Chapter 268 Who Wrote the Letter?

When Mo Lang returned, he handed Lu Qingqing five thousand taels of silver notes, still smelling of blood.

Lu Qingqing thought he had gone to commit murder and robbery.

That should be enough after asking around.

Unexpectedly, Wan Yuting brought back people from the Holy Physician Sect!

"That was close! That jerk Wan Yuting really knows how to cause me trouble!"

Mo Lang: "You spared his life because he didn't implicate you. Are you going to kill him too?"

Lu Qingqing stared in disbelief: "Your secret guards... you killed someone and no one is going to investigate?"

"Cannot be found."

"What if we run into a brilliant detective who can figure it out?"

"Don't worry, young lady. If they really find out, I'll make sure there's no way to prove it. No one will know that you ordered it."

It wasn't her who ordered it in the first place!

"Alright, alright, Wan Yuting didn't do it on purpose, let's just ignore him."

"Why would I need these five thousand taels of silver notes? You can keep them yourself."

Mo Lang frowned.

The silver notes, of course, were returned to their owner.

He didn't answer.

"Okay, I'll keep it for you for now, and give it to you when you get married."

"I am not married." His handsome face was cold and hard, and his words were equally harsh.

Lu Qingqing was truly helpless.

Mo Lang changed the subject: "Miss, I received news that things are in a lot of chaos in the south. People are rushing to flee, and it's not just the people near Ming'an County who are seeking refuge now."

If grain cannot be transported from the south, grain prices will definitely rise, and there may be chaos.

My subordinates had some grain transported from the county government's granary; it'll be stored temporarily in the mountains across the way, enough to feed us for a year.

Lu Qingqing exclaimed, "Mo Lang, you're so capable!"

Mo Lang's cold and stern face couldn't hold back any longer; his eyes blinked, as if ice were melting in spring.

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

Yes!

He himself felt that ever since he started using his brain, he had become more and more capable!

A good subordinate should think what his master thinks and be anxious about what his master is anxious about!

Lu Qingqing's expression was solemn.

"This winter is going to be tough."

The young man and Lin Ye also went south. Hopefully, they'll realize something's wrong and come back soon.

Lu Qingqing thought for a moment and then handed the five thousand taels back to Mo Lang.

“It’s not enough to feed just our family. If you use all five thousand taels to buy grain and store it in the mountains, I don’t think things will be peaceful for at least a year or two.”

Buy the coarsest rice, as much as you can. Coarse rice originally costs eight coins per pound, but if you multiply that by three or four times, you can still buy tens of thousands of pounds.

It would be best if things improved next year; even if the grain was sold at a low price, it would only result in a loss of some money.

If times don't improve, this food can save many lives!

Mo Lang nodded emphatically, "Yes, young lady!"

Mo Lang immediately took care of it.

Lu Qingqing went to Madam Wan's place again and asked her to make preparations quietly as well.

"Qingqing, actually I was just about to tell you this! Yuting is back, and he also said that something is wrong outside, and told me not to sell the grain from previous years."

My family currently has about ten dan (a unit of weight) of various grains combined. Does that mean we should store some more?

Wan Yuting was indeed very clever. The place where the turmoil was taking place was thousands of miles away from here, and many people thought it would not be affected.

Several counties near Ming'an County were affected by the disaster, and some people tried to inflate grain prices, but Magistrate Xu dealt with the matter.

At least for now, things seem relatively peaceful here.

Mo Lang only learned of the unrest in the south from news reports that the imperial court had failed to contain it and the war had escalated.

Several roads were blocked for grain transport, and grain could not be transported from the largest grain-producing region, Hunan. Only then did people realize that grain prices would inevitably rise rapidly.

Unexpectedly, Wan Yuting became alert even before he knew about this information.

"If you have connections, it's best to save some, otherwise the price might rise even higher in a few days."

“There is a way.” Wan Yuting walked in.

“It’s north of the Suhe River, where wheat and beans are abundant. It’s probably far from the south and hasn’t been affected yet. I can contact a friend to transport a batch.”

Lu Qingqing nodded. "Alright, I was thinking that if the situation really gets serious, we can sell the grain at the original price to stabilize Ming'an County, which means protecting ourselves, right?"

"Yes!" The mother and son nodded together.

Lu Qingqing smiled, feeling that their relationship had improved a lot, and it had regained the warmth of a loving mother and filial son they used to have.

"Okay, I'll take my leave now."

"I'll see you off." Wan Yuting stepped forward.

Throughout the journey, Wan Yuting kept wanting to talk to Lu Qingqing, but he didn't know what to say.

Because of his father's situation, he had harbored resentment towards Lu Qingqing and had gone a bit too far at the time.

He could also tell that Lu Qingqing didn't like him.

In just a short while, we arrived at the door.

Wan Yuting finally said, "Miss Lu, congratulations on passing the medical licensing exam and opening your own clinic. That's remarkable."

Lu Qingqing raised an eyebrow: "Thanks, but if you're sick, come to me."

"……good."

Wan Yuting smiled.

After Lu Qingqing returned, she went to see the village head again.

Having just paid their taxes, the villagers had no money to buy grain, and she couldn't encourage them to buy it and create panic, but they could forage for wild vegetables.

We dig up wild vegetables, dry them, and we can eat them for a year.

In fact, many people in the village have already started digging for wild vegetables to store for food, but they only dig for the kinds they usually eat, and the quantity is limited.

Lu Qingqing said that as long as it's not poisonous, we should dig up all the edible wild vegetables. Even if we can't eat them all, we can throw them away when new wild vegetables grow next year.

Lu Qingqing led a group of elderly women who were idle at home up the mountain and told them what they could eat.

"Jerusalem artichokes are edible. When the leaves and stems are old, you can dig up the tubers and stir-fry or boil them."

"The seeds of bromegrass are edible. Grind the seeds into powder, mix them into flour, and steam them."

"You can eat the whole plant, roots and all."

"..."

Believe it or not, these old ladies may not remember the effects and properties of medicinal herbs, and they may not be able to work in the workshop, but they remember how to eat them very quickly, and their hearing and eyesight are still sharp.

When they saw the grass she was talking about, they rushed over to it as if they were afraid they wouldn't be able to get any.

Soon the basket was full.

"These wild herbs are also medicinal materials, so they can't be eaten together. They must be eaten mixed with the grains at home," Lu Qingqing instructed again.

"I understand, I understand, we all know that, our stomachs can't handle it if we eat it all the time."

"Okay, then you should hurry up and harvest them before they wither."

...

Two days later, Magistrate Xu summoned several large merchants in the city and instructed them to secretly store grain.

The village leaders were also notified to instruct the villagers to dig up wild vegetables, dry them, and store them.

At the same time, news spread that the former crown prince was not dead.

General Gu Chengye has raised his banner in the northern border and declared that former Crown Prince Ji Ruyan was framed by villains and was innocent.

The criticism is directed at the current crown prince.

He was determined to restore the former crown prince to the throne and restore the legitimate dynasty.

He raised his arms and appealed to all righteous people for support.

The streets were filled with the sounds of discussion.

In the village, people were busy storing food, and no one cared about these things.

Liu Lizheng rolled his eyes and muttered, "They can die just like that, and come back to life just like that. These big shots really know how to act."

I wonder where that former crown prince has been hiding for so long before suddenly popping up again.

After he finished speaking, he fell flat on his face.

He got up and looked left and right, then asked Mo Lang, who had just come over from the front, "Brother Mo, did you see what tripped me just now?"

Mo Lang ignored him.

"This child is handsome, but he doesn't smile much. He needs to smile more; smiling more will make him more lovable."

After saying that, he fell flat on his face again.

Mo Lang rolled his eyes at him dismissively, then handed a stack of letters to Lu Qingqing.

"Girl, a letter from the North."

"So many?" Lu Qingqing exclaimed in surprise.

Who wrote so many letters? Besides Ji Ruyan, who else would write to her?

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