Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

Chapter 797: Chapter 216 Chen Jiusi’s Strategy, Yelu Advances into the Trap (10,000 Characters Asking for Subscription)_2

”Yes!”

Ah Da immediately clasped his fists and turned to leave.

Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and asked, ”Will this make them bring out the grain?”

Chen Jie replied, ”There are measures from above and policies from below, but since the Commandery Princess has issued the order, they will have to show some respect.”

Zhao Ya furrowed her brows and said, ”Are you saying that they dare to disobey my orders?”

Chen Jie said, ”What’s so strange about that? The Commandery Princess, even with her power, is just a first-class official; at most, they could simply avoid the Commandery Princess. Thus, force won’t solve this issue.”

Hearing this, Zhao Ya frowned and asked, ”What do you mean? Do you think my orders are ignored?”

Chen Jie said, ”Commandery Princess, let’s not discuss this initially. Even if all the major families and guilds in Mianshui obey you and release their hoarded grain, I estimate it would only be about fifty or sixty thousand stones. Including my seventy thousand stones, we still have a shortfall of nearly two hundred thousand stones.”

Zhao Ya thought for a moment and then said, ”I will write a letter to Huangzhou Prefecture to see if we can transfer some grain from there to alleviate the urgent need.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie smiled. This was exactly what he had been waiting for.

What did Chen Jie come to Zhao Ya for? Was it to trick the local scholars into releasing their grain?

No, it was not. Chen Jie had realized that even if they squeezed out all the grain from the scholars in the city, it would not be enough to fill the huge deficit in Mianshui.

Therefore, external forces had to be attracted.

It was necessary to break the impasse, such as arranging for grain supplies from Huangzhou Prefecture.

At that moment, Zhao Ya looked at Ah San and said, ”Ah San.”

”Subordinate is here.”

”You go to Huangzhou, speak to my elder brother, and ask him to send some grain to Mianshui urgently.”

Ah San clasped his fists and said, ”As the Commandery Princess commands, I will go now.”

Watching Ah San hurry off, Chen Jie said, ”Then, I will leave it all in the hands of the Commandery Princess.”

Zhao Ya replied, ”Don’t worry, the people’s affairs are my affairs. Leave this grain matter to me.”

Chen Jie nodded slightly and said, ”Then, I will take my leave.”

Chen Jie turned around and left.

Everything came to an end like this, with Chen Jie in a fairly good mood, hoping the Commandery Princess could manage to get the grain.

Upon returning to the Fishing Guild, Chen Jie immediately issued orders to start full-fledged disaster relief efforts to help more of the populace. In the following days, Chen Jie was extremely busy.

However, the impact of the disaster continued, plunging the entire Mianshui into a deep state of sorrow.

...

In the eleventh year of Zhizheng.

Mianshui was struck by a flood monster, destroying over ten thousand acres of fertile land, affecting over a hundred thousand people, a major disaster in Mianshui.

In years of great disaster, calamities were certain, and foremost among them was grain. The largest grain warehouse in Mianshui County, the Mianshui Warehouse, was destroyed, its stockpiled grain turned to dust, causing a great panic in Mianshui and even rumors spread that Mianshui was running out of grain.

People were terrified, rushing to the city’s major grain stores to buy grain frantically.

However, almost all major grain stores in the city closed their doors and ceased selling to hoard supplies.

Under such circumstances, Zhao Ya, in conjunction with the Mianshui County Government, issued a public notice, strongly intervening and ordering all major grain stores in the city to open and sell grain at fair prices, forbidding them from inflating prices, otherwise they would face severe punishment.

Under pressure, the sizable grain stores had no choice but to sell their grain.

However, it was clear to those with discerning eyes that pressure from the authorities was not effective.

Because there were measures from above and countermeasures from below.

Mianshui, South City, Datong Grain Store.

This grain store was run by Zhou Peng of the Beggar Sect.

”Alright everyone, today’s grain has been sold out, please go back.”

Inside the store, the shopkeeper waved his hands, instructed the staff to usher people out, then boarded up the door, and hung a sign that read: Sold out today.

Immediately, this caused the people outside to complain.

”Hey, shopkeeper, why did you sell out so quickly today? We didn’t even get to buy.”

”Yes, shopkeeper, why did you board up so soon? I’m warning you, the government office has issued a notice. The Commandery Princess said we must sell grain at fair prices. Are you trying to disobey orders?”

”That’s right, please, shopkeeper, I’ve been waiting in line for three days and haven’t moved up yet. You can’t do this!”

”Shopkeeper, if you keep this up, we will report you at the government office. You are clearly disobeying openly!”

”Sell the grain, open the doors and sell!”

...

Listening to the loud cries from the people outside, the shopkeeper inside opened the window board and said, ”Everyone, please stop shouting, shouting won’t bring any more grain. We only have fifty spots per day, and each person can buy two jin of grain. We’ve sold out, so what else are you shouting for?”

”What, the Commandery Princess said...”

Just then, one of the people tried to interrupt, but the shopkeeper interjected, ”The Commandery Princess ordered us to open and sell grain at fair prices, and we did. But this is all the stock we have. The Commandery Princess can’t force us to conjure up grain. No, why don’t you look, I have sold all my meat to you as well.”

”Alright, alright, everyone stop crowding around. You’d do better to go to West City and get in line.”

After finishing his words, the shopkeeper put down the wooden board. Hearing what the shopkeeper had said, the people outside cursed him, but the shopkeeper turned a deaf ear and went back to the inner yard.

At that moment, Zhou Peng was in the back, playing horse hang with a few acquaintances.

Joining him were local figures: the Firewood Guild Gang Leader, Liu Rong, and two big local landlords, Landlord Zhang and Landlord Wang.

The four of them sat together playing horse hang, a popular game of the era similar to mahjong.

While they were playing, a beautiful maid attended to them. Zhou Peng picked up a cup of tea the maid was holding and took a sip, just as the grain store shopkeeper entered the front office and greeted, ”Gang Leader, today’s grain has been sold off.”