Chapter 76
At first, the common people were still immersed in the exhilaration of "the virtuous prince defeating the treacherous." People still stopped to watch outside the Prince of Yan's mansion, and in teahouses and taverns, storytellers spun the story of "the Princess of Yan's battle of wits with the Second Prince" in a fantastical way, which amazed the crowds.
But stories cannot be eaten as food, nor can they be used as salt.
The salt jars in every household were gradually empty.
"Boss, this is the last pinch of salt we have for cooking today. You have to use it sparingly." A woman whispered to her husband in the kitchen.
"Save, save, save, save every day! The food has become bland!" the man replied angrily. "Didn't Prince Yan say that the salt from Shu would be arriving soon? It's been five or six days, and there's still no news."
"It's almost there. Shu is so far away, it will take some time."
Similar conversations were playing out in thousands of households across the capital. People's patience, like the few remaining grains of salt in a salt jar, was being worn away bit by bit.
Some new rumors also began to spread quietly among the people.
"Hey, have you heard? The road to Shu is difficult, harder than climbing to heaven. Isn't it a bit too much to take for granted that we can transport salt to the capital in just 20 days?"
"Who says it isn't? I heard that the fleet encountered a storm on the way, and several ships capsized! All the salt was fed to the turtles in the river!"
"Is this true? Then haven't we waited in vain?"
"There's something even more frightening! Some say that Prince Yan didn't actually bring in much salt, and that all he said before was to appease us so he could gain a good reputation. In reality, he just wanted to use this incident to put the Second Prince down!"
These rumors were just whispers in a small circle at first, but they spread quickly like mold growing in a damp corner.
Naturally, these words also reached Prince Yan's Mansion.
Song Qingyuan was reading the latest secret letter sent back by Lin Feng from Shu. The letter said that everything was going well, the fleet had entered a section of the river with smooth waterways, and was even expected to arrive three to five days earlier.
She put down the letter, rubbed her brows, and said to Shen Yanzhi beside her: “It seems that some people can’t sit still anymore.”
Shen Yanzhi was polishing his sword, "Jinghong," the blade's cold gleam reflecting his stern profile. Without even looking up, he said, "As expected. Li Song is an old fox; he won't give in so easily."
"Just sitting there and waiting for death is not our style." Song Qingyuan stood up and paced around the room. "The people's patience is limited. These rumors are just taking advantage of their anxiety. We must do something to break this situation."
"I've already asked Zhao Lin to investigate the source of the rumor." Shen Yanzhi sheathed his sword. "Also, I've asked my father for permission to use some of the salt reserves in the government warehouses and sell them at a fair price to alleviate the urgent need."
Song Qingyuan shook his head: "Not appropriate."
"Oh?" Shen Yanzhi looked at her.
"The salt reserves in the government warehouses are the foundation of our nation and cannot be used lightly. This is my father's bottom line. If you keep testing him, he will only become more wary of you."
Song Qingyuan analyzed, "Furthermore, the amount of salt in the government warehouse is limited. Once the warehouse is opened, how will it be distributed? Per capita or per household? If the rich buy more and the poor buy less, it will only cause new chaos and conflicts. Li Song and his men are eager for us to do this, as they can accuse us of 'disrupting the market and competing with the people for profits.'"
Shen Yanzhi frowned slightly. He had to admit that Song Qingyuan was more thoughtful than him. He tended to think about things from the perspective of the overall situation and power, while she was better at seeing into people's hearts and details.
"So what do you think should be done?" he asked.
Song Qingyuan walked to the window and looked at the osmanthus tree in the yard, with wisdom shining in his eyes.
"It's better to ease than to block. Since they want to take advantage of the people's anxiety, let's give them a tangible hope." She turned her head, a sly smile on her lips, "Your Highness, let's try something new."
Three days later, the Prince of Yan's Mansion and the Jingzhao Yin jointly set up huge porridge stalls near the four gates of the capital city.
A striking banner hung above the porridge stall, inscribed: "In gratitude to the people of the city for overcoming these difficult times, the Prince of Yan's Mansion is providing porridge for ten days, waiting for Sichuan salt together."
In addition to distributing porridge, a registration office was also set up nearby. Anyone who came to receive the porridge could present their household registration documents and receive a beautifully crafted "salt coupon" for free. The coupon stated that upon the arrival of Sichuan salt in the capital, each household would be given priority to purchase five kilograms of salt at the government-guided price.
When this news came out, the whole capital was in an uproar.
The people, who were becoming increasingly anxious due to the lack of salt, suddenly found a backbone.
"Let's go! Let's go get some porridge and salt coupons!"
"Prince Yan and His Majesty the Princess are truly like living Bodhisattvas! We haven't even done anything yet, and they're already thinking about our bellies!"
"Look at this porridge, it's thick and fragrant, and it even has minced meat and vegetables in it! This isn't just giving us porridge, this is practically treating us to a meal!"
"And this salt voucher is so beautifully made! It's even stamped with the seals of the Prince of Yan's Palace and the Jingzhao Yin! I feel so relieved now! As soon as the salt arrives, we'll be the first to buy it!"
Suddenly, the city gate was packed with people, but everyone was in good order. People lined up to receive steaming hot meat porridge and the salt coupons that represented hope. The clouds of worry on their faces disappeared, replaced by satisfaction and gratitude.
Those rumors that had just emerged were refuted by the real benefits.
"What do you mean the ship capsized? I think the person who spread the rumor must be crazy! The Prince of Yan's Mansion even issued salt coupons, how could this be false?"
"That's right! I think the people on the Second Prince's side are unwilling to accept this and are deliberately doing something bad behind the scenes, hoping to cause chaos in our capital!"
"What a bunch of bastards! They have no ability themselves, yet they can't stand seeing others doing better than they are!"
The people's hearts were once again firmly stabilized.
Grand Tutor's Mansion.
When Li Song heard the news brought back by the housekeeper, his face was so gloomy that water could drip out of it.
He had carefully planned a public opinion offensive, thinking that it would make Shen Yanzhi extremely anxious, but he did not expect that it would be easily resolved by Song Qingyuan's trick of "giving out porridge and coupons".
Not only did it resolve the conflict, but it also raised the reputation of Prince Yan's Mansion to a higher level.
"What a great Song Qingyuan! What a good move to cut off the firewood from under the cauldron!" Li Song put down the teacup in his hand heavily, making a dull "bang" sound.
He realized he had underestimated this woman. She didn't play by the rules. If you didn't reason with her, she'd play dirty. If you played dirty with her, she'd talk back and talk about righteousness and the people's will. Her unpredictable nature made it hard to guard against her.
A middle-aged man in a grey gown and a goatee bowed and said, "Grand Master, this Song Qingyuan is indeed a difficult case. Her move not only appeases the people but also secures the sales of Sichuan salt in advance. Once the salt arrives, it will be purchased with coupons and in an orderly manner. It will be difficult for us to interfere."
This man was named Wu Jing. He was Li Song's chief of staff and was well-known for his wisdom.
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