It wasn't just the entrance to Feiyinsi that was bustling with noise; outside Gujia Rice Shop, there was also a constant commotion and debate.
Early that morning, the Gu family rice shop had barely opened a crack in the door when someone squeezed in.
This is not surprising. With grain prices soaring, Gu's family is almost the only rice shop that has not taken advantage of the situation to raise prices. Every day, before the shop even opens, people are already waiting outside, just waiting for the Gu family's rice shop assistants to open the shop, and then they line up to buy rice.
Too many people came, and Gu Yaoniang was afraid something might happen, so she arranged for guards to watch over the shop and also reported to Princess Ruining. The Gu family's rice shop's policy of selling grain in limited quantities and at limited prices was also considered part of the disaster relief, but it was not publicized.
Normally, no matter how many people are there, they all wait patiently outside the door, following the rules. This is the first time someone has squeezed through the crack in the door before the shop even opens.
The shop assistant opening the door was also a bit bewildered. He held the half-disassembled door in his hand, unsure whether to open it or put it back. He was quite at a loss.
The man who squeezed in was strong and muscular, with a dark complexion and gleaming eyes. Seeing the shop assistant standing there dumbfounded, he waved the large cloth bag in his hand: "I want to buy rice!"
The shop assistant then came to his senses, put down the door panel he was carrying, and took the large cloth bag from the strong man with a smile, saying, "Alright! Please wait a moment."
As if receiving some kind of signal, the people who had been waiting outside rushed into the rice shop, which was soon crowded with people.
The guards rushed forward to maintain order, and after a brief period of chaos at the entrance, things returned to normal.
The waiter picked up a rice cup, scooped a bowlful into a cloth bag, and handed it to the man with a smile, saying, "Sir, thank you for your kind offer, ten coins."
They didn't even ask the strong man how much rice he wanted to buy. Nowadays, grain prices are rising rapidly, and rice shops in the neighborhood have almost no rice left. Even if they do have some, they no longer sell it by the bushel, but by the pound, and it costs several taels of silver per pound.
Wealthy families certainly don't lack money, but how could ordinary people afford such high prices? Lately, almost everyone in the city has been buying half a jin of rice a day from the Gu family's rice shop to take home. It's not that they don't want to buy more, but the owner of the Gu family's rice shop has a rule that each person can only buy a maximum of half a jin of rice from the shop, and they won't sell any more.
Now it has become a habit. After so many days, the employees of Gu's Rice Shop have even mastered the skill of estimating rice. They can scoop out exactly half a pound of rice without having to weigh it again using a rice cup.
In fact, even if a poor family is reluctant to cook half a jin of rice into white rice, they can still make porridge to last for four or five days. Even if they cook rice, it can last for one or two days for a large family.
But this man was either genuinely unaware of the rules of the Gu family rice shop or deliberately causing trouble. When the shop assistant only served him a small bowl of rice, he immediately became unhappy and shouted, "Fill it up!"
The waiter smiled broadly and said, "Sir! Our shop has a rule now: each customer can only buy half a jin. If you feel it's not enough, how about you come back tomorrow?"
The burly man immediately objected: "I have plenty of money!"
He glanced at the rice and grains in the shop and shouted, "I want it all today!"
He then turned to the people in line behind him and said, "Don't wait! Come back tomorrow! There's nothing left for today!"
It turns out it means they want to kick people out.
A clamor of discontent immediately arose from the crowd.
The shop assistant tried to persuade him in a kind voice, "Sir, it really won't work! Please come back tomorrow. We only have this much rice each day. We're not making any money these days; we're selling grain to the villagers at a loss. If you buy it all, the other customers won't be able to buy any and will have nothing to eat."
The crowd behind the man also heard what the waiter said and echoed his sentiments, expressing their dissatisfaction with the man.
The burly man, despite his forced smile, refused to fill the rice container for him and tried to snatch it from the waiter's hand. When the waiter dodged him, the man felt humiliated and worried about how to explain himself, which fueled his anger. He raised his foot to kick the rice bucket over.
The guards stationed at the door had been watching the man's movements since he tried to buy all the rice. Seeing him suddenly attack, the guards, anticipating this, swarmed forward and pinned him to the ground.
The young shop assistant visibly relaxed. This was the first time he had encountered something like this, but he had been instructed beforehand that since the Gu family's rice was currently selling cheaply, such incidents were bound to happen frequently. He wasn't too surprised, only paused for a moment before returning to his smiling self and serving rice to the people in line.
Jin Yu Lou had already closed. Gu Yaoniang was now discussing matters in the main hall of the Gu family. The captain of the guards sent someone to report to her about what happened today, and Gu Yaoniang sighed softly.
The squad leader waited at the side gate of the Gu family, thinking that Gu Yaoniang would eventually meet the troublemaker, ask him questions, and give him a warning. However, he was surprised to see Bi Shuang, who was by Gu Yaoniang's side, come out and say that he should release the person.
The squad leader was puzzled but had no choice but to comply. As soon as he released the strong man, he plunged into the water like a fish and vanished in an instant. The squad leader wanted to ask Bi Shuang why his wife had given such an order, but when he turned around, he found that Bi Shuang had also disappeared like a ghost.
He could only return to the rice shop, filled with confusion, and continue guarding it.
Bi Shuang followed the man through the streets and alleys. When she saw him enter a small house, she returned to the Gu family and reported what she had seen to Gu Yaoniang.
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Theoretically speaking, there shouldn't be two silver notes with the same serial number.
Princess Ruining saw that the pairs of silver coins on the table were identical in every way, from the paper patterns to the serial numbers, and knew something was amiss. Following this clue, she indeed discovered that for about ten days, a simple carriage would come to pick up goods every night from the Silver Coin Bureau.
As for what it is, we'll have to investigate that thoroughly.
Just as things were starting to look promising, the court's disaster relief regulations were also basically finalized. In reality, it was nothing more than the usual disaster relief work: distributing some rice and grain, appeasing the people, and letting the government settle the people, while being careful to prevent the spread of plague.
If the cause of the unrest is found, the situation can be prevented from worsening.
With both sides working together, the situation should be stabilized soon.
The Gu family proved invaluable at this time.
However, the counterfeiting of Feiyin was extraordinary. The pearl Xuan paper used to print Feiyin was produced by the Gu family. Although they handed over the secret recipe and guaranteed that they would not produce it again, now that something has happened, the Gu family's suspicion cannot be cleared.
The imperial court was embroiled in a heated debate over whether the Gu family should be imprisoned and their property confiscated, or allowed to redeem themselves through meritorious service and avoid further imprisonment.
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