Chapter 31: I Have No Choice But to Trust You

“I remember,” Meng Changqing said. “Although the time is tight and the task is heavy, a person's strength and energy are limited. If we overwork them, they will actually become less efficient.”

Wei Fangyun stood up and took a few steps, suddenly remembering an important matter he had failed to ask Meng Changqing. “I haven't pried much into your affairs in the capital. I don't know if you studied under the Ministry of Works during your years there.”

“I did not,” Meng Changqing replied very curtly.

“Then how dare you!” Wei Fangyun was nearly fainted by his own anger. Why had he lost his head the moment he saw that official document?

“No two engineering projects in this world are the same,” Meng Changqing said. “Even someone who has built the walls of the Imperial Palace is not necessarily capable of building the walls of Beishan County.”

Wei Fangyun took a deep breath. “What you say makes sense, but anyone building a city wall must at least know what its structure is like and how to build it so that it doesn't collapse.”

“I know that,” Meng Changqing said. “Uncle, I served as the Crown Prince's study companion for seven years; I did learn a few things from the Grand Tutor.”

“There is no other way now but to trust you.”

“Uncle, if this is not handled well, I will present myself to you with my head.”

Wei Fangyun waved his hand. “No need. If that happens, our heads will be presented together.”

Meng Changqing pulled a long cloth bag from the sleeve of her official robe.

“What is this?”

Meng Changqing opened the seal and took out the rolled papers inside. “They are the blueprints for the city wall.”

Wei Fangyun took them to look and found that the drawings were quite professional.

Generally speaking, the city walls of the Great Liang were built with rammed earth as the core, a layer of brick on the surface, and an internal horse track.

However, certain walls at the border frontiers kept the outer wall the same but changed the inner wall into a slope. This served two purposes: first, to save labor and facilitate construction; second, to allow soldiers to scale the walls quickly during wartime. Such walls were called "Warhorse Walls."

The blueprints Meng Changqing provided were a combination of a standard city wall and a Warhorse Wall.

Various dimensions and distances were marked on them. The wall was six and a half *xun* high, three *xun* wide at the base, and two and a half *xun* wide at the top, with a Warhorse Wall built every four *li* at one-mile intervals.

“Initially, it will be a rammed earth wall,” Meng Changqing said. “Once it connects to the walls of Hongjia County, we will add the outer brick and stone sections.”

Wei Fangyun nodded. “You do have a plan. Child, I will ask one last time: having entrusted this matter to you, do you have the ability to do it well? If you say you can, I will not let others interfere. But if you feel it is too much to handle, I can ask Lord Hua of Hongjia County to assist you.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Uncle, but I can handle this.” Meng Changqing immediately followed up with a question, “Has there been any trouble in Hongjia County recently?”

“I don't know what madness has possessed the Jie Wan [Rapid-fire projectiles] this year, but most of the Yan army has been deployed to deal with them, so Hongjia County is temporarily safe.”

“In that case, lend me some troops from Hongjia County,” Meng Changqing said. “I am short on guards.”

“No problem. Even if you hadn't asked, I would have requested troops from there,” Wei Fangyun said. “It is getting late. If there is nothing else in Beishan County, stay in the manor to rest. Tomorrow morning, take the conscription documents to Yangmen County on your way. Since you need to use land from Yangmen County, it is only polite to go and notify Lord Mao.”

Meng Changqing stayed in Liangzhou Prefecture for one night. After many days, she finally managed to sleep in a bed.

Unfortunately, the bed was uncomfortable. In the middle of the night, after the warming pot grew cold, she was woken by the chill. In a place like this, a heated *kang* bed was the only way to go. Once she finished building the walls and constructing the county magistrate's office, she would have to have a *kang* built for herself.

She pressed all her clothes against the quilt and tossed and turned, barely enduring until dawn.

Bafang handed a warmed pancake to Meng Changqing. “Young Master, you were right; the Prefectural Office really doesn't provide food.”

“If you want to eat the food here, you'll likely have to wait two months,” she said, rolling up the pancake and eating it in a few bites.

“Lord Meng,” Li Ting stood at the doorway. “I will accompany you to Yangmen County.”

Meng Changqing brushed the crumbs from her hands and tightened the belt over her padded jacket. “Let's go.”

She had passed by Yangmen County several times, but she had never been to its county magistrate's office.

Now, following Li Ting to the entrance, she saw that although it was not large, it at least had walls, a roof, windows, and doors.

After the bailiff made the announcement, Mao Chunfang arrived quickly. “Lord Meng, Constable Li, you two are truly early!”

Li Ting did not linger; he delivered the documents and left.

Mao Chunfang sighed repeatedly as she looked at the documents. “It's not that I'm complaining, but there has been too much forced labor these past few years, and the people's lives are truly difficult. Now with this new conscription, I fear many will flee to the mountains.”

“Lord Mao, if those three conditions are posted together, will people still run?”

“What the government says is one thing; how the people perceive it is another,” Mao Chunfang said practically. “I can tell at a glance that these three points were proposed by you, Little Lord Meng. First, regarding the second point: you are asking women to go. How many women would be willing to go to such a place where people are mixed? If they are unwilling, their husbands will be even more uneasy about them being in such a place. Furthermore, the third point—four hours? Such a thing has never happened before; no one will believe it.”

Meng Changqing said, “Whether they believe it or not, these three points must be written on the notice.”

“That goes without saying.”

“Lord Mao, one more thing. I would like to borrow the empty land next to your city wall.”

As soon as Meng Changqing mentioned it, Mao Chunfang nodded. “I know. It was already written in the official document sent down by the Prefect. If the Beishan County wall is completed, it will be of great benefit to me. Rest assured, I will keep an eye on those materials for you.”

“Thank you, Lord Mao.”

“We are both working for the Imperial Court; there is no need for such formality, Little Lord Meng. If there is anything I can do to help, just say the word. I will not refuse.”

As she rode her horse, Meng Changqing wondered: why was Mao Chunfang being so kind to her?

Thinking it over, she felt that anything was possible.

As her horse passed the site of the old city wall, Meng Changqing glanced toward the treacherous mountains.

*Just wait. Once the walls are enclosed, I will come back to clean this place up.*

Upon returning to the camp, Meng Changqing immediately went to the kitchen to find food.

She knew there would surely be leftovers. Every time food was prepared, Meng Changqing instructed the cooks to make extra, preferring leftovers over letting the workers go hungry. Besides, in this cold weather, leftovers wouldn't spoil; they could just be eaten for the next meal.

There was nothing else to eat but millet rice.

The leftovers were kept in a ceramic jar and were still warm.

Meng Changqing distributed some to the people following her. “Eat something to line your stomachs first; it will be a while before lunch.”

There were only three small stools in the kitchen. Meng Changqing took one, while Chu Mufeng and Wang Xun each took one; the others had to sit on the ground.

“It is truly warm in here. Once the fire is lit in the stove, heat seeps through the walls,” Xi Bei said, holding a bowl in one hand while touching the wall with the other. “And this is with only three pots being used. Imagine how hot it will get once all the pots here are in use!”