Now I really have to marry the princess.

Chapter 114 Beneath the Manure, Undercurrents Surge

The following day, two notices were posted at the gate of each of the fifty-five wards in Chang'an County.

The job posting immediately caused a huge uproar.

The daily wage was ten coins, while the wages for weir workers, waterworkers, and rammed earth workers were as high as twenty coins per day, and it was also stated that the wages would be settled on the same day.

Although Yang Zhengdao did not have the authority to post the notice east of Zhuque Avenue, the news still reached that area.

The news spread like wildfire throughout Chang'an.

When Yang Zhengdao arrived at the county office, a long queue had already formed outside.

Huang Yanshi, along with his assistants Cao Shi'an and Shen Congjian, were leading several white-clad officials in making registrations.

Yang Zhengdao had only three assistants under his command.

Upon seeing Yang Zhengdao arrive, Huang Yanshi greeted him, saying, "County Commandant, the local officials, and the craftsmen are all waiting inside the county office."

Yang Zhengdao nodded and asked Tan Feng and Gao Kan to help with the registration. He then called Huang Yanshi into the county office.

Yang Zhengdao then realized that he had overlooked a problem.

Most of the official craftsmen registered in Chang'an County were short-term craftsmen, meaning their main occupation was farming, and they would come to the county office regularly each year to serve and await orders.

Of the thirteen people present, only the local officials and craftsmen truly possessed technical skills.

Among the three weir workers, two waterworkers, and eight rammed earth workers, not one of them knew how to draw blueprints.

This is unavoidable. As the capital, Chang'an was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Workshop, while the county offices of Wannian and Chang'an were only responsible for daily maintenance and repairs, so naturally they didn't retain any talented people.

Even if there were talented people, they would probably have been "pruned" by the Imperial Workshop and selected to become skilled craftsmen.

Yang Zhengdao was still not giving up, as the saying goes, there are many hidden masters among the common people.

He then turned to the other twenty or so government slaves and said gently, "Which of you can draw a ritual diagram? If you can do it well, I will ask the magistrate to release you."

More than twenty people, none of them responded.

Yang Zhengdao was quite helpless.

But it makes sense. Anyone with a skill wouldn't still be a government slave, since Li Yuan and Li Er had always encouraged the release of slaves.

He could only wave his hand and say, "The weir workers and waterworkers stay; everyone else, you may leave."

After everyone left, a plumber in his early twenties hesitated as if he wanted to speak, but in the end he lowered his head.

Yang Zhengdao naturally noticed this. He suppressed his disappointment and smiled gently, "Is there anything you want to say? It's okay if you say something wrong."

The waterworker then spoke up: "County Commandant, what about the wages mentioned in the proclamation—"

Before Yang Zhengdao could speak, Huang Yanshi angrily rebuked him, "Chen Ergeng, has the county magistrate ever shortchanged you even a penny in your stipends and provisions?"

The plumber named Chen Ergeng immediately blushed and lowered his head.

Yang Zhengdao was taken aback; he had almost forgotten the characteristics of this era.

For a scion of a noble family, throwing away a string of cash might just be for an ordinary banquet. But for ordinary people, it's a matter of saving every penny and being extremely frugal.

The problem is not scarcity, but inequality!

Previously, when corvée labor was used, others received no money at all, so these official artisans and slaves naturally had no improper thoughts.

But now they are hired workers, and at a price slightly higher than the market rate, so these government craftsmen and government slaves can't help but have more to think about.

However, a small favor breeds resentment, while a large one brings gratitude.

Giving too much is also not good.

Moreover, these people receive subsidies from the county government and then go to collect wages. What do officials like Huang Yanshi think? What do the other servants in the county government think?

Fortunately, the county government did not have many official artisans and slaves, so it was possible to spare a few strings of cash from the project.

Having thought all this through, Yang Zhengdao coughed lightly: "Huang Yanshi, I haven't had a chance to say this yet. This time, both official craftsmen and official slaves will receive subsidies, half the amount of the workers. Moreover, you assistant clerks and white-collar workers will also receive bonuses."

The officials and craftsmen were all overjoyed.

Huang Yan was indeed as Zhang Wenhuan described him, clever and kind.

His face lit up with joy at first, but then his eyes reddened: "The county magistrate has treated us so well, how can we repay him?!"

This is another talented actor!

But why does this sound so familiar?

It seems that Li Jing also said something like that to Li Er, right?

They've risen to high positions, while you, a mere clerk, don't need to be so fussy!

Yang Zhengdao shook his head with a wry smile.

But just then, he caught another glimpse of Chen Ergeng looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

He then asked, "Is there anything else you want to say? I have more questions to ask you later."

While observing Yang Zhengdao's expression, Chen Ergeng cautiously asked, "County Commandant, if I can draw a ritual diagram, could I accept the twenty coins as payment?"

Yang Zhengdao almost laughed out of anger; he really was the type to not act until he saw a clear benefit.

He stopped Huang Yanshi, who was about to reprimand him, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "If you can draw the ritual diagram well, I will give you forty coins. If you can't draw it well, you will only get five coins. Do you dare to give it a try?"

Chen Ergeng immediately became so excited that his face turned red: "I dare! If the painting is not good, I will not take a single penny."

Yang Zhengdao was delighted upon hearing this.

It's good to have confidence!

If it can be resolved within the county government, that would be the best option. Asking someone from the Imperial Workshops would inevitably create more complications and introduce some uncontrollable factors.

As for seeking out Prince Xu, Li Yuanjia, let's forget about that.

Asking a prince to draw up blueprints for a fertilizer tank would be too much of a daunting task for him; he wouldn't dare ask, nor did he have the face to do so.

So Yang Zhengdao led the group into his side hall and gave the desk to Chen Ergeng.

Yang Zhengdao explained his idea to everyone.

That is, the sewage outlet is used to collect the feces, which are then collected in a septic tank through a culvert.

Large households have one sewage outlet each, which leads directly to a culvert; medium and small households share one sewage outlet among several households.

After he finished speaking, he asked everyone for their opinions.

At first, no one dared to say a word.

Yang Zhengdao had no choice but to threaten, "If anyone can't even offer a single suggestion, then they can forget about receiving subsidies according to the standards for official craftsmen!"

Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, everyone rushed to offer their opinions.

People are naturally inclined to compare; once someone starts, the atmosphere becomes lively.

One person offered one suggestion, which was praised by the county magistrate; another person then offered two suggestions.

Furthermore, some people not only raised the questions but also offered solutions.

Indeed, for the specific implementation, we still need to consult experienced craftsmen.

For example, Yang Zhengdao had never thought of the need to regularly flush the sewage culverts.

This requires wells, so each ward needs to have several more public wells dug.

However, with cement, well rings can be made, which will greatly reduce the difficulty of drilling wells. In this way, the septic tank can be built at the same time as the well.

Of course, Yang Zhengdao wouldn't pay for this, nor would the county magistrate; it would naturally come from the wealthy households in the neighborhood.

Originally, digging a well would cost three to five strings of cash, but now it only costs about two strings. Moreover, I've written "Don't forget the well-digger when you drink the water" next to the well. I'm afraid the wealthy families in the neighborhood will be scrambling to donate to this project.

If there is a stable water source and regular flushing, the drainage culvert, which is 60 to 90 zhang long, only needs a drop of 5 to 6 feet.

This will further reduce earthwork and lower the difficulty of construction.

After careful calculation, it was found that there were four septic tanks in Dafang, two in Xiaofang, and nine in Xishi, totaling 203, which was about the same as Yang Zhengdao's estimate yesterday.

Chen Ergeng did not disappoint. Based on Yang Zhengdao's vision, he was not only able to draw up the blueprints, but also to calculate the earthwork.

The next step is to conduct on-site inspections of each workshop to develop a construction plan that suits the actual conditions.

The first step began at the Longevity Archway, the seat of the county government.

The location of the sewage outlet, the direction of the dark area, and the site selection of the septic tank all require communication with various people.

It would be most appropriate to entrust this matter to Huang Yanshi, who has high emotional intelligence and good acting skills, and to let Chen Ergeng, who understands technology, assist him.

Yang Zhengdao also promised to evaluate Huang Yanshi's work according to three levels: superior, middle, and inferior, with a reward of up to two guan.

Huang Yan put on another performance with red eyes, then patted his chest and made repeated assurances.

Meanwhile, another fundraising notice was quietly circulating among wealthy families and merchants in Chang'an.

Although this news had nothing to do with ordinary people and didn't cause much of a stir, it was actually stirring up undercurrents.

Chang'an has no shortage of people with keen insight and shrewd minds.

For example, some people have already thought about what would happen if they took over the manure in Chang'an County and then took over the manure in Wannian County.

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