Emperor Mingxi felt embarrassed when he was accused of being too soft-hearted in order to maintain his reputation during his lifetime and after his death.
However, upon hearing that there were no raw corn or sweet potatoes, he genuinely expressed his disappointment and regret. Although he knew that even if they didn't come to eat this meal, they wouldn't see any raw ones, he still had to put on a show.
【Master, it's not just about doing favors for others. Once you provide the superior seeds, whether the people of Dayan can grow the Little Pearls is uncertain, but these crops will definitely grow in the fields of our neighbors in Beili, Xiqiang, Nanzhao, and Nanyue.】
"What do you mean? Is there some big surprise hidden in here?" Yue Fuguang sat up straight and unconsciously grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the plate in front of her.
Mingxi forced herself to stop her hand from reaching out at the same time, and instead grabbed a melon seed to pour herself a cup of tea.
He gritted his teeth secretly, wanting to hear why the good stuff from his Great Yan region was being planted in his neighbor's field instead of his own!
The others sat together in twos and threes, either drinking tea and chatting or eating barbecue and rice seriously, but their ears were all quietly perked up.
What do you think the relationship was between the major wealthy merchant families along the trade route from Bingzhou and Liangzhou to Jiaozhou and their neighbors around Dayan?
Zhou Hongying, the third son of the Zhou family head in Bingzhou, married a woman from the Wu family, a prominent family in Beili. The Wu family was backed by the current prime minister.
Fan Chengye, the eldest son of Fan Shiping of the Fan family in Liangzhou, took a concubine from a collateral branch of the Changxin Marquis family of the Western Qiang.
Zhao Mingting's seventh daughter, born out of wedlock, from the Zhao family of Yizhou, married Rong Wang of Xiqiang as a concubine.
Bai Yu of the Bai family in Jiaozhou was the youngest legitimate daughter of the Miao family in the Nanzhao Kingdom, and the Miao family was one of the three powerful families in Nanzhao.
Master, have you noticed anything?
"These families all have various kinship ties with neighboring countries, and these kinship ties also serve as a link for the transfer of benefits between them."
"Have these people colluded with the enemy and betrayed their country?"
[He is not far from becoming a traitor and colluding with the enemy!]
"Little Bead, tell me in detail!"
With a snap, Yue Fuguang started cracking sunflower seeds again.
[Master, in the original timeline, a major event will occur at the end of this year. Didn't I tell you before that there would be a snow disaster?]
The snow disaster affected more than just Dayan. Apart from Nanzhao and Nanyue, which fared slightly better, every household in the surrounding area was affected.
So while the Dayan Dynasty was raising grain from major grain merchants, other neighboring countries were also raising grain to appease the disaster victims who were on the verge of rebellion due to the snow disaster.
Their domestic reserves were not as abundant as those of the people of Dayan, so they set their sights on the Dayan Dynasty, this lucrative prize.
The companies I mentioned earlier took advantage of merchants' profit-seeking nature to inflate grain prices in their respective territories, causing large quantities of grain from surrounding areas to flow into their localities.
Once enough grain had flowed in, they informed their neighbors, who were eyeing the place covetously and waiting to pull off a big heist, through their in-laws.
On dark and windy nights, when murder and arson were rampant, for several days in a row, major cities on the borders of several surrounding states were plundered by bandits who suddenly appeared.
In order to make the act more convincing and for their own later purposes, these families also pretended to be robbed, and even claimed to have suffered the "greatest losses".
There were even casualties among the direct descendants.
The loss was obviously fake. Among the injured and killed members of the family, those injuries were deliberately staged for outsiders to see. They were putting on a show to make it more convincing!
As for those who "died," they all disappeared in Dayan, concealed their identities, and went to neighboring countries to become honored guests. They thought that after studying for a few years, knowing some characters, and being able to write a few pretentious poems, they could command the world and wield great power!
They can read but don't understand reason; they're worse than animals! Definitely traitors!
The ones who were truly robbed and killed were the out-of-town merchants who were attracted by the high grain prices. They thought they could make a fortune from the national disaster, but they never expected that their grain and lives would be taken by others.
Many of the people in Dayan who suffered from the disaster also starved to death.
"These people may have some mitigating circumstances, but they don't deserve sympathy. However, those few who colluded with outsiders to persecute and scheme against their own court and compatriots deserve to die!"
This is utterly disloyal and treacherous, and countless lives have been lost because of it; their crimes are unforgivable!
Emperor Mingxi's face flushed red with anger. Fearing he would give himself away, the Crown Prince quickly handed him a cup of water to cover it up.
The adults were so angry they could only vent their frustration on the roasted meat in front of them. Judging from their expressions, they were clearly enjoying the delicious roasted meat, but anyone who didn't know better would think they were chewing on the flesh and blood of their enemies.
Fortunately, these people were quite alert this time and knew to float on the moonlight.
The system continued, "[And because of this 'robbery' incident, they formed a chamber of commerce, and the chamber of commerce organized its own guard team.]"
Ostensibly, they were there to protect the personal safety and property of merchants, but to the outside world, they were similar to a security escort agency.
This is also why they help foreign tribes rob their own compatriots; they need to have their own legitimate armed forces.
In reality, many outsiders were secretly planted among these people, and none of the families could fully control this force on their own.
The spies from various countries who had infiltrated the group, traveling with the caravans across the country, found it easier to gather intelligence and even managed to recruit many more.
"Did the leaders of these families know that foreigners had infiltrated their ranks?"
[I don't know for sure, because they had an unspoken agreement before they started robbing the money and supplies that some skilled soldiers would be assigned to the guards, but they didn't say they would plant spies.]
"The soldiers in the army are the obvious force, while the spies are the covert operation. It seems the two sides don't really trust each other that much!"
They are all united because of their own interests, and their kinship ties can be torn apart at any time. For example, with the decline of the Changxin Marquis's mansion, a concubine's daughter from a collateral branch of the Fan family who married Fan Chengye died during childbirth along with her unborn child.
Not long after one of Fan Chengye's concubines died, an even more beautiful one was brought in. Her identity was also from the Western Qiang, Feng Yao, a concubine's daughter of the Feng family.
This Feng family is the same Feng family as the future rising star, General Feng Wuchang. Currently, Feng Wuchang is the captain of the trusted guards of Marquis Changxin.
"This wind is truly extraordinary!"
Yue Fuguang stroked his round little chin and thought to himself, "The guards of the Marquis's mansion either rise to power by stepping on their master's family, or they are simply pawns and sharp knives in their master's hands."
Since the concubine's daughter from the Changxin Marquis's side branch died in childbirth, and the one who took her place was a woman from the Feng family, then it was the former, and the Changxin Marquis's mansion was the ladder for the Feng family to advance.
When the Great Yan Kingdom fell, Feng Wuchang contributed significantly. Later, he also took control of the guard force that the Fan family had been in charge of, turning it into a sharp dagger aimed at the Great Yan Kingdom.
The other families were in similar situations, all becoming tools in the hands of the alien races, viciously stabbing the Great Yan into its core.
"Look, this is why I don't have a good outlook on Dayan. The court and the common people are riddled with holes, with foreigners planted everywhere."
With such a large-scale operation, do you believe there wasn't any official involvement?
Emperor Mingxi was too soft-hearted, clinging to his own empty reputation. He was practically being uprooted, yet he was still pretending to be a benevolent ruler!
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