"Aren't you going to leave yet? Do you all want to get whipped?"
Not far away, a sentry came walking with a whip in his hand.
While issuing the order, he was clearly watching Ning Xi'er.
Clearly, they were targeted!
The village chief quickly reminded them, "I'm sorry, everyone! We don't have any surplus food at home. This place isn't like the county town..."
"At the quarry, they give out two cornbread buns every day at noon. You'd better save one for dinner. They won't give out any more in the evening..."
As soon as the village chief finished speaking, Zheng Ye exclaimed, "What?!"
"Just one meal?!"
That would starve people to death!
The village chief nodded helplessly, "We don't know how much money the government allocated. But the Ministry of Works should have a budget to subsidize the quarrying and city wall construction..."
"We, the stranded people, and the refugees who fled the famine, still have to hand over a portion of the land's produce..."
The village chief didn't finish his sentence, implying that the village wasn't so impoverished as to mistreat the convicts...
The shady dealings involved likely involved officials skimming profits at every level, even scheming to take advantage of the prisoners' rations.
The village chief explained that although many of them had been pardoned and were no longer required to perform corvée labor, their land yielded little, and their families didn't have enough food to eat...
Therefore, the habit of eating only one meal a day is still retained.
Eunuch Xu immediately asked how the water problem would be solved; his primary concern was Xie Zhun's health.
The village chief said there was a lake twenty miles away where people could fetch water to drink.
The garrison would regularly organize refugees to carry water, and each person could only drink a few sips a day while quarrying.
As for the pardoned convicts and refugees, they can carry water themselves.
But because everyone was hungry and weak, they couldn't carry much back even after walking twenty miles.
Each time they carry one bucket, it's only enough for one day's food and drink.
Ning Xi'er and Xie Zhun both felt somewhat heavy-hearted.
If people don't have enough to eat or drink, how can crops grow in the fields?
This cycle continues, and those who are pardoned and those who are displaced are left to live in poverty for generations, growing old and dying there.
"What's going on with you guys?!"
"Are you asking for a beating?!"
The sentries not far away raised their whips and shouted at them.
The surrounding refugees quickened their pace.
The village chief reminded them to hurry up and avoid being taken advantage of.
Seeing the village chief's kindness—providing the venue last night and offering so many reminders this morning...
Ning Xier tugged at Xingming, pretending to take a bottle of ointment from his body.
The asthma ointment, prepared by the Imperial Pharmacy, can treat asthma caused by cold.
Ning Xi'er placed the medicine in the village chief's hand, explaining that she knew a little about medicine and, through her observation, had discovered that the village chief's son had symptoms of asthma...
Give him one spoonful twice a day, dissolved in boiling water, to relieve his symptoms.
The village chief was taken aback, holding the plaster in his hand, and waved his thanks behind his back.
The quarry grounds were uneven, and Ning Xi'er was having some difficulty pushing her wheelchair.
"Mysterious Wind!"
Xie Zhun called out.
Xuanfeng immediately picked up Xie Zhun, and Ning Xier, pushing the empty wheelchair, felt much more relaxed.
The Duke and his wife, supported by Zheng Chengguang, Zheng Ye and others, followed the other exiled prisoners and soon arrived at the quarry.
The man in black who was hung on the mountain last night has been taken down and dragged away.
Yan Lang stood before the group of exiled prisoners, glaring menacingly at Xie Zhun and his entourage.
We both know exactly what happened last night.
The person in front of him was behaving strangely towards the man in black, clearly a show of defiance...
Yan Lang pursed his lips. He wanted to see what the fallen Prince Cheng was capable of now that he was in his hands!
Yan Lang left, and two men with unfriendly expressions came up.
From the conversation of the exiled prisoners nearby, I learned that they were the two deputies of the new military supervisor Yan Lang: Meng Yi, the left military supervisor, and Sun Zuo, the right military supervisor.
Rumor has it that Meng Yi came from humble origins and was inherently cruel, having killed or maimed many displaced people.
Sun Zuo was known as the "Smiling Tiger" because he seemed easy to talk to, but in reality, he was ruthless.
Xie Zhun frowned slightly after hearing this.
"What's wrong?"
Ning Xi'er lowered her head and asked.
Xie Zhun said softly, "How could Yan Lang possibly..."
Judging from Xie Zhun's words, he seems to actually have some approval for Yan Lang...
Seeing Ning Xier and Xie Zhun's subtle interactions, Sun Zuo glanced at them and began to issue a warning.
"We received a new batch of prisoners last night, and you're the ones they're looking for..."
"There are some rules you may not understand, so learn them carefully and follow them diligently."
“I don’t care if you were once royalty or nobles, princes or generals. Here, you’re all the same as everyone else—prisoners!”
"As a prisoner, you must obey orders! Let me make this clear from the start: put away your methods of leading troops into battle and managing households, and here..."
"Do whatever I tell you to do! No opinions are needed, just obey!"
"Otherwise, anyone who dares to offend their superior deserves to be beaten to death! Do you understand?"
Zheng Ye's fingers cracked as he clenched them.
It's no wonder no one responded to such targeted humiliation.
Clearly, Xie Zhun's silence among the prisoners greatly displeased Sun Zuo and Meng Yi, who were about to erupt when a discordant voice rang out from the crowd...
Xingming grinned and stepped forward, shamelessly reminding Ning Xier, Xie Zhun, and the others, "Did everyone hear what the general just said?"
Then he turned to Sun Zuo and Meng Yi with a fawning expression and said, "My lords, you see, no one objected, they all heard it!"
"If they don't understand something, I'll remind them! Or you can tell the younger ones, and I'll remind them one by one!"
He acted like a complete sycophant, but with his banter and jokes, Sun Zuo couldn't make a big deal out of it anymore.
Sun Zuo looked Xingming up and down, seemingly quite approving.
Turning to the crowd, his face icy, he said, "Let's get to work!"
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