Chapter 192: Set Plan, Sky-High Grain Prices

Wu Yuan, Qiu Dalai, and others became uneasy. If the Security Bureau had its eyes on them, it would be challenging to accomplish anything. The funeral date might even need to be advanced.

Yu Xin watched silently without uttering a word.

Sometimes, being too polite to them would make them think they were easy to bully. Since politeness couldn’t solve the problem, it was time to handle things without courtesy.

Xiong Wucheng was a martial artist, part of the Security Bureau. No matter how big the issue was, it didn’t fall under Yu Xin’s jurisdiction. Even if he eliminated this group of people, it wouldn’t matter much, except for adding a few more victims to the disaster relief efforts.

If these people were too outrageous, ignoring the life and death of the common people, Yu Xin didn’t mind discarding his official position and resorting to more forceful measures. He was prepared to sacrifice himself to apologize to the world if necessary.

Wu Yuan, seeing the strong stance from the other side, had no choice but to give in. He said, “We truly have no grain on hand, but since the government needs it, we will have to go to the rural areas and try to purchase some grain.”

“How much can you purchase?” Yu Xin asked with a cold gaze.

“At the moment, it’s hard to say. People everywhere are suffering from disasters, and grain is essential for survival. It’s likely that there won’t be many willing to sell, but we’ll try to gather around five stones. That should be achievable.”

Wu Yuan stated.

Yu Xin shook his head slightly. Five stones?

It seemed like they were just trying to dismiss them like beggars.

“Five hundred stones.”

Yu Xin said coldly.

“Five hundred stones are probably impossible. Sir, you’re well aware of the situation in the city, if you could truly purchase so much grain, why would you need to arrange a feast here?”

Wu Yuan directly refused.

Yu Xin stood up, surveyed the surroundings, and said, “If you can’t make the decision, let your master come.”

Wu Yuan and the others watched as Yu Xin left quietly, their faces becoming very unpleasant.

“Elder Wu, what should we do? The court is acting like bandits.”

Qiu Dalai complained angrily.

Wu Yuan gritted his teeth and snorted, “Bandits rob grain, but they need to know where the grain is! Our family only has enough grain to last for a month. Even if they search, we can’t provide more than four, five, or six stones. I don’t believe they can endure without any grain.”

“That’s good. Once these people go mad from hunger and become mobs, we can take advantage of the situation and deliver a fatal blow to these court officials!”

Qiu Dalai said fiercely, lowering his voice.

Wu Yuan nodded slightly and said, “Is the manpower well placed?”

“They have mixed into the refugee group from yesterday. They are all people who have suffered from the disaster, completely reliable.”

Qiu Dalai said confidently.

Wu Yuan looked at the others and clasped his hands, “Everyone, follow the orders of the ‘court,’ do your best, and don’t let down the grace bestowed upon us.”

“Yes, sir.”

The group saluted and left one after another.

In the county office hall.

Yan Xubo looked at Yu Xin, Huang Zicheng, and others, and said anxiously, “My Lord, there is not enough food. Tomorrow morning, we can only have thin porridge, and by noon, it will be running out. Without more food, there will be casualties.”

Huang Zicheng raised his hand and touched his stomach, saying to Yan Xubo, “You’re anxious, and the lord is anxious too. Arrange for people to go to the homes of the common people and buy some more. Increase the price a bit. Buy as much as you can, and try to sustain for a few more days.”

“My Lord, I heard that in the past few days, grain merchants have bought a lot of grain from the common people at the high price of eight maces per stone. This is also one of the reasons why we don’t have enough food. Even if we go to the common people again to purchase, it’s probably just a drop in the bucket.”

Yan Xubo said resentfully.

Yu Xin remained silent.

From various indications, the covert manipulator is definitely not an ordinary figure. They not only are aware of the court’s movements but also anticipated the grain issue in the city and understand the court’s next actions.

A person who seizes every opportunity is definitely not an ordinary gentry. There must be a power supporting them from behind.

Knowing that the refugees from Huaiyuan had moved to Dingyuan, and the court providing relief in Dingyuan are not little. The prefect of Fengyang, the commander, the deputy commander, and even the people from Huaiyuan, the garrison.

Who leaked information, and who was plotting in Dingyuan?

My apologies for the confusion. Here’s the corrected translation:

Yu Xin squinted slightly and said, “Post a notice, two taels of silver for one stone of rice, as long as it is delivered, the government will buy it.”

“Sir, isn’t this inappropriate?”

Jing Qing stood up and quickly said, “Currently, we don’t have much silver on hand. The majority of it is the silver left by Wu Maocai. We’ve already spent a lot on clothing, purchasing food, buying medicinal herbs, etc. Now we have less than two thousand taels.”

“Even if two thousand taels can save lives, it’s worth it. I’m afraid that, even at two taels per stone, we won’t be able to buy grain,” Yu Xin said with concern.

Jing Qing gritted his teeth and said, “Those gentry households must have a large amount of stored grain! Allowing this to happen without intervening is extremely hateful!”

Yu Xin shook his head with a chuckle, “They are merchants, hoarding goods is normal for merchants. Currently, the court grain is in Chuzhou, but Chuzhou is surrounded by mountains, and the roads are difficult. It would take at least five days to transport the grain here. Gentlemen, we need to endure a few more days of hardship and, at the same time, confront those who are plotting against us.”

Five days?

Yan Xubo was somewhat distressed. With over three thousand people having no rice, where would they find five days?

What’s more, new refugees would arrive tomorrow. If people starved to death, it would cause panic, and refugees turning into a mob might lead to another incident of killing officials.

“My Lord, given the current situation in Dingyuan, we are simply unable to continue receiving refugees. It might be better to send someone to let the incoming refugees return to Fengyang,” Yan Xubo suggested.

Yu Xin sighed, “Currently, the situation in Fengyang is dire. Sending the refugees there, if another disaster occurs, what then? Moreover, Fengyang has already dispatched many people to aid the victims of the disasters in Wo river, Sui River, and Ying River. How much strength do they have left to help the refugees in Huaiyuan? Furthermore, the refugees have traveled for several days; they must be exhausted. They can enter the city immediately, and asking them to turn back would be causing harm.”

“But without grains, their arrival won’t solve anything!”

Yan Xubo boldly exclaimed.

Yu Xin squinted his eyes slightly and said, “Do you know about the old case of Fan Xiwen?”

Yan Xubo looked at Yu Xin in confusion. Fan Xiwen?

The one who said, “Worry about the world’s worries first, and rejoice in the world’s joys later”? that Fan Zhongyan?

Who doesn’t know about such a figure?

But what does it have to do with disaster relief?

Huang Zicheng clapped his hands and said, “Lord Yu, are you thinking of using the old trick again?”

Yu Xin smiled coldly and said, “If those plotting behind the scenes just want to make some money, I can tolerate it. But if they want to make the court powerless to provide disaster relief, leading to chaos, that’s a path to death. Yan Xubo, you are responsible for posting notices inside and outside Dingyuan city, offering two taels of silver for one stone of rice. If no results are achieved in half a day, increase the grain price by five maces. If nothing is obtained within a day, increase it by one tael!”

“This…”

Yan Xubo was somewhat dumbfounded. He had heard of merchants manipulating prices, but he had never seen the government raising the price of grain on its own. This was too crazy, right?

Huang Zicheng nodded slightly and said, “In that case, it’s still a bit insufficient.”

Yu Xin’s eyes turned cold, “Indeed. Tomorrow morning, arrange for bailiffs and members of the Security Bureau to lead five hundred strong men up Houtang Mountain, down various waterways, dig wild grass, hunt, pick fruits, catch fish. We just need to endure for a few more days.”

“Haha, if Lord Yu makes such decisive decisions, it seems that the previous letter from the court has given Sir Yu a lot of confidence. Well then, since it’s a game between chess players, we’ll just be pawns, ready to follow orders,”

Huang Zicheng arched his hand, looking relaxed.

Not long after, the residents of Dingyuan City saw the constables beating copper gongs and shouting to buy grain. Each of them looked dejected, lacking confidence as they shouted, “Collecting grain, the government is collecting grain, two taels of silver for one stone…”

Many residents regretted it when they checked their rice jars at home. They sold it for only eight maces back then. What a loss! It was all because of that stubborn woman, who insisted on selling.

After lunch, the constables started shouting again, “Collecting grain, the government is collecting grain, two taels and five maces for one stone…”

By this time, some women happily scooped out a bit of rice from their rice jars, planning to go hungry for a couple of days, sell some grain, and exchange it for silver. However, they were stopped by their men.

“It has increased by five maces in just one morning; let’s wait and see.”

“It’s enough, what if the price drops?”

“What does a woman know? Just wait.”

In the evening, the price of grain had risen to three taels for one stone.

The woman lifted her bag, “Is it enough now?”

The man waved his hand, “It has already increased by one tael today; tomorrow it will surely be more.”

As expected, on the second day at dawn, the government’s price for collecting grain reached three taels and five maces.

In the courtyard beside the Mu Chun River, Wu Yuan said with a solemn expression, “The government is raising the price every day; it seems they can’t hold on. However, I’ve gathered information that the merchants from Jia Mountain and Beilu have already brought in grain. They are less than thirty li away from Dingyuan City. If this batch of grain falls into the hands of the county office, our plan will be…”

Qu You frowned and asked, “Why did the merchants from those two places arrive so quickly? They shouldn’t have known in advance that the refugees from Huaiyuan would enter Dingyuan, right?”

“Sir, there are people from Huaiyuan in those two places as well. They are likely disaster-stricken peasants who sought refuge there. However, based on my speculation, their grain should not be much. Even if they bring it, it won’t be enough for the refugees in the city to eat.”

Wu Yuan said seriously.

Qu You paced a few steps, suddenly turned around, and ordered, “Buy all the grain, not a single grain is allowed to enter Dingyuan!”

Wu Yuan looked at Qu You in surprise and said, “Sir, this may require a lot of money…”

“We are here for the cause, not for wealth. Go and do it. In less than three days, these refugees will rise, and then we can act accordingly. Although I know that we will meet our demise, I have no regrets. Even in death, I want the dead Zhu Yuanzhang, as well as the living Zhu Yunwen, to witness our wrath!”

Qu You said forcefully.

Wu Yuan’s emotions surged, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “Even in death, what does it matter? We are all people without homes, without descendants. Death is a release, a way to reunite with our families sooner.”

“I will accompany you on this journey,” Qu You solemnly declared.

Wu Yuan smiled and nodded heavily.

The price of grain in Dingyuan City had already reached the exorbitant rate of six taels for one stone, yet they could still procure only a limited amount of grain. People in the city occasionally fainted from hunger.

Qu You stood at a high point, looking at the county office in the distance, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Soon, very soon.

The number of people fainting from hunger increased, and Qu You even suspected that those carried to the county office might have already starved to death, hidden there to avoid causing panic.

What was unsettling was that the individuals embedded among the refugees had never reported back.

Was it because of the closed county office doors?

Wu Yuan hurriedly approached, saying with some unease, “Sir, we have purchased two thousand stones of grain, all bought at the high price of eight taels. If we continue like this, our accounts may not be able to bear it.”

“Buy it. Use all the money, to seal Dingyuan for another day!”

Qu You said coldly.

“Those merchants are asking for ten taels for one stone… This…”

Wu Yuan was unwilling; he had always been the one profiting from others, and now others were profiting from him.

“Buy! We need time!”

Qu You knew that every additional moment meant an increased chance of success.

“As you command.”

Wu Yuan left helplessly.

Qu You turned around and said to the guards standing nearby, “Is everything ready?”

“Everything is ready. Just waiting for your command. Five hundred brothers can control Dingyuan City in an instant.”

The guard replied with seriousness.

“Hehe, good, very good. Tomorrow night, we kill the officials and rebel!”

Qu You revealed a chilling smile.