In Luoshui Town's Zhou Duchan, these days are sad, waiting for the time to transport food in the past few days, he took Xiao Si and Xiao Qi to walk around several nearby villages, what he saw and heard is really miserable, the village fields are ruined, broken walls, hungry children, dying old people, people can't bear to look directly, you can see new graves everywhere, the people's lives are hard enough, just like this, there are still some people who take advantage of the fire to rob, human teeth and human traffickers, take the opportunity to lower the price, the price of a bucket of rice can buy a girl, Prices are lower for boys.

Every time Zhou Duchan goes out and walks around, he has to buy a lot of food in advance, and when he meets those poor children on the way, Zhou Duchan always wants to relieve them, but he finds that the price of rice here is getting more and more expensive.

Early in the morning, Xiao Si took someone out to buy rice, and waited for a long time for Xiao Si to come back in a huff.

Xiao Si is a very gentle person, and he rarely loses his temper, and Zhou Duchan is studying the terrain here.

Hearing the movement, his eyes did not take off the map, but casually asked: "How much rice bought?" ”

"Young Master...... Not to mention buying rice, there is not even a single grain shop in the whole town. ”

"If you don't open the door, won't you call the door?"

"Called, some people didn't open the door at all, and some people opened the inner door, and as soon as they heard that they were buying rice, they drove us out."

Zhou Duchan put down the map in his hand and looked solemn, "What's the matter?" ”

"I didn't understand what was going on at first, but when I came back, I met some ordinary people buying rice on the way, and I heard from them that they were some big family in the town, and I heard that there was some backstage behind them, and threatened the owners of those grain stores that they were not allowed to open the market to sell rice, and that they would sell all the grain to their families."

After hearing this, Zhou Duchan slapped the table fiercely, leaned back on the back of the chair violently, clenched the fire in his heart with his fists, and had nowhere to vent.

At this moment, it was reported that Shi Chao had returned, and Zhou Duchan waved his hand, "Bring him in...... quickly." ”

When the wind and dust were full of wind and frost, his face was tired, "General...... I am back. ”

"How's it going, has the grain arrived?"

"It's here, it's thirty carts in total, and we're here with a matto."

Zhou Duchan's face was happy, "Okay, how long will it take to arrive?" ”

Shi Chao lowered his head, his face unbearable, "General...... No, the emperor only gave so much. ”

"What?" Zhou Duchan's face changed in an instant.

"There are only so many, the emperor said that in the past few years, there have been many disasters across the country, and the grain handed over is much less than in previous years, and in addition to the continuous wars in the surrounding areas, the treasury has bottomed out."

Zhou Duchan closed his eyes, trying to suppress the anger in his heart, what disasters continued, what wars continued, this is all an excuse, the treasury has been corrupted by those corrupt officials, as far as he knows, there have been some natural disasters in some places in the south in the past two years, and those big provinces that pay grain are harvested every year, and when he doesn't know, the grain and silver approved by the household department are really distributed to the local hands of very few.

Zhou Duchan looked at the map on the table, the corners of his mouth pursed tightly, and he didn't say a word.

Everyone knew that Zhou Duchan was in a state of rage, and everyone held their breath and didn't dare to make a sound.

Xiao Si felt that his throat was dry and itchy, he wanted to cough but didn't dare, so he kept holding back, the time was really long, Xiao Si felt that he would definitely be suffocated to death if he continued like this, but he didn't dare to speak, looking at the chaos in front of him, Xiao Si quietly pushed Xiao Qi.

Xiao Qi didn't look at it, but just made his efforts a little smaller.

Xiao Si could only stare at Xiao Qi's back angrily.

Shi Chao saw the small movements of the two of them clearly, and after thinking about it, it was not a way to stand here all the time, and then said: "General, the emperor said that he would think of another way, and this grain can always last some people for some days." ”

Zhou Duchan's face was sad, "These grains are not enough for the people in this town to eat for a day, and there are too many people affected by the disaster." ”

"On the way here, I heard people say that there are many big families in this town, and we can buy grain from them in the name of the imperial court, or borrow grain ......."

"Wait...... Say what you just said again...... ”

"The road to heaven and earth?" Shi Chao said it tentatively.

"It's not ......."

"Borrowing grain from big and blessed households here or buying grain, the emperor said that the court will find a way to repay the money......."

Xiao Si said on the side: "Does the emperor mean that he wants our sons-in-law to look down at their faces and go to those big families to get grain on credit?" ”

Shi Chao didn't pay attention to what Xiao Si said, but looked at Zhou Duchan, waiting for Zhou Duchan to make a decision.

What Zhou Duchan cared about in his heart was not what he looked down at people's faces, but what Shi Chao just said, which reminded him of what happened to them when they bought food before.

After figuring out the matter, Zhou Duchan's eyes became like a cold and meaningless warmth, those people had already gotten the news, knowing that the imperial court had no food for disaster relief, in order to help these victims, the imperial court must ask them for help, so they are ready to make a lot of money, and when the price of rice is raised, the imperial court will definitely buy it according to the market price or on credit, it doesn't matter if the imperial court doesn't change it, as long as the imperial court gives them those salt or paper, or the imperial court's tribute tea or silk, Then it is not a matter of making a fortune, but with a mountain of gold and silver, the silver of the court is the best to earn.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt cold, Zhou Duchan frowned, if there was no food, it would be empty talk to save the victims here, and other things that Zhou Duchan wanted to do were not to be discussed.

I want to punish those who raise the price of rice, but I can't find any reason, and there is no law in the Great Xia Dynasty that can cure such price hikers.

Zhou Duchan is really at a loss, those thirty carts of grain can't last long at all, if everyone knows that the imperial court has no food for disaster relief, then if the people want to survive, maybe there will be turmoil, and the situation will become out of control.

"General...... There are some things that can be said and everyone will find a way to solve them together. ”

Xiao Si really admired Shi Chao's courage, they had been with Zhou Duchan for so long, they didn't dare to talk to Zhou Duchan like this. ”

Xiao Si secretly looked at Zhou Duchan's reaction, seeing his posture and ready to cover his head.

Zhou Duchan remembered what Xiao Man said before, the three stinkers beat Zhuge Liang, this is a sentence that Xiao Man Jing Chang hung on his lips, so Zhou Duchan also deliberately asked Xiao Man about the meaning of this sentence, thinking of this, Zhou Duchan unusually calmly accepted the advice of the chaos.

"Shi Chao is right, let's all sit down."

Sitting or standing, everyone sat around Zhou Duchan, and Xiao Si also deliberately brought a chair to Shi Chao, and served a cup of tea by the way, which was his respect for Shi Chao.

"Now the grain allocated by the imperial court is not at all, it can't solve any problems, and today Xiaosi went to the grain store in the town to buy grain can no longer be bought, it is said that it is the big family in the town, threatening the shopkeeper of these grain stores, asking them to buy all the grain to them, otherwise they will not be allowed to open the market, just now I suddenly thought that those people may have gotten the news that we will buy grain like them, these days the price of rice is getting more and more expensive, before a bucket of rice 20 wen, now a tael of silver can not buy a bucket of rice, and the price of rice is still rising, According to my estimates, those big households with grain reserves must be fighting the idea of the imperial court. ”

"The idea of fighting the imperial court, the imperial court has no money and no food, if you buy it, it will definitely be on credit, and the imperial court will not be able to let them offer it." Xiao Si's tone was full of atmosphere, standing behind the chaos of the times, and he had the courage to say what he thought.

Shi Ran shook his head, "If you don't buy their food, do you want to watch so many people here starve to death?" If they don't buy the price given by the imperial court, what can you do, if people don't sell it, can you force people to sell you grain? ”

"Then you can take them to blame."

Shi Chao sneered, "Ask the guilt, which law of the Great Xia Dynasty can punish their crimes, if others don't sell things, you will cure other people's crimes, it doesn't make sense anywhere, this kind of thing is based on personal conscience and conscience." ”

Xiao Qiyi was also anxious when he heard this, "What should I do?" Is it true that they don't have a little way to do it? ”

"Yes, that is, I don't buy food from them, I don't rely on them." Zhou Duchan clasped his hands in front of his chest and looked at the pine trees outside the window, his eyes were very determined.

Xiao Qi didn't dare to ask, if he didn't buy food from them, where would he go to get food.

Everyone present was lost in thought, but in fact, all of them asked this question in their hearts.

Shi Chao has always had the same idea, but there were too many people present, so he couldn't say much.

Although there is not much food, but it can save one by one, Zhou Duchan took people to carry the food and went directly to the local county office.

Xiao Si swore that this Luoshui yamen was the most broken yamen he had ever seen, and the county magistrate of this yamen was also the most unofficial he had ever seen.

When they arrived at the yamen, the county magistrate was not in the yamen at all, and there was only one person in the yamen, and that was a lame uncle who guarded the door.

The uncle spoke the dialect of the day, and they didn't understand it at all, so it took a long time to understand what they meant.

The old man shouted something to the broken yamen, and out of it came an earthy yellow dog, the dog must have been very old, a lot of hair on his body had fallen out, and none of the teeth in his mouth were intact.

The old man who was guarding the door, leaning on the only half of the door left, smoked the tobacco pouch silently, and did not talk to the little four, nor did he invite them in, Zhou Duchan stood outside and looked at this Luoshui Yamen.

Xiao Qi waited patiently for a while, and found that he still ignored them, so he was a little anxious, and he was about to step forward when he raised his feet, and the voice of Zhou Duchan came from behind him.

"Xiao Qi, what are you doing?"

"Young Master...... You've been standing here for a long time. ”

"Then don't bother the old man."

"Yes...... Got it, young master. Xiao Qi lowered his head, turned around and came back silently, standing beside Zhou Duchan.