Chapter 208: Half Roasted Duck

Is Liuzi's request very demanding?

Not high at all!

Liuzi only wants to be able to work in the workshop to earn money, support their sister, and, if possible, send their sister to the school, that's all.

But this modest request reveals, after all, the very condition of the common folk across the land.

Empress Changsun suddenly recalled a line Chen Yan had said earlier.

The common people, even just to survive, have already exhausted all their effort.

"Rise; the people suffer, fall; the people suffer!"

She murmurs a line, glances at Liuzi, then looks at the fleeing refugees in the distance whose faces show a hint of hope, feeling unable to describe what she feels.

Li Shimin says with dry lips, "I can guess a bit of your situation; logically, since your County Magistrate can look after the refugees who stayed, he shouldn't overlook you and your sister."

"Have you never tried going to the workshop to speak with the superiors, asking to be let in to work?"

"Why not?" Liuzi sighs, "But they said I'm too young, and told me to come back when I'm older."

At this point, his expression darkens, then he rallies: "However, at that time I also met two very handsome young gentlemen; one of them, dressed in white, told me to wait a bit longer, saying there would be arrangements for people like us in the future."

"Then he also told me I could earn money by guiding people, and how to seize the opportunity."

"The two young gentlemen..." Li Shimin and Empress Changsun exchange a glance; the latter seems to have guessed something, and asks with a smile, "What did the two gentlemen you met look like?"

"Um..." Liuzi frowns, as if struggling to describe them.

After a while, he finally says, "I don't know how to describe him; he was the most handsome young gentleman I've ever seen, dressed entirely in white, looking extremely outstanding, as if he does nothing—just by being among the crowd, he would inevitably be the most attractive one."

"Moreover, he gave me a very comfortable feeling; his gaze at me wasn't like other noble gentlemen's, which carried... hmm, contempt."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin and Empress Changsun can basically confirm that the person Liuzi met is most likely Chen Yan.

As for the one beside him, it's probably Du Gou.

At that moment, Liuzi suddenly smacks his forehead: "Oh, right, that gentleman also held a fan with the characters 'Spring-Autumn' on it."

Liuzi suddenly feels a bit embarrassed, "When I was a child I once sneaked into a school and heard the teacher there teach those two characters, so I could recognize them."

Tsk!

Fine.

If the two just now were eighty percent sure that gentleman was Chen Yan, now they're one hundred twenty percent certain.

The only person who carries a Spring-Autumn Fan all day, aside from the shameless Chen Yan, is none.

"May we go in and take a look?" Li Shimin lightly pointed his chin toward the workshop and asked.

"No way," Liuzi shakes his head, "Inside it's strictly controlled; only those who work there are allowed in, no one else. When I first came on my own, I was stopped at the entrance."

Li Shimin nods, saying nothing.

From the start, Chen Yan had said he wanted to make paper and print books; such things, of course, require strict protection against leaks, and letting people in would indeed seem odd to him.

"The other workshops you mentioned, do they also recruit the refugees who stayed here?" Li Shimin asks again.

"Yes, exactly; the other workshops are similar to this one."

"Alright, then take me to the place you said you're building a palace, so I can see it."

"......"

Between the East Market and West Market of Weinan County, a great number of laborers are busy, and from time to time one can see many loads of timber and other materials being delivered.

Li Shimin's party arrives here; Empress Changsun feels a bit thirsty, so they find a clean table in a restaurant opposite, sit down, and order several bowls of tea.

Liuzi points to the construction site opposite and says, "Honored guest, you see, that side is being built by order of the County Magistrate."

"Hmm, I see it," Li Shimin replies calmly.

Watching these common folk busy yet smiling happily, his heart is somewhat moved.

He can't help but wonder: if Chen Yan used the County Magistrate's authority to directly levy Corvée Labor, would these people still be this happy?

Would they still, like now, be drenched in sweat, exhausted, yet still wear a genuine smile?

The answer is obvious; anyone can guess it.

Li Shimin lets out a quiet sigh, unconsciously gaining a bit more respect for Chen Yan.

Corvée Labor harms others, and also harms oneself.

At that moment, a young servant steps out, beating a drum loudly, "Time to eat, time to eat, work again in the afternoon!"

"Yo, time really flies, it's already meal time," says a wood‑sawing worker inside the site, wiping sweat from his forehead and laughing.

"Right? In a blink, it feels like half a day has passed, and the work in my hands is still not quite finished," he says.

"Hey, stop, we'll deal with the afternoon later; let's eat first, I'm starving," he adds.

"That's not allowed; the County Magistrate pays such high wages; if I slack off, my mother would beat me to death; you go ahead, I'll finish this bit and then join," he protests.

"You, you, why are you whining? Look at me, so efficient; this morning I already repaired more than ten pieces of timber," he boasts.

"Tch, showing off; what's my name again?... Slow, slow work yields fine results, you don't understand a turtle," he mutters.

"Hahaha......"

In the construction site, laughter erupts; some go to eat, while many stay to finish the unfinished work.

During this time, Li Shimin and his wife remain silent, watching and listening.

A worker who just came from over there arrives at the restaurant, hesitating, seeming to consider whether to go in.

After a while, he first wipes the sweat from his forehead, then carefully takes out some copper coins from the small cloth bag his wife had sewn into his pocket, counts them, bites his teeth, and walks into the restaurant.

"Xiao Er, give me a... no, Half Roasted Duck," he orders.

The server looks up, sees the newcomer, and jokes, "Yo, Lao Wang, after all these days you finally can afford to buy a roasted duck."

Lao Wang wears a simple smile, "There's no choice, my two kids have never had much meat since they were little, and I just got my wages yesterday, thinking of buying a roasted duck for them."

The server tells the back kitchen to prepare a Half Roasted Duck, then sighs, "You, now that you've found such a well‑paying job, a roasted duck costs more than half a day's wage, why only buy half for the kids?"

"You don't even consider yourself and your wife, spend more to buy a whole one—what's the problem?"

Lao Wang hesitated a moment after hearing that, then nodded, while counting out copper coins and handing them to Xiao Er, he said: "Then give me two more duck legs for my wife to eat; this is thirty wen, keep it."

Xiao Er asked doubtfully: "And what about you?"

Lao Wang grinned, showing a mouthful of big white teeth: "I'll just gnaw on bones, I don't need any."

"......"