Gu Shaoyu set off at dawn on the Double Ninth Festival and did not return until dusk.

Yuanyuan, Yunxiao, and Yunyuan, who had been gone for a long time, have all returned.

Xie Zhaozhao instructed her four guards: "Guard the area around Qingpu Courtyard well, and do not let anyone in."

He called out "Bei Chen" again, and Bei Chen appeared out of thin air in an instant.

Yuanyuan was startled, but smiled and said, "Beichen, you're amazing! Teach me sometime!"

Bei Chen remained expressionless and respectfully said, "Please give your orders, Master."

Xie Zhaozhao said, "Check around the yard to see if anyone is hiding in the shadows."

Bei Chen shook his head: "My hearing is very good, there's no one in the shadows."

"Keep watch outside for me and don't let anyone in."

Xie Zhaozhao called Yuanyuan, Yunxiao, and Yunyuan into the study and asked, "How is it? How much grain have you stockpiled in total?"

The three of them discussed it on the way, and Yuanyuan would report back to them.

“Miss, we went south and made contact with Dongqin. Dongqin sent more than 300 people to collect all the remaining grain outside the Grand Canal.”

"This year's grain harvest is bountiful. One shi (a unit of dry measure) costs only 300 wen (another unit of dry measure). We split up to buy grain in various places, and all 200,000 taels of silver we brought with us have been spent. We have stockpiled 700,000 shi."

"Dongqin also took out a portion of the silver from the sale of goods and collected a lot of grain from the Western Xia, Uyghurs and Tubo, totaling one million shi of grain."

"This one million shi (a unit of dry measure) was placed in six cities and twelve warehouses."

"Dong Qin sent Xie Jiuliang and fifty others, along with the 150 men that Yun Yang had brought, and his own 500-plus men, a total of 700, to guard the warehouse."

At this point, Yuanyuan couldn't help but laugh: "Miss, the pits for the Grand Canal project have been dug!"

"After collecting the floating grain from the outer areas, we will purchase the last batch of grain in the counties and cities where the Grand Canal is being constructed."

"Dongqin's purchase price was fluctuating. On the first day, it was 500 wen per stone, on the second day it was 1,000 wen... It increased by 500 wen every day. After four days of buying, the price rose to 2,000 wen. Dongqin told us to stop buying and hide quickly."

"Sure enough, the government began to investigate who bought the grain and where it went. They found that the high price had been paid for only a few hundred bushels of grain, so they stopped investigating."

However, this price has whetted the appetite of ordinary people, making it impossible for Gu Chengyan or the Crown Prince to buy grain for less than ten coins per jin nearby.

Furthermore, Dongqin's disruption by purchasing grain at extremely high prices has aroused suspicion among many people. Why are prices so high despite a bumper harvest? Why is this so unusual?

So I started imagining: Is war about to break out?

Therefore, no matter what price is offered, neither ordinary people nor grain merchants are willing to sell grain anymore; they are all hoarding it.

Even with all the silver in his hand, Gu Chengyan couldn't buy any more grain.

Yuanyuan couldn't stop laughing as she said this.

Apart from the more than 10,000 taels of silver worth of grain that Gu Chengyan had initially stockpiled, he could no longer buy any grain.

He received 20,000 taels of silver from Xie Xiangxiang, gave Wei Shixun 3,000 taels as a kickback, and gave kickbacks to Shi Xiu and others, leaving him with about 15,000 taels.

He could only hoard grain equivalent to 10,000 taels of silver, and this 10,000 taels of silver had to be recycled, while the grain was only enough to last for about ten days.

Next, regardless of whether he had money or not, it was impossible for him to buy cheap grain; he would be lucky to even buy any grain at all.

Xie Zhaozhao nodded in satisfaction. As long as the people there don't sell their grain, they will definitely have grain on hand. Even if grain merchants raise prices after a disaster, they won't have to worry about not being able to afford grain.

Achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.

After listening to Yuanyuan's report, Xie Zhaozhao said, "They have stored one million shi of grain over there, and Ling Xun has also stored one hundred thousand shi of grain near the capital. So we have one million one hundred thousand shi of grain on hand."

Yuanyuan was both excited and worried. Back in the south, even someone as intelligent as Dongqin couldn't understand why Xie Zhaozhao hoarded so much grain.

One million and one hundred thousand shi of grain; the purchase, transportation, and storage of the grain required at least six hundred thousand taels of capital.

The risks were enormous; they staked the young lady's dowry and the profits earned from overseas shipping routes.

Xie Zhaozhao smiled faintly and said, "I have a great use for this grain."

If things go well, you'll never be held back by anyone again in your life.

After the matter was settled, Xie Zhaozhao asked Mo Yan to go to the island in the middle of the lake and bring some lychees to the manor for Yun Yuan and Yun Xiao.

"You two should rest for a few days. Yun Yuan and Yun Xiao will go to the manor to help Yun Yang train those new moves properly."

They said goodbye, and then Madam Tu arrived.

Madam Tu entered the courtyard, followed by Ruhua and the steward Zhang Qing, carrying a basket full of plump beans.

“Our maternal grandfather’s family from Ouyang came to visit, bringing some beans and beans. I thought you have a small kitchen here, so I’m sending you some to try,” Madam Tu said with a smile.

The maternal grandparents' home in Ouyang County was the old lady's maternal family.

Xie Zhaozhao told Yuanyuan to accept it and thanked her.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Madam Tu asked, noticing her tired expression. "The old lady wants you to go to Ci'en Courtyard to see your aunt and sisters-in-law."

"Okay, sister-in-law, I'll change my clothes and go."

When the old lady's family comes to visit, it is something we must accept.

After Tu Shi, Ru Hua, and Zhang Qing left, Manman returned with a beaming smile.

"Miss, I just inquired and found out that the people who came were the old lady's brothers, sisters-in-law, nephews, grandnephews, and so on, more than fifty people in total."

The place was packed with people, and Tu and Zhang Qing were arranging for them to stay.

Xie Zhaozhao first went to the washroom to change her menstrual belt, and then changed her clothes from the inside out.

Manman asked, "When meeting relatives like these, should we dress more luxuriously or more simply?"

"Ordinary clothes are fine."

After changing her clothes, Xie Zhaozhao instructed Yuan Yuanman again, "When we get there, don't be polite to any of them, especially the male guests. If you can ignore them, then ignore them."

Seeing her serious expression, Yuan Yuanman immediately nodded: "Yes."

Having grown up in a large family, they understood the risks behind a single word from their master: there must be someone among the old lady's relatives who was extremely lecherous.

If a girl is bullied by such a treacherous relative, she can only become a concubine, or even worse, be completely ruined without any recourse.

Aunt Cui washed her hands and followed Xie Zhaozhao out of Qingpu Courtyard.

Ci'en Temple was bustling with activity, the courtyard was packed with people, and laughter filled the air.

Xie Zhaozhao met Madam Lu on the way. Gu Huanhuan saw Xie Zhaozhao and greeted her shyly, "Third Aunt."

Seeing that she was honest, Xie Zhaozhao instructed her, "Huanhuan, stay close to your mother. There are quite a few relatives coming, including cousins. If you don't take good care of them, you might upset your grandmother."

"Yes," Gu Huanhuan answered honestly.

Madam Lu's eyes lit up, and she asked in a low voice, "Sister-in-law, is there anything wrong with the people who came?"

Xie Zhaozhao smiled faintly and said, "Why do you ask that, Second Sister-in-law? Just now, Eldest Sister-in-law came to inform me that several uncles, aunts, cousins, and cousins ​​have all come, dozens of people in total."

Lady Lu pondered for a while but still couldn't figure out why she wanted to remind Huanhuan to stay close to her.