Qi Guze is clearly a stumbling block on his path to success.
A sinister smile played on his lips as his gaze swept back and forth below, finally settling on Xu Yuehuai.
He suddenly sneered: "The owner of Tianxiang Tower is actually colluding with these refugees. It's clear they're deliberately trying to turn Chang'an upside down."
His words clearly indicated that he intended for Xu Yuehuai to take the blame.
Although the influx of refugees was slow, their numbers had grown considerably, far exceeding Xu Yuehuai's expectations.
She looked at the meager amount of food she had taken out and couldn't help but purse her lips.
“Mother, the rice porridge is almost gone, and so many people haven’t had any yet. What should we do?” Zhou Wan looked troubled.
Although she knew that once this act of kindness began, it couldn't be stopped abruptly, she feared that if they really moved all their food out, their situation would only become more difficult in the future.
Xu Yuehuai gritted her teeth as she watched the endless stream of refugees arrive: "Continue to move the grain."
“But…” Zhou Wan hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.
“If we don’t let them eat their fill of porridge now, then they’ll be eating us next.” Xu Yuehuai knew these people’s thoughts all too well.
If I stop distributing porridge now, all my previous efforts will be wasted, and I might even attract a lot of hatred.
Zhou Wan wanted to say something more, but when she saw the firm look in her eyes, she immediately nodded: "Don't worry, Mother, leave it to me."
Xu Yuehuai's actions did not stop, and she won unanimous praise from the people and refugees. However, her behavior aroused the dissatisfaction of other rice shop owners.
They protested, but due to Qi Guze's status and power, they dared not rush forward to cause trouble, and could only vent their frustrations in private.
"There are only so many people in Chang'an. Even if we raise the price of grain, we can only sell that much rice. It's not easy for so many refugees to come. It looks like our chance to make money is finally here. But she's doing this good deed."
"There has been a lot of rain in recent years, and the rice has been piling up in the warehouse. It might get moldy any day now. If we don't sell it now, are we going to throw it away later?"
"I've never seen anyone do business like this in the world."
They talked amongst themselves, but none of them dared to go up to Xu Yuehuai and say anything.
Just when they could only watch those people gossip behind their backs, someone suddenly approached them.
“What’s the use of you talking here? You’re just like those gossipy women, only daring to talk behind people’s backs. What kind of heroes are you?” That man was the prime minister’s subordinate.
Manager Liu sized the man up and down, realizing he had never seen him before. Suddenly emboldened, he snorted and said, "What kind of hero are you? Since you're so capable, why don't you go over and talk to me?"
“Of course I have to say it—Xu Yuehuai is just a woman, where would she get so much money to buy grain? Not to mention she had already sold a batch before, but now she suddenly changed it to giving it away for free. Do you really think she’s that kind-hearted?” the man said.
His words immediately brought the anger of these shopkeepers to its peak.
Manager Liu slammed his hand on the table and said angrily, "That's right, where did she get so much silver to buy grain? Even if she had silver, where did she get so much grain to sell to her? There's clearly something fishy going on here."
"Manager Liu is right. We saw several refugees enter her Tianxiang Restaurant with our own eyes, and then she took out the grain. I'm afraid this was a show she and the refugees had planned, just to put on a show for us," he continued.
“My husband really can’t stand her behavior, but he’s too busy right now. If someone could help him out…”
He was interrupted before he could finish speaking.
Manager Liu's attitude immediately became respectful: "May I ask who your master is?"
"Naturally, it's the Minister of Revenue. He's in charge of the national treasury and knows all the details. The Ministry of Revenue threw away a batch of moldy rice before, and she picked it up. I think the rice being distributed as porridge now is that moldy rice."
"These people are fine now, but if problems arise later, they'll definitely cause a scene in Chang'an. Who will benefit the most then?"
Instead of openly asking these shopkeepers to step forward, he provoked them with one sentence after another until they could no longer tolerate it.
Manager Sun slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "If this happens, those refugees will definitely be even more unscrupulous in looting grain, and all the grain we have stored will probably end up in Xu Yuehuai's pocket."
"No, we can't just stand by and watch her perform."
No one knows who said that, but several shopkeepers came to Qinglong Gate one after another.
Manager Liu, no longer caring about losing face, immediately attacked, knocking the bowl out of Xu Yuehuai's hand: "Xu Yuehuai, what are you up to, teaming up with those refugees to deceive us?"
Xu Yuehuai was not a good-tempered person. When she saw the rice that had been spilled on the ground, she immediately became furious.
"What do you want to do?" Her icy gaze shot straight at him.
Manager Sun immediately followed up: "Before the city gates even opened, several refugees had already entered your Tianxiang Restaurant. Do you dare say you have no connection with them?"
"Manager Xu, we pity you for being a woman who has to show your face in public to make a living, but what you are doing is far too immoral. Are you deliberately colluding with these refugees to spread the plague to all the people of Chang'an?"
Each of them spoke a sentence, like buckets of dirty water being poured on Xu Yuehuai.
She knew that people with dirty hearts saw everything as dirty, and she didn't bother to explain to them, simply saying, "I didn't do it."
Just as the shopkeepers were about to continue their attack, Zhao Ping suddenly rushed out from the crowd and stood directly in front of Xu Yuehuai.
"We didn't mean to enter Tianxiang Restaurant. Manager Xu is just trying to help by giving out porridge. You should all shut your stinking mouths!" Although he was young, he had been out and about for a while, so he had the air of a local thug.
Manager Liu was just worried about not being able to find evidence, but unexpectedly, the evidence was delivered to his door.
He pointed at Zhao Ping and shouted, "Look, if Xu Yuehuai hadn't colluded with these refugees, why would they be protecting her!"
Xu Yuehuai frowned.
Enough is enough; there's no need to endure it any longer.
She stepped forward and, with a backflip, threw Manager Liu to the ground: "So what are you planning now?"
"Do you feel that my free porridge distribution is cutting off your source of income, or do you just not like others doing good deeds?"
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