Chapter 93: Government-Business Partnership
The next day, Lu Zhiran entered the palace and asked to see Emperor Defeng.
Emperor Defeng's face showed no emotion. "What brings you into the palace today?"
Lu Zhiran replied respectfully, "I am here regarding the Xinlin Village case."
Emperor Defeng said in a calm tone, "Why, do you want to plead for your father?"
Lu Zhiran shook her head. "Of course not. The Fang family is using my father's name to bring disaster to the village. On the one hand, the Fang family is extremely audacious, and on the other hand, my father has been too indulgent towards the Fang family, giving them the confidence to bully others. My father is to blame for this. The emperor's punishment of my father is already a mercy outside the law. I, a minister, would never dare to take advantage of my merits to get even more."
Emperor Defeng's expression eased slightly. "Then why are you here?"
Lu Zhiran said solemnly, "I want to do my best to help the people of Xinlin Village and alleviate the regret I feel."
Emperor Defeng raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "Oh? Tell me, what do you want to do?"
"I have no special talents, but I have a little experience in business. I plan to build a joint workshop, such as a brocade workshop, a spice workshop, and a rouge workshop. Once the workshop is built, I can recruit apprentices and teach them the skills. During their apprenticeship, I will also pay them wages to supplement their household expenses."
Emperor Defeng listened and sat up straight.
Although this snow disaster did not cause too many casualties, it did have an impact on people's livelihood.
Now the snow is still falling and the temperature has not yet warmed up, so the refugees are staying in the shelter.
But they couldn't stay there forever. When spring came and the snow stopped, it was time for them to go back home and start farming again.
But this takes time, and before that, they always have to eat.
The imperial court could not ignore it, but it had to pay for it itself, which was a considerable expense. Even if the treasury was rich, it could not afford such consumption.
The imperial court could not shamelessly ask wealthy merchants to pay money again.
Emperor Defeng has been worried about this matter recently.
Unexpectedly, Lu Zhiran thoughtfully took the matter over.
But Emperor Defeng still had doubts. "If everyone goes to the workshop to learn a craft, won't there be no one left to return to the countryside to farm?"
If farmers stop farming, things will be in chaos.
Lu Zhiran smiled and said, "I have also taken this into consideration. That's why this joint workshop only recruits female apprentices, and the men return home to farm. Since ancient times, men have been responsible for the outside world, and women for the home. But in reality, women are just as good as men, they just excel in different areas."
"As long as they are of the right age and can endure hardships, they can all go to the workshop to learn a craft and supplement their family income. As long as the family supports each other, why worry about not having a good life?"
When Emperor Defeng heard this, his heart was also excited.
"According to your plan, it will cost a lot of money to set up the workshop."
"As long as I can relieve the emperor's worries and do something practical for the people, no matter how much money I spend, it won't matter."
She said this with such confidence that even Emperor Defeng felt a little jealous.
Even as the king of a country, he did not have the right to control such a huge amount of money at will.
"Even if you have this intention, it will be difficult to implement it."
Lu Zhiran smiled, her tone becoming more flattering. "Your Majesty is wise. I cannot accomplish this on my own. There are a few things that require your approval."
Emperor Defeng's curiosity was also piqued. "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
“To open a workshop of this scale, we first need a large enough venue.”
"Which piece of land have you taken a fancy to?"
"I think the land for the shelter is great. After a while, the shelter will be idle. Instead of wasting it, it would be better to convert it into a workshop, providing a different way to accommodate the people and solving their livelihood problems."
Emperor Defeng's eyes lit up.
While observing his reaction, Lu Zhiran continued, "That piece of land is enough for a shelter. If we want to build a workshop, we'll have to expand it. After all, a workshop not only needs to provide them with a place to learn skills, but also food and shelter. If we continue to expand, we'll have to encroach on other people's farms."
Emperor Defeng waved his hand and said, "The land issue is a small matter. I will take care of it. You can build as wide as you like."
Lu Zhiran continued, "All major workshops need skilled female officials to teach apprentices. Roughly speaking, we need at least several hundred or even a thousand leading female officials. I can recruit people from the public, but their skills are certainly not as good as those of the palace officials, so it will not be possible to find enough people in a short time."
This is the real problem.
Emperor Defeng looked at her and said, "How dare you speak."
She didn't want just one or two female officials, but hundreds or even thousands.
The palace maids and female officials are all servants of the imperial court, and they receive salaries from the imperial court. In this way, wouldn't they all be working for Lu Zhiran?
Lu Zhiran said sternly, "Your Majesty, I understand your concerns, so I have another suggestion. I believe this workshop can be established as a joint venture between government and business."
"Officials are naturally the imperial court, and merchants are me. I will provide the money, and the imperial court will provide the manpower and labor to build the workshop, arrange for female officials, and train apprentices. If the workshop is profitable in the future, I and the imperial court will each receive 50%. With the imperial court's name, all arrangements will be legitimate, and everyone will have more trust in the workshop and be more grateful to the emperor."
Emperor Defeng once again looked at her with admiration.
She really dares to think so.
But I have to say, this proposal sounds really good.
Lu Zhiran respectfully presented a document.
"This is the idea I have sorted out. Your Majesty, please review it."
She never fights an unprepared battle. This plan has been in her mind for a long time. Now that the opportunity has come, she will naturally not miss it.
Feng Youcai stepped forward to take it and presented it to Emperor Defeng.
Emperor Defeng opened it, and the more he read, the more satisfied he felt.
Not only did she make a detailed plan for the matter from beginning to end, she even drew up the layout of the workshop. Construction could begin directly according to the plan.
"You're spending a fortune to help the imperial court resettle disaster victims. Isn't that a thankless task?"
How could it be so thankless? The partnership between government and business was itself a living signboard, and if used well, it could bring enormous wealth to her business.
Once the workshop is fully operational, she will have plenty of ways to double the money.
But she certainly wouldn't say that.
Lu Zhiran said sternly, "As a businessman, you can't just focus on immediate profits. When necessary, you must sacrifice profit for righteousness. Only then can you go further. As a woman, I also want to do more for women in the world. The emperor has bestowed upon me the title of 'righteous businessman', and I will not let you down."
After hearing this, Emperor Defeng was deeply moved, and his eyes were full of appreciation and praise when he looked at her.
"You really didn't disappoint me."
Lu Zhiran looked at Emperor Defeng with hope on her face, "Then Your Majesty, do you agree?"
Emperor Defeng stroked his beard with his hand, a smile on his face, and nodded.
"You've thought so carefully about it for me, how could I not agree?"
Lu Zhiran kowtowed with joy, "Your Majesty is wise, and your Majesty is wholeheartedly concerned about the livelihood of the people. It is a blessing for the people of Da Qi to have such a wise ruler!"
The corners of Emperor Defeng's mouth curled up uncontrollably.
Even though he knew she was flattering him, Emperor Defeng still felt very comfortable.
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