Chapter 115
After the revelry ended, the leaders gradually sensed something was amiss. First, Yunkai reported that the Japanese had bombed the Burma Railway and were trying to persuade the Shan chieftains in Burma to cooperate, effectively preventing the export of opium. Then, grain prices in Yunxiang skyrocketed, almost reaching the same level as the opium. Strangest of all, grain prices were soaring, yet they were still unavailable. Those in the Mengquan region who didn't grow opium locked their warehouses tightly, watching the soaring prices, refusing to sell a single grain, hoping to see if the price would rise higher than the bodhi tree in the monastery.
At first, these leaders didn't take it seriously. They had plenty of money and only a little food. If Yun Xiang couldn't buy it, they could just go buy it elsewhere. But the lords and leaders of the surrounding city-states, as if by agreement, all shook their heads and said it was difficult to deal with, as they didn't have much food left.
No surplus food? Isn't that a joke? Every year during the rice harvest, the Han people would enviously say, "The rice is yellow, the Dai are wild." Aside from those scoundrels in Mengding Prefecture who love to cause famine, when have you ever heard of the Dai not having enough food?
Only then did the chieftains realize that something was seriously wrong! Although they felt the situation was difficult, they remained calm. Why should they panic? They had the chieftain! This chieftain was no less powerful than his father. He had already allowed them to sell opium, so what did a little grain mean to them? With the chieftain's intervention, those ignorant chieftains who wanted to take advantage of the situation would not only sell their grain, but also wouldn't dare to ask for such a high price.
Looking at Yun Kai, who was at the top with a kind expression, they all demanded that those who took advantage of others' misfortunes should be severely punished.
"The most important thing for you now is to negotiate with those Mengquan people who have grain on how to buy it. You have to negotiate with those leaders in a friendly manner, not use my influence to force them to buy or sell. Since I am the lord of this city, I must treat everyone equally. You have made a fortune selling opium, so what's wrong with those who honestly grow grain wanting to make some money?"
Yun Kai spoke softly, his handsome face showing a gentle and elegant expression, as if he was just chatting with them casually, but the leaders all sensed an ominous meaning in his words.
These people were used to Yun Kaiyu's demands and could not accept this disguised rejection. The laid-off leader immediately said rudely: "Master, what are you talking about? Even if we make a little money, it is all thanks to your kindness and our hard work. Menglai and Mengnan want to eat meat but are afraid of death. Seeing us making profits, they are jealous. Master, if you don't punish these lawless people, it is really unfair to us who are loyal and dedicated to sharing your worries! We have paid all the taxes you collected without owing a penny."
Loyal?! Yun Kai scoffed inwardly, but his face remained impassive. Even his slightly leaning back against the armrest remained unchanged. His eyes and tone remained steady and gentle, like the Buddha statue on the shrine in the Zangfang Temple, benevolent and kind, even with a hint of compassion.
He sighed softly and said, "Those chiefs cherish the land, so it's no big deal if they ask for a little more money for the food they've worked so hard to grow. You can afford it, so why not be more generous and make everyone happy?"
The unemployed leader of the rice circle almost collapsed on his back, shouting in shock, "Twenty silver dollars a load of rice? How much more is that? This is clearly robbery."
Feng Xiaosai had always been a thorn in Yunkai's side. Seeing him leaning back in his chair as if about to fall asleep, he stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said to the leaders, "Don't make things difficult for me, leaders. We are all Yun Xiang's subjects, and I have to treat them all equally. It's just like life in my own family. Some sons are honest, some are not. Some are rebellious, and some are obedient. But they are all sons, and it's not good to be partial to any one of them. If brothers fight, it's okay for parents to mediate, but I've never heard of parents indiscriminately forcing a son to give away his property to those who eat fat and bloated. What's wrong with the higher prices in Menglai? You all say your money doesn't come from the wind, and other people's rice just falls from the sky, right?"
A group of leaders' faces flushed red and black after being ridiculed by Feng Xiaosai's respectful but veiled taunts. The laid-off leader slammed the table, pointed at Feng Xiaosai and cursed, "Who are you calling a bastard? Do you have the right to speak here?"
Yun Kai held his forehead with his hand, half-closing his eyes, and said calmly, "Now I have no right to speak. Wasn't it because you listened to the slander of a servant that you pulled up all the seedlings you planted? Now you have no food to eat, who can you blame?"
He opened his half-closed eyes and sneered at the sullen-faced chiefs before him. He said in a soft voice, "You now have two choices: spend some money to buy food, or wait to starve to death. Even if you cry your poverty to me, you won't get any food." He smiled and added, "How about you go ask that servant who gave you such bad advice and see if they have any way to save you?"
Seeing that Yun Kai didn't budge, the people left in anger. Yun Kai sat up straight and lazily instructed Feng Xiaochong: "Send a few more people to guard the gate of your father Tao's house, and don't let these chiefs tear it down."
Feng Xiaosai smiled and said, "Dad Tao told them to go ahead. He has a lot of things to say to them."
These leaders didn't go looking for Tao Da. It was obvious that Tao Da and Yun Kai had colluded to set them up, so what was the point in looking for him? A group of people gathered in Manlai Tower and cursed Yun Kai.
The chiefs were cursing the Han family's ancestors for eighteen generations, but the Mengwang chief found that the Shanggang chief said nothing, drank one glass of wine after another with a gloomy face.
He held down the hand of the circle leader who was holding the wine jug and said with a sad face: "The situation is urgent and you are still busy drinking. Come up with some rules!" They always followed the lead of the circle leader, and of course they also hoped that he would show them a way out.
The leader of the Shanggang Circle shook off the Mengna leader's hand, glanced at the leaders who were still cursing, and sneered, "Of course there is a way. It all depends on whether you have the courage."
The leaders knew why courage was needed, and unlike their previous angry calls for fighting and killing, they all hesitated.
The Mengna leader asked cautiously, "Are you saying that we should reinstate Master Tinglai?"
"Master Tinglai?" The leader of the Shanggang Circle snorted coldly, "We forced him to leave Mengquan to sell opium. This feud is settled. Will he let us have a good time if he becomes a chieftain?"
The leaders were silent. They knew that Master Tinglai would be even better at this kind of trick than them after he came to power, but who else could solve this dilemma?
The granary is almost empty. If we don’t find a solution, there will be a lot of starving people.
The unemployed leader of the group was puzzled and asked, "If it's not Grandpa Tinglai, who else could it be? Besides Grandpa Tinglai, there's no other branch of their family worthy of the chieftain's position!"
The leader of the Shanggan Circle twirled his wine glass between his fingers and said calmly, "Does the position of chieftain only belong to the Han family? We call him Master because of his deceased father. A treacherous brat wants us dead before he even has a chance to warm his throne. If we don't tear him down, are we going to keep him around for the Closing Festival?"
Finding an obedient chieftain is one thing; raising the flag of rebellion is another. Throughout history, how many traitors have met a good end? Let's not even talk about the distant past. Back then, when the British coveted the silver mines of the Eighteen Tribes, Xiao Maha became their lackey and was ultimately beheaded by the Wa King as a sacrifice to the grain.
No matter how cowardly and incompetent Han Yunkai was, he was now a legitimate chieftain. The reason they had been able to control him before was because they had the right to do so. The ancestral family rules were there, and no one could accuse them of anything. If they were to bring him down now without any legitimate reason, not only would his Burmese uncles, but even his maternal uncle, the chieftain Zhangwai, would stand up for him. His family's numerous in-laws weren't made for nothing.
The leader of the Shanggang Circle slammed the wine glass in his hand to the ground, his face gloomy, saying: "He is unkind, so we are unjust! If he is an obedient person, it would be fine to keep him alive for the sake of his deceased master and let him live a peaceful life in the Tusi Mansion. But this little wolf cub bites people silently, so he can't be spared."
Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, he calmed down and persuaded them, "If we don't want to starve to death, we have to use all the money we earn from selling opium to buy food. We've been working for a year with our lives on the line, who would be willing to do that? What's the difference between the current situation and the situation of falling out with other Mengquan people and the Han family? If you want to do something, do it big and rebel against the Han family. The government granary is full of food."
Hearing this, everyone was tempted. They were now the Master's thorns in the eye, his flesh and blood. The Master was also cruel and ungrateful. On the surface, he appeared amiable and accommodating, but secretly, he was digging a deep pit for them to fall into. Rather than letting the Master boil them to death, it would be better for them to strike first.
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