Chapter 42 Forced Buying and Selling: Deng Zeyu's Rice Shop Closes Down
"Farewell!"
This time, it wasn't Deng Zeyu who stormed off; it was Lan Yan who did. She had disliked Deng Zeyu ever since, and this time was no different.
This man took advantage of the court's predicament to seek personal gain. Just those few words from Deng Zeyu were enough for the people of the city to skin him alive.
"Oh—My lord! Lord Lan—"
Deng Zeyu called out to them several times from behind, his voice urgent as if afraid they would leave. But he remained seated calmly, leisurely pouring himself a cup of tea, his smile undisguised, his eyes slanted upwards, full of calculation.
Watching the man storm off, he sneered, "Hmph! I thought he had all the confidence, but he's short of food, isn't he?"
The Yun Kingdom is so large, how could it possibly send the imperial court's disaster relief grain to Jiangzhou City? He had already seen it last time; these people were just making a big show of things, but in reality, they didn't have as much grain as he had in his household.
With such meager resources, they think they can go toe-to-toe with him? These scholars are just brainless.
He couldn't compare to Han Siwen in anything else, but when it came to the rice shop, Han Siwen was far inferior to him!
"Shopkeeper, how was it this time?"
The waiter came up from downstairs with a smile. Seeing Deng Zeyu's smug face, he felt relieved.
“Competing with Deng’s rice shop? Siyun is dreaming too much.” He spoke lazily, leaning back in his chair as he drank tea. Then he reached for some more food, which was a little cold, but he didn’t care. “We’ve been distributing porridge for two days in a row, otherwise Siyun would have run out of rice in the first two days.”
"Even if things start to look good in the fields, it will be three or four months from now. It's ridiculous that those people are already dreaming of a bountiful harvest." As he spoke, Deng Zeyu burst into unrestrained laughter with the waiter.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he laughed. The waiter poured Deng Zeyu a cup of wine and said earnestly, "The shopkeeper is right. These people in Jiangzhou City are brainless. Siyun is an amateur when it comes to grain. Let's see what she does after those imperial envoys leave. She'll still have to come to Deng's rice shop to buy rice."
"Yes! That's exactly what I mean."
He had initially only guessed, but seeing Lan Yan's appearance today, what was there to be unsure of? They simply had nothing on hand. If they truly had enough food, why would they care about anything else?
"Does the imperial court really have the audacity to think of us merchants? If they had rice, they would have killed us with a stick long ago."
After downing a mouthful of wine, Deng Zeyu glanced at the sky outside the window and smiled, "Sit down! Have a drink with your boss."
The waiter's face lit up with joy, but he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Well, I am, after all—"
Deng Zeyu said displeasedly, "Sit down!"
"Alright!" He quickly poured himself a glass of wine. "Then today I'll drink to my heart's content with you, shopkeeper. Thank you for your kindness."
Another hearty laugh followed.
The three turned and went back to the Han residence. Lan Yan was furious, but Xu Yi and Yao Ruyi remained calm.
Xu Yi followed behind the two men, one furious and the other expressionless, clutching his sword. He could tell that neither of them was at peace.
Sure enough, as soon as he returned to the Han residence, Lan Yan angrily gulped down several large cups of tea, as if the wind had dried his throat while he was walking briskly back. He plopped down on a stone bench in the courtyard, his usually stern face filled with rage.
He had risen through the ranks of the imperial examinations to reach the court, never expecting to encounter such a person. The nation's crisis was like a spectacle to him, a chance to reap huge profits after the crisis subsided.
"If all merchants and common people thought like him, how could we possibly survive this man-made disaster!" Lan Yan retorted indignantly, downing another cup of water. Her chest heaved, a burning anger simmering within her, unable to be released.
Xu Yi was also angry, but he hadn't reached the level of Lan Yan.
Lan Yan had too high expectations of the people, always assuming that everyone would act in the same way he did, thinking of the court and the people. The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment when faced with reality. Xu Yi, who was staring at the weeds on the ground, suddenly paused.
This must be why His Majesty sought him out.
"Nineteen, you—"
Xu Yi looked up and saw Yao Ruyi turning to leave. He quickly called out to her, as Miss Siwen usually returned to the manor at this time, and he had been thinking of waiting for everyone to be present before discussing the matter.
"Siwen, come back quickly, why don't we go together—"
Before he could finish speaking, he looked at Yao Ruyi and shook his head. "No matter how we discuss it, it's a fact that we don't have enough food, and Deng Zeyu already knows that." He spoke calmly, stating a cruel reality.
Xu Yi and Lan Yan remained silent.
"I'm going to find Eleven and Thirteen. I'll be back later."
"……good."
Yao Ruyi smiled at the two of them, but she kept holding the sword in her hand, which made Xu Yi feel uneasy. "Lan Yan, let's go to the Chamber of Commerce to find Miss Siwen. I feel uneasy."
"become."
Just as Yao Ruyi stepped out, the two turned and followed. Despite heading in completely different directions, Yao Ruyi remembered where Eleven and Thirteen always stayed, and now was the perfect time to find them and go to the Deng residence together.
Once they arrive, Deng Zeyu should return home.
"A dark and windy night, perfect for murder and arson." Eleven laughed excitedly. "But it's been so long since I've done something like this, so exciting!"
Thirteen also felt a sense of satisfaction, but having been by the emperor's side for so long, he had become quite calculating. He stopped the two of them and instructed them, "Just a light touch is enough; do not draw blood." After he finished speaking, he fell silent in the face of Yao Ruyi's wide-eyed stare, then turned to stare at Eleven, as if he were speaking only to him.
"Do you need to tell me that?" Eleven said dismissively.
He's been in Jiangnan for so long, and it's not like he's relied entirely on force to suppress others.
His sword hadn't seen any blood lately, except for pheasants and rabbits. The three of them sat on the wall waiting for Deng Zeyu to return to the mansion, openly and honestly, without hiding or concealing themselves. He looked at Yao Ruyi and said, "I heard that Xiao Shijiu's swordsmanship was taught by Shisan and His Majesty together. I'll have to take a good look at it later."
Yao Ruyi nodded, "Most of them are from the Thirteen Schools." Originally, they were supposed to follow His Majesty to learn, but soon they came to Jiangzhou City.
"Don't worry, I won't laugh at you if you don't do well. You can learn from His Majesty when we get back to the capital." After saying that, he thought of the emperor killing people in the capital and shrugged. "It would be good for Little Nineteen to learn from Thirteen as well."
Seeing that Thirteen and Yao Ruyi were looking over, he whispered, "His Majesty's killing intent is too strong."
"Not suitable for Xiao Shijiu."
Yao Ruyi made no comment, but Thirteen remained silent.
murderous look……
I can't say there isn't one, but as for how to put it, "you'll see for yourself in a bit."
As long as no one dies or bleeds, it's alright.
"Back door! That swindler has gone back to his residence." Eleven rubbed his hands together, eager to get started. "Brothers, don't try to take it from me later."
"bass--"
With a scraping sound, Eleven was the first to jump off the roof, turned around and waved, "Go!"
Thirteen was helpless. He had nothing to say to this person who had no one to spar with for years. He turned to look at Yao Ruyi and said, "Be careful."
"Um."
The three jumped off the roof one after the other, making no attempt to conceal themselves and openly exposing their faces.
Deng Zeyu had just returned from the restaurant, and he and the waiter were both drunk and unable to walk straight. The two were helped in through the back door by a servant, swaying unsteadily with incomprehensible smiles on their faces.
"Hahahaha," Deng Zeyu and Xiao Er, who were already unable to contain themselves, exchanged a glance and burst into laughter again.
The waiter was also being helped up, and the strong smell of alcohol on him made the servant beside him frown, wishing he could stay far away from him. This wasn't even the master of the house, yet they had to help him up; what kind of person was he?
If Deng Zeyu hadn't been there, he would have just left Xiao Er on the ground and ignored him.
Anyway, I'll sober up tomorrow, dust myself off, and leave on my own. I won't freeze to death sleeping on the ground for a night.
"Don't worry, shopkeeper! Leave the rice shop to me, and in less than two years, you'll surpass Han Siwen! What Siyun Chamber of Commerce, what female president, they're all worthless!"
"Great!" Deng Zeyu shouted in agreement, then, feeling his voice wasn't loud enough, added, "Great—"
His vision was blurry, but he felt there weren't that many people in the courtyard. Deng Zeyu pushed aside the servant and stared intently at the figures outside the door. "Who are these people..."
The two servants had just noticed the three people over there and were immediately startled. "Hey! Who are you guys! Come out and talk to me!"
It was pitch black, and the men stood there silently. The two men thought they were probably the farmhands their elder brother had hired during the day.
"Another three thousand bushels of grain were delivered yesterday. Luckily, we hired more people. Otherwise, with just the few of us, even if we worked ourselves to the bone, we'd only get this little bit of monthly pay..."
"Shh—" another person quickly covered their mouth, "Don't say anything, the shopkeeper is still here!"
The servant didn't care. "He's so drunk, what could he possibly remember? Look at your guts."
He sneered, disdainfully mocking her.
Deng Zeyu swayed as he walked forward, supported by his servant. He felt these people looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before. "Oh, the people I found today are quite good, so fair-skinned! Just what I wanted!"
"reward!"
Thirteen felt a surge of anger rising within him as he listened to Deng Zeyu's foul language. Then, seeing Deng Zeyu's snake-like, damp, and sticky eyes scanning Little Nineteen from head to toe, he moved swiftly, "Damn it—"
"ah--"
Before Deng Zeyu could even get a good look at the beauty, he was sent flying several meters backward, landing on his back on the ground howling in pain, "Ouch—ah! Who is it! Who is it!"
The two servants were also stunned. The three men emerged from the shadows, long swords in hand, exuding an imposing aura. If the two servants still couldn't understand, they might as well just wait and see. "Help, help me—"
One of them shouted.
The waiter regained some of his senses after a few sharp screams, and swallowed hard. "It's...it's you!"
"Who is it?! Can't a person get any sleep?!"
The backyard was where the farmhands and guards lived. The eldest brother they had seen earlier came out of the side room naked, looking furious, with disheveled hair, as if he had just gotten off the bed.
Seeing this situation, he froze on the spot. Ignoring Yao Ruyi and the other two, he quickly went to a distance and helped Deng Zeyu up, shouting, "Someone! Someone!"
Within moments, dozens of guards emerged from all around, each wielding a sword or knife, their sharp gazes fixed on the group. "You audacious madmen!"
Thirteen laughed, "I thought there weren't many people who could fight, but now it's all good."
Eleven's lips curled up. "Isn't that satisfying?"
Yao Ruyi took a step to meet the attack and finally drew her longsword from its sheath, but she didn't seem to intend to let the blade get wet with blood.
With his elder brother's help, Deng Zeyu finally sobered up. He looked at the group in the moonlight, the most obvious being Yao Ruyi, dressed in white robes and with a beautiful face. "Nineteenth Lord..."
"What are you doing, sir?!"
Upon seeing these people, Deng Zeyu was no longer afraid. With the help of others, he stood up, staggering, clutching his chest with one hand, and glared angrily, "What are you doing! Is this how an imperial envoy barges into a commoner's private residence?!"
Yao Ruyi said calmly, "I am not an imperial envoy yet."
“If you are willing to sell us all the grain you have at twenty...eighteen coins per dou, we can skip the fight.”
"Sell it to you? Eighteen coins? You're dreaming!" Deng Zeyu sneered. "I knew you were just bluffing. If you had grain on hand, why would you be bothering with me? Since that's the case..."
"superior!"
"Brothers, let's go!"
In the blink of an eye, dozens of guards rushed towards the three of them.
The three responded and moved. Eleven and Thirteen rushed out first, surrounding Yao Ruyi in the middle, as if he were a frail scholar who needed to be protected.
Yao Ruyi was unwilling. He stepped forward, his longsword flashing out with a "whoosh," clashing with another longsword. The guard's expression immediately changed; he had thought this was the easiest to deal with, but he hadn't expected the strength to be so great...
"Ah!" The guard's hand went numb from the impact of the sword strike, and he hurriedly retreated. However, Yao Ruyi slammed a scabbard into his knee, and the sharp pain went straight to his bone marrow. The guard rolled on the ground and almost bumped into other retreating guards.
"Get out of here—"
"Damn it, get out of here!"
He was kicked twice more, and rolled into a corner, howling in pain, but no one answered him.
Eleven was surprised and used his spatial ability to block a long sword. The cold light flashed past his face, and Eleven instantly dodged away, taking a moment to look at Yao Ruyi and tease, "Not bad, Little Nineteen."
The ruthlessness he displayed was reminiscent of their emperor, but what was the meaning behind holding a sword sheath in his left hand?
Without time to think, Eleven turned around and got into a fight with four or five guards.
"ah--"
"Hmm—"
One guard after another was driven back, and some, like Deng Zeyu just now, were kicked away and fell to the ground, never to get up again.
The remaining guards numbered only about twenty. Their eyes met, none of them wanting to see the handsome man in white robes, whose long sword remained unstained by blood, yet the scabbard in his left hand struck a man's bone like an iron spike.
"Oh shit--"
Several of them suddenly retreated, then rushed forward together, their target being Yao Ruyi, who was locked in combat with a guard.
Thirteen frowned upon seeing this, and after knocking back the guards in front of him, he tried to step forward to stop the group. However, the group seemed to have planned it in advance, and they all blocked his way, forming a tight circle.
"Whoosh—"
"Clang—"
The sound of longswords clashing together continued, and the panting grew louder. Yao Ruyi, caught in the crossfire, could no longer attend to the scabbard in his left hand. He held his longsword in his hand, constantly blocking the opponent's attacks, but this couldn't go on forever...
Why not—
"ah!"
One of the guards cried out, clutching his leg and wailing, "My leg, my leg—"
Those nearby quickly looked over and were shocked to find that his own sword was stuck straight into his leg!
"this--"
"You go!" "Why don't you go!"
For a moment, no one came forward to greet Yao Ruyi.
Mushroom, with a tense little face, scanned the surroundings. Not idle, he flashed behind Eleven and Thirteen and intercepted all the guards who reached out from behind.
In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the guards were lying on the ground, and even those who got up dared not approach. They trembled and retreated...
These three were incredibly skilled; the other two were relatively ordinary, having long since become accustomed to the sword wounds on their bodies.
But that scholar in white robes...
The guards all looked panicked, their swords unstained by blood, and they even used the scabbards to make others point their swords at them!
"Go ahead! I'm paying you so you can stand here and watch!"
The guards looked at each other, but ultimately dared not step forward.
Seeing this, Eleven chuckled and walked forward. He had several wounds on his arms and blood on his cheek, but in the darkness, he looked even more frightening. "What, Manager Deng, why are you backing away?"
Thirteen chuckled, "Isn't Manager Deng a coward who fears death? Eleven, you must be mistaken."
"He retreated so far, how can that not be considered cowardly and afraid of death?"
Thirteen clicked his tongue twice, "How could someone who is afraid of death sell grain to the people at ten times the price? If His Majesty knew, he would twist his head off and use it to kick a football."
The two laughed as they talked.
Yao Ruyi imagined the scene: the emperor wearing a long red robe, with a black and gold fox fur draped over his shoulders. His fair fingers idly played with a red cinnabar string, and his dragon boots were embroidered with subtle gold patterns. At his waist hung a jade buckle embroidered with gold edges, and he also carried a money pouch made of gold thread.
With a mocking smile on his face, he looked at the bloodied head lying on the ground as if it were trash.
The mushroom frowned. "So dirty."
His Majesty will not touch that thing.
Upon hearing this, Eleven and Thirteen stopped laughing and touched their noses. They were just joking; if His Majesty had actually touched it, he would have been soaking in the hot springs for hours.
"What do you want?!" Deng Zeyu was quite imposing, but he only dared to hide behind a group of guards.
Yao Ruyi said, "We want to buy rice."
"You!" Deng Zeyu was defiant, but none of the guards in the manor had knocked him to the ground. He swallowed his saliva, which tasted of blood, and gritted his teeth. "Fifty coins!"
"Eighteen coins."
Thirty coins!
Thirteen sighed helplessly and stood with Eleven, staring intently at the person opposite them.
Yao Ruyi, “Seventeen coins.”
“Don’t push your luck!” he shouted. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll send you all to the authorities!”
“Heh,” a light, bright laugh rang out, and a woman’s voice echoed from the back door of the mansion behind Deng Zeyu, “The government? The newly appointed magistrate probably hasn’t even arrived in Jiangnan yet.” Han Siwen raised an eyebrow, “Where is Manager Deng sending him? Maybe we shouldn’t bother the magistrate.”
She gave Deng Zeyu a good idea: "Let's just escort him to the capital."
After Han Siwen finished speaking, she nodded to Yao Ruyi, "Nineteenth Lord, I've brought people to transport rice. Don't worry, I've brought enough silver." She smiled, "However, I paid for this silver myself, so His Majesty has to pay me back."
Yao Ruyi nodded seriously, "Okay."
Looking out the door, one could vaguely see countless Han family servants, with Lan Yan and Xu Yi standing at the very front.
"Well? What's your decision, Manager Deng?"
Suddenly, "whoosh—", a flash of cold light, and a sharp dagger flew from the roof behind them, aiming straight at Yao Ruyi.
"ah--"
"Clang—" The dagger turned and plunged into the wall. Thirteen's eyes were filled with coldness. In an instant, he threw a flying knife, which pierced the shoulder of the person on the roof. The person cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
"Nineteen, your neck..."
A knife wound was faintly bleeding from Yao Ruyi's neck. Even though Thirteen had pulled her aside, he was still a second too slow.
The playful expression vanished, and Thirteen's eyes flashed with anger as he looked at Deng Zeyu. Without uttering a word, he stepped forward and kicked Deng Zeyu in the chest, ignoring the fear in his eyes. Thirteen spared no effort.
"Help—uh—"
The man fell to the ground, spitting blood onto the ground.
"Manager! Manager..." The waiter immediately went over and helped Deng Zeyu up.
Han Siwen's expression also turned cold, and he said sternly, "Come in and count the silver clearly in front of Manager Deng. Seventeen coins per dou, that's one hundred and seventy coins per shi. Find out exactly how many shi of grain there are in total!"
They carefully divided the five thousand bushels of grain they originally had into five thousand bags, afraid that any household might buy too much, and they didn't even dare to sell it one bushel at a time. But Deng Zeyu was different...
Han Siwen narrowed his eyes. There were probably seven or eight thousand shi of grain in Deng Zeyu's courtyard.
It took a full hour for the accountant brought by Han Siwen to tally up the silver. Deng Zeyu's mansion and rice shop had a total of eight thousand shi of grain, not counting several vats of old rice that had been diluted with water.
"Chairman, eight thousand shi, which is equivalent to one thousand three hundred and sixty taels of silver."
After saying that, Han Siwen waved his hand, and a servant stepped forward. When the wooden box was opened, rows of silver ingots gleamed in the moonlight.
Han Siwen said coldly, "Shopkeeper Deng, would you like to count it yourself?"
"Han—" He had barely uttered a sound when Thirteen had someone gag him, which was quite annoying.
Yao Ruyi's neck wound had just been treated and had stopped bleeding, but he was still kept to the side by Thirteen to prevent him from moving around.
"Thirteen, I can help carry the rice. Everything's fine now."
"no!"
Yao Ruyi wanted to speak again, but thought it best to remain silent.
The night air in Jiangnan was still warm, the breeze gentle and soothing. Dozens, even hundreds, of people walked back and forth, their sweat soaking their clothes as it dripped onto the ground.
The transport took a whole night, and eight thousand shi of grain were delivered to the Siyun Chamber of Commerce. Now, not only people in Jiangzhou City, but also people in the surrounding counties could buy rice.
Overnight, Deng's rice shop closed its doors.
Lan Yan sat in the courtyard, her heart still pounding. "This... is it really resolved like this?"
Han Siwen hummed softly, "Hmm, it's better to be straightforward."
“But…” Lan Yan hesitated. The principles of etiquette he had learned since elementary school had never taught him that this was a way to solve problems. “Then Deng Zeyu…”
Eleven walked over from that side, holding a bowl of freshly cooked white porridge and enjoying it. "Deng Zeyu doesn't listen to the court and insists on selling grain for two hundred coins a dou. Don't worry, once the new magistrate takes office, he won't be able to enjoy his freedom for long."
"Why wasn't it originally like this?"
Xu Yi sat down to the side and said, "That still comes down to his sophistry. If he says that what he's selling isn't rice, the government has nothing to say, and it won't solve the problem of the court having no rice."
"So what's the difference now?"
Xu Yi smiled and said, "It seems there's not much difference, but now that the rice is in our hands, are we afraid of him? We'll just find a charge to imprison him for a while." He sighed and said, "When we return to the capital, we should also thoroughly investigate the matter of the various government offices reviewing grain and commodity prices."
If grain prices are too high, they should be arrested; if gourd pendants are too expensive, they should also be arrested.
The group had been in Jiangzhou City for six or seven days without getting any rest. Finally, they managed to settle the matter with Deng Zeyu, and the next day they wished they could sleep until the sun was high in the sky.
The Siyun Chamber of Commerce took over the rice sales. With enough long-term workers within the guild, they divided the rice into old rice, regular rice, and refined rice. The price of old rice decreased, while the price of refined rice increased. Ordinary people could buy whatever they wanted, but the higher price of refined rice made the aristocratic families even more satisfied.
Yao Ruyi packed her belongings, putting in everything she had bought in the city over the past few days. There was the calligraphy she had written at the market a few days ago, the rattle drum she bought from the old woman at the bridgehead, and a string of beads she had bought in the city yesterday—a pale green string with a few beads that were a deeper green.
I happened to run into Qiao Yu and helped him choose this one; it must be something special.
"My lords, I know you are in a hurry to return to the capital to report. You can leave the remaining trivial matters in Jiangzhou City to me. I have prepared a good meal at the restaurant today. After you eat, you can rest for a while. You may wish to return to the capital or take a stroll around the city."
The carriage was prepared and parked in the courtyard early on. Yao Ruyi and Shisan had rushed here on horseback, but they could ride in the carriage with Lan Yan and Xu Yi on their way back.
The carriage was stocked with dry rations and fruit prepared by Han Siwen for the group, including many snacks that were unavailable in the capital.
Yao Ruyi had a white veil wrapped around her neck, which Thirteen had made her put on. She bought a small piece of moonlight brocade at the cloth shop, and the shopkeeper didn't say anything, but smiled and sold it to the two of them.
"Okay, thank you, Miss Siwen."
The group walked into the city, their relationship so close they couldn't be more familiar, chatting and laughing together in twos and threes. Han Siwen and Yao Ruyi walked at the back. The woman was wearing a light green gauze dress today, and as she walked, she took a jade pendant from the cloth bag hanging at her waist and handed it to Yao Ruyi.
"Fortunately, a few days ago, Young Master Baili sent a thousand bushels of grain, which almost made us manage. Siwen kept this kindness in mind."
She placed the jade pendant in a cloth bag and handed it to Yao Ruyi, saying, "I hope that the Nineteenth Lord can give this to Young Master Baili on my behalf. The warm jade will stay warm all year round, and it is also a small token of my appreciation. If I return to the capital in the future, I will visit him to express my gratitude."
As the two walked slowly while talking, Eleven, who was ahead, hurriedly turned around and urged, "Nineteen, Miss Siwen."
Yao Ruyi took the jade pendant and put it away, then quickly replied, "I'm here."
Han Siwen sighed, "Let's go. His Majesty must be missing you, sir. It's been so long."
————————
The amount of grain is an approximate figure; please don't scrutinize it too closely. [rose emoji]
Note: In ancient times, one dou of rice was 12 jin, and one shi was 12 dou, or 120 jin.
Deng Zeyu's household had 8,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) and 960,000 jin (another unit of dry measure).
One tael of silver is worth 1000 wen. Mushrooms were bought for 17 wen per dou, which, according to the online calculation that one tael of silver is about 5130 RMB, is about 7 million.
If Deng Zeyu wanted to sell all of them at 50 wen per dou, he could make about 20.52 million; at 200 wen per dou, that would be about 82.08 million.
(The unit conversion is from the internet. Currency conversions varied across different dynasties, so please do not take it too seriously. [heart emoji])
[Heart][Heart][Heart] I hope I didn't miscalculate [Milk Tea]
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