Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 206 I've heard that here, a bushel of rice costs five thousand coins?

During times of famine.

The poor shed tears while the rich rejoice.

Throughout the millennia, whenever natural disasters or man-made calamities occur, the powerful and wealthy will slaughter the poor.

The most direct and typical method is to cause grain prices to soar.

"You can sleep on the streets, you can go without clothes, but you can't go without food!"

As a result, the grain shops in Bianliang City were thrown into a frenzy of celebration.

A bushel of rice costs five thousand coins.
One string of cash is only 770 coins, so 5,000 coins would be 6.5 strings of cash.

Ordinary people in Bianliang City could work themselves to the bone all day and still not earn more than a hundred coins.

"What you're selling isn't grain!"

Outside a grain shop, angry shoppers shouted, "What you're selling is clearly gold!"

The waiter, looking relaxed, waved the rag in his hand, his nostrils flared, and only said one sentence.

"Buy it or don't, it's up to you~~~"

"If you don't buy it, then go home and starve."

"Stop making a racket here."

People used to say that money makes you the boss, but now it's all about having food.

You can choose not to buy it, but you can go home and continue to go hungry.

The people gathered outside the grain shop were naturally furious.

But all I felt was anger.

Leaving aside the yamen runners guarding outside, the burly guards inside the shop, with their arms crossed and glaring menacingly sweeping over you, would be enough to calm any impulsive person down.

Left with no other choice, everyone had to try to raise the money.

Now it's pawning, but in the future it could be selling property, houses, children, and even yourself.

For thousands of years, whenever natural disasters or man-made calamities strike, ordinary people have always been in the same boat.

Seeing everyone looking worried, the waiter gloated.

"Don't hesitate any longer. Go home and think about whether to sell your son or your daughter first."

"If you really can't bear to part with it, then just cut your own leg and have a good meal~"

The servants, guards, and yamen runners all burst into laughter.

That appearance was exactly the same as the barking of a leashed dog.

"You really like eating white meat!"

"Then I'll cut off yours first!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw an armored man leading a vast horde that filled the street.

The first to react were a few yamen runners.

They only glanced at it, then immediately turned and ran away without looking back.

There were hundreds or even thousands of people, a dark mass.

The constables had excellent eyesight, so it was best to leave first.

The guards, no longer arrogant as before, hurriedly urged the staff to close the door.

The newcomer was covered in blood and held a weapon in his hand.

This is not someone you can mess with.

Lin Dao stamped his foot and waved his hand, and the students of the Imperial Academy led the people who were short of food into the grain store.

The men screamed in agony, and the guards wailed.

Before long, the people in the grain shop were dragged out.

Taking a few steps forward, Lin Dao looked down at a guard with a bruised and swollen face. "I've heard that here, a bushel of rice costs five thousand coins?"

The guard groaned in pain, lying on the ground without responding.

Lin Dao raised his pistol.

'boom! '

Taking another step, he stood before a waiter. "I heard that here, a bushel of rice costs five thousand coins?"

The waiter turned his head, looking at the guard beside him whose head had been blown open and sprayed with red and yellow substances, and stammered, "Yes...yes..."

"Who gave you the audacity to sell at such an exorbitant price?"

The man didn't dare to respond; he didn't even know what to say.

The shopkeeper, who was also beaten black and blue, shouted, "The grain belongs to our shop. We can sell as much as we want. What's it to you?"

Lin Dao turned around and walked over. "Shopkeeper?"

"Yes~~~"

"Where did your family get your grain?"

When asked, the shopkeeper's eyes darted around and he replied, "We acquired them ourselves."

"Nonsense!" Chen Dong ran out of the grain shop, carrying several books and ledgers in his hands.

"Immortal Master, please take a look!"

He opened a book and showed it to Lin Dao, saying, "It's clearly written here that the grain was transported from the Ever-Normal Granary of the Ever-Normal Granary in Xiangfu County!"

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar all around.

The Ever-Normal Granary was an institution used to stabilize grain prices.

When there is a bumper harvest, the government purchases and stores the grain using the taxes collected from the harvest.

During years of famine, they sold to the people at low prices to maintain their basic needs.

This system is definitely good; it can effectively resist the harm caused by disasters and famines.

Yes~
Even the best system needs people to implement it.

Since Zhao Ji ascended the throne, the court and local areas have been filled with corrupt officials, or useless people who are all talk and no action.

Those who could embezzle did so, and those who couldn't embezzle also embezzled.

The Changping Granary, naturally, would not be spared either.

The people were furious. The granaries were full of life-saving grain, yet unscrupulous merchants were selling it for a high price of 5,000 coins per dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice!
Damn it!

"kill him!"

Someone shouted, and the angry crowd immediately yelled that they wanted to beat the shopkeeper to death.

"and many more!"

Lin Dao shouted loudly, which shocked everyone.

"You haven't finished asking the question!"

He asked again, "Tell everyone, how did the grain from the Ever-Normal Granary get to your grain shop?"

The shopkeeper, trembling with fear, gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Lin Dao took the claw hammer hanging from his waist.

The hammer landed on the shopkeeper's knee.

In excruciating pain, the shopkeeper's scream tore through the sky.

Lin Dao twirled the hammer in his hand and asked again, "Speak!"

The shopkeeper was too busy calling out to respond.

Lin Dao swung his hammer again, smashing it into his other knee.

With a crisp cracking sound, the shopkeeper screamed in agony and fainted. "Immortal Master!"

Chen Dong flipped through the books and ledgers in his hand. "It's written here."

"On the seventh day of the ninth month of the sixth year of Xuanhe, 917 shi of grain were delivered to the Changping Granary in Xiangfu County."

"On the third day of the eleventh month of the seventh year of Xuanhe, the granary in Zhongmu County was leveled and 455 shi of grain were delivered."

"On the fifth day of the fifth month of the first year of Jingkang, 1,392 shi of grain were delivered from the Changping Granary in Yangwu County."

Chen Dong shouted loudly, "The grain sold in this grain shop is all from the Ever-Normal Granary!"

The surrounding area erupted in uproar.

Lin Dao stepped forward and took the ledger from Chen Dong's hand.

He took a step, leaped, and jumped onto the cabinet where the grain was placed.

His gaze swept across the crowded street. "See that?"

"This is the cowardly imperial court, this is what the cowardly government does!"

“They take the taxes you pay, steal the grain that belongs to the people, and then sell it to you for 5,000 coins per dou of rice!”

"This is the kind of court, this is the kind of government!"

Lin Dao took a breath and asked, "Are you still willing to listen to them and pay them taxes?"

"I don't want to~~~"

The real-world environment enhanced the effectiveness of the speech.

It was far easier for him to ignite the anger in the hearts of the people than he had imagined.

After all, the court's bizarre actions led to the Jurchens besieging the city, and people in the family were starving to death.

Under such external conditions, anger has long since become fuel, ready to ignite at the slightest spark.

“Zhongmu County and Yangwu County are outside the city, so we won’t mention them for now.”

Lin Dao shook the account book in his hand. "Xiangfu County is right inside the city."

"Bring the people from the county government here and ask them why the grain came from the Ever-Normal Granary to this grain shop!"

"Oh~~~"

Fully mobilized, the people, filled with anger, followed Lin Dao and the students of the Imperial Academy straight to the Xiangfu County Government Office.

Lin Dao left Chen Dong behind and led a group of men armed with weapons to guard the grain shop, and also dealt with the shopkeepers, shop assistants and guards.

As for the grain in the grain shops, it cannot be distributed for the time being.

We should wait until the people make a big fuss before we release it.

Many people along the way heard the commotion and, after inquiring, joined in.

By the time they reached the Xiangfu County government office, there were already tens of thousands of people, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The county magistrate deserves his bad luck.

He had been hiding for the past few days, but today he came to the yamen to discuss with the registrar, the county constable, the head constable, and the clerks of various departments how to divide up the various supplies in the yamen.

Just then, they heard a series of crackling sounds and a scene of chaos outside.

The magistrate was furious: "Who set off firecrackers in the yamen?"

The next moment, several yamen runners smashed the door and rushed in, rolling on the ground like gourds.

Following closely behind was a large number of angry citizens.

The head constable was the first to stand up, instinctively wanting to reprimand him.

But he was kicked in the head and sent flying.

The room was a mess, filled with beatings, insults, smashing tables and throwing chairs—it was quite a scene.

Lin Dao didn't even mention anything about food.

They just let the people rush in and vent their anger.

In any case, all the officials in Bianliang City during that era were executed one by one, and none of them had the right to complain.

When the people came out, there was no one left inside who could still breathe.

Where is the Bastille in Bianliang?

Lin Dao stood outside the county government office, calling out to the crowd of people, "Let's go, let's distribute the grain!"

The grain store didn't have as much grain as one might imagine.

The grain was distributed in units of one bushel per person, but after the distribution was completed, most people were still empty-handed.

Seeing the people's anger intensify, Lin Dao picked up the loudspeaker.

"The imperial court is colluding with grain merchants to embezzle grain and sell it at exorbitant prices. This is tantamount to driving the people to their deaths!"

"The grain sold in the grain shops is all tax paid by you."

"Now I should take it home to support my wife and children!"

"Go! Seize all the grain shops in Bianliang!"

Countless people raised their arms and shouted.

"Oh~~~"

The commotion grew larger and larger, and more and more people joined in after hearing the news.

In almost a single day, all the grain shops in Bianliang City were looted by the angry citizens.

Even the imperial granaries were not spared.

Especially when many granaries are opened, they are either empty or mostly filled with old grain, some of which is so spoiled that it is inedible.

This further fueled the people's anger.

"Immortal chief."

On the Zhou Bridge, Chen Dong said with concern, "There are many grain shops in the city, but it's not necessarily true that every one of them is colluding with the government to steal and sell grain."

Lin Dao glanced at him and said, "This is Bianliang City."

Chen Dong and the surrounding students were puzzled.

"Which grain shop in Bianliang City doesn't have a powerful backer?"

Everyone suddenly realized.

Bianliang City was a place where wealth from all over the world gathered.

Doing business here, especially big business like grain, is impossible without a solid foundation.

Behind them were not only court officials, but also noble families and military clans, and even a considerable number of imperial relatives.

A family-run shop might have existed a hundred years ago, but it definitely doesn't exist now!

Where did these people get their food?
It goes without saying!

"Go!"

"Mobilize as many people as possible and lead them to sweep the grain shops clean."

"Then, guided by the grain shops, the scope will be expanded."

Lin Dao gestured to the group of imperial students, "You must first remove the rotten flesh; the rebuilding of the court depends on you."

A few words of encouragement immediately energized the students.

They dispersed, each finding a place to lead the people to sweep the grain shops.

Having successfully lit the fire on the forest road, we rode our electric scooter back to Money Lane.

If you want to become a revolutionary old area, you must smash everything that came before.

The grain shop was just the beginning.

(End of this chapter)