Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

Gu Mingyue had already planned ahead regarding the recruitment.

She said to Lu Qinghe:

"A public announcement has been issued throughout Kyoto. Regardless of origin or household registration."

"We need bricklayers, carpenters, stonemasons, plasterers, and even manual laborers—all of them!"

"Daily payment! Money is paid on the spot after work ends each evening! No delays!"

"Master craftsmen will receive 150 coins per day, and laborers will receive 100 coins per day!"

"A hearty lunch including meat and big white steamed buns!"

"If you work a full ten days (10 weeks) with perfect attendance, you'll receive an extra 300 RMB attendance bonus!"

"At the end of the month, performance evaluations will be conducted. The top ten craftsmen who complete their work the fastest and best, with no rework defects, will each receive a reward of five taels of silver! They will be awarded red flowers and silver ingots on the spot!"

Lu Qinghe stared wide-eyed at Gu Mingyue.

"One hundred and fifty coins... and it's paid daily?!"

"Master, in the capital, those legitimate official craftsmen conscripted by the Ministry of Works only earn a maximum of two taels of silver a month!"

Two taels of silver translates to less than seventy coins a day.

Moreover, the Ministry of Works was notorious for issuing IOUs, often failing to settle wages for up to six months at a time.

The terms offered by Pujitang are not just double the original amount, they're outright robbery!

Gu Mingyue walked a few steps into the blazing sun, her hands behind her back.

His demeanor was calm and composed, yet his eyes held a sense of overwhelming power characteristic of the modern capital market.

"Yes, that's exactly what I want—their madness. That's called: money power, poaching talent."

"Send someone with quick legs to post these red notices in the most conspicuous places at the four gates of Kyoto, Suzaku Avenue, and the East and West Markets. Hire three loud-voiced people to read them aloud to me!"

"After we finish posting the notices, we'll take a few cartloads of steamed buns to the refugee settlements outside the city."

"As long as you have some strength, can carry stones and dig soil, you can get a sign and start working immediately!"

Lu Qinghe now realized the terrifying power of this "money power".

He clapped his hands suddenly, expressing his heartfelt admiration.

"Excellent! A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men! I'll go and do it right away!"

three days later.

The entire city of Kyoto was in complete chaos.

The number of people at the logistics park construction site quickly swelled from a meager eleven to three hundred and seventy!

The news spread faster than the fast horses of the Imperial Stables.

The news that "Pujitang is paying real money and silver, and pays 150 cash a day" came like a typhoon.

It swept swiftly through every narrow alley and slum of Kyoto.

A bricklayer, desperate for a living, arrived.

The carpenter, whose wages were owed by the Ministry of Works, arrived in the middle of the night with his bedding packed.

Even the apprentices at the blacksmith shop, who were only provided with meals and never paid, used the excuse of having diarrhea to sneak away.

On the fifth day, just as dawn was breaking.

The displaced people at the resettlement sites outside the city flocked in in droves, fearing that if they were a step too late, the spots would be gone.

The number of people has exceeded one thousand!

Gu Mingyue had Lu Qinghe set up a row of registration tents at the entrance of the vast construction site.

Eight accountants lined up in a row.

When someone comes in, ask about their hometown and expertise, then register them.

They were given a wooden name tag with a number engraved on it, and their red fingerprints were pressed onto it.

After a day's work, you could line up in the evening with your work badge to receive 150 copper coins, the clinking cash falling directly into your pocket.

To prevent fraudulent practices, modern piece-rate performance evaluations are directly applied.

After work each day, the supervisor of each area checks the roster and markings to verify the amount of soil excavated or brick laid for each person that day.

Those who meet the standard will have a red circle drawn after their names.

Those who fail to meet the standards and are lazy will be marked with a black cross.

Three black crosses indicate a violation; employee badge confiscated on the spot; employee dismissed.

There are plenty of people queuing up behind them, eager to get a job!

These simple and brutal rules thoroughly ignited the desire for money among the lower classes.

Thousands of people were working hard on the 800-acre construction site, with yellow dust flying everywhere.

No one dared to slack off.

When they were handing out meat buns at noon.

Dozens of steamed bun shop and hotel owners arrived with horse-drawn carriages, beaming with joy.

They were all chosen by Pujitang to cooperate, and made a fortune from it.

Nowadays, everyone treats Pujitang as a god of wealth.

The workers received steaming hot meat buns at the construction site.

They wolfed down their food, wiped their mouths after eating, grabbed their shovels, and continued working.

Holding the 150 coins in their hands, it represented their family's hope for survival.

Those eleven seasoned veterans from the Ministry of Works who originally planned to slack off found it laughable on the first day.

The next day, when he saw the heavy copper coins in other people's pockets, his eyes reddened.

On the third day, they wanted to work hard to get the perfect attendance bonus, but they found that they had already been cruelly marked with three crosses by the supervisor because of their slow progress in the previous days.

"Remove your worker status and get out of the Pujitang construction site immediately!"

When Qian Dajiang kicked the leader out of the construction site.

The eleven people sat on the dirt road.

Seeing others making money every day, he was filled with regret and burst into tears.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the Ministry of Works was as cold as ice.

Zhou Qiao, the Minister of Works, sat behind a large mahogany desk.

Looking at the "List of Absentee Craftsmen for the Imperial Mausoleum Drainage Canal" handed over by the trembling hand of the Director of the Construction Department, he was so angry that the fat on his face was shaking.

"Absurd! This is utterly ridiculous!"

Zhou Qiao slammed his hand on the table, sending the fine teacup flying and shattering into pieces.

"Where did they go?! They ran two-thirds of the way in one day? Did they grow wings and fly away?!"

The doctor wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, on the verge of tears.

"Your Excellency... Pujitang is offering an exorbitant daily wage of 150 cash, plus a meat meal."

"The craftsmen who built the canal for the imperial mausoleum were never paid their full wages."

"Last night, under the cover of darkness, most of them secretly went to work for Pujitang..."

"The rest are still on the construction site, but they can't even swing a hammer anymore. They're all secretly inquiring whether Pujitang needs any more people..."

Zhou Qiao's face was ashen, and it felt as if he had a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat.

He wanted to use the law to oppress people.

However, most of these craftsmen were employees of free people, who would sell their skills and leave.

The Ministry of Works did not sign any servitude contracts with them.

Most importantly, the Ministry of Works still owes money to the artisans.

As for why it's in debt?

Because of the layers of corruption, the military pay was in short supply.

Nowadays, the craftsmen don't want the wages owed by the Ministry of Works and just run away.

Legally speaking, he has no right to send officials to arrest people!

This is how Pujitang used silver to force down the corner of the Ministry of Works!

As for the materials, Qian Dajiang has been displaying remarkable prowess these past few days.

He led dozens of brothers, with knives at his waist and silver notes in his chest.

When we arrived at the private kiln, we didn't waste any time.

With a "bang," he slammed the mahogany box full of cash onto the other person's octagonal table.

The real gold and silver, 20% higher than the market price, dazzled the kiln owner.

I won't sell; I'm afraid of offending these ruthless, knife-wielding devils.

Sell ​​it, and you'll make a fortune immediately.

Even a fool knows which one to choose.

In just three days, Qian Dajiang acted swiftly and decisively.

They wiped out six large private kilns and three of the largest timber companies in the capital region.

From then on, bricks, stones, timber, and pig iron were continuously transported to the logistics park.

The oxcarts used for transporting materials formed a long, giant dragon.

The road stretched from the official road outside the city all the way to the entrance of the construction site, with cart wheels making a "squeak, squeak" sound as they rolled on the dirt road.

As dusk fell, the setting sun bathed the bustling construction site in a golden glow.

Gu Mingyue stood in the newly erected main tent.

Holding his self-made hardcover ledger, Gu Mingli was quickly checking the balance of the last batch of goods purchased that day when his carriage arrived.