"This is the situation. I have already finished all the follow-up work. There are still some candidates who are unwilling to give up, but the general trend has changed. After staying in the capital for a few days, they have dispersed on their own."
In the Imperial Garden, Fang Zhengyi and Emperor Jing were strolling around.
The garden is full of lush greenery, and the sound of birds singing can be heard from time to time.
Fang Zheng explained the past period of time in detail.
After hearing this, Emperor Jing paused and said with a smile: "This matter is indeed handled beautifully. I didn't expect you to have such a solution."
Fang Zheng said, "This is nothing. Everything has a beginning but few can last. Besides, those scholars have their own selfish motives. Naturally, they cannot persist for long if their motives are not pure."
Emperor Jing nodded and said, "Zhou Hong has worked hard with me all his life. Since his son is willing to do good and work under you, you should remember him better."
Fang Zhengyi grinned and said, "Don't worry about this. Mr. Zhou is really smart and his son is not bad either."
"If he works under me, I promise that he will grow faster and become a pillar of the country soon."
Emperor Jing raised his eyebrows but did not comment.
Fang Zhengyi asked, "I wonder what your majesty thinks of the situation at the black factory?"
Emperor Jing slowed down his pace, raised his head and thought for a moment, "I think you are making a fuss over nothing. Scholars don't know the sufferings of the world. According to what you said, life in the factory seems good. I have seen worse. If we only focus on improving the treatment of the people, the factory is the lifeblood of the railway. I am worried that this process will be delayed."
Wow, even more radical than me!
It seems that no matter how kind and loving the emperor was, he could not resist the temptation to build wonders and leave his name for eternity.
Fang Zheng nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise. If we only focus on improving the treatment of the people, it will indeed delay the progress of construction. However, if we only favor the factory owners, they will sooner or later become more aggressive. The court needs to find a balance in this."
"Now that this trend has emerged, people are short-sighted and often only seek immediate benefits. Children of a few years old are sent to work as child laborers in exchange for a meager income. For children, working in factories is quite dangerous. Not only does it waste their best years, but they may even become disabled in the future."
"More factories will be built in the future. If the situation spreads and expands, it will damage the national system. I suggest that the court consider it early and legislate to restrict it."
Emperor Jing frowned and said, "This is indeed a problem. What can a child of a few years old do? There is nothing better than sucking the marrow out of a child. Please draft a set of rules and submit them to us. Let's discuss this matter as soon as possible."
"I have already written it and brought it with me." Fang Zhengyi took out a set of memorials from his sleeve.
The child labor issue has been learned a lot in history classes. Although it is not a big problem for the country or him, it would be best to solve it as soon as possible.
In order to save a little profit, capitalists even exploit children. It is really unnecessary.
People's lives are indeed hard, and they want to earn more money, which Fang Zhengyi can understand.
But from a global perspective, most people won’t get rich if they have a little more, and they won’t starve to death if they have a little less.
Legal restrictions can filter out a certain group of people, but as for the remaining extremely poor people, there will always be loopholes for them to exploit.
"You came prepared today." Emperor Jing smiled and motioned Guo Tianyang to put away the memorial. "What about the crown prince? Tell me that he knows the situation in the factory very well and has not been in the palace recently. Where is he?"
Fang Zhengyi said, "I just said that we need to find a balance between the factory and the workers. Your Highness has already come up with an idea and is exploring the management method."
Emperor Jing had a blank expression on his face, and no one knew what he was thinking about.
Fang Zheng looked him over and added:
"Your Highness, it is urgent for you to learn more about factories and management methods. The current situation has changed. In the future, countless factories will be built on the land of Dajing."
"Dongjiao University is still working on the renovation of steam engines. If the renovated steam engines are put into factories on a large scale in the future, the entire production process of Dajing will be completely different from the traditional methods, and the coordination of manpower will also take on a whole new look. This is something the court has never experienced before, and there is no precedent to learn from history."
"Now is the right time to start from the beginning to gain a deeper understanding and grasp the rules, so Your Highness asked me to ask for leave from Your Majesty. I may not be in the palace often, and I will report to Your Majesty when things are clear."
Emperor Jing thought for a long time before he spoke: "This is just like the emergence of firearms, and the war strategy also needs to be adjusted urgently, right?"
"Yes, that's exactly the point."
"Well, let him go. When the late emperor was young, I and several other brothers also went out to practice, so it's no big deal for him to go out and exercise. Besides, I can't control him now. But tell him to come back to the palace on time. There are many reports in the palace that have been copied for him, and government affairs cannot be delayed."
Hearing this, Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.
It went quite well.
The two stopped in front of the pavilion, and Emperor Jing said, "I am tired, please sit with me for a while."
The two men entered the pavilion, and Emperor Jing was just about to ask some more questions.
Fang Zhengyi took out a small box with a gold satin surface and embroidered cloud patterns from his arms and presented it to Emperor Jing: "I came here today to bring a gift for you, my father."
Emperor Jing couldn't help but laugh when he saw the small box: "It's not a festival, why would you give me a gift? Open it and take a look."
As soon as Fang Zheng opened the box, a small golden object appeared inside.
Emperor Jing's eyes fixed on him. "Pocket watch? Didn't you give me a pocket watch? No, why is it still wearing a strap?"
Fang Zheng shook his head and smiled, "No, this is not a pocket watch, it's a wristwatch, worn on the wrist. I'll help you put it on."
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