Chapter 60
Qingyun hid among the kneeling crowd, listening to the foreman read out the message: the emperor had seen everyone's progress and contributions over the past few years, and everyone would be rewarded. Everyone was very happy to hear this, and their smiles were hard to hide. Although they still bowed their heads respectfully and remained silent, they still looked at each other and chuckled softly.
The rewards were calculated based on the number of people. While everyone waited, there was much discussion. The others, seeing Qingyun's haggard face, were quite puzzled. "You're not happy about getting money?"
"I can't even tell you about the bitterness in my heart," Qingyun said with a wry smile. Hearing this, he complained inwardly but didn't show it on his face. The other party thought he was worried about not getting enough money and quickly comforted him, "You planted tree seedlings and led everyone to plant vegetables and cotton. You deserve the most credit! You don't have to worry about not getting your share."
As soon as he said that, the other women came over, and they all sat down on the ground. "I'm afraid you'll be given an official position. I've heard that the female officials in the palace are very powerful!"
The woman who often hung out with Qingyun snorted in annoyance upon seeing this, "Does becoming a female official make things better?"
"Hey, hey, hey! What do you mean by that? What's so impressive about being a female official if not?"
The woman continued, "They're there to serve the Empress, not to stand on the golden throne like men and listen to the Emperor discuss state affairs. Is serving others a good thing?"
Others disagreed with her, saying that serving the Empress would bring her prestige, and that people would kneel before her when she went out. But the person in question listened to their chatter and chuckled, thinking, "If I were an official, I'd be served with a guillotine!"
Everyone was talking haphazardly, each saying their own thing, creating a lively scene. Looking at the laughing faces of the group, Qingyun suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She hugged the woman who was close to her. The woman's scent was so familiar, the smell of cooking oil clinging to the fibers of her clothes, with a slight hint of sweat. Nestled in the woman's arms, her depressed mood intensified, and she had so many things she wanted to say but couldn't bring herself to say them.
"Look at you, still acting like a child. You're almost strangling me to death." The woman said with a smile, pointing at the person in her arms, but still took the initiative to hug the person.
Qingyun adjusted her expression, revealing a dark but delicate face from under her arms. She smiled and said in a coquettish tone that this was how she wanted to be. After all, she was still a little girl. After a while of joking around, everyone heard the foreman's command and patted the mud off their bodies, lining up in an orderly fashion to wait for their reward.
Listening to everyone discussing buying some meat that evening, as if it were New Year's Day.
"This is the first time I've heard of such a reward, and it's only during the New Year," the woman said, her eyes crinkling into slits with laughter.
Suddenly, a commotion arose from the front. The content of the noise was unclear, so everyone craned their necks to look ahead. Finally, a plump woman stepped out, angrily spreading her arms and shouting, "Sisters, come and see! This foreman is withholding our bonuses!"
Liu Er frowned and impatiently pointed at the woman with his finger, "What are you yelling about! What did I skimp on!"
Hearing this, the woman, hands on her thick hips, looked determined to get her way and said to the men who hadn't left yet after receiving their tips, "Why do they get five taels of silver more than us? We all toil in the fields, digging for food! We come here before dawn with hoes to risk our lives, and what! Aren't we worth five taels?"
"Is it that I won't give it to you?!" Liu Er chuckled, finding it amusing. "This is manual labor for men, you guys just throw the seedlings into the pit, what's so dangerous about it! If you want to hold someone accountable, go find the higher-ups!"
"Don't try to act like the boss with me!" The woman slammed her hand on the table, making the copper coins on it shake three times. "Do men do more work than us? You guys work like cats, taking half a day to dig a hole. Even though it's two women working together, it's still much faster than you!" Saying this, she turned to everyone and questioned, "Everyone, be the judge, am I right?"
“He Erniang is right!” Although there was a moment of silence in the crowd, someone still stood up to argue, “Let alone us, even a few kids are working hard. Everyone is doing the same amount, so why should they get five taels more!”
"Putting all that aside, those convicted men get five taels of silver each. I want to say, why? Some of them are eating your government's food, while we hired men are all eating at home and working for you!"
"Yes! Why should I!"
The scene quickly spiraled out of control. Everyone was shouting and complaining, feeling that there was no justice. They stopped queuing and surrounded Liu Er, demanding an explanation. Several people who had committed crimes like Qingyun were also angry, but they dared not say anything. These were just ordinary people, and Liu Er couldn't do anything about it.
"You're all so noisy!" The sound of gongs and drums was deafening. It was unclear where Liu Er had found them. He banged them for a while, and when everyone had shut up, he finally spoke up, "It's really not that I deducted your money. This is all the Princess brought! It was an imperial decree. How could I deduct money from your possessions just because I wanted to!"
"Is this really what the Princess said?" Qingyun pushed through the crowd, frowned, and stepped forward to ask. Her brows carried a hint of intimidation, as if Liu Er would be in deep trouble if he dared to lie.
Considering Qingyun's achievements over the years, even Liu Er, as the foreman, wouldn't dare to confront her head-on. He forced a smile and said helplessly, "Miss Qingyun, if I utter a single falsehood, may I be struck by lightning."
Although some were skeptical, seeing how certain the other party was, Qingyun was also unsure. However, when everyone saw her step forward, they seemed to have found a pillar of support. They all knew that she had a close relationship with the officials in the Commander's Mansion and wanted her to go and ask them immediately.
Seeing this, it was clear whether it was true or not. Qingyun had no choice but to go, and with everyone pushing her along, she had no choice but to go to the Commander's Mansion.
"If we find out that you, Liu Er, dare to lie, we'll definitely go to your house and beat you up!" He Erniang said loudly and proudly.
Faced with the accusations, Liu Er truly had no way to express his grievances. However, the people were not accusing him for no reason. He was not a good person during the day, and when something really happened, he had no credibility whatsoever.
Seeing that the people around him were starting to condemn him again, Liu Er felt angry. "This is outrageous! The person is in the command post! Go find him together!" He then waved his hand, said "take it or leave it," and turned to leave, abandoning the job.
With the person in charge gone, Mu Helian naturally took over. She walked to the spot where Liu Er had been standing, her face cold. She glanced at Liu Er's dashing back and her murderous intent was palpable to the foremen standing around her. They trembled and dared not move.
Mu Helian was a woman of her word. She told everyone to take the money home today and wait for Qingyun to find out the truth before making any plans. At first, everyone refused, fearing that if they took the money, it would be difficult to overturn the case later. But Mu Helian, standing firm as a pine tree, calmed everyone down with just one sentence.
"Everyone says to treat today like New Year's Day, buy some meat to take home for the children. No matter how much or how little, it's better than nothing. If the higher-ups blame you for being ungrateful, you might not even get a penny back."
Qingyun wanted to find Song Chaoyun, but was asked to leave by a servant who told her that Song Junwu was looking for her. Despite her doubts, she could see that the other party was very firm, so she had no choice but to go and see him first.
The air was filled with the fragrance of incense. Following the stone path, there was a long outer corridor. Looking at the incense burners standing on both sides and the various decorative flowers that added to the elegance, Qingyun was surprised and kept glancing at this place she had never been before.
Song Junwu was dressed in casual clothes today, a snow-white robe. He stood with his hands behind his back in front of a water vat, leaning slightly forward as if staring at something inside, probably a fish, Qingyun thought.
The sound of a zither, seemingly from nowhere, echoed in this small courtyard, adding a touch of melancholy to the music.
For some reason, Qingyun became unusually nervous when facing the other person. She bit her lip, feeling awkward and at a loss. She looked back at the departing maid's back before turning her gaze back to the front, where she also stared blankly at the water vat.
Aside from its size and the patterns on it, there's really nothing to see in this jar. Seeing that the other party wasn't speaking, Qingyun didn't know how to start a conversation, so he turned his gaze to the tended flowerbed.
"Have you had lunch yet?" The bait fell from the man's palm, some still clinging to his slightly sweaty skin.
"I ate." Qingyun was startled by the sudden voice, then answered honestly, though her tone was stiff and her eyes kept wandering. In short, none of them were on Song Junwu. Or rather, Qingyun really didn't know how to face him. She hesitated, wanting to ask about the reward, but then felt that the other party probably didn't know too much.
Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere suddenly became strange. Seeing this, Qingyun looked around and peered inside, realizing that this was probably a study, and the place where she was standing should be a terrace outside the study. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and spoke first, "You came to see me about the arranged marriage?"
Song Junwu nodded in agreement, then turned to Qingyun and asked her what her impression of him was.
Qingyun was taken aback by the question and tried to organize her thoughts. Seeing this, the man lowered his eyes and chuckled, "Why not just say it? We've never been the type to play riddles."
After hearing the other party's explanation, Song Junwu asked in return, "So you don't dislike me?"
The two were locked in a standoff. Fallen leaves in the courtyard swayed in the breeze, drifting to Qingyun's feet. She brushed aside her disheveled hair, and upon hearing this, finally raised her head, her dark eyes meeting the man's. When she saw the expression on his face, her pupils contracted slightly, clearly not expecting this scene.
Song Junwu looked dejected, his eyes moist. He twirled a bright yellow leaf stem in his hand to hide his unease. His long, ink-black hair rolled up his arms and hit his chest. "That means you despise me."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
