The entire labor market was busy with their own business, either dozing off catching lice, or folding their hands under their heads to chat idly, and no one looked over.
Zheng Ruqian was really helpless. He cleared his throat and said, "I'm hiring long-term workers here. Is anyone willing to sign a ten-year long contract? Whether to renew or terminate the contract at the end is up to you, I won't force it."
Long-term workers?
The people in the labor market looked at him curiously, and soon dismissed him with disdain.
In their eyes, a ten-year long-term worker was no different from directly selling oneself into slavery. By comparison, short-term work was more free and relaxed.
Zheng Ruqian shouted again, but still no one paid attention.
Just as he had already accepted that he had made a fruitless trip and was about to leave with his sister, a tall figure stood up, "I'll go."
"For a ten-year contract, how much monthly pay?" The man strode over, followed by a slightly smaller boy.
The two looked like brothers, but on closer inspection, one could feel the difference in appearance.
The man was sturdy and dignified, a thorough adult.
The slightly smaller boy was extremely ordinary...with normal features, normal face shape. Put together, it made him hard to remember what he looked like.
Jiang San was still curiously looking at them.
Zheng Ruqian had already taken out the script he had prepared in advance, "The long-term workers I hire don't do hard labor, but have to run around everywhere, to uncertain places. I'll pay five taels of silver per year, to be increased appropriately next year."
Five taels of silver!
Even if one worked 365 days a year without rest, that would still be over ten wen a day. And no hard labor, much better than unstable short-term work.
Zheng Ruqian had just finished speaking when over a dozen short-term workers' eyes lit up and they crowded over, wanting to recommend themselves.
But Zheng Ruqian shook his head and refused, only looking at the burly man.
The man did not hesitate, pointing to the boy behind him, "I have no other requirements, I just hope I can bring my younger brother along. Don't worry sir, he can do any job, and is also very good with horses and carriages."
Jiang San was still curiously sizing them up.
Zheng Ruqian thought for a moment before agreeing, and brought the two to the yamen to sign the contract and then back to the second courtyard.
At the same time.
Jiang San and Jiang Si had also come back with the results of their investigation.
Zhu Zhi was very bold, keeping his concubine right near the Zhu house, just around the corner in an alley.
And because the distance was so close, the Zhu family had not noticed anything unusual, only thinking he liked to linger around the house.
It was also true that the concubine had given birth to his eldest son. Jiang Si had overheard when following them that Zhu Zhi had promised the concubine to raise their eldest son as his heir, and leave everything to him in the future.
This already violated the laws of the Dayu Dynasty. According to the current laws, illegitimate sons and daughters could never supersede legitimate offspring.
"Zhu Zhi doesn't dare favor his illegitimate son over the legitimate if he wants to be an official." Chang Yan tapped the table with three fingers on his right hand. "Unless...he has no legitimate son."
Xu Mo and Wen Zhiyun shuddered.
A person as hypocritical as Zhu Zhi, making the Zhu family find him a bride from a prestigious family, while secretly keeping a concubine. He hadn't even married the young lady yet, but was already planning to stop her from bearing children.
They should expose this, both to tear off Zhu Zhi's hypocritical mask, and to save the young lady of a prestigious family.
But how to expose it was key.
The power of prestigious families was beyond the imagination of commoners. Rash action would only stir up trouble, implicating everyone from Xu Mo to Jiang San.
This was surely why Zhu Sihuan had not acted directly.
"Borrowing external force is the best, but we don't even know any prestigious families in Fengjing." Chang Yan took a deep breath. "We can only try to get some outsiders and beggars to do it, and hide our identities to avoid implicating ourselves."
He had just finished speaking when Zheng Ruqian and Jiang San brought the two brothers in.
The burly man in front was nothing special, but when he saw the boy behind, Chang Yan's eyes lit up.
A face so ordinary, so ordinary that he would barely make ripples thrown into a crowd, was better than any disguise.
When he learned these two were the long-term workers Zheng Ruqian had just hired, Chang Yan could not conceal his delight.
It gave Zheng Ruqian a fright, "Xiao Wu, what's the matter with you? Has thinking too much made you silly?"
Chang Yan smiled helplessly, gazing intently at the two.
After a brief introduction, the two men's backgrounds were clarified.
They were not blood brothers, but fellow villagers who had come to Fengjing together to work and earn money, but had almost been tricked into signing slave contracts in the east of the city.
"Although ten years is long, it's still different from a slave contract." Gao Dawan said honestly, "We had just arrived and couldn't even get short-term work at the labor market. We'd starve if we didn't find work that paid."
"Then why don't you go back to your hometown?" Jiang San wondered.
If she couldn't make it in Fengjing, she would immediately pack up and go back to Xieyang County, Shili Village, and beg for food rather than starve.
Gao Dawan looked a little embarrassed.
It was Gao Yan who whispered, "We have to provide for our parents and get married. Of course we can't go back home looking terrible."
A homeless orphan could beg for food to survive.
But someone with parents and family had responsibility, a burden on their shoulders.
Jiang San seemed to understand, and nodded.
Chang Yan took out two pieces of broken silver from his robe, "Help me with something, and these two taels are yours."
Gao Dawan and Gao Yan's eyes widened at the same time.
The master was already paying highly at five taels a year. They didn't expect this person to be even more generous, two taels for one job.
"Will it be very difficult?" Gao Yan still muttered.
Gao Dawan was already extremely excited, "No matter how difficult, I will go through fire and water for you, sir!"
Chang Yan and Xu Mo smirked at the same time.
It was of course not difficult. Gao Yan just needed to put on the clothes of a Zhu family servant and take the initiative to ask the young lady from a prestigious family to meet him at Yong'an Alley.
Yong'an Alley was where Zhu Zhi kept his concubine, right on the corner of the first house, very easy to recognize.
According to Jiang Si's observations, Zhu Zhi went to Yong'an Alley every evening at dusk, and returned to the Zhu house when it was almost dark, claiming he was composing poetry with friends when he was actually in the embrace of his lover.
Although confused, the young lady from a prestigious family, who had already exchanged betrothal gifts with Zhu Zhi, would meet him for both emotional and propriety's sake.
Gao Yan suggested meeting slightly later in the evening, right when Zhu Zhi would be halfway through enjoying the intimacy with his concubine. The young lady would be waiting irritatedly at the corner, and by the time she was fed up, Zhu Zhi would be about done in Yong'an Alley.
The kept concubine had a habit of clinging to Zhu Zhi and reluctantly seeing him off to the mouth of the alley.
The impatient young lady would turn her head and see her betrothed being led by the hand by a voluptuous woman, lingering at the alley entrance, and her cultivated manners would shatter.
"Zhu Zhi!" The person in the carriage was furious, angrily jumping off the shaft, "What are you doing! Who is that woman beside you!"
