Seeing that his words were having an effect, Li Wencheng immediately perked up, spit flying as he gestured wildly.
"That place is far from the emperor's reach, surrounded by sheer cliffs on all sides. Not even a bird could fly in. The Xu family takes captured refugees and throws them all into that bottomless pit!"
"Young Master, you have no idea. It's an absolute living hell!"
"The whips in the overseers' hands are covered in barbs, and they dip them in saltwater! One lash, and the flesh is ripped right open!"
"Those skin-and-bones refugees are forced to carry hundreds of pounds of ore on their backs, all while wearing fifty-pound iron cangues with chains piercing straight through their collarbones!"
Song Yubai's heart pounded with horror as he listened. With a sharp snap, another rib of the folding fan in his hand broke off.
"Piercing... their collarbones?"
"Would I lie about that?"
Su Bingzhang gritted his teeth, his face a picture of agonizing sorrow.
"I once sent my students to investigate, but they could only hear ghostly wails and wolf-like howls from the foot of the mountain. It's said they are only given one bowl of slop a day, mixed with sand!"
"When they drop dead from exhaustion, they're tossed straight into the mine pits, not even given the dignity of being wrapped in a straw mat!"
Song Yubai took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently.
This was more like it.
This fit his perception of tyrannical local despots, and it fit his understanding of this cruel world.
That Night Soil Department worker drinking mung bean soup earlier was definitely an accident, a meticulously woven deception!
"Good! What a fine Xu family!"
Song Yubai suddenly sat up straight. The confusion in his eyes dissipated, replaced by a blazing inferno of fury.
"I simply refuse to believe it. She, Xu Qinghuan, might be able to make the whole city's shit smell sweet, but can she really turn a man-eating mine into a cozy haven?"
"To Niushou Mountain!"
Song Yubai slammed his fist against the carriage window frame.
"This time, I will strike right at the heart of the beast and see this so-called 'living hell' with my own eyes!"
...
Niushou Mountain.
This was originally a barren mountain in Taoyuan County, covered in jagged rocks where not a single blade of grass grew.
At this moment, however, two massive pillars stood at the foot of the mountain, holding up a giant red banner with white characters.
As the wind blew, the banner fluttered loudly.
Song Yubai stepped out of the carriage, narrowed his eyes, and read the words aloud.
"Safe... production... is... weightier... than... Mount... Tai?"
He looked at Su Bingzhang in confusion. "Is this some kind of underworld slang?"
Su Bingzhang stroked his sparse beard and sneered.
"Young Master, this is exactly where the Xu family's cunning lies! This isn't meant for the workers to see; it's clearly meant for the overseers!"
"It means that to produce iron ore, a worker's life isn't even as heavy as a rock on Mount Tai! As long as they can mine the ore, it doesn't matter how many people die!"
Song Yubai had a sudden realization and gritted his teeth. "How vicious! Treating human life like grass, and they actually dare to hang such a thing so brazenly at the mountain gate!"
Right at that moment.
"BOOM—!!!"
A deafening explosion suddenly rang out from halfway up the mountain.
The ground trembled twice, and several loose rocks rolled down the slope.
Immediately following was a burst of heart-wrenching roars. The sound was chaotic and noisy, like the agonizing screams of hundreds of people crying out all at once.
Song Yubai's face instantly turned deathly pale.
"What... what is that sound?"
Li Wencheng trembled in fear, almost diving under the carriage, but he quickly recovered, pointing up the mountain with a look of pleasant surprise.
"Young Master! Did you hear that? That's punishment!"
"That loud bang must be the gunpowder used to blast open the mine shafts! They don't even care if there are people inside; they just blow it up!"
"Listen to those screams! How many people are wailing? How many people are begging for mercy in despair!"
Su Bingzhang was also trembling with excitement.
"Exactly! Young Master! This is the proof! Ironclad evidence of their crimes!"
"To slaughter commoners on such a massive scale in broad daylight! This is outright rebellion!"
Listening to those endless screams, Song Yubai felt a surge of hot blood rush straight to the top of his head.
It was the righteous indignation of a scholar, the shame of being a subject of the Great Qian Dynasty!
"Xu Qinghuan! You are a beast in human skin!"
Song Yubai's eyes were red. He abandoned all sense of decorum, even forgetting that he was still wearing those ridiculous straw overshoes.
He took off running up the mountain.
"Young Master! It's dangerous!" his attendants shouted from behind.
"Get out of my way!"
Song Yubai didn't even turn his head, his feet moving at a blistering pace.
"Even if it's a dragon's pool or a tiger's den today, I am going to storm it! Even if I can't save a single person, I will cry out against this injustice on their behalf!"
The mountain path was rugged.
Song Yubai ran until he was gasping for breath. His brocade robes were scratched by thorns, and his hair crown was knocked askew.
Su Bingzhang and Li Wencheng followed behind, tired as two old dogs, but both wore excited, sinister grins on their faces.
This was more like it!
This was the normal script!
This time, even if Xu Qinghuan grew a hundred mouths, she wouldn't be able to explain her way out!
Finally.
Rounding a massive rock, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
It was a massive clearing that had been artificially leveled out, situated right at the core of the mining area.
Song Yubai abruptly stopped in his tracks, his hands clenched into tight fists, mentally prepared to witness a living purgatory.
He was ready to see blood.
Ready to see severed limbs and broken bodies.
Ready to see the demonic overseer brandishing a whip dipped in saltwater.
However.
A gust of wind blew past.
There was no scent of blood.
There was no stench of rotting corpses.
A rich, overpowering, and slightly sweet caramelized aroma hit Song Yubai right in the bridge of his nose like a heavy punch.
Was that... the smell of braised pork?
Song Yubai froze.
He blinked, looking forward in sheer bewilderment.
He saw that in the clearing, dozens of long tables had been pieced together.
There were no tortured slaves.
In their place were hundreds of burly, ruddy-faced men.
They weren't wearing the heavy iron cangues Li Wencheng had described, but rather a strange yellow hat woven from rattan, which looked exceptionally sturdy.
They were dressed in uniform thick gray canvas clothes, with thick leather pads sewn onto the elbows and knees.
At this moment.
These hundreds of men were gathered around the tables, each holding a massive bowl larger than their face.
The food inside was piled high like a small mountain.
At the very bottom was fluffy white rice, drenched in a rich, dark meat sauce.
And right on top were glistening, mouth-watering cubes of braised pork the size of mahjong tiles, jiggling slightly and emitting hot steam.
Besides the meat, every table also featured basins as large as washbowls, filled with white steamed buns and whole roasted chickens.
"Is... is this their last meal before execution?"
Song Yubai felt his throat go dry and subconsciously swallowed.
This standard of food was way better than what he normally ate when reporting for duty!?
Su Bingzhang and Li Wencheng finally scrambled up.
Before either of them had even gotten a clear look at the scene, they started howling at the top of their lungs.
"Young Master! Do you see it! The ground is covered in..."
