In accordance with the plan discussed with Xiang Yan, Liu Yan is visiting major grain merchants one by one to discuss the purchase of grain.

Originally, everything was going in an orderly manner, with progress and difficulties, but on the whole it was moving in a good direction.

But early this morning, things started to go wrong.

First, when I went to a grain merchant, I didn't see anyone, and I said that the shopkeeper had gone far away.

Later, when he went to the second house, although he saw the shopkeeper, he said that his grain had been resold to other families, and Liu Yan asked where it was sold, but the shopkeeper was also unwilling to disclose it.

And the third grain merchant was simply unwilling to talk to Liu Yan directly, and after Liu Yan revealed his identity, the family directly asked Liu Yan to go back, and they didn't even report it.

At this time, Liu Yan realized that something was wrong.

I immediately went to a small grain merchant who had negotiated and told me about the situation.

This small grain merchant, surnamed Qian, first got up and closed the door after listening to Liu Yan's words.

Then he said to Liu Yan mysteriously:

"This matter, if you ask me, you will be asking the right person."

"I'm afraid that in the whole of Yuhang, I am the only one who will tell you this!"

"The rest of the people are either too small to hear the news."

"Either it's enough to be qualified, and it's already in the game!"

"The shopkeeper of Donghang Grain Store is my cousin, and he had no intention of leaking when I drank with him last night."

"It was said that the news came from the Cui family, and the imperial court allocated four million taels of silver to Lord Qincha!"

"He also ordered Lord Qincha to return to Beijing within a month after dealing with the affairs of Jiangnan Province."

"As long as all the grain merchants are united. Resolutely do not sell low-priced grain, and when the deadline is tight, Lord Qincha will pinch his nose and buy high-priced grain in their hands! ”

Liu Yan was shocked when he heard this:

"What? The imperial court allocated four million taels of silver to my son-in-law? I don't know about that. ”

The money shopkeeper was curious:

"What? You don't know either? The Cui family has always been true to his word in Yuhang, and it is impossible for him to tell such a big lie. ”

"Could it be that your son-in-law is deliberately hiding it from you? Or is this just a decision made by the capital, and even your son-in-law has not been notified? ”

Liu Yan's face was a little unsightly:

"It's impossible for my son-in-law to hide it from me, it seems that there is only the possibility you said."

"Five surnames and seven hopes! It's true that it is said that it is on New Year's Day! ”

"If you want to allocate funds to my son-in-law, even my son-in-law doesn't know that the Cui family knows first, what a terrifying relationship network!"

The shopkeeper said,

"Since things have developed to this point, I think that the grain merchants you negotiated before are probably going to change, although we small grain merchants have fewer chips in our hands, but the less we are, the more cautious we must be. I'm afraid that small grain merchants like me will not let go easily before the big grain stores sell grain. ”

Liu Yan thought about it and said:

"Money shopkeeper, you tell me these things, and I will also admit your feelings and reveal some inside information to you."

"Don't look left and right, my son-in-law said, don't look down on the price you can give now, but it's already high compared to the price of rice in ordinary years."

"And the price given now is already the highest price that the government can give, and the price will only get lower and lower in the future!"

"The sooner you shoot, the more you will benefit!"

"Let me tell you quietly, my son-in-law has channels, and he wants Yuhang's grain just to give more food to the victims."

"Even if the grain merchants in Yuhang don't cooperate, my son-in-law can still cure this disaster!"

"Of course, I don't force you. If you can trust me, you can help me operate secretly, secretly contact some small grain merchants, and we will still buy the grain in your hands at the negotiated price! If you can't believe me, we can't buy and sell, and it won't be me who suffers anyway. ”

"Think about what I said, I'll leave first today, and if you think clearly, you can contact me at any time."

After Liu Yan came out of the shopkeeper's house, he planned to go back to Yuhang County directly.

But after thinking about it, I went to the various grain sales offices to see if there was any new news.

At this turn, a new situation has emerged.

"Boss Zhao, why did the price of this grain suddenly rise so much overnight!"

"It's doubled! Who can afford to eat food! ”

was called Boss Zhao as the shopkeeper of a small shop, but the shopkeeper was actually a worker.

The surrounding residents all knew that behind this small shop there were still the shadows of some big grain merchants.

This is also a retail store of a large grain merchant.

Boss Zhao replied:

"I can't afford to eat and go to the porridge shed to get porridge. Anyway, the porridge that our Lord Qincha has newly given is said to meet the standards of the laws of the Great Zhou. ”

"And you can't afford to eat food and what am I calling?"

"Did I leave you without money?"

"Besides, whatever price you sell, that's what it means above, if you have the ability to scold the people above, what's the use of yelling at me?"

"To buy or not to buy? If you don't buy it, go now! Don't stand in the way of my other guests. ”

The customer was choked by Boss Zhao a few times, and he turned around angrily to leave.

"Eh~"

Boss Zhao called out at the right time,

"Don't blame me for not reminding some people, if you don't buy it today, you may not be able to buy food at this price tomorrow, don't open the pot at home at that time, the whole family will be hungry~"

The customer who was about to leave was reminded by Boss Zhao, and stopped leaving.

In the end, I could only come back and buy while scolding:

"Minister Raushzi, what kind of disaster can you cure!"

"After a few days of treatment, there was no improvement, but on the contrary, those of us who could afford to buy food could not afford it!"

"We'll be treated in two days!"

"How can this disaster victim be cured more and more?"

"What the fuck, what kind of world, and don't let people live......"

Several surrounding households who heard the news opened their rice jars and looked at their own grain storage.

Originally, I used to scoop a bowl of rice for lunch.

I heard that something was going on outside.

Hurriedly poured half a bowl of rice back into the rice jar.

Inside and outside the house, there was a sigh.

Seeing that the people's grievances were rising, Liu Yan hurriedly returned to the county government to report these situations to Xiang Yan.

After hearing this, Xiang Yan thought quietly for a while, and then said:

"Hoarding and artificially inflating grain prices during disasters is not an exaggeration to cut down all those grain merchants."

"But once the large-scale killing starts, I'm afraid that all the other grain merchants will have to abscond with grain."

"Those who can't escape will also hide the food, we are very short on time, and we can't afford to play hide and seek with them back and forth."

"And the Cui family has made a move, and it doesn't seem very polite if we don't follow."

"Since they want to play, then let's play with them!"

"Counting the days, our fleet should be there today."

"Brother Liu, you set off immediately, take a small boat against the current to meet it, and prevent the fleet from docking at Yuhang Port."

"It's better to find a place in the middle of nowhere to stop."

"Since we're going to be at the table, we're going to have to cover our hands first."