Chapter 448: The Aftermath of the Locust Plague
Boom——
Master Su couldn't bear it again. Before he fainted, there was only infinite regret in his heart. If he had known this would happen, he should have listened to the advice. It would be better than having no grains this year.
And those merchants who believed his words at the time now regretted it deeply.
Someone came directly to the Su family and asked for an explanation.
Not long after Mr. Su woke up again, he was forced to faint by these people again.
When the doctor said that if Mr. Su was stimulated again, he might have a stroke, the Su family became scared.
Mr. Su is the pillar of the Su family. It is also because of his identity as the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce that the Su family has been able to develop to this day.
If something happens to Mr. Su, the Su family will most likely be eaten up by other families, especially those small families that have been severely affected.
All in all, the current situation is very unfavorable to the Su family.
Half a month later, disaster reports came in from all over Youzhou.
Prince Huai discovered that the area north of Guancheng, that is, Jicheng, was severely affected by the disaster. However, because Guancheng discovered the locust plague in time, he issued orders to all cities in time. The situation in some areas was still okay, but in some areas, like the Su family in the prefectural city, all the fields and orchards were destroyed!
The affected area reached tens of millions of acres.
Looking at this number, Prince Huai wanted to faint.
But the matter was far from over. Even though most of the locusts were eliminated, Jizhou, which was already suffering from drought as it moved south, was also severely affected by the locusts.
The newly appointed governor of Jizhou, Bai Yibai, felt that his luck was not good.
He was already being watched by the Liang family, and even though it was a natural disaster, he was likely to be reported.
The court did learn the news quickly.
On this day, at the grand court meeting.
Civil and military officials stood in a row, their hearts sinking as they listened to the news from Jizhou.
The last time Yangzhou suffered a disaster, fortunately the Yangzhou prefect responded quickly and did not cause a major disturbance.
But the emperor thought that his subordinates were well governed, and since there were no casualties among the people, he did not send any food or clothing.
It has to be said that the news of this locust plague was a shock to all court officials.
Someone quietly looked up at Liang Zhongling and Pei Shangling in the front, hoping that these two people could persuade His Majesty.
But it was obvious that the civil and military officials had too high expectations of Emperor Jiancheng.
The war in Longnan has already consumed a lot of manpower and resources. Now the national treasury is empty, so where is the money to help the people?
The most important thing is that Emperor Jiancheng is now focused on the construction of the mausoleum in the suburbs.
"Bai Yi has extensive experience in disaster relief. He will definitely have a solution to this locust plague, Pei Shangling!"
"I'm here!" Pei Shangling walked out, waiting for the emperor to give orders to support Jizhou this time.
Emperor Jiancheng looked at him with a stern look: "How is the construction of the mausoleum going now?"
Pei Shangling was completely surprised that Emperor Jiancheng would ask this question.
"Pei Shangling!"
"Your Majesty, the mausoleum has now been opened, and the various agencies..."
Emperor Jiancheng was satisfied: "The mausoleum must be built according to my requirements, without any deviation!"
Pei Shangling felt a headache and asked tentatively, "According to the blueprint, we still need at least one million in gold and silver..."
Emperor Jiancheng said directly: "No problem, the Minister of Revenue will support Pei Shangling!"
Hearing this, Pei Shangling felt it was ridiculous and said directly, "Jizhou has no grain harvest this time. If the locust plague continues to move south, it will cause an even greater disaster. Your Majesty, would you like to send someone to deal with this matter?"
Emperor Jiancheng looked displeased. Liang Zhongling, who had been keeping an eye on everything, suddenly jumped in and retorted, "Pei Shangling is wrong. Your Majesty is blessed by heaven and has blessed the people. Besides, the news has already spread everywhere. The people will surely speed up their grain collection. Even if there are some losses, it won't have a huge impact."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jiancheng's expression improved, but to save face, he still said, "What Pei Aiqing said does make sense. I'll leave the matter of Jizhou to you. Make sure Bai Yi settles all the people!"
Pei Shangling was about to say something when a voice came from above his head: "Dismiss the court!"
Emperor Jiancheng left quickly, and all the civil and military officials also gradually dispersed.
Pei Shangling sighed deeply, and when he turned around, he saw Liang Zhongling standing beside him with a very ugly expression on his face.
Liang Zhongling stepped forward, saying jokingly, "Master Pei is truly trusted by His Majesty. How enviable!"
"I heard that the two young masters have not been found yet. They are much more busy than Liang Zhongling who is busy with family affairs. You must have worked hard!" Pei Shangling counterattacked.
Everyone knows that the disappearance of the two young masters of the Liang family is what Liang Zhongling fears the most.
A group of officials who were originally walking slowly immediately quickened their pace to avoid being affected.
Liang Zhongling's face instantly darkened, and he stared at the other party: "Master Pei, you'd better take care of yourself. If anything goes wrong in Jizhou, I'm afraid you will be to blame!"
Pei Shangling sneered: "I wonder if Lord Liang's descendants are still alive!"
Liang Zhongling's eyes suddenly became extremely sharp. He was so angry that his heart ached again. He warned in a cold voice: "Master Pei, please don't worry about this matter. However, if I find out who is behind this, I will not let him off easily!"
Pei Shangling raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Then I wish Lord Liang can find your son and grandson as soon as possible."
"Hmph!" Liang Zhongling just flicked his sleeves and left.
After returning home, he immediately summoned Liang Zongwen and said in a serious tone, "Has Huan Yu not been found yet?"
Liang Zongwen's hair has turned white during this period. Since his only son disappeared, he has not gone to the yamen and has been keeping an eye on the Xu family all day long.
But no abnormalities were ever found.
"Dad, did something really happen to Yu'er?" He asked with a depressed and listless look.
Seeing his useless appearance, Liang Zhongling was furious: "From Guancheng, have you received any news?"
He shook his head.
"Useless!" Liang Zhongling cursed. "There's no news. Why didn't you tell me?"
Liang Zongwen was paralyzed by the scolding: "What's the point of telling Dad? Can Dad go to Guancheng to look for Huanyu himself?!"
"You!" Liang Zhongling even doubted whether this son was his own. "The man has been sent out for so long, and there's not a single word of news. Don't you understand?"
Liang Zongwen was stunned, and his face changed as he thought of something: "They dare!"
"Is this a question of whether you dare or not?" Liang Zhongling scolded, "Why don't you investigate further? If something unexpected really happens, there's no need to investigate secretly this time. Just kill the Luo family!"
Liang Zongwen was surprised: "But if Your Majesty blames me..."
"How could I raise such a stupid son like you!" Liang Zhongling was so angry that he almost lost his temper. "Frame-up, do you understand?"
Liang Zongwen understood immediately, but soon found himself in a dilemma: "But if Huan Yu is really related to the Luo family, will Huan Yu be in trouble if we take action against the Luo family?"
Liang Zhongling had a headache: "Do you think the Luo family is really so stupid that they know nothing about Luo Tingshan's affairs?"
He didn't believe that the old man surnamed Luo would always be law-abiding.
At this moment, he really regretted not listening to his grandson and directly eliminating the other party to avoid future troubles.
Moreover, he suspected that Zong Wu's affairs might be related to the Luo family.
"Wait!" He suddenly called out to his son, "Prepare the sedan chair! I need to go to the Third Prince's residence myself!"
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