Seeing this, Li Mantian could only sigh helplessly and change the subject: "The food we brought from home is almost used up. I thought we should keep some in case of emergency. When we're not busy today, we can check the price of food."
When it came to this, Li Wenyi spoke eloquently, after all, no one cared more about the price of grain than him. The stability of a county depended on whether the grain price was stable: "The grain price is still stable now. Apart from our village, the other villages around the county are also having good harvests. However, since the time when bandits appeared in our village, other villages have also experienced grain being robbed, so the grain price is gradually rising."
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Li Mantian sighed. “Every time the emperor distributes grain, it’s exploited at every level. Almost none of the grain actually reaches the people. Now, disasters are raging everywhere, both natural and man-made. I just didn’t expect things to have gotten this bad. You really can’t tell from the people in the county town normally.”
Speaking of this, Li Wenyi had a headache: "I asked the garrison to do this some time ago, and they have started patrolling around the villages near the county town. The people feel safe, and no one has died. They only lost some grain. When everyone thinks this way, the county seems to be relatively calm. I have already submitted these reports, but I haven't heard a word about them."
Li Mantian fell silent and looked at Li Shi: "Why don't we close the shop first? We have enough grain at home for a year, and the money we earn is enough for emergencies. If we don't buy a house, we'll have enough to live on."
Madam Li was somewhat reluctant: "Why don't we stay a little longer and see how things go? My son said that there are already troops stationed nearby to patrol. Once His Majesty sees my son's memorial, he will surely make some arrangements."
Li Mantian was temporarily persuaded and said to Li Wenyi, "Since the situation is becoming serious, you should keep Shuang'er with you during this time. The yamen is much safer than the streets."
Often, Ye Shuang had the least say in decisions concerning safety, but she really wanted to refuse. The government office was so boring! She couldn't do anything all day but sit and watch Li Wenyi and Ma Rencai carry out their duties. Even if something interesting happened in the county government office, it would be fine, but most of the time, every day was just the same boring and uneventful routine.
After all, Li Wenyi could only handle matters within the county. If it involved bandits, it should be left to the garrison. Even asking about it would be suspected of interfering in military affairs.
“Alright, I happen to have less to do lately, so I can take Shuang’er to start her studies while I’m at it.” Li Wenyi agreed quickly.
After breakfast, Li Shi and Li Mantian went to open the shop, while Li Wenyi took Ye Shuang to the yamen.
Just as Li Wenyi entered the yamen, he saw Yuwen Leng hurrying out. He asked curiously, "Why are you in such a hurry? Did something happen?"
Yuwen Leng was still stunned when he saw Ye Shuang, but when he heard what Li Wenyi said, he quickly reported, "The officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard have found a major clue and want us to go there now to cooperate with the investigation. Master Ma said that I should take my men over first, and he will go there once he has gathered the necessary supplies."
Li Wenyi frowned. Ma Rencai sometimes assisted with autopsies when the coroners were too busy, but that was only a rare occurrence. These adults must have discovered something that required Ma Rencai's help?
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