Chapter 114: Bearing Humiliation with Equanimity

Cai Cong sneered, leaving Du Ruhui and his companion looking ashamed, at a loss for how to respond. Li Gang stepped forward to speak on their behalf: "Do not blame them. With Guanzhong facing such a catastrophe, how could I sit idly by? I would gladly sacrifice my old face for the sake of the people."

"How could I not know your integrity, sir? I am certain it was you who volunteered. My disdain is for these two. You, an old man, are willing to cast aside your reputation for the sake of the commoners, yet they are so afraid of losing face that they make you come along to weather the storm for them. Where is their sense of responsibility? Have they ever considered how painful it must be for Master Li to abandon his principles?"

Cai Cong spoke with cold contempt, his words leaving the two high-ranking officials flushed with embarrassment. This young man’s tongue was sharper than ever; had they not been desperate to borrow grain, they would have covered their faces and fled.

"This is our fault. We came today to borrow grain from the Marquis of Chang'an. We agreed on the way here that even if you were to spit in our faces, we would smile and wait for it to dry," said Fang Xuanling sheepishly. It was impossible for him to actually mean being spat upon, but he knew they would have to endure humiliation and harsh conditions.

"Heh, do you really think you two are the only ones in this world who act for the public good? 'Wait for it to dry,' indeed! Pfft! If it weren't for the fact that the Emperor has me confined to my estate, would you even need to be here? I would have delivered it myself. You are all a bunch of petty, scurrying sycophants with filthy hearts," Cai Cong said with a look of utter disdain. He shouted toward the door, "Baolai!"

"Master, what are your orders?" Meng Baolai walked in and asked with a smile.

"Bring the ledgers to these two officials, then see them out. Our household is simple and honest; we cannot allow them to be dirtied by such people." Cai Cong spoke with deliberate sarcasm, but the two officials heard only the word "ledgers," letting everything else slip from their minds.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen; I shall return shortly." Meng Baolai turned and left, returning a moment later with several thin volumes. He handed them to Fang Xuanling. The two men each took one and flipped to a page. It clearly recorded how many thousands of dan of grain each caravan had transported to which county in Guanzhong, who the escort was, how many laborers were involved, and the daily consumption and labor costs.

Both men were stunned. Turning to another page, they saw that some had been torn out, but the remaining page still detailed grain deliveries to various locations.

"This... could it be that your Cai family has already delivered grain to every county in Guanzhong?" Fang Xuanling cried out in shock. Setting aside the sheer volume of grain, the effort required to forge new routes to reach these remote areas was a feat of impossible proportions.

"I wish I could, but the Cai family is not an ancient noble clan with vast reserves. I have only sent grain to the hardest-hit areas; for the others, I have merely cleared the paths. I will give you the maps of these routes later. When you send your own grain convoys, remember to include an official warrant. Once my men have opened the paths, they will guide the convoys to my designated points, and then they will stop. With your warrants, they can proceed to provide disaster relief nearby. The details are all in the ledgers; see for yourselves!" Cai Cong said indifferently.

The three men present were left speechless. Despite Cai Cong’s nonchalant tone, what an incredible achievement this was! Without anyone knowing, the grain had already reached its destination, waiting only for an order to begin relief efforts.

"How did you manage this? Not only does this require immense manpower and resources, but it also demands meticulous planning. How could you possibly have such capability?" Du Ruhui asked in horror, his gaze toward Cai Cong shifting. If Cai Cong truly possessed such a powerful force behind him, he could no longer be left unchecked.

"I don't have that capability, but the Empress does! You know how much the Empress dotes on me. When I said I needed to map trade routes and open new roads for my business, she sent me the experts I needed. This has been going on for half a year; you didn't think these roads were carved out in a day, did you?"

Fang Xuanling thought to himself, *'Dotes on you? My foot! Everyone in the world knows the main proprietor of the Cai family caravans is a woman surnamed Huang. Dotes on you? She dotes on the money!'*

"Even so, flash floods and mudslides have buried some of the original paths, forcing us to find new ones. In just the past two months, dozens of my men—the brave souls who move through these high mountains and treacherous terrain as if on flat ground—have lost their lives. Their compensation must be substantial."

"You sent the New Army to scout paths? Have you lost your mind? Those men are the highest-priority instructors; every barracks is short-handed as it is, and you let them die like cowards on the road?" Fang Xuanling shouted in astonishment. Meng Baolai’s eyes nearly split with rage at these words; his brothers had died with such valor—who dared call them cowards?

Cai Cong grabbed a ceramic pillow and hurled it at Fang Xuanling. It shattered on impact, breaking the skin on Fang Xuanling's head. Cai Cong glared at him, furious. "Apologize to these fearless spirits at once! Who dares call them cowards? Knowing it meant death, they still forged a path of survival for the disaster victims without hesitation. You people do not understand—a soldier is not only a hero if he dies on the battlefield. To die in such silent obscurity, that is what makes them true heroes."

Knowing death was certain yet charging forward regardless—no one would believe such a thing. As the ancients said, a good man does not become a soldier; in their time, soldiers and bandits were often seen as one and the same. When had they ever seen bandits willing to die for the sake of doing good?

Fang Xuanling stood straight and solemn, cupping his hands in a salute to the four directions. "May your spirits be aware; please forgive my ignorant words. I offer my respects to you all."

"Your ignorance is not only an insult to them, but you also owe the imperial court an explanation. The Cai family has gathered forty thousand dan of grain over the past half-year. I intended to sell it to the court at half price, but because of your foolish words, I am now charging eighty percent. Because of you, the court will have to pay thirty percent more." Cai Cong pounded the bed frame, shouting loudly. Fang Xuanling’s face finally turned pale. Thirty percent more! What an astronomical expense that would be!

"Enough. See them out!"

"Please, this way, gentlemen," Meng Baolai said coldly, his face, which had been smiling just moments ago, now as frigid as ice.

"A word of advice: after a great disaster, there is bound to be a plague. The Cai family no longer has the funds to prepare enough medicinal herbs. You should plan accordingly!"

"We have already begun stocking herbs. Sigh. Farewell." Du Ruhui shook his head and left. Once they were gone, Zhao Zhujie and the others entered. Looking at the still-fuming Cai Cong, Zhao sighed, "This was a great opportunity to ease the friction between you and the various factions. Why ruin it because of a momentary fit of anger?"

"Hearing Fang Xuanling's words, I couldn't help but think of those local officials. Those soldiers were only in their twenties, writing their final letters home before marching to their deaths to clear a path for the victims. In their mouths, it becomes 'the will of heaven' or 'fate.' Their deaths were so unjust!"

"I know you want to warn the world, but do you know how many people you have offended by doing this?"

"It won't offend many. This news will be a huge blow to Fang Xuanling's reputation. To protect his name, the noble clans behind him will inevitably have to cough up the money to cover this shortfall. Why bother, Cai Cong?" Li Gang walked in slowly, sighing at Cai Cong. When Cai Cong first returned to Chang'an, he had warned him not to be too flashy or radical, but Cai Cong could not control his temper.

"Master Li, you have come. You saw it yourself—they do not consider these soldiers human beings. It pains me, and I always want to change something."

Li Gang affectionately patted Cai Cong's head and said softly, "From the moment I first met you, I knew you were different from us. How wondrous is the power of foresight? But I want to tell you: foresight is a blessing from heaven, not a shackle. You do not need to carry everything you know as a burden, nor should you consider every unpleasant or painful thing you foresee to be your own fault. If you continue this way, you will only grow more exhausted, until one day, you will be exhausted to death."

Li Gang's words struck Cai Cong's heart like a great bell, piercing deep into a place he hadn't even noticed himself. At first, he had only wanted to be a simple man, but as time passed, that notion had long since vanished. His mind was filled with nothing but how to change the tragedies of history, as if he were possessed.