son-in-law

Chapter 535 Chapter [-]
On the first day of October in the 11th year of Jinghan, it is the Cold Clothes Festival.

The beginning of winter has just passed, and the temperature of autumn has not completely dropped, but the scenery of the past in late autumn has become more and more desolate.The rice on the field has long been harvested, and the trees are losing their last leaves.Between the mountains, the splendid coat of autumn has also faded, and the color has become gray and dignified.Dahe Taotao, the roads and villages by the river, are also in ruins at this time.A fleet of ships descended along the Huai River at this time.

The fleet consists of six ships. Perhaps because of the official background, there are officers and soldiers guarding each ship, and because of the heavy cargo, the waterline of the ship is not shallow.On the big ship at the forefront, a group of young people dressed in wealth were looking at the shore from the side of the ship, and another young man was talking to everyone.

"Not far ahead, you can see the village. There is a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva next to the village. This year, the flood flooded the village, and the statue of Guanyin collapsed. But after the lack of food, many people came to worship Guanyin. The government used to make porridge there every day, and when I returned from here a few days ago, I saw a lot of people..."

The river went forward, turned the small corner in front, and saw the broken walls and ruins there. The original village has now been destroyed, and only a section of the low wall is left, and the Guanyin statue beside the village is broken in two. Cut, a piece planted in the soil.There are many people in and outside the village. They are ragged and frail, and some carry large and small packages with them. There is a table by the river. At this time, they are cooking porridge.

A suffocating noise came from there.

Hunger is unbearable pain, but when he reflects it, it doesn't make people hysterical, because the hysteria has no strength.Before it was time to put the porridge, these hungry people gathered inside and outside the village, sitting or lying down.However, due to the crowd gathering, a small number of children will still cry, and a small number of adults will cry out.In this crowd, the atmosphere formed is enough to make people feel scalp numb.

The nobles on the boat watched this scene, and they were a little silent, and some people whispered: "We also had a famine two years ago..."

"You don't need to be too sad about this situation. Although the government doesn't have much relief food at this time, none of these people died of starvation. It's just that they can't get enough to eat." The young man comforted him , and then said, "It's just that the weather is starting to get colder, and the price of food nearby has risen to 36 taels per shi..."

"Hmph, if it snows, 360 taels will be able to go up! How many people can survive this winter!" Someone snorted roughly, it was an honest-looking man in the crowd, although he was well-dressed , but it seems that he often goes to work in the field and has a lot of strength.Speaking of this, there is a gloomy brow.

Most of the people can think of this, and at this time, a dignified young man who was standing by the chord of the boat came over: "This time, my Puyang family brought a total of [-] stone rice grains, I would like to Three hundred of them were donated to help these people, and the other two hundred were sold at a low price to recover the cost. After that, the [-] stone of rice grain that my Puyang family is purchasing will also be handled in the same way." The person speaking, But it was Puyang Yi, the successor of Jiangning's Puyang family.

When he said this, someone in the crowd immediately said, "All donations from my family!"

At this time, someone had to follow suit, and the young man who spoke earlier waved his hand quickly: "Everyone! Everyone! Please listen to the next words. For your thoughts, these people in the disaster area will be grateful, but after listening to the next words, you can't donate."

Seeing everyone looking towards this side, he continued: "Before leaving this time, my boss has repeatedly emphasized that the key to this disaster relief is not how much food is given to the government, but how much food is really paid for. If the fight continues, the more rice grains shipped this time, the better, and one can only be sold, and the two can't really be sold at too low a price. This matter is up to Mr. He in the city to decide, but I feel that the price of grain 36 taels, I am afraid we can only drop to about 30 taels, and we can continue to drop until we hit 30 taels. If you sell the grain at a price of a few taels a stone, I guarantee that within a day, nine of them will be sold. If it happens, all of them will be eaten by the big merchants who stock up on grain, so not only will it not help, but it will also fuel the arrogance of those people."

Everyone wanted to understand this reason, and the young man paused: "However, this time, there are some things in the past, I am afraid that Lord He will still ask everyone to help. This time the disaster has expanded, and there are not enough people in the city to provide food. A few times, it almost caused chaos and hurt people. In the past few days, the young masters may wish to go outside the city to help make some porridge and rice. Master He and my boss have said that since you are here, you can make it yourself. Once you do it, the meaning is different. Lord He will also ensure your safety, so you can rest assured."

Once the disaster situation expands, the gates of the city will inevitably be closed, and it is dangerous to go outside the city to cook porridge.There were some murmurs in the hearts of everyone, but when I heard the young man talking about this, even if someone said: "If you can come and help, how can I worry about that kind of thing!"

The young man smiled: "Of course, the porridge and rice you have been serving outside the city these few days have to come from the food you brought here this time."

Someone in the crowd laughed loudly: "Then I'll stay for a few more days, and what you brought me, forget it all!"

Puyang Yi said: "If this is the case, then my agreement of [-] stone remains unchanged. I will sell [-]% of the price this time. After I return to Jiangning, I will buy food or winter clothes. The food will be sold back here, and the winter clothes will be donated. .I see the weather, they need this too."

His remarks aroused everyone's discussion, and the atmosphere on the deck was still a little lively at this time.The young man didn't say any more, and quietly stepped aside.Puyang Yi quietly followed him in the crowd with the afterglow of his eyes, watching him on the side of the ship, took out a book, and took time to read a few words.This time, for Puyang Yi, the food delivery was just a simple business act, and there was not much excitement. In fact, there were a small number of people in the crowd who were like this.The journey to Huainan, how much money can be made, doesn't mean much to him, on the contrary, this young man has caught his attention along the way.

This time, in the disaster relief operation led by the government and linked by the Chengguo Princess Palace, there is a force that is always operating and manipulating behind the scenes.As the No. [-] wealthy merchant in Jiangning, the Puyang family could know that all this came from the Right Prime Minister's Mansion in the north, but in the deeper part, he saw the shadow of Ning Liheng, who counted every ten steps.

Liaising with everyone, arranging the itinerary, accommodation, coordinating various things with everyone along the way, and chatting, although a large part of it was arranged in advance by Kang Xian, the one who has been in contact with everyone all the time is this young man named Tang Wen. people.In the past few days of contact, he has become one with everyone, and during the conversation, intentionally or not, the other party is always affecting the sympathy and hostility of others.

Of course, before everyone left Jiangning, Princess Chengguo and Kang Xian had received these people and exaggerated their desire to do good things.On the way, the young man is also subtly driving everyone's mood. On the one hand, he is sure that he can make money, and on the other hand, he can incite everyone's sympathy, telling them repeatedly that this journey is doing good deeds.Tell them how the unscrupulous traders are killing people, how many people will starve to death, tell them how miserable the people who starve to death are, and occasionally tell several stories about the poor, about the rich planting good causes A story of good fruit.

A large part of the people who followed them were just the sons and nephews of small and medium-sized landlords in the countryside.They may have food at home, but they have little knowledge. Some of them have read books, but in the end they have not been able to get into the officialdom.Kang Xian's interview, telling them about the disaster, and praising them greatly, has made them so glorious that they can't find the north.Then here is all the way to guide and render.If it wasn't for the interlocking of these series of methods, they might not have said the words to give away all the food at this time.Even Yu Puyang Yi was still doubting whether the disaster relief site he just passed by was the other party's intentional arrangement.

He just said that [-]% of the grain will be used for disaster relief, just for fun.Along the way, he watched the young man's actions, watched him occasionally hid aside to read a book, and recite it silently. It turned out to be just an introduction to the four books for students in the academy.He was really curious. If the hand in the north is really controlling everything from a distance, then... how did he cultivate such a young man...

While Puyang Yi was observing all this, there was also a pair of eyes looking down in the slightly opened window on the second floor of the ship.That is the real noble person on the boat. One of the reasons why Puyang Yi is willing to join in and help is because of her existence.

Behind the window, is the face of a girl full of extravagance. In the past few days, she has been silently observing all the changes.

"The person sent from the north has done a good job." Perhaps because of the seriousness of the disaster, Zhou Pei's eyebrows were a little melancholy, but at this moment, he still smiled softly.

On this day, the price of food in Huainan was 36 taels a stone, and there were many mourners.

This is the case on the south side, and there is a similar situation on the north side opposite here.After the beginning of winter, the tension in the disaster area has become a string.Half a month ago, Ning Yi, who was sitting in the capital, had already manipulated the entry of the first batch of food, but the changes since then, as ordinary people, there was not much that could be felt.Beggars and refugees began to gather in cities, and more and more people were unable to eat, and everyone was looking for food.In such a situation, there are still good-hearted people.

On Hedong Road, Fenzhou, Xiaoyi County, outside the house of the big family Guo's family, thousands of people gathered, ten cauldrons were lined up, and hot rice porridge was served to the hungry people.The hungry people who got the porridge and rice hurriedly drank it, and half of them thanked them before leaving.

Xiaoyi County was named after Guo Xing's filial piety during the Zhenguan period. It is difficult to say whether the Guo family at this time was inherited from the Tang Dynasty, but the kindness of the Guo family is indeed well-known.

Inside and outside the courtyard, there are two worlds.

The high courtyard wall cut off the hustle and bustle, Li Pin was sitting in the hall, drinking tea, waiting for Guo Mingli, the head of the Guo family, to come out.Not long after, the head of the Guo family, who was in his 50s, came to salute and say hello to the newly appointed vice envoy. Li Pin thanked him for his good deeds outside, and the other party also said a few words of self-effacing.

"To be honest, Mr. Guo, this official came here this time because of the food price."

Li Pin's words were gentle, and the other party laughed along with him: "Uh, I don't know what this has to do with Guo."

"Master Guo also knows that the imperial court can't let the price of grain rise like this. We have already transported grain. Now the price of grain outside, we have hit it a while ago, as you can see, it is pressed at 30 taels. We need to continue to suppress. In the next round, we hope that the food price will be 25 taels, and we hope that the Guo family’s grain will be sold in the same way. Mr. Guo, the grain price is 25 taels, which is ten times the usual price. It is enough to make a profit. Woolen cloth?"

The old man panicked: "Da, Da, sire, little old man... I don't understand, little old man... This month, for disaster relief and porridge, hundreds of stone of grain must be sent out. There are still several months in this winter, and the price of food What does it have to do with the little old man?"

Li Pin took a sip of tea, and smiled and bowed his hands: "The Guo family has a good heart and always has the name of filial piety, and Li has always admired it. At this point in the disaster, the Guo family has been able to provide so much food. , I will definitely present a plaque, beat gongs and drums, and bring it to the house in person. But the price of food is also related to the Guo family. I know that the Guo family has food. The food in the Fenzhou area is headed by your Guo family. Sell, everyone is watching, it's not good."

"My lord has been wronged. What does it have to do with the little old man if they don't sell it? My lord... Little old man has already produced so much food. Your lord... It doesn't make sense."

"What is the truth? You are generous with porridge, but you will never sell food. There are laws in the state, stocking up goods is rare, and privately raising prices. I can handle you, but I think the Guo family has a kind heart, and this official has always Respect good-hearted people, so I have to speak in person."

Li Pin's eyes were warm, and the old man hesitated for a while, then finally gritted his teeth: "Sir, this... this is unreasonable, what is hoarding goods to raise prices privately, my lord, the little old man didn't put food outside to sell at a high price, this is not the case. It’s considered private. And the food... The little old man’s family has a big business, many people follow to eat, and some food is put at home to prepare for the famine years, and this food also has members of the family’s shareholders and clan members, everyone does not nod, little old man How dare you take it and sell it privately. The adults will understand... In the past years of famine, there is no official force to sell food, my lord, the little old man is willing to donate food, donate food..."

Hoarding and raising prices are not allowed. In fact, this is a decree that exists in every dynasty and generation.It's just that the problem in the world has always been not the issue of laws, but whether laws can go out of Beijing and whether they can be implemented.For example, in disaster relief, most people know that as long as the law is strictly enforced, all those who are greedy and pervert the law will be executed or killed, and even if only one batch is executed or one batch is killed, the chickens and monkeys can also be killed. The problem is that this kind of public anger is fundamentally No one dares to do it.

The Wu Dynasty encouraged business, and the market was relatively free, and prices fluctuated, and many times they were left to the market to adjust.At times like this, the government often does not have many ways to hoard. Of course, the most essential problem is not that there is no way, but that when the government also becomes a part of the chain of interests, it must rely on strict investigation to curb this kind of thing. , is basically impossible.This was also the reason why Qin Siyuan and others knew that this famine could not be overcome by cruel officials.

But... it's impossible to contain the whole, and Li Pin still has the power to move one or two of them.

"I don't want you to donate food. I'm not here to beg for food, and it hurts your interests. It's not good." Li Pin picked up the teacup, "What I want is a win-win situation. The price is a bit higher, it doesn't matter, it's important. Yes, there must be grain to sell, 25 taels a stone, ten times the price, you earn more, and this official is also happy. An official, after all, wants to enrich the people..."

"Sir, the villain is willing to donate five hundred stones..."

"Don't hit me with sloppy eyes again! I don't want your food!" Li Pin increased his tone, and then fell down again, "This official has just arrived in office, and I am not very familiar with the place, but it is still ok to check one or two people. You are manipulating the price of food to rise and you have been hoarding it all the time. It's not that I don't make money for you, but don't make too much money! This official knows that your backstage is the Zuo family, but if this official wants to deal with you, they can't keep it! "

The old man's face turned pale, and then he knelt down abruptly: "My lord! Since the lord knows, why do you force the little old man like this! The little old man and the little old man have done good deeds all their lives, but food, it is a business thing, There are shareholders and clansmen in this family, so Xiao Laoer can’t mess around. Besides, you also know that Zuo’s family, and other people in Hedong Road, if Xiao Laoer really pays, he will be outraged. The Guo family is over, my lord..."

Li Pin put down the teacup and took a breath before standing up: "Yes, you are doing good deeds. I know that there are more than twice as many people waiting for porridge outside Zuo's house than yours. A friend of this official said it. Many of you are great good people, you never want to die, because if you die, they will rush to your house and kill your people! Take your things! Look, and then you are willing to cook porridge and rice, feed them, and hang them! You are really big! Good! People!"

There was anger in his words, but he was also a little weak: "The power of this official, I only hate that I can't handle the Zuo family, but it is more than enough to handle you. There are still a few days, Mr. Guo, think about it, I know you are afraid of the Zuo family, but you will soon learn to be afraid of this official! Because in a few days, if you don't sell your food, this official will raid your home. Mr. Guo, farewell."

"My lord, don't do this! My lord, we can discuss it! Your lord..."

The old man shouted, but Li Pin had already got up and strode out.When he got out of the door and the carriage was gradually driving away, he lifted the curtain and looked at the scene of the gathering of victims in the back, then withdrew his eyes and spoke in a low voice.

"Keep an eye on here, don't make trouble..."

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After Li Pin left, Guo Mingli also quickly left the house and went to the Zuo family in Jinzhou.The carriage drove fast, and the old man who was still in good health arrived at the Zuo family's house the next day, but he was not looking for Zuo Duanyou, a great scholar who was the head of the Zuo family. Zuo Duanyou may know about grain storage, but he himself I don't like his attitude, it's just that the family has a big business, so he can't control so much.

The real leader of Guo Mingli is the current third young master of the Zuo family, Zuo Jilan.

Zuo family is a big family, in addition to Zuo Duanyou controlling the overall situation, there are many clansmen, uncles and brothers.Zuo Jilan is Zuo Duanyou's biological son. If there is no accident, the future head of the Zuo family will be born between him and the second young master, Zuo Jiyun.In the past few years, Zuo Jilan has mastered a lot of business in the Zuo family, making money for many clansmen. The famine is coming, and it is when he is ready to make a big fight.

After hearing what Guo Mingli said, the 31-year-old Zuo Jilan stared at the old man in front of him for a long time: "Uncle Guo, you know that this matter is very important to me."

"Yes."

"He can make you die, and so can I, and he is an iron-clad official. After this period of time has passed, he will not be able to touch you, but my Zuo family has lived here for generations, do you understand?"

"But..." Guo Mingli had an expression of wanting to cry on his face, "He, he's not joking, Second Young Master, you want, you have to find a way."

"I know this new deputy transfer envoy, he is from Qin Siyuan in Beijing..." Zuo Jilan thought for a while, "I will settle him, but you are not allowed to let go, do you understand?"

"……Yes."

"Anyway, it's not easy for him to do things in officialdom. You stay here tonight, I'll think of a way for you, and you can go back... Now go to rest first, Uncle Guo, it's alright, it's alright , relax..."

After Guo Mingli left in this way, Zuo Jilan called two helpers around him. One of them was the uncle of the family. Because of his low status, he was usually called Zuo Si, and the other was a middle-aged scholar in his 40s. , Wang Zhizhen, who is also Zuo Jilan's most powerful aide, after briefly talking about this matter, Zuo Jilan slapped the table with a slap.

"At this time, if Lao Guo dares to demolish my stage, I will let him die!" He gritted his teeth, and then said, "As for what Li Pin said, what do you think?"

Zuo Si glanced at Wang Zhizhen and saw that the other party was thinking, so he had to say first: "I think, he can easily..."

Zuo Jilan shook his head: "He has just arrived, and he is from Qin Yuyuan, so of course he won't be able to move for a while! I'm not worried about Guo Mingli, give him courage, he may not dare to pay, and even if he does, the impact will be limited But that Li Pin said that the imperial court has taken actions, and the price of food suddenly dropped to 30 taels recently, is it really their fault?"

"Food prices fluctuate a lot these days. It's just shouting. It's not like he said 30 taels. But some time ago..." Wang Zhizhen opened his mouth, frowned and thought about it, "It's almost winter time. , The price of food is rising, but now it suddenly dropped. During that time, the price almost rose to 30 taels, and a large amount of food suddenly entered the market. At first, we thought it was some unscrupulous vendors, so we swallowed it, but it turned out there It has always been there, swallowed nearly five thousand stones, the price was 40 taels, and then the price dropped."

"37 taels or four." Zuo Jilan blinked his eyes, "Eating five thousand shi, here is more than one hundred thousand taels of silver. If it is really 30 taels now, that means I lost more than 3 taels all at once?"

"That's not the case." Wang Zhizhen said, "Winter is here, and the price will definitely rise in the future. It is said to be 30 taels, and there is not much food outside. We just need to wait."

Zuo Jilan thought for a while: "If someone pays with the land, 30 taels is 30 taels, that's fine."

"Naturally... this matter, the Qi family should also know, Second Young Master, do you want to talk to them?"

"Well... that's fine too."

Having said that, the next day, several people bumped into Qi Fanghou, the young master of the Qi family.The aide by Qi Fanghou's side was named Xu Mai. This person was similar to Wang Zhizhen. Those who could be an aide in such a family were mostly scholars and celebrities who were proficient in various things. Together, they found something in common.

"Some time ago, because I heard that the imperial court organized people to sell grain, the people below wanted to find out the truth. The first batch swallowed four thousand stones, and the second batch swallowed two thousand stones. The total is six thousand stones." Qi Fang said kindly, "I I don’t care about the money, but it’s not interesting to swallow it all the time, so I looked at it first, and then the government let it out, saying that the price of food has dropped. They are selling it for 30 taels. I don’t think it’s much, but I don’t know how much it will be. "

Xu Mai is quite famous in the Hedong area. He has always been a feather fan and a towel. At this time, he shook his fan: "It seems that there are capable people behind them, and they understand this very well."

"What can an official know?" Zuo Jilan sneered, "Don't they just find a group of people to kill, and then find a group of people to kill. This time there is no movement..."

"I also killed a few, but this time there is really not much movement. All the movement is due to the price of this food. So, there are people who understand this."

Xu Mai tapped his fan, and Qi Fang smiled and said, "Then, does Mr. Xu have any countermeasures?"

"In the capital, most people who can be appreciated are not easy. We haven't checked it out yet, so don't underestimate the enemy." Xu Maidao, "But from what Xu has seen, most people in the official circles mention doing business. It's a matter of course, it's just to deceive those capital officials. Of course, no matter what happens, in Hedong, with the financial resources of the Zuo family and Qi family, with the shallow knowledge below and the management ability of Brother Wang, I believe that no matter who it is, it will be I can't beg for it, what do you think, Brother Wang?"

Wang Zhizhen smiled: "I didn't pay attention to it before, but now that I have prepared, no matter who is behind...let's teach him to be a man."

For a moment, everyone laughed.

Next, the food price of the entire Hedong Road began to fight back.At the same time, regarding the matter of Guo Mingli, the two sides summed up a little, and a difficult strategy was born. Soon after, Guo Mingli returned home and prepared to give Li Pin a dangerous dismount.

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In the capital, it's winter time. Ning Yi is busy in the prime minister's mansion. Every day, he summarizes a large amount of intelligence and data through the intelligence network of the Secret Investigation Division.There are a lot of delays and errors in the intelligence network at this time. Many things can only be predicted by prediction. Ning Yi is also correcting his own pace.While he was at ease, sometimes even humming songs and doing things, Wenren Buer, who was helping him, felt a little miserable. He was often confused by these data and judgments, and did not understand what he was doing. basis for the decision.

But soon after, he gradually saw the shadows and fluctuations of Ning Yi's fight with half of the country's grain gentry.

In early October, everything was relatively calm for them, as the confrontation only happened outside the capital.In this beginning, due to Ning Yi's intervention in the north and south, the counterattacks on both sides after realizing it were quite intense...

　I originally talked about early morning, but this chapter is too long. Up to now, I haven’t slept all night, and I don’t know when I will wake up.If there is one in the next morning, it is a surprise, if not, it is because I really have to adjust my schedule, and this chapter is more than 7000 words, it is two chapters.Well, I didn't break the update ^_^
　
(End of this chapter)