allonlinenovel Chapter 349: Ownership of the Cotton Workshop: Your Majesty has a share
Chapter 349: Ownership of the Cotton Workshop: Your Majesty has a share
What Liang Fu wanted to ask was actually another question.
That is the owner of this workshop, from Tongan County, or...
Shen Zheng understood the elegant meaning of the strings and said with a smile:
"Sir Liang, when I announced my intention to set up a fabric workshop a few months ago, I told the people that this workshop would be established through a collective funding system."
"Raising funds?"
Liang Fu frowned and asked, "You mean, you want to crowdfund the cost?"
He was even more puzzled. If the construction costs were paid by everyone, then who would own the workshop? It couldn't be that everyone had a share, right?
“It’s crowdfunding!”
Shen Zheng stood up, put his hands on the table, and said slowly:
"After the workshop is built, it will not only belong to the county government, nor to me, Shen Zheng, but to the entire Tongan County and many other parties."
Liang Fu was not the only one who was surprised when these words were spoken.
Even Yu Shizhang was a little unsure of what she was thinking, so he asked, "Then...how do you want to distribute it?"
"Divide into four parts." Shen Zheng replied.
"Four?"
"That's right." Shen Zheng looked firm.
"My Lord, ever since I and Mr. Qiao made the first textile machine, we have already thought of dividing the entire textile workshop into four parts. But since we have not yet reached this stage, I have never said it clearly."
"Which four?"
Yu Shizhang was a little curious. "If you want to say it, you should take a share of it. This loom is your great contribution."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present echoed them, even Liang Fu had no objection.
"Sir Shen, I think what Lord Bo said is very true. If it were among the common people, this workshop should belong to you alone."
Shen Zheng pretended to think, but what she was embarrassed to say was that she had never gotten herself out of this situation from the very beginning...
But she definitely didn't want to take the money into her coffin. She just wanted to have money in her pocket, so she didn't have to worry.
If there is a disaster like the one in the east again in the future, she can do her part personally, right?
She also wants to do more charity in the future, spend the money where it is needed, and help more people.
"One part will be my personal property as Lord Bo said, and I will also contribute in proportion. The other part will be like what I just said, and the people will contribute part of the money to build the workshop, depending on the village. When the workshop starts to make a profit, the profit will be distributed according to the village."
Yu Shizhang nodded in understanding and praised: "You are still thinking about the people in this matter. They are really blessed to follow you. But in my opinion, the share of the people should not be too high, 10% is enough. As for the construction cost, only 10% will be charged from them."
He further explained:
"I'm not asking you to be harsh on the people in the county, but everyone here should understand that the cotton cloth will be spread all over the Great Zhou. A 10% profit is really a lot. Even if it is distributed to every household, it is estimated that they will not go hungry."
Shen Zheng didn't notice anything unusual.
"Don't worry, Lord. I understand the reason, and I don't want to make the people in the county useless."
"I took the people into consideration for two reasons."
"First, as Lord Bo just said, I care about the people. I hope they can live a prosperous life and use the extra money to do business to support their families, so that money can make money and boost the economy of Tongan County and Liuyang Prefecture. This is also the promise I made to the people at the beginning."
"Secondly, the workshop is built in the county, and I hope that the people will get involved and treat the workshop as their own business, so they will pay more attention to it. If I am not in Tongan County in the future, the people will be able to keep a closer eye on it."
Yu Shizhang tapped the table lightly upon hearing this.
"That makes sense. If you get promoted and don't have time to watch over the workshop, something might go wrong."
He called Shen Xingjian, "Sir Shen, please give us a rough estimate of the cost of this construction for Tongan County."
Shen Zheng directly handed the paper and pen to Shen Xingjian. Everyone watched his movements, waiting for the result of his calculation.
After a moment, Shen Xingjian put down his pen and handed the paper to Shen Zheng.
"Sir Shen, if we want to supply cotton cloth to the entire Great Zhou, this workshop... takes up too much space and requires a lot of investment."
Personally, he does not agree with such construction.
Shen Zheng immediately shook her head.
"We don't need the entire Great Zhou. We can just use ourselves as the center point and project it onto Shangjing. As for the north and the west, the journey is long and the cost of transporting cotton cloth there is high. We will not consider it for now. I will have my own plans in the future."
Shen Xingjian nodded, picked up his pen and started calculating, then lowered his head and said:
"You all don't have to wait for me, let's discuss the matter. What I have calculated now is just an approximation. After the discussion is over, I will discuss it with Lord Liang and make a detailed calculation."
There were still many things to discuss later, and Shen Zheng didn't want to waste time waiting, so she said:
"As for the remaining two shares, one is owned by the county government, and the profits will be used for the development of the county, including but not limited to: future planning of the county, the introduction of talents, compensation for the occupation of the people's fields and houses, and the construction and paving of roads and various facilities in the county."
When this was said, some people agreed and some disagreed.
Liang Fu asked first: "After you leave, Lord Shen, will this profit still belong to the county government?"
Shen Zheng nodded directly.
"That's right. The county will provide the land for the construction this time, and will also provide part of the capital. Lord Liang, even if I leave my post in the future, Tong'an County is the place where I served as an official for the first time. I always hope that this place will be better."
What she said was half true and half false.
It is true that she really hopes for the best for Tongan County, but that does not mean that she is not worried about whether the money can be used properly under the jurisdiction of the next county magistrate after she leaves office.
The false fact is that Shen Zheng also has selfish motives.
——If there is not much disposable money in the county, she cannot guarantee that she can develop Tongan County to a level recognized by the system within the next two years.
So no matter what happens in the future, she really needs this income in the next two years, and a share of it must be counted as the county government.
"That's fine."
Yu Shizhang did not argue, "Just keep an eye on it when the time comes. What about the last one?"
"For the last copy, I would like to hand it over to Your Majesty for disposal."
"!!"
Yu Shizhang's chair was thrown back and he almost fell.
He asked in surprise, "Who are you talking about?"
"His Majesty."
Yu Shizhang slammed the table, startling Shen Xingjian, who was immersed in calculations, so much that he raised his head.
"You didn't tell me about this important event earlier! The reward convoy has been on the road for quite some time, and you didn't say anything yet! What should I say to you now?"
Shen Zheng touched her nose, feeling a little unsure: "This matter...must be dealt with one by one..."
Yu Shizhang looked disappointed and rebuked her:
"If His Majesty knew about this earlier, he would be so happy! When the meeting is over, you will write a letter to His Majesty and I will send it to Shangjing by express horse!"
Shen Zheng opened her mouth and squeezed out a sentence:
"When His Majesty sent you and the convoy here last time, he did not mention the ownership of the looms to me at all, which means that His Majesty has handed the matter over to me to handle."
Yu Shizhang uttered a "hmm" sound from his nose, and Shen Zheng continued:
"But I also know that since Your Majesty treats me like this, I'm sure he has done a lot for me in the capital. So I can't be ungrateful, so I thought of handing one of the gifts over to Your Majesty for disposal, which can also be regarded as fulfilling my loyalty to the emperor."
The current emperor is a wise ruler, and Shen Zheng doesn't mind letting him take one of them.
After all, there is no family without a country, and only when the country is rich can the family be rich.
"You, you."
Yu Shizhang was both happy and angry. After a long pause, he said, "That old fellow Ji Benchang is going to make a scene in the Golden Palace again this time."