Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 379 Smart Man

Since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty, the laws have clearly stated that it is forbidden to tattoo faces or kill slaves without permission. Later, the court abolished the status of lowly people, and all slaves were reclassified as good people.

With the status of servants significantly elevated, they were naturally even less allowed to be arbitrarily beaten or killed by their masters.

However, despite the law, the situation of slaves and hired laborers was not much better. They were often beaten, scolded, and oppressed, and no one cared unless they lost their lives.

The servants and hired laborers dared not come to the government office to file a complaint.

But today, Kaifeng Prefecture suddenly received a lot of petitions, which is truly unusual.

Wang Bingchen said, "You mean, someone is secretly stirring things up behind the scenes?"

The prefect of Kaifeng stroked his beard: "It's not done in secret, but openly."

"Several merchants gathered at the South Wharf. They adhered to the rules and treated their employees well, without arbitrarily oppressing or deliberately deducting wages. They quickly gained a good reputation, attracting many employees to go there to find work."

"The workers gathered together to talk about their past experiences and the methods of their employers. Since they had all had similar experiences, they naturally developed a sense of shared hatred and indignation."

"This time, a boatman was beaten by his employer when he asked for his wages. The other workers rushed to his aid. Afterward, they gathered at the South City Wharf and decided to sue their employer to seek justice for the workers."

The prefect of Kaifeng could deduce the situation from the words of the hired laborers.

Seeing the dying workers and recalling their past tragic experiences, the workers were overcome with emotion and went to the yamen to sue their employer.

“There was a scholar at the dock who wrote a complaint for them on the spot. The scholar must have been well-versed in the law, because the complaint he wrote was all about the landlord beating them without cause and causing serious injury.”

It should be understood that servants and hired laborers were not allowed to arbitrarily accuse their employers of crimes. If the complaint was not written properly, the employee would be blamed instead. Such charges of unprovoked beatings were more likely to result in the employer being punished.

Upon hearing the words "Prefect of Kaifeng," Wang Bingchen understood his meaning.

So this is clearly a case of "coming prepared".

Wang Bingchen looked at the prefect of Kaifeng: "How do you plan to judge this case?"

Zhang Maozhi, the prefect of Kaifeng, had a glint in his eyes: "The Prime Minister wants to implement a new law to replace corvée labor with exemption money, so that the people can be freed from corvée labor. This is a good thing..."

Zhang Maozhi paused here, glancing cautiously at Wang Bingchen: "But if the people don't have any money, how will they hand it over? Such a new law will only be a burden on the people. On the contrary, if the people can earn enough money through work, they will naturally be willing to get rid of labor service, and the new law will be able to be implemented smoothly."

“But now the workers are in a terrible situation. Not only may they not get paid, but their lives are also in danger. The people are afraid of them. If the court can stand up for them and restrain the employers, more people will be willing to come out and work.”

This is a rare and excellent opportunity.

“The imperial court opened up the markets with this intention,” Zhang Maozhi said. “No one will question our judgment in this way.”

The "questioning" that Zhang Maozhi mentioned naturally refers to the people behind those wealthy businessmen.

Wang Bingchen pondered for a moment and nodded: "It's worth a try."

Don't underestimate this seemingly insignificant case; the outcome was anything but ordinary.

Zhang Maozhi smiled. He supported the new law, but he was also afraid that its implementation would make the people suffer even more. Everyone wanted to be a public official who brought happiness to the people, rather than being insulted and remembered with infamy for eternity.

"Is the South City Wharf bustling with activity these days?" Wang Bingchen asked again. "Have you been there?"

Zhang Maozhi said, "Not yet, but some people from the government office have gone there. The imperial court has set up a coal yard in the west, and after the ships unload the coal, they will rest at the South City Wharf."

"The inns and restaurants there have long been open, and there are even perfume shops that I've never seen before."

Upon hearing this, Wang Bingchen couldn't help but ask, "What is a perfume shop?" Zhang Maozhi replied, "This perfume shop is a place for bathing. The boatmen, who are covered in dirt from unloading coal, and it is winter, so they can't take a cold bath and go to the perfume shop."

"After the perfume shop became famous, not only boatmen, but also people from all over the city went there, and everyone who went there praised it highly."

Wang Bingchen was always preoccupied with court affairs and rarely asked about these things, but today he became curious about the South City Wharf.

Wang Bingchen said, "Coal has only been in Bianjing for a short time."

Zhang Mao nodded: "I didn't expect that we could build a South City Wharf so quickly."

Wang Bingchen remained silent.

Zhang Mao said directly, "Does the Prime Minister suspect that someone made arrangements long ago? But... the coal entering the capital was only decided recently. It's impossible to have guessed where the court would set up coal fields before that."

Only if you guess correctly in advance will you make preparations at the South City Wharf.

Wang Bingchen said calmly, "There are always smart people who know how to assess the situation." Having been in the court for so long, he had seen too much and knew that nothing was absolutely impossible.

“Even if there really is such a clever person,” Zhang Mao said, “at least for now, what he’s doing is beneficial to us.”

"The hired worker was suing the four families who controlled Bian River."

Like the He family, those four merchants all had a powerful backer.

Their new policies affected the interests of certain people, who openly and covertly obstructed them in every way. Without bringing those people down, the new policies would be difficult to implement.

Wang Bingchen said, "Don't jump to conclusions too soon, let's wait and see."

Zhang Maozhi was not a reckless person; he was just expressing his speculation. Besides, he couldn't expect to deal with those people by relying on a few hired workers.

However, Zhang Maozhi added, "The merchants at the South City Wharf are also quite remarkable."

After seeing Zhang Maozhi off, Wang Bingchen picked up his teacup and drank.

The imperial court is rife with intrigue and power struggles, while outside the court, everyone is using their own unique skills and abilities. A small case might be able to shake up the bigger picture, but only if someone is willing to cooperate.

A lawsuit filed by an employee against their employer can range from minor to major.

Even if the employer is punished and causes a temporary stir, the controversy will likely fade away eventually.

After all, only a minority of employees dare to sue their employers.

"South City Wharf".

Wang Bingchen summoned the steward: "Go and ask the young master if he knows about the South City Wharf."

Wang Yan put a lot of effort into introducing coal to Bianjing, and he might know some inside information about things related to coal.

A moment later, the steward came to report: "Young master has only heard of it, and knows nothing more."

Wang Bingchen nodded. Wang Yan had been on duty these past few days and probably hadn't had a chance to go and check on things. Naturally, Wang Bingchen wouldn't go to such a place himself.

It wasn't that he thought the place was a mixed bag, but rather that his identity was too special, inevitably leading to unfounded speculation.

If he shows up there today, he will be impeached first thing tomorrow morning. The South City Wharf is related to the Wang family.

Even if he had other guesses, he could only send people to investigate the situation first.