spoiled brat

Chapter 159, Section 158: The Frost's Startling Touch (Part 8)

Xie Xiaoqing had considered that someone might play tricks on him at night, but he never expected that the person would be Xiao Duo.

He crept to the warehouse door, the key was still in the lock, and after checking, he realized it wasn't the one Li Qingwen was in charge of. He wondered where that kid got his supernatural ability to make a replica out of scrap iron!

After a long silence, Xie Xiaoqing peered out and saw a faint candlelight in the dark granary. Xiao Duo, holding a candle, froze in front of the piles of grain sacks.

What's the point of being so rigid?

Xie Xiaoqing saw that Xiao Duo was carrying a sack and bamboo tubes, clearly there to steal grain. Why didn't he hurry up and pack it up and leave?

Xiao Duo walked towards the corner of the warehouse. There were rat holes in the corner, so it wasn't surprising that the grain bags were torn.

The candle was frozen on the ground. Xiao Duo squatted down, inserted one end of the bamboo tube into the grain bag, and the other end into the burlap sack at his waist.

With a soft rustling sound, Xie Xiaoqing noticed that Xiao Duo's waist was gradually bulging, and he just hoped that Xiao Duo would leave quickly.

But Xiao Duo's actions were beyond his expectations.

Xiao Duo used a bamboo tube to pour the spilled grain back into the container.

This makes it difficult to understand.

In these times of war and famine, grain is more expensive than money. Xiao Duo stole the grain to sell, so why would he return the money he had already received?
Xiao Duo punctured several more grain sacks, collected the grain, and poured it out, but without exception, none of them were taken.

Xie Xiaoqing's brows furrowed even deeper. The Ministry of Revenue was procuring spring wheat from the Jianghuai region, which was transported by boat. Even if it got a little damp, it could still fetch a good price when sold... Why would they look down on a little beggar?
While Xiao Duo was pondering, the candles inside the warehouse went out. Xiao Duo packed up her things and tiptoed out of the doorway.

He made the key himself. He became acquainted with the boy who worked for Li Qingwen when he was raising horses. He saw the key once and remembered the shape of the teeth marks.

After finally hiring someone to make it, I thought it was a chance to make a fortune, but it turned out to be a complete waste of time and effort.

Xiao Duo sighed, gently pulled out the key, and was about to turn around when a shadow crept up on him.

His neck stiffened, and he turned around stiffly to see Xie Xiaoqing standing in the moonlight, coldly asking him, "Stealing? Why aren't you stealing anymore?"

Needless to say, Xie Xiaoqing saw what he just did.

Xiao Duo's gaze darkened, and her hands, hanging by her sides, slowly clenched.

Being caught was a capital offense, punishable by beheading. If Xie Xiaoqing wasn't in front of him, he would feign begging for mercy and take advantage of his unpreparedness to wipe him clean, just like when he killed the guards escorting him during his exile.

But it was precisely this person who was given a job.

Deng.

"Thank you, young master." Xiao Duo knelt down and showed Xie Xiaoqing the empty sack. "I was bewitched and had some wicked thoughts. Please forgive me this time, for I have realized my mistake..."

Xie Xiaoqing didn't care about that. He glanced at the closed warehouse door and said, "Don't panic. First, explain why you changed your mind. I saw everything you did. Why did you return the stolen grain?"

Xiao Duo was taken aback: "You don't know the reason?"

This question stumped Xie Xiaoqing: "What's the reason?"

Xiao Duo didn't want to say it outright, so he got up and unlocked the door again.

Xie Xiaoqing pushed open the door and stepped inside. It was pitch black all around, and a damp, musty smell mixed with a hint of sweetness wafted towards him.

Having worked on the farm since childhood, Xie Xiaoqing was very familiar with this smell, and his temples throbbed.

He squatted down in the corner, grabbed a handful of wheat grains from a small, punctured grain sack, brought it to his nose, and felt a chill run down his spine.

No wonder even thieves are too lazy to steal; this grain is so damp and moldy, it could kill someone.

Xie Xiaoqing's face gradually paled. Xiao Duo stood behind him, holding a candle, wondering why he was so shocked.

"Young Master Xie, didn't you know that the imperial court was using grain that was about to go moldy to provide us with relief?"

This question shouldn't be asked. For refugees who are starving to death, they should be grateful for any food to fill their stomachs. How could they complain?

Xie Xiaoqing shook his head, stared at the grain of wheat in his hand, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "That's not right."

"What's wrong?" Xiao Duo held up the candle and leaned closer. By the candlelight, Xie Xiaoqing divided the wheat grains in his hand into two piles and pointed them out to Xiao Duo: "Look, these over here are white and less damp, while these over here are green and more damp."

If the same bag of grain had been exposed to moisture during the northward transport by water, the degree of mold should have been similar.

Xiao Duo, a pimp who came from a brothel and had never farmed, asked, seemingly understanding but not quite, "You mean, someone is mixing bad grain into good grain?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Duo's expression suddenly changed. He quickly blew out the candle and tackled Xie Xiaoqing to the ground.

They rolled to a corner, and just as Xie Xiaoqing was about to ask a question, a voice rang out from outside the warehouse: "Strange, why is this door open?"

Another person said, "Let it be open. We're here to exchange grain, not to guard the gate!"

That voice is so high-pitched and thin, it's a eunuch's!
Two eunuchs carrying lanterns came in and waved to the outside: "Hurry up and change your clothes!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a dozen or so laborers carried grain sacks into the warehouse. They were clearly not first-timers; they knew the way well and even remembered which grain piles had been moved and which hadn't.

Xie Xiaoqing hid in the shadows and watched them fall and switch places... What a brilliant switcheroo!
"That guy surnamed Li knows how to handle people. He took a share of the profits from our horse breeding farm and immediately made up for it elsewhere."

The eunuchs all exclaimed in admiration, "It's remarkable that he could come up with this idea."

Another laughed and said, "We were forced into this. If he had plenty of money, he could just send it to us directly. We wouldn't have to go through all this trouble."

"On the other hand, he's still Old Man Jiang's betrothed, why is he trying so hard to please our father-in-law?"

"Who is our grandfather's superior? The Ancestor! The Ancestor is trusted by His Majesty and is close to the Crown Prince. Offending him is offending two masters. Aren't these two much more powerful than old man Jiang? That Li fellow is trying to pick up a sesame seed but doesn't want to lose a watermelon. He wants to be the Minister's son-in-law but doesn't want to offend the palace!"

"Isn't he being indecisive?"

"Aren't all people from peasant backgrounds like this? Afraid of going too far, afraid of offending people."

The speaker chuckled, "But let's not talk about this to anyone. We're the ones who will benefit in the end. And if we ever run into that guy surnamed Li again, let's not expose him."

“Of course,” another laughed. “We’re surnamed Wu, not Jiang, so we’d love for old man Jiang to have such a good son-in-law.”

Before they finished speaking, the grain had been exchanged. The laborers loaded the grain sacks onto the oxcart, while two eunuchs, mounted on horseback, coldly said, "The market inspectors are cracking down hard lately. Don't sell it in the capital. Take it to a village or county a hundred miles away. All the money from the sale will be sent to my private residence. Anyone who dares to embezzle a single penny will lose their head!"

"Yes!"

The wheels rolled on, and the sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance. Xiao Duo blew out a candle, which illuminated Xie Xiaoqing's clenched hand, dripping blood. He was filled with extreme hatred, his nails digging into his palm.

“…Beast.” Xie Xiaoqing gritted his teeth.

To avoid offending the palace, Li Qingwen made the refugees he had gathered eat moldy rice.

If they didn't eat any dead people, they could get away with it without offending anyone, and they would do their job perfectly.

If someone dies from eating it, he has something to say. If the grain transported north gets damp and moldy while traveling by water, the blame lies with the canal transport department. Can you blame him?
Xie Xiaoqing grew angrier the more he thought about it. He got up from the ground and made as if he was about to rush out and chase after him.

Xiao Duo blocked his way, saying, "Thank you, Young Master!"

After listening to the eunuch's words, Xiao Duo roughly understood the whole story and realized that the rumors outside about Xie Xiaoqing and Li Qingwen's discord were true: "If you want to find something to hold against him, it's useless to arrest him now!"

Xie Xiaoqing stamped his foot and met Xiao Duo's bright eyes: "Why?"

"Catch the thief red-handed," Xiao Duo said. "They'll come back again. Why don't you take some men and lie in ambush beforehand so you can catch them red-handed?"

Xie Xiaoqing let out a deep breath, feeling that Xiao Duo's words made sense.

He re-examined the young man before him; he was skilled, courageous, not a bad person, and even possessed some unusual and eccentric techniques.

After a long silence, Xie Xiaoqing asked softly, "I remember you said you were making money to go back to Yunzhou to find your sister, right?"

Xiao Duo knew his chance had come, so he quickly nodded.

"I need an assistant. You can help me with my tasks from now on."

Xie Xiaoqing rummaged through his pockets and pulled out only a pitifully small piece of silver, which he handed over sheepishly.
“I’m not an official yet, and I don’t have much money… but don’t worry, I’m working for a powerful person. If you come with me, you’re working for her, and you’ll be well paid.”

Xiao Duo, as if pounding garlic, took the broken silver with both hands, his heart filled with joy and excitement, all culminating in a single thought:
Zhao Zhao'er, wait for me a little longer.