Most of the grain He Zifeng harvested cost two or three coins. After being stored for a while, the grain would lose some moisture and become lighter. In addition, when collecting the grain, he had to pay the laborer, cart and horse fees, etc. Selling it for five coins only covered the cost of goods sold.
He still had 5,000 jin of grain left. His initial plan was simple: to distribute porridge. But this winter was too cold, and those who couldn't get enough to eat could generally manage to fill their stomachs by clinging to the government-run tofu workshop.
Fewer people are coming to their place to eat porridge.
The county magistrate was a good official who could get things done. When he was collecting grain, he was amazed by the mountain of grain stored in the granaries. However, since the beginning of winter, the grain supply had been decreasing rapidly, and the county magistrate was frequently worried about the grain situation.
The disaster was severe everywhere, and grain prices skyrocketed. Even with maximum restraint, prices had reached an alarming level. He Zifeng's remaining 5,000 jin of grain would be handed over to the county government, saving many more lives!
The opportunity to distribute porridge arose from the discovery of gold in the cellar of the mansion. Having received this unexpected wealth, they wanted to do something charitable.
A rough calculation now suggests that it could save no fewer than a thousand lives.
He Zifeng donated the five thousand catties of grain to the county magistrate free of charge.
The county magistrate is really worried about the grain situation!
He Zifeng's arrival immediately relieved the county magistrate's urgent need and made up for the villagers' lack of borrowed grain.
Even with money, you might not be able to buy food these days!
The county magistrate was still very grateful for this favor and said, "Thanks to you."
The county magistrate had already started thinking that if his three-year term ended and he was transferred elsewhere, he could take He Zifeng with him. He didn't have a reliable person by his side at the moment, and had been observing the county for half a year. He Zifeng was the most outstanding person in the county.
However, he hasn't told He Zifeng about this yet. There's plenty of time. He'll sound him out when he's about to leave.
The county magistrate was in a good mood after receiving the grain donated by He Zifeng, and wrote a poem while the snow was falling heavily outside.
Despite the heavy snowfall, the people of the county lived in peace and contentment, and the disaster victims were properly resettled. The brick kiln will soon begin operations. With a large output over there, and so many people needing to cultivate land and build houses, they will certainly need a lot of bricks and tiles!
They were told to produce as much as possible as soon as the kiln was opened; anything less wouldn't be enough. Without realizing it, he wrote down quite a few plans and arrangements. Then he called He Zifeng and Constable Zhu up to discuss them.
He Zifeng was fine; he was a hard worker and didn't mind. But Zhu, the head constable, was used to a leisurely life and couldn't handle working all day. He thought he could finally take a break, but the county magistrate had arranged something else, and he was afraid he would only have a few days off on New Year's Eve.
The county magistrate is well past thirty and not young anymore. How come he always has inexhaustible energy?
But he wouldn't dare say that.
The county magistrate talked with them until late at night, and had no choice but to make do with sleeping in the county for a while.
The next morning, people from various villages came to collect grain from He Zifeng. They rushed back to raise money, as there was an urgent shortage of grain, and they were afraid the deal would fall through. Fortunately, He Zifeng was already prepared. They simply soaked and weighed the grain, paid the silver when they found three thousand catties, and then hired a cart to haul it away.
The heavy snow and drop in temperature over the past few days have meant there are hardly any people on the roads. They left the county via a side road and returned to their village without attracting much attention!
The villagers transported the grain away. He Zifeng then ordered the镖局 (security escort agency) to transport the remaining grain to the granary. He Zifeng had a note from the county magistrate, and the grain was subsequently sealed and stored in the granary.
Except for some reserve grain for his shops, all of He Zifeng's grain had been transported away. With the cellar empty, he felt much more at ease.
Then I went to the yard to check the winter storage vegetables prepared for winter, such as sauerkraut, pickled vegetables, cabbage, and radishes.
His shop's hot pot meat sold well every day. At first, everyone only ate from the big and small pots. They ate meat bite by bite, but later they got a little tired of it, so they started adding vegetables, which were also delicious stewed. In particular, the pickled cabbage absorbed all the oil from the meat, making it fragrant and refreshing.
Luckily, I stocked up a lot before winter, otherwise it wouldn't be enough to sell.
He Zifeng glanced at the sauerkraut jar and saw that it was still about half full. The radishes and cabbages he'd stockpiled were also almost half gone. Thanks to them for stockpiling, they'd saved a lot of money! He Zifeng planned to give Master Zhang a large red envelope during the New Year; since he'd joined the shop, he hadn't had to worry about anything.
Not only for dine-in, but what they sell the most is the stir-fried ingredients prepared by Master Zhang, which are packed into food boxes and bought by servants of wealthy families.
Wealthy families all had custom-made copper pots, where they would either gather around the pot as a family or invite a few friends to enjoy the snow while eating meat. It was much more comfortable than eating in a noisy environment on the second floor. Moreover, they used silver charcoal to keep the pot warm, making the meat even more tender. The colder the weather, the more popular it became.
I've heard that wealthy people sometimes buy ten portions at once. Since it's cold in winter, anything left outside will freeze solid in no time and won't spoil. You can use it whenever you want; once thawed, it's just like new.
There are always some diners who eat at different times than others. By the time they suddenly feel like having this food, it's already late at night. All the shops are closed, but if they buy it in advance and freeze it, they can still have a meal even if it wakes them up in the middle of the night.
These days, besides their beef and mutton hot pot, their pickled cabbage is the most popular item for food delivery. The taste is different from what you can find elsewhere; it's crisp, refreshing, sour, and fragrant, and it's perfect for adding to this hot pot. If you also drizzle it with their honey-glazed chili sauce, you can easily eat three big bowls of rice soaked in it.
He Zifeng started out making chili sauce. Their pot sold so well that even with ten people, they couldn't keep up with the demand. They really didn't want to add another chili sauce, but old customers who had eaten their food before came back wanting to try it.
Especially in winter, food loses its flavor. But a spoonful of chili sauce makes everything taste better.
He Zifeng handed the recipe directly to Chef Zhang, who, as expected of a master chef, made it even tastier than before. Now they make two hundred bottles a day, and every morning people come up to the second floor to buy chili sauce, buying ten bottles at a time, afraid that if they don't buy enough, it won't be enough for their families.
Seeing that it was unusually cold today, He Zifeng went upstairs and asked them to make ten beef hot pots. He put them in a food box to take with him.
After returning, we gave one copy to the county magistrate, one to Constable Zhu, and two copies to the prison. The remaining six copies were divided among the men.
In this cold winter, eating a hot pot makes me feel warm and cozy all over.
Before long, the aroma of the pot filled the entire yamen. He Zifeng was well-liked in the county, and without any instructions, his rest room was heated up nicely.
He Zifeng lay down on it, putting aside his major concern about the grain, and fell asleep in no time.
The next day, He Zifeng was the first to go out on patrol, sending people to relieve the sentries. Those who were on guard duty were the ones who were working the hardest.
Although the sentries changed every two hours, even wearing the thickest cotton trousers for two hours was not enough to keep them warm, and their bodies were completely frozen.
He Zifeng said, "Go back and rest. The cook has made you some ginger soup."
The young constable, his face red from the cold, said, "Thank you, Brother He." They'd had a lot of training these past few days. It had almost completely worn away their former extravagant and decadent ways; now, the constables were respected and loved by the people.
These lowly clerks, who frequently interact with people in the county, now possess a great sense of pride that money can't buy. Even if they're assigned to hardship posts, they won't make excuses like they used to.
With even a magistrate like him getting up early every day to patrol, Head Constable Zhu also became more diligent. No one dared to slack off anymore.
He Zifeng came over for a stroll, and the person taking over the sentry duty just started his shift. He said, "It seems like the deputy constable is leading a group of people on horseback." In winter, most people don't go out, so the sound of horses' hooves becomes clearly audible.
Upon hearing this, He Zifeng quickly climbed onto the city wall and saw that there were quite a few people there.
He Zifeng arrived late. But some of the yamen runners who had been there for a long time recognized him immediately and said, "It's Lord Qiu."
That was the county magistrate's direct superior, and the advisor's guide.
He Zifeng immediately said, "Go back to the county immediately and inform the magistrate and Constable Zhu!"
"Yes." The young yamen runner beside him was also quite clever.
He Zifeng didn't know why they had come, but he didn't dare to be negligent and quickly opened the city gate. About fifteen minutes later, he saw Qiu Daren riding into the city with twenty men carrying swords. He asked, "Where is your county magistrate?" He spoke arrogantly.
He Zifeng's heart skipped a beat; the visitor was up to no good.
He Zifeng said, "The magistrate is at the county office, busy with some matters."
Lord Qiu glanced at He Zifeng and said, "You look unfamiliar."
The person next to him immediately chimed in, "What's your name? Tell me quickly."
"My name is He Zifeng," he said politely.
The man waved his hand impatiently and said, "Never heard of it." Without even dismounting, He Zifeng lingered at the city gate for a short while before the county magistrate and Constable Zhu arrived and said, "Lord Qiu, what brings you here? Many of the yamen runners here are new. It's freezing outside, so it's warmer inside the yamen."
Lord Qiu's expression softened slightly, and he said, "Alright." He then rode his horse toward the county government office.
The county magistrate and Constable Zhu followed in a carriage, and before they left, they also called He Zifeng along.
They didn't disembark from the carriage until they reached the entrance of the yamen. A group of people filed in, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay. As soon as they entered, they asked, "Do you know your crime?"
Lord Qiu then took his seat at the head of the table.
His men immediately came over to seize the county magistrate. With He Zifeng and Constable Zhu by his side, they naturally wouldn't let them succeed.
The county magistrate asked, "Lord Qiu, what... what does this mean?"
Magistrate Qiu glanced at the county magistrate and said, "Since you knew about this year's snow disaster in advance, why did you report it so early? It has caused incalculable losses to several counties!"
The county magistrate immediately protested his innocence, saying, "Your Honor, I just learned about this matter and immediately wrote to you and several of my colleagues, explaining the seriousness of the situation."
When Magistrate Qiu received the letter from the county magistrate, he dismissed it and put it aside. Unexpectedly, it started snowing in mid-October and the snow never stopped. Grain prices spiraled out of control; people froze to death, starved to death, and sold their children—utter chaos ensued. Even he had to buy grain at exorbitant prices.
He immediately wrote a letter to the imperial court pleading for help, requesting that they distribute disaster relief grain. However, the imperial disaster relief ministers were not lenient either. They took some old grain and ate and drank there, spending more than five thousand taels of silver to entertain the disaster relief ministers. It was as if the disaster relief grain was something he had bought with his own money.
The high death toll and the riots by the surrounding herders, coupled with the disaster delays and his impeachment by his rivals, left him exhausted. He was a seasoned official, and knew that all he needed to do was send out a scapegoat to resolve the current predicament.
Everyone else is from their own party. Only the county magistrate is not; he's here today to convict him.
Since Lord Qiu has come looking for trouble, he must strike decisively and not let him escape easily. He asked, "How did you know about the snow disaster?"
When the letter arrived, not only he, but everyone else dismissed it. Winter was still some time away. They just thought the man was being eccentric and didn't take it seriously.
The county magistrate said, "It was the Imperial Observatory that reported it to the Emperor. A friend of mine told me about it."
A hint of surprise flickered in Lord Qiu's eyes; he had forgotten to investigate the county magistrate's background before coming.
I thought that he must have some powerful connections to have come to such a poor and remote place.
But the fact that he had friends in the Imperial Observatory was somewhat unexpected. Although the people there were mostly alchemists and troublemakers in officialdom, sending them there to study celestial books was a good idea.
Those working in the Imperial Observatory could see the Emperor.
Lord Qiu said, "Give me a report on the situation in your county." If he couldn't answer, he would be accused of lax governance.
But since the snow disaster, the county magistrate has been personally involved in everything. He can recount all the county's measures, from building city walls and controlling grain prices to organizing snow-clearing teams, establishing government-run tofu workshops, resettling disaster victims, lending grain to the countryside, and supporting pharmacies.
Lord Qiu was taken aback. He asked incredulously, "How many people did you just say died?"
The county magistrate said, "No one was injured or killed in the snow disaster." Not a single local person died because of the snow disaster. This year, he specifically warned the children's traders not to take advantage of the disaster to buy or sell other people's children.
Several of the refugees from outside the area died, but they were already terminally ill when they arrived and didn't last more than a few hours. The people who came later were also well taken care of.
It can be said that all of this was driven by the county magistrate, who controlled the merchants from above and spent large sums of money on the common people from below. These young masters and yamen runners also kept working, and everyone was united as one. Although life was hard, they were all alive.
Even Lord Qiu was shocked to hear this; the number of people affected in the other counties was as high as ten or twenty thousand. If it weren't for such a huge hole, they wouldn't have been held accountable by their superiors!
Lord Qiu hadn't expected the county magistrate to go this far, but he felt more uneasy. His men were too capable, and yet they weren't even his own; didn't this only make him appear more incompetent?
Without further ado, he said, "Take everyone under control and confine them inside the house. No one is allowed to leave."
The county magistrate's face changed upon hearing this. Although he knew they had come with great force, this was the first time he had ever seen them so unreasonable.
The magistrate asked, "Why?"
Lord Qiu said, "The clerk's death was suspicious. After extensive investigation, it was said that you harmed your colleagues and emptied the county treasury for disaster relief. Who knows if you were really doing disaster relief or just taking the money for your own family?" Once embezzlement and bribery are attributed to someone, it is an indelible mark: "I will investigate this personally."
The county magistrate was so angered by his shameless and barbaric way of judging the case that he said, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext."
Seeing that they were about to resist, the twenty men who had come with Lord Qiu were no pushovers either, and they immediately drew their swords.
Lord Qiu specifically brought these men, all of whom were highly skilled in martial arts. Their gleaming swords shone with a cold light, inspiring fear in those who looked at them.
Lord Qiu shouted, "What? You're not even listening to your superiors anymore? Are you planning a rebellion?"
Seeing that each of the other party's accusations was bigger than the last, the county magistrate had no choice but to swallow his anger and follow He Zifeng and Constable Zhu into one room, while the other room was filled with yamen runners.
Zhu, the head constable, also looked rather grim. This time, Lord Qiu was serious. If he wanted to arrest them to find out what wrongs they had done, that would be easy. Even if they didn't have any, they could "make up" some.
He Zifeng asked the county magistrate, "Sir, is everything alright this time?"
The county magistrate said, "I was careless." He just wanted to manage his own small area well. Who knew that the surrounding county offices were almost completely rotten, and instead of solving problems, they just wanted to pass the buck.
He didn't have time to prepare, and even if he tried to make a plan now, it would be too late.
They could only hope that their servants and attendants would notice something was wrong and come to their rescue.
Unfortunately, he was unlucky. Before long, he heard that his servants had come to the county office looking for him, and he ended up walking into their trap. He was caught and thrown in with them.
This completely cut off contact with the outside world.
The magistrate said to them, "So this is where you were waiting for me." Before, whether it was reporting the matter of the clerk or the snow disaster, no one came to investigate. They were probably chosen as scapegoats early on.
With the New Year fast approaching, Lord Qiu can't afford to drag things out until then; the results should be out in the next few days. We need to come up with a solution now. He Zifeng said to Constable Zhu, "Xie Rui can be used."
They can't leave now, but Xie Rui is the eldest son of the Xie family. If he's not in the Xie family, they'll definitely be worried. This gives them a chance to communicate with people outside.
Officer Zhu immediately understood He Zifeng's meaning, but they were being held in two separate rooms. The rooms were adjacent, and He Zifeng always carried a silver dagger, seemingly inconspicuous, hidden in his sleeve—a lifesaver in a critical moment.
Then He Zifeng began to dig a hole in the crack of the wall with a dagger. The dagger was very sharp, and he dug a round hole in no time.
It was only about two fingers wide. But through the small hole, one could already see what another room looked like. There were guards outside, preventing them from leaving. The magistrate then passed a note through the window.
The other party received the note quickly, and then heard Xie Rui say that his stomach hurt and he needed to go out to see a doctor.
Now is the crucial moment for Lord Qiu to "manufacture" his confession. What does a minor constable's stomachache matter? He'd rather die inside than be allowed to leave. Sure enough, a short while later, the guards at the door told him to be quiet.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, the Xie family indeed sent someone to look for them.
Only then did those present realize that Xie Rui, the cowardly yamen runner, was actually the eldest son of the Xie family. The Xie family and the Gong family each held half of the business world in the county. They had really underestimated him before.
The man from the Xie family was quite experienced. He only said that his young master had diarrhea and suggested that a doctor be sent in to take care of him.
The men reported this to Lord Qiu, who snorted and said, "So much trouble." But seeing that the other party had wisely sent over two hundred taels of silver, he said, "Just send the doctor in, and no one is allowed to leave." This was the most important moment for him, and he couldn't let the news leak out.
"Yes," the subordinate replied.
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