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The vendor grinned happily and he and his wife got to work at once preparing the roasted cakes, three bamboo basketfuls in all. They kept thanking her over and over as they happily closed up for the night.
Su Biluo and the maids each carried a basket and went to Wind & Rain Bridge outside Dustwind Gardens.
At this time of night there were tattered reed mats spread out all over the place underneath the bridge, sleeping vagrants of all stripes sleeping on them.
Northern Mo was very poor and there had been droughts the last couple years. Not a single grain was harvested, so wandering vagrants could be seen everywhere and in large numbers.
“Get up, I’ve got roasted cakes for you.” The vagrants turned over and got up immediately. They really didn’t need Su Biluo to invite them, the aroma alone was enough to make them drool, their eyes shining.
It was cold under the bridge, and with no decent blanket to cover them and their clothes in rags, how could they sleep soundly?
They all scrambled up and reached their filthy hands out, grabbing at the roasted cakes.
Those with families gave cakes to their wife and kids first, and Su Biluo let those with more family members take extras.
“Eat slowly, don’t wolf it down,” she said amiably. “Once you’re done eating I have some work for you!”
Some of them knelt down and kowtowed to her when they heard that.
“Miss, you’re so kind. Might you be the descended bodhisattva, Guanyin?
“Thank you, Goddess of Mercy, thank you, Goddess of Mercy…”
Su Biluo couldn’t help but snicker.
Vivid rebuked them sharply. “Stop all this nonsense. This is the grand general’s new wife.”
“Ah? So it’s Madame General,” Second Dog, the most well-informed among them, said. “The second daughter of the Su family, Su Biluo, right? The Mo-Su marriage is the biggest news circulating the capital recently!”
“Ah, Madame General!”
“Thank you, Madame General!”
“Alright, don’t be so formal. Those roasted cakes aren’t free, you know. This madame must ask you, are there any among you who are good at construction?”
“Yeah, the brothers Zheng Lun and Zheng Yu are good at that.” Again it was Second Dog who was the quickest to respond. He pointed them out as soon as she finished speaking. “It’s just that, these days there’s not even enough food for people to eat, who’s gonna need a new building built?”
“My family needs it.” Su Biluo directly handed the 190 taels of silver left over from buying the cakes to Zheng Lun and Zheng Yu. “Now, this madame is formally asking you all to build me a building. Take this money. Select as many workers as you need. You all know who is willing and capable. Once you’ve got everyone come immediately to the general’s estate.”
Zheng Lun and Zheng Yu took the silver and looked at it dumbfounded for a moment, then quickly and happily set about hiring a hundred workers, then they all followed Su Biluo back to the general’s estate.
Su Biluo led them to the west compound. “Tear down this west compound!” she ordered.
“What?” Moonglow and Vivid cried out.
They had no idea Su Biluo’s plans were this ambitious. They hastily advised her, “Madame, we must ask the grand general about this first. This is a big deal, us servants can’t bear the responsibility.”
“Right, Madame, if you want it torn down then have it torn down tomorrow. It’s the middle of the night, everyone will be woken up. Madame, d-d-don’t tear it down now. Let me report to the general.”
Moonglow and Vivid saw the Zheng brothers already getting to work with their hired help and sped like a wisp of smoke to the east compound to report to the general.
Mo Zichen had already gone to bed in the study.
Before, no one would dare wake him up at this hour.
But this time Moonglow and Vivid had no choice. They rushed in and yelled, “Oh no, Grand General, Madame is going to tear down the west compound.”
The Courtyard 