roccoschili Chapter 394 The Clever Chu Tianche
Chapter 394 The Clever Chu Tianche
"Girl, I just spoke without thinking, please don't take it to heart."
After saying this, the waiter suddenly realized that Song Ruozhen's master was also there to do business. Wasn't he also insulting the master by saying this?
Song Ruozhen waved her hand dismissively, "It's alright. Merchants are driven by profit. I'm just a maid. I think the same way as you."
Upon hearing this, the waiter immediately felt much closer to him and spoke with less restraint.
"Isn't that right? Let me tell you, it's really strange. Our county magistrate used to be a well-liked official, but ever since the flood in Pingyang City, he seems to have changed his personality."
There was collusion between officials and businessmen, who allowed wealthy merchants to raise prices. By the time we realized something was wrong and tried to buy grain, it was no longer available.
When the grain was brought out again, the price had tripled. We ordinary people were just trying to make a living and get by. Suddenly it was so expensive, how could we afford to eat it?
Fortunately, my employer is kind-hearted. Since I work here, they sometimes give us leftovers to eat; otherwise, my situation would probably be no better than those who work as porters at the docks.
Song Ruozhen remembered that the goods being moved were being loaded onto the ship, not unloaded, and then she understood.
It turns out... all that grain was going to be sent to Pingyang City to be sold at a high price!
"These wealthy businessmen are truly heartless!" Song Ruozhen exclaimed in indignation.
When Chu Junting came to find Song Ruozhen, he saw her and Xiao Er looking like they had known each other for a long time.
Despite being the daughter of a general, she showed no airs whatsoever, sitting with the waiter and discussing topics that revealed no trace of a noble lady.
Her family were among the wealthiest merchants in the capital, with businesses spanning the entire country. Almost every merchant in the region knew the name of the Song family of the capital. So she felt no qualms about scolding the wealthy merchants.
Song Ruozhen had just finished asking the questions she wanted to know and was having a good time talking with the waiter when she turned around and saw Chu Junting with a half-smile on his face. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
She probably didn't hear what she said to her young master just now, right?
After the waiter left, she walked over to Chu Junting's side.
"I didn't expect you to be so good at gathering information," Chu Junting said with a light laugh.
Song Ruozhen raised her eyebrows, "Of course, the waiters in the restaurant may look inconspicuous, but they actually know a lot of information!"
They not only knew the prices of rice, flour, and oil, but they also knew all the gossip about each household. People talk the most at the dinner table, especially when they're drunk; they'll say whatever comes to mind, whether it's something to be said or not. So they knew all of that.
"I just learned that the prices of rice, flour, and oil in Haitian City have increased more than threefold, and the prices in Pingyang City will only be higher."
These wealthy merchants knew that Pingyang City was short of food, so they inflated prices, causing them to rise continuously. The reason many people in Haitian City were going hungry was twofold: firstly, due to the price increases, and secondly, because they had all sent their grain to Pingyang City.
Upon hearing this, Chu Junting's expression became more serious. "Are all the grains at the dock being sent to Pingyang City?"
“That’s right.” Song Ruozhen nodded. “Actually, judging from the situation, there is a lot of grain in Pingyang City, but the people can’t afford it, which is why so many people are starving to death.”
"In addition, I also learned that the magistrate of Haitian City was originally a well-respected magistrate, a father and father official of the people, and was very loved by everyone."
But ever since the flood, his personality has suddenly changed drastically. He's been condoning wealthy merchants to inflate grain prices, which I find rather suspicious.
Song Ruozhen pondered before speaking. Generally speaking, a person's temperament doesn't change suddenly for no reason. Once such a situation occurs, the most likely explanation is a sudden change in circumstances.
"You mean...you might be being blackmailed?"
Chu Junting pondered before speaking. Since he was a public official praised by everyone, he would certainly not want to amass wealth through unethical means. But now that he was suddenly turning a blind eye and even helping them, the possibility of him being threatened was the greatest.
Song Ruozhen nodded slightly, "It's not impossible, but we'll have to wait for Your Highness to investigate to find out the specifics."
Before long, Yunyang returned and told him everything he knew.
"Your Highness, I have learned that the price of grain here has more than tripled. Due to the shortage of grain, the price changes almost every few days, so the people have used almost all their silver to hoard grain."
Not only that, the situation near Pingyang City is even more dire; it's said that grain prices are astonishing, to the point that people are practically starving to death.
Yunyang's face was grim. When he was inquiring, he saw the miserable state of the refugees and was shocked. He wished he could kill all these rich and heartless people!
“Pingyang City has plenty of grain now, but people simply can’t afford it. They watch the grain being placed right in front of them, yet they starve to death.”
Upon hearing this, Grand Tutor Gu's heart sank; this was undoubtedly the last thing they wanted to see.
Have you inquired about the Jiang family's situation?
"The Jiang family are wealthy merchants in the capital. I heard that they made a fortune by driving up grain prices and even rallied other wealthy merchants to buy a lot of grain together. Now they are the richest family in the entire Haitian City."
I just took a walk around the Jiang family's neighborhood. The local people are already struggling to afford food, and they are also indulging in extravagance.
A group of homeless beggars were waiting at their back door for the leftovers they couldn't eat, while the servants inside were yelling and feeding them to a pack of dogs.
"You're a complete scoundrel!" Song Zhiyu slammed his fist on the table in anger. "You're utterly inhuman!"
Chu Tianche and Ling Qian'er rushed out after hearing the commotion outside. Upon learning the severity of the situation, Chu Tianche said:
“Whenever there is a famine, these wealthy merchants want to take the opportunity to make money. It would be better to force these wealthy merchants to open their granaries and release grain, and not allow grain prices to rise.”
The group exchanged glances; this was indeed a viable solution.
“Pingyang City is a large city with a large population. Although Haitian City is smaller, they have already transported all their grain elsewhere.”
Even if we force them to open their granaries and distribute food now, it probably won't last long.
Chu Junting analyzed the current situation and realized that he needed to carefully consider and come up with a more suitable solution.
Chu Tianche thought his idea was excellent, but he was a little unhappy that it wasn't adopted by Chu Junting. He asked, "Third brother, have you come up with any good ideas?"
"No, let's wait and learn more before making a decision."
Chu Junting remained calm. The Jiang family's situation was easy to explain, but the county magistrate's situation was somewhat strange, so it was best to investigate it first.
Upon hearing this, Chu Tianche said, "In that case, why not follow my method first? Although it won't last long, it will help as much as it can."
"So many people are starving these days. Releasing grain sooner means they can fill their stomachs sooner—isn't that a good thing?"
“This may not be the best approach,” Song Ruozhen said.