Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 219 Master, what are you doing here? Zhang Shiyuan's World Map!

Zhao Shizhen felt like crying but had no tears left.

Why did Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing reappear in the Western Hills?

To be honest, the defenses of Xishan are already quite tight.

However, the methods used by these two were far too "despicable".

With Zeng Shengwu, the Minister of Works, acting as a cover, and being able to directly impersonate an official in the cabinet, there are only two people in the whole world who can do this.

Zhao Shizhen was quite helpless. Nominally, he was Zhang Yunxiu's disciple, but he still had to call Zhang Juzheng his grandmaster!
Who would have thought that Zhang Juzheng, the Grand Secretary and the father of the de facto ruler of Xishan, would secretly sneak into Xishan to gather information?

It's not that the cabinet is extremely busy, but these two cabinet ministers really do have plenty of free time!

Of course, even though Zhang Juzheng had extraordinary abilities, he still underestimated the vigilance of the people of Xishan.

After he entered Xishan Village, he attracted the secret attention of the elderly, weak, women and children in the village.

Especially when Zhang Juzheng and Su Er questioned him about such suspicious behavior, the seemingly frail old man turned around and rode his own donkey to the Xishan Thousand Household Office to report.

Zhang Yunxiu and Zhang Jianxiu were both absent from the garrison.

Xue, the commander of Xishan, naturally acted decisively, preferring to kill a hundred innocent people rather than let one guilty person go free. He dispatched dozens of his elite guards, determined to capture the two "scoundrels" and bring them to justice.

He wasn't afraid of being misunderstood; offending court officials was a minor matter.

But if someone were to steal the secrets of Xishan, even if Zhang Yunxiu would let him go, Emperor Wanli would never allow it.

Today, Zhao Shizhen was in charge of liaising with officials from the Ministry of Works, mainly to promote matters related to cement.

He was only a little late in the lab, but when he came out he couldn't find the two of them. How could he not be anxious?

Most importantly, the flood washed away the Dragon King Temple, and Zhang Yunxiu's father was arrested instead.

Standing outside the Xishan Textile Workshop, Zhao Shizhen looked rather at a loss.

He certainly wouldn't forget that during the "seizure of affection" incident in the fifth year of the Wanli reign, his outspokenness had offended the then Grand Secretary, who was now his mentor, to the point of no return.

Today's scene of capturing the master is really a bit...
But Zhang Juzheng paid no attention to this at all; his attention was entirely focused on the workshop.

"Crackling~"

The sound of the loom turning was incessant.

Through the glass window, he could see hundreds of female workers gathered inside.

Their movements were very synchronized; one moment they were adjusting the shuttle, the next they were pressing the handle.

These women worked against the clock, as if afraid of falling behind, producing one silk thread after another with meticulous skill.

Once a whole basket of cotton threads had been filled, female workers would come to collect them and use a wooden cart to transport the cotton threads to the next workshop.

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but wonder: "Where are these cotton threads being transported to?"

Zhao Shizhen quickly replied, "Tell Master that our Xishan textile workshop not only has a silk-drawing process, but also a weaving process, and even a garment-making workshop, forming an industrial chain with streamlined operations."

He didn't care whether his word choice was accurate or not, and just blurted everything out.

Zhang Juzheng frowned. He was not quite used to being addressed as "Master," but compared to that, the so-called industrial chain was much more eye-catching.

"Take this old man to see."

He said it in a way that left no room for argument.

Normally, there shouldn't be any men in this textile workshop, but Zhang Juzheng was clearly an exception.

As he walked, Zhao Shizhen followed behind, explaining things to him.

"Are all the workers in the textile workshop women?"

"The textile workshop is separated by gender, and there is also an area exclusively for men. You should know this, Yuanfu. Although most of the workers are women from the countryside, there are still restrictions between men and women."

“Not bad.” Zhang Juzheng nodded slightly, stopped in front of a warehouse where cotton and silk were stored, looked at the mountains of cotton and silk inside, and couldn’t help but ask a question.

"How many female workers can the Xishan Textile Workshop currently accommodate? And how much cotton and silk can it produce daily?"

"There are about three thousand people, and the daily output is probably around 100,000 catties."

"100,000 jin?! That's probably not enough for more than 3,000 people."

Zhao Shizhen understood Zhang Juzheng's meaning, and after thinking for a moment, he explained, "We will recruit more female workers in the future, but I think five thousand or so will be the most we can manage. You should know, Grand Secretary, that Xishan is just a demonstration. If we want to solve the problem of women's livelihood in the future, we cannot rely on Xishan alone."

In fact, the cotton and cloth produced by the textile workshop with 5,000 workers were enough to sweep the entire Beizhili market.

Especially in this era of low productivity, the textile machine developed by Zhang Yunxiu can be described as a complete game-changer.

It's not that Xishan can't accommodate people; in fact, compared to the initial fifty or sixty thousand refugees, the number of people looking for work in Xishan has exceeded one hundred thousand, making it practically a small town independent of the capital.

Why not recruit another 10,000 female workers?

However, if this were the case, the massive influx of cotton, cotton cloth, and silk into the market would inevitably lead to the collapse of the traditional small-scale farming economy, a fact that Zhang Yunxiu could not possibly have failed to realize.

The price of cotton cloth can be reduced, which would benefit the people, but it cannot be drastically reduced without removing people who rely on textiles for a living from the production chain.

These were clearly the problems that Zhang Yunxiu wanted to avoid, and he even discussed them with Zhang Juzheng.

Thus, based on Xishan as a model, and by selling technology, workers, and looms, it came into being.

A true transformation is one that allows more ordinary people to participate.

As Zhang Juzheng walked and observed, he gained a general understanding of the operating model of the Xishan Textile Workshop and began to formulate his own plans. Seeing the various management methods employed by the Xishan Textile Workshop, Shen Shixing couldn't help but feel curious as well.

"The workshop is well-organized, with each process being meticulously executed, and the female workers each fulfilling their respective duties."

Such discipline must have taken a lot of effort, right? Who is managing this textile workshop? Could we ask them to come out and meet us?

The Wenyuan Pavilion was the central government office. As a member of the inner cabinet, Shen Shixing couldn't help but think that if all the officials under his jurisdiction could work like female workers, then what would prevent the Ming Dynasty from prospering?
Zhao Shizhen, having also worked his way up in the government, knew exactly what the other party was thinking, and quickly explained.

"The management in this workshop is naturally very different. Firstly, the process is simpler, and secondly, the workshop pays wages by piecework, so the female workers naturally work much harder."

In fact, among the performance evaluation methods promoted by Zhang Juzheng, there was also a performance evaluation method that "the cabinet controls the six ministries, and the six ministries control the local governments".

Through assessments such as the "Beijing Inspection" and the "Grand Assessment," those with outstanding performance are promoted, while those who neglect their duties are punished or demoted.

However, there are far too many ways to work around this issue.

Zhang Juzheng naturally did not expect to obtain a good solution for promoting the "performance evaluation system" from Zhao Shizhen.

He squinted and said, "Where is that brat Zhang Shiyuan? Why hasn't he come to see me again?"

Zhao Shizhen didn't know why he used the word "again," so he shrank back and answered honestly.

"Your teacher is teaching at Xishan Peiwen Academy~"

"Take this old man to find that brat."

"This"

"Ok?"

“Hey—Master, come with me.”

Zhao Shizhen dared not be negligent in the slightest and immediately arranged for carriages and horses for the two of them to head towards Xishan Academy.

On the carriage, Shen Shixing couldn't help but ask curiously, "Scholar Zhao hasn't mentioned yet who manages the Xishan Textile Workshop. There are so many women, unlike men who can be beaten and scolded at will, so managing them is not easy."

"This"

Zhao Shizhen had deliberately avoided the topic, but it came up again anyway, and he said with a strange expression.

"There are two directors in this workshop. The deputy director, Zhao Rui, is the manager of Ruijin Silk Shop and is responsible for the daily management of textile affairs."

This director was Mr. Li Dongbi.

Li Shizhen?
Both of them were taken aback for a moment, and Shen Shixing couldn't help but ask.

"Li Yaosheng also has the ability to manage and govern? And he's a woman."

"Indeed."

Zhao Shizhen nodded and said.

"Dr. Li is very good at dealing with women. Everyone in this textile workshop is coordinated by Dr. Li. Master even gave him a nickname, 'Friend of Women'."

Shen Shixing's face held a strange, ambiguous expression, as if he were not quite smiling.

After a long pause, Zhang Juzheng finally managed to utter a sentence.

"Nonsense!"

"Students, we live on Earth. On the other side of Earth lies the land of Gold, a place rich in resources. Gold is a wonderful place, with fertile land everywhere and cattle and sheep running freely across the fields."

"If one day you are able to set foot in this place, you can go and search for the gold mine that is full of gold. If you find a nugget of gold, you will never have to worry about anything for the rest of your life."

"Students, our Great Ming Dynasty is going to set sail. Look at this world map. Our Great Ming Dynasty is just a piece of land on Earth. There are countless land resources waiting for us to explore."

"This world is a sphere, and we are all situated on it. If any of you are ever able to sail the seas in the future, do not forget what your master told you: beyond the seas lies not some abyss, but endless wealth and hope."

Inside the Minglun Hall of Xishan Peiwen Academy, Zhang Yunxiu pointed at a huge world map with his pointer and addressed the children of all ages below the stage.

The children from Xishan all had shining eyes as they stared at the world map with great curiosity.

Some people even drooled after hearing Zhang Yunxiu's description.

That golden continent not only has gold, but you can also eat meat every day!

Why should these barbarians get all the benefits?
The children were all very interested, and Zhang Yunxiu was also very enthusiastic, talking about everything from the Gold Continent to Europe and Southeast Asia, describing the customs, cultures and resources of various places around the world.

Inside the Minglun Hall, everyone was enjoying themselves, but the expressions of the few people standing outside the door seemed rather strange.

Zhang Juzheng's face suddenly turned cold.

"Is this how rebellious sons teach children?"

Originally, Zhang Juzheng had a good impression of Xishan after visiting the place today, and he wanted to praise his youngest son even more.

But this good mood didn't last long, as his unfilial son caused him trouble again.

In a school, there shouldn't be loud reading aloud, with children swaying their heads as they recite elementary texts such as the "Three Character Classic" and the "Hundred Family Surnames."

But what was Zhang Yunxiu telling the children?
Did they urge them to go to sea?

Zhao Shizhen stood to the side, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Master doesn’t usually do this. He also teaches some classics and historical texts on a regular basis.”

Zhang Juzheng wouldn't listen; his gaze was fixed on the huge world map in the Minglun Hall.

(End of this chapter)