The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 430

Upon hearing Chu Li's words, the princes who had previously voiced their opinions immediately fell silent.

Only then did they realize that Zhou Chu and the royal family could have run this coal mining business on their own. Bringing them in was merely to share the profits with them, and it seemed that Zhou Chu had no need to consult with them at all.

The power of discourse was entirely in the hands of this commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This left some of the princes feeling resentful, yet they were powerless to do anything about it. This resentment wasn't because they were earning less money, but because as princes, they had always had a smooth life from childhood, with others always going along with them. Today, however, they were being led by the nose by Zhou Chu, which they found hard to accept, yet they had no way to refuse.

"I know that some of you may find it hard to accept such high wages for the workers, but have you ever thought about it? Only by paying the workers enough wages and providing them with good enough food will they work wholeheartedly for us. Putting aside everything else, if the workers just put in a little more effort, there will be fewer accidents and collapses in the coal mine, and the losses saved will far exceed the wages paid to the workers."

Looking at the expressions of these young masters, Chu Li roughly knew what they were thinking. She wasn't really trying to explain anything, but rather giving them a way out.

Chu Li could, of course, ignore these people's resentment and force them to agree, but as a collaborator, Chu Li knew very well that everyone should be of one mind, otherwise, if someone secretly sabotaged things because they were unhappy, it could cause great losses.

It could even have a negative impact on Zhou Chu.

This is not what Chu Li wants to see; she wants to minimize this risk.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the princes, whose expressions had been rather unpleasant, looked much better. For them, face was more important than anything else, and Chu Li's explanation was, in their eyes, a way of saving face.

For them, their status was that of the heirs and princesses of various vassal kings. In terms of status alone, Zhou Chu was inferior. If Zhou Chu were to forcefully suppress them, they would definitely feel very uncomfortable. Chu Li's explanation was just right and gave them a way out.

Doing business together isn't about holding grudges. You can't do business together if you're holding grudges; it will only lead to trouble. Problems need to be solved, which is why Zhou Chu had Chu Li chair this meeting. Zhou Chu knew very well that Chu Li could handle these issues very well.

If Zhou Chu were to preside over the meeting, he certainly wouldn't give these princes and princesses much face. That's always been Zhou Chu's style, and these princes wouldn't make him want to explain himself.

This is the primary function of many important figures' deputies or secretaries: to mediate and facilitate communication between their superiors and others.

"If a worker dies or becomes disabled due to a mining accident, we should provide his family with sufficient compensation as soon as possible. This compensation is tentatively set at five years' wages. This is to show the other workers that we should do this so that they can work for us without any worries."

Chu Li continued.

With the groundwork laid earlier, no one dared to make a fool of themselves this time. After all, the coal mining business was extremely lucrative, so giving the workers a little more wouldn't hurt. Nobody objected, and the one or two who did have objections were too embarrassed to voice them.

Moreover, what Chu Li said does make sense; if you look at it from another angle, it's not unacceptable.

Of course, only Chu Li, or rather Zhou Chu behind Chu Li, could make these princes think from a different perspective. If it were anyone else, they would have a different attitude.

.......

In Japan, Wang Zhi and Lin Zhi led their army to continuously expand eastward. Many of the Japanese who were mining were killed by the Ming soldiers who were supervising them, because these Japanese were always thinking of running away.