"Limited to one hour per day"

Three days ago, less than thirty bushels of rice were sold each day; now, less than ten bushels are sold each day.

They inquired along the streets and learned that, apart from rice and grains, the prices of all kinds of goods were rising, with salt prices rising even more.

Judging from the decreasing stock in various shops, Xie Zhaozhao estimated that grain and salt merchants were also running out of inventory.

People in Dagan have a very low sense of security. At the slightest sign of trouble, they immediately hoard large quantities of goods, especially salt and medicinal herbs, and now they even hoard grain.

The earthquake in Zhongzhou brought a constant stream of bad news, causing widespread panic. Coupled with malicious price gouging, prices skyrocketed and hoarding became rampant.

Many people sent men to wait outside rice and salt shops, and as soon as the doors opened, they looted everything.

The more people rush to buy, the more frantic the buying becomes, and the higher the prices go.

Back at Qingpu Courtyard, Xie Zhaozhao called Yuanyuan to the small wooden house and whispered, "Contact Dongqin immediately. It's time to make your move."

Yuan Yuan wrote the note and released the robin.

The robin quickly flew to the village. Yun Yuan caught the robin, took off the paper tube, but did not open it. She whistled, and a falcon flew down. Yun Yuan fed it a plate of raw beef slices, stuffed the paper tube into the small tube on the falcon's ankle, and released it.

On the third day, Dong Qin received the news and immediately led his men to Wancheng, the prefecture city next to Zhongzhou, and found the ancestral home of the Wu family, a major grain merchant.

It was the family of the concubine of Wei Shixun, the grandson of Chengen Gong, and the stronghold of Wu Zhaohui, a major grain merchant.

These past few days, the Wu family has been holding clan elder meetings continuously. Rice prices have already been driven up to two hundred coins. It would be foolish not to make money when you can, but with prices soaring, the Wu family's granaries are empty!

We hadn't anticipated the earthquake. Although we had a lot of grain stored, it was constantly in circulation. Once the earthquake struck, everyone hoarded their food, and the food supply chain was disrupted.

Especially since the Crown Prince came to Zhongzhou to provide disaster relief this time, he took 100,000 shi of grain from the Wu family for nothing in order to save face.

The Wu family had no choice but to agree; the moment Wu Caicai married Wei Shixun, the Wu family became inextricably linked with the Crown Prince.

Seeing that he couldn't earn any money, Wu Zhaohui was worried. He sat in his rocking chair, looked up at the sky and sighed, "If only food could fall from the sky!"

At this moment, the gatekeeper reported that someone had come to visit Master Wu.