Chapter 40 Peace Talks Fails: Now that no one has come to file a complaint with the emperor, he still wants to lock that person up.
"how?"
“Everything is ready here. Miss Siwen has found more than twenty farmhands to cook the porridge. We’ll keep an eye on things on the street and lend a hand.” Lan Yan turned and came out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of porridge in his hand. He took a couple of sips and frowned in thought.
"What's wrong?"
Xu Yi walked over from behind, raised an eyebrow upon seeing this, and met the gaze of Yao Ruyi beside her. Neither of them understood what Lan Yan meant. She said she was ready, but the worry in her eyes did not dissipate.
"Add gravel to the rice porridge."
The group looked bewildered. Adding pebbles to porridge? How could anyone drink that?
Lan Yan exhaled, squatted down, grabbed a handful of pebbles, and threw them into the bowl, turning the rice porridge a bit gray. He stirred it with his chopsticks and took a sip.
"Lan Yan—"
The gravel was covered in dirt, which ruined the original soft, sweet taste of the rice porridge. He said in a deep voice, "In the past dynasty, there was also a famine. The magistrate of one of the cities organized the distribution of porridge. There were many refugees and displaced people, but the number of ordinary people who came to drink the porridge was many times greater than those people."
The extra ones...
Yao Ruyi and Xu Yi understood; it was the other people in the city. Since there was free rice porridge, why bother cooking their own rice?
“People who are truly starving don’t care how many pebbles are in their porridge; they only care about whether they can eat.” Lan Yan finished her bowl of porridge. “Have someone find some larger pebbles, rinse them in water, and then put them in.”
This method was practical, and the group immediately got to work. Yao Ruyi said, "Eleven and Thirteen and I will find some gravel. Xu Yi, you go find some people and prepare plenty of water."
The group moved quickly; having risen early, they were all ready in an hour. The servant pushed the large pot of rice porridge into the city, and the group dispersed throughout the city.
Early in the morning, news spread that instead of buying rice, porridge would be distributed today. The people who had been starving were moved to tears, thinking that the imperial court would no longer care about them.
Thank goodness! Thank goodness!
"Why are there so many pebbles...?"
"Mine is too."
"Sir! There's something in this porridge..."
The queue grew longer and longer. Upon hearing this, the servant chuckled and said, "Don't worry, everyone. The porridge is made with relief grain sent by the imperial court. But as for the stones, I believe you all know the truth." He hesitated, then turned to look at Yao Ruyi. Seeing that she nodded, he continued with relief, "If anyone has food at home, they don't need to queue here."
"So that's how it is."
"That's a good idea."
"Thank you, sir!"
Most of the people in line were dressed in rags and looked emaciated; they were content with having food and didn't care about anything else.
"Ptooey—" He spat the pebbles he had drunk onto the ground, then turned and continued drinking.
"Who has food at home and still comes here to get porridge mixed with pebbles?" Several people in the line snorted coldly upon hearing this and turned to disappear into the crowd.
Yao Ruyi spotted it at a glance, and upon closer inspection, she realized there were quite a few people there.
It was fortunate that Lan Yan came up with such a solution.
He let out a long breath.
"Nineteenth Congress, Nineteenth Congress!"
Hearing the sound, Yao Ruyi turned around and saw a farmhand standing beside her, panting and covered in sweat. He was speechless for a moment, "M-Master—"
Yao Ruyi quickly pulled the person aside, "Take a break first."
The servant nodded hurriedly, "Just now, the president was stopped by the Deng family at the Chamber of Commerce. The Deng family's rice shop is not open today. The president thinks that Deng Zeyu may want to negotiate, so he sent me to find Lord Nineteen and Lord Lan Yan together."
Yao Ruyi's face lit up with joy, and Deng Zeyu couldn't sit still the next day. That was exactly what they wanted, and he quickened his pace, "You go back first, I'll call Lan Yan to come along."
"Yes, sir."
They couldn't all go talk to Deng Zeyu together. Although they didn't know why Han Siwen was looking for him, Lan Yan had to be invited along, and also to inform the others to pay more attention to the situation on the street.
Lan Yan was somewhat shocked by this, but then overjoyed, "I didn't expect it to go so smoothly, thank goodness..."
The two hurried to the Siyun Chamber of Commerce.
Springtime in Jiangnan brings a different scene every day. The sky is clear and bright, and the people on the streets no longer seem as anxious and hopeless as they were a few days ago. More and more people are smiling. Boatmen with a few young men are leisurely gliding on the water, while people come and go on the streets on both sides, many carrying bowls toward the porridge distribution point.
In contrast, the Siyun Chamber of Commerce, which was packed with people yesterday, was almost deserted today. There were only a few old men squatting in front of the Chamber of Commerce, holding a few copper coins in their hands, thinking that if they ran into someone from the Chamber of Commerce today, they could buy some food.
The servant was waiting for the two at the door. When he saw them arrive, he quickly came to greet them and said with a smile, "My lords, Deng Zeyu has arrived."
"good."
Someone at the door saw that Yao Ruyi had recognized him and quickly got up to buy grain from him, but before they could speak, he had already entered the merchant guild. The servant quickly closed the door, preventing them from seeing the handsome young man again.
"Why--"
"Never mind, old man."
"How can we just let it go like this? We should buy as much as we can." He was dressed in rags, and he didn't know how long he had saved up the few copper coins he had. "Siyun is such a big merchant guild. Even if we were to distribute porridge today, we might still have people to sell rice. The rice sent by the imperial court might not be enough to keep selling."
His tone was melancholy, and his aged eyes were very clear.
"There are so many people in the city, even if there are many people in Siyun, they are still very busy," the old lady said with a smile as she sat leisurely on the street. "Look, the Siyun Chamber of Commerce is not open today. They are probably all out distributing porridge."
She stood up. "Oh, never mind. If you want to wait here, then wait. This old woman is going to get a bowl of porridge too!"
Seeing the old woman walk quickly away, the old man frowned and snorted, "What do you know!" After saying that, he stared at the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce, looking like he wouldn't leave until he bought rice.
The two followed the servant up to the third floor. The hall was bright and elegant, and the incense was calming. A cup of tea emitted a faint white steam, blurring the view between them.
Sitting by the window was Deng Zeyu, who was quite handsome.
Yao Ruyi met the other person's gaze without saying a word. The man had slanted eyes and, although he had the appearance of a young master, his cheeks were thin and sunken, his nose was high and straight, his lips were thin, and his eyes narrowed slightly when he looked at people.
His expression was arrogant and overbearing.
He paused for a moment when he saw Yao Ruyi, then stood up and laughed, "You two must be the two gentlemen from the capital. I have long heard of your great names." He turned to Lan Yan and cupped his hands, "Lord Lan."
He turned back and said, "Then this must be Lord Xu."
Lan Yan observed them calmly.
The rumors of Xu Yi's beauty, as beautiful as a peach blossom, had already reached Jiangzhou City. The identities of the two imperial envoys were easily discovered upon investigation, and Deng Zeyu's shrewd and strategic demeanor indicated that he had known all along.
Footsteps sounded behind me.
"President Han."
Deng Zeyu straightened up. He was not as tall as Lan Yan, and his bowed posture when he clasped his hands made him look even shorter, but now he adopted a superior attitude when facing Han Siwen.
Han Siwen chuckled, "Manager Deng is here to negotiate, so let's get down to business."
After the group sat down, the waiter stood behind Deng Zeyu. His eyes darted around, his gaze sticky like a rat in a damp alley clinging to a person, until he heard Deng Zeyu speak and then quieted down.
"Chairman Han has now become an imperial merchant. Naturally, the Siyun Chamber of Commerce has also taken a step forward. I have also seen his actions these past few days. I admire Chairman Han for his dedication to the country and the people."
He chuckled as he spoke, then changed the subject, his tone becoming somber, "Although he is an imperial merchant, Chairman Han is still a businessman after all. Businessmen value profit, but don't drive other shops to their doom."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, but his movements while pouring tea were quite gentle.
"when--"
Teacups were placed on the table, and white steam rose among the group.
"What does Manager Deng mean by that? Siwen doesn't understand."
"snort!"
"How could Chairman Han not understand? Now that Chairman Han has driven the price of rice down to twenty coins per dou, does Siyun Chamber of Commerce really feel comfortable selling it?"
Yao Ruyi listened from the side, sipping her tea absentmindedly. "Why are you not at ease? Twenty coins per dou is the price set by the imperial court. From the president to the servants, no one in the Siyun Chamber of Commerce has disobeyed the imperial court or His Majesty. Even when we go to sleep at night, we can sleep with peace of mind."
Deng Zeyu narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "You two must have been in the capital for too long and haven't had a good life."
"I won't beat around the bush with you guys. I can't sell rice at twenty cash a dou. If Chairman Han is willing to be on good terms with me, Deng, he can raise the price of rice to one hundred cash a dou, and Deng's rice shop will naturally do the same."
He said quietly, "Siyun sold food all day yesterday, and the people in the city will not lack food for a while. The news of the improvement in Jiangzhou City will soon reach the capital."
"You've also been able to deliver on your promise to the imperial court."
"We're all businessmen, why don't we enjoy a carefree life together in this remote place far from the emperor's reach?"
"Deng Zeyu!" Lan Yan couldn't help but slam her fist on the table, causing tea to splash out of the cup. The others were slightly taken aback. "Do you think we're dead?!"
Deng Zeyu was startled. He patted the tea that had splashed on him, turned his head and glanced at the street scene through the window. "Lord Lan, since I dare to say such things, it means I am sincere in my desire to befriend you."
"Jiangzhou City is much more fun than the capital. The girls here are incomparable to those in the capital," he chuckled, his mockery undisguised. "I, Deng, have long ago prepared courtyards and fields for each of you gentlemen, with countless beauties in those courtyards..."
"The capital is far away. If you two gentlemen are not staying in Jiangzhou for long, selling the courtyard and land, or if you have other plans, will cost a considerable sum of money. I have brought the deeds to the house and land. Please take a look..."
The meaning was clear, though not fully expressed.
bribe.
"Lanzhou University and Xuzhou University—"
"Ding!" Deng Zeyu was interrupted by a crisp sound before he could finish speaking.
Han Siwen watched as Yao Ruyi sat up straight and leaned back in her chair, her previous lazy demeanor gone, and the look in her eyes somewhat resembled that of the woman in the capital.
He placed the lid of his cup on the teacup, covering the rising steam. "Who told you I'm Xu Yi?"
Deng Zeyu froze, his flattery and sarcasm frozen on his face. His gaze shifted to Han Siwen, who was smiling, then to Lan Yan, whose expression was cold and distant. Finally, he stared at Yao Ruyi, whose face was pale, and his brow furrowed. "Then, may I ask who you are, sir..."
"I am His Majesty's personal guard, here to urge you two gentlemen to carry out your duties."
In short, Deng Zeyu's face turned pale.
The house deeds and land deeds under his command suddenly became a hot potato. He grabbed them and threw them to the waiter behind him. He didn't completely believe Yao Ruyi's words, but he had to believe them to some extent. He stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "I apologize for my disrespect."
The streets were filled with noise, but those sitting by the window could feel the warm breeze blowing in. Even the wind in Jiangzhou was warm, and the humidity in the air made one's skin look fair and rosy.
However, Deng Zeyu's face showed no signs of rosy complexion.
He acted as if nothing had happened.
"So, what are your plans, Chairman Han, in agreeing to Deng's peace talks?" he sneered. "If you wanted to imprison Deng as well, would you need His Majesty's secret guards?"
His gaze was fixed on Yao Ruyi as if he wanted to bore a hole through him.
Han Siwen coughed lightly and took a sip of tea. "It's all for the grain that Boss Deng has."
Upon hearing this, Deng Zeyu asked, "What? Has the Siyun Chamber of Commerce sold out of its grain reserves?"
Han Siwen laughed, "Siyun is an imperial merchant, with His Majesty as its guarantor. How could the grain be sold out? But as the president of Siyun, I should prioritize profit. Manager Deng, do you think anyone will still buy rice from Deng's rice shop after this?"
Han Siwen smiled without saying a word, but his eyes clearly said that even if you lowered the price to twenty coins per dou, the people still wouldn't buy it.
What do you want?
"Manager Deng sold me his grain for twenty coins a bushel, and Siyun did not make a profit. He just wanted to be friends with Manager Deng."
Twenty coins? You're dreaming!
Deng Zeyu was furious, his raised eyebrows becoming even more sharp with anger. The grain he currently possessed was all bought from Xiao Kingdom for fifty coins per dou, and after several twists and turns, if he were now asked to sell it for twenty coins per dou, wouldn't he be doing all the work for someone else's benefit?
Han Siwen nodded indifferently, "Then there's nothing more to say. I won't see you out."
It felt like a large stone was stuck in his throat, making him feel stuck and unable to breathe. Deng Zeyu also felt a surge of anger in his chest that he couldn't release. He glared at the three people opposite him, seemingly lost in thought.
He suddenly laughed, "Alright, then I'll wait and see."
He was truly stunned by them.
If the imperial court had truly sent enough grain, why would they have sent so many people? This is a trivial matter of grain; if Lan Yan and Xu Yi can't even handle this small matter properly, how can they be worthy of being among the top three?
Han Siwen is nothing but a pretentious, despicable woman!
"Farewell!"
Deng Zeyu turned and left.
The three people remained seated for a long time without speaking. Hearing the servant close the door, Lan Yan sighed coldly, "I knew Deng Zeyu wasn't a good person, but I never imagined he could so openly bribe an official of the imperial court!"
That's how he bribed the county magistrate before!
Lan Yan was furious just thinking about it.
"Did he guess that we don't have enough food?" Yao Ruyi remained motionless, speaking casually, but his words caused the other two to change their expressions.
Recalling the sudden change in Deng Zeyu's expression when he walked over...
"Oh no, he—"
Han Siwen's unspoken words were silenced by a glance from Yao Ruyi. Lan Yan, confused, followed Yao Ruyi's gaze toward the door.
As the footsteps outside the door grew more urgent and clearer, "Bang!"
The door was pushed open forcefully, slammed against the wall, and bounced back with a creaking sound.
The servant couldn't stop Deng Zeyu; Deng shoved him aside, saying, "Manager Deng, you—"
"Han Siwen! What do you mean by this?!"
Han Siwen stood up, waved to the servant, her eyes cold and sharp. "I haven't even asked Manager Deng what he means. Does our Siyun Chamber of Commerce have no one left? Manager Deng comes and goes as he pleases!"
"You've been pushed too far!"
"Ha," Han Siwen sneered, "Too much! You're talking about me?"
Deng Zeyu paced back and forth in anger, his face flushed red. "You colluded with the Qiao family to ruin my rice shop's reputation! Your methods are despicable and vile. You dare to call yourself an imperial merchant!"
A joint effort with the Qiao family?
The two turned to look at Yao Ruyi, who was also confused. "Explain yourself," she said.
"What's wrong? Does an important person have a bad memory?"
Lan Yan stepped forward and blocked the two behind her, saying, "If Manager Deng wants to cause trouble today, he can just say so."
"Han Siwen, you!" Deng Zeyu stepped forward to the window and pointed into the distance, "Qiao Yu is still making a big fuss in front of my Qiao Family Rice Shop! Isn't this what you've done!"
The Siyun Chamber of Commerce is not far from Deng's rice shop, and even standing at the window now, you can't see it clearly, but you can still see that there are quite a few people gathered there. You might think that they are also distributing porridge there.
The waiter who was next to Deng Zeyu was nowhere to be seen.
"Manager Deng, don't make baseless accusations! What does it have to do with us if your Deng family's rice shop makes people sick?" Han Siwen retorted firmly. "Don't you know what you've done to the rice?"
"Very well, so Chairman Han is determined to go against Deng?!"
Han Siwen sneered. Even if they were out of money, Deng Zeyu wouldn't have the upper hand in the current situation. Did he really think the next magistrate could be manipulated by a few land deeds and house deeds as easily as before?
Han Siwen moved her lips, but didn't make a sound.
Deng Zeyu saw it clearly and said, "That's wishful thinking."
Yao Ruyi saw it more clearly than they did, and that person was indeed Qiao Yu. He pondered for a moment and said calmly, "Manager Deng should go back and deal with it, otherwise more and more people will find out about this."
"Bang!"
The door was slammed shut again, and the smile on Han Siwen's lips vanished. "Damn it, Deng Zeyu, let's see who can beat whom!"
Lan Yan couldn't believe it. These past few days, Han Siwen had appeared quite refined and well-mannered in their presence, but just now, "Miss Siwen—"
Han Siwen paused, remaining silent for a long time, then said, "Let's go take a look too."
"……good."
"Nineteen, did you come up with this idea?"
Yao Ruyi shook her head. "No."
Since they didn't do this, then there really must be something wrong with the rice from Deng's rice shop. If that's the case, even if they get their hands on it, they can't sell it to the people without any scruples.
This has become another problem.
The closer they got, the clearer Qiao Yu's voice became, "Where is your Manager Deng?! Most of my family members have gotten food poisoning, and we've come here today demanding an explanation, but you won't give us one. What does this mean?"
"I'm not leaving today! I'm waiting for your Manager Deng to come out and judge this matter!"
The waiter shouted, "Then how come Young Master Qiao is alright?"
Qiao Yu glared at him, almost ready to fight, "What do you mean by that? Does it only count if the entire Qiao family is in trouble?!"
Old Wang quickly stopped him, "Young Master! Young Master!"
It's fortunate that the two of them ate at a restaurant last night, otherwise they would have had to see a doctor at home today.
"Young Master Qiao!"
Deng Zeyu walked out of the rice shop, panting and laughing. He immediately apologized to Qiao Yu, "Young Master Qiao, you're a regular customer of our rice shop. Don't you know what kind of rice we make? How could this be our rice shop's business!"
Qiao Yu objected, "Why not—"
"However! Although we don't know why the Qiao family is in trouble now, Young Master Qiao is a friend of mine, Deng. Young Master Qiao, please don't worry, come and sit in the shop first. I know many doctors and physicians, and I will have the waiter find them and bring them to the Qiao family."
"The affairs of the Qiao family are my affairs, Deng’s affairs. Come, come, young master Qiao."
Qiao Yu wasn't one to hold a grudge. He turned to look at the surrounding crowd and said, "If you don't give me an explanation today, the Qiao family will never let you off the hook!"
"Walk!"
After saying that, he followed Deng Zeyu inside.
The people peered inside, but when they could no longer see it, they soon dispersed completely.
"Did the Qiao family really get sick from eating rice from the Deng family's rice shop?"
"Oh dear, how would we know? The Qiao family, regardless of their social status, has always bought rice from the Deng family. Even yesterday, when the Siyun Chamber of Commerce charged twenty coins per dou, the young master only went to take a look and left empty-handed."
"Oh well, forget it. What does it matter to us whether the Deng family's rice shop is in trouble or not? We can't afford it anyway."
"Hey—that's true, let's go."
...
Xu Yi was also mixed in with the crowd. After the crowd dispersed, he saw the group and hurriedly stepped forward, asking anxiously, "How are the peace talks going?"
"Hmph, you're still not convinced."
The group fell silent. They had thought Deng Zeyu would relent, but he was holding on tightly.
The group returned to the third floor of the Siyun Chamber of Commerce. Xu Yi frowned, "He's a tough nut to crack, he's not afraid of anything. Isn't he afraid that the government will come and arrest him!"
But it's the same old story; they're not selling rice.
Han Siwen frowned. "There's still one more thing: is the grain in Deng Zeyu's possession reliable?"
Yao Ruyi reached out and placed her hand on the table, tapping it idly.
"Let's see how to resolve Qiao Yu's matter first. Later, we'll send someone to investigate the Qiao family to see if the incident was caused by the Deng family's rice."
If there was anything wrong with most of the people in the mansion, it was because of the food. Qiao Yu happened to have dinner at the restaurant last night, which is why she escaped the disaster.
"There's no use in thinking about it now, we just have to wait for the results over there."
As dusk settled slowly, the night continued its relentless pace throughout the day. The group sat at the table, barely exchanging a few words. Someone yawned first, and then the yawn spread from one person to another.
Xu Yi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her face full of resentment, "Who hit me first?"
Lan Yan smiled shyly, "Me."
"Alright, I haven't had a good rest these past few days. It would be abnormal if I didn't feel anything." After Han Siwen said this, everyone laughed. Yao Ruyi turned her head and looked out the window with curiosity. The weather had been nice these past few days. The evenings in Jiangzhou City were tinged with a golden-red hue, and the smell of crops and soil in early spring was so pleasant.
The soil in Jiangnan is a bit different from that in the capital. He had tasted it before, but it wasn't as good as the soil under the plum blossom tree.
I wonder how his potted soil is doing, and whether His Majesty has watered it for him.
A flash of white startled Yao Ruyi. "A carrier pigeon?"
"Is it a letter from the capital?"
"It won't be that fast. The letter we sent to the capital hasn't even arrived yet."
Xu Yi reached out and caught the carrier pigeon, then removed the note from its leg.
The crops in the fields have yielded remarkable results, and the fertile soil of this city in southern China is now abundant.
"The fields are getting better!"
The group of people, who had just been so sullen, suddenly had their eyes light up.
"Let me see!"
"That's true! Does that mean we can start growing crops soon?"
The heavy weight that had been pressing on my heart for the past few days was mostly lifted by these words, and the remaining half settled firmly in my heart. "Finally—"
Lan Yan's eyes reddened, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
Yao Ruyi's eyes were curved as he sat by the window facing the setting sun. A ray of light shone into his eyes like sweet wine filled with lake water.
Thankfully, it worked.
"Crops in Jiangnan ripen early. If things are going well here, things should improve in the capital after a while."
The food supply that had plagued Yun Kingdom for so many years finally began to improve.
The group couldn't stop laughing; the moment they made eye contact with someone, they would burst out laughing.
"Who cares about Deng Zeyu and Zhang Zeyu," Han Siwen relaxed and leaned back. "If all else fails, we'll just take some men and fight them."
Yao Ruyi was the first to nod. The good news from the fields made him happy, but he had to wait until things here were settled before he could return to the capital.
Xu Yi chuckled helplessly, "Then we'll have to think of other methods first."
Han Siwen gave a perfunctory reply, "Okay."
The capital city.
Cui Xiangzhu held the two slips of paper in his hand, truly unsure how to hand them over to the Emperor. The Fourteenth Prince had just read the letter and then sent him to deliver it.
This! Isn't this going to ruin him?
The moment the 19th Emperor arrived in Jiangzhou City, he was spotted by a lecherous young master from a prominent family. The head eunuch's face twisted in disbelief, his eyes filled with utter hesitation, and he stammered, holding the note in trembling hands, "This, this, this—"
"Cui Xiangzhu."
Gu Huizhou raised his eyes and looked at Cui Xiangzhu, who was hesitant to come forward after entering the room. His expression was unclear. "Get over here."
"Yes!"
Cui Xiangzhu closed his eyes and handed over the note, saying, "Your Majesty."
He dared not look up. After a long while, he heard the person above him sneer, "It was my carelessness."
Let him be bold, he's bold enough. He'll dare anything without that stupid mushroom by his side...
The emperor narrowed his eyes, staring at the several slips of paper in his hand. Some were from Eleven, others from Xu Yi and his associates. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, a muffled "tap-tap-tap."
Now that no one has come to file a complaint with the emperor, he still wants to lock that person up.
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