After Liu Xueyu and Liu Ruyan declined, Mu Xi had no intention of taking over such a matter. She had already held a wedding with Chu Fan. Moreover, her family had already received enough favors. If she continued to gain more power and responsibilities, it would probably arouse the jealousy and dissatisfaction of other forces in the court.
Mu Xi said, "Your Majesty's grace in bestowing upon the Mu family is already sufficient. Regarding the promotion of textile machines, I believe that the entire Wei court should select some prestigious women to take charge of this matter."
Mu Xi's words made the other women around Chu Fan understand why Liu Xueyu and Liu Ruyan used various reasons to refuse to be in charge of the textile machine.
If he really took on this important task, and his family built a textile factory, there would be many problems when the factory began to recruit female workers. The two main problems were that some families would not agree to let their daughters work outside the home, fearing that their reputation would be damaged.
Another thing is that after working in the textile factory, when the female workers receive their wages, they can use their labor income to supplement their family income, which will improve their status in the family. You must know that in this world where men are superior to women, the status of women has always been very low.
If this situation really happens, the family that opened the textile factory will gain extremely high prestige and support among the women of Wei State. Now, the families of the women around Chu Fan have already gained a lot of benefits because of their relationship with Chu Fan. If they gain such great prestige and support, it will only bring great hidden dangers to their families.
After all, they were all well aware of the saying, "A tall tree attracts the wind, and the first bird to stick its head out gets shot down." So, while this matter seemed glamorous, it involved a complex array of issues. A single mistake would not only fail to accomplish the task, but could also cause unnecessary trouble. This was the real reason Liu Xueyu, Liu Ruyan, and Mu Xi declined.
Therefore, Mu Xi proposed that the Wei court select some prestigious women in Wei to be responsible for the promotion of textile machines. This would not only prevent his family from being envied and targeted by other forces, but also enable this matter to be better promoted and implemented.
Tang Ji also spoke up, "Your Majesty, I think what Sister Mu said makes perfect sense. The favor you've bestowed upon our family is already sufficient. Any more power will only bring unnecessary trouble. It would be better to let some of the most respected women in the court take on this important task. This way, they can leverage their prestige to smoothly promote the use of textile machines, while also effectively appeasing the concerns of their families and society, ensuring the smooth operation of the textile factory."
Chu Fan didn't really want Mu Xi and the others to take over the textile factory. After all, he was going to take them back to Blue Star. If he completed the system mission when he led the army in person in a few months, he would have to take them away from this world. If their departure caused the textile factory to fall into chaos, it would be a disappointment to the people of Wei.
Therefore, Chu Fan also fully agreed with Mu Xi's suggestion.
Chu Fan said, "Since no one is willing to take over this matter, then we should follow Mu Xi's suggestion and have the Royal Government Affairs Office and the six ministries discuss and select suitable women to be responsible for promoting textile machines and building textile factories. Another point is that even if we have textile machines, we still need to consider the issue of raw materials."
Of course, there was one final point: even if he produced a large amount of clothing, Chu Fan would not sell it to other countries. After all, he would be leading his troops in a few months, and the enemy he would be fighting would be the Xiongnu in the north. At that time, factors such as weather would become a major obstacle to the campaign.
At that time, the soldiers would also need a lot of clothes to keep out the cold. Therefore, the textile factory would not only improve the lives of the people of Wei State, but also provide sufficient warm materials for the army. However, the raw materials were indeed a big problem.
Chu Fan asked Qiu Ya to call Eunuch Li to his side and whispered to him, "Little Li, ask Chu Anping from the Royal Government Affairs Office to come to the palace. I have some matters to ask him to handle."
As for why Eunuch Li no longer stays by Chu Fan's side, it is because Chu Fan and women like Mu Xi sometimes play some exciting games, and if there are eunuchs around, Chu Fan will feel very uncomfortable. So after Mu Xi and other women came to the palace, Chu Fan asked Eunuch Li to leave.
Not long after, Chu Anping arrived at the Imperial Garden. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. I wonder why you have summoned me so urgently?"
Chu Fan handed the textile machine blueprint to Chu Anping and explained his ideas and plans in detail. After listening to him, Chu Anping's face showed a solemn expression.
Chu Anping said, "Your Majesty, I believe that building a textile factory and letting a prestigious woman in Wei State manage it is a very reasonable decision. However, I believe that the textile factory must remain under the direct control of Your Majesty to ensure stability."
Chu Fan asked, "Sixth Master, why do you say that? You know, if the textile factory is established and put into production, it will benefit both the country and the people. Moreover, the fabrics and clothes woven by the textile factory cannot be sold at high prices, so the profit will be very small. My current treasury is more than sufficient, and I no longer need this additional income."
Chu Fan had assumed Chu Anping was concerned about his own inner treasury, fearing it would run out of money due to supporting the construction of steam trains and railways. That's why he had given Chu Anping direct control of the textile mill. However, Chu Fan was wrong. Chu Anping wasn't concerned about that; he was concerned about his prestige within the Ming Dynasty.
Chu Anping replied, "I'm letting Your Majesty take direct control of the textile factory, not because of the factory's profits, but because once it's established and in production, its influence will spread throughout the country, potentially even affecting the public's view of the royal family. If a woman with high prestige among the people were to manage it, there might be uncertainty. It's better for Your Majesty to take direct control. This will ensure stability, demonstrate the emperor's grace, and consolidate the people's hearts."
Chu Fan replied, "Sixth Master, aren't you exaggerating a bit? Even if these highly respected women from the public were managing the textile factory, they would surely be grateful to the Wei royal family and the court. How could the unexpected events you mentioned happen?"
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