Chapter 10 What is the bowl made of? This whole day...
Fu Li did not leave the fiefdom all day and watched with his own eyes the small leaders leading the slaves to work.
Originally, she wanted to share the hardships with everyone, but she couldn't bear the hardship of farming, and the food the slaves ate was really hard for her to eat, so she simply gave up.
I just promised them that when there is a good harvest this season, I will definitely improve their food.
The slaves were generally numb to this, with only a few showing any activity except for the sixteen small leaders.
Fu Li called those people out separately and asked them some questions about farming.
Those people were very excited and talked about their experiences, which included their observations on the weather.
For example, if there are colorful clouds in the sky in the morning, it is very likely to rain; if there are colorful clouds in the sky at night, there will not be a drop of rain for half a month.
For example, which season is prone to wind, which season has more rain, and which season is prone to drought...
These are the crystallizations of the wisdom of the working people. Those officials who specialize in observing the weather for the king may not be more detailed than what they have experienced personally.
Fuli had originally planned to stay home to make paper the next day, but these slaves changed her mind, and she returned the next day, bringing with her wooden slips, charcoal pencils, and carving knives.
The little leader who received the news and came to receive him looked a little evasive. Fu Li had a bad feeling and pretended to ask casually where the slaves were from yesterday.
One of the small leaders looked pale, and after Fu Li's questioning, he stammered that two of them had stomach upsets and had diarrhea all night yesterday.
Fu Li's face changed, and he ordered a soldier to go back and get some garlic and ground salt. He said coldly, "Take me to see it quickly."
The young leader quickly stopped her, saying, "Young lady, the place where the slaves live is extremely filthy. You'd better not go there, lest it pollute your eyes."
Fu Li looked at him coldly and sneered, "What? It's your turn to be my master now?"
Immediately, two armored soldiers stepped forward and crossed their spears and placed them on his neck.
Facing the cold blade, the little leader was so frightened that he trembled and knelt on the ground, his face pale and he stammered, begging: "Young lady, please spare my life, please spare my life."
Fu Li is not really a ten-year-old girl. Although she has not had the chance to enter society yet, she has already gained a preliminary understanding of the ugliness of human nature due to years of bad luck.
Just yesterday, she had begun to look at those slaves differently, and today, two of them were exhausted. She didn't know whether a fool would believe it or not, but she wouldn't believe it anyway.
The sixteen small leaders were all promoted from slaves by the family elders. These people must be ambitious to stand out among thousands of slaves.
It is not a bad thing to be ambitious, provided that there is healthy competition.
But these small leaders who climbed out from the slaves were used to being superior to others, so naturally they did not want any other slaves to climb up.
It was their tacit understanding to unite and suppress other slaves.
Fu Li ignored the frightened little leader and turned to look at another one who was trying to lower his head to reduce his presence.
She pointed at him and asked, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"
The little leader looked up at her tremblingly, and when he met her calm eyes that were inconsistent with her appearance, he felt his scalp burst, and he didn't dare to utter a word of the excuses he had prepared.
He suddenly realized: How could someone chosen by the Grand Tutor to be an agricultural official be just any ordinary person? The Grand Tutor was a Qi-refining master from a prestigious family, and the young lady might be a fellow disciple of the Grand Tutor. This seemingly frail appearance was probably just a personal preference.
Once this realization emerges, it can no longer be suppressed.
He immediately broke out in a cold sweat: These people have relied on the kindness of the Grand Tutor and have been living in comfort for too long, they even dared to act cleverly in front of the immortal.
In a flash, he changed his mind: instead of resisting stubbornly, it would be better to confess and get leniency.
"My lady, we are possessed by evil spirits. We are afraid that those slaves will be favored by you and will replace us. Please punish us." He knelt down directly.
Kneeling was not a custom in this era. People would only kneel in two situations: one was to show loyalty, and the other was to apologize.
Fu Li looked at him coldly for a long time, until the soldiers sent back to get garlic and salt returned and the cold sweat on his body dried up. Then he said calmly, "Get up and take me to see the two sick people."
"Yes, yes, yes." The little leader was overjoyed. He completely ignored the pleading looks from his companions and climbed up using his hands and feet to lead the way.
The little leader wanted to plead for mercy, but the soldiers held their cold, sharp spears at his neck. He just moved slightly, and one of them thrust the spear forward and shouted, "Behave!"
The skin on his neck was cut by the cold sharp blade, and warm blood flowed out of the wound, bringing with it a streak of itchiness that made him dare not move at all.
The soldiers following Fu Li had been instructed in advance by the family elders not to harm the young lady in any way.
They were all Wen Zhong's personal soldiers, and had followed him on his campaigns for many years. Wen Zhong was not interested in external things, and would present part of his spoils to the king, distributing the rest among his own men.
It can be said that they were deeply indebted to Wen Zhong. Even if Wen Zhong wanted to lead them to rebel against the King of Shang, they would not hesitate at all.
Fu Li is someone Wen Zhong values, and naturally someone they protect sincerely.
This little leader dared to disobey Fu Li, and in the eyes of the soldiers, he was already a dead man.
Therefore, after Fu Li and his men walked away, the little leader died under the spears of the soldiers.
"Drag him away." The soldier pointed at two slaves and ordered.
The two slaves had numb expressions and responded in a flat voice, dragging the still warm body away.
When they reached a deserted place, the two slaves suddenly looked at each other, and saw excitement and resentment in each other's eyes.
After looking around and making sure there was no one around, the two of them each picked up a large rock they could move and took turns smashing it on the corpse's head.
They smashed the head first, then the hands, then the legs, and finally the torso.
When they hit their heads, they thought: I told you not to come up with evil ideas and use us to please the elders; when they hit their hands, they thought: I told you not to whip us; when they hit their legs and feet, they thought of the scenes of being kicked down by him in the past.
Slaves were born into a life of hardship. Their parents were slaves, and their children would also be slaves. Only a very few had the opportunity to be valued by their masters or retainers, escape the fate of slavery, and rise to become managers of slaves.
But being born with a bad fate does not mean that they don’t have joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, nor does it mean that they won’t feel resentment when being bullied.
It would be fine if there was no chance, but now that I have the chance, I naturally have to vent my anger!
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Fu Li knew nothing about the two slaves' revenge. Even if she knew, she would not speak up for the little leader.
The fact that his slaves were so resentful of him must have been due to his daily shortcomings and virtues.
The group walked further and further away, and came to a group of thatched houses built against the mountain.
These thatched houses were extremely simple, with only four supporting pillars and a thatched roof. Later generations often used the phrase "bare bones" to describe poverty, but for these slaves, having nothing at all was a great fortune.
The smell here is very bad, and I almost vomited when I got close to Fuli.
But she held it in, holding her breath and slowly adjusting for a moment before asking the guide, "Where are the two sick people?"
The little leader was also a slave. He still remembered this place which he had not visited for a long time and knew where the sick people would be carried.
"My lady, please follow me."
The group followed him around the thatched hut and saw caves carved out one after another on a relatively flat mountain wall.
A bonfire burned at the entrance of one of the caves. The leader said that the sick slaves would be placed in a cave that was sheltered from the wind and rain by the other slaves. Slaves who knew witchcraft would go to the nearby area to collect herbs, crush them with stones, and squeeze out the juice to drink.
The rest was left to fate. If they could survive, they would live a few more years. If they couldn't, they would be carried away. There was a place specifically for processing the bodies of slaves. Their skulls would be made into bowls, and their limbs and torsos would be ground into various weapons.
As for the meat that is cut off, it will be fed to the birds of prey and beasts raised in the army.
Fu Li's stomach churned when she heard this, thinking of the beautifully shaped bowl that was specially prepared for her when she had dinner at the Grand Tutor's Mansion these days, but she didn't know what material it was made of.
The bowl was ivory white, with gold inlaid patterns on it, and it was so exquisite that it looked like a work of art. When Fuli used it for the first time, she admired it for a long time.
She didn't notice it when she was using it, but now that she knew these things, no matter how she thought about it, she felt that the size of the bowl was not very consistent with the skull of an adult human.
She asked Fu Shuang, "What is the bowl I eat from made of?"
Fu Shuang smiled and said, "Of course it's a skull. The craftsmen in Boyi are really amazing. That bowl is really beautifully made."
“Ugh~”
Fu Li finally vomited it out.
"Hey, senior sister, what's wrong with you?" Fu Shuang quickly supported her, took out a handkerchief made of fine gauze from her arms and wiped the corners of her mouth, and then took off the water bag from her waist to let her rinse her mouth.
"I'm fine, it's just that the smell here is too bad." Fu Li never wanted to mention the fact that she didn't bring the bowl again.
Fu Shuang agreed: "Yes, it smells really bad here. Senior Sister, let me help you leave first." She discussed with Fu Li with concern.
It's not that she didn't want to take Fu Li away directly, but after working together for many years, she knew that although her senior sister was young, she had big ideas and didn't like others to make decisions for her.
Sure enough, Fuli shook her head and pointed to the cave with the burning bonfire. "Let's go in. Two soldiers, follow me in. The rest of you wait outside."
She had come this far, she would not allow herself to fail.
She finally looked at the little leader who led the way and said word by word, "Including you, wait for me here."
The little leader smiled and nodded, feeling very nervous.
In fact, the way the soldiers around him looked at him didn't seem like they were looking at a living person.
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