The next day, morning, Madam Ya's residence.
"Tao Fang and Guo Huai greet the Marquis." Tao Fang from the Wu Family and a middle-aged man who, like Guo Zhong, always had a smile on his face. However, he did not give off the feeling of being as dangerous as Guo Zhong.
"Rise." Sei Itō, who was sitting at the head of the table, said.
The two of them stood up and raised their heads to look at Sei Itō. However, in the next moment, Guo Huai felt dizzy and his consciousness became hazy. Fortunately, this did not last for long. Very quickly, his mind became clear again. However, when he looked at Marquis Ju Lu in front of him, he could not help but feel even more respectful than when he saw his master Guo Zhong.
"Guo Huai greets the Lord." Under the influence of his emotions, Guo Huai knelt on the ground again and bowed.
"Rise." Sei Itō said.
"Thank you, Lord." Guo Huai replied respectfully and stood up.
At this time, Ito Sei didn't do anything, but the void flashed, and four male figures suddenly appeared in the room.
"From today onwards, the four of them will be your assistants. They will be in charge of selling books when the Guo and Wu Family caravans travel." Sei Itō said as he pointed at the four men who suddenly appeared.
The so-called Guo Family and Wu Family's caravans were the Wu Family's annual nationwide purchase and sale of female servants, and the Guo Family's monthly weapons shipment. This time, Ito Sei planned to use the existing trade channels and routes of the two families to ship books. He planned to sell the paper books with clerical script to all parts of Zhao Country, and even the surrounding countries. He wanted to spread the word.
"Zhang Wen, Li Liang, Wang Pi and Zhao Shen greet the two managers." The four people who were pointed at cupped their fists and said.
Tao Fang and Guo Huai did not dare to be arrogant and hurriedly raised their hands to return the greeting.
"You may leave. Remember to send someone to Madam Ya's fief in five days to retrieve the books. "After seeing the two sides greet each other, Sei Itō said calmly.
"Yes." Tao Fang, Guo Huai, Zhang Wen, Li Liang, Wang Pi, and Zhao Shen replied in unison. Then, they slowly left the room and disappeared from Sei Itō's sight.
…
Afternoon, on the streets of Handan.
"Have you heard?"
"What?"
"The rumor about Marquis Ju Lu?"
"Are you talking about the academy that Marquis Ju Lu wants to open and recruit all the children of the right age in Handan City?"
"This is it."
"Of course I have."
"Do you think this is believable?"
"How would we know about this? But if it was true, that would be great. Maybe that stinky brat of mine can also recognize a few big words. "
"In your dreams. Even if that rumor is true, can you afford to go to school? Do you have the money to buy books, paper, and ink for your child? "
"This … sigh."
"That's why it's better to just listen."
"Sigh, why is it so difficult for us commoners to read and write?"
Similar discussions and sighs could be seen everywhere in Handan City.
It was still afternoon. On a street somewhere in Handan City.
"Hiring!" A young man suddenly shouted.
The next moment, a large number of idle men rushed to the front of the young man and surrounded him in the middle.
"Where are we hiring?"
"What kind of work?"
"How much is the salary?"
Following that, a cacophony of questions buzzed like flies in summer.
"Quiet!" The young man who was annoyed by the noise shouted.
The people around him stopped talking and quieted down.
"The place where we are hiring is Madam Ya's fief on the outskirts of the city. I don't know what kind of work we are doing, but the salary is very generous. One cloth coin per person per day. If you are willing to work, you can go to Madam Ya's fief and find an old man there, "the young man said loudly when he saw that everyone had quieted down.
"Hua ~"
The people around him instantly became rowdy.
Cloth coins were a type of currency used during the Warring States Period. They were divided into pointed cloth, round foot cloth, square foot cloth, three-hole cloth, and so on. In terms of value, they were only slightly inferior to the knife coins used by various countries. Each coin could buy about ten pounds of millet. Therefore, one cloth coin per day was equivalent to twenty to thirty pounds of millet. It was very generous!
However, the young man ignored these people. He squeezed through the crowd and went to the next place. He still had a few places to inform.
Seeing that the young man had left, the men stopped talking and dispersed. They hurried to Madam Ya's fief on the outskirts of the city.
At the same time, in Madam Ya's fief.
"Old man, tell us, what kind of work are there?" A barefoot man in linen clothes who reeked of sweat asked loudly.
"That's right, that's right. Old man, tell us quickly!" The others echoed.
"Hmm, cough." In the crowd, the old man who was called Old Man coughed loudly and signaled for everyone to be quiet. Then, he looked at the crowd and said casually, "There are two kinds of work. The first is to be like those people and become farmers. They are responsible for planting the foreign vegetables that Marquis Ju Lu gave out."
Following the old man's finger, everyone saw a man and a woman working in the fields with strange wooden tools not far from the factory.
"The second is to be like them and become coolies. They are responsible for moving sand, cement, and breaking stones for the paving team." Then, Old Man pointed to another group of men who were working behind a horse-drawn machine.
"… Then, do we get paid to be farmers?" After a moment of silence, one of the men asked.
"Yes." Old Man said.
"How much?" The others asked with shining eyes.
"One cloth coin per person for five days." Old Man said slowly.
"What about those people?" Another man looked at the workers who were following the paving team and asked.
"One a day." Old Man didn't even lift his eyelids as he replied slowly.
"… Let's do it!" One of the men said loudly.
With him taking the lead, more and more men followed suit.
"But first. I'm here to remind you that you have to do it. Do your job properly and don't slack off. Otherwise, not only will you not be able to get your hard-earned money, you might even lose your life here. Do you all understand? "The old man raised his head and looked at the men as he coldly spoke.
Everyone's hearts tightened and they quickly nodded. They expressed that they understood.
The next day, the grand renovation of Handan City began in the middle of the city. At the same time, even more exciting rumors spread in the city.
"Have you heard?"
"What?"
"Marquis Ju Lu wants to start an academy."
"I heard. But this has nothing to do with us. Just treat it as entertainment. "
"How is it unrelated? Don't you know that Marquis Ju Lu's new academy doesn't accept money? As long as the child is under 14 years old, regardless of gender, they can be sent to the academy to study! "
"Are you serious? Free of charge?! "
"Really. I heard it from my distant cousin who is a servant in Madam Ya's residence. How can it be fake? "
"Tsk ~ Marquis Ju Lu is so bold!"
"Aren't your son and daughter under 14 years old? Why don't you give it a try?"
"Really free of charge?"
"That's what my cousin told me. Unfortunately, my sister is over 15 years old this year. My mother is looking for a husband for her. If not, I would also send my sister there to study. If she is interested, she might even marry into a noble family. That way, my family will have a good life. "
"…"
Then came the third day.
"Have you heard?"
"What?"
"Marquis Ju Lu's academy."
"Of course I have. The entire city is talking about it now. It's hard not to hear about it. "
"Then do you know what the new academy is called? Who are the principals? "
"This … I don't know."
"Heh, let me tell you. The new academy is called Ju Lu Academy. Marquis Ju Lu will be the principal himself. At the same time, Madam Ni will be the principal of the female academy, Madam Ya will be the left disciple, the third princess and Madam Xiu 'er will be the head, and Madam Ting Fang will be the head. They will be recruiting students soon. "
"Wow, Marquis Ju Lu wants his whole family to go to war."
"Of course. Looks like Marquis Ju Lu values this academy a lot. "
"Yes, maybe we should bring our little brat over to take a look on the day of the academy's opening."
"Yes, yes, if it's really free of charge, we can make use of the opportunity to let them learn more words. In the future, our family might have a doctor too."
"With your little brat's character, dream on."
"Er Gouzi, what did you say?! Are you looking for a beating? "
"Heh, with your old face, you want to beat me up? Dream on!"
"Little brat, you are looking for a beating."
"Ding ding guang guang …" A series of sounds rang out.
On the fourth day.
"Have you heard?"
"If you have something to say, say it."
"Heh, you don't want to hear it right? Fine, I won't say it."
"Hey hey, come back. My tone was wrong just now. I will apologize to you here. Please forgive me, don't take it to heart."
"Hmph, that's more like it."
"…"
"Forget it, I won't blame you. Five days later, in front of the original residence of Marquis Ju Lu, Ju Lu Academy's selection will begin. Remember to bring your little dog there. "
"Thank you, big brother."
"No problem."
"… That, is it really free to go to the academy?"
"How would I know that? Anyway, it's only five days. When the time comes, you can just go and take a look. If it's not true, just bring your little dog back. Even if it's just a few steps, I can't let your little brat lose a piece of meat. "
"That's true."
In the midst of the rumors, another piece of news that was similarly spread did not attract the attention of these commoners at all. Instead, it was the students who were studying in the city and the famous scholars from the country of Zhao who were shocked. They all exclaimed softly.
"Are you serious? The Fragrant Book House is really starting to sell books on the theories of the various schools of thought? "
"Yes, I heard that someone has already bought it."
"No, I have to go and see for myself."
Soon after, amidst a series of surprised cries, young masters and scholars of various heights and sizes, but their faces were full of eagerness, took carriages and rushed to the Fragrant Book House on South Street. They got off the carriages and quickly squeezed into the shop.
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