A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 403 Game within a game
Inside the county government office, Song Xuan and Zhao Zhen were listening to the report from the head of the carriage and horse guild.

The main concern is how much grain has been transported into the city these days.

Song Xuan remained expressionless, then instructed the head of the carriage and horse guild to tell his subordinates not to work too hard.

This money can be earned for a while if you seize the opportunity, but if you overwork yourself, the medical expenses will be expensive.

"Thank you for your concern, sir. I will definitely give them a good talking-to when I get back."

"Well, those strange rocks of Zhongli Tongpan are not afraid of wind and rain, so you don't need to worry about them too much."

"Understood, sir. Actually, I also went to see the strange rocks of Magistrate Zhongli. Some of the rocks are probably too big to be brought over by cart or horse. It would be too much of a waste to exhaust my mule."

“The whole family depends on the mule cart for their livelihood. Tell your men to refuse unreasonable requests. If things get out of hand, just push the blame onto me.”

"The restoration of the Bian River will not be completed in a year; we must take it slowly."

With Song Xuan's backing, the head of the carriage and horse guild quickly expressed his gratitude.

If it weren't for the opportunity to make a living given to them by the top scholar Song, they wouldn't have had such good business before.

Merchants who hired carriages and horses to set up stalls at the Daxiangguo Temple were always a minority.

After he left, Zhao Zhen and Song Xuan exchanged a smile, noting that more and more grain was entering the capital, Tokyo.

All four rivers are under repair, making it even more difficult to transport grain out of Tokyo.

"My lord, your teacher Fan Zhongyan has arrived. He is in the front hall."

Song Xuan was surprised that Fan Zhongyan had returned from visiting his family so soon, so he put away the account books and asked Qi Lecheng to invite him in.

Zhao Zhen did not hide behind the screen, knowing Fan Zhongyan's temperament.

When Fan Zhongyan entered the room and saw Song Xuan and the Emperor, he was startled at first, then stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Please excuse the formalities, Mr. Fan, and have a seat."

Fan Zhongyan placed the bundle on his back on a chair beside him, took the tea poured by Song Xuan, took a sip, and calmed himself down.

"Twelfth Brother, I have just entered Tokyo and heard some rumors about you colluding with businessmen and being unworthy of being a local official. I believe in your character."

"But those people in the imperial court won't let you off the hook; they'd love for you to make a mistake."

"Were you framed?"

Fan Zhongyan was anxious, but he believed that Song Xuan would not do such a thing. The only reason he was framed was because he was trying to suppress the power of the imperial relatives.

Ordinary people don't easily distinguish between truth and falsehood; they mostly just parrot what others say.

"No."

Song Xuan shook his head: "Master, I did indeed order an increase in rice prices."

Fan Zhongyan couldn't figure it out for a moment:

"Why are you taking advantage of the chaos? Do you intend to stir up trouble and help the Emperor take control of the government?"

Only this explanation made sense to Fan Zhongyan.

After all, the Emperor sat calmly beside Song Xuan, showing no sign of anxiety.

This conjecture surprised even Zhao Zhen; he hadn't expected Fan Zhongyan to be so radical.

"It's not ready yet."

Song Xuan quickly pulled him back: "Master, the granaries in the capital city are almost empty now, they have all been transported to Huazhou."

"The grain I am currently using to provide relief to the disaster victims comes from the old grain stored in the Xiangjun warehouse."

"Moreover, with grain prices soaring, these rice merchants hoarding their goods and refusing to sell them could lead to civil unrest if this continues."

"I then wanted to lure people with profits and destroy their business with commerce."

In fact, by this point, Fan Zhongyan was already convinced that Song Xuan was deliberately pushing into the outside market in order to catch a big fish with a long line.

After all, Song Xuan's business acumen had already been proven in his hometown.

"As a result, new grain merchants like Liu Congde, hearing the news, rushed to Tokyo with large quantities of grain, intending to make a fortune while prices were high."

"This is exactly what I wanted."

Song Xuan said with great enthusiasm:

"Once they have transported all the grain into the city, I will have the carriage company slowly transport Zhongli Jin's strange stone. They won't even have a chance to take the grain away again."

"Then I'll unleash my trump card: open the Imperial Guard's granary and release the stored grain."

"Distribute grain?"

"Correct."

Song Xuan held up his finger and said, "I will distribute grain for three days, providing relief to each household. As long as you show proof, you can all receive rice to tide you over."

"No matter how high the price of grain is, if no one buys it, it won't sell at a good price. They will inevitably lower their prices against each other, and they won't have the opportunity to transport it out of the country."

"When the price of grain drops to a level that ordinary people can afford, then this whole scheme will be complete."

Fan Zhongyan nodded repeatedly: "But do you really think that distributing grain for three days will be enough?"

"Do the Imperial Guards have enough food?"

"Master, the policy of the Great Song Dynasty is to strengthen the trunk and weaken the branches. Under the current circumstances, even if the border troops do not have much food, the food in the granaries of the Imperial Guards in the capital city is enough to feed them."

"If they can hold out for another month, the taxes from all over the country will be delivered again. Their window of opportunity to sell grain and make money is only for this short period of time."

"Either let it rot in your hands, or sell it at a loss to recoup some of the losses."

Zhao Zhen discovered that the master and disciple were truly uninhibited in their conversation.

One questioned whether to take the opportunity to allow the emperor to take direct control of the government, while the other spoke of a strategy of strengthening the central government and weakening local power.

They don't shy away from people anyway.

"Well, since this is also part of the plan, then I have nothing more to say."

Fan Zhongyan picked up his teacup again, drank it all, and then said:

"I'm going back to rest first."

Song Xuan stood up and saw Fan Zhongyan out.

After Fan Zhongyan left, Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "You two, master and disciple, are both straightforward."

"Sixth Brother, actually I've always felt that I'm quite radical in my actions."

Song Xuan pointed outside:
"But sometimes, my master's actions are truly radical."

"Twelfth Brother is being modest."

Zhao Zhen couldn't help but shake his head and smile: "This time, Liu Congde is probably going to be really screwed over by you."

"Don't say that," Song Xuan waved his hand and said.

"I am carrying out disaster relief under the orders of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Moreover, I am not preventing the price of grain from rising. The way the business has turned out is absolutely none of my business."

Even the Prime Minister Wang Zeng was somewhat surprised in the imperial court as to why so many people were impeaching Song Xuan.

They don't seem to be acting under the orders of Wang Mengzheng, Ma Jiliang, or others.

"Could Song Twelve have colluded with Liu Congde to sell grain, given the nature of official-merchant collusion?"

Wang Zeng tossed down one memorial and picked up another.

"It seems that Scholar Song has angered the public."

Lü Yijian understood that Song Xuan had not only failed to curb grain prices, but had also fanned the flames by approving the rise in grain prices.

"Could it be that the Empress Dowager has agreed to the conditions for disposing of Wang Qixiong?"

As soon as Zhang Zhibai voiced his guess, everyone looked up at him.

According to some sources, Liu Congde purchased a large quantity of grain and brought it to the capital.

Compared to Wang Qixiong, everyone knows that the Empress Dowager prefers Liu Congde.

It is only reasonable to protect Liu Congde's interests, especially since the Empress Dowager has rewarded Liu Congde quite a bit over the years.

"It's hard to say without evidence."

Wang Zeng quickly stopped this conversation:
"Currently, Chen Yaozuo is following Yan Shu to provide disaster relief in Huazhou, so that no one in Dongjing City is in charge of the overall situation."

"Since Song Xuan, as the county magistrate, has no intention of curbing grain prices, should we let Qian Yannian or Zhongli Jin temporarily assume the duties of the prefect of Kaifeng?"

Everyone knew why Zhongli Jin had been promoted to the capital, and no one wanted to recommend him.

“Zhong Lijin is new to the capital and is unfamiliar with everything, so let Qian Yannian take on the responsibility for the time being.”

Zhang Zhibai mentioned it briefly, especially since he secretly looked down on Zhong Lijin for getting involved with Ding Weijiao, and even...
"The Empress Dowager had already ordered that the top scholar Song be in charge of all disaster relief matters."

Zhang Shixun looked at Lü Yijian:

"If we bypass the Empress Dowager and let Qian Yannian take charge of preventing grain prices from rising, I'm afraid that..."

"Even the top scholar Song has been impeached in this way. The Empress Dowager should give him a clear explanation. What was he thinking?"

Lü Yijian felt that it wouldn't make a difference who should assume the duties of the Prefect of Kaifeng at the moment.

They probably don't have as much influence in the capital as Magistrate Song Xuan!
"Send all these impeachment memorials to the Empress Dowager."

Wang gave an instruction, and no one else objected.

"Tanf, you'll have to make the trip."

Lü Yijian did not refuse Wang Zeng's offer.

His son worked with Song Xuan on the river repair project, and there was a minor conflict between his brother-in-law and Song Xuan.

So he had no idea what was going on in Song Xuan's stomach.

So Lü Yijian personally took the memorial impeaching Song Xuan to the Empress Dowager.

After listening to Lü Yijian's brief retelling, Liu E picked up the memorial again and began to read it carefully.

"I never expected so many people to impeach Scholar Song."

Liu E said without looking up:

"Lord Lü, Scholar Song has always done a good job in disaster relief. Instead of curbing the rise in grain prices, he has encouraged it. Does this mean he doesn't understand the people's livelihood very well?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Yijian was also unsure of what to say.

Is the Empress Dowager deliberately feigning ignorance, or is she genuinely unaware of Song Xuan's actions?
“Your Majesty, based on my observation, Scholar Song has not made any mistakes in handling the affairs of a county; on the contrary, he has acted boldly.”

"Therefore, I believe that even if he were to serve as a prefect, he would be able to handle the situation very well. So I think that it is impossible for the top scholar Song not to know the consequences of not curbing the rise in grain prices."

"I have a feeling that he is deliberately indulging in this behavior!"

"Intentional indulgence?"

Liu E picked up another memorial to the throne.

She noticed that these officials had become extremely harsh in their words towards Song Xuan, relentlessly criticizing him.

"Correct."

Lu Yijian looked at Liu E, wondering if the Empress Dowager really didn't know about Song Xuan's actions.

Did she not reach an agreement with Song Xuan to exchange terms?

"I am not aware of this matter," Liu E said, putting down the memorial in her hand.

"Since Prime Minister Lü believes that Scholar Song did this intentionally, he must have other plans. Why not wait patiently for a few days?"

"Your Majesty, the current grain prices in the capital city are so high that many people are afraid they can't afford rice to survive."

Empress Liu did not say anything like "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"

She thought about it quietly for a while.

Song Xuan cannot only consider the disaster victims from outside the city, but also the residents living in Tokyo.

Although many people followed Song Xuan in the construction project, their numbers were still far too small compared to the vast population of Tokyo.

"I remember that Song Xuan sold the fish he caught in the fish-catching contest for a very low price?"

"It does happen."

Lu Yijian also heard that Song Xuan was doing something that was losing money.

Buy high and sell low.

This fish was specially placed next to the grain store and sold to people who couldn't afford grain but wanted to buy some fish to eat at home. Each person was limited in quantity.

They say fish die easily, and if they can't be sold, they'll lose money, so they need to sell them all quickly at low prices.

Even if legitimate stores wanted to buy those big fish, they would have to wait until they couldn't sell them before they could get their turn.

"If the people of Tokyo can't afford grain, can't they afford fish and meat?"

When Liu E asked him, Lü Yijian didn't know the outcome, but he was certain that fish and meat were being bought up like crazy.

Many people are waiting in line to buy fish and meat instead of buying grains to eat.

The only downside is that the fish has many bones.

"The fish in Tokyo probably won't last more than a few days."

Empress Liu sent Yang Huaimin to go out and tell Song Xuan about this matter, so that he could give an explanation and that he wouldn't have to run back and forth.

She knew that the slacking-off contest hadn't lost money, but rather made money, so she still trusted Song Xuan's decision.

Liu E also felt that these people's impeachment of Song Xuan was reasonable.

If it were any other prefecture or county, Song Xuan could do whatever he wanted, since these censors and remonstrance officials couldn't see it.

But this is Tokyo, where fame can be made incredibly quickly, but it's not just about gaining a good reputation.

Yang Huaimin took a memorial to the throne and went to Kaifeng County.

Nowadays, the vendors on both sides of the Imperial Street no longer come. After the Mid-Autumn Festival activities are over, they naturally go to the Xiangguo Temple to rent stalls.

The road was now extremely clear; no ordinary people had ever traveled on it before.

These days, it doesn't matter if I take a walk.

When Yang Huaimin entered the county government office, he exchanged pleasantries with Song Xuan, expressing that the Empress Dowager was very concerned about him.

There are quite a few people in the court who are impeaching you. I want to know what exactly happened.

Song Xuan naturally pushed Liu Congde forward, mainly because the grain had not yet been transported.

Yang Huaimin didn't expect Song Xuan to actually give Liu Congde such a big favor.

"Eunuch Yang, I reckon his grain shipment will be finished by tomorrow."

Song Xuan picked up his teacup and smiled: "I will issue an order regarding grain prices the day after tomorrow."

In the past two days, he felt that Song Xuan wanted to clean up Liu Congde's mess.

I don't know when their relationship became so good.

I wonder if the last time Song Zhuangyuan had a detailed conversation with the Empress Dowager, he mentioned this matter. Otherwise, how could someone as principled as Song Zhuangyuan have such a good relationship with Liu Congde?
After all, the top scholar Song had kicked Liu Congde's brother-in-law out of the capital and was even going to sentence his brother-in-law to death.

Now even his father-in-law has been sent by court officials to investigate wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice; who knows when he will be punished?

"That's wonderful! The people of Dongjing are waiting for Song Zhuangyuan's orders."

Yang Huaimin then remembered something else: "Does the top scholar Song have any knowledge of the Jurchens?"

"Jurchen?"

Song Xuan thought about it carefully for a while: "I don't know much about it. I've only read some old official reports, which say that our Great Song Dynasty had a conflict with the Jurchens."

The Jurchens at this time were the Jin Dynasty that would later destroy the Liao and Song Dynasties.

"Song Zhuangyuan was truly knowledgeable and well-traveled."

Yang Huaimin exclaimed in admiration.

The Jurchens paid tribute to the Song Dynasty at the beginning of its establishment, and the Song Dynasty was very interested in their horses.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong, the Jurchens sent envoys to seek help, mainly because the Khitans had begun attacking the Jurchens and had filed a complaint against the Goryeo people.

This international lawsuit stemmed from the Khitan's use of Goryeo as a route to attack the Jurchens, and the Jurchens' complaint to the Song Dynasty was due to Goryeo's instigation.

When Goryeo sent envoys, Emperor Taizu of Song was not satisfied with just criticizing the Goryeo envoys, so he sent envoys to Goryeo territory to confront the Goryeo king in person.

The King of Goryeo turned the tables and accused the Jurchens, claiming that they were the collaborators, and demanded that both sides confront each other in Kaifeng.

Emperor Taizong of Song wanted to resolve this matter by treating them all as vassal states on an equal footing.

Due to the pursuit and killing by the Khitans, the Wanyan tribe is now entirely composed of unborn Jurchens, while those who have submitted to the Liao Dynasty are mostly educated Jurchens.

Emperor Jing of Jin, Wanyan Shilu, who was posthumously honored by the Jin Dynasty, was still a chieftain. He was still trying to expand his power in Huntongjiangbei (now Songhua River).

After Emperor Taizong of Song's northern expedition failed, the Khitans intensified their control over the Jurchens, strictly prohibiting them from interacting with the Song Dynasty. They even spent huge sums of money to build a blockade along the coast and dispatched tens of thousands of people to guard it.

The Jurchens also considered themselves a vassal state of the Song Dynasty and requested the Song Dynasty's assistance in breaking the Khitan blockade.

However, after riding a donkey cart for three hundred miles, Emperor Taizong of Song was unwilling to wage war over long distances, especially since the Jurchens were not yet a significant force, and were not even as powerful as Goryeo.

Therefore, the Jurchens refused to send troops, which led them to sever ties with the Song Dynasty and submit to Goryeo.

Not long after, because the Liao Dynasty invaded Goryeo, Goryeo also sent envoys to the Song Dynasty to ask for help, but Emperor Taizong of Song refused to send troops.

Goryeo also severed ties with the Song Dynasty for the same reason.

However, the Song Dynasty was unwilling to give up and wanted to hire the Jurchens as pawns to restrain the Liao Dynasty from the rear.

However, it was naive of the Song Dynasty to only think about spending money without sending troops.

If you don't even have the ability to protect your vassal states, why should I take orders from you?

The Song Dynasty still needed the Jurchens. From the time Emperor Taizu ascended the throne to the time Emperor Taizong severed ties, the Jurchens paid tribute with more than 10,000 warhorses every year as a trade, making them one of the important sources of warhorses for the Song Dynasty.

After Emperor Zhenzong of Song ascended the throne, Dengzhou reported that the Jurchens had been blown there by a hurricane. Emperor Zhenzong gave them food and told them to go back.

However, the ministers below had already begun to take the opportunity to try to restore relations with the Jurchens and to gather intelligence on them.

However, the intelligence gathered indicated that the Jurchen population was only around ten thousand.

However, the battle reports from the Liao people against the Jurchens showed that they captured over 100,000 people, over 200,000 horses, and other items.

From then on, the Jurchens had little contact with the Song Dynasty until the Khitans failed in their campaign against Goryeo and were ambushed by a joint force of Goryeo and the Jurchens.

The Jurchens entered the Song Dynasty as vassals of Goryeo, engaging in trade.

Why did Eunuch Yang suddenly bring up the Jurchens?

"Since the Khitans were defeated by the Goryeo people, the Jurchens have come to the Song Dynasty, but they have only come sporadically. Since the Emperor ascended the throne, no Jurchens have come."

"For the first time now, a Jurchen leader named Guo Yanduan, with fewer than two hundred men, broke through the Khitan blockade, stopped in Dengzhou, and requested to be incorporated into the Khitan."

Yang Huaimin lowered his voice and said:

"The Empress Dowager is not sure whether these people truly want to join the fold or are here as spies."

"Hmm?" Song Xuan looked puzzled. "Why would you have these questions?"

Although the top scholar had read the official gazette, he was inevitably unaware of many details.

Yang Huaimin explained to Song Xuan that the earliest record stated that the Jurchens had thirty leaders, but it is unknown how many remain today.

The hatred between the Jurchen tribes is something no one can clearly explain.

Some Jurchens wanted to submit to the Song Dynasty, but others were just passing through Kaifeng, waiting for the Khitans to arrive so they could return to the Liao Dynasty and become subjects of the Song.

During the reign of the late emperor, court officials did try to bribe the Jurchens, but this investment yielded no return.

The Jurchens never came again; it is unknown whether they died in a feud or perished at sea.

Of course, the main reason was that the Khitans regained control of the Jurchens.

"Especially when the Khitans were about to come to Tokyo to collect their tribute, their request to be incorporated into the Khitan territory inevitably aroused suspicion."

"Is Your Majesty unable to make up your mind?"

Hearing Song Xuan's question, Yang Huaimin nodded. He knew that Song Xuan was quick-witted, so asking him for advice would be excellent.

"Were there any elderly, weak, women, or children among those two hundred people?"

"Yes, but there aren't many."

Song Xuan nodded, which meant there was some basis for trust.

"Let them rest in Dengzhou for the time being. Sending the Jurchen leader with his men to the capital is impossible to prevent. It would be better to create an opportunity for them to make contact with the Khitans."

"Creating opportunities?"

Yang Huaimin squinted slightly.

"Yes." Song Xuan took a sip of hot tea.
"Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust. If we find out they have no connection, we can settle them in a sparsely populated place with a river."

"We can continue fishing and hunting without neglecting them. We can also teach them farming. It would be best to send them to the south first. If they become useful in the future, we can employ their children, and they might become no different from the Song people."

“What the top scholar Song said makes sense.”

Yang Huaimin nodded repeatedly. This was a good idea. Rather than doubting it, it was better to let it go.

In Tokyo, it's quite easy for the Imperial Guard to keep tabs on people, especially those with very distinctive features.

"Then I won't bother you any longer, sir. I'll go back and report to the Empress Dowager right away."

"Go slowly, I won't send you off."

Yang Huaimin left happily; compared to the others, he was more willing to communicate with Song Xuan.

In this way, he would have an extra strategist, and when the Empress Dowager wanted to ask, he would be able to answer better than others and gain her trust.

The others want to compete with me for favor, but are they as clever as Song Xuan?
"Jie Jie Jie."

Once on the donkey cart, Yang Huaimin couldn't help but laugh out loud; it was yet another opportunity to make himself look good.

In order to repay Song Zhuangyuan, Yang Huaimin decided to send Song Xuan to test these Jurchens, so that he might also have a chance to make a contribution.

In Yang Huaimin's view, this is a win-win situation.

While seeing people off, Song Xuan stretched his legs, and when they returned, Zhao Zhen also stretched his legs.

"Twelfth Brother, I know nothing about the Jurchen infiltration incident just now."

"Perhaps the news hasn't reached you yet."

Song Xuan waved his hand dismissively, telling Zhao Zhen to relax, as the Jurchens' power was currently fragmented and extremely weak.

They would have to endure at least another 180 years of oppression by the Khitans before they could muster the opportunity to unite and resist the Liao Dynasty.

The Khitans are still encroaching on the living space of the Jurchens, capturing unborn Jurchens and forcing them, along with other ethnic minorities such as the Bohai, Tatars (Mongols, who are also divided into Black, White, and Civilized), to serve them.

There were also irreconcilable contradictions between the Tatars and the Jurchens, and they had always been in a state of hostility.

The Liao people plundered the Jurchens relentlessly, and were eventually wiped out by the Jurchens.

Similarly, after the Jurchens destroyed the Liao Dynasty, they replicated the actions of the previous dynasty, plundering the Tatars on a frenzied scale, and were then destroyed by the Black Tatars.

Zhao Zhen was somewhat dissatisfied, as he grew older and became less involved in many important court affairs.

This became extremely uncomfortable.

Many pieces of information were obtained from a eunuch.

Song Xuan did not offer any comfort to Zhao Zhen.

He could have followed Emperor Xian of Han's example and issued an edict in a belt, but Zhao Zhen didn't want to make things too ugly.

Since the emperor wasn't taking the initiative, Song Xuan wouldn't push him too far.

In this situation, the only option is to weaken the influence of Liu E's relatives and reduce the likelihood of them threatening the court.

Inspector Zhang Chen came to Song Xuan, requesting that he allocate some grain to the inspection office, mainly because the current grain price was too high and the expenses were too great.

Song Xuan didn't waste any words and directly wrote him a note, telling him to take two shi (a unit of dry measure) first, enough for the group to eat for three days.

We'll come back when we run out of food in three days, so we don't have to sell it at a high price just to make a little money.

Inspector Zhang Chen quickly expressed his gratitude. He then followed the clerk to collect the grain, planning to try his luck at the Bian River section later.

Because Song Xuan did not stop the high grain prices, many people stopped calling him "Song Qingtian" (a high-ranking official).

He mainly cursed people, but he didn't dare to do that. However, he secretly complained about Song Xuan.

They were quite wise and capable officials in the past, so why don't they know how to curb grain prices now?
This matter caused Song Xuan's reputation to plummet when it reached its peak.

Once the grain transport wagons were flowing in an endless stream and the grain reserves of the entire capital city of Tokyo doubled, Song Xuan finally unleashed his trump card.

Because the emperor and the empress dowager loved the people, they decided to open the granaries and distribute grain.

In particular, when government grain was not sold and relief was provided to households, anyone who presented proof could receive rice to tide them over the famine.

Such notices were posted all over Tokyo, so much so that the people spread the word and flocked to the city.

Not only were the grain merchants' association president You Hui and others caught off guard, but Liu Congde also felt as if his lifeline had been cut off.

His grain was the first to be transported into the city, and it hadn't even been on the market for a few days at a high price.

People went out to buy fish to eat and make a living.

Eat less food if you can.

The key issue is that Song Xuan, as the magistrate of Kaifeng, encouraged grain prices to rise, and his plan to collect more taxes failed.

They were directly suppressed by the Empress Dowager.

The person preventing grain merchants from making money with Liu Congde is the Empress Dowager, not Song Xuan.

So when Liu Congde and You Hui, the president of the grain merchants' association, came to see Song Xuan at the same time.

Song Xuan was in the main hall of the county government office, filling out forms for people who had not yet been registered so that they could receive their grain.

There must be a neighbor to vouch for you. Even beggars must inform each other about the area where they usually beg.

These people are all good at dividing up territory.

In any case, the welfare benefits for the people of Tokyo are much better than those in other places.

In this way, more people can receive food.

"Scholar Song, what should we do?"

Just as Song Xuan put down his stamp, Liu Congde rushed up.

“I have so much grain that it’s almost filled the granary, but now I can’t sell a single grain.”

Song Xuan spread his hands and said:
“Prefect Liu, I am powerless to help you with this matter. As you know, I was impeached by the court officials recently, and the common people are also cursing me for eating expensive grain.”

"When I needed help the most, none of you stood up for me."

"Now that the imperial court is about to release grain, you expect me to continue advocating for your high-priced grain? That's not appropriate, is it?"

Liu Congde and grain merchant You Hui appeared somewhat embarrassed when questioned by Song Xuan.

This is true.

“Scholar Song, it’s not that I don’t want to speak up for you.”

Grain merchant You Hui wore a forced smile on his face:

"Yes, mainly because I am a nobody and my words carry little weight. No matter how much I speak up for you, it will only make the people of Tokyo misunderstand that we are in cahoots."

"Heaven and earth bear witness, Scholar Song is absolutely not one of us."

"Yes Yes Yes."

"It's a load of rubbish."

Song Xuan handed the certificate, stamped with his official seal, to Wu Boyang, the clerk in charge of public works, who was standing to the side.

Tell him to keep the other half and distribute it to the people.

Song Xuan then stared at the two of them: "Could it be that you two are thinking of having me persuade the Empress Dowager not to open the granaries and distribute grain?"

Faced with Song Xuan's sharp questions, this was what they both thought, but they absolutely could not say it aloud.

You Hui really hoped that Liu Congde could persuade the Empress Dowager.

However, he was also afraid that the Empress Dowager would not side with him and would only allow Liu Congde to benefit, while they would probably lose money.

Therefore, it would be best for Song Xuan to step forward.

After all, he had genuinely helped him.

Years of business experience have taught You Hui that if someone helps you once, they will help you a second time.

"You guys are really daring."

Song Xuan stood up and headed towards the backyard, and the two of them quickly followed.

At this time, Guo En was still practicing martial arts. His master, Sang Yi, was giving him instructions while also overseeing the treasury, which was once again filled with copper coins.

Now this "slacking off" competition is actually profitable, and the subsequent projects will finally have money to spend.

“Scholar Song, so much grain that can’t be sold will get moldy.”

You Hui quickly bowed and said, "We hope that Scholar Song can lend us a hand."

"To help you continue selling grain at high prices, and let the people criticize me, Song Twelve, behind my back?"

Song Xuan glanced at You Hui: "You guys made all the money, and I took all the blame. You really have a good plan."

“Back then at the new wharf, I saw that you were wholeheartedly devoted to the people, which is why I was willing to offend Magistrate Zhongli to help you.”

"As you've probably all heard, there are rumors that he's going to take over as the Prefect of Kaifeng."

“Even though I, Song Xuan, am not afraid of powerful figures, I am not the kind of person who would hold a grudge against my superior without good reason. Do you think you can harm me?”

"Don't dare, don't dare."

Liu Congde had long been tricked by Song Xuan.

From beginning to end, all Song Xuan did was help him clear obstacles and transport grain to Tokyo.

Now, by the decree of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, the granaries are to be opened and grain distributed to relieve the people.

Liu Congde felt that his brother-in-law Ma Jiliang and his brother-in-law Wang Qixiong could be dealt with by Song Xuan.

His words must carry weight with the Empress Dowager.

If I were to speak up myself, I fear it might make the Empress Dowager feel that this was inappropriate and displease her, which would be counterproductive.

"Now that things have come to this, don't beg me anymore. I don't know what to do either."

Song Xuan didn't want to look them in the eye at all.

"The common people don't have much money to begin with. Now that they can receive government relief grain, who would still buy expensive grain to eat?"

"Does it mean we have to lower the price?"

You Hui wanted to test how long the imperial court's disaster relief grain could last.

"Don't ask me, I don't know anything about doing business."

Song Xuan sat on a stool, watching Guo En demonstrate his martial arts skills, and had to admit that the kid did have some talent in this area.

With guidance from others, his progress was indeed rapid.

Liu Congde glanced at his competitor. He actually wanted to lower the price?
That's really unambitious!

"If we lower the price, wouldn't we lose everything?"

Liu Congde quickly waved his hand and said, "We absolutely cannot lower the price. Lowering the price would mean losing out and squandering our current excellent situation."

"How long can the imperial court's disaster relief grain last?"

"It won't take a month."

Liu Congde said with certainty, "The Xiang Army's granaries are all filled with old grain. How long can they supply them?"

"And there are also the Imperial Guards' granaries, there are so many of them."

Song Xuan glanced at the fallen leaves: "I just found out too."

"Force?"

You Hui was greatly alarmed, for there were quite a few Imperial Guards in the entire city of Tokyo.

If their provisions are used, then nearly half of the people in Tokyo will no longer have to worry.

"Yes."

Song Xuan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:
"The Empress Dowager and the Emperor are truly courageous; they are determined to save the people of Tokyo and resolutely prevent them from eating expensive grain."

"So don't bother me. I'm being impeached, scolded, and criticized. I'm annoyed right now. If I can't control myself, I'll beat you all up."

After Song Xuan finished speaking, the two of them quickly rolled away.

Putting aside other matters, the fact that Song Xuan publicly beat up Wang Qixiong left them with lingering fear, and they dared not bother Song Xuan any further.

Song Xuan chuckled. These opportunistic businessmen are unusually weak.

Liu Congde finally wanted to do business legally and make a quick profit, but now he can't sell his products.

They're all stuck with me.

"We absolutely cannot lower the price."

You Hui encouraged Liu Congde, saying, "Otherwise, we'll lose money."

"good."

Liu Congde shared the same idea; at worst, he would sell himself to the imperial court.

The Empress Dowager would never let herself suffer a loss.

Snapped.

The two decided to support each other and form a price-no-lowering alliance.

After returning, You Hui gathered everyone together and explained the current situation.

If the food is stored in Tokyo, it will likely go moldy, and there's almost no chance of it being delivered.

In another month, taxes from all over the country will be delivered.

The fact that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor used the Imperial Guards' grain demonstrates the strength of their resolve.

This time, by going against the imperial court, we certainly won't make any money.

"The only solution now is to lower the price of some of the grain."

"Yes, and then we'll transport the grain away."

After discussing it, You Hui and the others immediately made arrangements to drastically reduce prices today and sell off the grain that showed signs of mold.

Then immediately go to the cart and horse transport company and ask them to come and transport the grain onto the ship.

Since we can't sell in Tokyo, let's sell in Huazhou. I'm sure we'll make a profit there.

But the person who went to find the carriage shop returned.

"President, they are all busy transporting strange stones and other goods to be sold in Tokyo City for Zhong Lijin, so they don't have time to transport food for us."

Last time, Song Xuan was involved in the negotiation, but now Song Xuan definitely won't allow any further negotiation.

You Hui was so anxious that he kept slapping his head. What should he do?
The grain took a lot of effort to transport in, and now there's no way it can escape.

They dared not hire anyone, because with prices so high, even a vagrant carrying a sack of grain would earn them many times more than their wages.

After all, it would be too cost-effective to hire too many people to carry one bag at a time.

"Oh no, are we really going to lose money?"

"How long can we hold out?"

"Yes, we thought the imperial court would be short of food, but who came up with the idea from the Empress Dowager's side?"

No one suspected Song Xuan, since he had shown that he was helping them from beginning to end.

It's likely a trap set by the current prime minister, Wang Zeng, and others, a scheme to lure the enemy into a snare.

Now there's no way to escape.

"Old ginger is spicier," said President You Hui, clenching his fist.
"No wonder these prime ministers didn't stand up to stop Song Zhuangyuan when he encouraged price increases to collect more taxes; instead, they pretended not to see it."

"Yeah, those old men are really wicked. We're not going to get our money back."

Based on the information they obtained from Song Xuan, and after comprehensive analysis...

If these large quantities of grain want to be sold, the price will drop even lower than before the price increase.

Not only will they lose money, but they will also have to give back the profits they made from selling grain at high prices recently.

They might not be able to compensate you much, but if you leave it untouched, you could lose everything.

Years of hard work have all vanished into thin air.

"Lowering prices is the only way to save ourselves."

You Hui looked at everyone and said, "Fortunately, I managed to fool Liu Congde first, so that he would not lower the price for the time being, making it easier for us to sell quickly and recoup our losses."

"Yes, Liu Congde and his relatives bought just as much grain as we did."

"Yes, since we've decided to lower the price, let's cut to the chase and sell as much as we can."

The grain merchants' guilds in Tokyo were all one entity. Merchants from other places who wanted to do business had to pay money and "pay their respects" first.

If you only pay taxes to the government but don't cultivate relationships with them, you might not be able to sell your goods.

After the grain merchants left, You Hui sat in a chair, reflecting on the past few days.

"Father, we can't have ended up like this because we were all outsmarted by Scholar Song, can we?"

Hearing his son's question, You Hui quickly waved his hand:

"Impossible. Although Song Zhuangyuan is intelligent, he is ultimately not as experienced as those old foxes in the imperial court."

"Although Song Qingtian makes a loud noise about this capital city, it doesn't actually belong to the Song family. Those old foxes must have been plotting behind the scenes for a long time."

"They deliberately brought out the young Song Zhuangyuan to lower our guard."

"We were really careless this time."

You Hui kept regretting that he had been too greedy and should have given the shares to the others.

Although Liu Congde and You Hui encouraged each other, he also kept a close eye on things while traveling.

What if these businessmen do something underhanded behind the scenes?

He naturally sent people to keep an eye on the group of grain merchants, and then he received a report from his servant.

"You're a jerk."

Liu Congde couldn't help but curse: "Sure enough, they're all doing dirty tricks behind my back, and they've all started lowering the price of grain."

"Brother-in-law, now is not the time to throw a tantrum."

Wang Yufeng bought fewer items, but he always felt that Song Xuan had orchestrated this, yet he was frustrated by the lack of evidence.

When it comes to intuition, there's really no way to convince others.

Moreover, he became increasingly convinced that if his brother-in-law were not the aunt's nephew, he would probably lose everything, even his underwear, if he relied solely on his own business acumen.

What do you suggest we do?

"The best course of action now is to sell our grain first, so that these unscrupulous merchants can't keep their grain stuck in their hands."

Liu Congde's face showed resentment:

"Does this mean I should lower the price too?"

(End of this chapter)