Chapter 1631: Grain?

Chapter 1615: Where's the Grain?

Once the announcement was made, a long-lost smile appeared on the faces of even the most serious residents of Tianshui City. The Imperial Nectar either wouldn't arrive for sixty years, or it would come several times within a single year. They were truly luckier than their fathers and grandfathers!

The inauguration ceremony for the new city government office was grand, and King Yao, making time from his busy schedule, surprised all the officials by attending. Afterward, He Lingchuan continued to immerse himself in the project, working from dawn till dusk, as busy as a spinning top. The people Qingyang sent to monitor him at the construction site reported He Xiao's schedule back to Youhu Thatched Cottage. His days were packed: apart from fifteen minutes for meals and thirty minutes for toilet breaks, he worked continuously for seven hours straight. With great chaos and calamity approaching, this fellow not only didn't flee but also diligently carried out the tasks assigned by King Yao. He seemed genuinely devoted to building his career here, earning even Qingyang's admiration. He remained calm in the face of major events, even putting full effort into his pretense. Such a person was truly formidable. A young man so composed simply had to die.

At this moment, He Lingchuan was discussing with You Rongzhi: "Lord You, the eastern expansion project is progressing too quickly; it's a big problem." You Rongzhi was greatly surprised: "Why? Isn't that a good thing?" He had been busy with family matters for the past two days and had just returned to the site when he heard He Xiao's strange words. Both the King and the Yao Court wished for the fastest possible progress. Why would He Xiao go against that?

"The fast progress is due to a sudden surge in labor. Over the past seven days, more than 12,000 additional people have joined, mostly for heavy manual labor like moving bricks, laying tiles, and breaking stones," He Lingchuan shook his head. "Wages are secondary; paying a bit more for urgent work isn't an issue, but the food supply can't keep up." Upon hearing "12,000 people," You Rongzhi immediately realized this was indeed a problem. Grain prices inside and outside the city had soared to exorbitant levels. Money that once bought six or seven *jin* of grain was now barely enough for one *jin*, and even then, people were grateful. Even if people clutched their money and queued outside grain stores, it was very likely that by the time they finally reached the front, the grain would be sold out. Large numbers of commoners and displaced people within the city eagerly signed up for the Tianshui eastern expansion project precisely because—the project provided meals! From the very beginning, to speed up progress, it naturally introduced preferential measures to attract common laborers and artisans. Although meals were provided at fixed times and in fixed quantities, not all big eaters could eat their fill. The grain wasn't of good quality either, and one shouldn't rummage around too much while eating, or there might be a plump, white worm. But at such a time, who dared to be picky? Everyone had to smile and eat it as an extra treat, savoring the moment. In just a few days, the Tianshui eastern expansion project gained 12,000 more laborers. Added to the original workforce, they were all relentless eating machines. The project department was immediately stretched thin. Grain prices were several times higher than before, and it was a market where there were prices but no goods!

He Lingchuan gave a bitter smile: "We've been scrambling to gather supplies just to keep them barely fed. Originally, it was two meals a day, now it's one at most. Complaints are starting to spread on the construction site." You Rongzhi also felt a headache coming on: "Does Chief He have any ideas?" "I've already announced a halt to new hires for the project. The problem is the existing workforce is already enormous," He Lingchuan said seriously. "The food for this project simply cannot be coordinated. We'll need your intervention, Lord." Some things he absolutely refused to say, and some ideas he absolutely refused to offer. This was because King Yao should make these decisions himself. He couldn't get involved in that karma.

You Rongzhi asked him, "How many more days can it last?" He knew that people doing heavy labor ate a lot. "Man is iron, food is steel; how can one work without food?" "We'll run out of food in two days at most." Two days! Sweat beaded on You Rongzhi's forehead again. He Xiao's claim of "cannot coordinate" was true. And this fellow was merely an Adjudicator of the Upper Council, holding no real power. Pressuring him was useless; he couldn't conjure grain. No power, no responsibility, after all. The ones truly making decisions and solving practical difficulties still had to be You Rongzhi, and King Yao.

You Rongzhi thought for a moment and could only say, "Let me make a trip to the palace." He Lingchuan only spoke, while he (You Rongzhi) was the true project manager. You Rongzhi left in a hurry, and He Lingchuan watched his retreating back with a faint smile. The Soul-Capturing Mirror in his arms coughed: "Hey, are you thinking of—?" "Exactly, adding fuel to the fire." Qingyang's plan was quite good, and He Lingchuan intended to add more kindling for her.

Yao Palace, Imperial Study. You Rongzhi had reported the grain shortage problem for the Tianshui eastern expansion project in full detail. "Two days?" King Yao frowned. "The site only has two days' worth of food left, why are you only reporting this today? Coordinate with the Ministry of Revenue." "I've tried twice," You Rongzhi said with a bitter smile. "But grain prices are too high now. Supplying food for tens of thousands of people costs as much as it used to for hundreds of thousands." The Tianshui eastern expansion was a massive project, consuming an astonishing amount of grain daily, and grain prices had surged six or seven times. That expenditure would be multiplied by six, making it not just astonishing, but terrifying. "Lord Li from the Ministry of Revenue said that all surrounding granaries are fully committed to supplying Tianshui City and have no surplus to spare for the eastern expansion project, unless, uh..." King Yao's brows furrowed tightly: "Speak up, stop being so indecisive!" Each of his ministers was just making things difficult! "Unless we take grain from the military granaries."

King Yao slammed the table, furious: "Military granaries? Military provisions are always prioritized. You actually want to do the opposite? Have you been officials for so many years that your common sense has gone to the dogs?" What country would dare to easily cut the military's food supply? "Well..." It's fine to secretly divert a little, isn't that what's always been done? How much better could military granaries be than regular ones? Of course, You Rongzhi couldn't blurt out the plain truth in front of King Yao, so he chose a secondary option: "We could also buy high-priced grain on the market, but then we couldn't provide it free to the laborers. Even if we sold it at cost, the project would... be difficult to carry out like that." The project initially promised free food and drink to laborers. Charging for meals mid-project might be excusable, given the circumstances. But with current grain prices, how could those common laborers afford it? A day's work probably wouldn't even cover half a meal's cost. Were they there to earn wages or to lose money at the construction site? Both You Rongzhi and King Yao could imagine the uproar that would erupt at the Tianshui eastern expansion project site if this method were actually implemented. If those rowdy ruffians became unhappy, petty theft and random defecation would be minor issues; they might even start a full-blown riot on the spot. However, continuing to provide free grain to the construction site would be prohibitively expensive. Tens of thousands of people, six times the grain price! Every single penny would come from the national treasury! Could the insignificant manual labor they performed really be worth that price? Thinking of this, King Yao's heart twinged with pain.

Actually, there was another way. He said gravely: "How about this: The Imperial Nectar is about to erupt soon anyway. The project will definitely halt during those days, so we might as well do it earlier." When the Imperial Nectar erupts, both humans and animals are driven by instinct and easily become irrational. Every time the Imperial Nectar flourished, chaos invariably ensued in the cities. Therefore, large-scale collaborative projects like the Tianshui eastern expansion would certainly be suspended temporarily. It's only a few days difference, so better to do it early. You Rongzhi whispered, "Are you saying?" "Keep a few teams, settle the wages for the rest, and dismiss them early," King Yao's words always made sense. "Working a few more days won't finish a temple; working a few days less won't significantly delay the project." It was good that King Yao was willing to make a decision. You Rongzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, I'll go arrange it right away." "Handle it smoothly, don't let it turn into a big incident." You Rongzhi assented and respectfully withdrew. His back was completely drenched in sweat. After exiting the Frost Immortal Hall, the cold wind from the Jade Spring Palace made him sneeze more than ten times.

He Lingchuan wasn't met by You Rongzhi, but by Zhao Song, who had just returned from the palace. He had gone to the palace this morning to report to the king, mainly recounting He Xiao's recent words and actions—in short, tattling. He Lingchuan noticed his unusual expression and asked with concern, "Brother Zhao, what happened?" Zhao Song's lips moved, hesitating whether to speak. But then he thought, He Xiao was so well-informed; if he didn't hear it from him, he'd find out through other channels anyway. So he led He Lingchuan to a corner and whispered, "Last night, the Grand Judge took palace guards to make arrests." This statement was significant. Would the Grand Judge get involved with ordinary people? "Who?" "Hu Qianyin, the Left Envoy of the Imperial Guard, Wang Zuo, the Eastern County Magistrate of Tianshui City. I also heard two from the Ministry of War, though I haven't confirmed their names yet." He Lingchuan was surprised: "What does this mean?" "The Grand Judge arrested them and is secretly interrogating them in the Heavenly Prison. So far, no one knows their charges." Zhao Song only knew one thing: the Grand Judge was undoubtedly acting on King Yao's orders. "Could these officials be connected in some way?" Zhao Song shook his head: "I'm not sure." Having been in the palace for many years, he knew that gossip also had limits. Some things could be spoken casually, others absolutely could not be speculated upon, or losing one's official post would be a minor consequence.

He Lingchuan had been in Tianshui City for so long, entering the palace every few days, and had grown to understand King Yao's temperament better. This old man was somewhat obstinate but also not a man of swift action. His sudden secret order for the Grand Judge to arrest people, without even giving a reason or heeding public discussion, indicated that—either he was utterly enraged and disregarded the consequences, or the crimes committed by these individuals were too significant, and King Yao felt their interrogation was urgent. Of course, both situations might apply. Recently, Tianshui City was in a turbulent period: the project was difficult to manage, grain prices were soaring, displaced people were causing trouble, and to the north, Luodian frequently harassed the border... Furthermore, King Yao in the deep palace had likely just realized Qingyang's intention to deal with him. Which of the above issues was related to the crimes committed by those ministers?

As night fell, more news arrived. Vice Minister of War Bao Wei was taken away by the Grand Judge and suddenly died of poison on the way to prison; Minister Wu Xianlong fled, his whereabouts unknown. These events caused a huge stir in the Yao Court. Everyone was discussing what crimes these people had committed. Before King Yao could make a public announcement, another piece of terrible news arrived: A massive fire had suddenly broken out at the kiln granary! This season was dry and windy, making the fire exceptionally fierce and uncontrollable.