Chapter 206: Forced Purchase and Sale
The grain-carrying carts were inspected at the city gate.
The soldiers at the city gate stabbed the hole with their swords, and the food leaked out.
When the soldiers at the city gate saw the grain, their expressions changed: "How dare you transport grain out of the city without permission? This is a serious crime.
Come, arrest all the people and the grain carts and await your punishment."
"No, no, we...we weren't transporting grain out of the city. I...I drove the wrong carriage when I left. I...I'm going back now."
The driver was in a panic and hurriedly drove the carriage back.
The soldiers at the city gate did not stop them.
As long as the food remains in the city, they don't care whether it is confiscated or not.
After the carriage failed to leave the city through the South Gate, bad news came from the other three gates.
Two other coachmen were slow to react, and their carriages and grain were seized. Wen Ruyue lost another seven or eight stone of grain in vain.
Although Wen Ruyue was angry, she did not give up.
She also had the food divided into small bags and had the guards disguise themselves as civilians going into the city to buy food, carrying the food out in small pieces.
As a result, after the guards went out, they couldn't get back in.
Unless there are special circumstances, you can enter the city once every ten days.
She sent all the guards, servants and maids around her to transport grain. Now they couldn't come back, so Qingzhu was the only one serving in the huge courtyard.
After Wen Ruyue heard the news, she was furious.
She was so angry that she smashed a set of tea sets in the house, but she still couldn't calm down.
She raised her hand to slap Qingzhu, but stopped halfway.
Qingzhu was so scared that he shrank his neck like a quail and didn't dare to breathe.
"If we keep moving like this, how long will it take to finish?" Wen Ruyue glared at Situ Ming. "What do you think we should do next?"
Situ Ming frowned, a rare sight, and it was clear he felt the situation was difficult. "Our road is practically blocked."
"Do I need you to tell me? Don't I know?" Wen Ruyue felt that he was saying useless things. "What I want is a solution. Find one for me!"
"Why not sell the grain to other grain merchants?" Situ Ming suggested.
"Impossible!" Wen Ruyue immediately retorted, "I have a grudge against those merchants.
If they knew I was desperate, they would definitely try to lower my price. I spent so much effort to get this food to Jinyang Prefecture, how could I possibly sell it to them at such a low price? "
Situ Ming spread his hands, sighed, and sat down in a chair, "Then now we can only leave a few people in the city to watch over the grain, and the rest of us will carry the grain to other places to sell it.
At most it will take a little longer.”
Wen Ruyue frowned and said nothing.
This kind of scattered sales method is too unstable and has a lot of variables.
Not being able to keep an eye on things personally would make her feel strongly out of control and unable to grasp the overall situation.
She didn't like this feeling.
This is how things will be arranged for now.
Wen Ruyue couldn't stay at home, so she decided to continue to wait for Meng Xiyan at the government office.
This time...
At worst, I can beg him again, and maybe he will show leniency to me because of the relationship between our two families.
Wen Ruyue went out in a carriage. Before they had gone far, the carriage braked suddenly. Wen Ruyue and Qingzhu almost fell off the stool.
"What's going on?" Wen Ruyue has been irritable and unhappy lately, and she's not happy with anyone.
Qingzhu quickly opened the curtain and went out to see.
Then she saw a carriage blocking her way.
A man got off the other carriage, pointed to a teahouse on the street, and said to Wen Ruyue, "Madam Wen, our master invites you to the teahouse for a chat."
Qingzhu asked doubtfully, "Who is your master?"
"Xu De, the grain merchant from Jinyang."
Wen Ruyue's voice immediately came out from behind the curtain: "No."
Qingzhu passed on the message: "Did you hear that? My wife said she won't see me."
"Madam Wen, I urge you to go to the teahouse and have a seat. Otherwise, you will be stuck in this carriage today."
Wen Ruyue lifted the curtain of the rear window and saw a carriage parked behind them.
The street was narrow and they were completely trapped.
"The local grain merchant is so domineering!" Wen Ruyue snorted coldly and got off the carriage.
The servant respectfully led her out and said, "Madam Wen, please come this way."
After entering the teahouse, Wen Ruyue and her three companions were taken to a private room.
There were only fifteen or sixteen people standing or sitting inside, young and old, all men.
A middle-aged man came forward to greet her warmly, his attitude quite respectful: "Madam Wen, please come in and take a seat. My name is Xu, and I am one of the grain merchants in Jinyang Prefecture."
He then introduced several other grain merchants one by one.
All the prominent grain merchants in Jinyang Prefecture were present.
Surrounded by a pack of wolves, Wen Ruyue calmed down instead.
The other side has more people and more power, so we can't escape.
Wen Ruyue walked over and sat down, sneering, "Tell me, what do you want to do by bringing me here?"
The Xu family's patriarch smiled and said, "Madam Wen, have a cup of tea first. Why are you angry?"
Wen Ruyue didn't give them any face: "We've already torn our relationship apart. Why are you pretending here? Isn't it just for the food I have?"
The Xu family's patriarch's expression changed, and he sat down leisurely. "If that's the case, then let's be frank. We want all the remaining food you have."
"You said you wanted me to give it to you?"
"To tell you the truth, the grain will rot and stink in the warehouse unless we sell it to you."
Wen Ruyue felt like she had just heard some utterly ridiculous joke: "When did a group of merchants become the masters of Jinyang Prefecture?"
The Xu family patriarch smiled and said, "If you don't believe me, just wait another quarter of an hour."
Wen Ruyue felt nervous when she saw that he spoke with such confidence.
There was also a vague feeling of uneasiness rising in my heart.
However, before two quarters of an hour had passed, Wen Ruyue received the latest news.
The news that they sold moldy grain and ate it to death had already spread throughout Jinyang Prefecture.
No one wanted to buy their food.
Even if someone wants to buy it, the price is extremely low.
They basically make no money.
Wen Ruyue looked at them with a sullen expression: "It's you who did this!"
The Xu family's head sneered and said, "You take yourself too seriously. You come to someone else's territory and can't even distinguish between the big and small kings. Do you really think there is no one in Jinyang Prefecture?"
Wen Ruyue knew that she had been surrounded by them.
There was no other option for her except to trade with them.
This was the first time in Wen Ruyue's two lifetimes that she had suffered such a huge loss, except for Miaobizhai.
"Give me a quote!" Wen Ruyue no longer thought about making money. As long as she didn't lose money, it would be fine. She wanted to get the money as soon as possible and go back home as soon as possible.
The head of the Xu family looked at the others and then reported a number.
Upon hearing this number.
Wen Ruyue's expression changed instantly.
This is simply forced selling.
With this amount, she only earned three thousand taels of silver, not counting wages.
After deducting the expenses for hiring escorts and other expenses on the road, she earned more than a thousand taels from all the efforts.
This is far from the amount she expected!
The gap in her heart was so huge that Wen Ruyue felt a breath stuck in her chest and it took her a long time to recover.
【Note: City Gate Army refers to soldiers guarding the city gates.】
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