Chapter 31: Wanshou Palace
When I walked out of the Mo family martial arts hall, the sky was still dim, and a red sun slowly rose from the distant east, bringing a light that was not yet warm.
Mo Qiu was wearing a short brown robe and coarse linen clothes, and looked no different from an ordinary farmer working in the fields.
Winter has just passed, the air is still chilly, and the streets are already crowded with people.
There are also various hawking sounds that make up the melody of life.
"Meat buns for sale! Big, top-quality meat buns! Thin skin and lots of fillings!"
"Tofu pudding - it's salty, sweet, spicy and sour. Eating a bowl in the morning will give you energy for the whole day!"
“The freshly steamed buns are so soft!”
Mo Qiu strolled along the streets filled with shouting. His living standard had been very high in recent years. Three meals a day were provided by the apprentice of the imperial chef. It was not that he had to go out to look for food, but just wandered around casually according to his own thoughts.
Ever since guards from other martial arts schools joined the Mohist Martial Arts School four years ago, he has rarely taught anyone in person.
In Gu Dan's words: The owner of the museum mainly serves as a mascot and a guardian.
As a "mascot", he can have more time to do what he wants to do.
After thinking about it, Mo Qiu walked over and ordered a meat bun and two steamed buns, which were wrapped in the cheapest straw paper - the shop owner was absolutely reluctant to use oil paper, so he had to pay extra for it.
It will be eaten soon anyway, so there is no need.
Carrying the food, Moqiu ran quickly to the forest in the suburbs, where a woodcutter had already started working hard on the roadside.
"You two, have you eaten yet?"
Mo Qiu handed over the meat buns and steamed buns he had just bought.
"Hey! Why are you bringing things again?!" The woodcutter was obviously familiar with Mo Qiu and waved his hands repeatedly.
"Eat now. It's my duty to take up some of your time."
Mo Qiu naturally placed the meat buns and steamed buns in the hands of the boy, who was obviously smaller, dark and thin, but had a pair of arms that looked quite strong.
Although he is called a teenager, he actually looks weathered, with rough and dull skin, and even his expression is dull.
The boy's lips moved, perhaps wanting to say thank you, but in the end he just reached out to take it without uttering a word.
Then a slap landed on his head.
"You can't even say thank you!"
The older woodcutter slapped him in the face, then smiled and said, "I can't tell you those stories today. The workload has increased several times recently, and we really can't afford to delay even a little bit."
"Oh? Why is that?" Mo Qiu was slightly surprised.
The woodcutters couldn't just find any forest to cut wood. The forests surrounding the imperial capital all had owners.
No matter how much you cut from the mountain, you have to deduct other people’s money first before the rest ends up in your hands.
The hardships involved are not necessarily much better than farming.
It's just that it would be fine if we had to risk our lives to chop more wood in the autumn, but now that winter has just passed, firewood is not easy to sell, so why would the workload be increased several times?
"How would we know? The people above said that we will only cut down good trees this time! We can't do it the same way as before. The more we cut, the more we earn, but it just means we will be more tired."
The woodcutter obviously didn't think too much about it. What should I do if I get a task from my superiors? Just do it!
Just give the money.
"good."
Mo Qiu nodded slightly and did not continue to disturb him. He walked towards the places he was familiar with one by one.
In the markets, on the boats, in teahouses, and even at a Taoist temple not far from Qingfeng Temple, Taoist priests from Qingfeng Temple would occasionally go there to preach and distribute some porridge mixed with vegetables.
As the saying goes, the cicadas know the coming of autumn before the wind blows, and the woodcutter is not an exception.
At the market, the farm tools that should have been spread all over the ground were almost nowhere to be seen, most of the boatmen in the boat market were missing, and the storytellers in the teahouse started telling stories about immortals visiting the mortal world.
Even in front of the Taoist platform not far from Qingfeng Temple, there was an old Taoist bragging about how magnificent and stunning the gorgeous palace in the sky was, and how it attracted people.
"Something is not right."
Mo Qiu soon noticed something unusual.
Everything is connected. Winter has just passed, why would the woodcutter have more work to do? There is a fixed number of ships coming and going! It is rare that the ship is mostly empty like today.
But before he could find out, a piece of news spread like a storm throughout the imperial capital.
Emperor Zong Ming wants to build the Wanshou Palace! If it is a palace, it is naturally not comparable to ordinary human mansions.
But the emperor is kind and does not want to enjoy such an honor alone.
Ambitious people in the society can offer treasures and money together, and there will be special officials to record them. Officials in the court can also be nominally allocated one or two villas in the fairy palace.
As for whether or not one can live there, that’s another matter.
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When Mo Qiu heard the news, he even thought he had misheard. He grabbed the clothes of the clerk who was preaching everywhere and asked with veins throbbing: "What did you just say? Say it again!"
The clerk was about to curse, but when he saw Mo Qiu's figure, he couldn't help but slow down his tone and said, "The emperor wants to build a longevity palace."
"Previous sentence!"
"Conscripting 300,000 corvées"
Before he could finish his words, Mo Qiu had already let go.
He returned to the martial arts hall almost in a state of despair, his eyes looking a little dazed.
Three hundred thousand corvées doesn't sound like a lot.
But this is corvée labor! No matter what you eat, what you wear, or what tools you use, you just have to work!
The so-called 300,000 yuan actually involves millions of families! They are abandoning their wives and children, throwing away the crops in the fields, and their livelihoods, to risk their lives for the selfish desires of one person! "Brother Mo, what's with that expression on your face?"
Gu Dan, who was exercising in the yard, noticed that something was wrong with Mo Qiu and couldn't help asking.
"Brother Gu"
Mo Qiu's tall body seemed to become a little hunched at that moment, but it stood straight again in an instant, and even showed a hint of a smile. He said, "I can't stay here any longer."
"What happened?" Gu Dan noticed something was wrong and asked immediately.
"The emperor wants to build the Wanshou Palace and mobilize 300,000 people for labor service. He wants the people to congratulate him." Mo Qiu said calmly.
"Three hundred thousand corvée labor?!"
Gu Dan was also startled.
Why did you, the dog emperor, dig a canal on such a large scale? At least the canal can be used. What's the point of building a palace?
"If the heaven and earth are not bright, the floods are not turbulent, the fires are not blazing, and the king's virtue is not Yao Yao, he is the leader of thousands of people." Mo Qiu raised his head and stared at the sky, muttering: "The emperor has already gone astray when seeking immortality, and now he is going to lose his virtue!"
Gu Dan frowned and said quickly, "Brother Mo, be careful with your words!"
No matter how dissatisfied one is in one's heart, such direct criticism of the emperor's morality could be fatal if it were to get out.
"Be careful with your words. The whole court, both civil and military officials, are careful with their words and actions. This is because there are too many people who are careful with their words and too many people who cherish their lives."
Mo Qiu's eyes became fierce, "Once this matter is confirmed, there will be no turning back. No matter what, I can't watch this happen."
(End of this chapter)