The pavilion chief secretly thought to himself that he must catch the one who first spread the rumor.
If he isn't given dozens of lashes, the hatred in my heart will certainly not be appeased.
So, the yamen runners of Wufang Town got busy. Naturally, the first to be targeted in creating panic were the grain and oil shops.
Their grain rationing has inflated prices, and their intentions are despicable.
Following this lead, they discovered that the misunderstanding arose because the Huang family was recruiting workers and people were gathering at the city gate.
The village head was both amused and exasperated.
Of course, after keeping him busy these past few days and almost throwing the town into chaos, this person spreading rumors still needs to be found.
Finally, they found an old woman named Sun Kuaizui.
This person's favorite pastime is gossiping about everyone.
That day, she strolled around the streets as usual, watching the commotion.
Seeing that Huang had bought so many things and prepared so many empty oxcarts, they became very curious.
I was about to go up and ask around when I saw that many men carrying luggage were gradually appearing around Huang.
She then started gossiping with people.
"Zhang family daughter-in-law, what do you think those people are doing?"
They're acting like they're fleeing a famine. Could it be another disaster? How are we ordinary people supposed to survive?
Sun Kuaizui's statement was purely idle chatter.
But what was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. It took on a different meaning when it reached the mouth of Zhang's daughter-in-law.
"Sun Kuaizui learned from his relatives that there was going to be another disaster."
That's how gossip is; it becomes completely distorted after passing through three people's mouths.
In the end, not only was the disaster confirmed, but it also turned into a situation where foreign enemies were about to attack the Divine Dragon Kingdom, and it would be too late if they didn't escape.
Then the grain and oil shops joined in the fun.
Is everything alright?
As a result, Sun Kuaizui, Zhang's wife, and a whole host of others were punished.
Naturally, grain and oil shops were not spared either.
The owner originally planned to have the shopkeeper take the blame, but this time the head of the pavilion was determined not to give face to anyone.
If these people keep causing trouble, they'll all lose their jobs. How can they possibly hold back?
Such a strange scene unfolded in Wufang Town: a large group of people were lined up at the entrance of the yamen and were all being spanked while being held down on long benches.
The wolves howled and the ghosts howled, a truly pitiful sight.
"Recently, rumors have been circulating that there will be disaster and that we will be invaded by foreign enemies. After a thorough investigation by this pavilion chief, all of these rumors have been found to be fabricated."
These people spread rumors and disturbed public order; therefore, each of them is sentenced to 20 strokes of the cane as a warning to others.
Do not believe rumors, do not spread rumors, do not create rumors...
After the soy sauce workshop was built, the Zhao family was stunned to learn that such a big incident had occurred simply because they were hiring workers.
What does this have to do with anything? This is absolutely outrageous.
Zhao Qinglin was laughing so hard she was almost rolling on the floor.
"This is really interesting, Grandma, you're amazing. Just hiring a worker can cause such a big commotion."
"People's mouths have two layers of skin; they can really talk a good game."
If the Emperor, residing in the palace, knew that his frequent sneezing recently was all a misunderstanding caused by Lady Huang, he would be unaware of the truth.
I wonder if they'll demolish her soy sauce workshop.
Naturally, this farce eventually reached Han Xuri's desk through Han Sifang's hands.
"This Zhao family is really something..."
Han Xuri looked at the letter in his hand, feeling both amused and exasperated, unsure how to describe this farce.
From then on, Han Xuri mastered a new code: manipulating public opinion.
After listening to the whole story, Ms. Huang frowned.
"Oh dear, does this mean that if I do something in the future, I'll have to announce it to the whole city when no one else is asking?"
The old woman is going to buy clothes to prepare a dowry for her granddaughter. Don't worry, there's no disaster.
The old woman has many servants at home; this grain is for them. Don't worry, there's no disaster..."
As she spoke, Ms. Huang almost laughed herself silly.
After the rumors in Wufang Town were completely quelled, the village head went to the county to apologize to Magistrate Qiu for his dereliction of duty.
The failure to stop the rumors in time almost caused panic.
Magistrate Qiu frowned; he didn't know how to deal with the village head.
This rumor is not something he can control on his own.
Finally, Magistrate Qiu submitted a report requesting the addition of a new position: a person specifically responsible for listening to the voices of the people.
If Zhao Qingyan were here, she would definitely say, "Isn't this the prototype of the Eastern Depot?"
Workers in the soy sauce workshop, except
Apart from the workers who were bought by the Huang family in the town and the county with fixed contracts, all the other workers were hired from other villages.
There are no more people available in their own village.
The signed contract wasn't exactly harsh, but the compensation amount was quite high.
If the recipe is leaked, the person must compensate the soy sauce manufacturer with a hundred times the amount of money lost.
This would mean a huge amount of compensation. After all, this is their first deal. The market they'd lose would be the entire country.
How should the profit be calculated? Should it be based on a year or a hundred years?
Basically, if you dare to leak the formula, your entire family will be implicated and you still won't be able to pay all the compensation.
After Mr. Huang finished reading and explaining the contract, those who had previously harbored ulterior motives dared not sign it.
Those who just want to find a job and work honestly have no scruples. They think, "I'm here to work, so I'll do whatever you tell me to do."
Why would I leak the formula? Besides, I'm just a laborer; even if your formula is valuable, I wouldn't know. What's there to leak?
The reason Huang interpreted the contract this way was to drive away those who had ulterior motives in advance.
After all, human nature is unpredictable, and these days, human life is the least valuable thing.
A few taels of silver can buy a young maid, while twenty or thirty taels can buy a beautiful young woman. You can even buy two.
If someone honestly tries to steal the formula, and gets caught, what can you do if they use that person as a scapegoat?
She (or he) signed the contract, and no one else signed with you. You should take responsibility for your own personal issues. If all else fails, you can expel this person from the family.
There's only one person; you can do whatever you want with him, even kill him. There are plenty of ways to cheat him.
Although the Zhao family members were fierce, they were not indiscriminate killers and disliked trouble.
Therefore, always prepare for the worst beforehand.
Therefore, over-interpreting contracts is very effective; the workers recruited all seem honest, and the word-of-mouth they receive is good.
On the day the soy sauce workshop opened, Han Xuri actually came in person.
He arrived in a grand manner, and the local official, Magistrate Qiu, was required to be present.
When the county magistrate arrived, the head of the Wufang Town pavilion was sure to be there as well, along with some merchants and gentry from the surrounding area who had all come upon hearing the news.
Hearing that it was a sauce shop, the quick-witted man didn't care what the Zhao family's products were for or what their uses were, and just wanted to sign a purchase contract first.
That thing can last a long time, right? As long as it doesn't break, it's fine. I need to build up some goodwill first.
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