Chapter 105: Not Doing Business
Money, a whole box full of money, and all of it was copper coins, not banknotes, nor gold, silver, or jewelry.
Although a box of copper coins may not seem like a large amount, for the craftsmen of the Baochao Tizhusi, it was definitely a huge sum of money.
"From now on, you will receive your wages every day at the end of your workday. Each person will receive thirty coins, and there will be no cheating. The money is right here. As long as you work diligently for the court, the court will definitely not treat you unfairly."
After hearing what Zhu Chong said and seeing the money in front of them, the craftsmen were instantly stunned.
Everyone was staring at the box of money, and those with a bad mentality were swallowing hard. No one could react immediately.
This is a box of money. The craftsmen here can say that they have never seen so much money in their entire lives.
Maybe they produce a lot of treasure notes every day, but can treasure notes be compared with copper coins?
The most important thing is that Zhu Chong said that the money belonged to them and would be given to them every day. As long as they worked hard, they could get their share of the money when they got off work.
Originally, the craftsmen thought that Zhu Chong was trying to appease the people, had evil intentions towards them, and was just talking big.
But now the money is right in front of them, and no one will question Zhu Chong's words.
Perhaps Zhu Chong was a little too eager for quick success by doing this, but it must be said that this was the simplest, most direct and effective method.
The craftsmen of the Baochao Tizhusi are not people who have never seen the world. Most of them have half their bodies buried in the ground, but they have been gritting their teeth and holding on until now. What are they trying to achieve? Don’t they understand it in their hearts?
What craftsmen want is to be recognized, respected and get the compensation they deserve.
Zhu Chong gave them all of these things.
According to Zhu Chong, it can be simply understood that the craftsmen were all invited by the court to work, and there was no such thing as working for free.
If this had happened in the past, no one would have believed it, but with this box of money in front of him, who would think that Zhu Chong was fooling around?
At this moment, Old Liu fell to his knees and kowtowed vigorously, "Please rest assured, sir. As long as you keep your word, we will sell you dozens of old bones!"
After Old Liu made this statement, the others followed suit, kowtowed one after another, and some even swore to the sky.
"Don't worry, sir. We are willing to serve you even if it means death!"
"I am willing to be driven by you..."
Seeing the people kneeling on the ground in front of him, Zhu Chong breathed a sigh of relief. He then took out a treasure banknote from his pocket and slapped it into the hand of Zhang Quan beside him.
"From now on, you will also be the supply manager of the Baochao Tizhusi. The entire small kitchen and all the craftsmen must be able to eat meat and have enough meals every day. Use this money first, and come to me for more if it's not enough!"
Zhu Chong's words immediately caused the craftsmen present to cheer again. Being able to have enough food to eat and earn money, such a good boss was exactly what they had dreamed of. What else could they worry about or be dissatisfied with?
So the craftsmen kowtowed to Zhu Chong again, expressing their gratitude to him and praising him endlessly.
After tidying up the internal affairs, Zhu Chong called Zhang Quan and Old Liu to his office alone.
"My lord, do you have anything for me to do?" Zhang Quan bowed and asked for instructions. He now had a rough idea of Zhu Chong's style of doing things.
This is a superior who wants to get things done. If you follow such a superior, you have to start with pragmatism and absolutely do not want to flatter him.
Zhu Chong nodded and said, "Zhang Quan, you can decide on the blueprints for the banknote paper workshop, but I want to build two lime kilns in the backyard of the banknote paper workshop. Is that okay?"
"No problem. We can make as many as you want. May I ask when you want it? That way I can arrange for staff."
Before Zhang Quan could speak, Old Liu stepped forward and spoke.
Zhu Chong pondered for a moment, then asked, "Old Liu, you're experienced in this business. Tell me the bottom line. How long will it take to build the two lime kilns, with or without rushing?"
Old Liu thought for a moment and replied, "If we rush the work, two days will be enough, but if we don't rush the work, it will take at least three and a half days to repair the lime kiln perfectly."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Chong suddenly understood. To build two lime kilns in three and a half days was a pretty good speed in an era where everything was done manually.
Zhu Chong looked at Zhang Quan and said, "Zhang Quan, in three and a half days, Old Liu is short of manpower. You will arrange it. If you need money, come to me. In three and a half days, I want to see two foolproof lime kilns."
"Don't worry, sir. I will definitely live up to your trust." Zhang Quan and Old Liu quickly bowed and agreed.
Zhu Chong then asked Old Liu to go down and make arrangements, and left Zhang Quan to give instructions.
At night, in the imperial palace of Yingtianfu, after reviewing the memorials, Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne and thought about his worries for a long time, and suddenly he shouted.
"Mao Xiang, the second brother is in the Treasury Department. What is he doing now?"
"Your Majesty, the Second Prince returned to the Treasury and Banknotes Administration today, made some arrangements, and then left."
"Oh?" Old Zhu raised his eyebrows. "Tell us what arrangements he made."
"As you wish." Mao Xiang bowed in agreement, and then recounted to Zhu Chong all of his arrangements in the Baochao Tizhusi, including the matter of Zhu Chong carrying money to pay the craftsmen.
"Pay the craftsmen? Where does he get the money?" A sharp light flashed in Old Zhu's eyes, and he was already a little worried.
"Your Majesty, those were given by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to His Royal Highness the Second Prince." Mao Xiang answered quickly, which made Old Zhu stunned.
Old Zhu originally thought that Zhu Chong was abusing his power for personal gain and using the treasure notes from the Baochao Tizhusi to pay the craftsmen, but he never expected that it was actually a subsidy from the prince to Zhu Chong.
Zhu Yuanzhang knew how good the prince was to his brothers, especially to Zhu Chong and Zhu Biao, the elder brothers, and he was absolutely worried about them.
"He's not doing his job properly, and he doesn't prioritize. If he keeps doing that, won't the printing office be shut down for the next few days?"
Old Zhu couldn't find any trouble with Zhu Chong in this area, so he immediately thought of finding mistakes in other areas.
Baochao is related to Zhu Yuanzhang's plan for the future of the entire Ming Dynasty. He sent Zhu Chong there, but he didn't send him there to be a repairman.
But when he thought about what had happened before when Zhu Chong came to him and mentioned the internal affairs of the Baochao Tizhusi, Zhu's anger just rising subsided.
"Let the Jinyiwei from the Baochao Tizhusi keep a close eye on that brat. Let's see first. If that brat still doesn't do anything in the next few days, hmph!"
"I obey your command." Mao Xiang bowed and agreed. He didn't care whether Old Zhu was angry or not.
After all, no matter whether Old Zhu was angry or not, he could not really do anything to Zhu Chong.
No matter how bad Zhu Chong is, he is still his son. Even if Old Zhu is angry, he can't possibly chop off Zhu Chong's head.
But doing so would make life difficult for those working below them.
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