Chapter 50: The wedding date is set, and the price of rice in the county...
The room was dimly lit, with two candles flickering on the table, casting the shadows of a standing and a sitting figure on the wall. The sitting figure slowly raised his head, took the hand of the shadow next to him, and led him to sit down.
"Come, sit down."
Zhang Ting's gaze fell on Zong Suyi's clenched hand, and for a moment she suddenly realized why he had been acting strangely lately. Her gaze moved upward and landed on his lowered eyelashes, straight nose, well-defined jawline, and the brown beauty mark under his eye.
It is said that a beautiful woman is even more beautiful under the lamplight, and this is indeed true.
Her brows softened, and a gentle look appeared in her eyes as she softly said, "Today, I consulted with the county magistrate about releasing you from your registered residence."
Zong Suyi was overjoyed and looked up at her gentle eyes. Then, thinking of her own background, she lowered her head in disappointment and whispered, "My identity as a servant... will bring trouble to you, Miss."
Zhang Ting grasped his delicate, jade-like hand, blinked her eyelashes, and said resolutely, "I want to take you as my servant."
Marriage was forbidden between people of different social classes; they had to be released from their registered residence before marriage could take place. However, bound by etiquette and law, Zhang Ting could at most take him as a concubine.
She looked at Zong Suyi and said firmly, "I can't let you stay by my side indefinitely without knowing why."
Zong Suyi's eyes instantly welled up with tears. He sniffed hard, then suddenly threw himself into Zhang Ting's arms, clutching her clothes tightly, his lips trembling, "I, I..."
He raised his hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes, his eyes reddening as he stared straight at Zhang Ting. "Even if I follow you without knowing why, I'm willing."
Zhang Ting smiled faintly, staring into his moist eyes, and patted his trembling shoulder. Could it be that even after the decline of the Zong family, he is still a favored and high-ranking duke?
Since she had made up her mind, why wouldn't she even give him a formal title?
"We will get married in June when the country house is completed."
"You are all alone and helpless, and I am all alone too. Let's be family from now on."
Zong Suyi leaned on her shoulder and sobbed softly. Hearing this, she nodded emphatically.
He stared silently at the white corner peeking out from the cuff, then hugged Zhang Ting even tighter. His eyes welled up slightly, and he closed them to take a deep breath, but a tear still escaped his eye.
Even if he becomes the concubine and the man named Xiao Lü becomes the wife, he will still have to humbly kneel before the wife and live at the mercy of others. As long as he can be with Zhang Ting, he is willing to do so.
The next morning, after breakfast, Zhang Ting was about to go to the study to study when Zong Suyi grabbed her sleeve and insisted that she help him choose the fabric for his clothes.
It was only a short while, and there was no rush to finish reading, so Zhang Ting went with him.
The two were huddled together discussing tricks when Zhang Ting teased him a couple of times, only to be pinched in a fit of anger.
Just then, Du Zhaolang came to find Zong Suyi and immediately lowered his head upon seeing this scene.
Zong Suyi awkwardly withdrew her hand, cleared her throat, and asked him what he wanted to see her about.
Du Zaolang honestly replied, "Young master, I bought the vegetables, rice, and oil today, so there's no money left in the kitchen."
Zong Suyi was suspicious. Yesterday, based on his expenses in Kyoto, he allocated half a month's worth of kitchen supplies to him. Prices in Lütian County should be cheaper than in Kyoto. Even if he had purchased seven days' worth of ingredients in advance, they shouldn't be gone by now.
Zong Suyi called Du Zaolang to bring over the accounts.
Zhang Ting also came over to take a look and was very surprised to see the price of rice on the account. Before she left the capital, she sold rice for five qian of silver per shi of rice. Now, five months later, the price had risen to one tael of silver, more than four times the original price.
Zhang Ting asked Du Zaolang, "Did you buy it from the rice shop on the front street?"
"Reporting to Miss, it is indeed there. I inquired with others and found that it is the only one in the county."
Zhang Ting frowned in thought. Why had the price of rice risen so sharply when the land was neither dry nor flooded?
Zong Suyi raised her hand to cover her lips, finding it unbelievable, "Even in the capital, it only costs one string of silver for one shi of rice."
Zhang Ting held his hand, then turned to Du Zaolang and asked, "Is it the same price at other stores?"
"It's the same price everywhere, and I see there's a lot of complaining in the county." After saying this, Du Zaolang couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Doesn't the county magistrate do anything about it..."
Since that's the case, and it wasn't that the other party was deliberately targeting him, Zhang Ting had nothing more to say and gave him another half month's worth of kitchen supplies.
Having received the money, Du Zaolang withdrew with peace of mind.
Zong Suyi frowned slightly, a worried look on his face. "After buying the estate and shops, there's hardly any money left in the house. What should we do?"
Zhang Ting took his hand to reassure him, "The remaining money should be enough to last a month. After half a month, when the profits from Keyinglou are distributed, the family will have plenty of money."
Upon hearing this, Zong Suyi relaxed her furrowed brows, her mind calmed, her worries dissipated, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. She comfortably hugged Zhang Ting's arm, rested her head on her shoulder, and continued discussing the styles of new summer clothes with her. The topics were endless...
Half an hour later, Zhang Ting finally managed to free his stiff arm from the clingy man's grasp and found a chance to escape. Just as he was about to return to his study to study, Zheng Er called him back.
"Boss, something terrible has happened! Both shops I liked yesterday are going to raise their prices," Zheng Er said angrily.
This morning, Zheng Er was sent by Zhang Ting to negotiate the two estates and shops. Now he has returned and only managed to negotiate two of them. The other wealthy men were too untrustworthy and actually went back on their word!
Could it be that she's having bad luck with money today? Zhang Ting clicked his tongue and told her to go to the study to talk.
"They all say that daily expenses are too high and that we need to increase the amount of money to cover expenses?" Zhang Ting asked after hearing Zheng Er's reply.
Zheng Er said angrily, "That's right! The price was the same as before, but they suddenly raised it after we decided to buy. It's not like we made them spend more money. These people have no credibility!"
Zhang Ting sighed softly, thinking that this was probably a chain reaction caused by the rise in rice prices.
She asked the two men if they had mentioned how much the price had increased.
"The one in the north of the city is going to raise the price by two hundred taels, and the one in the east of the city is going to raise it by one hundred and fifty taels."
Having made up his mind, Zhang Ting told her, "Go and negotiate with the family in the north of the city. Times are tough, but our money didn't come for nothing. If they can give us an extra fifty taels, that's already generous. If we really can't reach an agreement, then forget it. As for the family in the east of the city, we'll only give them an extra thirty taels."
"Yes." Zheng Er received his new task and hurriedly left.
Zhang Ting leaned back in his chair, thinking about how a shop was monopolizing grain and driving up prices. If the government didn't intervene now, the situation would likely become uncontrollable.
......
In the south of the city, in a dilapidated courtyard.
The courtyard gate creaked open, and a young man wearing a dark blue headscarf immediately stepped forward upon hearing the sound.
His face was sallow and his cheeks were thin. He looked at the visitor expectantly and asked, "My lady, have you managed to buy any food?"
The woman, dressed in patched clothes, sighed deeply and said, "The entire county's grain is in the hands of that rice traitor. Today, the price of rice has gone up again. I went to the countryside, and the grain there has also been taken away."
"I met many people on the road who were all scrambling to buy, but I only managed to buy ten jin of sweet potatoes from a fellow villager." As she spoke, she put the cloth bag on the table.
"We can manage this month, but next month... I don't know what to do."
The child under the table clung to his father's clothes, his legs weak and trembling, crying, "Daddy, I'm so hungry... Waaah..."
Hearing this voice, the young man felt as if his heart had been gripped tightly, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Alright, alright, don't cry, little girl. Daddy will cook you some sweet potatoes right away."
There was no grain left here, but early in the morning, two large carts of rice and grain were brought in from the county government residence.
Boss Mi was sitting in Magistrate Song's study, taking a sip of tea and waiting for her with a blank expression.
As soon as the sound came from the doorway, a smile immediately appeared on her face, a change so swift it was astonishing.
She greeted him with a smile, "Oh! My dear in-law, you've finally arrived!"
Magistrate Song glanced at Boss Mi. She was just a legitimate daughter who had taken her son as a servant, like keeping a cat or dog. How dare this lowly merchant call himself a legitimate relative of hers?
Mr. Mi understood the contempt and disdain in her eyes. He clenched his fist in his sleeve, but his smile remained unchanged. He chuckled twice and bowed his back to flatter her.
Magistrate Song had little affection for merchants. He waved his hand, then, recalling a conflict he had witnessed during his inspection of the county, frowned and asked, "When did you lower the price of rice? I saw some people causing trouble today."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Mr. Mi pulled out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve, each note worth a hundred taels.
Magistrate Song was stunned by the enormous amount of silver notes, his mouth agape, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"This is half of the profits from the past two months. I heard that the county government is planning to renovate it, so I am offering this renovation fund as a token of my appreciation," said Boss Mi with a smile, handing the money to Magistrate Song.
Magistrate Song licked his lips, swallowed hard, took the money, and counted it – a full seven thousand four hundred taels.
Good heavens! She's never seen so much money in her entire life!
Not to mention building one county government office, it would be enough to build ten!
She was stunned by the sight and could only say, "You, you're so thoughtful." Coming to her senses, she looked around and put the silver notes into her pocket.
Turning to look at Boss Mi, he took a deep breath and said, "Don't go too far. Take it easy on me!"
Boss Mi nodded repeatedly, grinning to reveal a set of white teeth: "I understand. In two months at most, I will lower the price, and you will not be affected by it!"
Magistrate Song was standing quite close to her when he was suddenly hit by the smell of garlic. His face scrunched up, and he took a few steps back, spitting out a mouthful of saliva in disgust. He waved his hand to dispel the smell, saying, "I told you to come see me, don't eat garlic! Don't eat garlic!"
Boss Mi's smile froze, his face twitched slightly, and he said, "Yes, yes, I will definitely be more careful next time! I will never bother you, sir."
Magistrate Song frowned again. "And what did you just say, that I won't be affected by this?" She pointed at Boss Mi and warned her, "This matter has nothing to do with me."
Mr. Mi glanced at the unusually prominent area on her chest, then lowered his head, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes, while he kept agreeing with her.
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Song was finally satisfied, but then he remembered something and asked, "Have you paid your respects to Lord Niu yet?"
"Please rest assured, sir. I have brought two carts of the finest rice today. One cart is for you, and the other is for Lord Niu."
Magistrate Song nodded and sighed, "That's how it should be. If I were to enjoy it all by myself while neglecting my colleagues, it would truly make me seem too stingy." With that, he waved his hand, dismissing Boss Mi.
Mr. Mi bowed respectfully to her and slowly withdrew, his heart filled with gloom. "Using my grain to do favors, you are too generous!"
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