Chapter 17: The Night of the Twenty-Ninth of the Twelfth Lunar Month

"Young Master, go to Madam for dinner," Laicai said, bringing two soldiers with him. "This tent needs to be moved."

"Alright." Meng Changqing wrapped her belongings and slung them onto her back. "Have you eaten?"

"I've eaten. Please go, Young Master."

Meng Changqing entered the tent belonging to Lady Wen and Liang Jiujiu. Three bowls of porridge and some flatbreads wrapped in oil paper sat on a small table; it seemed the two of them hadn't eaten either.

Seeing Meng Changqing's hands, which were bright red from the cold, Liang Jiujiu rushed forward to cover them with her own hands, rubbing them vigorously. "Didn't I have Laicai bring you a hand warmer? How are your hands still this frozen?"

Lady Wen sat down at the small table. "In this freezing weather, a hand warmer can barely keep things warm for half an hour. She must have been busy and didn't have time to replace the charcoal inside."

Meng Changqing smiled. "Only Mother understands me."

"Mother, stop rubbing. I can warm up just by holding the porridge bowl."

Liang Jiujiu firmly gripped her hands. "If you don't rub them hard when they're this frozen, you'll get chilblains."

"Alright, leave one hand free so she can eat something first," Lady Wen advised. "She must be hungry."

Meng Changqing was indeed hungry. She had only managed two pieces of flatbread on the road during midday, and after being out in the cold for so long, the little food in her stomach had long since been exhausted.

After freeing one hand, she immediately picked up a bowl and began drinking the porridge. The temperature was just right, though the coarse rice porridge was certainly not as delicious as white rice porridge.

Meng Changqing finished a large bowl of porridge and ate three pieces of flatbread. Only after setting the bowl down did she realize she was stuffed.

She felt full now, but once she relieved herself later, she would likely feel hungry again.

"Has the night watch been arranged?" Lady Wen asked.

"It has," Meng Changqing replied. "The soldiers are divided into two shifts, led by Captain Yang and Master Xi. Each shift will stand guard for two hours."

"Captain Yang and Master Xi are both reliable men." Lady Wen asked further, "Changqing, what do you plan to do next?"

"I plan to lead these people further north," Meng Changqing said. "If we want peace, we must build the city walls before winter ends."

"Your idea is correct, but building city walls in winter is no easy feat. The weather is freezing and the ground is hard to dig; you must be prepared."

Meng Changqing nodded.

She knew in her heart that winter was both a hardship and an opportunity.

All the problems she currently faced could be solved as long as there were sufficient supplies and enough manpower.

Therefore, her worry shouldn't be about the cold weather, but rather about where to go to beg for food.

Her Beishan County was part of Liangzhou City, so she would naturally have to reach out to the Prefect—her uncle.

However, she also knew that if Liangzhou City had sufficient resources to support it, the walls of Beishan County would have been built long ago.

Lying on her bedding, Meng Changqing found no sleepiness. She wanted to turn over, but feared waking Lady Wen and Liang Jiujiu, so she simply put on her padded coat and walked out of the tent.

The night wind lashed at her. Meng Changqing tightened her collar and walked outward.

Yang Zheng, on night watch, immediately noticed her and walked toward her.

"Young Master Meng, do you have instructions?"

Meng Changqing waved him off. "It's nothing. I just came out to get some fresh air."

*Fresh air?* Yang Zheng thought to himself, *People from the capital certainly have peculiar tastes.*

"Then I shall walk with you."

"No need. I'll just stand on that small hill for a while," Meng Changqing said. "You all work hard on the night watch, but you must never let your guard down."

"Yes, sir."

As Meng Changqing stood on the small hill, the cold wind seeped through every gap in her clothing, quickly stripping away her body heat.

The colder her body became, the clearer her mind grew.

She looked at the distant city walls, then turned to look at the endless wilderness.

Under the starry sky, she stood atop the earthen mound. When Sha Zhu opened his eyes, this was the scene he saw. For a moment, he almost thought a person buried in the earth had come back to life.

The next morning, when Liang Jiujiu woke up, she found Meng Changqing's bedding already folded.

"Did I wake up late?" Liang Jiujiu quickly got out of bed to pack the bedding.

"Don't worry, it has only just dawned. Changqing rose early." Lady Wen handed her a warmed flatbread. "Eat a piece to line your stomach."

"Madam, where is Changqing?"

"She is outside." Lady Wen understood her thoughts. "Take more; go out and eat with Changqing."

Liang Jiujiu found Meng Changqing by a carriage carrying miscellaneous supplies.

"What are you looking at?"

"Mother." Meng Changqing took the flatbread and found a spot sheltered from the wind to eat heartily. "I'm looking at this carriage. If I had known, I should have gotten a stove, brought more coal, and a deep pot. That way, we could cook while on the move."

Liang Jiujiu could not quite imagine that scene.

Meng Changqing shook her head to herself. "A thousand pieces of gold can't buy 'if only I had known'."

"Has Mother risen?"

"Madam has already risen."

"Good. Then let's pack up and set off now."

As Meng Changqing's orders were issued, the refugees grew anxious upon seeing them packing.

One refugee said, "I told you they were just putting on an act. Look, they're running away now."

Someone gathered enough courage to ask a soldier, "Is the County Magistrate returning to the city?"

"Returning to what city? The County Magistrate is heading north to build city walls." Yang Zheng, mounted on his horse, used the man's question to announce loudly to the refugees, "If you want to eat, follow us!"

They set off at the fourth quarter of the Mao hour and did not stop to make breakfast until the fourth quarter of the Si hour.

By the time the soldiers had finished boiling the first two pots of porridge, the refugees began to arrive one after another.

Seeing that there was indeed porridge to drink, their eyes filled with joy.

To wait for these refugees, the convoy had to slow its pace. Consequently, Meng Changqing spent New Year's Eve on the road.

By noon on the first day of the Lunar New Year, they finally reached their destination.

To the west lay the walls of Weishan County; any further ahead would bring them too close to the territory held by the Yan army.

"Set up camp right here." As Meng Changqing's command went out, the soldiers quickly became busy.

However, before they had been working long, someone shouted from atop the city walls: "Who goes there!"

Yang Zheng stepped forward to respond, reporting Meng Changqing's identity.

But the person on the wall clearly had never heard of the Magistrate of Beishan County. They repeatedly demanded that the group leave the foot of the wall, threatening to fire arrows if they did not.

With no other choice, Meng Changqing had to lead her people further away.

Yang Zheng was very puzzled. "Why don't those people report to their superiors?"

"Perhaps he did report it, and we just didn't see it." Meng Changqing organized her things, feeling little emotion about being driven away.

"If they had reported it, they would naturally know your identity," Yang Zheng said. "Young Master, you don't realize—these people are guarding a frontier wall. If they are inflexible and only focus on the task immediately in front of them, it is very easy for people to exploit them."

"True, but with our current status, we have no authority over Weishan County."

Holding her ledger, Meng Changqing approached the refugees. "From today onward, how much you can eat each meal will depend on yourselves."

(End of Chapter)