Chapter 874

First Volume, Chapter 874: Beixi Standard

The young maid, terrified from being beaten, dared not defy them and hurried off to do as told.

Meanwhile, Chen Tian took advantage of the opening to visit the Wu Residence in person and finally met Wu Dagui.

The moment they saw each other, both sighed deeply in unison.

Wu Dagui frowned: "County Magistrate Chen, you knew how powerful Lord Qin is—why didn't you tell me sooner? I was just one step away from inviting major trouble."

Chen Tian let out a long sigh, his expression no better: "I only just got word myself."

"I'm just a lowly county magistrate, a tiny official—officially called an official under the Son of Heaven's feet, but in Ben Zhou, I'm worth less than a fart."

"The moment Lord Qin left Wang Du, the Ministry of Revenue sent someone to inform me—gave me a full rundown of everything about Lord Qin, warned me to be careful and not cause any trouble."

"Even then, I only just learned how much Lord Qin accomplished in Sangzhou!"

Wu Dagui was internally startled and couldn't help asking in a low voice: "No way? Even you just found out? You're on the official side!"

Chen Tian shook his head with a bitter smile: "Official side? In plain terms, I'm just a lowly county magistrate. The only things we're allowed to know are what's deliberately leaked down to us—if the higher-ups don't want us to know, we're blind and deaf."

"Sangzhou is a thousand li from Ben Zhou. We've just endured a great war—materials are scarce, life is poor, and to prevent foreign spies from infiltrating, movement between regions is strictly forbidden—so news travels even slower."

"Even events from before the war have only just reached my ears now—Zhong Ling is dead!"

Wu Dagui had already heard about Zhong Ling from Wu Heng, and recalling it now, he was still stunned.

He'd spent half his life in Changshui County just to finally gain a foothold, yet compared to true power players, he was still an ant.

His meager strength wasn't even enough for them to blow off steam.

Wu Dagui swallowed hard and whispered: "County Magistrate Chen, why did Lord Qin insist on coming here to Changshui County himself?"

"Hiring laborers is a minor matter—any confidant could've handled it. Why come all the way in person?"

"Even if Changshui is close to Wang Du, it's only a day or two's journey at most—but it's freezing cold, the wind howls, and after a full day's ride, you're practically frozen solid. Why would Lord Qin leave the comforts of Wang Du just to hire laborers? It makes no sense!"

Chen Tian sneered: "Lord Qin has always acted in ways no one else understands."

"Frankly, I don't care what scheme Lord Qin is hatching—as long as we treat him well and don't provoke him under his own eyes, even if the sky falls, it won't crush us."

"Think about Wu Qi—that bastard with his sharp tongue—he got his head cut off on the spot, yet Lord Qin didn't punish your Wu Family further—just made you pay back some grain and materials and that was it."

"So you see, Lord Qin holds high rank and power—he's too above it all to care about petty matters."

Wu Dagui nodded vigorously: "County Magistrate Chen, you're absolutely right—but I don't understand one thing: Lord Qin dismissed almost all the laborers he had finally managed to hire—what exactly is he planning next?"

Chen Tian sighed heavily: "Wu Boss, you're being foolish! Who is Lord Qin? He cares deeply about his reputation. Forcing common folk to work? That's exactly why he dislikes you."

Saying this, Chen Tian pulled a slip of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Wu Dagui.

"This was delivered by the Ministry of Revenue—it's the Beixi County labor standard. Follow it exactly, and you won't go wrong."

Wu Dagui took the paper and stared at it—his body froze in place.

After a long while, he came to his senses and muttered numbly: "County Magistrate Chen, are you joking with me?"

"Does such a way of hiring labor even exist in this world?"

Chen Tian clicked his tongue irritably: "Do you distrust me, or the Ministry of Revenue? What would we gain by lying to you?"

Wu Dagui's face fell, his heart aching with every beat.

The paper clearly laid out the Beixi County labor standard.

Adults: work four hours per day, monthly wage two hundred wen, three days off per month. If laborers voluntarily forgo their days off, they're counted as fully present and receive two hundred fifty wen at month's end.

Food allowance: three wen per person per day. If injured on the job, the employer covers all medical and related expenses.

Wu Dagui's hand trembled as he held the paper.

He'd never in his life seen such a way of hiring labor—this wasn't hiring laborers; it was inviting a bunch of masters!

Wu Dagui couldn't help muttering: "Beixi County must be desperately poor—hiring even a single laborer costs a fortune. Lord Qin is good at war, but terrible at governance."

Hearing this, Chen Tian let out a cold laugh: "Beixi County poor? That's the biggest joke I've heard this year."

"Beixi County's annual tax revenue exceeds one million taels of silver!"

"Even an ordinary citizen earns two taels of silver per year—a family of three earns six taels; a five-member family with three generations earns at least ten taels. Even the people of Wang Du don't earn this much!"

"Let me put it this way: during wartime, if Beixi County simply levies one tael of silver per household, combined with county treasury funds, it's enough to fund Lord Qin's entire major campaign!"

"That's true wealth hidden among the people—what do you know?"

Wu Dagui was so shocked his mouth hung open—a tiny county with annual tax revenue over a million taels of silver? Unbelievable!

Wu Dagui couldn't comprehend how Lord Qin spent so lavishly yet Beixi County remained incredibly wealthy.

Since he couldn't figure it out, he gave up trying—right now, his only priority was serving Lord Qin well.

Wu Dagui tucked the paper away and asked again: "So—the monthly wage—is it based on Beixi County's standard, or Lord Qin's original promise of three hundred wen?"

Chen Tian shook his head in exasperation, thinking: Wu Dagui is usually sharp—why is he acting so foolish now? Has Lord Qin scared him into stupidity?

"What do you think? Do you still think we're in the good old days? Our Da Di currency isn't worth anything anymore!"

"In Liang Kingdom, one thousand wen equals one tael of silver. In our Da Di, you now need one thousand four hundred wen to get one tael of silver."

"Lord Qin's three hundred wen? That's Beixi County's standard. Remember this—don't dare skim any of it. If you do, you'll lose your head—and don't say I didn't warn you."

Wu Dagui dared not entertain any dishonest thoughts and immediately bowed and thanked him profusely.

At that moment, a commotion suddenly erupted from the direction of the County Yamen.