Chapter 71 "They took advantage of natural disasters and man-made calamities to swallow it all..."

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

The figure in the bronze mirror slowly turned, facing Ji Chengnin.

Their eyes met.

Cui Yao's tone was genuinely puzzled, "What jasmine water?"

As he spoke, he lowered his head and sniffed his wrist, his expression growing increasingly bewildered.

Ji Chengning stared intently at Cui Yao, observing his calm yet puzzled demeanor, as if he truly knew nothing.

He stared at Cui Yao for a few moments, and she calmly met his gaze.

After a moment, Ji Chengning looked away. "It's nothing." He ran his fingers through her hair, knelt behind Cui Yao, and chuckled, "I smelled a fragrance in A Yao's hair. I thought you had applied flower oil."

Cui Yao smiled.

In the bronze mirror, Ji Chengning carefully gathered his hair, tied it up, and secured it with a jade hairpin.

My fingers brushed against the back of my neck unintentionally, lightly, with the warmth unique to living people.

The brief skin-to-skin contact made Cui Yao feel as if she were in a raging fire, her entire body trembling from the heat.

In the bronze mirror, Ji Chengnin's actions of combing his hair are intimate and familiar.

He lowered his eyes.

He slowly and silently exhaled a breath of stale air.

...

Two quarters of an hour later, in the streets of Yanzhou.

The two walked side by side.

The market was not large; out of ten shops, several were closed, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the street.

The sun blazed down, and there were no trees planted on either side of the street, not even a patch of shade. It was hot all day long, and the air smelled of dried dust.

Ji Chengning frowned slightly, then quickly regained his composure.

Cui Yao watched his subtle movements.

With a slight twitch of his fingers, he suddenly pulled a silk handkerchief from his sleeve and waved it lightly at Ji Chengnin's nose.

The brand-new handkerchief, I don’t know what fragrance Cui Yao used, was enveloped in an elegant scent that was neither sandalwood nor orchid, and it seemed to have been sprinkled with mint water. A light sniff left a cool feeling in my mouth.

Ji Chengning was taken aback, but then immediately understood what Cui Yao meant.

He kept his eyes straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to Cui Yao's actions, but a smile played on his lips. "What is Lord Cui doing? Bribing his superior?"

Cui Yao smiled and asked softly, "Is your boss so easily bribed?"

The silk handkerchief brushed against the tip of my nose, causing a slight itch.

Ji Chengning wrinkled his nose, but the smile in his eyes grew stronger and stronger. "No one else will do," he said, bending two fingers to hook Cui Yao's handkerchief into his palm. "If it's A Yao," Ji Chengning deliberately dragged out the last syllable, meeting Cui Yao's serious gaze, and said teasingly, "that won't work either."

After speaking, he strode forward without waiting for Cui Yao.

Cui Yao was taken aback, then immediately followed.

Before I knew it, he started laughing too.

Ji Chengning looked around and saw that most of the shops open to customers on the street were rice shops.

His rising spirits plummeted instantly.

He chose the shop closest to him. In the midst of a difficult time, the rice shop stood out in the dilapidated street. It was three stories high, with exquisitely crafted eaves in the style of the capital, and the roof was covered with glazed green tiles, shimmering and dazzling.

He looked up and saw three large, gilded characters engraved on the ebony plaque: "Wannianfang" (meaning "Ten Thousand Years Workshop").

Ji Chengnin and Cui Yao exchanged a glance and stepped through the gate together.

The rice shop was stuffy and hot. The shop assistant was lazily leaning on the counter, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. Hearing footsteps, he didn't bother to get up and greet them, but he gestured with his lip toward the sign, indicating that the customer should check the price himself.

Ji Chengning looked in the direction he pointed and saw a wooden sign about half a person's height with something written on it in charcoal, probably the price of rice, but it had been erased too many times and was now a mess.

"Young man," Ji Chengnin said with a warm smile, "how much is the rice?"

The waiter looked up impatiently, about to ask if he couldn't read, but his gaze swept over the two of them and he stopped abruptly.

His eyes lit up, and he said solicitously, "It is truly an honor for our humble shop to have two gentlemen visit us."

Putting aside their appearance, just looking at Ji Chengnin and Cui Yao's attire, you can tell they are the fattest sheep among fat sheep—no, the most distinguished guests among distinguished guests.

The waiter jumped up. "What would you two like to see?"

Ji Chengning laughed, "I came to your store to buy rice, of course."

Seeing Ji Chengnin's imposing air of nobility, which practically screamed "pampered and ignorant of the five grains," the waiter said with a fawning smile, "Young master, you may not know this, but rice is also divided into rouge rice, green rice, and pearl rice," he suddenly lowered his voice, "and for even better quality, there is golden corn produced in the imperial fields."

To his disappointment, Ji Chengnin, who looked every bit the wealthy young master, remained unmoved and simply asked, "Anything else?"

The shopkeeper was a little confused. "There's also some unnamed mixed rice, but it's all mediocre and doesn't suit the young master's status."

Unexpectedly, Ji Chengning said, "I want this kind of mixed rice."

The shop assistant looked at him strangely, but he always had to do business that came to him, so his tone was no longer as enthusiastic as before, "You can have as much mixed rice as you want, but let me tell you in advance, it's five hundred coins per pound of mixed rice."

Ji Chengnin's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

He gasped, his face filled with shock, and instinctively turned to Cui Yao.

One thousand coins could be exchanged for one tael of silver according to official rates, and five hundred coins would be half a tael.

A pound of mixed rice could be worth half a tael of silver?

Is that mixed rice grown with celestial dew? Can eating it grant longevity and immortality?!

"Five hundred coins," the shopkeeper repeated. Seeing that Ji Chengnin seemed to be arguing, he became even more dismissive and lazily replied, "Young master, you don't know this, but our shop's prices are the cheapest on the whole street. It's because our manager sees the plight of the people and subsidizes the difference himself. Otherwise, where would we get such low prices? If you don't believe me, go and see the other rice shops. Their rice and flour are worth more than gold."

Ji Chengnin's face immediately darkened. "Absurd."

He wasn't talking about the shop assistant, but rather about the alarmingly high grain prices in Yan County, and why the government hadn't stepped in to stabilize them.

The young master, who looked like a wealthy and idle man, suddenly turned serious, revealing a strong aura of menace. The shop assistant shrank back in fear and muttered, "The price of rice isn't set by our shop. If you think it's too expensive, don't buy it. There's no need to take it out on me..."

"Shopkeeper, shopkeeper," a faint voice called softly.

The three of them looked over at the same time and saw an old woman with a hunchback standing in front of the counter, holding the hand of a little girl who was only waist-high. Although the little girl was young, she already knew how to help her elders carry things. Both grandmother and granddaughter were carrying willow baskets. When the little girl saw the three of them looking over, she awkwardly took two steps back.

"Splash—"

The copper coins in the willow basket clinked together.

The old lady said with a forced smile, "The price of rice was 470 coins yesterday, how come it has risen to 500 today?"

The waiter sneered, "How would I know? A stinking beggar has come here to beg for food. Doesn't he even know what kind of place this Wannianfang is!" As he spoke, he frantically fanned his nose, as if disgusted by the stench of the copper wire. "Buy it if you have money, get lost if you don't. Don't delay my business..."

"Smack!"

Before he could finish speaking, the waiter felt something slam into his mouth. He felt a cold sensation in his mouth, followed by a sharp pain that spread from his front teeth.

"Ahhh!"

He touched his mouth in disbelief; it was wet and sticky, and his fingers were covered in bright red blood.

The waiter's face contorted in pain as he covered his mouth and shouted, "Quick, someone come quick! The troublemakers are here!"

Cui Yao gently placed her hand on Ji Chengning's shoulder.

Ji Chengnin patted him casually, as if to reassure him, which made Cui Yao both amused and...

Ji Chengning smiled at the trembling grandfather and grandson, "It's nothing."

Perhaps it was because this man's smile was so beautiful—she had never seen such a handsome man in all her decades of life—or perhaps it was because this young man possessed a kind of believable magic. The old lady grasped her granddaughter's trembling hand and rubbed it vigorously twice.

As soon as he opened his mouth, three tall, burly men rushed down from upstairs, blocking the doorway like a wall, their imposing figures casting a shadow over the rice shop.

Then three more people escorted a scholar dressed in brocade robes as he slowly descended the stairs.

"Shopkeeper," the waiter mumbled, "Shopkeeper, help! These four thieves are trying to rob us!"

The little girl flinched and buried her head in her grandmother's arms.

The shopkeeper frowned and glanced at the waiter who was covering his mouth and groaning. His gaze lingered on Ji Chengnin for a few seconds longer, and his impatience instantly turned into a kind smile. "Young master, you come from a wealthy family. Why are you interfering with my business?"

Ji Chengnin also smiled slightly. "I'm not here to cause trouble, but to buy rice. Here," he gestured with his chin towards the items on the counter, "one thousand catties."

The shopkeeper recognized the blood-stained "murder weapon" as a money bag and chuckled, "Young master, you've heard about the recent grain prices, so here's a little money..." He picked up the money bag casually through his handkerchief, finding it dirty.

The money pouch wasn't tied securely, and with his movements, its jewel-like light swayed, making his eyes sparkle.

The shopkeeper's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly opened the money bag with both hands and saw that it did not contain silver coins, but gold ingots the size of knuckles. Each ingot was the same size, full and neat. His fingers trembled slightly as he turned over a gold ingot and sure enough, he saw two very neat small characters engraved on it.

It's an official title!

The shopkeeper, being well-informed, knew perfectly well that the gold ingot must have been a gift from the palace, and his expression changed in surprise.

He was horrified.

When did such a small place as Yan County produce such a person? Could it be...? The shopkeeper looked at Ji Chengnin again and saw that the age matched. He was shocked and thought to himself, could it be General Ji?

He bowed, his tone so soft it was almost melting, and said repeatedly, "This humble servant was blind and didn't recognize your greatness." Turning his head, he glared coldly at the waiter, thinking how the fool had almost offended the master! He scolded, "Go and fetch the rice, bring the best of it!"

The grandfather and grandson were both surprised and delighted to see that the shopkeeper, who had been so aggressive just moments before, now seemed to want to kneel before the young man.

What surprised them was how quickly the shopkeeper's attitude changed, but what pleased them was that the kind young man who stood up for them wouldn't be blamed.

The shopkeeper asked, "Young master, where should I deliver this rice to?"

Ji Chengnin pointed his fan toward the doorway, "There."

The shopkeeper was surprised. "This..." He hesitated for a few seconds. "Yes, yes, carry all the rice outside for the young master."

The rice was packed into small burlap sacks weighing ten jin each, and before long, it piled up into a small mountain outside the shop.

The little girl's bright eyes darted around, wanting to go out and see what was going on, but her legs were too weak with fear. The rice shop had a high threshold, and she tripped and stumbled.

She instinctively closed her eyes, but the pain she had imagined did not come.

Something pressed down on her shoulder, pulled her back, and then steadily placed her on the ground.

She opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a hand, long and clean.

She hesitated before looking up and meeting Ji Chengnin's eyes.

The young man smiled, his radiant smile so bright that she seemed to smell the fragrance of blooming peach blossoms.

She reached out and took Ji Chengnin's arm as they stepped over the stairs.

"Thank you, thank you, my lord."

Ji Chengning smiled and turned his head, only to see Cui Yao standing inside the threshold, staring at him without blinking.

Ji Chengning was puzzled.

Cui Yao remained motionless.

Ji Chengning pondered for a few seconds, then tentatively extended his hand to Cui Yao.

Cui Yao grabbed his wrist and stepped over the threshold.

Ji Chengnin: "..."

A soft voice brushed past my ear, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Ji Chengnin replied dryly, "You're welcome."

He then turned to the old woman and smiled, "Grandma, do you still want to buy rice?"

The old lady hesitated and asked, "How much does the young master want for it?"

"The price of rice in the capital is thirty-seven coins per catty. Since the expenses here are not as high as in Luoyang, how about twenty coins per catty?"

The old lady was so happy she almost cried, "Thank you, young man! Thank you, young man!"

Ji Chengning stopped her and winked, smiling, "I should thank Grandma for patronizing my business."

A crowd of people had already gathered in front of the rice shop. Ji Chengnin was not ashamed at all and cheerfully announced, "Twenty coins a pound, five pounds per person!"

The shopkeeper's face turned ashen. The guard beside him tried to rush forward, but he stopped him, gritting his teeth and shouting, "Don't drag me down with you if you're going to die!"

He stared intently at Ji Chengnin, who was standing in the crowd, and gave a cold smile.

So what if he's a special envoy from the imperial court? The emperor is far away, and he'd like to see how many days this young man can manage on his own!

The thousand catties of rice sold out quickly. Since the people mostly took silver and copper coins, Ji Chengning specially spent half a tael of silver to buy the willow baskets of the grandfather and grandson to hold the silver, and then hired someone to send the loose coins back to the government office.

The money basket was carried by two thin young men, each of whom took two pieces of silver from Ji Chengning. Their dark faces were red from the sun to their necks, whether from the sun or some other reason. They didn't dare to look up at Ji Chengning and hurriedly carried the money away.

Ji Chengning happily handed Cui Yao a perfectly intact piece of silver, saying, "Young Marquis, you've made some money. Please have lunch with me."

Cui Yao applauded enthusiastically, "Your Highness's business acumen is simply that of Tao Zhu reborn. I admire you immensely, however..." His eyes fell on the silver coins that Ji Chengning was holding between his fingers.

"But what?"

He thought Cui Yao was going to say something unacceptable, but Cui Yao said softly, "However, this silver is very precious, and I cannot bear to use it." He reached out to Ji Chengnin, who subconsciously placed the loose silver in his palm. The latter carefully wrapped the silver in a handkerchief and put it in his sleeve pocket. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Ji Chengnin: "Hmm?"

Wait, something seems off?

However, before he could realize what was wrong, Cui Yao said seriously, "The most urgent task is to stabilize rice prices, otherwise, before Luanyang is pacified, Yan County will surely be in chaos first."

Ji Chengnin pressed his temples. "I've already submitted a memorial to His Majesty, but there's been no news from the capital yet." The matter of the loose silver was instantly forgotten. "If..."

“If there is no response from the capital for a long time, it will only delay things.” Cui Yao naturally moved closer to Ji Chengning. “If Your Highness trusts me, I may be able to raise some grain. The amount is not much, but it is a token of my sincerity.”

Ji Chengning was dumbfounded, not even noticing Cui Yao playing with his hair.

"Ah, Ah Yao?"

What did Cui Yao say? He said he would contribute some rice to help stabilize local grain prices.

Because Cui Yao had previously obtained an official position by contributing military funds, Ji Chengning had no doubt about the Cui family's wealth. However, he pinched himself hard and still found it unbelievable. But what benefit would this bring to Cui Yao?

Even if his cousin genuinely cared for the world and was willing to sacrifice her family for the sake of the nation, based on his understanding of Cui Yao, he knew that Cui Yao must have ulterior motives for doing this.

But what exactly is that thing they're after?

Cui Yao twirled long hair around his fingers, admiring Ji Chengnin's expression. "What?"

Regardless of his true intentions, Cui Yao's actions could both reassure the people and prevent local unrest. Such a tremendous benefit suddenly hit Ji Chengning on the head, leaving him somewhat dizzy.

"My dear Ayao, are you perhaps a deity sent by Heaven to help me, seeing how difficult my career path is?" Ji Chengnin suddenly realized, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Cui Yao, wanting to say a thousand words, but when he met Cui Yao's gaze, he swallowed his heartfelt thanks. The reason for this was something even he himself did not know.

He then smiled easily and happily shook Cui Yao's sleeve, saying, "When I return to the capital, I will definitely ask for credit for A Yao."

Cui Yao smiled enigmatically: "I did all this not so that the Crown Prince could curry favor with the Emperor."

"Not for merit?" Ji Chengnin's eyes shone even brighter, so bright that Cui Yao almost wanted to look away, but she couldn't look away. Her Adam's apple bobbed as she waited for Ji Chengnin to continue. "That is because A Yao has the world in her heart and does not seek reward." Ji Chengnin cupped his hands. "My apologies, my apologies."

Cui Yao looked at him silently.

After a long pause, he said, "Alright, if the young master says so, then so be it."

Ji Chengning gently tugged at Cui Yao's sleeve again, "A Yao's heart for the country and the people is truly admirable, but I cannot place all the burdens on A Yao's shoulders."

Cui Yao stared intently at Ji Chengnin's face, her gaze filled with a mixture of focus and wistfulness.

The prince said, "What?"

“Just you wait and see,” Ji Chengnin curled his lips into a menacing smile, “They will have to spit out whatever they’ve swallowed under the guise of natural disasters and man-made calamities.”

Cui Yao slowly shifted her gaze, forcing herself not to linger on Ji Chengning's lips.

"Yes." He didn't know what he had said in response, only that his voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the noise.

Wait, what's all this noise?

Ji Chengnin suddenly turned his head.

A group of men were banging on the door, shouting arrogantly, "Open the door for me! The magistrate said that even if your whole family dies today, you have to open the door!"

Ji Chengnin frowned.

He instinctively reached for his waist, but didn't find the musket.

So Cui Yao thoughtfully relieved the Crown Prince's worries.

With a slight movement of his sleeve, something rolled into his palm, and the next moment, a cold light flashed.

Before the person banging on the door could react, "Bang!" A chill brushed past their neck and slammed into the door.

He seemed to be out of his body, staring blankly at the dagger. Then, he suddenly realized what was happening, turned his head sharply, and saw Ji Chengnin and Cui Yao.

Ji Chengning was dumbfounded.

With such skill, how did my cousin manage to be intimidated by his musket?

But with so many things to do, Ji Chengning didn't have time to think about it in detail.

Seeing that the two of them had no servants with them, the man assumed they were young masters from some wealthy family and sneered, "Who do you think you are to stop me? Do you know whose orders I'm carrying out?!"

Ji Chengnin found that his temper was getting better and better. He even asked calmly, "Oh? Whose power are you relying on to dare to harass the people?"

The man laughed wildly, “I’m not afraid of scaring you to death if I tell you, I am acting on the orders of General Ji, who just led a large army to quell the rebellion yesterday. He is currently the most favored and important minister of the Emperor, General Ji Chengning!”

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Author's note: Ji Chengnin (referring to himself): Me?