Chapter 928: I'm So Scared
The railway connecting Xi'an to Hanzhong Prefecture was named the West Han Railway.
This railway project was initiated by Zhu Cunji, the Prince of Qin's heir, who brought together several imperial relatives to fund its construction.
Groundbreaking for it only began after the West Yan Railway was completed, and construction had barely been underway for a few days.
It was the height of summer, and the weather was scorching.
The workers toiled, each drenched in sweat.
But for the daily wage of three catties of flour, the laborers endured the scorching heat, working relentlessly, unwilling to pause for even a moment's rest.
The people of our Celestial Empire were the most industrious in the world; as long as the pay was fair, they were willing to work themselves to the bone. Holidays? Unknown! Days of rest? Unknown! Balancing work and leisure? Utterly foreign!
As long as their efforts were adequately compensated, they’d work their fingers to the bone until their employer went bankrupt.
Amidst this fervent activity, a white-hatted foreman emerged. With a pale, beardless face and a sharp, high-pitched voice, anyone with a discerning eye would immediately recognize him as a eunuch. He shouted at the top of his lungs, “No slacking off! Hey, you few, your hands are slowing down! Damn it, all of you just know how to slack off! I’ll have to dock your wages.”
Eunuch Zhang snorted, “An excuse? Could what I saw with my own eyes be wrong? You, you, you... and you! All of you just stopped working to slack off!”
“We just took a sip of water, then immediately got back to work. Is that what you call slacking off?”
Eunuch Zhang retorted, “If I say you were slacking off, then you were slacking off.”
Everyone fell silent.
Every face showed indignation, but no one dared to resist. This Eunuch Zhang was the trusted eunuch of Prince Rui Zhu Changhao.
Prince Rui Zhu Changhao, the fifth son of Emperor Shenzong Zhu Yijun and half-brother of Emperor Guangzong Zhu Changluo, held a prestigious status and his fiefdom was in Hanzhong Prefecture, Shaanxi.
The two biggest shareholders and patrons of this West Han Railway were Prince of Qin Zhu Cunji and Prince Rui Zhu Changhao.
Zhu Changhao wasn't particularly fond of women, but he loved money, intensely so. He spent his entire life racking his brains to make money, and when he heard Zhu Cunji say that building a railway could be profitable, he decided to invest a share. He even dispatched his trusted eunuch, Eunuch Zhang, to supervise the railway construction.
It was perfectly reasonable for a shareholder to send someone to oversee the work, so Zhu Cunji naturally had to agree.
And so, Eunuch Zhang spent his days prowling along the railway line.
A worker spoke up, “Eunuch Zhang, one should be reasonable. We are working our hearts out, not daring to slack off even for a moment. We’ve worked harder and risked more than if we were building our own homes, yet you find any excuse to arbitrarily dock our wages. Are you planning to pocket the deducted money yourself?”
Eunuch Zhang flew into a rage. “How dare you! What nonsense are you spouting? Fired! I’m firing you!”
The worker jumped in fright, and the others were too scared to speak.
Just then, from the tall grass beside the construction site, a cold snort echoed. “Oh, such grand official prestige! An insignificant eunuch like you, with a bit of power, is insufferable, hmph.”
Eunuch Zhang roared, “Who? Who’s being sarcastic? I’m firing you!”
A figure flickered in the grass, and a strange man emerged. He was dressed in martial artist’s attire, wearing a massive conical hat from which a black veil cascaded down, completely obscuring his face.
He stood at the edge of the grass and said sarcastically, “I’m not a worker on this site, so you can’t fire me. Therefore, I’m not afraid of you.”
Eunuch Zhang snorted. “So, a wanderer of the martial world. You, a mere pugilist, should go find somewhere cool to rest and not meddle in others’ affairs. Be careful not to provoke someone you can’t afford to offend.”
The Hat-clad figure giggled. “Oh, I’m so scared! Someone I can’t afford to offend? Heheheh! How many people under heaven can I not afford to offend? Heheheh!”
Eunuch Zhang scoffed, “So sarcastic, you can’t even laugh properly? Wanderers of the martial world are truly contemptible, utterly without class.”
The Hat-clad figure bristled. “How dare you, I... *cough*...”
Suddenly remembering that his true identity could not be revealed, the Hat-clad figure forcibly suppressed the urge to loudly declare his name and boast. He snorted, “Even if I am utterly classless, I’m still better than someone who skims paltry coppers from hardworking laborers. If I hadn’t seen this today, so be it, but since I have, I must intervene.”
Eunuch Zhang sneered, “Who do you think you are? Is it your place to meddle?”
The Hat-clad figure struck a dramatic pose. “I am known in the martial world as the Wandering Hero of the Four Seas, Zhu Piaoling.”
Eunuch Zhang barked, “Idiot! Guards! Beat this moron with sticks and drive him far away!”
At his shout, a group of henchmen leaped out.
These were local ruffians and idlers hired by Prince Rui’s mansion from Hanzhong Prefecture, thugs tasked with "maintaining order" at the construction site for the Prince.
Evil thugs, of course, had to look the part. As they swung their arms and legs, stretching their limbs, they gripped their clubs and advanced toward the Hat-clad figure.
The Hat-clad figure snorted, “So, you’re trying to bully people with your power, are you?”
Eunuch Zhang retorted, “Yes, it’s you we’re bullying. What are you going to do about it?”
The Hat-clad figure mimicked Eunuch Zhang’s yell, “Guards! Beat this bullying lackey senseless with sticks!”
Eunuch Zhang sneered, “You think you can just summon people with a single shout...”
Before he could finish speaking, a large group of people swiftly leaped out from the tall grass behind the Hat-clad figure.
These people were no mere ruffians or hooligans.
They were the Prince of Qin’s elite retainers!
The Prince of Qin’s heir loved to play pranks.
But his elite retainers were anything but humorous.
They had been raised by the Prince of Qin’s mansion since childhood, ready to die for him at any moment; they were the most trusted of confidants, true enforcers.
The moment these men appeared, their presence immediately dwarfed the ruffians accompanying Eunuch Zhang. With each step forward, the murderous aura emanating from them was enough to make the ruffians tremble from head to toe.
The ruffians realized the situation had turned dire...
Eunuch Zhang felt it too...
“What are you waiting for? Attack!” the Hat-clad figure commanded, and the retainers surged forward in a flash.
What followed was the thud of fists against flesh, wails of pain and fear, frantic pleas for mercy, and the loud cheers of the nearby workers.
Moments later, every one of Prince Rui’s men, including Eunuch Zhang, lay sprawled on the ground.
The Hat-clad figure clapped his hands and laughed uproariously, looking up at the sky. “How amusing, hahahaha, the outside world is truly amusing.”
Eunuch Zhang lay on the ground, his entire body aching from the beating, but his mouth was still defiant. “You just wait... you hear me... just you wait... Prince Rui’s mansion won’t let you get away with this... The Prince is not someone you can afford to provoke.”
The Hat-clad figure roared with laughter. “Oh, I’m so scared, hahahaha! I’m utterly terrified!”
The Hat-clad figure turned and walked away, his elite retainers silently falling into step behind him.
After they had walked a considerable distance, the Hat-clad figure extended his hand. “The Four Treasures of the Study.”
One of the retainers immediately presented them.
The Hat-clad figure swiftly penned a letter to Prince Rui. “Take this, deliver it to Prince Rui’s mansion.”
The retainer bowed and swiftly departed.
Several days later, Eunuch Zhang was recalled by Prince Rui Zhu Changhao, given fifty lashes, and all the wages he had embezzled from the workers were returned twofold.
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