Chapter 948
Debt
Chapter 948 Debt
A Taoist priest's mouth can catch ghosts, or it can kill people.
Shopkeeper Tang said he never wants to experience that again in his life.
In the end, he not only settled Miaohe's wages for five days, but also compensated her with a fee for wrongful termination.
Miaohe felt the money was too hot to handle and whispered, "Junior Uncle, isn't this too much?"
"Five taels of silver in compensation isn't even as much as your monthly consultation fee. What's so great about that?" Pan Yun said, "You didn't do anything wrong. You were fired just because you couldn't argue with me. Do you know that after you're fired, you'll have to spend time looking for a job? During that time, you won't have to pay for accommodation, food, or transportation?"
"Furthermore, this incident has also affected your reputation, making it harder to find a job. As for compensation, I don't think fifty taels will be enough. Five taels is too cheap for him!"
Miaohe looked completely bewildered: "But... I didn't intend to look for another job!"
“Whether you want to or not is one thing, but the fact that you actually suffered losses is another,” Pan Yun said. “Just because we are capable and can leave Quanzhou to find work doesn’t mean we don’t have to pay compensation. What is rightfully ours, we have to take.”
Miaohe touched her nose and whispered to Pan Yun, "Junior Uncle, we went to Renxintang with ulterior motives. You forgot, I peeked at their prescriptions..."
Pan Jun glared at her: "What do you mean by 'peeping'? Can't the resident doctor check the prescriptions recorded in the pharmacy at any time?"
Miaohe nodded.
Pan Yun: "Did you leave the prescription out in front of him and discuss it with him?"
Miaohe nodded.
Pan Yun: "Is this considered stealing?"
Miaohe opened her mouth, instinctively feeling that this wasn't how it was calculated, but for a moment she couldn't find the words to refute it.
Miaozhen passed by and tapped her on the head, saying, "You've learned the wrong things from your Third Uncle. Manager Tang is using the prescription to coerce Pu Min's family for his own selfish reasons. If this really happens, Renxintang will go bankrupt. What good will his five taels of silver in compensation do you?"
Miaohe's eyes darted around: "Then shall I give these five taels of silver to Pu Min's family?"
Her wages were rightfully hers, and she should keep them.
This time, neither Pan Yun nor Miao Zhen objected.
Miaohe happily put it away, and when she got back, she picked up her pen and wrote down the prescriptions for Pu Min and her daughter.
Miaohe: "Pu Yue's prescription is alright. Although he changed to a more expensive herb, the actual efficacy is indeed stronger than the original prescription, although I don't think it's necessary."
Tao Yanbai stepped forward and, after comparing the two prescriptions, knew what illness Pu Yue had: "This is a case of physical weakness, mostly a congenital condition that requires daily care. The prescription you gave me before was very good. It can not only nourish the body slowly, but also costs only twelve coins per dose. One dose a day is not a heavy burden for the Pu family."
“After switching to Codonopsis pilosula, the dosage was increased. Although the efficacy did increase, the price of the medicine was three times higher than before. Her illness required her to take medicine every day, so it’s no wonder that Pu Min couldn’t afford it later.”
Miaohe: "The most problematic prescription is actually for Mrs. Wu, Pu Min's mother. She has postpartum issues, her body is weak and she can't tolerate strong tonics. The previous prescription was neither good nor bad, at least it kept her safe. But the newly revised prescription, although it changed two precious herbs to replenish both qi and blood, is still too strong for her. In the first few months of taking this medicine, she will look more energetic than before, seemingly improving, but in reality, her body is out of balance, and her internal heat is rising, burning her essence. If this continues, once her body has problems, such as catching a cold or getting too hot, the accumulated internal heat and lesions will suddenly erupt..."
Tao Yanbai murmured, "Could it be that Mrs. Wu's current illness is due to this prescription... After Pu Min went to prison, didn't the doctor change the prescription back?"
Miaohe paused for a moment before saying, "I was so focused on checking last year's prescription that I forgot to check this year's."
Pan Yun said, "Let's go see the patient tonight."
Tao Yanbai and Miao He's eyes lit up at the same time, and they asked, "Us? What if we get discovered?"
Pan Yun: "With me here, no one will find out."
"What did you find?" Wang Cong, who had finished his work, pushed open the door and came in. He was covered in dust and smelled bad, but his eyes were bright. His eyes moved back and forth between them and finally settled on Pan Yun: "Junior Uncle, what are you taking them to do this time?"
Pan Yun smiled and said, "Great news, I've found you a good helper."
Wang Cong was taken aback: "What good helper?"
Pan Yun: "Didn't you keep saying you didn't have enough manpower?"
Wang Cong: "We have enough manpower, but we don't have enough talent."
Business is ultimately a low-level pursuit; talented people all aim for the imperial examinations, making it difficult to find someone whose character and abilities are both commendable.
Pan Yun said, "The person I found for you is a talent."
Wang Cong: "Who is it?"
"You've met him before, Pu Min."
Wang Cong's eyes widened slightly, and he subconsciously said, "He's a member of the Pu family, how could he possibly work for me?"
After saying that, he suddenly realized, "Wait a minute, wasn't he arrested for intercepting the mission and robbing the silver-shipped official vessel?"
Pan Yun: "Do you think someone from a collateral branch of the Pu family, who is just guarding the city gate, could get involved in something like this?"
Wang Cong pondered for a moment, and realized that was indeed impossible. Apart from that matter... "Pu Min is a very loyal person, much better than that hypocritical Pu Si."
Pan Yun said, "A strong wind is coming. Although the coastal areas are making preparations, the people will inevitably suffer losses. I will persuade His Majesty to grant a general amnesty and then include him in the amnesty."
Wang Cong wondered, "Shouldn't he have been selected for such a crime?"
The so-called general amnesty does not exempt all crimes from punishment; there are usually limitations. The ten heinous crimes are never included. Of course, this excludes some foolish rulers who insist on "benevolent rule," but most ministers would not agree to such an act.
Generally speaking, the crimes that are usually selected for pardon are common minor offenses such as not paying or underpaying taxes, evading corvée labor, theft, and fighting.
While squatting in the palace listening to gossip, Pan Yun heard a joke: some landlords would go to the yamen to confess their previously concealed and unpaid taxes before the emperor died and before the new emperor ascended the throne.
Even after he was imprisoned, he refused to pay the fine or make up for it.
At this point, they will be taken into custody.
After a new emperor ascends the throne, he usually grants a general amnesty, and his crime is generally within the scope of the amnesty.
Pan Yun didn't know if it was true or not, but there's no smoke without fire, and she suspected that someone really did it. After all, the government couldn't punish someone again for a crime that had already been punished.
If that's true, I wonder if anyone did it last year?
Pan Yun chuckled to herself.
Zhu Qiyu did not grant a general amnesty upon ascending the throne, because the death of Zhu Qizhen was a heavy burden on the heart of the Ming Dynasty, and everyone was focused on their own interests, so there was no amnesty. But by June of this year, next month, and the month after that, the grief had gradually faded with time, leaving only an indelible mark in people's hearts.
If another typhoon strikes, a general amnesty would be most appropriate to appease the people.
Pu Min's crimes were indeed not eligible for pardon, but it wouldn't be difficult to ask the emperor to add him to the list when the Ministry of Justice submitted it.
Pu Min was not only the business partner she found for Wang Cong, but also the subordinate she found for the emperor.
Pan Yun said to Wang Cong, "You should rest first. I'll take you to see him in a couple of days."
Wang Cong followed closely behind her, asking repeatedly, "Junior Martial Aunt, I'm so worried. Aren't you abusing your power for personal gain? You've only been the Imperial Advisor for eight months, and you've already become this corrupt?"
Pan Jun glared at him and said, "What are you thinking? Pu Min is going to work for the emperor."
"What does that have to do with me? I don't work for the emperor..."
Pan Yun patted him on the shoulder and said, "You don't work for the emperor, but you do work for the Ming Dynasty."
Wang Cong scratched his head, stopped, and asked, "What's the difference?"
Pan Yun, holding the doorway, said, "Of course there's a difference. The emperor's money goes into the Imperial Household Department, but the money you earn belongs to you, yet it's used for the Ming Dynasty."
Wang Cong watched her silently.
Pan Yun slammed the door shut, and her voice came from inside: "Go take a shower, you stink."
Wang Cong raised his arm, sniffed it, and turned to ask his junior brothers and sisters standing not far away, "Does it smell bad?"
The three of them nodded together.
Wang Cong muttered, "It's only been half a month since I last showered, I don't feel any stench."
Miaozhen and the other two silently took two steps back, distancing themselves from him.
However, Wang Cong still obediently went to take a bath and wash his hair. By the time he came out of the bathhouse, half an hour had passed, and his skin was red from scrubbing.
He lazily leaned back in a chair in the courtyard, letting his half-dry hair hang loose, and sighed, "Stealing half a day of leisure, the Ming Dynasty is so comfortable~~ The sky is bluer, and the air is more pleasant..."
Tao Yanbai and the other two ignored him. They were cooking dinner in the kitchen and boiling water. Wang Cong washed a whole pot of hot water by himself, which was simply too much.
The courtyard was small, with only one entrance. The courtyard was right inside the main gate. To the left were the stables and the area for storing carriages, and to the right were the kitchen and side rooms. There were three main rooms in front, with the central room being the main hall. Pan Jun lived on the left, Wang Cong lived on the right, and Tao Yanbai and the other two lived in the side rooms.
This courtyard and the courtyards on either side were all rented by Wang Cong. Both sides were used as accommodations for his subordinates, and they would stay here every time they returned to Hong Kong.
This courtyard in the middle is usually only occupied by Wang Cong when we come back. It's only this time, with Pan Yun and the others coming back, that it's so lively.
Wang Cong felt very comfortable, and when he felt comfortable, he couldn't help but float. He put his left foot on his right leg and swayed back and forth. He stared at the colorful clouds in the sky, waved his hand, and said with great pride, "I've decided to buy these three courtyards and hire two helpers, one to do our laundry and the other to cook for us! Third Junior Brother, Fourth Junior Sister, and Little Junior Sister, you won't have to cook anymore."
Miaohe felt it was a waste: "We only stay in Quanzhou for a few days a year? That's such a waste."
Tao Yanbai nodded: "We can do it ourselves. Senior Brother and Senior Uncle have taught us since we were young that we should do our own things, not rely on outsiders, and never be extravagant."
Wang Cong: "This is called saving time and making reasonable use of resources, don't you understand? It's a waste that you've been doing business with me for so long."
Miaozhen washed the rice and put it back in the kitchen. Hearing this, she said, "The best way to make use of resources is to hire short-term workers. When we came, we went out and hired people to come over, paying them by the hour or by the day."
Wang Cong sat up straight: "Are there such short-term jobs in Quanzhou now? I remember last time I came back, when I asked at the labor market, they only accepted hires of more than one month."
Miaozhen: "Now we have it."
Miaohe immediately raised her hand high and said loudly, "I know! I heard from the old ladies who came to me for treatment that it's much easier to make money now than before. Not only are they all out earning money, but they also go to their relatives' homes in the countryside and bring their relatives out with them. The men work at the docks carrying goods or run errands for people in the city, while the women do laundry and cook for others. They all earn money! Then, they turn their own yards into sheds and rent them out to their relatives. Since they are all relatives, they can take care of each other and make money at the same time. Everyone is happy!"
Pan Yun: "What about the work in the fields?"
Miaohe: "What kind of farm work? Those who come to the city are either tenant farmers who don't have land at home, or those who don't have much land at home. Anyway, there are enough people. They go back to the city during the busy farming season. So there are many short-term workers now. Many are paid for the day they work, and they all like it."
Miaozhen, who traveled from street to street telling fortunes, knew a lot and nodded, saying, "Because some long-term laborers are owed wages and can't get paid, they are held in the same place. In comparison, although short-term laborers earn less, they can get paid quickly, which is better than long-term laborers who can't actually get paid."
Pan Yun asked, "Are there many long-term laborers who don't get paid?"
Miaozhen thought for a moment and said, "In just these five days, I have seen quite a few things as I walked through the streets and alleys."
Pan Yun nodded, understanding.
The next day, she wandered to the dock to watch the excitement and saw Lu Mingzhe standing with Cao Jixiang, so she wandered over to him.
Upon seeing her, Lu Mingzhe bowed warmly: "Is the Imperial Advisor also here to see the ships entering the harbor?"
Pan Yun nodded: "I heard that the ship did not fully enter the port yesterday, so I came to see what was going on."
Lu Mingzhe grinned from ear to ear and said cheerfully, "That's right, because another fleet of thirteen ships will return in the evening. June is the peak season for maritime trade, and everyone is rushing back at this time."
Pan Yun: "Generally speaking, November to January is the busiest time for the maritime trade."
"Yes, yes, that's why I was just telling Lord Cao that there will be even more ships returning to port this November. Shouldn't Quanzhou Port be expanded?"
Pan Yun said, "It's a bit early to talk about expansion now. Suzhou Port is about to be built. However, we can build more warehouses at the port."
Lu Mingzhe immediately said, "The warehouse is indeed not enough. I have already ordered people to start building. Grand Preceptor, please take a look, it's over there."
Pan Yun glanced over and nodded, saying, "I was wondering why there was so much dust over there. Turns out they're building a warehouse. Lord Lu is very considerate of the people's needs. That's good."
When Pan Yun praised him, Lu Mingzhe felt as if he were being praised by the emperor.
Everyone knows that Pan Yun is now a favorite of the emperor. As long as she praises him a few more times in front of the emperor...
Just as he was feeling pleased, he heard Pan Yun ask, "Lord Lu, was the construction of this port a labor service or were the workers hired?"
"They hired them!" Knowing that Pan Yun disliked wasting public resources, Lu Mingzhe immediately said, "The government and the Maritime Trade Office paid for it together, right, Lord Cao?"
Cao Jixiang nodded.
Pan Yun smiled and nodded, "That's good. Just make sure to pay wages on time. Don't be like other places where workers are always owed wages."
(End of this chapter)