Chapter 1511: Benevolent Policies of Yesteryear

In his early years, when he served as an Academician of the Chongzheng Hall by Emperor Liu's side, Zhao Pu was also a frequent visitor to Guangzheng Hall. At that time, he was still unknown and nameless, merely a lucky man who had enjoyed the recommendation in Liu Ci's posthumous memorial and been opportunistically promoted to serve before the throne, having just completed the transformation of his identity from a local clerk to a close minister of the Son of Heaven.

At that time, those who sat in the Hall of State Affairs managing governance were ministers such as Li Tao, Wei Renpu, and Fan Zhi, and every one of these men was a worthy chancellor of the current dynasty, accomplished and renowned, ranked among the Twenty-Four Ministers of Qianyou.

Sometimes, Zhao Pu could not help but think that if he had thrown in his lot with Emperor Liu a few years earlier, then how could his name be absent from the ranks of the Twenty-Four Ministers? On this point, Zhao Pu had sufficient confidence.

But those few years presented a tremendous gap in life's fortunes. Even so, Zhao Pu could still be proud—in just over ten years' time, he had become a chancellor with real power in the current dynasty, and had even overtaken those who had started far earlier and gone far further than him, leaving them behind in the dust.

And nearly twenty years later, those old ministers and worthy chancellors who had once maneuvered with skill and pointed at the realm had withered away one after another, and it was Zhao Pu who had taken their place. The others represented the era of Qianyou unification, while Zhao Pu developed the flourishing age of Kaibao. From this perspective, not being among the Twenty-Four Ministers was not so regrettable after all—at least, leaving his name in the annals of Kaibao, he had already achieved.

The same Guangzheng Hall—compared to the one in Luoyang, the one here in Kaifeng appeared somewhat more modest, with a less grand layout and less imposing decoration. This was obvious, for the Han palace in Kaifeng had never undergone large-scale expansion or renovation from start to finish, and any repairs were merely routine maintenance—a bit of hammering here, a bit of patching there.

Of course, Zhao Pu did not care. The point was never where one worked, but who could grasp power and who could issue orders.

Handling routine affairs and solving problems was Zhao Pu's daily work when he sat in the hall managing governance. Generally speaking, as soon as he sat before the hall desk, an endless stream of matters would find their way to him, awaiting his approval or decision.

Being a chancellor, especially one with real power, "attending to myriad affairs daily" might be a rhetorical description, but attending to a hundred or even several hundred matters a day was by no means an exaggeration.

In the space of half an hour, five people had already come to report, and Zhao Pu had approved eight matters of state—from the horse administration in Hexi to the Tangut problem in Yulin, from the tea-horse trade in the southwest to the autumn taxes in the southeast, including the grain and military supply provisions for the garrison troops in Liaodong—all of these he had to inquire into.

However, compared to the Western Capital, the work intensity here in the Eastern Capital was greatly reduced. Moreover, accompanying the imperial tour eastward, the most pressing public business was still the issue of disasters in the Central Plains, with most affairs revolving around disaster relief and post-disaster recovery.

"Someone come!"

"Send this document to Panyu!" Zhao Pu handed over an imperial decree from his hand.

This decree was Zhao Pu's ruling on the malpractices of pearl diving in the Liangguang region. During the time of Southern Yue, Liu Chang had been extravagantly wasteful, decorating the buildings he dwelt in with hawksbill turtle shells and pearls and jade. To satisfy his private desires, Liu Chang had also specially ordered people to organize a "professional" team of pearl divers.

The so-called "professional" was written in the blood and tears of the pearl divers, satisfying the vicious desires of the ruler. Pearl divers in Lingnan were required to tie stones to their feet, fasten ropes around their waists, and descend into the sea several hundred feet deep to collect pearls. Every year, countless numbers drowned while diving for pearls. The danger and cruelty involved were truly horrifying to hear.

While the nobles enjoyed those beautiful and exquisite pearls and treasures, few paid attention to how many wronged souls and resentful spirits were buried behind them.

After Pan Mei pacified the south, upon investigating the matter, he submitted a memorial laying out in full the perilous and bitter conditions of pearl diving. Naturally, this received a positive response from the court. Among the many evil policies of Southern Yue, the pearl-diving policy might not have drawn much attention, but it was clearly something deeply detested by the pearl divers who suffered under it, so it was abolished without hesitation, and it was even explicitly stipulated that the people were forbidden from making pearl diving their occupation.

At the time, it indeed achieved immediate results. However, after many years had passed, it was as if a cycle had turned, returning to the original starting point—as if nothing had changed at all.

In the past two years, the pearl-diving industry in the Liangguang region had risen again. Only this time, it was not led by the government, and there was no tyrant or oppressive policy to serve as a target for cursing, attacking, and venting resentment.

In its place, some private individuals in the populace had organized their own teams to go to sea and dive for pearls. Only, compared to the past's unrelenting exploitation and extortion, it had changed to employment. Although pearl diving was dangerous and terrifying, as long as there was enough profit, there would always be people willing to risk their lives.

Although the Liangguang authorities restricted and suppressed it in accordance with court policy, apart from the first few years, it basically became a mere formality later on. Or rather, the government's restrictions themselves had inherent limitations—how could they truly be completely eradicated? Even whether the Liangguang authorities had cut corners in enforcement was hard to say clearly.

After all, the profits from pearl diving were too great, and the interest groups involved were truly enormous. Around the "Southern Pearl" market, there were too many people making a living from it.

The court's original intention in forbidding the people from pearl diving was to relieve the people's suffering and show compassion for their circumstances, but not all good policies win people's hearts. Just as the court was thinking of the pearl divers—those who suffered deeply certainly existed—but likewise, for the sake of getting rich, for the sake of making a living, there would always be people willing to throw themselves into it, selling their lives to stay alive. Such was reality.

When the court forbade the people from making pearl diving their occupation, then inevitably some people would lose their livelihoods, and losing their livelihoods would naturally breed resentment. Not everyone was willing to honestly farm the land—and that was only under the condition that they had land to farm.

Therefore, it was understandable that after lying dormant for a few years, the pearl-diving industry in Lingnan quickly revived with renewed vigor. Only, compared to before, for the pearl divers, their days were somewhat better—no longer the wanton, endless exploitation and extortion, and they could obtain sufficient returns to sustain their lives.

Although the essence had not changed much, merely draping a "gentle" cloak over the cruel reality, there were still people willing to risk great danger and throw themselves into it.

And those organizers of pearl diving were also adapting to the times, becoming smarter, their methods no longer so crude and cruel. When the government had policies, the people had countermeasures—exploiting loopholes in court policy, flexibly navigating the gray zones.

The court forbade pearl diving, so they actively responded to the court's call—after all, one could not oppose the authorities. Thus, a large number of groups operating under the banner of fishing were established; they organized manpower and went to sea to catch fish.

Living off the sea, fishing was one of the primary means of survival for coastal people. In this regard, the court not only could not forbid it but had to strongly support it. They were merely, while fishing, incidentally discovering some pearls, agates, corals, and hawksbill turtle shells—that should be no problem, right?

This time, the matter of pearl diving being able to reach the court, and even being personally drafted and ruled upon by Chancellor Zhao Pu, had a simple reason: an official named Zhao Ning had exposed the situation of the pearl-diving industry in Lingnan, pleading on behalf of the pearl divers he saw as cruelly exploited, demanding that the court issue decrees to strike at those unscrupulous merchants who violated the policies, and bitterly denouncing the inaction of the local Liangguang authorities...

Among it, one case was highlighted: a pearl diver who had gone to sea had met with an accident and gone missing, but his family had received no compensation. They appealed to the authorities, yet lacked evidence—calling to heaven, heaven did not answer; calling to earth, earth did not respond.

This matter circulated several times among the various departments and also stirred considerable controversy. Some firmly proposed that those unscrupulous merchants and evil traders who refused to reform, who openly exploited loopholes in court policy, who defied the court's explicit prohibitions, who illegally organized and exploited the people, should be severely struck down and punished as a priority.

Of course, others subtly suggested that pearl diving was also a livelihood that some Lingnan people depended on, and could create value for the court; it only needed to be regulated and standardized. As for complete prohibition, perhaps more consideration and deliberation were needed.

These words carried a certain caution, after all, it was a decision personally made by Emperor Liu back then, out of compassion for the peril and suffering of the pearl-diving people of Lingnan. But the meaning was very straightforward—someone dared to raise objections, which showed the change in people's hearts regarding the Southern Pearl industry.

In the end, it was still presented to Zhao Pu, and Zhao Pu hesitated several times as well. After an exchange with Emperor Liu, he finally made his decision.

First, the court's policy forbidding the people from making pearl diving their occupation would not change and would continue to be enforced. Second, for those involved in the incident, from officials to pearl merchants, all would be held accountable and severely punished, and the missing person would be given compensation to safeguard his interests.

The attitude appeared very clear, yet it also concealed a hint of ambiguity—after all, this only ruled on individual cases, with no further rectification measures or policy plans issued.

The policy not changing—did that mean the current state of Southern Pearl collection could also continue to be maintained?

Perhaps that was exactly what Zhao Pu meant, and what it reflected also represented Emperor Liu's attitude. Some things could never be completely forbidden, after all, because of profit.

How could Zhao Pu not see clearly? At least in recent years, those treasures that had appeared on the capital's market, the precious pearls used in nobles' homes, and even the utensils for imperial use within the palace—how closely these were connected to the pearl-diving industry of Lingnan was not something one could examine too closely.

As long as there was a market and demand, there would be an endless stream of people throwing themselves into it. Flies and vultures always circled around rotting meat.

And who was participating in it? Was it only a bunch of private merchants? With such a massive chain of interests, how could a bunch of lowly merchants alone compete and profit within it?

The pearl divers were certainly in peril and suffering, at the very bottom of the interest chain, but after all, it was a means of making a living. Even dangerous, even inhumane work, there would always be people willing to do it.

If it were according to Zhao Pu's thinking, the Southern Pearl trade could be further regulated and constrained, fully brought under the government's control system, with efforts to improve the treatment and safety guarantees of pearl divers, while also satisfying the interest demands of all parties and increasing revenue for the court.

But there was a problem in specific implementation: back then, it was because of the pearl divers' suffering that the prohibition on the people making pearl diving their occupation was issued. Now if it were abandoned, and even the court took the lead again in conducting collection, then there would be much to invite criticism.

If it were like that, what difference would the court have from Liu Chang's Southern Yue back then? Of course, the specific differences were great, but it would not sound good if it spread.

Sometimes, the Emperor's face and the court's dignity truly outweighed everything else, serving as the premise for considering all matters...