Chapter 53 Transporting Rice a Thousand Miles, A Beauty and a Slice of Goose
At dawn the following day, a light drizzle began to fall in Green Field County.
Manager Duan stood on the damp stone path, holding an umbrella. He looked up at the plaque of Qingfeng Tower and thought that even if Zhang Ting's method didn't work, it wouldn't be any worse. He didn't have much hope for this trip and just considered it a lucky guess.
She closed the gate of Qingfeng Tower, urged her attendants to hurry up and follow, and then stepped into the mule cart heading to Taizhou Prefecture.
Four days later, they finally arrived at the capital city of Taizhou. Manager Duan, travel-worn, led his entourage off the carriage.
She first went to the inn to settle her luggage, and without even washing up, she followed Zhang Ting's instructions to the largest rice shop in the area, Dong's Rice Shop.
She went straight to the counter as soon as she entered, her wet hair hanging down her face. She took a breath and asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have three thousand shi of rice in your shop?"
The shopkeeper had initially thought a disheveled woman had come to cause trouble when he saw her rush in, and was about to order her to be thrown out, when he heard her words and was immediately taken aback.
"Sir, how much would you like?"
Manager Duan, supporting his back and calming his breathing, straightened up, remembering Zhang Ting's words, and exaggerated the amount: "If your shop had ten thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), I would also want it. Where would I pay the deposit?"
When the shopkeeper saw that she was serious and not just fooling around or making a slip of the tongue, he immediately corrected his attitude, led her to sit down, and told her to rest for a while, as the amount was too large and he needed to consult the owner first.
She asked the waiter to serve her tea and inquired where Manager Duan came from and why he was buying so much rice.
Manager Duan did not answer her question, but told her to go as soon as possible, leave a three-hundred-tael silver note as a deposit, and said that he would pick up the goods the next morning.
Not to mention the tight schedule, it was impossible to raise 10,000 shi of rice in such a short time. Just the man's anxious attitude alone made the shopkeeper find him very strange.
She grabbed Manager Duan's arm and asked, "Hey, sir, you have to tell me why you're buying so much grain?"
Manager Duan wanted to go to another rice shop, so he pulled her hand away and said irritably, "Of course we're going to eat. Do you have to worry about all this when you're running a business?"
The shopkeeper, unable to get the reason out, held the silver note as if it were a hot potato and hurriedly went back to report to his master.
Master Dong held the silver note and examined it for a long time. It was indeed a genuine silver note. He got up and paced back and forth, thinking it over and over, but something still didn't seem right. He frowned and muttered to himself, "This year isn't a year of disaster, so why hoard so much grain?"
He then asked the shopkeeper, "Did that person say where he came from?"
The shopkeeper, still feeling annoyed by the man's attitude, truthfully replied, "No matter how I asked, that man remained silent."
The more Dong Dong thought about it, the stranger it seemed. He told his shopkeeper to first inquire about the woman's background from the guards at the city gate, and then send someone to follow her and see where she had been that day.
"yes."
Before long, the innkeeper returned with the news: "Reporting to the master, the guards at the city gate said that this person came from Lvtian County in Tongzhou Prefecture. I also asked the merchants along the way, and this person got off the carriage, went back to the inn to put down his luggage, and then came straight to us."
Heading straight for Dong's Rice Shop? This person's purpose is quite clear, and they probably have ill intentions. Dong, the owner, is extremely uneasy; could she have been set up?
In the evening, the clerk who had been following Manager Duan returned, wiping away a bead of sweat as he came in to report: "Reporting to the master, that man went to all the major rice shops today and paid deposits to all of them, insisting on ordering all the rice in the shop."
This is even stranger. Ten thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) isn't even enough? They actually want to use up all the rice stocks in the prefectural city? Master Dong felt there must be a conspiracy involved, so he sent several attendants to Lvtian County to investigate overnight.
It was strange that the local area had stockpiled such a large amount of grain. Dong Dong was so worried that he didn't eat a single bite of food for dinner. He tossed and turned all night, feeling uneasy, and even suspected that he had been caught up in a rebellion.
While she waited sleeplessly for news, the other rice shops, seeing the capital so anxious and fearful, were even more terrified and unable to sleep all night.
When the attendant returned to report in the middle of the night, Master Dong hurriedly sat up from the bed, quickly put on a coat, and then summoned her in to give a reply.
She walked quickly forward, not even noticing her outer robe slipping to the ground. Upon seeing the maid, she hurriedly asked, "Why did you come back so quickly? What happened? What did you see? Did you find out? What's the situation in Lütian County?"
This series of questions almost stunned the maid, but she quickly recovered and bowed to her master.
Mr. Dong was so anxious he was practically fuming. He quickly helped her up, saying, "Oh dear! What time is it and you're still doing this? Tell me, tell me!"
The maid nodded repeatedly and replied, "Yes, yes, yes."
"Reporting to the master, a few of us encountered a group of dozens of people in a dilapidated temple outside the city. At first, we thought they were bandits, but seeing that they were dressed in rags and had male relatives and children with them, we learned after talking to them that they came from Lvtian County."
"I also learned from them that things are not good in Lütian County now. Rice prices are soaring and people are struggling to make ends meet, so they moved their whole family to Taizhou Prefecture."
Dong Dongjia found it incomprehensible. Why had the price of rice suddenly soared? If the price of rice was high in one county, he could simply go to the prefectural capital. Why would he travel thousands of miles to Taizhou Prefecture?
The maid said she had brought a woman back, and Master Dong told her to bring the woman in quickly so they could talk.
Master Dong paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, lowered his head and pursed his lips. After a while, a maid led in a woman in tattered clothes.
Seeing that Dong Dong's courtyard was exquisite and that she herself was plump and beautiful, the man thought she was some important person and even knelt down to kowtow to her.
Dong Dongjia intervened, as there was no time for such formalities at this critical juncture. After repeated probing, he was certain that she was indeed from Lvtian County, and finally voiced his doubts.
When the women heard the nobleman asking about their plight, they assumed that Master Dong was going to stand up for them, the poor and needy.
With her thin, bony hands wiping away tears, she said excitedly, “Reporting to Your Excellency, I have fled from Lvtian County. The corrupt rice traitors are feeding on the blood of us poor people, selling a shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice for two and a half taels of silver! My family has been without fire for two days and can no longer survive, so we thought of moving to Taizhou Prefecture to find a way to make a living.”
"My husband is from a neighboring county. Their rice has also been taken away by rice traitors, so the situation is a bit better, but the price of rice is still rising!"
"Please, Your Excellency, do justice for us common people!" The woman knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly to Dong Dongjia.
Dong Dongjia finally breathed a sigh of relief, but was immediately struck by the shock of selling a shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice for two and a half taels of silver. Stunned, she sat down, leaning on the chair. She couldn't hear the woman's mournful cries; her thoughts drifted far away. Selling rice in Lütian County was so profitable! If it were her family's rice, then...
The next day, Manager Duan went to Dong's Rice Shop early in the morning, only to have her deposit returned by the previous manager. The manager apologized with a smile, explaining that there had been an accident in the granary and they couldn't produce 10,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain, but they could provide a few dozen shi if she wanted them. Manager Duan was so angry that she stormed off.
When she went to other rice shops, she was also denied her deposit in the same way, with all sorts of excuses.
Manager Duan thought Zhang Ting's plan had failed, and dejectedly thought that his ancestral property, Qingfeng Tower, might go bankrupt in another month or two. Disheartened, he led his entourage back.
As the mule cart drove out of the city gate, she leaned against the side of the cart to rest, her heart heavy.
After a bumpy and swaying journey of countless days, just as the mule cart arrived at Lvtian County, Manager Duan was suddenly awakened by a commotion. She lifted the curtain and saw countless farmhands pulling grain carts in a long, continuous line under the dim setting sun, entering the city gate one after another.
Shopkeeper Duan couldn't help but burst into tears. The people of Lvtian County and her ancestral property were saved!
......
"What exactly did you say to Manager Duan that day?" Zong Suyi asked softly. Today, he was wearing a dark purple robe and was intently slicing goose meat with a sapphire-inlaid dagger.
The dagger was a gift from Zhang Ting a couple of days ago. She happened to bring back a roast goose today, so he decided to come and get it.
Zhang Ting stared at his fair and jade-like profile. She saw his long, thick eyelashes fluttering gently, a layer of fine sweat on his straight nose, and his thin, rosy lips slightly upturned. He looked beautiful and vibrant.
Zong Suyi sliced the goose meat, arranged it neatly on a plate, pushed it in front of Zhang Ting, and looked at her expectantly, his clear eyes revealing endless tenderness.
"Try it quickly."
Zhang Ting looked away and smiled. She was the one who brought it back for Zong Suyi to try, but he was the one who cared more about whether she enjoyed using it.
She picked up a piece of goose meat and tasted it. The skin was crispy, the meat was tender, and the flavor was rich. It was quite good.
He then used serving chopsticks to put a piece into Zong Suyi's bowl, urging him to try it as well. In response to his question, he said, "I only told Manager Duan to order a large quantity of rice from Taizhou Prefecture, the more the better."
Zong Suyi picked up a piece of goose meat and put it in his mouth, smiling with his eyes slightly narrowed. The taste was indeed excellent!
He seemed to understand Zhang Ting's words, but not quite, and asked her, "Does it mean having Manager Duan transport the rice to the county and open a shop to sell it yourself?"
Zhang Ting waved his hand and said indifferently, "Why go to such trouble? The rice shop manager will definitely be suspicious when he discovers that Manager Duan has stockpiled a large amount of grain. A little investigation will reveal the price of rice in Lvtian County. Merchants are profit-driven and will surely flock here."
Zong Suyi's eyes sparkled as he stared intently at her, refusing to eat. He propped his cheek up with one hand and asked, "Then why not just tell them that rice prices in Lvtian County are high and invite them over?"
Zhang Ting smiled and pointed at him, "People always believe what they see first. Besides, if you go out and shout like that, you might get taken away before you even finish your trip in Taizhou Prefecture." Who knows if Boss Mi or Magistrate Song have any connections in Taizhou Prefecture?
Zong Suyi smiled, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart.
He suddenly felt a surge of hatred for Boss Mi, snorted coldly, and slammed his fist on the table. "The huge expenses at home these days are all the fault of that old scoundrel Mi! Simply restoring prices to their original levels is far too lenient on that dog!"
Seeing his sullen expression, Zhang Ting couldn't help but smile. She took Zong Suyi's hand and gently comforted him, "Xiaoyi, don't be angry. After this incident, all the people who have suffered will not let her off the hook."
In fact, Zhang Ting had previously considered simply devaluing money. Not only would it be futile for Boss Mi to raise prices, but her past business profits would also vanish with soaring prices. However, this would be detrimental to both herself and others, so she didn't mention it.
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