Chapter 34 Qixi Festival Invitation

Making tinderboxes is not as easy as making ice. After several rounds of drying, it took three days for the first batch of tinderboxes to be made.

Inside the Jinxiufang Baibaoju store, the shopkeeper Qin Su placed two tinderboxes on the counter.

The sky is a bit overcast today, but it's not raining. I think Qiu Baisan should be coming over.

The Qiu family has been merchants for many years, and they have far more novelties than the items in the Baibaoju store.

However, since Baibaoju was the emperor's property, other powerful and wealthy families would come to patronize their businesses from time to time. Therefore, the Qiu family would often send Qiu Baisan, the person in charge of purchasing, to do so.

Over the years, Qin Su had become acquainted with this man, and today, when he received the tinderbox, the first person he thought of was the Qiu family.

The Qiu family, being long-time merchants and wealthy, were the customers who most needed and had the means to purchase large quantities of tinderboxes.

The palace has already sent four boxes containing nearly five hundred tubes; the Qiu family alone could probably consume them all.

It's already July, and in two more months it will be autumn. At that time, the usage rate of ice will be low, and this business won't last long. But if we have this tinderbox, although the unit price is much cheaper than ice, the usage rate is high.

Those wealthy families would certainly not be stingy with a few coins, and this business could continue for a long time.

It is said that the south has recently suffered a disaster and the court needs to provide disaster relief, which requires both money and grain. If the income from ice is also cut off, the pressure on the national treasury will be unimaginable.

We still need to find a way to open source.

Qin Su frowned as he fiddled with the abacus.

I recently heard that a certain spice has come from the Western Regions, the Sai Kingdom. When added to food, it can enhance the aroma and make people linger, wanting to eat it again and again.

Whether it's true or not, he doesn't know. If it is, he will definitely try to bring the spice business to Baibaoju, so as to relieve some of the pressure on His Majesty and the officials.

"Manager, Manager Qiu is here," the waiter reminded him.

Qin Su snapped out of his daze, then walked around the counter with a big smile, bowed to Qiu Baisan, and said, "I am truly ashamed that you had to make this trip in this sweltering heat, Master Qiu."

"Shopkeeper Qin, you're too kind," Qiu Baisan replied with a smile and a bow.

This person was thin and dark-skinned, but had exceptionally bright eyes.

Just by hearing the name, you can tell that the other person is a servant born into the Qiu family and was given the Qiu family surname.

His ability to be in charge of purchasing speaks for itself; one glance is enough to tell you he has the shrewdness of a businessman.

Qin Su laughed heartily, and Qiu Baisan was not to be outdone; the two exchanged a few pleasantries.

Qiu Baisan finally asked, "I wonder if Manager Qin has sent someone to summon me here today because he has something good to offer?"

Previously, when Baibaoju sold ice, the Lu family got the first batch.

Manager Qin specially invited him here this time, so perhaps he really has some rare item.

"You guessed it right." Qin Su led him to the counter, picked up a tinderbox, and said, "Take a look at this."

Qiu Baisan took it and looked at it. It was just a bamboo tube.

In the Great Ning Dynasty, many commoners often carried water or food in bamboo tubes when they went out. But what could such small bamboo tubes possibly hold?

He carefully opened the lid, worried that there might be some water or food inside that might spill on him.

But when he opened the lid, he found that it contained not water or food, but some things that he couldn't tell what they were.

“This…” He looked at Qin Su in confusion.

Qin Su then smiled and said, "Please blow a breath on it."

Qiu Baisan didn't understand, but he did as instructed.

With a single breath, the dark thing inside the bamboo tube suddenly burst into flames!

His hand trembled, and he almost dropped the bamboo tube, but luckily Qin Su had anticipated this and grabbed his hand to prevent him from letting go.

Qiu Baisan had seen a lot of the world, so he quickly calmed down.

At least outwardly, nothing was visible, but only he knew how fast his heart was beating at that moment.

"This thing can actually hold fire?" Despite his attempts to suppress his emotions, some of his unease still showed.

Qin Su nodded and explained in detail, "This thing is called a tinderbox, and it came from the palace. It can keep a fire burning for up to three hours."

He then picked up another tinderbox from the counter and opened it. The wick inside wasn't black; it looked like some crushed weeds.

"This is what it looks like before it's lit. Before the one in your hand goes out, you can add a new one to keep the flame going."

Qiu Baisan took the brand-new tinderbox and examined it closely, but couldn't tell what was inside.

But since this thing came from the palace, it must have been the work of that Grand Tutor Chu.

It's another divine object.

Qiu Baisan covered the lit tinderbox, waited a while, and then opened it again.

It seemed there was no fire inside, but when you blew on it, the flames suddenly reignited.

This is truly a magical and rare item.

For a merchant caravan like the Qiu family's that travels the world year-round, lighting a fire outside is always a laborious task.

There was flint available, and straw for starting a fire was easy to find, but each time you wanted to start a fire, you had to strike the flint several times before you could get a few sparks out.

If you accidentally blow too much air or a gust of wind comes along, you might blow out the newly emerged sparks, which is really inconvenient.

Now that we have this tinderbox, it is much more convenient to carry and use.

"Manager Qin has really come to the right person," Qiu Baisan said. "How long can an unlit tinderbox be preserved?"

"At least one month."

How much does it cost?

Manager Qin gestured a number to him, and Qiu Baisan pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, "Alright. How much stock do you have?"

“Nearly five hundred,” Qin Su said.

“We, the Qiu family, will take them all,” Qiu Baisan said. “I’ll trouble Manager Qin to deliver these tinderboxes to the Qiu family in a bit, and then I’ll settle the bill with you.”

Qin Su smiled and said, "Then thank you, Steward Qiu."

"My Qiu family would like to order another five hundred, but I wonder if we can make them within three days?"

The Qiu family has two caravans that will be setting off for the Fujian and Zhejiang regions in a few days. If they can prepare some tinderboxes beforehand, it will be worthwhile whether they use them themselves or sell them at a high price in the Fujian and Zhejiang regions.

"Don't worry, Manager Qiu, I will urge people to finish it as soon as possible."

"That's settled then." Qiu Baisan looked at the two tinderboxes in his hand, and Qin Su immediately said, "These two are for Master Qiu to use for his amusement."

"Then thank you, Manager Qin." Qiu Baisan did not refuse.

Before long, Qiu Baisan returned to the Qiu family home with the people from Baibaoju. After instructing them to properly store the tinderboxes, he settled the bill with Baibaoju.

After everyone left, Qiu Baisan went straight to find Elder Qiu Hongkuo.

At this time, the patriarch Qiu Ren should be training troops at his villa in the suburbs of the capital, and the Minister is still at his official residence, so the safest option is to find the Grand Elder.

After being announced by his attendants, Qiu Baisan entered the courtyard, then went around two gates before arriving at the backyard.

A man in his fifties sat in a chair, his hair gray, his back straight and thin. He held a book in his hands and slowly turned the pages, occasionally covering his lips and coughing softly.

He looks truly frail and sickly.

"Purchasing Manager Qiu Baisan greets the Grand Elder." He lowered his voice, afraid of disturbing the other party.

Qiu Hongkuo put down his book, looked at him with his deep eyes, his voice slightly hoarse, but his tone was still gentle: "What good thing did you get?"

Qiu Baisan immediately took out the two tinderboxes from his pocket and raised them above his head with both hands.

The attendant beside Qiu Hongkuo walked over, took it, and presented it to his master.

"This is a tinderbox, and it seems to have been made by that Grand Tutor Chu in the palace..." Qiu Baisan told the elder everything he had heard from Qin Su.

Qiu Hongkuo put down the book, picked up one of the tinderboxes, and opened it.

It happened to be the one that had been lit.

He gently blew on the mouth, and sure enough, a spark appeared, which then burst into flames.

The firelight reflected in his eyes, flickering and swaying.

It's truly amazing.

How many of these items does that Grand Tutor Chu actually possess?

Qiu Hongkuo had never met that person, but after listening to all sorts of true and false news, he had a general understanding of that "immortal".

The abilities that person has shown so far are just the tip of the iceberg.

What the enemy truly possessed was not the ice block, nor the tinderbox, but the weapon that had killed three assassins on the official road that day.

And things that are even stronger and more precious than those weapons.

Such people should either be eliminated or cooperated with.

Eliminating it is not an option for the time being, and cooperation is also difficult.

It's better to align oneself with them through shared interests than to become enemies.

The Qiu family owns a caravan, and Chu Jiubian possesses countless valuable items that can accumulate wealth.

If the two parties cooperate, they will become truly wealthy beyond measure. At that time, they will have the economic lifeline of the entire Da Ning in their hands, able to turn the world upside down with a flick of their wrist. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

However, the methods and intelligence of that Grand Tutor Chu are no less than those of these powerful nobles who have been immersed in power for many years. With Qiu Heng's little bit of scheming and trickery, it is unlikely that he can impress the other party.

Therefore, he should meet with that Grand Tutor Chu in person.

"What day is it today?" Qiu Hongkuo closed the tinderbox.

A servant replied, "It's the second day of the seventh month."

The Da Ning Dynasty was more accustomed to calculating days according to the lunar calendar, which also made it easier for uneducated people to calculate the twenty-four solar terms, unlike later dynasties that were accustomed to using the Gregorian calendar.

"The Qixi Festival is in a few days," Qiu Hongkuo instructed. "When the Minister finishes his duty, have him come to me."

"yes."

==

Four more days passed.

As evening approached, the Ministry of Personnel continued its routine operations.

Chu Jiubian glanced at the latest memorial that had been delivered. He simply circled the most pointless and meaningless memorials and called them over. There was no need to send them to the palace anymore.

Since he'll be the one approving it anyway when it's sent to the palace, it's better to finish approving it here.

Of course, besides those useless greetings, there were also those that were substantial or had a clear purpose.

Take this situation for example.

Lu Yuan, the governor of Hexi Commandery, reported that the construction of the dike had been completed perfectly, and the people were very grateful to His Majesty and the Prince of Jiannan.

Then he went on to praise the achievements of the Prince of Jiannan, followed by self-praise, and then commended some of his subordinates who had performed well in the construction of the fortifications.

He promoted three subordinates in total, who were probably juniors he wanted to mentor.

Among them, Prefect Zhou Boshan was the supervisor of the construction project. He accompanied the Prince of Jiannan to complete the entire project, and his contribution was actually greater than that of Lü Yuan. Lü Yuan did not hog the work, as if he genuinely wanted to promote this person.

Chu Jiubian knew why this was the case, because Zhou Boshan's wife's family name was Xiao.

He's probably the son-in-law of some branch of the Xiao family, trying to gain merit by taking advantage of the Prince of Jiannan's influence.

Besides Zhou Boshan, Lü Yuan also mentioned two other people: Sun Chang, the warehouse clerk in charge of dam construction materials and logistics, and Meng Tian, ​​the household clerk in charge of conscripting laborers.

These two officials held very low-ranking positions. Chu Jiubian only knew that one of them came from Lixiang County, which is located on the border of Shaanxi and Henan, and the other was a local from Hexi County. Both of them had obtained their official positions through the same channel that Zhao Qianhe, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, had used to sell official positions.

Presumably, the reason why Lü Yuan spoke well of them must be because they were very filial, or they had already sided with the other party.

However, it is understandable if he had truly defected to his superior.

Unlike the official system under the imperial examination system, the official system of the Da Ning Dynasty did not have the rule of being transferred every three years, nor was there a rule that officials could not serve in their hometowns. In fact, many local officials served in their hometowns or nearby prefectures.

Besides being promoted or demoted, many officials stay in this position for their entire lives.

Because clan consciousness was too strong at this time, if officials from other places went to the local areas, they would not be able to suppress the local clan power. Therefore, the previous emperors of Da Ning simply let them manage their own people.

However, the drawbacks of this system are also obvious: local forces and local officials form cliques, making the central government's control over local areas very weak.

Chu Jiubian sighed.

So the imperial examination system was still necessary.

Moreover, it seems that both civil and military examinations will be conducted together. When officials selected through the civil service examinations are sent to local areas, a military officer will also be sent to protect them. Otherwise, it would indeed be difficult to deal with the local power and clans.

Alternatively, instead of holding a military examination, Qin Xiao could simply send his soldiers to accompany the civil officials to the local areas, thus giving him more means to control the regions.

However, this is contingent on Chu Jiubian being able to continue cooperating with Qin Xiao.

If they really do end up on the opposite side later on, then these local military officers will be the biggest threat to Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian closed the memorial, along with two other important memorials, and left the Ministry of Personnel.

The more he got involved in Da Ning's affairs, the more he realized that the situation was far more complicated than he had previously imagined.

His idea of ​​using officials who came through the imperial examination system to control local areas was somewhat naive.

This is not something that can be accomplished overnight; it may take several years, or even more than a decade.

Ultimately, he wanted to help Baili Hong transform Da Ning into the ideal golden age, and ideally, he wanted to cooperate with Qin Xiao for a long time.

But Qin Xiao is the main villain, and he is destined to be Baili Hong's enemy later on. So how will he deal with himself then?

Well, let's take it one step at a time. At least for now, he and Qin Xiao have the same goal.

The powerful families and feudal princes, these malignant tumors and parasites, have devoured Da Ning to the point of being completely ravaged. They must be removed one by one so that new flesh and blood can grow.

The sedan chair moved steadily toward the palace.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Imperial Palace, Qin Xiao also received the latest news from Qin Chaoyang.

The distance between Huguang and the capital spans two places, and even at the fastest horse, it would take seven or eight days to travel there.

However, Qin Chaoyang's messages could be delivered every three days. This was because the messengers they used to deliver messages were all masters of light-footed skills trained by the Qin family for generations. When they traveled quickly, they were even faster than fast horses.

Human strength is limited, but Qin Xiao has plenty of martial artists under his command, so even if one is replaced every half day, it's not a problem at all.

Qin Xiao unfolded the secret letter.

Qin Chaoyang had already written a letter three days ago, recounting his initial observations and experiences upon arriving in the area.

Qin Chaoyang brought more than fifty top experts to Huguang, and then divided them into several groups to go to the disaster-stricken provinces. Those who stayed in Huguang all became disaster victims and mingled with the disaster victim groups in different counties.

The disaster victims had reached the point where they had to eat tree bark to fill their stomachs. Even though the King of Huguang was reluctant to part with the food, he had no choice but to open the granaries and distribute the grain in order not to incite the people to rebel.

The local officials were just like the King of Huguang, constantly complaining about being poor to the disaster victims. The amount of porridge they distributed each day was just enough to keep the people from starving, but they were too weak to resist and were barely hanging on by a thread.

Furthermore, some guiding opinions have already emerged among the disaster victims, such as the idea that Heaven and Earth are unkind and that the superiors are immoral.

It is also said that the emperor's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, and that the power of the empress's relatives was what brought divine retribution, causing the people to suffer a complete crop failure, and so on.

Public resentment has been slowly growing, and even some scholars and literati in the Huguang region have written some cryptic poems and articles, saying things like "Wild sparrows occupy the golden phoenix's nest, and vines entwine the top to steal the spring sun"—all treasonous words.

They actually portrayed the emperor and Qin Xiao as villains who stole the throne and sought personal gain for the Qin family.

However, Baili Hong's imperial edict for the crown prince was genuine. It bore Emperor Yingzong's handwriting and his official seal. Apart from not having had time to perform the investiture ceremony, Baili Hong was already the crown prince in all but name.

When a father dies, his son succeeds him; it was only right and proper for him to take over.

A man as intelligent as Qin Feng, having decided to face death, would naturally prepare everything for his son.

Upon hearing these comments from the people, Qin Chaoyang secretly ordered his men to spread other messages.

The common people knew nothing of political maneuvering; they had never even seen the emperor or Prince Ning. Their resentment towards them stemmed from a need to vent their pent-up anger.

So Qin Chaoyang and the others redirected their resentment toward the most important matter at hand—food.

"Have you heard? It's said that the magistrate of Quanchun County just took a third concubine the other day, and even held a banquet with 108 dishes—it was incredibly lavish!"

"I've heard that too. It's said that the officials and merchants who attended the banquet that day ate with their mouths full of oil."

"And then there's the Prefect of Dayang County. Half a month ago, his youngest son married the third daughter of the Prefect of Hubei. The betrothal gifts were practically laid out across the entire street."

"Yes. And the prefect of Nanxiang County who held a full-month celebration for his grandson is also well-known."

"We can't even afford to eat, yet these adults have the money and food to eat and drink so lavishly and throw such a big banquet?"

"What you're saying is like saying that the lives of us little people are as insignificant as ants in the eyes of those adults. When you walk on the street, do you pay attention to whether you've stepped on an ant?"

"Are you saying that those adults can have such a grand display because they step on the flesh and blood of 'ants' like me?"

“I didn’t say that, but I have a cousin who used to work at the Huaiping County granary. He said that the grain inside was piled up to the brim, enough to feed us disaster victims for a year or two.”

"What?! Didn't they all say they were out of grain? Weren't they just waiting for the imperial court to send grain from Southern Zhili?"

"Are you stupid? That grain is what the adults set aside for themselves. If they give it to us, how will they continue their extravagant lifestyle?"

"Besides, with grain prices so high right now, who knows if those grains are what the adults are planning to sell to merchants in the city?"

"This is outrageous!" The burly-looking disaster victim slammed his fist on the ground. "I knew those officials always had such greasy faces; it's because we common folk are the only ones who don't have anything to eat."

“We really thought it was that person’s fault.” A man pointed to the sky, referring to the emperor, and then said angrily, “But we never expected that it was these corrupt officials from Huguang who caused our downfall.”

“That’s right. I heard about it before. That person—” the man said in a soft voice, “On the day he ascended the throne, auspicious omens descended from the sky, and even immortals came down to bestow blessings upon him.”

"An immortal?!" Everyone gasped in unison.

"He is an immortal; many people have seen him."

"Good heavens, then this is truly His Majesty, recognized by the heavens."

"I went to Beizhili with a caravan a while ago. It's all over there that His Majesty and Prince Ning personally went to sell ice to those powerful and wealthy people in order to buy grain for us, and used the money from selling the ice to buy grain for us."

"Yes, but before the grain even reached our mouths, it was swallowed up by those corrupt officials up above!"

"Corrupt officials! Corrupt officials!" The burly man's eyes were bloodshot as he glared hatefully at the Huaiping County gate not far away.

Many others reacted in the same way as him.

Such rumors were spread by Qin Chaoyang and his more than fifty brothers throughout most of Huguang, to the point that the disaster victims no longer cared about divine punishment; they only cared that these corrupt officials had grain but did not give it to the common people like them.

Public resentment has been accumulating and growing.

Qin Chaoyang planned to wait a couple of days until public resentment boiled over, then lead his men to storm the granary of a county, after which the entire Huguang region would descend into chaos.

But just then, news came from Guizhou.

A large number of grain merchants from southern Xinjiang have arrived in the three neighboring regions of Guizhou, Guangxi and Sichuan, where grain prices have already fluctuated.

Qin Chaoyang then decided to wait and see and not take any action for the time being.

This was the content of his first letter to Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao knew at the time that the suddenly appearing grain merchants from the southern border might be the "solution to the drought" that Chu Jiubian had mentioned.

Even after reading that news, he had already guessed what might happen next.

Just in case, he ordered someone to send Qin Chaoyang a token representing the emperor's edict, which Qin Chaoyang would know how to use at certain specific times.

In today's letter, Qin Chaoyang briefly explained what happened next.

The emergence of grain merchants in southern Xinjiang was an unexpected variable, causing grain prices in Sichuan, Guizhou, and other places to fall uncontrollably.

In fact, these disaster victims in the south all had some spare money, but the price of food was too high, which is why they became disaster victims.

However, if grain prices really come down, and with the grain transported from Southern Zhili, the crisis in Guizhou and Guangxi will surely be resolved.

As for Sichuan—

When a large number of grain merchants from southern Xinjiang flooded into the territory, Prince Pingxi, Baili Zheng, received the news.

At the same time, he also received a secret letter from the King of Southern Xinjiang.

After reading the letter, Baili Zheng's brow, which had been furrowed for more than a month, finally relaxed. He immediately called his subordinates and said, "Pass down the order that from today onwards, the porridge should be cooked thicker, and some palm-sized flatbreads should be made and distributed to the disaster victims every day."

The subordinate said worriedly, "Your Highness, if this is the case, we're afraid our grain reserves won't last much longer."

"It's alright, just do as I say."

"yes."

Grain merchants from southern Xinjiang had already entered the heart of Sichuan, the area most severely affected by the disaster. At this point, it wouldn't be worthwhile for them to turn back or go elsewhere.

They could only sell their grain to the people of Sichuan.

Furthermore, according to what Baili Hao said in his letter, these grain merchants in the southern border region had already been cheated by the southern border general village once, so they certainly wouldn't dare to gamble on how much surplus grain the Sichuan granary actually had. They were afraid of being stuck with unsold grain, so they would definitely lower the price to sell it.

Even if the price of grain doesn't drop to the level before the drought, even if it's doubled, Baili Zheng can still buy back the grain and distribute it to the disaster victims.

After that, all we need to do is wait for one more rain, and the drought will be over.

However, just in case it still doesn't rain, he plans to secretly buy more grain from the grain merchants and store it as a precaution.

Qin Chaoyang, who was in Huguang, naturally understood the intention of the Prince of Pingxi after receiving the news from his subordinates in Sichuan. He immediately stopped the plan to lead the people to rush the granary.

Then, he turned around and told the disaster victims in Huguang about the great deeds of the King of Pingxi and the King of Nanjiang in "distributing grain to relieve the disaster victims".

They were all people from their own fiefdoms. The people of Huguang had always felt that they lived a more prosperous and comfortable life than the people of the other two places. How come they were worse off in the year of famine?

Naturally, it was because the King of Huguang was incompetent and immoral. Since he did not value the people in his fiefdom, how could the people respect and trust him?

As this public opinion spread, the resentment of the disaster victims towards the King of Huguang reached its peak.

Upon learning this news, Baili Yue was so angry that he smashed an entire set of white jade teaware.

"Very well! Baili Zheng, Baili Hao, you two are truly my good brothers!" Baili Yue gritted his teeth, "Guards!"

"Your subordinate is here."

"Give the order: all counties and prefectures shall open their granaries and distribute grain to me. Make the porridge thick and the cakes big and substantial. Make sure all my people are well-fed and healthy!"

The people of Huguang were overjoyed to suddenly have their meals improved, and most of their previous resentment dissipated.

Under the deliberate guidance of those with ulterior motives, many people even began to feel grateful for the King of Huguang's kindness.

Qin Chaoyang and others secretly spread rumors such as, "We should still thank the Prince of Pingxi. If he hadn't been good to his people, the Prince of Huguang wouldn't have been good to us either."

This would both annoy the Prince of Huguang and sow discord between him and the Prince of Pingxi, achieving two goals at once.

After doing all this, Qin Chaoyang led his men to meet the grain convoy from Southern Zhili and head to Guizhou and Guangxi together.

The prefects of these two places, instructed by the Xiao and Lu families, deliberately delayed reporting the disaster situation. Now they are watching helplessly as the disaster victims complain, yet they refuse to release the grain.

Even when a group of grain merchants from southern Xinjiang arrived and grain prices dropped somewhat, they wouldn't tolerate it. Instead, they created the illusion of a grain shortage and drove up grain prices again.

Not to mention ordinary people, even small business owners with some spare cash are starting to struggle financially.

The court is unjust, and Your Majesty is without virtue.

With the deliberate guidance of those with ulterior motives, this idea gradually took root and sprouted in people's minds.

Especially at this time, they also received news that the disaster victims in the areas controlled by those vassal kings were able to have enough to eat, and immediately some people began to flock to the territories of those three vassal kings.

At that time, who among the people would be willing to leave their ancestral land?

But if they stay here, they will starve to death; they can only find food elsewhere.

For the vassal kings, at least for the King of Pingxi and the King of Huguang, their fiefdoms were vast and sparsely populated.

Many uncultivated lands need to be cultivated by the people, and the expansion of the army also requires the people, so population is a necessary condition for the development of power.

Now that disaster victims from Guizhou and Guangxi are flocking here, they are both overjoyed.

There is enough food to eat now, and the people can afford to feed more.

After the drought passes, the wasteland is cleared, and new crops grow, they will be able to collect more grain and money taxes. These taxes and money can be used for infrastructure construction or military training, which will greatly strengthen their power.

In the end, the vassal kings did not lose anything; on the contrary, they gained fame and population, as well as a series of related benefits.

Only the imperial court gains nothing, ends up with a lot of resentment, and loses the support of the people.

The reactions from various parties in Beijing upon receiving this news were naturally mixed.

On the one hand, they felt it was a good thing to be able to trick Qin Xiao and Baili Hong; on the other hand, they did not want to see the power of the vassal kings grow stronger. But a vassal king is still a vassal king, and he cannot enter the capital without being summoned.

Therefore, Qin Xiao and Baili Hong pose a greater threat than them.

If incidents like those in Guizhou and Guangxi happen repeatedly, and the court repeatedly disappoints the people, then people will naturally blame all the misfortunes on Emperor Baili Hong.

With a little guidance, the focus can be shifted from Baili Hong to Qin Xiao.

Once Qin Xiao falls from power, Baili Hong will become a true puppet emperor. Whoever gains the upper hand in the court will become the next regent, second only to the emperor.

Naturally, they knew that Qin Xiao was not so easy to deal with, and the grain from Southern Zhili had already been transported to Guizhou and Guangxi.

But now public resentment is boiling over. Even if the food is delivered, the seeds of resentment have already been sown in the hearts of the people, and it will be easy for them to fester in the future.

After reading Qin Chaoyang's letter, Qin Xiao realized that although the description was simple and only a few paragraphs long, it had thoroughly explained the twists and turns of the situation at that time.

All these changes began when Chu Jiubian assured him that "news would come from the southern border."

First, the King of Southern Xinjiang obtained the grain, and then the grain merchants from Southern Xinjiang went to various places. The King of Pingxi took the opportunity to cooperate, forcing the King of Huguang to release grain in the same way.

Now that the grain convoys from Southern Zhili have gone to Guizhou and Guangxi respectively, with the token sent by Qin Xiao, Qin Chaoyang can completely blame the officials in those two places for the "court not releasing grain".

It was the corrupt officials who caused this trouble, and it was only because His Majesty is benevolent to his people that he sent disaster relief grain.

His Majesty also deeply resented corrupt officials, so he issued an imperial edict ordering the immediate execution of all corrupt officials, including the prefects, in both regions to appease public anger.

Even if the two prefects had prepared in advance and blamed the embezzlement on their subordinates, they would still be guilty of dereliction of duty, and there would certainly be doubts about the embezzlement.

Qin Chaoyang could then "escort" the two back to the capital to meet His Majesty and explain.

After a group of officials were killed, the people of Guizhou and Guangxi hated not the imperial court, but the local officials who exploited them.

The same principle applies: ordinary people don't know the emperor or the Prince of Ning; they only know the local officials who are closely related to them.

Instead of hating those unimaginable people, it's better to hate those corrupt officials who are visible and tangible.

In this way, the Xiao and Lu families' plans were all for naught, and they also lost two powerful local officials.

Once these two are escorted back to the capital, they will be spared the punishment of execution, but they will never be able to return to officialdom.

And all of this began with the sudden surplus of grain from the King of Southern Xinjiang.

And that grain must be related to Chu Jiubian.

How exactly did Chu Jiubian manage to do it?

Where did that grain come from? And how was it transported to southern Xinjiang?

When did Chu Jiubian make contact with the Southern Frontier?

And what about the so-called High Priest in the northern desert? Who is he, and what is his relationship with Chu Jiubian?

Countless questions need answers, and the answer seems to point to the only possibility—Chu Jiubian is truly a god.

Qin Xiao's eyes were dark and unfathomable.

After a long while, he picked up a brush and wrote a few words on the paper, then folded it up.

A person dressed in black appeared in the study and bowed.

"Send this to Qin Lie." Qin Xiao handed the folded paper to the guard, who responded with a low "Yes," and then disappeared.

Qin Xiao opened the tinderbox beside him, lit the letter Qin Chaoyang had sent, burned it to ashes, and threw it into the trash can next to him.

I learned this trash can from Chu Jiubian. There are several in the other party's house, placed on the table, by the bed, and even in the yard.

It works very well.

"My lord, the young master is almost here," a palace attendant announced from outside.

Qin Xiao was currently in the study in the west courtyard of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which was his own courtyard.

Upon hearing this, he said, "Please invite him over."

"yes."

He ordered someone to serve him a cup of tea, and just as it was placed, Chu Jiubian arrived.

This was Chu Jiubian's second visit to the west courtyard, but last time he had fainted and left quickly after waking up, without paying any attention to anything.

Now I can see it clearly.

One main house and two side rooms.

The study was located in the outer room of the main house, separated from the dining table by a screen, and its layout was the same as his Yaotai Residence.

The layout of the study was similar to that of Yaotai Residence, with a chair behind the desk and two rows of wide chairs facing each other and a tea table below.

Upon seeing him enter, Qin Xiao stood up and walked to the side, sitting down in the chair closest to the desk. He pointed to the chair opposite him and said, "Please sit down."

Chu Jiubian didn't stand on ceremony and went over to sit down.

He picked up a cup of tea from the coffee table and mentally warned the system, "No need to test."

【OK. 】

The system's voice and tone remained unchanged, but Chu Jiubian inexplicably felt that the other party was somewhat regretful.

Well done, you really wanted to deduct his points, didn't you?

Luckily, he was smart enough to anticipate this.

"What happy thing happened?" Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian looked up at him.

"You seem to be in a good mood." Qin Xiao also drank a cup of tea in a good mood.

Chu Jiubian smiled and said, "I'm so-so. But you seem to be in a good mood. Did Qin Chaoyang send you a letter?"

"Hmm." Qin Xiao looked at him with an expression he had never seen before.

Chu Jiubian didn't understand, but he didn't ask.

After a moment of silence, Qin Xiao spoke again: "Is the extra grain in the Southern Frontier related to you?"

Chu Jiubian smiled and sipped his tea gently.

Qin Xiao smiled and stopped pressing the matter.

In any case, the drought was resolved, but he owed Chu Jiubian a huge favor.

"Tomorrow is the Qixi Festival, would you like to go out for a stroll?" he asked.

Chu Jiubian put down his teacup and smiled meaningfully: "What a coincidence, someone just invited me to celebrate the festival together."

Qin Xiao paused, and then saw the young man take out a letter from his sleeve and unfold it.

He got up, walked to the seat next to Chu Jiubian, and took the letter.

Two lines of text were written in a gentle, warm hand:

I cordially invite you, sir, to join me for a lake tour and lantern viewing on the night of Qixi Festival. I humbly request your presence.

Respectfully submitted by Xiao Zimei.