Chapter 189: Dingyuan granary, empty

Xiong Wucheng kicked open the door. Magistrate Wu Caimao, who was wiping silver on the table, was stunned for a moment, then immediately cursed loudly, “Where did these thieves come from? Help! Help!”

“No need to shout. They’re all too busy to come over. Are you Wu Maocai?”

Xiong Wucheng walked straight over, looking at the silver stacked like a small mountain on the table, couldn’t help but exclaim, “Indeed, you’re quite an elegant magistrate, using silver ingots as the base, creating a mountain of joy. Not bad, not bad.”

“Who are you? Get out now, and I might spare your life.”

Seeing the other person actually taking his silver, Wu Maocai couldn’t help but feel furious.

Xiong Wucheng looked coldly at Wu Maocai and said, “Who am i? Well, you better listen carefully. I am Xiong Wucheng, the Commanding Supervisor of the Great Ming Security Bureau, acting under the orders of the Emperor, accompanying Grand Secretary Yu Xin to provide relief for the disaster-stricken people in Huaiyuan, and investigating corrupt officials like you! Magistrate Wu, you served the people with a sand-filled porridge and obstructed the sick from entering the city. Secretary Yu has ordered your dismissal and investigation. Now, are you going to walk to the dungeon yourself, or shall I drag you there?”

“S, Security Bureau?”

Wu Maocai’s body went limp. He slumped onto the table, and the silver ingots stacked like a small mountain became unstable, falling with a clatter onto the table and some onto the floor.

Grand Secretariat’s secretary and Security Bureau here?

How could this be possible? Wasn’t it just a small disaster in Huaiyuan? Why would the court send people here? Even if you come, go to Huaiyuan. Why come to my Dingyuan?

Seeing that Wu Maocai was not resisting, Xiong Wucheng had him dragged to the dungeon.

Yu Xin led his men toward Dingyuan County Office.

In front of the county office, there was a decorative wall, and behind it was a memorial arch. The plaque on the arch was inscribed with “Loyalty and Integrity Arch.”

Passing through the arch, they arrived at the main gate of the county office.

The gate walls on both sides of the county office were not straight but formed a “八” (eight) shape, leading to the common nickname “八字衙门” (Eight-character county office).

These “八字” walls were used for posting various things, such as examination results, official proclamations, small advertisements, portraits, or even reward notices.

For those aspiring to be a hero and uphold justice, if you’re looking for opportunities, this might be the place. Who knows, you might earn some money.

On the right side of the gate, there was a general store, not a place for sleeping or entertaining guests, but rather a station for sending and receiving official documents.

Entering through the gate, on the left was the Land God’s shrine. It was advised not to come here to offer incense.

The Land God might or might not be present, as he could be on a business trip. However, there might be several human-shaped straw figures inside.

The relocation of the Land God’s shrine to the county office was an innovation by Zhu Yuanzhang, perhaps because he felt that skinning people outside might not be appropriate. Doing such things in front of the Land God, when these people died, the Land God could pass a message to the King of Hell.

On the right side was the Yamen Temple, mostly enshrining the Prime Minister Xiao He and Cao Shen from the Western Han period. The saying “萧规曹随” emphasized the need for officials to be obedient.

Beyond the ceremonial gate with three doors, the middle one was for higher or equal-ranked officials, while those with lower ranks than the county magistrate could only use the smaller doors on the sides.

After passing through the ceremonial gate, there was a spacious courtyard with a “Warning Stone Pavilion” not far away.

The south side of the stone monument was inscribed with the words “公生明” (The public gives rise to enlightenment, and partiality gives rise to obscurity), derived from the book “Xunzi.” The north side bore the inscription of “尔俸尔禄，民膏民脂；下民易虐，上天难欺” (You enjoy salary and emolument; the people contribute their wealth and resources. If the lower class is oppressed, it’s easy; if you deceive the heavens, it’s difficult).

Moving forward, one arrived at the main hall, where trials and office work took place.

On both sides of the main hall were side rooms and chambers, with the side rooms used as storage and the chambers for clerks. This area also included the horse department, the issuance department, the paymaster’s office, and more.

Behind the main hall was the second hall, and further back was the third hall.

The second hall served as a place for officials to take a nap or rest when tired during trials. The third hall was the residence of the county magistrate, and some discreet operations, such as corruption and bribery, often occurred here.

This could be understood,

The third hall was more secretive…

Compared to the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, the most significant change in the early Ming period’s county office was not moving the Land God’s shrine but rather having all officials reside in the county office. If you wanted to live comfortably in your own home, don’t even think about it.

The “Great Ming Law” stipulates: “Any official who does not reside in the official quarters but lives in civilian houses in the streets shall be punished with eighty strokes.”

So, in the Ming Dynasty, if you went to the county office to handle some business, a trip there would likely get things done. Even if you were asked to find relevant departments and take a detour, you could still find them.

Benefiting from this rule by Zhu Yuanzhang, there were indeed numerous rooms in the Ming county offices, numbering around one hundred and fifty-six. Setting up a few bunk beds, squeezing a bit, it was not a problem to accommodate over a thousand people.

Under the command of Yu Xin, the county office was well-organized, and everything was in order.

Behind Huang Zicheng and Jing Qing, there were more than twenty refugees, all pushing rented single-wheeled carts and holding several sacks. Their stomachs occasionally growled, but no one complained; instead, they all wore expressions of anticipation.

Li Jiu was at the forefront, although his stomach was shriveled, he was full of strength.

The Emperor is a good person, sending good officials to rescue us refugees. Not only did they arrange a place to stay, but they also provide food. According to the official in front of us, we can eat our fill.

This is the grace of the heavenly lord.

At the granary entrance, Huang Zicheng turned around and looked at the Clerk Xie Gang, saying coldly, “Open the warehouse door.”

Xie Gang tremblingly took out the key, opened the large door of the granary, then hurriedly entered and opened the secondary doors. He pushed them open and then bowed on the side, shivering.

Huang Zicheng walked into the granary, observing the eight wooden circular storehouses scattered inside. The circular storehouses were thick and required five people to encircle, with a height of eight to nine feet.

The storehouses were not placed directly on the ground; instead, they had a wooden base to support the entire structure.

This design was advantageous for preventing moisture, water, and rats.

Huang Zicheng looked back at Li Jiu and the others outside, shouting, “Load the rice and return to the county office to cook porridge again.”

Li Jiu and the others were excited. After expressing their gratitude, they entered the granary with other people, propped open the sacks, and then opened the rice outlet at the bottom of the circular storehouse. They watched as the white rice flowed into the sacks, their faces beaming with smiles.

The sound of rice pouring echoed.

Huang Zicheng looked at Jing Qing and sighed, “If the emperor learns of this matter, I wonder how much anger will be stirred.”

Jing Qing shook his head helplessly and said, “It can’t be kept a secret. The most urgent matter now is to settle the disaster victims. Although there’s a considerable reserve of grain here, it won’t be enough once more refugees arrive.”

Huang Zicheng nodded with solemnity.

Huaiyuan City is considered a large county in Fengyang Prefecture, with a relatively large population. The exact number of casualties from the disaster is still unknown, and there is no accurate estimate of how many refugees will be relocated to Dingyuan.

However, Huang Zicheng and others have made an estimation, suggesting that at least over ten thousand refugees will enter Dingyuan. Additionally, there are people affected by disasters in Sui River and Ying River downstream, and they also need to be relocated to Dingyuan.

In disaster relief and aid, the most crucial factor is food. The reason why Yu Xin chose Dingyuan as the relief destination is because Dingyuan has a relatively higher terrain, and it is only around 200 li away from Huaiyuan, making the migration of refugees quicker.

To the southwest of Dingyuan is Luzhou Prefecture, and to the southeast is Chuzhou. The transportation of grain is relatively convenient from these regions to Dingyuan, as there is only a stretch of road and a section of the Yangtze River separating them from the capital.

“The court is already transporting grain, and additional supplies should arrive within seven days. If the grain in these granaries is not enough, we can purchase some from wealthy households,” Huang Zicheng said with a worried expression.

Jing Qing nodded slightly, sighing, “It seems we have no other choice.”

Cang Lang—

The sound of a drawn sword surprised Huang Zicheng and Jing Qing. They turned to see Li Jiu and others standing there with soft bags.

“Put away your swords.”

Huang Zicheng glared at the guards, then turned to Li Jiu and others, asking, “Why are you just standing here without unloading the grain?”

“Sir, there… there is no more grain.”

Li Jiu said with a pale face.

“What?!”

Huang Zicheng and Jing Qing were shocked, their faces turning extremely unpleasant.

The two hurriedly stepped forward to inspect. Huang Zicheng reached his hand into the grain outlet, felt around, and bent down to take a closer look. Inside the round granary, there was another granary.

“Open it for me!”

Huang Zicheng shouted in anger.

Several guards brought axes, and with a series of thuds, they split open the outer round granary. Huang Zicheng seized an axe and struck it directly on the inner round granary. After strenuously pulling back the axe, he continued chopping.

Through the opened gap, Huang Zicheng saw:

Nothing inside.

“Knock down all the granaries!”

The unease in Huang Zicheng’s heart grew heavier.

With a series of crashes, all eight round granaries collapsed. Except for a very limited amount of rice grains, there was no grain left.

Huang Zicheng felt his vision blur, took two steps back, almost fainting. His lips trembled as he said, “The grain storage in Dingyuan is empty.”

Jing Qing looked at this scene in despair. His eyes turned red instantly. Suddenly, he remembered something and shouted, “Bring the clerk over here!”

Clerk Xie Gang entered the room and immediately knelt down, saying, “Lord Minister, Lord Imperial Censor. It was the magistrate, it was the magistrate who sold all the grain; it’s none of my business.”

“Don’t call us lord; it’s us who should call you Lord Clerk! Now, tell me where there is still grain in the county office!”

Huang Zicheng was furious.

“Magistrate, Magistrate’s house, around two thousand stones.”

Xie Gang hurriedly spoke.

“At the county office?”

Huang Zicheng asked.

“No, it’s in Green Willow Manor. The magistrate has built a large mansion north of the city, and there is grain inside.”

In order to save his life, Xie Gang revealed everything.

Huang Zicheng sternly said, “Lead the way. If we can’t find grain, not only will you die, but your family won’t escape either!”

“No need to search; there is no grain there either.”

Xiong Wucheng walked in, weighing a silver ingot in his hand. He said, “Wu Maocai has already exchanged most of the grain for silver. There is less than one hundred stones of grain left in the manor.”

Huang Zicheng and Jing Qing’s faces turned pale. In this case, the county government would face a situation of having no rice for cooking.

“We can buy grain,” Jing Qing said through gritted teeth.

Xiong Wucheng tossed a silver ingot high in the air, catching it skillfully. He said, “This silver ingot is worth five taels of silver. Lord Jing, how much grain do you think you can buy with it?”

Quickly responding, Jing Qing said, “One tael of silver for two stones of rice, naturally, ten stones of rice. Just take out a few hundred taels of silver, purchase the grain, and we can wait for the imperial grain supply to arrive.”

Xiong Wucheng threw the silver to Jing Qing, then tossed over his shoulder a sack he was carrying, saying, “Here are five hundred taels of silver. Lord Jing, you don’t need to buy a thousand stones of rice, just buy five hundred. The rest is all yours. How about it?”

“You’re misusing public funds?!” Jing Qing said discontentedly.

“Hehe, who cares about that now? Hundreds or even tens of thousands of people are waiting to eat. As long as there’s grain, a little embezzlement won’t incur the Emperor’s wrath, right?” Xiong Wucheng said and then walked away.

Huang Zicheng watched as Jing Qing opened the sack, confirming that it contained silver. However, at this moment, Huang Zicheng’s expression was extremely unpleasant.

“Let’s buy the grain first; it’s the only way out for now,” Jing Qing said somewhat wearily.

Huang Zicheng looked at Jing Qing, sighed with bitterness, and said, “Don’t you think there’s something wrong with Xiong Wucheng’s words? Why didn’t he do this himself? Five hundred taels of silver to buy five hundred stones of rice.”

Who wouldn’t want to deal with money?

Jing Qing looked at Huang Zicheng in confusion, asking, “Why?”