Chapter 106 Scapegoat
Shen Qingtan frowned. Guanzhou again?
Liu Yue took out the letter from his sleeve and handed it to Shen Qingtan.
Shen Qingtan tore off the wax seal, took out a piece of letter, and frowned slightly after reading the contents of the letter.
The imperial courts of all dynasties stored granaries in various places to deal with disasters and the food needs of soldiers on the border.
If a natural disaster occurs, the imperial court will have three disaster relief strategies.
First, open granaries to distribute food to the people for free, or set up tents to provide porridge to the victims.
Second, sell it to the people at the usual price.
Third, lend grain to the people, and when the harvest comes next year, the people will return the grain to the granary.
If the disaster was severe and the people were unable to repay the grain they borrowed from the granary, the emperor would sympathize with the people and issue an edict to cancel the grain they had borrowed.
Last year, when natural disasters struck, Emperor Jing'an issued an edict, allowing officials across the country to choose between distributing food to the people for free or lending food to them based on local conditions.
Her people explained in the letter that the officials of Guanzhou chose to lend grain to the people, and that every citizen recorded in the account book had borrowed grain, but in fact the grain was not distributed to the people.
Because this batch of grain was embezzled by officials, they sold it to grain merchants at a high price, and all the money from the sale of the grain went into the pockets of the officials.
Grain merchants raised the price and sold it to the people. The well-off people did not want to starve to death, so they had to spend huge sums of money to buy grain.
Those who come from poor families can only wait for death.
The disaster victims in Guanzhou did not want to wait for death, so they came to the capital to seek a way to survive.
Shen Qingtan knew what these officials were planning without having to think about it.
They wanted to wait until the harvest and then report to the court that the people were unable to repay the borrowed grain.
If the emperor issued an edict to cancel the grain borrowed by the people, the officials would be able to wipe out this bad debt and make a lot of money for free.
"Liu Yue, grind the ink."
Shen Qingtan stood up and went to the desk, spread out a piece of plain paper and picked up a pen to write a letter.
Liu Yue grew up with her master, who specially taught her and Ting Xue to read and write, and they can barely read poetry and prose.
She saw what was written in Shen Qingtan's letter and said in surprise, "You want Boss Qin to stockpile grain? The grain we're harvesting now is all old grain, and because of the food shortage, the price has remained high. The harvest will be good in less than a month, and once the seasonal grain comes out, the people will no longer be short of food."
She analyzed, "By then, the price of the current season's grain won't be as high as the current price of the old grain. The old grain you bought at a high price will probably have to be sold at a loss."
"Refugees from Guanzhou have come to the capital. If it weren't for the severe famine there, why would they leave their homes and travel across mountains and rivers to come to the capital?"
Shen Qingtan sighed and said, "The grain that Uncle Qin is collecting now will be used to deal with the disaster in Guanzhou. It won't be left in our hands."
When Liu Yue heard that there were still places experiencing famine, she frowned and said, "I remember last year when there was a natural disaster, the imperial court opened its granaries to provide relief to the people. At the end of the year, reports came in from all over the country saying that the famine problem had been completely resolved."
At this point, she muttered, "Other places have already survived the famine, but Guanzhou still has a large number of refugees. It must be because corrupt officials there are unscrupulous and have embezzled the food provided for disaster relief. The people are almost unable to survive and have no choice but to flee Guanzhou and find another way to survive."
"The refugees have arrived at the foot of the Imperial City. If this matter escalates, it will surely attract the Emperor's attention." Shen Qingtan put down her brush, let the ink dry, stuffed the plain paper into an envelope, and handed it to Liu Yue. She said in an unfathomable tone, "It's too late for the officials involved to cover up their actions."
Liu Yue asked: "What if it doesn't ferment?"
"Isn't this simple?" Shen Qingtan said meaningfully: "Add a handful of wood, stir the fire a little, and it will be hard not to burn."
"That's right, there's no such thing as an impenetrable wall." Liu Yue laughed, then she asked curiously, "Do you want to add fuel to the fire?"
Shen Qingtan shook his head: "It's not the time yet."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yue put the letter into her sleeve pocket and said, "Then I will go to the Qin Mansion to deliver the letter."
——
Cheng'en Marquis Mansion.
The atmosphere in the study in the front yard was very solemn. Marquis Cheng'en sat in an armchair with a sullen expression, and a letter was spread on the desk in front of him.
He heard yesterday that refugees had gathered at the gate of the capital, and immediately sent people to investigate. These refugees all came from Guanzhou.
Before he could come up with a plan, he received another letter from Guanzhou.
The letter explained that the situation in Guanzhou had gotten out of control. A large number of refugees broke through the checkpoints in Guanzhou and fled to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor.
Marquis Cheng'en sneered.
File a complaint with the emperor.
Is it so easy to file a lawsuit?
"Father, what should we do with the refugees?" Shen Shaohuai frowned and said, "If this matter comes before the emperor, I'm afraid you will be implicated as well."
Marquis Cheng'en had already made his plan: "Leave this matter to your uncle."
"The Yongyi Marquis' Mansion?" Shen Shaohuai pondered, "During my aunt's birthday banquet, the princess flew into a rage at the Marquis' Mansion. We'll leave this matter to my uncle. If the princess's men are keeping an eye on the movements of the Yongyi Marquis' Mansion, won't we be walking into a trap?"
"I've been investigating this matter. The troupe's owner has abducted many children and was subsequently arrested and charged." After careful consideration, Marquis Cheng'en decided to return to the Yongyi Marquis's residence. "We need to divert the blame. The longer we delay, the more trouble we'll suffer."
Shen Shaohuai immediately understood that his father was going to use the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion as a scapegoat.
He pondered and said, "Should I tell my mother?"
Marquis Cheng'en pressed his painful Taiyangxue and said slowly, "Your mother is very understanding. She said the overall situation is important. After all, only when the Marquis' Mansion is well can the Earl's Mansion have hope. If the Marquis' Mansion collapses, the Earl's Mansion will be doomed."
Shen Shaohuai acquiesced.
Suddenly, he brought up another matter: "Now that Guanzhou is in chaos, should we send someone to bring my third brother back to Beijing?"
"Don't worry about this rebellious son!" Marquis Cheng'en mentioned Shen Shaobai, his brows furrowed into a river shape. "The Marquis' Mansion is in trouble right now. If he comes back to make trouble with us about Shen Qingtan's matter, it will only ruin our business."
When Shen Shaohuai heard the three words "Shen Qingtan", he immediately thought of his investigation of her and his face darkened.
Although it was her mother and second sister who attacked first, Shen Qingtan was able to dodge every time, and then use the force to make her mother and second sister suffer the consequences, which was enough to show her scheming and means.
This was the first time Shen Shaohuai truly looked Shen Qingtan in the face. This woman made him wary and he could no longer act rashly against her.
Especially since Zhao Yi was standing behind her.
If you want to move, you must ensure that you hit the target with one strike.
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