Moreover, the Honglu Temple has made all the arrangements very well, and I am already extremely grateful. How could I possibly blame you?"
Yang Shaofeng laughed and said, "Since the King does not take offense, then I am relieved."