Chapter 175 Chapter 175 Abolition of Slavery
The first public consultation meeting of the people ended successfully. Lin Si held a meeting with the ministers to discuss many issues raised by the people. After the discussion, the laws were revised.
There is another item that will be amended along with the resolution of the People's Public Conference.
Abolition of slavery.
This was a plan Lin Si had secretly written down in her little notebook when she ascended the throne. Now, almost six years after her ascension, she finally had the confidence to make it public.
Over the years since she ascended the throne, she and Liang Nian have been secretly making progress, pardoning a small number of official slaves with good performance, strictly controlling the number of new slaves, cracking down on private brokerages, and making detailed regulations on the treatment of slaves by slave owners.
Policies are tightened step by step.
Moreover, now that the food crisis has been resolved, not so many people are willing to sell themselves into slavery, and the number of new slaves has been growing very slowly.
In addition, the people are treated so well nowadays, which makes the slaves yearn for it even more.
The slave system of Dachen continued the hereditary system of the previous dynasty, that is, the children born to slaves were also slaves, and the law stipulated that slaves could only marry slaves. Marriage between the nobles and the common people was a serious crime, and the identity of the children born would follow the slave's side.
They were unable to take the imperial examinations, could not hold official positions, and were excluded from the mainstream social structure of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans.
This is an extremely cruel and exploitative system.
After Lin Si ascended the throne, the lives of the slaves became much better than before, but they felt miserable when they thought that their descendants would still be slaves.
Of course, abolishing slavery was not something that could be done by simply issuing an edict and allowing local officials to do whatever they wanted, so the imperial court made many detailed regulations.
First of all, human trafficking was prohibited in pawnshops. All pawnshops were closed or transformed into other shops. Those interested in transformation could register at the government office.
Secondly, if the slave's indenture was in the hands of the employer, whether it was a life or death indenture, the employer had to pay a ransom according to the regulations. If the money was insufficient, it could be converted into wages and compensated by work.
If both parties want to continue the cooperative relationship, the indenture will be converted into a labor contract, which will only be valid after both parties sign and seal it.
Slaves who had successfully redeemed themselves and wanted to farm could also go to the government office and pay money to apply for farmland.
From the date on which the abolition of slavery came into effect, people could no longer refer to themselves as "slave" or "slave family" or other derogatory terms.
For slaves in the house, if they are still willing to continue working for their masters, the difference is actually not that big. It is just like exchanging the indenture for a labor contract.
But it is very different for their children!
Their children were freed from slavery, could go to school, and had the opportunity to succeed in life, rather than being slaves their entire lives. This was a hopeful thing.
When many slaves heard the news, they cried and kowtowed to the heaven, saying that Lin Si was a good emperor.
Lin Si knew very well that this law would be difficult to implement because it would harm the interests of slave owners, but she and Liang Nian had already prepared a plan for this.
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As soon as the news of the abolition of slavery came out, it instantly became a hot topic among the nation, and everyone was discussing it intensely.
It even overshadowed the people's public meeting.
Xihe Road was the first to respond. They unconditionally supported Lin Si's policy. While the policy was still in its preliminary stages, before it was officially implemented, merchants had already submitted the indentures of their slaves to the government office, along with a clearly labeled form.
The slaves' gender, age, and working hours were clearly marked.
Ding Heng smiled proudly, "This form was made by my youngest daughter. She's currently in the second semester of middle school! I hope she can get into the Lingzhou government office someday."
Ding Heng's eldest son has entered the officialdom and is now the prefect of a prefecture, and his youngest daughter is also doing well in her studies. He is now in high spirits and smiles at everyone he meets.
Even when seeing Chen Yi, with whom he almost had a falling out in the past because they hadn't told each other about their children's studies, the atmosphere was still very harmonious.
The two of them were having a meal at a restaurant. As they ate, they both said, "Your Majesty is so wise. Without you, we wouldn't be where we are today."
When the others who had slaves at home saw this, they stamped their feet in anxiety!
"How come the Ding family is so fast? The newspapers were only on sale this morning, and he already had everything sorted out this afternoon. If we go now, wouldn't it seem like he's still the leader?"
"That's right, we all unconditionally support your majesty's policies. Now it's as if we're lagging behind others."
"I thought I was pretty fast, but I didn't expect there were people who were even faster than me. I didn't get to be the first to respond to the policy this time."
"Don't we still have to turn it in? Okay, okay, let's sort it out and show the other roads some experience!"
"Indeed, there are certainly people in other roads who are defying Your Majesty and refusing to hand over their indentures. Such people should be severely punished."
"You don't support your majesty's policies, so you must be severely punished!"
"Ah, are you guys renewing the contracts with your former slaves... ah no, servants? The servants in my house are all used to them, and they'd be happy to renew their contracts with me."
"Continue! If not, now that we have no slaves, we have to hire people from elsewhere to do the work. They won't be as good as the ones we have here, and they won't be as familiar with it."
The people of Xihe Road rushed to hand in the indentures of their slaves, and after handing them in, they smiled happily and told everyone they met that they were actively responding to the policy.
But progress on other roads was not so smooth.
Needless to say, if the officials dare to resist, wouldn't they be asking for liquidation?
Therefore, the officials took the initiative to clear out the slaves in their homes, and after finding out where the slaves were going, they handed over all the indentures.
The ones who have more trouble are the merchants.
One group of people was extremely dissatisfied because the original law stipulated that slaves were the property of their masters and that slavery was hereditary. As long as slaves could have children, the family would have no shortage of slaves for generations.
Now that the slaves have regained their freedom, even if they continue to work as laborers in their own homes, their children are no longer slaves. They have more choices and will not become slaves again.
Several businessmen gathered together to vent their dissatisfaction, looking around as they spoke, fearing that they would be monitored by the legendary secret guards.
"This policy is really going to kill me! My family owns so much land. If these slaves were to leave and become free, where would I find people to farm the land?"
"Isn't it? I originally thought those house-born children knew everything from childhood and could do a lot of things, but now after what happened, how can anyone use them?"
"That's right. We bought these slaves back then, and some were passed down from our ancestors! How can we just pay a ransom and release them? That little money is not enough."
"Brother Wu, what do you say we should do? We will all listen to you."
The merchant surnamed Wu said in a pretentious tone, "Didn't His Majesty convene a public meeting earlier? We can also put forward our own suggestions! For example, let the older generation of slaves follow the indenture contract and let their children go. That's very humane, isn't it?"
"That makes sense, but how should we raise this issue? The government office is very busy right now, and I'm sure they won't listen to our opinions..."
"How about...we express our opinions right at the government office gate? Wouldn't the prefect and the officials be able to hear them while they're at work?"
"Can you do it?"
"No matter if it works or not, we have to try it, otherwise we'll lose so many slaves in vain?!"
"Really? I feel uncomfortable when I think that there will only be good citizens and no slaves in the future. Why should those slaves be called good citizens like us?"
"Yes, you are not allowed to call yourself a slave anymore. Do they still want to call themselves me in front of us? This is outrageous!"
Because of the abolition of slavery, they could no longer gain a sense of superiority and satisfaction from the slaves, so they did not want to let these slaves go no matter what.
The more they talked, the angrier they became. They planned to shout out their demands at the gate of the government office in two days.
What they didn't expect was that Lin Si had planned this in advance, just waiting to catch a typical example and make an example of him.
For minor offenses, a fine will be imposed and the offender will be required to perform 30 days of compulsory physical labor, such as mining.
Those with serious circumstances will be fined, required to perform one year of compulsory heavy physical labor, and their records will be kept, which will affect the political review of the next generation.
This group of businessmen are still wondering if they can turn the situation around by shouting their own voices.
The prefect here is Shitou.
Shi Tou knew that there would definitely be people who would be dissatisfied and cause trouble, but he didn't expect them to come so quickly. They even seemed to be afraid that he didn't know, so they specially came at the gate of the government office, which really made things convenient for him.
So before this group of people could even say a few words, they were taken into the government office by Bai Zhi.
Shitou and Bai Zhi asked directly, "Do you have any doubts about the abolition of slavery?"
A few businessmen thought that the prefect wanted to listen to their grievances and sufferings, so they poured out all their thoughts like pouring beans.
"Could you please, Lord Magistrate, speak for us?"
"That's right, Lord Zhizhou, please make the decision for us!"
"It's not that we don't support you, we just want your Majesty to know that we have our own difficulties!"
"Yeah, now that it's abolished, it's really hard for us to do it!"
Shitou glanced at Bai Zhi beside him, and Bai Zhi immediately understood what he meant.
Directly read out the punishment clauses for the troublemakers.
Several people's faces turned pale in an instant: "We are not causing trouble! We are just stating our demands."
"Yeah, how is this considered a disturbance?"
Bai Zhi explained, "Anything that affects or advances the abolition of slavery is considered a disturbance. Do you think you are considered a troublemaker?"
Shitou earnestly advised, "His Majesty has already offered you various forms of compensation, yet you're still unsatisfied. You're trying to stage a scene at the government gate for everyone to see. Isn't this causing trouble? Fortunately, you haven't made a big deal out of this. Otherwise, if it's serious, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"
The few of them turned around, their faces instantly pale. If their own children couldn't become officials, what hope was there for the family to rise again?
Several people looked at each other and started fighting on the spot.
Finally, seeing that they could not shirk responsibility by either party, they accepted the punishment honestly, paid the money first and then did voluntary labor.
As long as it doesn't affect the children, they are willing to dig for a month.
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