Chapter 30: Little Chen’s Acting Skills

As expected, Master Ye’s pragmatic approach successfully pacified the low-level clerks. At the very least, no one gave him any trouble regarding the food supplies. Once the laborers were well-fed, the murmurs of discontent vanished into thin air, and everything appeared harmonious.

In truth, the common people had very modest demands. At home, they usually ate two meals a day, one of which was often nothing more than thin gruel. Now, working for the government, being able to eat three meals of coarse rice was enough to satisfy them, and they even received wages on top of that.

Only Magistrate Wang and Master Ye wore faces filled with worry. If they continued to allow these petty clerks to embezzle supplies, the food they had today would not last for many more days.

Inside the storage room, Master Ye, his face pale and his temples throbbing, set down the ledger he had just finished reviewing and picked up a brush to write a figure on the desk.

"This is all the coarse rice left in the temporary warehouse. In just two short days, we’ve lost twenty percent! It’s not just the grain; the rate of attrition for tools and road-building materials has far exceeded our initial estimates."

Even though Magistrate Wang had prepared himself, his face twitched upon seeing the concrete numbers. Gritting his teeth, he hissed, "How do they dare? How are they so incredibly bold? Are they truly not afraid of the imperial court’s inquiry, nor of the laws of our Great Yu?"

Master Ye smiled silently. He looked up at the flushed magistrate and said, "Of course they aren't afraid. If the road project isn't completed, the imperial court will only hold you, the official in charge, accountable. Even if you wanted to punish these subordinates, without solid evidence, you have nowhere to start."

Magistrate Wang understood the consequence Master Ye described, but being completely in the dark, he could only vent his frustrations. If anything went wrong with the road repairs, he would undoubtedly be the one to take the fall. When a new magistrate was sent to Yongshun County, these clerks would still be running the show, just as they always had. It was a classic case of iron-clad clerks serving under transient magistrates.

Master Ye slammed his hand onto the table. "We must obtain evidence against them within three days. Any further delay will stall the construction and even interfere with the farming season."

Because the road repairs required a massive mobilization of labor, the work had to be finished before the farming season began. If the farming schedule were disrupted, crop yields would inevitably decline. That would affect the imperial court’s tax revenue—a crime punishable by dismissal, exile, or even death.

"At a time like this, any means necessary must be employed," Master Ye added. A fierce glint flashed in Magistrate Wang's eyes.

While the two were plotting in the warehouse, Chen Ping, guided by a laborer previously planted by the magistrate, had already circled the construction site. He first familiarized himself with the surrounding temporary structures and confirmed the names and appearances of the lead clerks from a distance. Then, with an innocent and harmless expression, he walked over to the area where the clerks gathered to eat.

"Hey!" someone shouted. "Whose child is this? How dare he run around in a place like this?"

Before the person could continue their scolding, the kitchen manager waved his hand to interrupt. "Don't make a fuss. This is the brat that old man Ye Wenchang brought along. Just a useless kid, he doesn't know anything. Leave him be."

The kitchen manager clearly held significant authority here. Hearing this, the clerks seated at two tables in the shed ignored Chen Ping and went back to their drinking and laughing.

After a few rounds of wine, faces became flushed, and naturally, someone with a loose tongue began to brag. "Road building is great, truly wonderful! Once this road is done, even Red from the Emerald Pavilion will be willing to look at a clerk like me properly. When it’s finished, I’ll immediately buy her freedom and enjoy myself for a few days and nights!"

The remark drew jeers and laughter, which in turn stoked the inner fires of the other clerks. A middle-aged man from the workshop, responsible for material transport, clapped his hands and howled as if venting, "I’ve finally turned my life around! One hundred taels—a full hundred taels of silver!"

He held up a finger, waved it around, and continued to shout like a madman. "The silver arrived from Manager Han a few days ago, and I immediately slapped it onto that shrew of a wife of mine! She’s been giving me a sour face for a whole year, and in the blink of an eye, it’s all gone! Hahaha!"

His voice was so loud that an older clerk realized the danger and immediately stepped forward to cover his mouth. "Zhang Sanlang, what are you raving about? Look at where we are! Magistrate Wang is still in the warehouse—are you trying to get us all killed?"

Scolded by his colleague, the clerk named Zhang Sanlang realized his slip of the tongue and broke into a cold sweat, his drunkenness vanishing instantly.

At that moment, the kitchen manager, who hadn't been drinking, stood up abruptly. His eyes scanned the area coldly, searching for Chen Ping. While a child might not understand, a child could mimic what he heard. If he repeated those things to Magistrate Wang, it would be a disaster.

He spotted Chen Ping beside one of the clerks, quietly stealing slices of braised meat from a plate. Chen Ping looked famished, his mouth stuffed full. His oily little hands were still darting toward the meat platter.

Seeing this, the kitchen manager chuckled. His previous fears had been an overreaction. It was just a brat; who hadn't been that age once? At his age, children didn't listen to what strangers were saying—they only cared about food.

Even so, the cautious manager picked Chen Ping up and sat him down in front of him. Staring at him with cloudy eyes, he asked in a low voice, "Aren't you from the Ye family? Why are you acting like you’ve never seen meat before? Is the Ye family just a hollow shell with a flashy exterior?"

Chen Ping didn't answer; he struggled to chew the fat in his mouth. After finally swallowing, he grabbed two more slices of braised meat and stuffed them in before mumbling, "I'm not from the Ye family. In our Nanxi Village, we don't get to eat meat like this. *Hiccup*... I just started studying at the Huating Academy, and today, the old master brought me here for no reason. He didn't even care that I was hungry. Uncle, do you have any malt sugar? I've never tasted it before."

Chen Ping’s innocent, gluttonous child act was vivid, and with his face smeared with grease, he fooled everyone present without a hitch. Even the most cautious kitchen manager couldn't help but let go of him.

He pointed at Zhang Sanlang, who had just sobered up. "Go, find this kid some malt sugar. If you can't find any, go to the county town and buy some. Don't let him wander around here!"

Zhang Sanlang rose helplessly and walked out. Chen Ping skipped along behind him, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile that no one could see.

*Little Chen, your acting is quite good!*