Silver Overlord

Yan Liqiang recalled hearing about the uprising of the White Lotus Society in the Heavenly Realm before. It was extremely chaotic, especially in the Qu, Huang, and Yue Provinces. Not only did the White Lotus Society breach the city, they also massacred the local influential clans. Any imperial court officials who fell in their hands couldn’t escape. Many of the officials from the three provinces were killed by them…

Since Sun Bingchen was going to Yue Province to perform his duties as the provincial governor, Liang Yijie would probably follow him there too. That’d be no different than venturing into the lion’s den. Naturally, Yan Liqiang was quite worried about them.

It was only at this moment Yan Liqiang realized that he knew too little about the specific details regarding the White Lotus Society’s uprising in the southern provinces. All he had was only some vague information gathered from rumors. He was really clueless about the individuals, the time, the venues, and events related to the uprising.

He decided he should probably pay more attention to news on the White Lotus Society’s uprising in the three provinces during his next trip to the Heavenly Realm as it might come in handy.

Yan Liqiang secretly made the decision in his heart.

As far as reality was concerned, the White Lotus Society’s uprising was still unknown. However, in the Heavenly Realm, the uprising in the three provinces was already history. The inside stories and course of events had been exposed and made known to the public, so it wasn’t a secret anymore. If he managed to get a good a grasp of the information on the uprising in the Heavenly Realm, he would be able to predict the future and maximize the value of information asymmetry. Three days of foresight would lead to lifetime prosperity. If he knew things four years in advance, then he should put that knowledge to good use.

Riding on his rhinodrake steed while pondering about it, Yan Liqiang had unknowingly arrived at the western city gates of the Imperial Capital. After another round inspection by the authorities, he exited the city.

Yan Liqiang was initially planning to return to Deer Villa. On second thought, he made his way to the Hundred Clans Market instead.

The Hundred Clans Market was a little town outside the western city gates of the Imperial Capital. A huge employment marketplace was formed in an open space by the river in the town, near the public road. Of course, the term ’employment marketplace’ didn’t exist in the Great Han Empire. However, the people who gathered here were all laborers seeking to be hired as porters, laborer workers, servants, maids, or palanquin bearers. Outside the eastern city gates of the Imperial Capital was a place known as the ‘Great Enclosure’. An employment marketplace had also been established there. Compared to the one in the Hundred Clans Market outside the western city gate, it was more high-class. More artisans gathered in the employment market there. Hence, people who wished to build furniture or houses would search for carpenters or stonemasons at the eastern city gates.

The employment market at the Hundred Clans Market was almost the same as the labor markets Yan Liqiang had seen in his previous life. Although it was already afternoon, the crowd in the open space near the riverside was still densely packed. The people gathered there were either waiting for a job or negotiating wages with their potential employers.

Yan Liqiang wasn’t that lavishly dressed. Despite being plainly dressed, Snowstorm Cloud was too eye-catching. In the end, Yan Liqiang was swarmed by very enthusiastic brokers as soon as he arrived at the riverside of the Hundred Clans Market.

“Young Lord, are you looking for maids? I have a few with me. They are all very obedient refugees! Why don’t you follow me and have a look? You can use them as seasonal workers or even slaves…!”

“I have a few wet nurses here who have just given birth recently! They’re the best at taking care of children. If you have children at home, they will definitely be able to plump them up. Breastmilk is a very great nourishment and it is suitable for both the young and the old. The wet nurses are very obedient too. I’m sure you will like them, Young Lord…!” The broker winked at Yan Liqiang while introducing the wet nurses. He was smiling lecherously and showing off his yellowish teeth, hoping that Yan Liqiang would get what he was hinting at.

“My maids have worked for the high officials before so they know their manners best. You can hire them to serve the young and old at home…!”

“I have the cheapest maids and wet nurses available! If Young Lord isn’t happy with their service, you may switch to another within seven days…!” Another broker squirmed his way to Yan Liqiang and started promoting his goods.

Yan Liqiang could only sigh inwardly after listening to the brokers. His heart went out to the people of the lower social class because of the challenges they had to face in life. Normally, the lower the social class they were in, the more they could offer for the sake of surviving, especially the women that weren’t very skilled in labor. Yan Liqiang wondered if the young lords in the Imperial Capital would often come here to pick up maids and wet nurses for different purposes. He could pick up the obvious hints behind those brokers’ words when they tried to introduce him the maids and wet nurses.

“I am here to find a few friends. Does anyone know where Xu Enda and the rest are…?”

As soon as the brokers heard Yan Liqiang’s words, their interests waned and the crowd dispersed. Only one of them pointed toward a willow forest nearby and said, “I think Xu Enda is over there…”

“Alright, thank you!” Yan Liqiang cupped his fist to him and made his way toward the willow forest. It didn’t take him long to find Xu Enda and the rest talking to a paunchy man who looked like a steward under a willow tree.

Yan Liqiang didn’t approach them upon seeing this and stopped somewhere in the distance.

Since he had keen hearing senses that surpassed the average human being and the group didn’t bother to lower the volume of their conversation either, Yan Liqiang was able to hear their entire discussion.

“If we work together for half a day, everyone will get paid twenty-five copper coins. If one meal is provided, then that’ll be twenty copper coins. We can’t go lower than that! If we are to work a full day and be provided a meal, that will be thirty-eight copper coins as the lowest rate. We will give Steward Liu a discount of two copper coins…” Xu Enda, the guy who stood up for him earlier on the streets, seemed like he was in a tough spot.

“Too expensive, too expensive! I only get twenty-eight copper coins at most for working a full day with only one meal provided. Are you going to accept that? If not, I’ll look for someone else!” The paunchy steward raised his voice and looked at Xu Enda’s group pompously. “I only came to you because you all are familiar faces in the city…!”

Xu Enda clenched his teeth. “Steward Liu, why don’t you add a few more copper coins or provide us another meal? Moving bricks is an intensive job. Not only that, we are expected to work from seven in the morning to seven at night. It is very exhausting with very minimal breaks in between. I’m afraid we won’t be able to last with only one guaranteed meal…”

The paunchy steward immediately looked displeased as he snorted coldly, “How can you be so picky? It’s good enough that you are being offered a job. Last time I came here, I hired some foreign workers at the cost of only twenty copper coins per day. I’ve already given you all a pretty sweet deal. Let me ask you again, are you taking the job or not? Otherwise, I’ll look for someone else…!”

“You may look for someone else then, Steward Liu!” Xu Enda had calmed down.

“Hmph, so ungrateful…!” Steward Liu swung his sleeve in anger and walked away without even looking back.

“Brother Xu, why did you…” After Steward Liu left, a young man beside Xu Enda couldn’t help but voice out his concern.

“Little Fifth, the offer was simply too low. Putting aside how tiring the work is, if we accepted this job, we’d be ruining the economy of the Hundred Clans Market and we’d be offending many people. In the future, Steward Liu will lower his offer even more. We’re all earning money through hardships, so there’s no need to make things even more difficult for other people. Just let those who have come to settle down at the Imperial Capital earn that money…”

Upon hearing Xu Enda’s explanation, the other young men around him nodded without any saying anything else.

Yan Liqiang watched and listened in the distance, feeling that Xu Enda was indeed a reliable person. He led his steed past two willow trees and approached them.

“Ah, Little Brother! So we meet again, what a coincidence!”

Xu Enda’s group turned their heads around when they heard the sounds of iron hooves and found Yan Liqiang coming toward them with his rhinodrake steed. Xu Enda immediately greeted him with a smile.

“I need to hire a few long-term workers in a few days and thought of all of you, so I came over to see you. Would you be interested?” Yan Liqiang told them with a smile.

Upon hearing that it was a long-term job, Xu Enda exchanged glances with the few young men around him as their eyes lit up. Long-term jobs provided stable income and more money in the long run compared to short-term jobs. Of course they were all interested.

Xu Enda licked his dried lips and cautiously asked, “What kind of long-term job are we looking at, Little Brother? We are all boorish men who aren’t capable of meticulous work.”

“I need help with some deliveries in the Imperial Capital as well as moving some stuff and doing some chores in a workshop. Not too exhausting and it’s all honest work…”

“How much are you paying?”

“If you and your brothers are interested, let’s fix it at two taels of silver per month for now, excluding meals! You will be paid monthly.”

The two young men beside Xu Enda could no longer suppress their delighted squeals. All of them were urging Xu Enda to quickly accept the offer with their gazes. A job like this was hard to come by and a dream come true. The group felt as though falling meat pies from the sky had hit their heads. They were dizzy with excitement.

“Little Brother, are you serious about that?”

“Yes. Take these five taels of silver as the deposit!” Yan Liqiang fished out a piece of silver from his chest and handed it over to Xu Enda. “In three days time, come back and meet me here again in the afternoon. If I don’t appear, take the deposit as your compensation. Is that alright?”

“Of course… No problem!” Xu Enda gripped the solid silver in his hand and nodded vigorously.

“Alright then, see you in three days time…!”

……

Xu Enda and the rest were still dazed even after they watched Yan Liqiang leave on his rhinodrake steed.

“Brother Xu…!” Xu Enda didn’t return to his senses until the young man beside him, known as Little Fifth, called out to him. He looked at the rest with his glistening eyes. “We met our lucky star today…!”

…..

Yan Liqiang returned to Deer Villa, cultivated a few rounds of Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing after dinner, then entered the Heavenly Realm in a hurry.

Thinking about the White Lotus Society’s uprising in the Qu, Huang, and Yue Provinces, Yan Liqiang so badly wished to push his steed to full speed and return to the Divine Sword Sect with the people from the escort agency to gather some relevant information…

What Yan Liqiang didn’t expect was that the raging waves brought upon by the chaos in the Heavenly Realm had begun to slowly manifest in the wake of the Imperial Capital’s destruction…