Chapter 41 Urging Return to the Capital: Why does it take the Nineteenth Prince so long to handle such a trivial matter?

If porridge is distributed for two consecutive days, it makes no sense to continue distributing it on the third day.

If that were the case, wouldn't it be blatantly telling Deng Zeyu that they didn't have enough food?

As evening approached, Yao Ruyi sat in the courtyard by the door waiting for Eleven and Thirteen. The two had gone to the Qiao residence to inquire about the situation and were about to return.

Sure enough, after Yao Ruyi finished his tea, he looked up again and saw the two of them walking into the courtyard. They looked relaxed, and when they saw him looking over, Shiyi raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Thirteen asked, "Nineteen is waiting for her brother? Why don't you get some sleep first? You haven't had a good night's sleep these past few days."

Back in the capital, no matter how many things happened, Xiao Shijiu always had a rosy complexion and bright eyes. But now, after only a few days in Jiangzhou City, he felt that Xiao Shijiu's eyes were getting darker.

Yao Ruyi smiled and shook her head. "How is the Qiao family? Is it because of the rice from the Deng family's rice shop?"

Eleven sneered, "I didn't expect that the Qiao family's troubles this time really weren't because of rice. A few days ago, the Qiao family patriarch brought back a bonsai from the north, and it's growing very well. It looks tall and strong, and I like it very much."

He plopped down next to Yao Ruyi and poured himself a cup of tea. "He was so focused on how magnificent and thriving the bonsai was that the old man didn't even bother to have it checked."

"Look, the bonsai is poisonous. Everyone in the entire mansion who touched it was poisoned, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea for two days in a row. It's all thanks to the five or six doctors that Deng Zeyu found, otherwise the Qiao family's physicians would have been kept very busy."

"Qiao Yu and his steward did not return to the mansion that day, thus escaping disaster."

It wasn't rice from Deng's Rice Shop.

Yao Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief amidst her astonishment. Now that the rice was in Deng Zeyu's hands, they could only hope that nothing went wrong with it, otherwise how could they use it as disaster relief food?

"It's good that the rice is alright."

“That’s not wrong,” Eleven said, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the sky, swaying back and forth. “Why don’t you think His Majesty just buy all the rice from Deng Zeyu? It would save us from running around here—hey!” Before he could finish speaking, he was punched.

Eleven quickly covered her chest, pointing accusingly at Thirteen, "Why are you so ungrateful!"

Thirteen rolled his eyes at him, "Can't you use your brain! If His Majesty buys the grain from Deng Zeyu at a high price and then sells it to the people at twenty coins per dou, the national treasury will eventually be empty. The consequences will be much more serious than they are now."

I touched my nose on the eleventh.

That's true. If other merchants see Deng Zeyu's behavior and follow suit, then the court's control over rice prices will be meaningless. He chuckled, "I was just saying a few words. Even if His Majesty wanted to do that, we would have to stop him."

"Your Majesty would never do that."

Eleven was speechless. Looking at Yao Ruyi's expression of "How could His Majesty be so brainless?", he didn't know what to say. "Alright, alright, let's hurry back and get some sleep. We still have to sell rice tomorrow. I don't know if we'll have enough to sell."

That makes sense; we don't even know if we'll have enough rice to sell tomorrow.

Just then, Lan Yan walked over from the corridor and overheard their conversation. He stepped forward and said, "If we were to transfer some more from the surrounding towns first, I wonder..."

Yao Ruyi shook her head, "It's too late."

Lan Yan remained silent.

Whether they have enough rice or not will be known tomorrow. They made a boast to the people long ago. How can they explain running out of rice after selling half of it?

"Alright, let's not think about that too much for now. We should be able to get through tomorrow."

Lan Yan asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Eleven raised his head and said, "Chairman Han has more than just five thousand bushels of disaster relief grain."

"Well, that's fine then."

Eleven and Thirteen stood up and smiled at the two of them. Thirteen saw that Yao Ruyi didn't intend to leave and thought he wanted to continue chatting with Lan Yan for a while, so he instructed, "Nineteen, don't chat for too long. Go to sleep early."

"Hmm? Okay."

Lan Yan nodded to the two of them, then turned and sat down opposite Yao Ruyi, saying, "They are like elder brothers to me."

Yao Ruyi felt the same way. Not only Thirteen, but even Eleven, whom she had just met, thought so of him. "They are very nice people."

Lan Yan nodded, and the two sat in silence. Yao Ruyi had been waiting for a letter from the capital for two days but had not received any news. Even Thirteen had not received any news. Could it be that His Majesty's words about doing whatever they wanted really made them reckless and indifferent to any setbacks along the way?

That's a bit too much trust in them.

"Nineteen, where are you going?"

Yao Ruyi stood up and straightened her robe. "I want to go check out the night market. I've been here for so many days but haven't seen it yet. Do you want to come?"

Lan Yan sighed, wondering why he didn't have such good energy. "Never mind, I just couldn't sleep and came out for a walk. You go ahead, but come back early."

Yao Ruyi nodded, "Okay."

The Han family mansion was quiet and peaceful. Everyone had been exhausted these past few days and just wanted to collapse into bed and sleep. As a result, the entire mansion had become quiet.

He walked out of the courtyard by himself, and within a few days he had figured out the streets and alleys of Jiangzhou City. A few turns and he would arrive at the market.

Jiangzhou City is even more bustling at night than during the day. During the day, more people are busy making a living by buying rice and salt, but things are different at night.

As its name suggests, Jiangzhou City is bisected by a river. Even the very center of the main street is surrounded by the riverbanks, with vendors and shops densely packed together in a single line. Children are not afraid of the water, and although there are no railings on the banks, no one falls in.

A bridge connecting the two banks is just a hundred or so steps away, so even though the river is wide and long, it has not hindered the people of Jiangzhou City.

They have lived along this river for hundreds or even thousands of years.

The willows along the riverbank swayed in the evening breeze, and the few singing girls only had the chance to come out and sing at night.

During the day, they are all people who come out to make a living; only at night are there young masters and gentlemen who enjoy themselves. Otherwise, who would they sing for or dance for?

Yao Ruyi found it fascinating; he could never see such a lively scene in the capital. Even though the harvest was poor, the entertainment in the city hadn't diminished in the slightest.

Several children were holding rattles, perhaps bought from the old woman at the bridgehead. A few people were scattered around the taverns on either side, far more than when Yao Ruyi had met Qiao Yu a few days prior.

"Oh, young master, would you like to write a poem?"

The vendor's stall was fully stocked with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. This was a way to make a living; he could earn a little money by writing and drawing for others, but he could at least eat.

"What would you like to write, young master?" The vendor called out as soon as he saw Yao Ruyi looking over. He was dressed in a scholar's robe, and several pieces of calligraphy were displayed on his stall.

"Land of fish and rice", "Peaceful seasons and bountiful harvests", "Carriages laden with fine grains"...

Most of them are auspicious sayings about a bumper harvest.

He explained, "These years there have been no harvests in the fields, so people just want to feel happy. Maybe if they write it down, next year will really have a bumper harvest."

Yao Ruyi nodded.

Seeing that Yao Ruyi was looking at him intently, the servant didn't say anything. He quietly prepared the brush and ink, ready to write down whatever the guest had in mind.

Can I write it myself?

The vendor was taken aback. He was known throughout Jiangzhou City for his excellent handwriting. After a moment of hesitation, he quickly smiled and said, "Alright! If you want to write it yourself, then write it yourself. Come, sir, come over here. It's more convenient here."

Yao Ruyi nodded. He first handed the vendor a copper coin, then stood in the vendor's original spot.

The vendor's eyes lit up as soon as he wrote the two characters "四海—" (Sihai—). "Young master, your calligraphy is so vigorous and powerful!"

"Peace and prosperity."

"Peace and tranquility prevail in all directions."

The vendor hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Young master, do you wish to take this away?"

Seeing Yao Ruyi nod, he smiled and said, "Alright then, young master, go and wander around somewhere else first. By the time you come back, the work will be almost done."

Yao Ruyi responded. He hadn't planned to go back so early after coming out. Just as he turned around, he almost bumped into someone. "Sorry—"

"It's alright, it's alright!"

The person's voice was clear and melodious, like a mountain stream, and even the fragrance on their body was different from others, like the grass and trees in the mountains, refreshing and pleasant.

Looking up at the man, who was smiling and waving, Yao Ruyi smiled back, but he was still worried. "Young master, would you like to go to the clinic for a checkup?"

"Medical clinic?"

The man smiled, his eyes appearing even more profound. "It was just a light bump, why would I need to go to the clinic?" He turned around in front of Yao Ruyi, his clothes simple, like those of an ordinary citizen in the city. "It's really nothing, young master, you don't need to worry about it."

"In the end, it was I who disturbed you, young master."

"My name is Chen Zhuyue, a scholar. I had the honor of seeing you write, sir, and found it beautiful, so I took a closer look." He chuckled. "Your handwriting is truly excellent, sir. Have you practiced it since childhood?"

Yao Ruyi was a little embarrassed by his praise, "I practiced for a while."

I've only written a few times recently, following along with Mr. and His Majesty.

The calligraphy he just wrote was the one His Majesty had written in the warm pavilion during the New Year.

The two became acquainted and chatted as they walked. "We're both scholars, so we can talk about each other." He was very talkative and did most of the talking while standing next to Yao Ruyi. "I still don't know your name, young master. I can't keep calling you 'young master' all the time."

"May your wishes come true."

“Yao Ruyi, wishing for good fortune. It’s a good name.” Chen Zhuyue said slowly. Yao Ruyi thought he was about to recite a poem. Afraid that he couldn’t keep up with such a scholarly style, he almost took his leave.

"This name sounds nice. If it appears in the top three, it will be praised by the world."

The two had only mentioned that they would both take the imperial examinations, but now they were talking about the top three. Yao Ruyi smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words."

"Ruyi, do you know if there are any good schools in Jiangzhou City?" He smiled helplessly. "To tell you the truth, my family lives in a small town south of Jiangzhou City. There are not many teachers in the town, and no one in the town has ever passed the imperial examination."

That's why I thought I'd come to Jiangzhou City to try my luck. If I could find a good teacher, I wouldn't have to worry about anything in the future.

Yao Ruyi shook her head upon hearing this, "I've only been here for a few days, so I don't know yet."

"It's alright, I was just asking casually. You don't know, I asked other people too." He said nonchalantly, "Anyway, I'm still young, it won't hurt to take the exam for a few more years."

Yao Ruyi smiled, her eyes crinkling. Although they hadn't known each other for long, they got along well. "Yeah, you'll pass the exam eventually."

"Yes! Ruyi's words are excellent."

He didn't call him Brother Yao or Nineteen like others, which made Yao Ruyi feel strange.

“It would be a shame if you didn’t have this name. Ruyi means ‘as I wish.’” The two stood on a bridge and looked down at the river. “You have a good name. I feel like I can accomplish anything just by saying it.”

"Yes, you're right."

Chen Zhuyue said smugly, "Hmm, I see that your hairpin is also engraved with 'ruyi' (a symbol of good fortune), you must like this name."

Yao Ruyi subconsciously reached out to touch it. He happened to be carrying the hairpin that His Majesty had given him on the day he left the capital. "I really like it."

Thinking that she couldn't let him talk all by himself, Yao Ruyi said, "Your name is also nice to hear."

"Oh? Tell me about it, Ruyi."

Yao Ruyi was taken aback, and after thinking for a while about the other person's excited expression, she said, "You're a lot like me."

Although the other person was dressed in plain clothes, their bright and clear demeanor, like the bright moon, was worthy of the name.

"Bamboo Moon, chasing the moon. Bamboo has a resilient character and a tenacious life. You just said that if you don't pass the imperial examination, you can take it for several more years. Isn't that the same?"

"Hahaha, Ruyi is right. What does 'the moon' mean then?"

moon--

Yao Ruyi looked up at the moon in the sky. The moon emitted a pale yellow light, which shone on the river and made the river water sparkle. "Bright and clear."

"Okay, take it as a compliment."

"I'm just praising you."

Chen Zhuyue smiled, and the two walked from the bridgehead to the other side of the bank. He coughed twice and said, "If that's the case, you really need to take the exam for two more years."

"I--"

More than that, he had to wait seven years.

Seeing Yao Ruyi speechless, Chen Zhuyue smiled again.

He and Qiao Yu seemed to be the same kind of people, unconcerned with what others thought or believed; their own happiness was their true happiness. Yao Ruyi looked at him and thought to herself, if he were to actually enter officialdom, he would probably be one of those in the Court of Judicial Review.

"I've almost finished walking, I need to go back and check my calligraphy."

"Walk."

After they finished speaking, the two turned around and, a moment later, picked up the calligraphy that Yao Ruyi had just written and continued strolling around.

Chen Zhuyue suppressed her smile, and the two found a teahouse to sit for a while. "Ruyi, do you know Mr. Li Wenjing, who was beaten to death in Beijing before the New Year?"

Yao Ruyi paused in her tea-pouring motion. "I know."

Chen Zhuyue sighed, "Mr. Li's fame in Yun Kingdom has spread to Xiao Kingdom. Many people want to hear him teach and spread his teachings. I never expected that he would be beaten to death because of such a thing."

"It is a regret for us scholars."

Yao Ruyi said calmly, "But he still made a mistake in the end."

“That’s true. Your Majesty is certainly right, but it has always been my wish to become Mr. Li’s student. Now, I’ll let it go. All I need now is to find a good teacher.”

After chatting for so long, Yao Ruyi felt a connection with him, but apart from the position of Dali Temple, he couldn't think of anywhere else Chen Zhuyue's personality could lead her. "If you were to enter officialdom, what would you want to do?"

"Let me think about it."

"Actually, I'd rather be a county magistrate in a small town, where I can eat and drink without worrying about anything. The emperor is far away, and I can just manage my town well. I'd probably even make a name for myself in history."

Staying in his own small town to take care of its people was a path Yao Ruyi had never considered. He had always thought that entering officialdom meant stepping into the imperial court and arguing with those old ministers.

Wu Yuan was right last time, and Chen Zhuyue is right this time too.

"Ruyi, do you think my ambitions aren't ambitious enough?"

"No, that's good."

Chen Zhuyue laughed, "If we all pass the exam, we can become county magistrates of the neighboring city. Wouldn't it be wonderful to drink wine and compose poetry on a regular basis?"

Yao Ruyi thought about what he said, and realized that was good too.

The two chatted for a while longer, and when they saw that it was almost time, Chen Zhuyue stood up. "I didn't expect to run into you. I was thinking of going out for a while and then going back to read. Now I'm going straight to bed."

"I didn't expect that either."

"Okay, farewell."

"Farewell."

It was getting late, and even though there were still people on the streets, there were far fewer than before. Yao Ruyi bid farewell to Chen Zhuyue and went straight back to the Han residence.

He looked up at the bright light getting closer and closer in the sky, "A carrier pigeon!"

After walking a few quick steps and entering the Han residence, Yao Ruyi caught the carrier pigeon, which turned out to be a reply from the capital.

A smile crept onto his lips without him noticing. He quickly walked back to his room, lit a candle, and laid the letter out on the table. The carrier pigeon sat quietly to the side, as if waiting for Yao Ruyi to read the letter and give him some grains to eat.

[Return to Beijing quickly after finishing this. Why does it take the 19th Party Congress so long to handle such a trivial matter?]

Just one sentence?

Yao Ruyi flipped through the pages, but didn't see anything else. "It's such a waste that there's only one sentence from so far away."

Mushroom leaned on the table and read that sentence again, "Such a trivial matter..."

This is no small matter.

Perhaps the emperor thought this matter should be resolved quickly, he muttered to himself, head bowed, "The quickest way..."

The only option was to go to Deng Zeyu's residence to buy the rice.

"Wait two more days, no, one more day. If we still don't have a good solution, then we'll do it this way."

It was just past midnight, but Yao Ruyi was already incredibly sleepy. He imitated Thirteen by finding some grains to feed the carrier pigeons and then went to sleep.

He didn't sleep comfortably either. There was no large bed made of golden nanmu wood. This small wooden bed was not even as good as the soft couch in the original Cloud Palace. The quilt he was wearing was very rough and not as good as the Cloud Palace either.

-

Early the next morning.

"Is the city so lively today?"

As Yao Ruyi and Shisan walked toward the Chamber of Commerce, they could sense that the people in the city were not as listless as they had been a few days ago, and even the beggars on the street had smiles on their faces.

Thirteen was also unsure. He put one hand on Yao Ruyi's shoulder and looked around, seemingly wary of whoever he was guarding against.

Eleven suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He looked around and whispered, "This morning, Miss Siwen felt that there might not be enough rice for today, so we thought we should pass on the news about the fertile fields first."

"There are always people who think that their fields are about to yield a harvest, so they will buy grain without spending money."

Eleven raised an eyebrow. "Besides, the fields will be ready to plant crops soon. Don't you think Deng Zeyu should be getting anxious?"

"Should!"

Yao Ruyi couldn't help but smile and nod, "Then we have enough rice to sell today, and maybe we can set up a few more places to distribute porridge."

"Hmm! Nineteen is right. I'll go talk to Siwen about it in a bit and see if Deng Zeyu gets a fright this time."

As they expected, with the more than 1,000 dou of grain in their hands plus the 1,000 dou sent by Baili Qingxiao, they still had more than 500 dou left by evening.

Almost no one came to buy in the evening.

Yao Ruyi went to find Lan Yan on the way and heard people on the street laughing and saying, "I went to the fields to check, and the crops have been planted for dozens of days, and the fields are really fertile!"

"I don't know where His Majesty found such a master; at first, I thought it was some kind of divine intervention. I never expected it to actually work!"

"That's right. Now there's no need to buy any more grain. Just watch, the grain from Deng's rice shop might just rot in their hands."

"Don't say that. The situation in the fields is still uncertain. Even if we plant crops now, it will take several months to harvest them..."

"Hey—you're right."

As Mushroom walked along, he thought to himself, "He must be that immortal."

I felt really happy.

After packing up their shop, the Siyun Chamber of Commerce had been focusing solely on the grain business for the past few days, closing all other stalls. However, they couldn't stay closed indefinitely. Han Siwen was extremely busy with her subordinates, and since she hadn't shown up for the past two days, the grain business was left to the group of people to handle.

Yao Ruyi held a bowl of rice porridge in his hand. Instead of pebbles, he put a handful of soil in the bowl, which he had dug out from under the willow trees on both banks. It had a fresh fragrance to it.

He drank it with relish, sipping it one sip after another.

When Shiyi saw it, he joined in the fun and threw in a handful, thinking it was some new way of eating that came from the capital. But after taking a bite, his expression immediately changed.

The rest ended up in Yao Ruyi's hands, and he's eating his second bowl now.

He patted Eleven's shoulder discreetly while holding the bowl, "You've already eaten, so that's fine, but don't tell His Majesty."

Eleven rinsed his mouth with water, puzzled. What did this have to do with His Majesty?

"It's okay, just don't say anything."

"good."

His pen was already itching to write. Was Little Nineteen trying to hide it from His Majesty? He doubted it. Did His Majesty think he could take this bowl of porridge mixed with dirt from him...?

"Sir, someone from the Deng family's rice shop has arrived."

Lan Yan held a bowl of rice in her hand and looked up. The expressions of the others were not much different. Their eyes met and the corners of their mouths curled up slightly. "He only came in the evening. It seems that Deng Zeyu can be quite patient."

"Siwen isn't here. Xu Yi, will you come with us?"

"become."

The three of them stood up, their demeanor suggesting they were about to go to war.

Thirteen patted Yao Ruyi on the shoulder, "Don't feel pressured."

Lan Yan looked on helplessly. The ones under pressure now were not them; they were the ones trying to appease him. They didn't know how Deng Zeyu was doing yet, but they guessed he had already given in.

"It would be best to buy the grain at twenty coins per dou; the imperial court can afford that." After saying that, Lan Yan paused, "Eighteen coins would be even better."

Eleven chuckled, "That's great."

The servant was waiting at the door. The negotiations at the Siyun Chamber of Commerce a few days ago had failed, but Deng Zeyu had arranged to meet at the restaurant today, which was a great gesture of respect.

Before they even went upstairs, they saw Deng Zeyu waiting at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in a dark blue robe. He greeted them with a smile, just like when he had met Yao Ruyi and Lan Yan last time.

"It is my honor that you gentlemen have graced me with your presence."

He glanced around and, not seeing Han Siwen, felt a surge of secret delight.

"Please, gentlemen."

This restaurant was the one Qiao Yu had invited him to last time. The food was quite good, and Yao Ruyi felt a surge of appetite upon seeing it.

If the peace talks go smoothly, he would like to order some tea and snacks to take back with him.

Bring some extra, and bring some for the eleventh and thirteenth as well.

"Please have a seat, gentlemen. This is the best restaurant in Jiangzhou City. You have been busy distributing porridge these past few days and haven't had a chance to taste the flavors of Jiangzhou City. Today, I, Deng, will do my best to be a good host."

He only mentioned distributing porridge, without mentioning selling rice at all.

Yao Ruyi and Xu Yi exchanged a glance, and they immediately realized that this peace talk might not be as smooth as they had imagined.

"Let's talk it over before we eat," Lan Yan said, getting straight to the point. "If this matter is settled, Manager Deng can eat more."

If the talks fail, then that's another story.

Deng Zeyu was taken aback. He sat opposite the three men and nodded with a smile. "You are all officials appointed by the imperial court, and you do all your work on His Majesty's orders. How could we merchants dare to disobey His Majesty's words? But under the current circumstances, we have no choice."

"The harvest will be ready in the fields soon, in just a few months. We have a lot of grain piled up in our hands that we can't sell, but the grain will get heavy and won't taste good if it's left for too long."

"So, what Manager Deng means is..."

"Why don't we take advantage of these few months before the grain comes in and find a way to sell what we have? There are many people in Jiangzhou City, and many powerful families. Siyun won't gain anything by going against my Deng family. I'll compromise and let the Deng family's rice shop set the price of grain at fifty wen per dou."

He feigned reluctance, saying, "Gentlemen, please don't be so quick to refuse. I'm willing to pay to buy all the grain from the Siyun Merchant Guild. It's twenty-five dou per dou; it's the same price to sell it to anyone, so why not cultivate a good relationship with my Deng family—"

"Bang—"

Lan Yan slammed a water glass onto the table, her hands gripping the lid with bulging veins. She squinted at Deng Zeyu, who was sitting in his seat, and said, "Do you really think the imperial court can't do anything to you?"

Deng Zeyu stared wide-eyed, blinked, and looked at Lan Yan as if she were being unreasonable, "Where did you get these words from, sir?"

"Businessmen value profit, so cooperation is the best solution for both parties."

Xu Yi frowned deeply. Was Deng Zeyu out of his mind? Asking them to sell all the grain to him? Wouldn't that just mean he'd drive up the price of grain again after he got his hands on it?!

"Wait, wait, wait! Sir, please don't be impatient! Here's what I'll do: I'll change the price! Thirty coins!"

"when--"

There was another sound, which startled even Lan Yan. He watched as Yao Ruyi took the sword from her waist and began to play with it. The hilt of the sword accidentally knocked over a teacup on the table, which startled him.

Yao Ruyi blinked and gave an innocent, embarrassed laugh. "Sorry to bother you."

————————

Countdown to returning to Beijing [Let me see]