Chapter 75 Zhao Huan's Small Reforms

After Emperor Retired Zhao Ji and Crown Prince Zhao Chen left Bianliang and traveled to Luoyang, the Bianjing Palace suddenly became lively.

Zhao Huan also shook his head in confusion. It didn't make sense. A group of people had left, so why was it so lively?

You won't know until you investigate. Once you investigate, you will be shocked. There are more than 6,000 beautiful girls serving the emperor and working near Longde Palace. They are not all as beautiful as flowers, but at least they are of above average appearance.

To put it in a more vivid way, it's like getting a "tyrant emperor experience card" and walking into Wuyou Media. There are thousands of beautiful women in Wuyou, but who is your number one?

Perhaps it was because he inherited Zhao Huan's innate loyalty after traveling through time, or perhaps it was because of the deep-rooted influence of monogamy. Although Zhao Huan was occasionally fickle, he really had no intention of doing anything reckless.

A large number of eunuchs were lost in the Bian Jing Palace. Doctor Sun had submitted a memorial requesting additional eunuchs for several days, but Zhao Huan had not approved it.

As a good boy who was born in the sunshine and grew up in the spring breeze, it was difficult for Zhao Huan to accept the eunuchs' inhumane behavior from the bottom of his heart.

[Author's note: I apologize to all readers for having the idea of a eunuch a few days ago. This shouldn't be the case. It's absolutely wrong.]

If eunuchs were not added, then normal men would have to be allowed into the Bianjing Palace. Desire was difficult to control, and with so many unfavored concubines in the palace, if they were not careful, a mishap would bring disgrace to the Bianjing Palace.

After hesitating for a long time, Zhao Huan simply waved his hand and started the reform starting with the concubines in the palace, changing them from iron rice bowls to contract workers.

About one hundred beauties were left behind to match the number of eunuchs, and the rest were all sent home with all the travel expenses, salaries and compensation they deserved, so that they could go back and reunite with their families.

Unlike maids and servants, concubines generally came from official families with relatively good family conditions. After being sent back, they would have a good home and contribute to the population growth of the Song Dynasty.

If there really is a girl who is no longer a young lady but has been favored by the retired emperor, the honest man (the one who takes over) should feel lucky that he has the opportunity to experience it, and to experience the happiness that the retired emperor once had many times.

The beautiful ladies who were willing to stay in the palace would change their jobs from a stable job to a contract worker, with a renewal period of three years. If they wanted to leave the Bian Jing Palace or get married after the contract expired, they could do so.

You only need to apply one month in advance to give the Bian Jing Palace enough time to find new people. Otherwise, you will have to work for an extra month. Of course, the salary will not be reduced by a penny.

Of course, romances in the Bianjing Palace were strictly prohibited.

Zhao Huan felt that his whole body was shining with the light of humanitarianism, and it felt so good to save all living beings.

Once the problem of the concubines is solved, it will not be a problem for the Bianjing Palace to appropriately add some servants who are both physically and mentally healthy. All that is needed is to introduce some rules and regulations and include them in the salary assessment.

After all this, the Bianjing Palace finally stopped being filled with the sounds of birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. Zhao Huan was not the emperor emeritus, and people's joys and sorrows were not the same. He only thought they were noisy.

At noon, Zhao Huan got up from Renming Hall, washed up, and then jogged around the square in front of the Bianjing Palace, doing some simple morning exercises.

With such a high status and so much money, how can you be worthy of yourself if you don't take good care of your health? People of the same status compete with each other in terms of physical fitness and who can live longer.

According to the tradition or ancestral system of the Song Dynasty, most court sessions were held from 4 to 7 p.m. After the court session, everyone returned to their respective workstations and could leave work at 3 p.m.

Zhao Huan said that this was totally unacceptable and really not healthy.

Isn't it just a morning meeting before work? If there's anything you can't decide, please ask Your Majesty to make a decision. If there's any wrangling and buck-passing between departments, please ask Your Majesty to put some pressure on them...

It has always been difficult to coordinate cross-departmental matters.

It must be changed.

The Jin army has withdrawn, and we can proceed as planned.

Eight am to six pm is fine, including lunch time, which is ten hours a day. If officials don't slack off, it is enough to handle official business.

There is no mandatory requirement for officials to work overtime, but there is an incentive mechanism. As long as you work overtime, you will be paid overtime pay.

Ninety percent of the officials applauded. Who could stand getting up at three o'clock every day, earlier than the chickens?

Now that Your Majesty has taken the lead in violating the ancestral system, and everyone is silent, we have acquiesced.

In short, we reached a consensus on this matter smoothly.

From 8:00 to 8:30 is the preparation time for officials going to court. If you have anything to report, please prepare it in advance. From 8:30 to 9:30, there is an hour for everyone to report on key work.

If there are any issues that cannot be resolved at the morning court, after the court is adjourned, call three or five key people and hold a small meeting with His Majesty to resolve the issue.

It has always been like this: big meetings are held for small matters, small meetings are held for big matters, and no meetings are held for particularly important matters.

As mentioned earlier, lunch was provided by the imperial court free of charge from noon to 2 p.m. It was served in a buffet style, with four meat dishes and four vegetarian dishes prepared every day, as well as various snacks and fruits, with no limit on quantity.

They are all high-ranking officials in the court. They would not do such a shameful thing as taking away the food after having eaten it all.

Officials' rest days have also been changed from two days a month to one day a week. It is good enough to have an eight-hour work system. It is impossible to have two days off a week. Do you think you are in New China?

When there is a day off, it is natural to arrange for duty. It is unacceptable that when the day off comes, everyone leaves in droves, making the government office like a haunted house. Who will solve the problems for the people?

The duty arrangements naturally start with the leader, who is then assigned two younger brothers. As usual, the duty pay is doubled.

Whether in ancient times or in modern times, if you want to make some changes, you must figure out whether anyone's interests will be harmed.

Would changing the morning court time be bad for them? Basically not. Who would explicitly oppose something that benefits no one and might even offer some benefits?

Of course, nothing is absolute. The reason why I say basically is that we cannot rule out the possibility that some older people who sleep less want to get up early.

There is a solution to this problem. We can promote Tai Chi, shuttlecock kicking, square dancing, Peking opera, etc. to the old men, and the problem will be solved immediately.

If this still doesn't work, then promote the morning tea culture in restaurants and publish some newspapers. That way, things should be settled.

As for being on duty, the old rules are to reach a consensus based on interests. If there really is a leader who has no desires and only wants to punch in and out, you can change your job. If you don't want to be a leader, you don't have to be on duty every time.

Naturally, and also for the sake of comfort, Zhao Huan made some small changes that were in line with his own living habits.

The purpose is very simple, which is to be humane.

Thanks for the recommendation votes, 6 and 7.

The author, who is very short-sighted, was very happy.