As citizens of the Ming Dynasty, there is no distinction between high and low; even in a feudal society, we are all human beings, so how can there be slaves?
Therefore, the emperor had to first change his nationality to that of a commoner in law and abolish discriminatory and insulting regulations such as the prohibition of untouchables from taking the imperial examinations and the requirement to wear identifying clothing.
The emperor was disgusted with the system of slavery due to the thinking and habits of later generations. Abolishing it while simultaneously liberating productivity was a progressive, enlightened, and good policy.
Xue Zhen didn't know what liberating productivity meant, but the emperor's actions were indeed benevolent and kind, and it was not an exaggeration to flatter him.
"Your status as a slave has been revoked, and you are now listed as an ordinary citizen. If you commit crimes of abuse, beating or killing again, the Ministry of Justice will punish you severely." The emperor was not fooled by Xue Zhen's flattery. His face became serious and he gave a solemn explanation.
Not only were people of low status discriminated against, they were also subjected to harsh treatment. For example, the hereditary servants of Ningguo were treated like slaves, and the common people could beat, abuse, and mistreat them at will. There were even cases where low status people were beaten to death by common people, who were not punished by law.
All things are difficult at the beginning, and the emperor knew this very well.
It is impossible to stop all the harsh treatment of untouchables by issuing an imperial decree, and even local officials may not take it too seriously.
Therefore, after the new policy was introduced, the emperor had to catch a few typical cases and punish them severely to serve as a warning to others.
This was also the emperor's habitual practice. Not only Xue Zhen, but other attentive ministers should have been able to guess it.
In fact, it wasn't just Zhu Youxiao; every dynasty had used the same tactics. To promote new initiatives and facilitate their implementation, they would either punish one person as a warning to the rest or reward them handsomely, but the two words "reward and punish" always came down to this.
"I understand," Xue Zhen said, bowing. "Anyone who dares to defy the law will be severely punished, regardless of rank or status."
Seeing that Xue Zhen understood his meaning, the emperor softened his tone, said a few more words of comfort, and then let Xue Zhen leave.
Although it was a good policy to make the lowly good, the emperor did not remove all of them from the register. For example, the lazy people in Zhejiang and the boat people in Guangdong had a deeper meaning for the emperor.
Moreover, before the imperial edict was officially issued, the emperor also issued secret orders to the governors of Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Mekong provinces, asking them to follow them.
In addition to these local governors, the emperor also gave special grace to the Maritime Merchants Association.
Li Dan's adopted son, Li Guozhu, now arrived in Guangdong with the imperial edict and silver coins. After greeting the local authorities, he was accompanied by officials who took him and his followers to the eastern part of Guangdong.
"Besides the four classes, there is another type called the Tanka households. They are not allowed to live on land and are not registered as such. They use boats as their homes and pay taxes to the government based on the number of people they have..."
Ancient books contain scattered accounts of the Tanka people, saying, "Their dialect still retains a barbarian tone, as the Danyi people are still mixed in the towns."
The words "barbarian" and "yi" in the sentence indicate that in the minds of the Central Plains people who settled in Guangzhou in the early days, the indigenous Tanka people were aliens.
As a result, the Tanka people were not recognized by the land-dwelling population. The government refused to register them as migrant fishermen, and they were not allowed to be buried on land. Instead, they were buried in the sand dunes formed by the beach. Heavy rains exposed some of the sandy graves, leaving stray dogs competing for food. The scene was a scene of unbearable misery.
There is a Shatin folk song that goes: The boatmen in Shatin are drowned in the flowing water, and are not allowed to walk barefoot on the streets. The bitter and salty waters float their rotten boats, and the vast ocean buries their corpses.
Even though the government abolished the feudal system, it could not immediately change the traditional concepts that were deeply rooted in people's minds.
For example, the boat people were looked down upon by the people on the shore. They were not allowed to wear shoes, build houses, or marry people on the shore. Some rules were not written into law, but their restraint was stronger than official regulations.
Of course, some boat residents are unwilling to live on land due to their living habits, or they don’t want to face the discriminatory eyes of people on land, and they think that life on the water is also good.
Although Tanka households were not registered as civilians, they still had to pay taxes and obey the government. Therefore, the officials were familiar with the area, found the leader, arranged a time, and gathered the Tanka households to announce the new government policy.
When the day came, the boat people gathered on the shore, feeling anxious and uneasy, wondering what harsh laws the government would impose on these lowly people.
Li Guozhu, dressed in civilian attire, looked at the hundreds of men, women, young and old below with a smile, thinking that the more people he mobilized, the better, so that he could first get a real job as a county magistrate.
"Master Li." The officer was quite respectful to the nobleman who held the imperial edict. Seeing that everyone had gathered, he bowed and said, "Most of the people are here. Please give me your instructions."
Li Guozhu bowed and said, "Thank you for your help. I will reward you handsomely later. Please don't refuse!"
"It's my job, I dare not say thank you, I dare not say thank you." The official declined politely.
Li Guozhu smiled broadly, stepped forward, glanced at the group, and spoke loudly, "I am Li Guozhu, a sixth-rank civilian noble granted by the emperor. Today I have come to convey the imperial court's policies to you all. These are matters of vital importance to you all, even to future generations for centuries to come."
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, not knowing whether such a big thing would bring joy or sorrow to them.
Li Guozhu paused deliberately, as if he wanted to keep the topic in suspense.
"What good thing can come of this? Are they inviting us to live on land? People on land also look down on us."
An old man glared at his granddaughter, stopped her muttering, and thought: If we ask the boat people to live on the shore, I am afraid we cannot easily agree to it, unless we set aside a piece of land to set up a separate village.
Li Guozhu smiled at the silent crowd and said, "The imperial court has decreed that any Tanka people who wish to relocate to Mekong Province will have their citizenship removed and become civilians. Even as civilians, they can still continue their original occupations, and the government can allocate land on the shore for them to build homes."
The crowd roared, shocked by the news, and whispered among themselves.
Li Guozhu watched with a smile, and when the noise died down a bit, he spoke again, "Mekong Province is the territory of our Great Ming, just south of the former Champa Kingdom. It has thousands of miles of fertile land and crisscrossing rivers, and is a famous land of fish and rice."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to signal someone to open the box. The box was filled with white silver dollars, sparkling in the sunlight, making people feel dizzy.
"Those who respond to the imperial court's call and wish to go to Mekong Province will be given land and a working ox as a reward if they farm on land. Those who continue to work on the water will be rewarded with ten silver dollars..."
There were fields, oxen, and silver dollars. Li Guozhu had offered all the temptations.
People were shocked again and started talking, their voices even louder than before.
Finally, an old man stepped forward, politely saying, "May I ask, Lord Li, how far is Mekong Province from here? Can we carve out a separate area to establish a village so that we, the Tanka people, can live together?"
Li Guozhu waved his hand cheerfully and said, "Demarcating the land and establishing a village will be no problem at all. As for the journey to Mekong Province, it will only take three to five days to sail west from Guangzhou."
Most of the boat people have looked at the shore and sighed for generations, hoping to find a place to settle down and be buried on land.
Now, this wish that was once considered hopeless has suddenly come true. The mixed emotions of excitement, excitement, doubt, etc. make most people at a loss for words.
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