Buy rice
"Young General, the people who went to Xi'an and Yan'an have not returned yet. I'm going to capture them all."
"No need, let's wait and see." Gu Jin shook his head. "They've already arrived in the capital to report on their duties a little late, this is fine."
"Waiting for whom?"
"Let's see how the court reacts." Gu Jin looked up at the sky. It was probably going to snow today; these refugees wouldn't survive outside the city.
Nearly 10,000 people poured into Shengjing City, a dark mass that surged into the city like a tide, then dispersed and disappeared into every corner.
Gu Yu leaned against the window of the restaurant facing the street, looking calmly at the refugees below who were running around like headless flies, and the plainclothes officers from the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had been urgently dispatched to maintain order.
Previously, she needed someone to pass messages among the refugees, but she also knew that if the refugees entered the city, the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard would definitely come to investigate, so she needed a dead piece.
A life for a life, it's a deal.
"Miss Gu, did you come to us this time because of the refugees?"
Dongfang Hongyao has been getting on better and better in Shengjing these days. He became famous in the Zuixinlou Poetry Gathering. He has a powerful family background and is generous, so he has made friends with many candidates.
She invited Wei Cong and Dongfang Hongyao to the restaurant again today because she needed Dongfang Hongyao's reputation among the gentry in Hejian Prefecture and Wei Cong's writings.
"As you both know, my elder brother is in charge of the Five Cities Garrison. As soon as these refugees entered the outskirts of the capital, he stepped forward to appease them. However, this matter cannot be reported to the Emperor and can only fall into his hands."
“He worries about me every day, and I’m worried too, so I need your help.” Gu Yu reached out and caught a snowflake the size of a goose feather; the melted snow water slid into her palm. “It’s snowing. These people won’t make it through this winter…”
"It's not that Brother Wei and I don't want to help, but we don't know what to do."
Dongfang Hongyao helplessly spread his hands. He knew that what these disaster victims needed now was food, but Shengjing had not much food and the price was high, with each shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice costing two taels of silver.
Even if he had money, he couldn't buy much.
“Young Master Dongfang comes from the Dongfang family of Hejian Prefecture. Some of the elders in the family should be engaged in business and have made acquaintances with many merchant caravans. I would like to ask you to send someone back to deliver a message that the Gu family wants to buy rice from Hejian Prefecture to help the refugees. The price is two taels and two mace per shi.”
Gu Yu's price included the cost of transporting the goods by caravan, as well as losses.
This price is double what it was for Hejian Prefecture, where the journey only takes ten days and there is no shortage of food. Surely someone will be willing to come and transport rice.
If it weren't for the long journey of the canal transport and the bad weather, she would have preferred to swindle the wealthy merchants of Jiangnan.
“Miss Gu, I don’t understand. The price of rice in Shengjing is only two taels now. Why are you willing to transport grain from Hejian Prefecture and pay a higher price?”
“Shengjing is inhabited by high-ranking officials and nobles. Now that the grain shops know there is a food shortage in the city, they have started hoarding grain and not selling it, hoping to sell it when the price is higher. I have no other choice.” Gu Yu said with a bitter smile, “So now not only can refugees not afford to eat, but ordinary people can’t afford to buy rice either.”
Dongfang Hongyao sighed slightly and asked, "How much does Miss want?"
“I only need a thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), which should be enough to feed these refugees for about a month.” Once they get through this coldest part of the year, these refugees will be able to return home and survive.
She did not withdraw money directly from the Marquis's account; the money she took out now was money she had previously saved, plus money she had pawned some jewelry.
"...However, the current food shortage in Shengjing City will inevitably cause panic among the people. If the price of the grain brought by the caravans is lower than that of the rice shops in the city, they will spontaneously hoard grain..."
"Why only one month?" Dongfang Hongyao was not good at business and only dealt with scholars who were good at studying.
Wei Cong figured out the key point: "Because the price of rice will definitely drop in a month..."
Gu Yu nodded. "The city can easily meet the monthly shortage of 10,000 shi of grain. However, if those caravans want more profit, they will inevitably transport more grain. With more grain, those with higher prices will not be able to sell, and the grain shops in Shengjing City will have to lower their prices... The price of rice will definitely drop, and it will be even lower than before."
"So those caravans that transported rice ended up losing money?"
“Yes.” Gu Yu continued, “You only said you wanted a thousand shi of rice. Those caravans will definitely be able to calculate the current food shortage. Moreover, you need to buy this thousand shi of rice in cash as soon as possible. We can’t let them have the opportunity to hoard it. You also need to buy it from several caravans. If they are well-known caravans, there are plenty of those small caravans.”
In thirty days, even with snow, these caravans could make many trips.
"I understand." Dongfang Hongyao nodded. "Miss Gu is very shrewd, with the people on her mind. She is a righteous and kind person. I am ashamed to admit that I am inferior to her..."
"Young Master Dongfang is too kind. Such praise as helping my brother out of trouble and being righteous and kind is really too much for a lowly woman like me."
Dongfang Hongyao wanted to say something, but after glancing at her expression, he remained silent.
Gu Yu turned to Wei Cong and said bluntly, "I want your article, Young Master Wei. Shengjing City needs someone to criticize those merchants who hoard grain and raise prices. This might offend many people, Young Master. Are you willing? Moreover, the wider the article is circulated, the better..."
The surrounding prefectures and counties should all know about the food shortage in the capital.
"I have received Miss's help many times, and I am simply stating the facts, so I can naturally write this article."
Wei Cong nodded. He did not accept Gu Yu's offer of a hundred taels of silver, but he was willing to help her.
Moreover, regardless of Gu Yu's motives, her actions were aimed at benefiting the people, which did not conflict with what he wanted to do. Naturally, he would not refuse her; on the contrary, his goodwill towards the Gu family would only increase.
Before the two left, Gu Yu kept Dongfang Hongyao behind. "Young Master Dongfang, besides rice, I need some other things, the more the better. Just put them in the grain bags, and don't let anyone else notice anything amiss."
"What is it?" Dongfang Hongyao looked at her with interest, wondering what she wanted to do.
"Come closer to my ear."
Seeing that his face had turned red, Gu Yu smiled without losing her smile and moved closer to him, saying three words.
Dongfang Hongyao raised an eyebrow, genuinely unable to figure out what she wanted those two things for.
"Okay, I understand."
Gu Yu handed the calculated silver notes to Dongfang Hongyao, saying, "If it's not enough, just let me know."
Upon returning to Wenxuan Residence, Wei Cong immediately began composing his essay, picking up his brush and dipping it in ink:
Written by Wei Cong, a scholar from Hejian Prefecture, in the winter month of the Gengxu year of the Shengyuan era.
Fortunately, I was able to live in the city for more than a month, but unfortunately, I witnessed the snowstorm that buried frozen bones in the nine gates, and the rice shops and red gates being worlds apart.
Alas! This is not the imperial city, but a hellish place! The willows of yesteryear have become banners of white bones, and the barricades and iron chains have become a boundary between life and death.
Alas! The cauldrons of the rich boil and cook the dragon's marrow, while frozen bones silently turn into phosphorescent flames.
We spend ten years studying diligently, not just for fame and fortune.
The weather is so cold that the ground cracks; it's not that my writing brush and inkstone are frozen solid, but rather that my liver and gallbladder are frozen!
If you see the burning hunger in the eyes of a child, you will know that this fire can burn books, set palaces ablaze, and extinguish mountains and rivers!
......
May the heavens weep, and the snow turn to dust.
After finishing his essay, he copied it multiple times and posted it in various places where the candidates lived, such as Wenxuanju, as well as the Imperial Academy in Shengjing.
Wei Cong was not the only refugee who felt this way upon entering the city. What he needed to do was to draw out their thoughts and gather their strength to reach the emperor.
After Gu Yu discussed the matter with Dongfang Hongyao and Wei Cong, she immediately took a carriage out of the city to tell Gu Jin about it, both to put his mind at ease and to let him know that she had spent all the allowance she had saved up over the years...
Although Gu Jin was mostly surprised, he still felt sorry for her and had the household provide her with two thousand taels of silver so that she could redeem her jewelry.
Gu Yu wasn't interested in the jewelry, but she needed the money.
She walked out of the commander's camp. There were still many refugees outside the city. Most of them were the elderly, women, and children. They couldn't get any food and didn't have the strength to run into the city.
Most of the refugees entered the city, relieving most of the pressure on Gu Jiajun's garrison. The remaining food was enough to sustain them for half a month.
Gu Yu circled around and finally found the cloak she had given to that woman last time. The child named Anan was guarding it, and under the cloak was the withered corpse of the woman.
She starved to death because she had saved all the food for her children.
She may have died of illness, as she was already very ill.
Gu Yu reached out and touched the child's greasy head. "Anan, come with me. Your mother has entrusted you to me."
She glanced at the woman's frozen body and closed eyes. "I will send someone to give her a proper burial..."
Anan stared blankly at her mother. She had just woken up today and found that her mother was gone. She couldn't understand why her mother would die when she could eat porridge every day.
Only when a clean, warm hand touched her head did she slowly turn her head. "Sister... Sister, I recognize you. You secretly gave my mother those cakes. Sister, you are a good person."
Gu Yu sighed, "I'm not a good person. Your mother helped me, so I'm taking you with me. I won't let you go hungry, don't worry."
A-Nan didn't understand what it meant for her mother to help her sister, but she understood that this kind-hearted sister was taking her away and giving her a chance to live.
“Okay... Sister, I’ll go with you.” A’nan stood up, rubbed her numb legs, and followed Gu Yu back to the carriage.
"Anan, how old are you this year?"
“I…” she counted on her fingers, “almost fourteen years old.”
Gu Yu originally thought she was only ten years old, but she didn't expect that because of the famine, she looked like a ten-year-old child.
“I don’t need any maids by my side, Anan. I’ll give you two choices. One is that I’ll arrange a job for you in the manor, and you can do some odd jobs.”
Secondly, I will send you to my brother's military camp. You will dress as a man and train with them. When they are about to leave, you do not need to go with them; you can stay by my side.
I won't force you; you can choose either one.
Gu Yu doesn't need maids, but she does need guards, and female guards would make things easier for her.
So instead of simply providing food as she had promised her daughter's mother, she harbored her own selfish motives and hoped that her daughter would choose the second path.
She needs help, but her helpers must not be so weak as to be unable to protect themselves.
Anan likes this older sister because she gave her and her mother hope when they were about to starve to death, and she wants to stay by her side.
Although the second option was difficult, she looked at the burly soldiers and wondered if it would be better if she had the power to protect herself and those she wanted to protect.
“Sister…” Anan tugged at her hem, but found that her dirty hands had left marks on her dress, and awkwardly withdrew her hand.
"Hmm?" Gu Yu looked at her gently and handed her the food she had prepared that morning. "Has Anan made up her mind?"
She wolfed down all the pastries, then took the water pouch handed to her by Gu Yu, which was surprisingly filled with hot water.
"I've made up my mind..." She took a sip of hot water, feeling warm inside. "I want to join the army to learn skills."
Gu Yu got the answer she wanted and nodded slightly, "Okay, I will ask my brother to take care of you. Now come back to the manor with me to recuperate. Your body is so weak that you would collapse at the slightest touch."
"Wait a few days..." Gu Yu reached out and closed the gaps in the carriage tightly to prevent the north wind from blowing snowflakes into the carriage.
After the snow clears after the New Year, war must begin. Gu Jin will be leaving soon, otherwise the Northern Di warhorses will be well-fed and strong by spring, and Da Sheng will surely be defeated.
Back at the manor, Gu Yu had no intention of hiding the truth from Chun Yue and Qiu Ju. If A Nan were to guard her, she would inevitably give herself away.
After Chunyue and Qiuju finished bathing her, she personally washed A'nan's hair.
For some reason, when she saw Anan's thin and small figure, she thought of her deceased younger brother, who was also this small and liked to call her "sister".
"Anan, from now on your name will be Tang Nan."
Anan originally had no surname, or even a given name. Her mother liked to call her Anan because she was the youngest child in the family, and her other brothers and sisters had all starved to death.
"Sister, I like this name, but I can't read. I want to know how to write these two characters?"
"I will teach you, Anan, we still have time." Gu Yu held the jade comb in her hand and carefully straightened her tangled hair, bit by bit.
*
Refugees poured into the outer city, and the county magistrate, who had lived with them for five days, also fled with them.
As Zhu Huxi ran, he said, “Brother Wenshui, don’t be afraid. Don’t we still have those big shots protecting us? We’ve even written a letter back home and set up soup kitchens for disaster relief. At most, we’ll be charged with failing to provide adequate disaster relief, but we shouldn’t be in danger of being killed.”
Zhang Wenshui asked, somewhat puzzled, "Lord Zhu, who are you referring to as 'Lord'?"
"Lord Shen, and Lord Guan too? I've been paying my tribute money on time all these years, they'll definitely protect us."
Zhang Wenshui sighed, "Lord Zhu, you may not know this, but the charcoal tribute in winter and the ice tribute in summer are just routines. The officials above us probably don't even remember our names."
Zhu Huxi was still not afraid when he heard this. His official position was different from theirs; it was bought. Even if Lord Shen did not recognize him, Lord Guan would definitely recognize him.
According to the laws of Dasheng, selling official positions is a capital offense, so Guan Yiyun would definitely protect him, since he bought his official position from him.
He has kept a record of all the extra money he has given to Guan Yiyun over the past three years as a form of filial piety.
Guan Yiyun dared not ignore him.
Upon arriving at the Ministry of Personnel, the five county magistrates handed over their belongings before heading to the post station where local officials would stay. However, apart from Zhu Huxi, the other four county magistrates were filled with worry.
Zhu Huxi put down his things, took the silver notes he had brought to buy antiques and calligraphy, and then took the gifts to visit the Guan family.
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