Chapter 172: Dark Clouds

In the thatched shelter lay seven or eight people, each pale and gaunt, some coughing, some moaning.

The ground was covered with straw, which served as their bedding.

The shelter was filled with a foul odor.

Zhu Yong squatted down and asked a coughing elder, "Sir, what ails you?"

The elder opened his eyes, saw Zhu Yong dressed splendidly, and was so startled he tried to rise and bow.

Zhu Yong held him back and said, "Don't move. How long have you been ill?"

The elder replied in a trembling voice, "Re…Revered one, I have been sick for five days, coughing constantly, my whole body weak."

"Have you seen a doctor?"

The elder shook his head and replied, "No… the foreman said, if you're ill you rest, work again when you're better, if not… then…"

He did not finish, but the meaning was clear.

Zhu Yong stood up, his complexion darkening.

Guanyin Nu also came over, saw the scene, and softly said, "Husband, these people are seriously ill."

Empress Ma also arrived, and upon seeing the thatched shelter, her face turned ashen.

"Prefect Wu! Is this what you called 'no complaints at all'? Is this what you said 'the people are scrambling to come'?" she turned to Wu Liang and said sharply.

Thump, Wu Liang fell to his knees and said, "Your Majesty, calm your anger! I… I was unaware! These matters are handled by the Ministry of Works…"

"The Ministry of Works, and its people, can treat the common folk like this? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes today, I would truly have thought the New Capital's construction was peaceful!"

Empress Ma, furious, forced a laugh.

She turned to the accompanying Hundred Household Officer of the Brocade Guard and said, "Go, gather all the sick laborers, have a doctor treat them, and cover all expenses from my private treasury."

"Yes!" the Hundred Household Officer of the Brocade Guard took the order and left.

Empress Ma looked at Wu Liang again and said, "Take me to the barracks for a look."

Wu Liang's face turned pale, and he rose tremblingly to lead the way.

The barracks area was on the west side of the construction site, a cluster of low mud‑brick houses.

Each room was packed with a dozen or so people, straw on the floor, not even a single bed.

It was daytime, and few people were inside the barracks—only some women and children; some laborers had brought their families, the women cooked at the site, and the children played in the barracks area.

Empress Ma entered a barracks, where several women were mending clothes; seeing someone come in, they hurried to rise.

"No need for formalities, are you living well here, are you eating enough?" Empress Ma said warmly.

A braver woman replied, "Revered one, the living is okay, just a bit cramped; food… two meals a day, we can get full."

"What about wages? Are they paid on time?"

The woman hesitated, then whispered, "They do pay… but sometimes deductions are made, saying it's for loss fees and management fees…"

Empress Ma nodded, asked no further, and turned to leave the barracks.

Returning to the palace, it was already Shen Hour.

Empress Ma sat in the hall, silent for a long while.

Zhu Yong and Guanyin Nu sat at the lower seats, also silent.

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy.

After a long while, Empress Ma spoke, "Yong Er, what do you think?"

Zhu Yong said naively, "Mother, I feel something's off; the people on the construction site, their eyes are strange."

"How are they off?"

"They're scared, not of hard work, but of something else. I've seen this look on the battlefield— the kind of look where you know you could die at any moment, yet you can do nothing."

Zhu Yong thought for a moment and then said.

Empress Ma felt a chill in her heart.

Guanyin Nu whispered, "Imperial Mother, the daughter‑in‑law also finds it odd; those sick laborers seem unwilling to speak much, and the elder kept glancing at the supervisor while talking."

Empress Ma was silent for a moment, then said to Xiao Zhu standing nearby, "Go fetch Chen Heng."

Chen Heng arrived quickly and bowed.

"Chen Heng, take a few Brocade Guard members, change into civilian clothes, and covertly investigate the construction site. Do not alarm anyone, especially do not let the supervisor notice," Empress Ma instructed.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Chen Heng took the order and left.

Zhu Yong said, "Mother, let me go, I'm familiar with this place."

Empress Ma shook her head and said, "You cannot go; if you go, you'll be exposed. Let Chen Heng and his men go; they're veterans and know what to do."

At dinner, Empress Ma ate very little.

Wu Liang returned again, saying he had prepared evening songs and dances to entertain Your Majesty.

Empress Ma replied lightly, "No need, I'm tired and wish to rest early."

Wu Liang retreated sheepishly.

At night, Zhu Yong lay on the palace bed, unable to sleep.

Guanyin Nu, still awake, whispered, "Husband, what are you thinking?"

"Thinking about the construction site… I always feel there's something hidden there," Zhu Yong said.

"Imperial Mother has already sent Chen Heng to investigate; we should have news tomorrow."

Zhu Yong hummed and turned over.

Outside, the moonlight was hazy, the distant construction site lights still glowed, and faint shouts could be heard.

Those people were still working through the night.

Meanwhile, in Fengyang City, the back hall of the Prefect's office.

Wu Liang paced back and forth, his face anxious.

Zhou Dexing sat in the taishi chair, sipping tea at a leisurely pace.

"Brother Zhou, the Empress's expression is not good today! She went to the construction site, saw those sick laborers, and even ordered a doctor to be summoned… If something is uncovered…"

Wu Liang halted and said urgently.

Zhou Dexing set down his tea cup and said calmly, "Why panic? The Empress is benevolent; seeing laborers fall ill and calling a doctor is a good thing."

"What could be uncovered?"

"But…" Wu Liang began, then stopped.

"But what? Prefect Wu, don't forget, we're in the same boat; the Xindu construction, you and I have taken many benefits."

"If we panic now and show our tracks, that's a dead end." Zhou Dexing glanced at him and said.

Wu Liang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I understand, but the Empress has sent the Jinyiwei to investigate…"

"Let them investigate! The site is that huge, over fifty‑thousand people; what could they possibly find? Those laborers, would they dare speak out? The supervisors are all our people; we've already instructed them."

Zhou Dexing sneered.

He paused, then continued, "However… since the Empress is suspicious, we must make preparations. Starting tomorrow, have the supervisors treat the laborers more kindly, pay wages on time and in full, and improve their meals."

"Just put on a show, and we'll deal with it after the Empress leaves."

Wu Liang nodded, "Yes, yes, yes, Brother Zhou has thought of everything."

"Also, those foremen who know too much, keep them quiet these few days, don't let them wander. If you're still uneasy…"

Zhou Dexing didn't finish the sentence, but made a gesture of wiping his neck.

Wu Liang's face turned pale and said, "If this… gets discovered…"

"Discovered? How could they? The site is that big; a foreman dying is normal. Falling to death, being killed by Stone, any reason works?"

Zhou Dexing laughed.

Wu Liang was silent for a long while, then finally nodded and replied, "Alright, I'll follow Brother Zhou."

Zhou Dexing stood, patted Wu's shoulder and said, "Prefect Wu, relax. The Empress is here to pay ancestral respects and to glance at Xindu; she'll leave in a few days.

As long as we handle the surface work well, nothing will go wrong."

He walked to the window, gazed at the night outside, and a cold smile curled at his mouth.

"This Fengyang is our territory; even the Empress can't stir up any trouble."

Outside the window, dark clouds obscured the moon, and the night grew deeper.

Distant lights on the construction site flickered in the darkness, like a solitary watching eye.