Chapter 252: Zhengqing, Hurry and Deliver the News to the Emperor!
“You all stop wasting time and focus! Digging coal isn’t like digging for gold. The coal is buried underground, and if you’re careless, the land could collapse and bury someone alive!”
Hearing the murmurs of amazement from the men around him, Storm’s smile gradually faded, and his usual stern expression returned.
Storm was generally easygoing, but when it came to serious tasks, he was meticulous and tolerated no negligence.
Not just his subordinates—he himself was fascinated by the coal discovery. But that made it all the more important for him to stay composed and give proper instructions.
“Brother Storm is right. But I must say, Miss’s armored beast is a real treasure. Who would’ve thought she’d find such a rare creature, one that’s almost extinct? Rather than having everyone dig, why not let the armored beast do the work? That thing alone is worth a thousand men!”
Liu Can’s eyes sparkled as he watched. In no time, the seemingly flat ground had been dug into a deep trench by the armored beast—it was simply incredible!
“Enough chatter! Everyone, grab your tools and start clearing the dirt. Load the coal onto the carts, wash it at the water pools, and then transport it to the brick kilns and lime kilns. Once those kilns start firing, and the first batches of bricks and lime are ready, we can begin constructing the city walls. The sooner we build them, the sooner we can rest easy.”
“Got it! Brother Storm, you handle other tasks. We’ll guard this coal mine well and make sure none of the workers get hurt.”
Chen Yu thumped his chest in assurance, promising Storm.
Meanwhile, in the distance, the Bai, Liu, and Zhang families—who were busy reclaiming farmland—kept glancing toward the coal mine with great curiosity.
The group of people Storm had brought was now fully settled in the wilderness. The unfamiliar tents and folding beds they used were completely novel to the onlookers, who couldn’t help but marvel at them.
Initially, everyone thought Yu Luo was being reckless, but now she and her family had indeed managed to house and feed 17,000 people.
Every day, carts full of food were delivered to Stone Mountain, and even those who weren’t part of the hired workers benefited from it.
Yu Luo had initially stated that only laborers aged fourteen and older would be employed and fed. However, aside from Liu Lan—who was excluded—everyone, including the elderly and children, shared in the communal meals.
With the food problem resolved, people could save their wages entirely.
If anyone was envious, it was none other than Liu Lan, who was left out of the communal meals, and the direct descendants of the Yu family.
It had been seven or eight days since Yu Luo had dug up Old Madam Chen’s grave. Most of the Yu family’s direct descendants had recovered from their injuries, except for Yu Zhengqing and Yu Yingying, whose conditions remained severe.
Yu Yingying’s arm, which had been dislocated by Yu Luo, had healed, but her internal injuries had not.
She was still lying on the floor mat, looking half-dead. Previously, despite her crippled leg, she could at least sit up and lean against the stone wall. But now, even sitting caused excruciating chest pain.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhengqing had remained silent for days. Apart from speaking occasionally to Yu Xiaoran, he lay motionless, staring at the stone walls of the cave, deep in thought.
He ignored both his wives and even his youngest son, Yu Xiaoyun.
“My goodness, is Yu Luo really trying to rebel? She’s actually gathered a countless number of people to farm and get rich in the wilderness? What is she thinking? This land is forbidden to all the kingdoms—what is she planning?!”
Old Madam Chen hunched over, carrying a large basin of vegetables, and rushed into the cave. Her sharp voice echoed through the space, but Yu Zhengqing didn’t even spare her a glance.
That’s right—Yu Luo had been correct. Old Madam Chen wasn’t dead!
She had merely gone into hiding after her plans were exposed.
Besides, the small cave she had been hiding in became unbearably cold at night, and she started feeling afraid.
One had to admit, Old Madam Chen was truly willing to go to extreme lengths to turn Yu Zhengqing against Yu Haojie.
She had originally planned to fake her death, waiting for Yu Zhengqing to kill Yu Haojie’s entire family in revenge. But unexpectedly, despite his formidable martial skills and bringing along his son, Yu Zhengqing had failed to do so. Instead, he ended up getting injured twice and even caused Yu Luo to storm their home with an army.
Realizing her plan had failed, Old Madam Chen had no choice but to return to the family cave. Though Yu Zhengqing was furious, she shamelessly stuck around.
Since her son wouldn’t abandon his mother completely, she figured she could just lay low.
For the past few days, under Yu Zhengqing’s cold rage, she had taken on the responsibility of caring for the injured family members.
Earlier, she had gone to pick vegetables from the fields. But upon returning, she saw a massive group of workers carrying hoes and shovels, scaring her so much that she dashed into the cave, muttering in shock.
If Yu Zhengqing had succeeded in killing Yu Haojie’s family, she could have returned under some excuse and brazened through any suspicions. Even if she had been scorned, at least Yu Haojie and his family would be dead, fulfilling her long-held grudge.
But now, her plans had utterly failed. Worse, Yu Luo had publicly dug up her grave. Even with her thick skin, she was too embarrassed to show her face in front of others.
These days, she only dared to sneak out when everyone was at work—fetching water and picking vegetables with a covered headscarf.
But today, she was just a little too slow, and the workers had already started returning, forcing her to flee back to the cave in panic.
“If Second Uncle’s family were really rebelling, what good would that do for you?”
Hearing his grandmother’s reckless words, Yu Xiaoran frowned, his voice cold and indifferent.
Old Madam Chen choked on her words, suddenly realizing her mistake.
“That’s right! If they truly rebel, the emperor will surely punish our entire family. We might even end up ruining the Second Prince’s claim to the throne! This won’t do! Zhengqing, stop being angry at your mother and send this information to the capital immediately!
If you report this to the emperor first, he will know we had no part in it. He’ll only go after Yu Haojie’s family, and it won’t affect us. In fact, you might even gain merit and have our exile pardoned!”
