Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 118 The Benevolent Zhu Sihai
The three discussed various plans, trying their best to maintain the stability of Wufang City.

Just then, Zhu Fang from the Zhu Family Rice Shop rushed in, looking flustered. Upon seeing Lin You and the others, before he could even calm himself down, he gasped, "..."

"Priest Lin, Priest Fu, Priest Liu, something terrible has happened! The granary has flooded, and all the remaining rice has been burned."

"What?!!"

Lin You and the other two all paled. The original granary was already in short supply, and if the Zhu family's rice shop's granary were burned down, there would definitely be a lot of trouble.

The three men stared intently at Zhu Fang. The granary was covered with fire-avoidance talismans from the City God Temple, so how could it have been flooded? Was it intentional?

Zhu Fang, however, remained expressionless, still looking anxious and flustered. Hearing the three men's questions, he hurriedly replied:
"The fire-preventing talisman in the granary was chewed through by rats that were stealing grain, which caused the fire. What should we do?"

The three men looked gloomy. Lin You, seeing no clue, snorted and said, "Let's go check the granary!"

A moment later, Lin You and his two companions stood at the granary in the northeast corner of the East City!

The servants of Zhu Family Rice Shop were covered in soot and dirt, having just extinguished the fire, which had almost completely destroyed a large area of ​​granaries.

The city lord's steward, accompanied by a squad of guards, stood by to maintain order.

Lin You and his two companions stared at the ruins of the granary, their hearts sinking completely.

Zhu Fang, who was following behind the three, collapsed beside the city lord's steward, crying out, "Uncle Zhu, it's all gone! My entire fortune is gone!"

Butler Zhu helped Zhu Fang up and gently comforted him. "Young Master Fang, don't cry. The Zhu Family Rice Shop's signboard is still standing; how can you say the foundation is gone?"

Zhu Fang slowly stood up, but his mood was still very low, clearly not yet recovered from the blow. Hearing the housekeeper's comforting words, he murmured somewhat listlessly:
"But what's the use of having a signboard if we're out of rice?"

Butler Zhu patted Zhu Fang on the shoulder, but this time he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned around and bowed to Lin You and the others.

"This old man has met with all the priests of the City God Temple!"

Lin You and the others nodded slightly at the old steward of the city lord's mansion. They were quite familiar with this steward, who was said to be Zhu Sihai's page in his youth. He came to Wufang City with Zhu Sihai and was given the surname Zhu.

They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and they thought the other person had died of old age. But now it seems that he is in pretty good condition?

"Recently, due to the disappearance of merchant ships, Wufang City is facing a shortage of supplies. The City Lord is concerned about the stability of Wufang City. Does the City God Temple have any good solutions?"

Upon hearing this, Lin You and the others' expressions turned ugly. What did this mean? Was it a blatant slap in the face? An accusation that the City God Temple was incompetent?

"Old steward, what does this mean?"

Butler Zhu remained calm and explained with a kind smile on his face.

"My master and I have been in Wufang City for decades and have long regarded this place as our home. The City God protects the five directions, and the people of the five directions also want to do their part. Do you, esteemed officials, agree?"

Lin You's expression remained cold as he replied curtly:
"That's true. The City God Temple is naturally pleased that the old steward has such awareness, but what Wufang City needs right now is not just effort, but also supplies!"

After saying that, he turned around, pointed to the burnt-down granary, and raised his voice to continue:
"It's this grain that was burned to ashes in the fire!" Lin You wasn't a three-year-old anymore; the story of rats gnawing through the talisman might fool others, but he couldn't figure out why Zhu Sihai was doing this.
Moreover, the Jia family's granary, which was not far away, was clearly not affected by the fire when the group passed by. If Zhu Sihai really had ulterior motives and wanted to cause turmoil in Wufang City, why didn't he burn down the Jia family's granary as well?
"Lord Lin, please do not disturb us. There are still some grain city lord's residences here!"

Lin You was about to speak with some disdain when Liu Yanchang asked with interest, "Oh? How much grain does the City Lord's Mansion have?"

"It's about twice as much as the grain stored in the granary!"

Butler Zhu remained calm, but what he said truly startled everyone present.

"How can it be?!!"

Liu Yanchang exclaimed in shock, "How could the city lord's mansion have so much grain?"
Lin You and Fu Feng exchanged a silent glance, simultaneously realizing something was amiss. The Zhu Family Rice Shop's granary had indeed been tampered with! But wasn't the Zhu Family Rice Shop originally part of the City Lord's estate?
Why did Zhu Sihai do this?
But then Steward Zhu began to explain, “This grain was originally military rations grown by the School Guard in the mountains outside the East City. Master is always mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace, and over the years he has unknowingly accumulated quite a bit. This time, Wufang City is short of grain, so Master instructed that this grain be sold to the people at a low price to ensure the stability of Wufang City.”

Lin You and his two companions' expressions changed repeatedly. They didn't believe Zhu Sihai was being so kind, but they couldn't figure out his motives either, so they asked directly:

"Lord Zhu, what do you desire?"

Upon hearing this, the old butler made no attempt to conceal his meaning and replied directly:

"To clear his name! My master needs the City God's help to clear his name! Ever since Wusheng Pawnshop took over Wufang City, there has been constant criticism of my master in the city. Even the City God has a lot of opinions about my master. But this is just for survival, just like the City God's golden body needs the flesh and blood spirit of the Blood Buddha Temple."

These words were blunt and their meaning was self-evident: what you, the City God, did was not much more noble than what I, Zhu Sihai, did!
But it was precisely these blunt words that made Lin You and his two companions lower their guard a bit. Exchanging so much grain for a good reputation might seem like a huge loss to ordinary people, but to some people, it seemed quite normal.
Nevertheless, Lin You did not agree immediately. After pondering for a moment, he added:
"How does the City Lord's Mansion distribute rice?"

The old steward seemed to have been prepared, and replied directly: "The same policy applies to the Zhu Family Rice Shop and the Jia Family Rice Shop. The City Lord's Mansion will follow the arrangements of the City God Temple until the other merchant ships return."

Upon hearing this, Lin You pressed further, "What if the City God Temple requests the City Lord's Mansion to supply all the rice and grain at once?"

The old butler shook his head and refused outright.

"The City Lord's Mansion's assistance is to maintain the stability of Wufang City, not to sell rice. As long as the rice supply is maintained without shortage, that's sufficient. Therefore, the City Lord decided on a supply-as-needed approach, which coincides with the City God Temple's policy of limited sales. Furthermore, to ensure the safety of the rice and prevent a recurrence of such a fire, it's best for the City Lord's Mansion to deliver rice to the Zhu Family Rice Shop daily!"

After a moment of thought, Lin You and his two companions found that what the other party said made sense and they could not find any loopholes.
Finally, Liu Yanchang added, "The rice delivered daily by the City Lord's Mansion to the Zhu Family Rice Shop must be inspected by the City God Temple before it can be sold on the market!"

The old butler had no objection and readily agreed.

With the food shortage resolved, Lin You and his two companions breathed a sigh of relief, and Zhu Fang, supporting the old steward, was also overjoyed.

Lin You, carrying the City God's magic sword, bid farewell to everyone and headed straight for the Three Immortals Hall on the west street of the main city. A moment later, he came out again, his face filled with determination.

A day later, several larks flew out of the city lord's mansion and circled above the various cities of Wufang City.

In just half a day, everyone learned from Yun Que that the city lord, Zhu Sihai, was concerned about the people's livelihood and worried about the people suffering from hunger. He specially sold the military rations of the School Guard to the people at an extremely low price to prevent Wufang City from falling into a food shortage.

The people are simple and honest, and they all recite the praises of the benevolent and virtuous Lord Zhu Sihai!

(End of this chapter)