books44 Chapter 670: Female Housekeeper.
Chapter 670: Female Housekeeper.
Ye Kun was a little surprised: "Of course you can tell me, what is so funny?"
"Today in the orphanage, I saw some children with whip marks on their bodies... I guess they were beaten in the orphanage. Such young children are really pitiful."
"Whipping an orphan? How dare you!"
Ye Kun was shocked: "The court has repeatedly ordered that orphans should be treated well, especially those abandoned baby girls. The expenses of the orphanage are also earmarked, and there are also donations from unofficial charitable organizations and the public. Logically speaking, the conditions in the orphanage should not be bad, and the treatment of the service staff should not be bad. Why is there such a thing?"
Jiang Yourong sighed: "I asked the reason, and the director of the orphanage said that it was caused by the children fighting with each other. But I saw that the children were very scared and dared not speak."
Ye Kun comforted Jiang Yourong: "I will investigate this matter thoroughly. Don't make it public yet. In two days, I will raid the orphanage."
There are orphanages in every city in Hanzhong, a total of more than a dozen.
In the city of Hanzhong, where Ye Shoucheng was in charge, there were two orphanages, which were basically filled with abandoned girls.
This is a situation caused by the idea of favoring boys over girls.
Two years ago, the imperial court issued special laws to prohibit the abandonment of girls, and also provided subsidies and reduced taxes to families with many girls.
Various states and counties also arrested a number of parents and sent them to labor camps for reflection.
The situation has changed, but it has not yet been completely eliminated.
Jiang Yourong said: "We will feel at ease only if we replace the orphanages across the country with our own people."
"But we don't have that many of our own people. Besides, people change. Even our own people can't guarantee that they will always be kind."
Ye Kun sighed.
Jiang Yourong thought for a moment and said, "I have never been involved in government affairs. I have only managed the harem. But this time, I dare to make a suggestion. Can we select some kind and caring older palace maids who are released every year and appoint them as directors of orphanages in various places?"
The maids in the palace are now all female officials in charge of internal affairs.
The service period is five years, and if there is a labor agreement, there is a fixed salary.
The palace recruits some female officials for domestic affairs every year, and also releases a group of those whose service period has expired.
Palace maids whose service period has expired are often reluctant to leave because they have developed feelings for the palace.
Jiang Yourong meant that these people were also their own people and could be assigned to orphanages in various places to take charge of their work.
Ye Kun smiled and said, "Your Majesty's suggestion is very good. Your vision is far superior to that of the court officials. However, these people who are in charge of the orphanage must also undergo some simple training."
The female officials in the palace have basically developed the habit of being careful and cautious, so it is appropriate to put them in charge of the orphanage.
Moreover, these female officials used to be people in the palace, and local officials did not dare to offend them.
In this way, it also provides a way out for older palace maids. After leaving the palace, they can receive a fixed salary and have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives.
No matter how you calculate it, it's appropriate.
Jiang Yourong continued, "There are about 300 female officials released from the palace every year. If two people are in charge of an orphanage, they can take over more than 100 people. After five years, all orphanages in the country will basically be our own.
We will pay for it from the palace and set up a reward and punishment mechanism. We will give rewards to outstanding orphanage directors. I think the orphanage will be well managed.”
Ye Kun stood up and bowed deeply to Jiang Yourong: "Your Majesty is the mother of the world, and your virtues are passed down to all people. Please accept my greetings!"
Jiang Yourong panicked and returned the greeting with a red face: "What's going on? I just feel sorry for those children..."
Kind people are always kind.
Ye Kun was very fortunate to have such a virtuous wife and such a queen.
That night, Ye Kun invited Xie Baochan and Liu Yuejuan to come and study Jiang Yourong's proposal together with Wen Axiu.
Everyone agreed.
Wen Axiu drafted a simple charter for future use.
……
The next morning, Ye Kun appeared in front of the prefectural government, waiting for officials to gather and plan the canal route.
Ye Shoucheng, Feng Youtie and others also arrived early.
Ye Kun said: "Today is a march. Bring some dry food and water and ride with me. We may camp outside tonight, so be prepared."
Everyone clasped their fists together, mounted their horses, and followed Ye Kun.
The upper reaches of the Han River are winding and rugged, just as Ye Shoucheng said.
The water flow is small and the river twists very strangely, sometimes S-shaped and sometimes V-shaped. There are rocks on both sides of the river channel, making it difficult to dig.
The height difference is also large, which is not suitable for expansion.
Ye Kun walked down from the upstream and said, "Back then, the Han River could be taken directly to the Central Plains by boat. But because of the great earthquake in Wudu more than 200 years ago, the terrain was destroyed and the Han River changed its course, which cut off shipping."
Ye Shoucheng flattered him: "The emperor is a scholar of heaven and earth, well-versed in history and modern times."
"I am still shocking the world."
Ye Kun rolled his eyes. "I just read some ancient records and learned about this earthquake and the reason why the Han River changed its course. But I don't know whether the Han River can resume navigation all the way to Xiangyang and Luoyang. Ye Qingyang has done research and thinks it is impossible, unless there is really the power to move mountains.
But I think it’s a pity that such a long waterway like the Han River cannot be used.”
Ye Shoucheng said: "My uncle Ye Qingyang did survey the entire Han River, and he was unable to penetrate the entire waterway. My uncle also mentioned the Hanzhong Canal, and thought it was optional to build it because the waterway was very short, only two hundred miles."
"He doesn't know what these two hundred miles of waterway mean to Hanzhong."
Ye Kun once again popularized it to everyone: "The cost of transporting goods by horse-drawn carriage is twenty times that of shipping. The cost of building a highway is ten times that of building a canal. Therefore, even a 200-mile waterway will increase Hanzhong's income by two percentage points."
"Your Majesty, what is chicken fart?"
"It's the chicken's butt." Ye Kun smirked, "The economy has developed, the people are getting richer, and we can eat two more chicken butts every year. In economics, it's called the chicken butt indicator!"
Everyone was at a loss whether what Ye Kun said was true or false.
Lu Yeliang said: "Your Majesty, when building a canal, we must also consider the population factor. In the most densely populated areas, the canal will play a greater role. Therefore, the route should be planned along the city or large market town."
Ye Kun nodded: "But we also have to consider flooding and bridge construction. Where there is a river there must be a bridge, otherwise the canal will cut off traffic between the two banks."
Walk and look along the way, check the map from time to time and dismount to analyze.
Sometimes, I would ask and consult local farmers.
At the end of the day, we only walked thirty miles.
While camping at night, Ye Kun was still discussing water conservancy and transportation knowledge with everyone.
The officials in Hanzhong were all impressed by Ye Kun's diligence.
For three consecutive days, Ye Kun led everyone back to Phoenix Mountain and completed the entire journey of the Hanzhong Valley.
The canal route has basically been planned.
However, it is not a solution.
Ye Kun led the team back and said, "For these plans, you should expand the number of people who have opinions, continue to discuss, and select the best one to be finalized. After implementation, you, Hanzhong, will complete the construction task alone. The court will give money and a few technicians.
This is an assessment of you in Hanzhong, and also a test of the cultural popularization and skills training over the years.
I think that after twenty years of efforts in education and popularization of science and talent cultivation, a place like Hanzhong should be rich in talent and be able to complete a small canal on its own.”
Ye Shoucheng is a water conservancy expert. He smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, rest assured. This canal is not technically difficult. We only need to build seven or eight small bridges, a dozen small docks, and two locks. We can do it in Hanzhong without the need for court technicians."
"Very good. Once you have finalized the plan and made a budget, I will apply for funding for you."
Ye Kun nodded.
Feng Youtie smiled and said, "Our emperor is indeed different from the previous emperors."