Yan Liqiang remembered that when he heard about the White Lotus Rebellion in the Heavenly Dao Divine Realm, he only knew that it was very chaotic, especially in Quzhou, Huangzhou, and Yuezhou. The White Lotus not only broke through the cities and slaughtered the local clans, but also any court officials who fell into their hands could not escape death. Many court officials in the three states were killed by the White Lotus...
Sun Bingchen is going to Yuezhou to be the governor, and Liang Yijie might follow him. This is simply like entering a den of thieves. Yan Liqiang is naturally a little worried.
It was only at this time that Yan Liqiang realized that he knew too little about the specific circumstances of the White Lotus uprising in several southern states. He only had some vague information he had heard from others. Yan Liqiang had no impression of the people, time, place and details of the White Lotus uprising.
This time when I return to the Tiandao Divine Realm, I should pay more attention to the news about the White Lotus Religion's uprising in the three states. It might be of great use.
Yan Liqiang made a secret decision in his heart.
In reality, the White Lotus Rebellion has not happened yet, and everything is still unknown. However, in the Tiandao Divine Realm, the White Lotus Rebellion in the three states is already a thing of the past. Many of the inside stories and processes have been exposed and are known to everyone. It is no longer a secret. If I can grasp the situation of the White Lotus Rebellion in the Tiandao Divine Realm, it means I can predict the future, and thus maximize the value of information asymmetry. Knowing something three days in advance will bring you wealth and honor for thousands of years. Now that I have known something four years in advance, I should make good use of it.
Thinking this in his mind, Yan Liqiang, riding on his rhinoceros horse, unknowingly arrived at the west gate of the imperial capital. After passing the city's forbidden inspection again, he left the city.
Yan Liqiang originally wanted to go back to Luyuan, but then he changed his mind and came to Baijiapu.
Baijiapu is a small town outside the west gate of the imperial capital. On a riverside vacant land near the official road in the town, a huge human resources market was formed spontaneously. Of course, there was no such thing as a human resources market in the Han Empire. Those who gathered here were all people looking for work, and they were all low-end laborers, such as porters, porters, coolies, servants, maids, sedan chair bearers, etc. There is also a place called Daweichang outside the east gate of the imperial capital, which is also a spontaneously formed human resources market. However, the human resources market outside the east gate is higher-end than that outside the west gate. There are more craftsmen gathered in the human resources market outside the east gate. For example, if a family wants to make furniture or build a house, they will go to the east gate to find carpenters and stonemasons to help.
The labor market in Baijiapu was similar to the low-level labor markets Yan Liqiang had seen in his previous life. Even though it was already afternoon, the people gathered in the open space by the river were a sea of people. They gathered in twos and threes, either waiting for work or talking about wages, employees, and treatment with people who came to look for jobs.
The clothes Yan Liqiang wore were not luxurious but very ordinary, but the Wuyun Gaixue he was holding was very eye-catching. As a result, as soon as Yan Liqiang arrived at the riverside of Baijiapu, many people dressed as dentists suddenly rushed over from the surroundings, talking enthusiastically.
"This young master is looking for a maid. I have a few maids here. They are all refugees. They are all very smart and obedient. Why don't you come with me to have a look? I am willing to work for them or sell my body..."
"I have a few wet nurses here. They have just given birth and are the best at taking care of children. If you have children at home, my wet nurses will definitely feed them and make them plump and white. Human milk is a great tonic, suitable for both young and old. The wet nurses are also very obedient. You will definitely like them..." The guarantor who introduced the wet nurses winked at Yan Liqiang while speaking, revealing a lewd smile and a mouthful of smoked teeth, as if he was afraid that Yan Liqiang didn't understand.
"The maids here used to be in the homes of high-ranking officials in the imperial court. They know the rules best and can serve the young and old in our homes..."
"My maids and wet nurses are the cheapest. If you are not satisfied within seven days, you can change them..." Another broker squeezed over and started selling to Yan Liqiang.
After listening to what these brokers said, Yan Liqiang could only sigh in his heart, feeling deeply that it was not easy for the lower class people to survive. Often times, the lower the people were, the more they could sell in order to survive, especially those women who did not have many labor skills. He did not know if there were often young masters from the Imperial Capital who came here to select maids and wet nurses for other purposes. When these brokers introduced the maids and wet nurses, Yan Liqiang clearly felt that each of them seemed to have something else to say.
"I came here to look for some friends I know. Do you know where Xu Enda and the others are..."
After hearing what Yan Liqiang said, the brokers who had surrounded him suddenly lost interest in Yan Liqiang and dispersed. Only one broker pointed to a willow forest not far away and said, "Xu Enda and the others seem to be over there..."
"Okay, thank you!" Yan Liqiang bowed and walked towards the willow forest not far away. With almost no effort, Yan Liqiang saw Xu Enda and a few others, who were talking under a willow tree around a pot-bellied man who looked like a butler.
Seeing this scene, Yan Liqiang did not go over, but stopped in the distance.
Yan Liqiang had excellent hearing, far superior to that of ordinary people. In addition, those people did not lower their voices when they talked, so Yan Liqiang heard everything they were talking about.
"If several of us brothers work together, the half-day wages are 25 copper coins each, and 20 copper coins with meals. It can't be any less. If we include the morning and afternoon, it will be 38 copper coins for a whole day with a meal. This is already the lowest price. We can give you, Manager Liu, a discount of 2 copper coins..." Xu Enda, who had just helped others on the street, now looked embarrassed.
"Too much, too much. I'll provide one meal and one day's wages from morning to night, at most twenty-eight copper coins. Do you want to do it? If not, I'll find someone else!" The pot-bellied butler-like man shouted, looking at Xu Enda and the others arrogantly, "I found you because you are all familiar faces in the city and are considered honest people..."
Xu Enda gritted his teeth and said, "Manager Liu, give me a few more copper coins, or you can give me another meal. Carrying bricks is hard work, and you have to work from 7am to 10pm. It's very tiring, and there's not much time to rest. I'm afraid we brothers won't be able to last for one meal..."
The pot-bellied manager suddenly became unhappy and snorted, "Why are you so picky? I'm lucky to have you guys to work for me. Last time I came here, I found a few laborers from other places, and they only paid me 20 copper coins a day. What I'm giving you is already a lot. Let me ask you one last time, are you willing to do it? If not, I'll find someone else..."
"Then please find someone else, Manager Liu!" Xu Enda's face had calmed down.
“Hmph, you don’t know how to appreciate a favor…” Manager Liu flicked his sleeves and walked away without looking back.
"Brother Xu, what happened just now..." After Manager Liu left, a young man next to Xu Enda couldn't help but ask.
"Xiao Wu, this money is too unfair. Let's not talk about whether the job given by Manager Liu is tiring or not. If we take this job, it will ruin the market of the laborers in Baijiapu and offend many people. Manager Liu can lower the salary even more in the future. We all earn money through hard work. There is no need for us to make things difficult for those poor brothers. Let those poor brothers who have just come to the capital and want to settle down earn this money..."
Hearing what Xu Enda said, the young men next to him nodded and stopped talking.
Yan Liqiang listened and watched this scene from afar, and felt that Xu Enda was indeed a useful person. So he led the horse, walked around two willow trees, and went towards Xu Enda and the others.
"Ha, little brother, I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that we meet again!"
Hearing the sound of horse hooves, Xu Enda and a few others turned around and saw Yan Liqiang leading the Rhino Horse towards them. Xu Enda immediately laughed and greeted Yan Liqiang.
"I will need to hire a few long-term workers in a few days. I just happened to think of you brothers here, so I came to take a look. I wonder if you brothers are interested?" Yan Liqiang said with a smile.
Hearing that it was a long-term worker, Xu Enda and several young men around him looked at each other, their eyes shining. Long-term workers have stable jobs and naturally earn more money than these short-term workers who work every day, so of course several people were interested.
"I wonder what the farmhand you need will do. We brothers are all rough men and can't do delicate work." Xu Enda licked his dry lips and asked carefully.
"It's just helping to deliver some goods in the Imperial Capital, or moving things, and doing some odd jobs in the workshop. It's not too tiring, and it's all legal work..."
"How is the salary calculated?"
"If you guys want to come, I'll temporarily set the salary at two taels of silver per month, not including meals, and the wages will be paid once a month!"
The two young men next to Xu Enda could not help but exclaim in surprise, and they urged Xu Enda with their eyes, asking him to agree quickly. Such a job was simply hard to find even with a lantern. It was something they had only dreamed of. Several people felt as if they were hit on the head by a meat pie falling from the sky, and they felt dizzy with happiness.
"Is what my little brother said true?"
"Well, this five taels of silver is the deposit!" Yan Liqiang took out a piece of silver from his pocket and handed it to Xu Enda, "Brothers, just wait for me here in the afternoon of three days. If I don't come, this deposit will be used as compensation to you brothers. Is that okay?"
"Of course... no problem!" Xu Enda squeezed the hard silver in his hand and nodded vigorously.
"Okay, see you in three days..."
…
When they saw Yan Liqiang riding away on the Rhino Horse, Xu Enda and the others were still in shock.
"Brother Xu..." the young man named Xiao Wu called out, and Xu Enda turned around and looked at the young men with burning eyes, "We are lucky to have met a noble person today..."
…
After returning to Luyuan, Yan Liqiang had dinner, practiced the Yi Jin Xi Sui Jing several times, and then hurriedly entered the Tian Dao Divine Realm.
Thinking of the subsequent uprisings of the White Lotus Sect in Quzhou, Huangzhou, and Yuezhou, Yan Liqiang could not help but want to hurry back to the Sword God Sect with the escort agency to inquire about the relevant news...
What Yan Liqiang didn't expect was that with the destruction of the capital of the Han Empire, the turbulent tide of the coming chaos in the Heavenly Dao Divine Realm slowly began to emerge...
(End of this chapter)