Chapter 118 Reform

These fools, if you investigate the identities of their parents, you will find that they are almost all married to close relatives.

In fact, consanguineous marriage not only gives rise to children with intellectual disabilities, but may also give rise to deformed children.

There is no such thing as a pregnancy test in this era.

Only after the child is born can we know the situation. At most, an experienced doctor can tell whether it is a boy or a girl by taking the pulse. However, it is almost impossible to find out whether the fetus has any disease by taking the pulse alone.

But why do we see idiots but rarely deformed children?

In traditional concepts, deformed children are regarded as ominous. Such children are basically "dealt with" as soon as they are born, without waiting for them to grow up.

At that time, you just need to announce to the public that a stillborn baby was born, or that the baby died just after birth. The other villagers probably know what happened, but no one will say anything more.

Because of the environment they live in, it has always been like this.

So everyone accepted this approach.

What's even more pitiful are those girls. It wasn't their fault in the first place, but when they gave birth to deformed babies, all the mistakes were blamed on them.

But now, someone tells them that marrying close relatives is a form of consanguineous marriage, which is wrong in the first place.

There is no difference between cousins.

There was a whisper in the crowd.

Someone asked: "My daughter has been engaged to my nephew since she was a child. What should I do? My eldest brother and sister-in-law on my mother's side are also cousins, but their children are not stupid and do not have any diseases."

Person in charge: "This is just an isolated case, don't take any chances."

At this time, a young man from the same village stood up and said, "Auntie, are you talking about the big cow from the next village?"

"It's Danniu, such a strong young man, he doesn't look like he has any problems at all."

The young man hesitated.

The educated youth in the village stood up and said: "Young comrade, if you have something to say, just say it directly. If there is really any problem, it will be too late to regret it in the future."

The young man hesitated for a long time before speaking: "A couple of years ago, we went fishing in the river and drifted to the next village. Li Daniu was also fishing in the river. It was hot in the summer, and his clothes got wet, so his trouser legs were rolled up. Several of us noticed that Li Daniu's skin looked like snake skin. I wonder if this is a disease caused by inbreeding?"

"Of course." Jun Qiulan stood up and said, "Marriage between close relatives can cause all kinds of strange diseases. This scaly-like disease is one of them."

The scientific principles involved were too complicated for ancient people, but if they had real cases around them, they would find it easier to understand.

The aunt who was speaking seemed a little dazed.

She was actually by her nephew's side when he was born. The symptoms were not very obvious when he was just born. He just felt that his skin was not as smooth as other babies. Her mother said that it was because it was too dry in winter and she couldn't bathe the baby.

Later, she got married and didn't go back to her parents' home very often, but every time she saw her little nephew, she would wrap herself up tightly.

Now that I think about it, there were signs for everything.

No wonder her sister-in-law rushed to arrange a marriage for her daughter just two years after she was born, saying that it would strengthen the relationship between relatives and asked her to marry her daughter back to her parents' home so that she would not have to worry about her daughter being bullied by her in-laws in the future.

Over the years, every time my daughter went back, her sister-in-law and mother loved her very much and would not let her do even the slightest bit of work.

My nephew Daniu is also tall and strong, and he is good at work.

She was also happy to see this. After all, she was also a girl. No matter how well she got along with her mother-in-law, there would always be times when she was wronged.

It seems that marrying a daughter back to her parents' home would indeed make things better.

However, I never expected that my mother's family would have such an idea.

Just imagine, if it is true as the young man said, that his nephew’s skin is as white as snake skin, which girl would not be scared when seeing him?

After getting married, there is no need to say much about the things that happen in the bridal chamber.

You can't do things while wearing clothes. You can't wear clothes for one day and wear them for the rest of your life.

If the girl sees this, won’t she go back to her parents’ home and make a fuss?

By then, won’t everyone know that a snake-skinned baby was born in their family?

Even if the truth about one's family is revealed, people will basically endure it for the sake of friendship. After all, the matter is done and it is not easy to remarry.

The aunt was so angry that her whole body was shaking, and she was very sad.

"Damn it! My daughter is already of marriageable age, but now my cousin can't get married and has broken off the engagement. How can I find another wife?"

The person in charge looked at Jun Qiulan with a slightly respectful look.

Jun Qiulan indicated that it would be more appropriate to let the person in charge speak for himself.

The person in charge nodded and continued, "This brings us back to the first question we just discussed. Auntie, how old is your daughter this year?"

"Fifteen."

The person in charge smiled and said, "That's fine. You still have two years to find a good husband for your daughter. Our government has regulations that the marriage age for men and women cannot be lower than seventeen."

Seventeen years old is the maximum age Jun Qiulan has strived for.

In a world where the average age for marriage is 14 or 15, advancing by two or three years is not easy.

They also took reality into consideration. In their time, the average life expectancy was too low, and it was impossible for everyone to get married after the age of 20.

After consulting a doctor and visiting the public, I found that the probability of a difficult birth is much reduced if one gets married at the age of seventeen.

If you get married at the age of seventeen, even if you have a child immediately after marriage, the child will be almost eighteen years old when the child is born.

The villagers below began to whisper again.

Both men and women have to wait until they are seventeen to get married. Isn’t that a little late?

Most young people in the village get married at the age of fourteen or fifteen, but some get married even earlier. If they are still not married at the age of seventeen, it is usually due to special circumstances.

For example, observing mourning period, being poor, or some other miscellaneous reasons.

After all, most families start dating when their children are around thirteen or fourteen years old, but this... suddenly it will be a few years later.

The person in charge continued, "This is also for your own good. You have lived in the village your whole life. Do we have a midwife in our village?"

There really is one in the village.

The midwife came out and asked, "Sir, what are your instructions?"

The person in charge smiled and said, "Didn't I just tell you? From now on, just call each other comrades. Auntie, you've been a midwife for many years. You've encountered women with difficult births. How old are they usually?"

The midwife thought about it.

In fact, it happens to people of all ages. Even if the first pregnancy goes smoothly, there is a possibility of a difficult birth in the second pregnancy. It is hard to say.

However, after careful calculation, "it seems that younger girls are more likely to have difficult births."

This year, their village also had a tragic accident where a girl died due to complications during childbirth, resulting in two deaths.

The person in charge's face turned serious. "Everyone has heard that. Young girls' bodies and bones are not yet fully developed. Giving birth at this age is not only dangerous for both mother and baby, but the child will also be weak and difficult to raise."

The people were whispering, and it seemed to make sense.

Some people also whispered that a girl from a certain family seemed to be in good health. She got married and received good news within two months. However, when she gave birth, the child was almost not saved and she lost it.

If you think about it, the girl was less than fifteen years old when she gave birth.

In fact, some people have noticed these problems in the past, but since everyone is like this, no one has spoken out about it.

Person in charge: "Only by ensuring good eugenics and good upbringing can our family become stronger. Healthy girls and boys, when their bodies mature, will give birth to healthier children. Only when healthy children grow up can we truly create better conditions for our family."

Eugenics and good parenting.

Everyone, please chew on these words slowly.

Yes, it’s about eugenics and good parenting. Some of the young couples in the village who are in good health have children a year or two later, and the children they give birth to are strong and rarely get sick.

There are many younger couples who cannot raise children even if they give birth to them. This actually wastes time.

It’s okay to get married two or three years later.

The girl is kept at home and can help the family a little.

The issues of late marriage and late childbearing, eugenics, and marriage between close relatives have been fully explained.

Next is the matter of going to school.

Jun Yu participated in the reform of the village school and said that both girls and boys could come to school and the tuition for everyone would be the same.

However, there are only two families in the entire village who can send their daughters to school. These two families happened to be exiled a few years ago and they know that it is beneficial for their daughters to go to school.

No one else thought this way. They felt that sending a girl to school was a waste of money and time.

Anyway, now there are educated youths leading them to get rid of illiteracy. Smart girls can learn a few words by occasionally following the educated youths. In the long run, isn’t that equivalent to learning for free?

Who is willing to spend money to send a girl to school?

The person in charge said loudly, "Everyone knows about the girls' school in the city. Later, they will open a second, a third, and even more schools. Similarly, everyone knows that the girls' school will learn technical skills and can work in factories and earn wages."

That's what happened. There were girls in the village who were selected and could bring some money home every month. Their families were very happy, and when they talked about marriage, they had the confidence to look for a husband from a better-off family.

The person in charge continued, "The principal of the girls' school is no stranger to our village. Mrs. Song said that the girls' school has limited educational resources, but the job demand is high. If a girl can directly pass the cultural level test, she can directly go to work and earn wages. Workers who study at the girls' school can deduct their tuition from their work, but female workers who are directly hired do not need to use their wages to deduct tuition."

Finally, he added in a very serious tone, "But everyone, remember, you have to be able to pass the girls' school exam, not just knowing a few words."

He explained it in great detail.

Not a single villager could not understand.

They did a careful calculation.

Send the girl at home to the village school for two years. Education is cheaper now, and the specific expenses can be saved by gritting your teeth. When the girl goes to the factory to earn money, won’t the tuition fees be earned back, right?

It is actually more cost-effective than passing the admission application first, continuing to study in a girls' school, and then using the wages earned to offset the tuition.

The person in charge continued, "At the village school, girls' tuition is only half of boys'. Of course, this money is used by our organization to supplement the school. We will talk about the specific implementation period of this policy in the future. Everyone, hurry up, maybe this policy will be cancelled in the future."

The girl’s tuition fee was halved, which was also the result of a discussion between Jun Qiulan and Tian Rui.

If the tuition fee is the same as that for boys, many people will still be reluctant to send girls to school, even if they have the opportunity to work in factories and earn money in the future. After all, literacy education for educated youth is free, and how much they can learn is a result of their own ability.

But what if the tuition fee is reduced by half? More people will be tempted.

The person in charge continued, "In the village school, if a girl has excellent academic performance, she can be recommended by the educated youth teacher and take the factory recruitment exam first."

This is another bargaining chip.

To improve the status of women in this era and awaken girls, what should we do? We must first let them see their own value.

Otherwise, shouting slogans every day will be useless.

Only when you realize your self-worth can you hold your head up and speak.

In addition to working as basic female workers in factories, outstanding girls may also be trained and move to higher and further positions.

Over time, everyone's ideas will change.

This will be a long process, but it must begin somewhere.

Everything has been discussed almost completely, and only then did we start collecting this year's grain tax.

The grain tax was halved, and each household was required to give half of the amount they prepared, and the rest would be their own food.

An old farmer sighed and wondered why his life was getting better and better as he got older.

Jun Qiulan looked for a while, and Tian Rui came over.

"Comrade Jun, the task you assigned to me earlier has been resolved."

He was referring to the reform of brothels.

Then this kind of topic is not suitable to be discussed among ordinary people.

"Come to your house and sit down."

Tian Rui nodded quickly, "There are two comrades at home, and it is also thanks to the method provided by Comrade Jun before."

It is probably difficult to achieve a thorough reform that will keep everyone away from the "entertainment" industry in the short term.

If the government enforces the law, what will the girls and boys do then?

It is only appropriate to give them another path.

No matter where you are or what era you are in, entertainment is indispensable.

People went to the brothel Nanfengguan not just for that kind of thing, but also just to have tea, listen to music and watch performances.

It’s just that this place is barren and all entertainment is concentrated in one place.

What they want to do now is to get rid of those dirty things and make money through serious performances so that they are not inferior to others.

Just like Jun Qiulan, wasn't he also a so-called actor in modern times?

Concepts need to be changed slowly.

Tian Rui has lived in the capital for so many years, and the entertainment in the capital is much richer.

Don't confuse brothels with brothels and whorehouses.

Now, with Tian Rui's preliminary reform, the brothel and Nanfeng Pavilion have been transformed into prostitutes, where people can drink tea, listen to music, watch plays, and listen to storytelling.

In addition, Jun Qiulan also provided some entertainment.

Board games.

Werewolf, mahjong, Monopoly, etc.

Gambling is not allowed, but you can bring a few friends with you, drink tea and play games together.

As for the girls and boys from the past, they all changed their appearance and started as waiters. Those with special skills participated in performances.

I can always make a living, and it is safer and more decent than my previous job.

As for the indenture.

Don’t think about it, the next thing the government will deal with is the issue of indentures.

From now on, everyone will be human, there will be no slaves.

After Tian Rui finished explaining the recent arrangements, he continued, "The madam at the brothel only considered it for a day before agreeing to our reforms. The Nanfeng Pavilion where I used to stay hasn't replied yet."

Mostly hanging.

He also knew the brothel owner's character.

The boy was sold in, did business once, and got very little money. The rest was all taken by the madam, who also said: Your family sold you here, I spent money, provided you with food and drink, and taught you skills.

Jun Qiulan thought for a moment and said, "If necessary, we can ask the government to intervene. We should criminalize □□ in the future. Without customers, we'll see how he can do business."

If you want to make money then, won’t you have to follow their reforms?

Tian Rui smiled and said, "We think so too."

The new laws are still being gradually improved, and in the future, the emperor will be punished the same as the common people if he breaks the law.

No, they will no longer have an emperor.

Anyone who breaks the law will receive the same punishment. The powerful will never again be superior to ordinary people, and rich people will never be able to reduce their punishment by spending some money.

Speaking of the improvement of the law, it is also the main purpose of Jun Qiulan's request for leave today.

He needs to go to the city and discuss it with everyone in person.

If we want to govern the country according to law, there will still be shortcomings if we rely solely on a few people to carry out reforms on the existing basis.

Jun Qiulan had previously given them a modern civil code as a reference, but they couldn't copy it entirely.

Don't take too big a step.

After talking about the reforms of the brothel and Nanfeng Pavilion, Jun Qiulan prepared to go into the city.

There is no time to waste, I'm afraid I'll have to travel through the house in the city at noon.

But at this time, Tian Rui called him again.

"Comrade Jun, besides brothels and the Nanfeng Pavilion, there are also prostitutes and brothels. Reforming places like these is even more difficult. I wonder if Comrade Jun has any good suggestions?"

In fact, these are not within Jun Qiulan’s scope of expertise, but this matter is still very important to him.

This kind of place is a gray area that cannot be completely eliminated even after being banned by law.

Even in another world, he had heard of similar things.

He made up his mind: "Then let the government crack down on this place completely. Gather all the girls and boys first, and I will find a way to settle them down."

It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.

The best way is to find a good place for them to live so that they can support themselves.

Maybe setting up another factory would be a good option?

But what is this factory supposed to do? What can they do?

This needs further consideration.

Other factories first determine what they are going to do and then recruit workers in a targeted manner. This factory is different.

"Okay, Comrade Jun, go ahead and get busy." Tian Rui said, "I'll discuss this with the other two comrades. Oh, and by the way, when you go into the city and see the hustle and bustle, don't laugh at us."

What's so exciting?

Jun Qiulan entered the city out of curiosity, and when he saw it, he couldn't help laughing.

It turned out that Tian Rui hired a group of children to sing nursery rhymes.

The general content is that women can also hold up half the sky, they should walk out of the backyard, take off their aprons, and do what they want to do.

It was the same problem Jun Qiulan had thought about before. Without actual policies to support it, just shouting slogans would be of little use.

But it's not completely useless.

At the very least, the seeds were planted in their hearts.

So that if they are wronged or have grievances in the future, they can find help from the Women's Federation.

Jun Qiulan joined in the fun for a while.

Then I went to find Duan Wen, Jiang Lu, and several other comrades who participated in the revision of the criminal law.

The first edition must be almost finished.

"Comrade Jun, please take a look first," said Jiang Lu. "From the lighter punishment of custody and education to the more severe punishment of the death penalty, every article has been reformed based on the original. In addition, there are some new ones, such as how clans will be sentenced if they privately deal with family members who have made mistakes."

The issue of clans cannot be ignored.

The government and local clans, just like the emperor and the aristocratic families, had to maintain a balance.

Now they are going to break this balance. In fact, it is not just the clan, but many villages are the same.

When someone in the clan or village commits a crime, the head of the village, the village chief, and the elders usually discuss the matter together and then deal with the criminal directly.

Even though this reduces the trouble for the government, how many unjust, false and wrong cases are there?

The abuse of lynching has always been unacceptable.

In fact, they don’t have to handle it themselves. In most cases, it is too troublesome to report the case and everyone is afraid to see the authorities.

The government office faces south. If you don't have money, don't come in.

This is a rhyme that everyone knows.

Unless it is a huge injustice or a major case, there are not many people willing to come to the government office to report the case.

This situation needs to change.

Change it severely.

Their future government agencies should serve the people.

Jun Qiulan nodded. "Thank you all for your hard work recently. Once the laws here are drafted, you can take a break. We'll have to set up one or two new departments related to law in a while, so you'll be busy again then."

He was referring to the police station and the court.

In the future, when people report a crime, they no longer need to go to the government office to complain, but can go directly to the police station to register the report.

The police, or detectives, will then investigate the case and arrest the person after confirming the facts. However, they are only responsible for arresting people, and the decision on how to make the judgment is left to the court.

Break down each department into smaller parts.

Once upon a time, Duan Wen was a prefect who had to try cases and handle various official duties.

Then, it would be most appropriate to set up such a department and have Jiang Lu, who took the lead in reforming the law, take the lead.

He personally amended and reformed the laws, he couldn't just go against his own will.

Lawyer Jiang looked at Duan Wen embarrassedly.

This is a decentralization of power from Prefect Duan.

Duan Wen smiled and said, "Let's quickly set up this department. Even though there aren't many people reporting crimes, Border Town is still quite large. Even if there's only one case a day, it'll be enough to keep me busy."

If he could hand over tasks like arresting people, solving cases, and judging people, he would feel more relaxed.

Jun Qiulan meant the same thing.

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The author has something to say: I will definitely be able to update for you tomorrow.

Love you guys, muah [kiss][kiss][kiss]