Exploitation is human nature.

Especially for businessmen.

There is a saying that there is no business without fraud. Don't believe that businessmen have any moral qualities. If they can exploit, they will naturally find ways to exploit.

Of course, there are still some people with conscience among them, and we cannot simply massacre them all.

The exploitation of workers' monthly wages does not refer to a single individual, but a group of people.

The most powerful one among them is not the factory owner.

People in the south call someone "boss", which refers to the owner of a business, which is the same as what people in the north call "shopkeeper, owner, etc."

The word "Lao" means being experienced in doing things, and the word "Ban" means that a businessman should have good quality.

It is said that trust is the foundation, and only those who have good character can be called upright.

That's why he's called 'boss'.

The factory's operating model is very different from that of a regular business, so the title of boss began to become popular, which is to some extent different from the regular owner and shopkeeper.

Zhu Ying was very surprised to find that most of these workers' monthly wages were taken away by the so-called foreman.

The broker only took a portion of it.

The foreman is also a worker and needs to do work. They are usually from the same hometown as the workers and are followed by a dozen or dozens of people from the same village.

In a factory, even if it is relatively small, there are still hundreds of people, and these foremen are quite prestigious.

Even if he is the boss, you still need to rely on him to a certain extent, otherwise he may just quit.

It seems that this is the workers' own problem.

In fact, it is not.

Who would dislike having too much money?

The emergence of foremen is a manifestation of bully power. They often have their own connections and will seize the excess, giving part to the boss, part to the agent, and put the rest into their own pockets.

Most of the workers dared to be angry but not to speak out, because the jurisdiction over this area was essentially a vacancy and neither the bailiffs nor the constables cared.

Moreover, most factories are generally not located in downtown areas, but in sparsely populated suburbs.

Naturally, the government's ruling power seemed much lower.

Those who can become foremen are used to being rampant in the countryside, and ordinary people have no way to avoid them.

If you don't pay, you will still be given a good beating during the New Year and you will have nowhere to escape.

Besides, this is a common phenomenon.

If you don't work in this factory, you have to work in that factory, and you will still be under the supervision of a foreman.

"It is true that kind people are often bullied, and kind horses are often ridden. This has always been the case since ancient times."

After learning the truth of the matter that year, Zhu Ying said with some emotion.

Whether in the past, present, or even in the distant future, this phenomenon has always existed.

To put it simply, this is bullying.

It seems like a simple question, but it is actually not an easy task to find out the answer.

Even if Zhu Ying went to ask in person, most of the workers who were used to being bullied would not actually tell them what happened.

At the beginning, Zhu Ying found that according to the factory's cash flow records, the bosses of these factories basically paid the minimum monthly salary.

Although the broker's agency fee does exist, the truth was not revealed until several brokers who specialized in this business were arrested and interrogated.

This kind of thing, in the eyes of ordinary officials, is quite tricky, and any carelessness may lead to conflict.

The current workers, who are unaware of the situation, will subconsciously protect their foremen or even help cover up their mistakes.

This makes it difficult to obtain evidence.

Without witnesses, what good would it be even if the officials knew about it?

In fact, the workers are not fools, but they know more clearly that if they expose the truth themselves, not to mention their relationship with the foreman, they will have no place to stand in the village.

The government is only temporary, but those foremen have always lived in the village.

As the saying goes, if you look up and can’t see it, you will see it when you look down. The monk can run away, but the temple cannot.

Uncle Zhang, who followed, said with some embarrassment: "Boss, this kind of thing happens a lot in our Chamber of Commerce's factories."

"In fact, I also heard some rumors before, but they didn't say anything themselves, so I can't blame others."

"Some of them asked for it, but they couldn't continue working in the factory and had to leave. But they had nowhere to go. If they went to another factory, there would be no one to protect them. Not only would they be beaten, but they would also get less monthly pay."

"I have also asked a few people privately. In their opinion, the factory can provide food and accommodation for me, and I can save a few guan every month, which is enough for my family to survive."

"Generally speaking, it's much better than being a tenant farmer for the landlord in the village. If I save a little, I can still have some left over, and I'll be content."

Hearing this, Zhu Ying immediately understood.

Basically, the minimum wage I set was too high.

So much so that some people have set their sights on this profit margin.

Zhu Ying’s idea is not wrong.

According to current calculations, in the lowest case, each worker can earn four strings of treasure notes per month, which means forty-eight strings of treasure notes per year.

Because of the implementation of the policy that encourages childbirth, most families basically have three or more children.

The minimum standard for food, clothing and other expenses for each child, including that for the wife, is three kan or more.

This is the standard for normal use. If you just want to eat, it will naturally be a little less.

In fact, Zhu Ying’s idea was very simple. He wanted the people to be able to raise their children better, and at least among multiple children, he could support one to go to school.

Even the simplest study.

Now that the foreman is doing this, everything is naturally in chaos. Not to mention studying, there is no way we can even starve to death.

In this case, what is the difference between this and ruling the world by cage?

This is not what Zhu Ying wants.

His vision and perspective are completely different from those of rulers of all dynasties. He knows that there is a much wider world in this world.

Even the class contradictions in today's society, even if they are irreconcilable, can be transferred outward.

The world is so big, and the current population of the Ming Dynasty is only more than 60 million. Even if it expands for hundreds of years, the territory of the Ming Dynasty and the development of productivity will not cause any pressure at all.

The continuous expansion outward and immigration can ensure that the Ming Dynasty's national destiny will continue to be extended.

When external conflicts become tense, internal conflicts will naturally begin to fade away.

Just like the current conquest of Japan.

In the imperial gazette of the capital, there were continuous reports about the period of the war against Japan.

In addition to the description of the Japanese situation, there will also be some landscape paintings about Japan. It is even secretly instructed that when compiling articles about Japan, there will also be a brief discussion of the possibilities for Japan in the future.

This subtle influence actually meant that Zhu Ying wanted to immigrate some Ming Dynasty people to Japan.

As time went by, the war situation in Japan was actually not favorable to the Ming Dynasty.

The most important problem is not the problem at the war level, but the problem of morale.

In such a foreign environment, the occasional small earthquake or storm would make it difficult for the Ming Dynasty's soldiers to cope.

Moreover, when there is no direct confrontation, the Japanese warriors like to engage in jungle guerrilla warfare the most. This does not cause much damage to the Ming expeditionary force, but it is very annoying.

As time went on, the temperaments of many soldiers became somewhat irritable. After all, most of those who went there were military men, and there were relatively few literati. This made the conflicts between them and the Japanese people under their rule even more acute.

Education is a long-term process and it is not something that can be solved in a short period of time.

However, despite such signs, it will take at least a few large-scale battles against Japan before we can consider the next arrangements.

When Zhu Ying returned to Kunning Palace, he realized that there was no possibility of converting the foreman to religion.

The only troublesome issue is the issue of evidence.

But sometimes, evidence is not that important.

Naturally, Zhu Ying reported this to the old man.

Zhu Yuanzhang now feels comfortable with business development.

After becoming familiar with some of his grandson's business tactics, Zhu Yuanzhang had already gained a lot of experience in maintaining the current business direction, let alone innovating on them.

Especially in some arrangements for overseas trade, there are many detailed requirements, such as specified relevant regulations, systems, and charters.

Almost all of it was handled by Zhu Yuanzhang himself. When Zhu Ying saw these details, he finally understood the old man's wisdom.

Compared with Zhu Ying's own ideas, some of the rules set by Zhu Yuanzhang, although seemingly a bit harsh, can better maintain the development of the maritime trade system.

As for the matter of foremen, Zhu Yuanzhang also shared his ideas with his eldest grandson for reference.

Overall, Zhu Yuanzhang still hoped that his eldest grandson could make his own decisions.

He didn't say it directly, but told his eldest grandson a truth.

"In my opinion, there are two kinds of people: bad people and good people."

"Good people are not cunning. Although they are honest and dutiful, they bully the weak and fear the strong. For the sake of some hope, they are willing to endure. But if they are pushed to a desperate situation, they will naturally let go of everything."

"At this time, there is naturally no difference between good people and bad people."

"The unruly people are not good people. They bully others and do whatever it takes for their own benefit. But if they meet someone stronger, they will naturally become good people."

"When it comes to treating the people, we can't just give them benefits blindly. We should know that a little kindness can lead to a lot of hatred. If the eldest grandson gives too much, it will naturally give others opportunities to take advantage of him."

"If every penny of wages was very important to every citizen, this kind of phenomenon would not have happened naturally."

Zhu Ying actually knew clearly what the old man meant, which was to cancel the protection of the law on the minimum monthly wage for workers, or to lower it.

When every penny becomes important, these foremen will naturally be overwhelmed by other workers.

But this is not what Zhu Ying wants.

Seeing that his eldest grandson remained silent, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "We know that he will not do this."

"What we just said is the way officials govern the world, which is the method of Confucianism, but it is not the method of our royal family."

"This world belongs to us, grandfather and grandson. Since the eldest grandson has set the rules, wouldn't it be a loss of face for him to change his orders every day?"

"As far as we are concerned, these things are simple. Anyone who dares to break our rules will die."

"If there is one, kill one. If there are a hundred, kill a hundred. Kill them all so that no one dares to touch them or do anything. Then everything will be fine."

"These people deserve to be killed, just like the corrupt officials. No matter how many of them are killed, it will have no impact on our Ming Dynasty. For the people, even if they don't say it, they will applaud in their hearts."

"It benefits the people and protects our dignity. Why not do something that kills two birds with one stone?"

"Grandson, you must remember that we are a royal family. We don't need to worry about evidence. We only need justice."

"What is justice? Justice is in the hearts of the people. As long as it is what the people want, we will do it without hesitation. As long as it goes against the will of the people, we will kill it without hesitation."

"Right or wrong, it doesn't matter to us."

Hearing this, Zhu Ying was extremely shocked.

Although this principle is understood when it is stated, how many emperors in history can actually do so?

The emperor is the only one who is supreme.

On this point, Zhu Yuanzhang can obviously be said to have integrated knowledge and action.

This is what I thought and this is what I did.

Reputation, I don’t care, it’s not important.

Those who refuse to obey will be killed.

As long as the foundation of the Ming Dynasty is solid, a little fame doesn't matter.

The true will of the people is not what is told by those literati. Only by truly observing and experiencing it yourself can you understand what the people really want.

Of course, what Zhu Yuanzhang meant by this was not to teach his eldest grandson how to kill people, nor did it mean to solve every problem by killing.

Instead, he told his eldest grandson that as the emperor, the supreme ruler, he should not be easily bound.

Seeing his eldest grandson's sudden realization, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and asked, "Grandson, tell us what you are going to do."

The question is, if the eldest grandson really solves all problems by killing, Zhu Yuanzhang's next round of education will be in place.

The previous words were actually full of misleading meanings. Zhu Yuanzhang said them to see the character of his eldest grandson and whether he would be easily influenced by others.

If the eldest grandson chose to kill them all, Zhu Yuanzhang would naturally have prepared other excuses.

Zhu Yuanzhang took great pains in guiding and educating his eldest grandson.

Zhu Ying pondered for a while and then replied, "My grandson thinks that although the actions of these foremen are bullying, they are not punishable by death."

"If we start killing people, it is inevitable that some people will die unjustly."

"In fact, the key point is not how to punish them, but how to pick them out from the crowd."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied.

A qualified king must naturally have his own judgment.

"Grandson, how do you think we can find it out?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked with a smile.