In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

Yang Xuan turned to look at Pei Zhao, his eyes becoming as sharp as a knife.

Pei Zhao.

"Here." Pei Zhao stepped forward, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

"Take Lu Cheng and Chen Ye to the backyard of the county government office," Yang Xuan said coldly. "Smash that broken lock on the Changping warehouse."

Han Jitong was shocked: "My lord, there's only half a granary full of moldy bean curd sheets in the granary; they're completely inedible!"

"I know it's inedible," Yang Xuan said coldly, "but I want everyone to know that the government's granaries are empty. Bring out that half-empty, moldy stuff and pile it up on the main street in front of the government office. Tell the people that this is the only grain the county government has stored."

"Cui Shen."

"exist."

"Take this document and immediately draft a notice to post at the yamen gate. It should read: 'The county yamen is out of grain, and the granaries are empty. The newly appointed magistrate earnestly requests local gentry and merchants to open the granaries and sell grain at a fair price to alleviate the county yamen's food shortage. Anyone who hoards grain or maliciously cuts off food supplies will be punished according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty as an accomplice to treason!'"

Cui Shen gasped in shock.

Same crime as conspiracy!

This charge is so serious that no one in any prefecture or county would dare to easily slap such a label on someone.

But Yang Xuan dared to do it anyway.

He exposed the dirty tricks of the powerful and influential to the light of day, forcing them to take a stand.

Didn't you refuse to sell grain?

Alright, I will now issue this official document in the name of the government.

If you don't sell, you're hoarding and speculating, trying to starve government officials, and you're plotting rebellion.

"Yes! I'll go write it right away!" Cui Shen's eyes gleamed, and he immediately picked up his brush and dipped it in ink.

"Afu," Yang Xuan called out again.

"What are your orders, young master?"

"Go to the inner courtyard and tell Yanhe. The front courtyard has run out of food, but the rules of the inner courtyard cannot be broken. From today onwards, only one pot of porridge will be cooked each day, and everyone, including myself, will receive half the rations. Anyone who dares to leave the office to find food without permission, or accept gifts from outsiders, will be immediately beaten and thrown out!"

"This..." Afu looked at Yang Xuan's slightly pale face, her eyes welling up with tears. "Young Master, your health..."

"Go and deliver the message!" Yang Xuan emphasized, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Yes..." Afu wiped his eyes, turned around and ran towards the inner courtyard.

As Yang Xuan issued his orders, the county government, which had been somewhat panicked due to the lack of food and medicine, instantly started operating like a war machine that had been wound up again.

In less than half an hour.

Pei Zhao cleaved open the rusty iron lock on Changping Granary with a single stroke.

Several bags of bean curd sheets and stale bran, which smelled strongly of mold and rat urine, were thrown heavily onto the stone steps in front of the county government office by Lu Cheng and Chen Ye, as if they were garbage.

The notice that Cui Shen had written was also neatly posted in the most conspicuous position on the wall outside the yamen.

Those spies who were originally hiding in the shadows watching the spectacle or sent by powerful figures to gather information were all bewildered by this sudden turn of events.

They thought the new magistrate would be furious, send his officers to the streets to forcibly buy and rob, and even bow down to the Tian and Hu families.

But they never expected that this magistrate would actually strip the government of its most shameful secret (the empty granary) and throw it on the street, and then accuse it of "treason".

At this point, the onlookers could no longer laugh.

Because that half-storehouse of moldy bean curd skins was not only a slap in the face to the powerful and wealthy, but also a message to all the people of Yanjing County: to what extent your government has been emptied out by these people.

……

The sun gradually rose higher.

The atmosphere in the Tian family study was even more oppressive than it had been in the morning.

As Tian Boyong looked at the notice that his servant had copied back, the veins on the back of his hand, which was holding a walnut, bulged.

"Treason is punishable by law..." Tian Boyong spat out these four words through gritted teeth, then ripped the paper to shreds. "He's just a demoted official, yet he dares to slap such a huge accusation on me! Does he really think he can get grain out of my Tian family just by issuing a notice?"

Tian Chengyi wiped away cold sweat, saying, "Patriarch, this kid is too strange. He doesn't play by the rules. People on the street are saying that our Tian family and the Hu family have joined forces to starve government officials. Although no one dares to openly criticize him, this trend is very unfavorable for us."

Hu Rong rushed over and shouted as soon as he entered, "Uncle Tian, ​​something bad has happened! A few small grain merchants in the West Market got scared after seeing the notice and secretly loaded half a cart of coarse grain to send to the county government, but our men stopped them at the street corner."

Tian Boyong's eyes were sinister. "As long as Yang Xuan goes without food, the morale of his officials will crumble. Which of those runners and clerks is willing to starve with him?"

He slammed his hand on the table.

"Pass down the message: keep the seal off! Anyone who dares to send even a grain of rice will have their life taken! I want to see how many days his dozens of men can survive on air alone!"

Tian Boyong's plan was very shrewd.

In border regions, no matter how powerful an official is, he can't outdo his belly.

As long as someone in the team can't go hungry, someone starts complaining, or someone wants to run away, the rules Yang Xuan established will be as fragile as paper, easily broken with a single poke.

By then, he won't even be able to control his own people, so what will he use to interrogate Liu Shenxing?

What can we use to settle the score for Qing'ao Well?

……

Night fell again.

There was no aroma of cooking fires in the county government office, only the bubbling of thin porridge in a large iron pot.

The porridge was so thin you could see your reflection in it, and it contained some coarse bran, which made your throat feel sore after eating it.

The team's true test began that night.

The back room was where the old constables and the newly recruited peripheral men rested.

On Tuesday, he squatted in the corner with a half-bowl of thin porridge, the grains of rice barely visible, his face as bitter as a bitter gourd.

"What kind of mess is this..." Zhou Er muttered under his breath as he drank. "We followed them all the way from Chang'an, and haven't enjoyed a single day of comfort, only to end up starving in this wretched place. Those wealthy families outside clearly have grain, but the county magistrate insists on holding out against them. If this continues for ten days or half a month, won't we all starve to death?"

An old constable standing nearby sneered, "Ten days or half a month? Let me tell you, if the Tian and Hu families really go all out, they can turn this place into a dead zone in three days. You won't even have a sip of clean water. Do you think your pampered people from Chang'an can endure that?"

Dong Liu sat on the plank next to him without saying a word, but his eyes were darting around.

He's usually very good at reading the wind and is also the most cunning.

He knew very well that the county government was now being strangled by outsiders.

Staying here will only lead to certain death.

He needs to find a way out for himself.

"If you ask me, let's not just wait here to die," Dong Liu said in a low voice, leaning close to Zhou Er's ear. "When I went to empty the swill this morning, I saw someone guarding the back alley entrance. If we just nod and say we're willing to do a little favor for the old man outside, we can get roast chicken or roast goose delivered right away, let alone steamed buns."

Tuesday was startled: "Handle a small favor? What small favor?"

"You wouldn't understand," Dong Liu said, a sly glint in his eyes. "What the people outside want to know most right now is where Liu Shenxing is being held and what kind of accounts the county magistrate has obtained. As long as we can leak even a little bit of information..."

"Are you crazy!" Zhou Er quickly covered his mouth. "If Guard Pei catches you like this, you'll lose your head!"

"You don't know anything!" Dong Liu shoved his hand away. "Not running is waiting to die, running offers a sliver of hope. You'd rather starve to death than I would!"