said a few dirty words and vented the depression in his heart, and silently found that the sky was still very blue.

Gui Youguang and Wang Yongji have already decided to share difficulties with him, although it is actually useless, but it is a great comfort to his soul.

My way is not alone, it is still feasible.

The next morning, Shen Mo posted a post to visit the Peng family, the patriarch of the Peng family's generation, Peng Xi, the official to the governor of Yunnan, although he has retired, but the grade is still there. Shen Mo gave the other party enough faces, and shouted one by one, coaxing Peng Xi very happy, and promised to support his plan.

In the afternoon, I went to Wang's house, which was the Wang Xianchen's house who built the Humble Administrator's Garden, of course, the Wang Lord had been buried more than ten years ago, and now the parent of this generation, Prince Jean, is the emperor of the left and the imperial history, so Shen Mo still has to deign to visit. The other party didn't dare to give him the qi pill to eat.

After a day's visit, the silence was nothing, but the iron pillar and Sanchi around him were angry, and Sanchi said: "What are these things, it seems that adults should come to visit." ”

"It's just that I take myself too seriously," Tie Zhu nodded: "These guys look very polite on their faces, but in fact, they don't have any sincerity at all." ”

Shen Mo looked back at his subordinates who were fighting for him, and said softly: "Remember, face is earned by yourself, not by others." ”

The two lowered their heads, savored the words of the adults, and said in their hearts that this is called cultivation.

Who knew that when they visited the other two families the next day, they encountered a situation that made people with good cultivation have no ignorance in their hearts -- the Pan family said that their lord went to visit a friend, and asked when he left, saying that he would leave this morning. When he asked when he would come back, he said, 'It will be three or five days, and seven or eight days.' ’

Lord Shen, who had eaten the closed door, had to go to the Lu family in Canglang Pavilion again, but the receptionist said that Master Lu followed that Lu Ji to Pinghu and congratulated the old lady of the Lu family on her birthday.

I asked about the time, and I said I left this morning.

Shen Mo was angry, no matter how stupid and naïve he was, he knew that this must be deliberate.

"Looks like something happened last night." He didn't go far back in the sedan chair, he ordered someone to get off the sedan chair, and said to the iron pillar outside: "Go and see if Peng Xi and Wang Zirang are also going out." As he spoke, he pointed to a nearby restaurant and said, "I'll be waiting for you here." ”

"Yes!" Tie Zhu didn't say a word and ran to investigate.

Shen Mo walked to the restaurant, looked at the signboard, and found that it was a shop specializing in all kinds of noodles such as steamed buns and wontons, which Suzhou people called 'piece head shop', which was a place for people who wore short shirts and worked hard to eat, and those rich people did not come in.

So as soon as Shen Shuyan appeared at the door, the hall inside was originally quite lively, and the diners suddenly quieted down, and they all looked at this uninvited guest in brocade clothes. But it was only for a moment, and he should eat and drink, and no one looked at him anymore.

At this time, it was still early, there was an empty table in the hall, Shen Mo sat down with a few three-footers, Xiao Er came over and asked what to eat, he looked at the people around him, and said, "It's the same as them." ”

Xiao Er thought that this was the son of a family, who was tired of eating the delicacies of the mountains and seas, and came out to change the taste, so he smiled and said: "You can count it, the chicken fat wontons in our store are famous, and the brand is ringing!" ”

"This boy is really here." A diner on the side interjected angrily: "If you come to eat tomorrow, you will have to pay more." ”

Xiao Er scolded: "Xiang Laosan, eat yours quickly, the prince still cares about those two money?" Saying that, he put on a smiling face and said to Shen Mo: "Chicken fat wonton, thousands of cakes, do you want to order anything else?" ”

Shen Mo shook his head and smiled: "I heard that you are going to raise the price, how much has it risen?" ”

Xiao Er glared at the diner, and smiled at Shen Mo: "It's not much, it's just that the five yuan has risen to six yuan." ”

"It's not much if it's up 20%?" Shen Mo frowned slightly: "Why the price increase?" ”

Xiao Er's was a little impatient, and said in his heart that you were dressed like a dog, why did you hear the price increase, your face turned green, so she smiled perfunctorily: "I'm sorry officer, it's just that the meal is too busy, and I'll come to share the ...... with you when I'm done."

Before he finished speaking, he heard the sound of the 'horn', and a small ingot of silver was slapped on the table by Sanchi, and he heard Sanchi's expressionless expression: "Say." ”

Xiao Er smiled like a flower, took the small silver ingot in his hand, held it tightly, nodded like a peck of rice, and said: "This is actually a trade secret, and I don't tell him about ordinary people." As he spoke, he turned back to drive away the diners who were paying attention: "Go, you are not allowed to listen if you don't give money!" When everyone turned around, they whispered in their silent ears: "Our boss went to the grain store this morning to buy goods, and I heard from the good shopkeeper that the purchase price of rice and noodles has risen by fifty percent!" As he spoke, he shook the silver in his hand and said in a weaker voice: "And listening to them, it will definitely rise sharply." If the son doesn't have food in store at home, he should hurry up and buy some while the price is not outrageous, maybe he won't be able to buy it in two days. ”

Finally, he sighed and said, "I have to quickly exchange the reward you gave for food." He shook his head and walked away.

The wontons came up, the oil was shiny, very tempting, silent but couldn't swallow, he had an ominous premonition, his proposal, eighty percent has been rejected by the big households in Suzhou! If that is the case, the situation will go in the worst direction, and it is very likely that it will be out of control!

As soon as he closes his eyes now, the image of ordinary people rushing to buy, merchants hoarding, and finally irreconcilable conflicts turn into riots of smashing and looting. The scenes on "The Tombstone of Five" seem to be staged half a century in advance.

From the point of view, once the city of Suzhou is in turmoil, I will either be diligent in the king's affairs, die in the community, or get out of the official position, wear the crime and go to Beijing, or get out of the run, or cut the hair of Dumen, pretend to be crazy, or bury the stone tablet at the bottom of the river, and climb up to call against his mother. Shen Mo began to think very seriously about the way back.

While he was thinking wildly, Tie Zhu hurried in from outside, and saw that he was discouraged and indignant, and without asking, he knew the result silently, and sat there like a clay sculpture.

"My lord, why don't we go?" Sanchi whispered, I've been with adults for so long, I've never seen him tepid, but I've never seen him so depressed.

Sanchi called both sides again, and only then did Shen Mo come back to his senses and ask, "What did you say?" ”

"Let's go." Sanchi said: "Prince Rang and Peng Xi have also left Suzhou City, you have to go back and think of a way." ”

"What else is there to think about?" Shen Mo smiled palely: "I have no money, and I have no power, and working against those noble officials is like a grasshopper shaking a tree, which is ridiculous." After speaking, he picked up the spoon and began to eat the wontons in the bowl.

Sanchi and Tiezhu stared blankly at the adult, only to see that he would deliver every wonton in his mouth, chewing and tasting it slowly, as if he would never be able to eat it again after eating this bowl.

The bowl was full of white gas, and they couldn't see his expression at this time, but both of them felt that adults must be very uncomfortable at the moment.

After eating all the wontons, and finally there was not even soup left, Shen Mo took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, got up and said, "Let's go." ”

The guards hurriedly followed, and as soon as they walked out of the store, the iron pillar and the three feet were two, and they asked with concern, "My lord, are you okay?" ”

"What can I do?" Shen Mo glared at them angrily and said, "Don't eat radish here salty and light-hearted, carry me to find a few more rice shops to see, and then go back." After speaking, he lifted the sedan curtain and sat in.

The two looked at each other and asked in a low voice, "Is it really okay?" ”

"If the adults say it's okay, it's okay." Tie Zhu said in a deep voice: "Get up and go to Fengsheng Wharf!" "It's where the grain stores gather.

"Your Excellency is recovering so quickly." Sanchi muttered in a low voice: "Could it be that wontons also have the effect of spiritual healing?" ”

"You're wrong," Tie Zhu said in a low voice, "It's the adults who only allow themselves to be weak in a bowl of rice." After all, he knows more about silence than Sanchi, and he feels that adults have great ambitions, how can they fall in the small city of Suzhou?

That's right, Silence ate all the pain, hesitation, weakness, and helplessness with that bowl of wontons. He told himself that since he had chosen this thorny path, he had to keep going! It is permissible to fall and fail, but never bow down in the face of difficulties!

Because you can get up again if you fail, but as long as you lower your head once and retreat once, you will have a second bow, a second retreat, and eventually become a habit, and in the end nothing will be achieved!

When the sedan chair arrived at the Fengsheng Wharf, he silently saw that the people lined up outside a grain store, and the sign of 'price increase of fifty percent' hanging at the door of the store was so dazzling, which scorched the hearts of the people and made people lose the peace of the past.

Shen Mo didn't get out of the sedan chair, but heard the people shouting angrily: "Di Niang, it's too black-hearted, if the price rises by half, do you want people to live!" "You vicious dogs, you don't have an asshole when you give birth!"

But the shopkeepers are even more depressed, they don't want to buy this expensive, but if they don't sell it like this, they will lose money!

The crowd was noisy and shouting, and the people were angry, but they scolded a lot and bought little, and they were obviously extremely indignant at this price, and there was a tendency to denounce the annihilation of the merchants.

In the end, the grain store was really unable to resist, and urgently summed it up, and the president of the grain and oil chamber of commerce, an old man in his fifties and sixties, came forward, bowed to the people and said: "Grandfathers, ancestors, you go to Changshu and Taicang to inquire, how far has the price of rice risen now, if it weren't for the fear of smashing the signboard, we would have closed our doors long ago, and now we are selling according to two or two six, and we have to pay for the freight, the more you sell, the more you lose......

"Nonsense, who will do the loss-making business!" People don't believe.

"Why do you have to lose money?" When the old man saw that everyone believed it, he spoke even harder: "If you lose money, you have to make money!" We are all villagers in the township, we should get through the difficulties together, we must sell food if we have it, buy it at a loss, pull it down at a loss, and never let the villagers poke the backbone! ”

Although his speech was performative, the effect was immediate. The common people still have clear grievances, hearing the president of the grain and oil chamber of commerce say this, the anger of the crowd gradually subsided, after all, the grain store did not hoard, and the price increase was also a last resort.

"When is that going to be a head?" Someone asked aloud. Saying such things often means forbearance.

"Hey," the president sighed and said: "We don't grow food in Suzhou City, we rely on the supply of Changshu and Taicang. ”

"That means it's going to go up?" The crowd shook again, but this time the anger was no longer directed at these grain stores, but at the hateful upstream grain merchants.

The president was about to nod, but he saw a young man in the distance, who was shaking his head at him, so he shook his head and said, "This is not accurate, grain is said to be expensive in gold, more expensive than gold, it is said to be cheap, it is as cheap as loess, and when the new grain comes down in a few months, it will definitely be worthless." He said to everyone: "Don't be impatient, everyone, our grain and oil chamber of commerce, let's go to the government to ask for everyone's life, please ask the lord of the government to strictly order Taicang Changshu to curb hoarding!" ”

"Good!" The common people applauded: "Let's go with you, make a strong noise, and let Lord Fuzun know what everyone means." ”

"I understand everyone's kindness, but I can't help it." The chairman waved his hand again and again: "As soon as so many people go, in the eyes of others, it will be a demonstration, which will embarrass the mansion." As he spoke, he arched his hand and said, "Please disperse, let's go to Lord Fuzun to petition." ”

The common people exchanged their heads for a while, and a few of them said with great prestige: "I believe in you, we won't buy rice first, so that you won't lose this money." ”

"Thank you, thank you." The president said gratefully.

"But don't play tricks," he threatened, "or you will smash your storefront, and it will be a matter of course!" ”

"That's that, that's." The president echoed and said.

Under the coaxing and deception of the 'grain and oil president', the crowd finally dispersed.

The elder sighed for a long time, his legs were weak as if he was prostration, if it wasn't for the people around him, he would have almost collapsed to the ground, and the owners of several grain stores who supported him were full of gratitude: "Master Gu, you have worked hard, let's rest inside." ”

President Nagu shook his head and stood firmly, "Follow me to invite that master." Everyone didn't know what was going on, but his prestige was too high, especially after the matter of Fang Cai, he simply became the backbone of everyone, and they all obediently followed him.

Shen Mo didn't leave, still standing by the sedan chair, President Gu walked up to him, hugged his fists at him and said, "Please speak inside." ”

Nodding silently, without saying a word, he followed him into the largest grain store 'Baifeng', and after entering the back hall, President Gu said to the people around him: "You all go out, don't eavesdrop, and don't let anyone approach." In front of outsiders, everyone wanted to give face to the president, so they all retreated in a daze.

After there was no one else in the room except for the silent people, President Nagu knelt down on his knees and bowed heavily: "Gu Rundong, President of the Suzhou Grain and Oil Chamber of Commerce, meet Lord Fuzun." ”

Shen Mo didn't ask him, how do you know it's me? Just like he was sure that Lu Ding was the man in black, it was an intuitive judgment, which did not need any reason, and was completely a gift from life experience.

Seeing that Shen Mo did not deny it, President Gu put his mind at ease and whispered, "Your Excellency should already know what happened, right?" ”

"Yes," Shen Mo nodded slightly, "That's why I'm here." ”

"Great." Gu Rundong whispered: "If adults can find out about this situation as soon as possible, then there is still hope." ”

"What do you say?" Shen Mo asked lightly.

"Open the warehouse and release the grain!" Gu Rundong said categorically: "At all costs, keep the confidence of the people, as long as they don't panic, things will definitely take a turn for the better!" ”

Shen Mo nodded and said, "Let's be honest with you, if there is no big earthquake, this official is not afraid at all!" He told the truth, the original Yicang in Suzhou was at least enough food for the people of the city to eat for a year, which could not only relieve the famine, but also effectively deter speculation.

However, the earthquake that affected several northern provinces in the 34th year of Jiajing was too traumatic to the Ming Dynasty. Mountains and rivers are displaced, roads are changed, not to mention how bad the city walls are, there are many earthquakes in various places, the entire 35 years, are spent in the aftershocks, a large number of state capitals are almost extinct, tens of millions of hungry people flock to Beijing, Shandong, Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Huguang and other places, the state capitals have no choice but to open warehouses to release grain, although it is a gruel as bright as water, but can not stand the ants to bite the elephant to death, a year down, these places have been eaten cleanly, even the rats in the warehouse have moved.

Later, in order to send the victims home, Cao Bangfu, the governor of Susong, ordered the prefectures to pay for the passage of the new grain harvested in the autumn harvest that should have been put into storage, and repatriated the millions of victims in the provinces of Nanzhili. So the result now is that he silently counted the nine warehouses of the three yamen in Suzhou City, and found a total of 87 loads of grain...... "Only 10,000 catties of grain?" Gu Rundong was infinitely disappointed and said: "It's not enough to stuff your teeth." ”

"Don't worry, I have ordered the subordinate counties to mobilize the surplus grain, and urgently report to the governor's yamen, please transfer military rations to support." He said silently: "We can definitely pass this difficulty!" ”

Just like Gu Rundong appeased those ordinary people, silence also had to relieve the pressure on this grain and oil president.

Sadly, no one can relieve the pressure on him, so he has to carry all the problems himself.

(To be continued)