"My lord, you put on a good show today."
Although he had made a decision in his heart, it was a matter of people's livelihood, and Gongsun Ming did not dare to act arbitrarily. As soon as he returned to the government office, he immediately invited the two advisers to the meeting hall. After sitting down, Pang Tong smiled and teased Gongsun Ming.
"The military advisor was joking. This matter happened so suddenly that I was caught off guard. Hey, who said a good woman is not as good as a man? Little girl Kou has given me a difficult problem. This matter is very important, and I don't dare to do it. To decide, how about I ask both gentlemen to share their opinions first?"
I actually acted once, but when I really think about it, Gongsun Ming can't help but feel a little guilty in his heart. If there is no other, like this kind of group incident, if one person is not handled well, it will lose face and lose the people's support. If possible, Gongsun Ming really doesn't want to have a situation like today where he has to put on a show to escape.
"It's difficult. This matter involves more than just aristocratic families. Many wealthy families have servants, as many as ten, as few as three or two. Many maids claim to be servants, but in fact they are their masters. The family's concubines are involved in many matters, and if we apply them across the board, it will definitely make the people furious, and I'm afraid it will be very detrimental to the overall situation."
When it came to business, Pang Tong immediately put away his smile, frowned slightly, and made a judgment first. Obviously, he was not optimistic about the prospect of fully liberating his maids.
"My lord knows it well. The previous order to renounce one's nationality caused not only the grievances of the aristocratic families, but also the wealthy families. It was just because of the lord's pressure that they dared not speak out. Furthermore, apart from the various In addition to having to renounce their citizenship due to the importance of the Military Intelligence Bureau, many members of the aristocratic families actually do not want to join the military household. There are not many people who have renounced their citizenship, so the real impact on the aristocratic families is not obvious. It’s too big, so I can bear with it if I can, but if I allow my maidservants to leave their citizenship, the inner courtyard will be in chaos, and I am afraid that I will exceed the limit of a wealthy family or above, so I really can’t do it.”
Xu Shu was even more straightforward. He concluded that this matter was not feasible at the first call. It was not that he himself was gender-discriminatory, but that the current world was such a situation where men were superior to women and it could not be solved with one or two decrees. In Xu Shu's view, If we really want to force it, I'm afraid it will be inevitable to deal with a big mess. If we want to clean it up again, I'm afraid it won't be that easy.
"Well, the two gentlemen are very worried. I am also worried about the many disadvantages here, so I dare not take the decision. However, in my opinion, there are probably not a few people like Koulan who are determined to seek freedom, and they all ignore it. There is something wrong, and it must be dealt with in the end. What do you two gentlemen think?"
Difficulties are always inevitable. Gongsun Ming has been mentally prepared for this. However, in his opinion, there are always more solutions than difficulties. As long as he is willing to work hard, he will not worry about finding a way to balance the interests of all parties.
"My lord, I'm aware of this. I think it's better to wait for this matter than to rush it. It's not too late to wait until the household registration and land allocation matters are over before making a decision."
Seeing that Gongsun Ming was determined to give the maids a chance to leave their country, Pang Tong frowned. Although he didn't object, the suggestion of delay showed that Pang Tong was not satisfied with the matter. Be optimistic.
"My lord, I think what Shiyuan said is quite reasonable. Things have priorities, and they must come first. If you scratch your eyebrows and beard, you may make a mistake in the rush."
Xu Shu's views were basically the same as Pang Tong's, but the words coming out of his mouth were obviously much clearer than Pang Tong's.
"I know what you two gentlemen mean. This matter really cannot be rushed. I don't intend to become fat in one breath. But the method can be determined first. After Liaoxi and Liaodong are pacified in the middle of the Western month, I can return. Let’s just start resolving this matter later.”
How could Gongsun Ming not understand why he was too anxious to eat hot tofu? The reason why he did not set out a timetable for solving the problem in front of the people was because he was worried about the backlash of public opinion.
"Master, what are you going to do?"
The conquest of western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning is an established strategy. There is absolutely no room for discussion on this point. Before that, if the land equalization order and the military system of the government can be completed, it will be considered a huge victory. Whether it is Pang Tong or Xu Shu, Neither of them wanted to cause trouble before, but now that they heard that Gongsun Ming could distinguish the priorities, Pang and Xu's tense heartstrings relaxed. After quickly exchanging glances with each other, Pang Tong let Pang Tong go. He asked a question.
"Well, let's put it this way, many maids have been sold into other people's homes as slaves since childhood, and their means of making a living are extremely weak. Although many people yearn for freedom strongly, if they are given freedom, they may not know it at all. How to live, this can be seen from the fact that Coran didn't know where to go after he suddenly became free. If the livelihood of the maid who longs for freedom cannot be arranged in advance, good things will inevitably turn into bad things. Therefore, a certain plan is made by The government came forward to set up a weaving factory to accommodate women who wanted to leave their country. In this way, the women could make a living through hard work to repay their loans to the government, and the government could also obtain a large amount of cloth and military uniforms for use. OK, I wonder if you two gentlemen think it’s possible?”
Gongsun Ming didn't get too close to the matter. He first analyzed in detail the possible dilemma faced by the maids who longed for freedom, and then came up with his own solution.
"This method is feasible, but the lord plans to define who should deregister and who cannot. If there are no certain rules, there will be many lawsuits, which will be really detrimental to the administration of officials."
Weaving factories have been around since ancient times, so it is not a rare thing. There are also several weaving factories run by aristocratic families in Youzhou and Bo. The uniforms, tents and other items of the Youzhou Army were purchased from these weaving factories. It is not difficult to set up a weaving factory in name, but the fundamental problem is not here, but how to define who can deregister. From Pang Tong's perspective, he can explain the core problem in one sentence.
"For those who have reached the age of fifteen and have not been taken in as a concubine by the master's family, they can propose a redemption to the master's family on a voluntary basis. If the money is insufficient, they can first borrow money from the government, and then work in a weaving factory to make a living and repay the debt. Of course, if there are relatives who are willing to repay the money or the husband’s family is willing to repay it after the marriage, the contract with the weaving factory can be terminated in advance. Do you think this method is feasible, gentlemen?"
Gongsun Ming always considers issues very carefully. Either he doesn't say anything, but once he does say it, he must have thought everything through. The same is true for how to define those who can repatriate.
"It should be feasible."
"You can give it a try."
After listening to Gongsun Ming's explanation, Pang Tong and Xu Shu were not in a hurry to give an answer. Instead, they each considered it for a while before expressing their opinions respectively.
"Well, let's settle this matter for now. We can make an announcement after Western Liaoning and Eastern Liaoning are pacified."
Seeing that both counselors had no objections, Gongsun Ming said no more and made the final decision with a wave of his hand...
