Chapter 53: What Can You Afford?

Chapter 53: What Can You Bear?

Meng Changqing had just lain down when Bafang summoned her.

"Young Mistress." He leaned over the bedside. "Two groups in the night shift started a disturbance. They've already been called aside by the guards for reprimand. Captain Yang said this matter must be reported to you."

Meng Changqing sat up immediately. "Are they still working?"

"Not yet. People from both groups were beaten. A few of them weren't wearing thick enough clothes, so the blows landed directly on their flesh."

"Bring me a padded coat." Meng Changqing threw on the coat and climbed out of bed.

Bafang helped her put on a scarf and gloves. "Are you going over there now?"

"I'm going to fetch the horse."

"Master is on night watch tonight; his horse is outside." Bafang tightened her cuffs. "I'll go call Master over to escort you."

"Alright."

Meng Changqing put on her shoes and stepped outside the cave. Xi Bei was already waiting on horseback.

"Master."

"Sit behind me." He reached out to pull Meng Changqing onto the horse, and the two quickly arrived at the site of the dispute.

The two groups of laborers were leaning against a city wall that stood as tall as a man, and Captain Yang Zheng was speaking to them loudly.

Seeing the fast horse approaching, Yang Zheng immediately stepped forward to greet her. "Lord Meng."

Meng Changqing jumped down. "What caused the disturbance?"

"It was just over a few loads of earth," Yang Zheng explained. "Someone from the eighth group couldn't see clearly in the dark and placed their load in the seventh group's spot. It wasn't until someone from their own group called him out that he realized he had dumped it in the wrong place. That man then tried to move the earth he had previously carried to the seventh group back to his own.

The people from the seventh group refused to let him move it, and a quarrel broke out. It drew others nearby to drop their work and join the shouting; they nearly came to blows."

"What happened with the guards?"

"It happened in both groups. One went to fetch food and the other went to add firewood, leaving only one person watching. By the time they noticed, it was too late."

"Has the food been brought back?" Meng Changqing asked.

"It's been brought back, but it hasn't been distributed yet."

"Let them eat first."

"Yes, ma'am." Yang Zheng returned to the two groups and shouted, "Listen up, everyone! Go get your bowls and chopsticks and prepare to eat!"

The members of both groups looked on in disbelief. The guards had just been saying they would whip them to death, yet in the blink of an eye, this official was giving them food.

"Get moving!" the guards from both groups roared.

Soon, the two groups began lining up for food. Meng Changqing walked a circle holding a torch and saw several people who had been whipped so hard their flesh was exposed.

Those who had been beaten most severely were not wearing thick clothing and were quite young; they clearly didn't know how to dodge the lashes.

"Master." Meng Changqing walked to Xi Bei's side. "Run an errand for me. Have Bafang find some wound ointment and cotton cloth."

"Fine. Be careful yourself, and don't stray too far from Brother Yang."

After Xi Bei left, Meng Changqing called the guards from both groups over.

"What were you thinking? Since you knew someone had gone to fetch food, why did you insist on adding firewood at that exact moment? Were you so afraid they wouldn't start a riot?"

"It was our lack of foresight. We beg for your punishment, My Lord."

"Lack of foresight." Meng Changqing pointed it out directly. "You were careless. You thought that because you had been with these commoners for a long time and they hadn't caused trouble before, you could relax your guard. Is that it!"

The six men collectively hung their heads. "Yes."

"When you first arrived, wasn't it repeatedly emphasized to you not to get too close to the commoners and not to trust them too easily?"

"It is our fault," they admitted bluntly.

"Very well. You know you are in the wrong and are willing to admit it, but admitting a mistake is only the first step," Meng Changqing said. "Next, you must bear the consequences of that mistake. Can you bear them?"

"We can bear them."

Meng Changqing suddenly let out two cold laughs, asking them in a moderate volume, "What can you bear?

Your negligence led to a dispute between two groups that wasn't stopped in time. Now, over a hundred people have stopped their work and are standing around. This is a delay in the construction schedule.

I cannot bear this responsibility myself; so what can you possibly bear?"

Meng Changqing continued, "Not all mistakes can be made up for after the fact. You cannot simply say 'please punish us' once something has happened and expect the matter to be over.

If something was repeatedly emphasized before, there was a reason for it.

Now that the incident has occurred, I should be thinking of solutions and preventative measures first. But if I didn't say a harsh word to you, you would think I am easy to deal with."

The six guards slumped before Meng Changqing, their hearts filled with trepidation, though they felt somewhat relieved that the lashes were being avoided.

Meng Changqing delivered her verdict. "The six of you, go work in the kitchens."

"My Lord," one guard couldn't help but cry out.

"It is merely a routine reassignment," Meng Changqing said. "The two hundred people currently working in the kitchens were also brothers who came here with you. There is no distinction of nobility between being a guard and being a cook. Once the city wall is built, you will all have earned equal merit."

"Captain Yang." Meng Changqing called to Yang Zheng, who was standing aside. "Send someone to escort them to the kitchens, and find six more people to take their place."

"Yes, ma'am."

Meng Changqing walked up onto the partially built wall and shouted loudly to the laborers below, "Everyone! Have you finished eating? I see you are mostly done, so listen to what I have to say."

The laborers moved away from the wall. Someone took the lead in kneeling, and soon the members of both groups were kneeling on the ground.

"You were all conscripted from various parts of Liangzhou to build this wall. In principle, your purpose is the same: to complete this wall," Meng Changqing said. "Yet today, over a few loads of earth, a dispute broke out and you suffered such hardship. Do you feel wronged?"

Most of the commoners kneeling on the ground did not dare to answer, but one bold man replied, "It is a bit of an injustice."

"Since you feel it is an injustice, then do not suffer this way again in the future. If you see someone in your group quarreling or causing trouble, step forward immediately to stop them. If you cannot stop them, call a guard immediately.

However, you must understand: once any matter reaches the guards, the whip is unavoidable."

Meng Changqing spoke in a measured tone, as if she were simply having a chat with the laborers. "I heard from the guards that you fought over a few loads of earth."

"Whoever was the one carrying the load, step forward."

After looking through the crowd, a man of short stature finally stepped out.

"Was it you who started this mess?" As soon as Meng Changqing asked, the man began to explain stumblingly, "No... it wasn't me. It was the people from their group who pushed me first."

Meng Changqing asked again, "From the seventh group, do you have anything to say?"

Someone from the seventh group knelt and said, "He was trying to steal our earth."

The man standing replied, "I was the one who carried it over in the first place; I just put it in the wrong spot. I was just taking back what was mine. What right do you have to refuse, and why call it stealing? Your village is always looking to take advantage of others."

Someone from the eighth group immediately chimed in, "Everyone knows your village—even if a bird flies overhead, you'd pluck every feather off it!"

(End of Chapter)