Chapter 45 Restless Hearts

Shen Jifeng regretted making the deception look a little too authentic. She could only bite the bullet and promise to find an opportunity for the Daoist priest Zhang to come over again for another blessing.

Faced with the impending interrogation, the artisans were not panicked at all. Through these days of getting along, they all deeply understood the Princess's character. Since the Princess said she would protect everyone's safety, she would certainly not break her word. Moreover, each of them possessed specialized skills closely tied to the progress of the silver mine, which effectively bound them securely to the same boat as the Princess.

Furthermore, guards from the Princess's estate were mixed in among them. At the thought that they would be protected by guards even in prison, a few artisans wore smug expressions on their faces, acquiring bragging rights for the future.

Secretary Sun called out the names according to the roster. Seeing these artisans acting so calm and composed, with a few even beaming radiant smiles, he was extremely puzzled. Had these people dug their brains out along with the ore? They were clearly going to prison, yet they acted as if they were taking a leisurely victory parade through the streets.

Shen Jifeng stopped Secretary Sun as he was about to leave. "These people are precious treasures of my mine. Every day, I will send men to keep watch at the prison. Aside from normal questioning, if even a single strand of hair is missing from them, I will hold you all accountable."

Secretary Sun thought to himself that his superior truly anticipated events like a god; whenever anything was associated with the Princess, it never ended well.

"Yes, yes, yes. Please rest assured, Your Highness. We at the Xijing Prefecture know how to handle matters."

Cai Xin looked on coldly, taking all of this in. He was going to follow Secretary Sun back to the Xijing Prefecture; since the Ministry of Punishments did not order him to return, he had to stay behind in Xijing and await further instructions.

In less than an hour, the news that the artisans had been detained spread throughout the entire mining area, reaching even the deepest part of the pit at Shaft Number Six, where Old Qin's team worked.

The miners did not know that Shen Jifeng had dispatched guards to secretly protect the artisans, nor did they know that keeping the people and interrogating them at the Xijing Prefecture was an unprecedented precedent in the history of Great Ning.

They only saw that the Xijing Prefecture had arrested people from the mine, and they began to speculate groundlessly that some extraordinary event must have happened at the mine.

"Old Qin, you are the Princess's favorite. Give everyone the bottom line: what on earth happened at the mine so the brothers can prepare themselves? If all else fails, we can settle our wages early and pack up to leave."

A miner in the team intentionally raised his voice so that the others in the team could hear him, joining together to force Old Qin to tell the truth.

"Exactly, exactly." The rest of the men could no longer focus on their work and crowded around, surrounding Old Qin in the middle.

Old Qin glanced sideways at the miner who had spoken. This man had the surname Zhou, and because of a scabbed scar on his head, everyone called him Scarhead Zhou. This man usually shirked work and loved to spread gossip; even a matter the size of a sesame seed, once it passed through his lips, would grow larger than a watermelon.

"Stop talking nonsense. The Princess is holding down the fort here at the mine; what could possibly go wrong? Do your work well and stop acting like gossiping housewives chattering about the neighbors at the village entrance."

"If you ask me, the lack of peace at this mine stems from the Princess herself," spoke up Old Chen, the oldest miner in the team.

"Don't you dare talk nonsense," other miners warned, fearing that his blasphemous words would implicate them.

Old Chen sneered. "Look at your cowardice; it's not even bigger than a mouse's. Even if the Princess were standing right in front of me, I'd still dare to say it. Just think about it: hasn't this mine been devoid of peace ever since the Princess came down into the pit? First there was a riot and people died, then things were stolen from the warehouse, and now, to top it all off, all the artisans have been arrested. Is the next step going to be arresting us?"

"Then—then shouldn't we hurry up and flee?" asked a younger miner in a terrified voice, his tone trembling on the verge of tears.

"Old Chen, shut your mouth! Believe it or not, I'll sew your mouth shut if you spout nonsense again!" Qin Dachu grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up.

"Scatter, everyone! Get back to work!"

Old Chen shook off Old Qin's iron grip. "Fine, I won't say anymore. So what if they made you a team leader? You're not a general, what are you acting so high and mighty for?"

Muttering curses, Old Chen picked up his mining pick and continued digging, while miners occasionally crowded around him to ask about the rest of what he hadn't finished saying.

Taking advantage of Old Qin's inattention, Old Chen lowered his voice. "Mining is making a living deep underground, and the yin energy is terribly heavy. We grown men have plenty of yang energy, so we aren't afraid. But the Princess is a woman, and women belong to yin. Her descending into the mine draws in evil things and angers the mountain god, which is why misfortunes keep happening one after another here."

"Stop talking nonsense. Those of us who came later missed the prisoners causing trouble entirely, yet you tell it with such vivid detail as if you actually witnessed it yourself."

Someone refused to buy his story and turned back to work.

Old Chen spat on the ground. "Believe it or not!"

The same situation was happening in other parts of the mining area. Everyone spoke at once; some said the mine was about to be sealed up, some said the Princess had committed a crime and arrested the artisans for interrogation, and others said the artisans were rebels and that they might be implicated as well. Aside from good news, every kind of rumor was circulating.

Because Li Qingyao was young and had frequent contact with the miners, he got the news first. He sought out his uncle, Li Leqi. "Second Uncle, these miners believe every wind that blows. If rumors continue to spread like this unchecked, a non-issue will turn into a real problem."

Li Leqi agreed deeply. Rumors stop with the wise, but there were far too many unwise people at the mining site—they were mostly rough men who didn't know a single character. While honest and simple folks existed among them, so did those easily deceived and led by the nose.

During the last riot, Li Leqi had not been present, but he knew from Dongyang how perilous that day had been. People's hearts were fickle, and absolutely no more mishaps could be allowed to occur.

The uncle and nephew came to Shen Jifeng's office to discuss countermeasures.

Shen Jifeng pondered for a moment and asked Li Leqi to summon Skinny Monkey. To know your enemy and yourself is to fight a hundred battles without defeat.

Li Qingyao was not entirely clear on the specific reasons for the artisans' arrest. Having grown up following Li Leqi and having seen quite a bit of the world, he knew that since neither the Princess nor his Second Uncle had spoken of it, it meant the matter was not suitable for public discussion.

Yet the problem lay right there: how does one clarify a matter that cannot be discussed?

Shen Jifeng laughed. "You really are an honest child. Who says you must tell the absolute truth to clear things up?"

Early on the morning of the seventh day of the sixth lunar month, Shen Jifeng braved the rain to arrive at the miners' shed. Except for those still working underground, everyone at the mine was gathered here.

Li Leqi cleared his throat. "Everyone, quiet down. The Princess has a few words to say to you."

A hundred-odd miners stood shoulder to shoulder, gathered together. Although they frequently saw the Princess entering and leaving the mining area, for most of them, this was the first time seeing her from such a close distance.

Shen Jifeng wore a straw raincoat and a bamboo conical hat. Aside from her face, which was more exquisite and noble than anyone they had ever seen, not a single valuable trinket could be seen on her. In fact, her attire was inferior even to that of a wealthy village landlord's daughter.

"Everyone must be very curious: where have all the artisans from the mine gone?"

"They were taken away by the Xijing Prefecture," someone muttered softly.

"They were taken away, indeed—not by the Xijing Prefecture, however, but by the Ministry of Punishments."

The murmurs of discussion among the miners grew louder. In their view, the Xijing Prefecture consisted of local magistrates, whereas the Ministry of Punishments consisted of high-ranking officials at the imperial court. To alarm the Ministry of Punishments meant that the offense committed must be even more severe.