Chapter 303 A Restless Night
Everyone present was stunned by Magistrate Shen's words.
Although the county magistrate had explicitly forbidden merchants from hoarding grain, as merchants, hoarding grain was something ingrained in their genes, and they couldn't control it. Everyone present had, to varying degrees, secretly gone to the villages to buy grain.
At that time, after the autumn harvest, the government bought grain for ten coins. They went to the countryside and bought a lot of grain at a high price of twelve coins per pound.
However, the market price of grain has been suppressed, and they cannot sell it at a high price. The grain can only be stored in warehouses and slowly turn into stale grain.
Now, the county magistrate is actually going to buy grain at such a high price.
The purchase price was twelve coins, and the sale price was one hundred coins.
One pound of grain yielded a net profit of eighty-eight coins, more than originally expected.
"Sir, I will go back and bring the grain over right away."
"Before dark, the She family delivered two thousand catties of grain."
The businessmen present all took their leave.
Master Yuan silently gave Magistrate Shen a thumbs up.
Without spending a single penny, they obtained tens of thousands of kilograms of grain for free, making these merchants overjoyed. The master is indeed brilliant.
However, the grain stockpiled by these merchants is actually not enough, after all, there are too many disaster victims. If they could have a total of 20,000 jin, it would save them a lot of trouble.
One cartload after another of grain was transported into the county government's granary, totaling 18,000 jin.
By this time, it had already gotten dark.
Porridge was being cooked outside the city, and Shen was using a wooden spoon to serve porridge to the refugees.
He had been busy all day, and although he was very tired, he couldn't stop. There was a shortage of manpower everywhere, and after he left, things would only get busier and more chaotic here.
A woman carrying a child walked over, holding two bowls in her hands.
He carefully ladled out two bowls of porridge. Seeing the child's pale and thin face, he was moved and added an extra spoonful. The woman was immediately filled with gratitude.
Shen Zheng felt a sense of satisfaction.
However, just as he was about to serve the next person some porridge, he suddenly heard crying.
He stood on tiptoe to look and saw the woman who had just served the porridge kneeling on the ground, crying and clinging to a man's leg, pleading, "...I gave you my porridge, please give me back my son's porridge, he's still so young, he can't bear to go hungry..."
"Get out of my way!" The man kicked her. "If it weren't for me protecting you, would you have made it to Ping'an County alive? All I asked for were two bowls of porridge, and you're making such a fuss. A woman like you should just be killed..."
As he spoke, he grabbed the woman by the back of her collar.
The child beside the woman burst into tears, crying so hard he could barely breathe.
The woman quickly comforted the child, "Doggy, sit here for a while, Mother will be right back..."
She knew very well what these people were trying to do with her.
She had no choice but to do so for her child's sake.
"stop!!"
A cold shout.
It was Shen Zheng walking over.
He stared coldly at the three men who had committed the crime: "They dare to cause trouble outside Ping'an County, bullying the weak and oppressing men and women. According to the law, they should be given thirty lashes and thrown into prison!"
Shen Zheng had been busy outside the city all day, and everyone naturally knew his identity: he was the son of the magistrate of Ping'an County, which was equivalent to the magistrate's position.
The three men exchanged a glance and quickly knelt down: "Young Master Shen, this is a misunderstanding. We were starving, which is why we took the woman's food... We are from the same village as this woman and her child, and we sometimes share food with each other. We were just a little rough just now."
Shen Zheng looked at the woman and said, "If you want to sue these three people, I can help you."
The woman lowered her eyes. These three men were the leaders of the refugees, and they had many followers. Along the way, she had witnessed firsthand how these three men had taken lives... Many three- or four-year-old babies had ended up in their bellies.
Young Master Shen can stand up for her for a while, but he can't protect her forever.
If she offends these three men, their henchmen and lackeys will devour her and her child, leaving not even scraps.
Thinking of this, the woman's mouth was full of bitterness. Holding the child, she said, "Young Master Shen, I am from the same hometown as those three, and we are even from the same clan. We have supported each other along the way. It was indeed a misunderstanding just now..."
Shen Zheng's face showed disappointment and frustration.
He never forces anyone to make any choice.
He turned around, took two bowls of porridge, placed them in the woman's hands, and then continued with his work.
The woman turned around and handed one of the bowls to the man.
"You're smart to know what's good for you." The man grabbed her collar. "Come to the grove after you've finished eating."
The woman nodded with tears in her eyes.
She fed the remaining bowl of porridge to the child, entrusted the child to a familiar woman, and then walked towards the grove.
After four or five men had taken their turn to have their fun, the woman emerged from the woods, unsteady on her feet, looking disheveled and dejected.
In the grove, four or five men were plotting a big plan.
"I'm so tired of only having two bowls of porridge every day."
"Why do those rich people eat meat and fish while we can only drink porridge? When will this end?"
"The city gates are closed, so we can't get in, but we can still try the surrounding villages."
"Take Dahe Village for example. This village has grain, and Lady Sui also lives in this village. It is said that the emperor has bestowed upon her countless gold and silver treasures."
"Let's pull off a big heist, steal grain and gold and silver, then find a place to hide and wait for things to calm down. Then we'll never have to worry about the rest of our lives."
"The five of us are too few."
"Then let's persuade others to join us. With many hands making light work, we're sure to crush Dahe Village!"
"Find a plausible excuse, and plenty of people will be willing to do it. Then you won't have to live in hiding."
"..."
The wind was strong on this winter night.
The wind whistled through the trees.
Dahe Village has quieted down.
Today, all the patients with high fevers have recovered, and the number of patients with coughs has also decreased. Everything is moving in a positive direction.
But for some reason, Cheng Wanwan always felt uneasy.
She tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Afraid of waking Hui Niang and her granddaughter, she simply put on a coat and got up.
Her room was heated by a kang (a traditional heated brick bed), making it very warm. As soon as she opened the door, a gust of cold wind swept in from the doorway, so she immediately wrapped her rabbit fur cloak tightly around herself, covering herself completely.
She went into the yard and saw the patrol team carrying torches passing by her door.
She asked in surprise, "Xiao He, why are you on patrol?"
He Xiao is known as Master He by everyone in the village. He has extremely high martial arts skills, and the men in the village respect him greatly. They don't let He Xiao get involved in trivial matters.
"It's too quiet tonight." He Xiao's expression was solemn. "I have a feeling something is going to happen. Cousin, lock the door and close the windows tightly. Don't come out before dawn."
Cheng Wanwan nodded: "You all be careful too."
Just as she was about to go inside, she suddenly saw Wang Yongcheng running towards her in the distance, drenched in sweat: "Master He, something bad has happened! There's movement on Dadong Mountain. I've been observing from hiding, and there are at least a hundred people..."
He Xiao's eyes darkened: "It seems the refugees have finally revolted."
He had always felt that these refugees would cause trouble, and he wouldn't feel at ease until that day came.
Now that things are finally in chaos, his heart is at peace.
Like a knife hanging over one's head, it finally fell.
He said coldly, "Pass the order: all patrol teams, extinguish your torches, use the shadows of the trees and the darkness to conceal yourselves, and turn the tables so that the enemy is in the dark, and we are in the dark..."
Wang Yongcheng accepted the order: "Yes!"
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