The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 321 Famine in the Jin Kingdom, Changchun Zhenren

Guanzhong, Longzhou City.

Before the morning mist had even dissipated, the “Fengyu Grain Shop” on South Street had just taken down its door panels when the people surged in like a tide.

With copper coins tucked in their pockets and empty cloth bags or baskets in their hands, they squeezed the door panels, making them creak.

"Make way! Let me weigh two pounds first!"

"My child hasn't had porridge for two days, shopkeeper, please sell me some!"

Amid the noise, the grain shop clerk stepped onto a long bench and hung a wooden sign on the door frame.

"Twelve coins a pound!"

As soon as the man finished shouting, the crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even more intense complaints.

"What? Twelve coins? Wasn't it eleven coins yesterday?!"

A man dressed in coarse cloth and shorts jumped up, his hand trembling as he pointed at the wooden sign: "It's only been one night, and the price has increased by another coin? Are they trying to drive people to their deaths?!"

"That's right! It was only eight coins a day ago, and now the price has risen faster than turning the pages of a book!"

The old woman beside her wiped away her tears, her little grandson in her arms pale with hunger: "We only have a few dozen copper coins left. They used to be enough to buy three catties of grain, but now they're not even enough for two..."

"Manager, come out here! This price is unreasonable!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and instantly a chorus of agreement followed, the chaotic noise nearly lifting the roof off the grain shop.

The grain shop owner slowly walked out of the inner room, toying with two shiny walnuts in his hands, his face showing a nonchalant expression.

"What's all the fuss about? Yesterday is yesterday, today is today."

He glanced at the crowd, his tone impatient: "This is the price for today. Take it or leave it. There are other people waiting."

The people were furious, but no one dared to actually cause trouble.

These days, anyone who can open a grain store must have some kind of background.
Under the awning by the threshold of the grain shop, several yamen runners were chatting idly while holding teacups. Their occasional glances were full of warnings, clearly indicating that they had already been taken care of by the shopkeeper.

The crowd gradually lost their spirits.

Some people turned around cursing and prepared to try their luck at other grain shops.

Someone gritted their teeth and squeezed to the counter, slamming the copper coins on the table: "Weigh one pound!"

But when he took the small half-bag of grain, his face was full of worry.

This little bit of food won't last for a few days. Once it's gone, will we really have to beg for food on the roadside like the refugees outside the city?
Just then, a slight commotion suddenly arose at the entrance of the grain shop.

Several people dressed in blue Taoist robes walked in. The hems of their robes were covered with dust, but their refined and elegant air was still evident.

The young Taoist priest leading the group was in his early twenties, with a handsome face, bright eyes, and his hair tied up with a wooden hairpin.

Carrying a plain cloth bag, he was Li Zhichang, a Taoist disciple from Longmen Mountain outside the city.

The grain shop owner, who had initially worn a somewhat arrogant expression, immediately broke into a broad smile upon seeing Li Zhichang and hurried forward to greet him: "Oh! Master Zhang, what brings you here?"

"Please come in, the tea we just brewed before the rain is still warm!"

It should be noted that Li Zhichang's master, Qiu Chuji, was a renowned and highly accomplished Taoist master.

Even high-ranking officials and nobles in Chang'an City would often make special trips to Longmen Mountain to pay homage to immortals, seek guidance, and pray for blessings and the elimination of disasters.

The shopkeeper, who usually had no chance to curry favor with Li Zhichang, was naturally overly enthusiastic upon meeting him.

Li Zhichang nodded slightly, his tone as gentle as a breeze: "Shopkeeper, there's no need for such formalities. I've brought my fellow disciples here today to buy some grain."

"Easy to say! Easy to say!"

The shopkeeper hurriedly instructed his assistant, "Quickly weigh out a shi (a unit of dry measure) of the best millet for the Taoist priest, at ten coins per jin (a unit of weight)!"

"Wait a moment, shopkeeper."

Li Zhichang raised his hand to stop him, his gaze falling on the wooden sign on the door frame: "I just heard outside that the price of grain has risen to twelve coins a catty today. Why are you treating me so specially?"

"Besides, one shi of grain isn't enough!"

"I won't take advantage of you, shopkeeper. Just give me the same price as the people."

The shopkeeper chuckled twice and lowered his voice, saying, "The Taoist priest is a master, how can he be compared to ordinary people? Besides, your master, Master Qiu, often brings blessings to the village, so this little token of my appreciation is nothing."

However, he did not refuse.

He wouldn't mind if a bushel of grain were given away for free; he would be more than willing to accept the connection to climb Longmen Mountain.

But if it's too much, then it'll hurt your wallet.

"Although I practice my spiritual cultivation in the mountains, I am aware of the hardships of the people."

Li Zhichang frowned slightly. "When I came down the mountain a while ago, the price of grain was only eight coins. Why has it increased so much in such a short time?"

Mentioning this, the shopkeeper's smile faded a bit, and he sighed: "Daoist, you don't know, there are disasters everywhere this year. The east bank of the river was hit by locusts, and the fields can't harvest any grain. You can't buy any new grain on the market at all."

He paused, looked around, and leaned closer to Li Zhichang, saying mysteriously, "I reckon a lot of grain has been requisitioned by the government."

"As you know, the Xia Kingdom to the north is currently at war."

"Those barbarians from the northern grasslands have dealt a terrible blow to the Xia Kingdom. I heard they even captured Xingqing Prefecture."

"The imperial court will definitely have to send troops to guard the Yellow River and prevent those northern peoples from coming over. With so many soldiers, how can they not eat?"

As he spoke, the shopkeeper suddenly stopped, secretly glancing at the yamen runner drinking tea not far away. His lips moved, but he ultimately did not continue speaking.

He originally wanted to say that the Jin high command was spreading rumors that the Song Dynasty was secretly preparing for a northern expedition, and the court was mobilizing troops and supplies to guard the border, so food was naturally becoming more scarce.

However, the imperial court strictly forbade discussing this matter in private, fearing it would cause panic among the people, and he dared not risk his business.

However, the imperial court did not pay much attention to the matter of the northern frontier attacking the Xia Kingdom.

After all, it's a war against the Xia Kingdom, and the Xia Kingdom is on the verge of defeat, so there's no harm in talking about it.

"I think the officials are overthinking it."

The shopkeeper relaxed again and said to Li Zhichang with a smile, "Those barbarians from the grasslands can't even feed themselves. They were lucky enough to conquer Xingqing Prefecture, but at most they can only occupy the territory of the Xia Kingdom. How dare they offend our Great Jin Kingdom?"

"The Yellow River is a natural barrier; do you think they can fly over there?"

These words also reflected the common sentiments of the people of the Jin Dynasty.

They had no concrete concept of "Northern Xinjiang".

They assumed they were just a group of nomadic herders on horseback, no different from the tribes that raided the borders in the past, and that they would never cross the Yellow River to invade the heart of Guanzhong.

What the shopkeeper didn't know was that the rise in grain prices in Guanzhong was directly related to the "hunger-stricken grassland barbarians" he had mentioned.

The northern border region is offering high prices to secretly purchase grain from two grain merchants in Guanzhong.

A shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain in Guanzhong normally costs only 800 to 1,000 wen, but when transported to Hexi, it can be sold for more than 3,000 wen, a profit of three times.

Under such temptation, grain merchants were willing to transport grain to Hexi, even at the risk of smuggling.

Moreover, this place is not far from the Yellow River, so it wouldn't take too much manpower and resources to deliver it.

It was the frenzied buying by these two major grain traders that led to a decrease in the supply of grain in Longzhou City, and prices rose day by day.

Li Zhichang listened to the shopkeeper's words, but his brows did not relax.

When he was practicing in the mountains, his master Qiu Chuji mentioned that the northern frontier was not an ordinary grassland tribe, and was by no means something that could be easily subdued.

However, he couldn't say these things to the shopkeeper directly, and only said lightly, "Things are unpredictable, so it's best for the shopkeeper to be more careful."

After saying that, he bought ten bushels of grain from that grain shop, loaded them onto a cart, and headed to the next grain shop.

By evening, Li Zhichang had returned to Longmen Mountain.

Just then, I ran into an old farmer wearing a coarse cloth jacket, a straw hat, and carrying a hoe, who was returning from the fields.

His back was straight, his eyes were clear, and he exuded an air of otherworldly grace. He was none other than his master, Qiu Chuji.

"Master."

Qiu Chuji took off his straw hat and took a sip of water: "Tell me, how is the grain situation in the city?"

"Master, the situation is not good."

Li Zhichang sighed, his tone grave: "The price of grain in Longzhou has risen again today. The cheapest coarse rice costs eleven wen per jin, which is one wen higher than yesterday."

“I visited four grain shops, and each one said they were short of stock. In the end, I could only buy fifty shi of grain.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, "This disciple plans to go to Chang'an City early tomorrow morning to see if there are more grain shops there, and perhaps I can buy more to bring back."

As Qiu Chuji listened, he looked up at the northern night sky and said, "I'm afraid it will be difficult to buy grain in Chang'an as well."

"The root cause of the current food shortage in Guanzhong may not lie with the imperial court, but with the northern frontier."

"The Northern Frontier?" Li Zhichang was slightly surprised: "The war between the Northern Frontier and the Xia Kingdom has such a big impact on grain prices in Guanzhong?"

Qiu Chuji withdrew his gaze and lightly traced his fingertips on the stone table: "Your martial uncle Liu Chuxuan went to Liangzhou to spread the Dao last year."

"A letter just arrived today, describing the scene after the Hexi Corridor was conquered by the Northern Frontier people."

Li Zhichang's heart tightened: "Uncle Liu...is he alright?"

"He is fine, but what he saw and heard greatly shocked him."

Qiu Chuji spoke calmly, yet with a hint of indescribable complexity: "The letter said that after the Northern Frontier people took over Hexi, they did not plunder like the former Xia Kingdom troops."

Instead, they first cleared out all the officials and landowners of the Xia Kingdom, and took over all the land in Hexi. Now, the Northern Frontier is the largest and only landowner in Hexi.

"They rented the land to the people to cultivate, collecting rent and taxes, but only taking 40%, leaving the remaining 60% to the people themselves."

"Think about it, how could the people not be happy with such rent and taxes? Nowadays, farmers in Hexi are very enthusiastic about farming, and even land that was abandoned in previous years is being scrambled to be cultivated."

Li Zhichang was stunned and subconsciously said, "This...this is the same as the 'Wangtian System' promoted by Wang Mang back then!"

"Wang Mang failed back then, but the people of the northern frontier actually succeeded?"

"Similar in appearance, yet different."

Qiu Chuji shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of Taoist wisdom: "During Wang Mang's time, the timing was wrong, the opposition was too strong, and there was chaos both above and below, which ultimately led to the loss of popular support."

Wang Mang's base for implementing his new policies was inextricably linked to powerful clans and gentry; who would be willing to harm their own interests?

In contrast, the northern frontier has its own ruling group, which has no connection with the interest groups of the Xia Kingdom.

In the course of their actions, they naturally had no scruples whatsoever, forcefully overturning everything and starting over.

Furthermore, it effectively connected with the people, won their hearts and minds, and naturally succeeded.

"Your uncle said in the letter that the Xia Kingdom had previously wanted to reclaim Hexi, but many people in Hexi actually took the initiative to help the people of the Northern Frontier guard the pass - the hearts of the people are clearly divided."

After a pause, Qiu Chuji changed the subject, his tone becoming more worried.

"However, the people of the Northern Frontier are also too rigid in their actions."

"Their killings were excessive and contrary to the natural order."

“They showed almost no leniency to the landlords and officials who resisted; they were even more harsh on the local powerful families, showing no mercy whatsoever.”

"The Tao says, 'Govern by non-action,' which is in accordance with the principles of Heaven and the will of the people. While the people of the northern frontier can quickly stabilize the situation with their decisive and efficient actions, it is also easy to sow the seeds of future problems."

"What's even more worrying is..."

Qiu Chuji lowered his voice even further, his eyes filled with solemnity: "The people of the Northern Frontier have demolished many Buddhist temples within the territory of Xia Kingdom, and forced the monks in the temples to return to secular life, making them either farm or join the army."

"This scene looks just like the 'Three Wu Emperors' persecution of Buddhism' in previous dynasties."

Li Zhichang's heart skipped a beat: "Master, are you worried that if the people from the Northern Frontier enter the Central Plains in the future, they will treat us Taoists in the same way?"

"I have to guard against it."

Qiu Chuji sighed softly, gazing at the endless night outside the Taoist temple: "If that day really comes, even if I am willing to risk my life, I will travel to Longcheng to meet the legendary Grand Protector in person."

"We urge him to stop the fighting and be cautious in killing, so that the people of the Central Plains will not be slaughtered again. We also hope that he can leave a way out for the Taoists..."

The weight of those words silenced Li Zhichang as well.

Neither the master nor his disciple expected that before the crisis posed by the northern frontier to the Daoist sect could materialize, the Jin government would first deliver a blow to Qiu Chuji.

The next morning, soup kitchens were set up at the foot of Longmen Mountain.

The grain that Li Zhichang bought from Longzhou City was being cooked into thin porridge by his fellow disciples and distributed to the refugees who had come from all directions.

The elderly, women, and children lined up in a long queue, their hands trembling as they held the broken bowls.

They all knelt down and bowed to Qiu Chuji, calling him a "living immortal"!

But on the third day, when the soup kitchen reopened, Zhou Wenyuan, the prefect of Longzhou, came looking for them.

Upon seeing Qiu Chuji, he immediately put on a polite smile, cupped his hands and said, "Imperial Master Qiu, your presence is here. I apologize for my presumptuous visit."

Knowing Qiu Chuji's connections with high-ranking officials in Chang'an, he dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Qiu Chuji returned the greeting, but felt a vague unease in his heart: "The Prefect has come in person; what brings you here?"

"To be honest, I came here for this soup kitchen."

Zhou Wenyuan changed the subject, his smile fading slightly: "It's a good thing that you, a compassionate person, are providing relief to disaster victims. However..."

"With the famine raging now and people's hearts unsettled, it is probably inappropriate for you to set up a porridge distribution tent on your own."

Qiu Chuji frowned: "What do you mean by that, sir? I am only distributing porridge to save people's lives. How could that be inappropriate?"

"The true master is unaware of this."

Zhou Wenyuan sighed, his tone carrying a hint of veiled reminder: "Grain prices are soaring and the number of disaster victims is increasing daily. The imperial court has already issued an edict for disaster relief, but the grain has not yet arrived."

"It is certainly a good deed for the Master to distribute porridge in advance, but if this gets to the ears of the imperial court, some people will inevitably say that the local government is not doing a good job in disaster relief, which is why the Master has to step in."

"At that time, I will be in a difficult position, and I'm afraid the real person will also be subject to unfounded speculation."

He paused, his implication becoming increasingly clear: "You must know about Zhang Jiao of the Former Han Dynasty, right?"

"Back then, he used the pretext of distributing porridge and spreading his teachings to gather crowds and start an uprising, causing chaos throughout the land."

"I certainly trust the true man's character, but the court may not think so."

Qiu Chuji's expression changed slightly.

He never expected that his good deed would be compared to Zhang Jiao's rebellion, which was an insult to the Quanzhen School of Taoism.

Before he could refute, Zhou Wenyuan continued, "In my opinion, you should hand over the disaster relief grain and money to the government."

"If the government distributes the food in a unified manner, it will not only ensure that every grain of food reaches the disaster victims, but also avoid suspicion of Quanzhen Taoism. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

These words seemed reasonable, but Qiu Chuji was furious when he heard them.

He preached in various places for many years, how could he not know about the corruption of the government?
If this grain is handed over, perhaps even 10% will actually end up in the stomachs of the refugees, and that would be considered a sign of the government's conscience.

The remainder would mostly be siphoned off by officials at various levels, ending up in their own pockets.

"Master Zhou."

Qiu Chuji suppressed his anger, his voice cold: "These grains were bought with great effort by my master and me, only to provide emergency relief."

“If the government can truly provide disaster relief, I naturally won’t bother.”

"Does the Master not trust me?"

Zhou Wenyuan's face also darkened, and his tone carried a hint of threat: "I am only acting according to the rules."

"If the real person insists on doing this, what if something happens..."

In short, all disaster relief supplies and private donations must be managed and distributed by the government, and private organizations are not allowed to dispose of them without authorization.

Qiu Chuji looked at the scheming in Zhou Wenyuan's eyes and felt helpless.

The people cannot fight against the officials. Although he enjoyed a high reputation among the people and knew many high-ranking officials, he did not dare to confront the entire bureaucratic system.

The disaster relief pie involves too many interest groups. From the state government to the county government, how many people are waiting to make a fortune from the disaster?
Even if he, a Taoist priest, possessed extraordinary abilities, he couldn't withstand the suppression from so many people.

"That's all."

Qiu Chuji closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with exhaustion: "The soup kitchen will be closed today, and the grain... Lord Zhou, please have someone take it away."

After all, the money for buying the grain was obtained by Qiu Chuji through begging under the guise of providing relief to disaster victims, and it was not allowed to bring it back to Longmen Mountain.

If we hand it over to the government, at least the people will have something to eat, and every life saved will be a life saved.

"Your Excellency is truly wise and righteous; I am deeply grateful," Zhou Wenyuan said with a smile.

"Rest assured, I will handle this properly and will never let down your kindness."

After Zhou Wenyuan and the yamen runners left, Li Zhichang couldn't help but shout angrily, "Master! Giving this grain to the government is like feeding dogs! The refugees down the mountain are still waiting for porridge!"

Qiu Chuji sighed softly: "How could I not know? But we can't fight against the government."

He suddenly recalled the contents of Liu Chuxuan's letter, and his tone was somewhat wistful: "Your uncle said in the letter that when the government of the Northern Frontier came forward to provide disaster relief, there were never so many complicated procedures."

"What is delivered to the refugees is real food. We will even organize the disaster-stricken people to relocate to the Hexi Corridor, and give them land and seeds so that they can survive with their own hands."

"It's the same disaster relief, it's the same government, so why is there such a big difference?" Li Zhichang muttered to himself.

Qiu Chuji did not answer, but simply looked up at the northern sky.

　"In the fifth year of the Taihe reign, there was a famine. Farming and hunting were abandoned. The people were impoverished, hungry, and exhausted, unable to cultivate the land, and bandits rose up in droves." — *History of the Jin Dynasty*

　　
　
(End of this chapter)