The Impoverished City

Simon Yu glanced at Lily Evans and saw the surprise in her eyes. He continued to say to the porter, "We just want you to show us the way. You didn’t hurt those servants, so why would you lose your head over it?"

The porter was clearly terrified, his face ashen and trembling. "No, you’re outsiders, you don’t know the rules here. I... I just saw Magistrate Justin Zhao’s servants getting the worst of it and didn’t step in to help. If Magistrate Zhao finds out, he’ll have my head!"

"They’d chop off your head for that? Where’s the law in this place!?" Princess Jade Hayes took a deep breath, her eyes cold and stern.

The porter shrank his head down. "Here in Anchester, Magistrate Zhao’s word is law."

Lily Evans and Simon Yu exchanged glances. Simon Yu reassured him, "Don’t worry, those servants are blind now, they won’t recognize you. If you lead us to Magistrate Justin Zhao’s residence, we’ll pay you a guide fee. How much silver do you want?"

The porter looked at the blind servants thrashing in the river, unable to resist the lure of silver. He gritted his teeth and agreed, saying, "Alright, I’ll take you! But I’m going to name my price!"

Simon Yu nodded, then fished out a small piece of silver and handed it to the porter. "Here, this should cover your guide fee."

The porter’s eyes widened at the sight of the silver. "This is too much! A guide only costs ten wen!"

Su Li laughed. "Keep the change. Consider it hazard pay for dealing with Magistrate Zhao’s territory."

The porter jumped back in fright. "Oh heavens, how could I ask for five taels of silver! I meant five wen, and that’s already a lot. I work at the docks and only earn two or three wen a day. Five wen is two days’ wages for me!"

"You work your fingers to the bone at the docks and only earn two or three wen a day!?" Lily Evans was incredulous. The labor market in Anchester was really that undervalued!

Back in Haizi Village, even in that poor village, a man could earn several dozen wen a day for a hard day’s work.

But here in Anchester, a grown man’s full day of hard labor only gets him two or three wen.

Now Princess Jade Hayes understood why all the common folk here looked sallow and thin, their clothes worn and patched.

With such a low economic standard, it was no wonder the people here struggled. Five wen could buy a string of premium candied hawthorns in the Capital, but here, it was two days’ wages for a strong laborer.

Simon Yu listened, full of sympathy. "I’ll give you ten wen. Lead the way."

He then placed ten wen directly into the dockworker’s hand.

The dockworker stared at the ten wen, his face lighting up with disbelief and wild joy. "Wow, I must have stumbled into some incredible luck! I’m rich, I’m rich! Tonight I can buy coarse rice for my family, and everyone will have a full meal!"

He carefully tucked the ten wen away, then bowed deeply to Princess Jade Hayes and her group. "Honored guests, I’ll lead you wherever you wish to go."

Simon Yu smiled, "Let’s go. We’ll follow you."

Martin Wu and Princess Jade Hayes sat together in the Evans Family Carriage. Martin Wu pulled out his coin pouch, which held a little over a hundred wen, scattered and jingling.

Martin Wu counted the coins in his palm, sighing. "I always thought I was dirt poor, but coming to Anchester, I’ve suddenly become a rich man."

Princess Jade Hayes lifted the curtain, gazing out at the streets on either side.

The farther they got from the wharf, the more houses lined the streets, but most were simple earthen structures.

Most of the people along the way looked sallow and thin, dressed in coarse linen patched in many places. The roads were uneven and dust billowed everywhere.

The Evans Family Carriage convoy became the most conspicuous sight on the road, attracting curious onlookers all along the way. Some people even surrounded the convoy, begging for alms.