Chapter 196.1
It was payday again.
The day laborers, excited to collect their wages, were shocked when they saw the amount they received.
Boss, why is there less money? Wasnt it 200 wen per month before? Why is it only 100 wen now?
Yes, its been cut in half!
Boss, did you pocket our money?
Let me tell you, if you swallowed it, spit it out now. If I get angry, I wont recognize anyone and lose control!
If you dont cough up the money, Ill fight you!
Faced with the agitated workers, the Boss could only offer a bitter smile: Everyone, please calm down and listen to me! I havent embezzled your money. I wouldnt dare! The higher-ups only sent down this much!
Then where did our money go? everyone asked, extremely agitated.
It all went to buying houses! said the Boss.
Buying houses? Everyone was stunned.
His Majesty is benevolent and understands your struggles, so he has offered you a half-bought and half-gifted cement house! From today onwards, part of your wages will be issued, and the other part will go towards the mortgage! Once youve paid it off, the house will be completely yours! Why dont you thank His Majesty for his consideration?
Thank him my foot! someone retorted angrily.
I never planned to buy a house here. Whats the use of giving me a house? Can I eat it or drink it?
Thats right! All I want now is money, not a house!
How expensive is that house? A house costs thirty or forty taels of silver. I could work my whole life and not earn that much! Ill be too old to work by the time the house is mine!
Wouldnt it be better to buy a house in Great Xia with that money? Why get stuck here?
I dont want a house, give me my money back!!!
Give me my money back!!!
All the workers became agitated.
Then they marched en masse to the capital city, demanding an explanation.
Inside the imperial palace, an official rushed in frantically: Your Majesty, theres a serious problem!
Whats the matter, why such panic? the Great Luo Emperor asked.
Report to Your Majesty, over a million citizens are protesting vehemently outside the capital city right now! They say they want their wages, not houses. They want to return the houses and get their wages back. The situation is a little out of control!
Is that really the case? the Great Luo Emperor asked incredulously.
Your Majesty, how dare your humble servant deceive you?
Outrageous!
The Great Luo Emperor slammed the table angrily as he stood up, These troublemakers! Not only do they maliciously refuse to buy houses, but they also maliciously demand wages? I provided them with houses to live in, for which they should be grateful. Now they repay kindness with grievances? This is outrageous!
Following that, the Great Luo Emperor went up to the city walls.
Below the imperial city, a dense crowd was gathered, raising their hands and shouting loudly.
Return our wages! We dont want houses!
Return our wages! We dont want houses!
Seeing this scene, the Great Luo Emperor was so angry he almost spat out blood.
Since he became Emperor, this was the first time he had been confronted by the common people protesting at the city gates!
If this matter was not handled properly, he would be labeled a foolish emperor!
Just then, Song Yufei arrived gracefully and asked with concern after seeing the situation, Your Majesty, this is
The Great Luo Emperor quickly explained, Fairy Yufei, dont worry. Its just a small hiccup in the implementation of the policy. I will have it resolved soon!
Song Yufei nodded slightly and stepped back to watch the Great Luo Emperors performance.
Then the Great Luo Emperor took a step forward and said in a deep voice, Citizens of Great Luo, calm down and listen to me!
Everyone followed the sound and looked towards the city tower, where they saw a person dressed in imperial robes. Knowing that this person was the Emperor, they calmed down a bit, waiting to see how he would explain.
The Great Luo Emperor spoke earnestly, The reason I tied your wages to houses is to encourage you to settle here and become true citizens of Great Luo! I want you to be able to completely escape poverty and live the life you desire!
Look at yourselves now! You have food to eat and wages to get, but the only thing youre missing is a house! Without a house, how can you marry, have children, and establish a household?
Every time I see this, my heart aches, which is why I implemented this policy!
I have your best interests at heart. Why cant you understand?
It must be said that the Great Luo Emperors way of speaking was very persuasive, and many people began to calm down.
The Great Luo Emperor was secretly pleased, thinking he was about to succeed, when an old beggar shouted loudly, We certainly know of Your Majestys good intentions! But the house prices are too high! Those houses cost thirty or forty taels of silver, so we cant earn enough for a house even if we work our entire lives!
And about the wages, can you deduct less? I only earn 200 wen a month, and you take half of that, leaving me with only 100 wen. What can I do with that? Its not enough to live properly!
With that, the citizens who had just calmed down became agitated once again.
Exactly, a house costs thirty or forty taels of silver. How can we afford that? If we really buy a house here, well be paying it off every month for the rest of our lives. Wont we become slaves to the house then?
We are free people, how can we become slaves to the house?
And our wages are already low, how are we supposed to live if you take half of it?
Youre clearly treating us like cattles and horses!
We dont want houses, we just want our wages!
We dont want houses, we just want our wages!
The crowd protested once again, even more fervently than before.
At this moment, the Great Luo Emperor truly wished he could have that old beggar executed!
Everyone, calm down, dont be rash, everything can be resolved peacefully!
The Great Luo Emperor gestured repeatedly, If you are dissatisfied with the policy, we can still discuss it. We will definitely come up with a policy that benefits both sides!
The old beggar shouted loudly, We dont want houses, just pay us for our work like before, thats all!
Thats right! The crowd shouted in unison, fully supportive.
The Great Luo Emperors mouth twitched, Thats not acceptable, you must take the houses!
It was the same old beggar who shouted loudly, Fine, well take the houses, but you have to lower the price. We can accept 20 silver taels per house!
Thats right! The crowd shouted again.
The Great Luo Emperor felt even worse!
20 silver taels per house?
They clearly wanted something for nothing!
Even in Great Xia, a house would cost at least 25 silver taels!
The cheaper the houses he sold, the more he would lose!
The Great Luo Emperor shook his head, Thats not possible, the lowest price for a house is 35 silver taels, but we can negotiate the monthly repayment amount!
So theres no room for negotiation?
The old beggar shouted again in disappointment, Lets go, lets just leave. We cant make a living here! We might as well go to Great Xia, where the houses are cheap, the wages are high, and there are plenty of job opportunities!
Yeah, we cant make a living here, so of course we have to leave!
Trees die when moved, but people can move and thrive anywhere!
Lets go to Great Xia now, only there will we find our paradise!
Lets go together, we cant make a living here!
Millions of people immediately turned around and headed towards Great Xia.
Watching the departing people, the Great Luo Emperor trembled with rage, How Outrageous! So outrageous After taking so much of my money, they just want to leave Great Luo? Wishful thinking!
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