Qizhou Licheng, Qin envoy Xingyuan, study.

Bai Yutang had just rushed back from Jeju, and after seeing the situation in Licheng, he couldn't take a break, so he hurriedly came to see Yan Chasan.

"Lord Yan, why haven't you prepared shelter for the victims outside the city?"

"Also, why is this city so depressed?"

Yan Chasan was very happy to see Bai Yutang coming back, but when he saw him asking, he was a little speechless.

Seeing this, Han Zhang, a gopher, explained indignantly: "Aren't those local gentry and grain merchants yet? ”

"Lord Yan originally planned to stabilize the local grain price, but those grain merchants deliberately set up a trap, not only taking a lot of our disaster relief money, but also causing great losses to the civilians in the city."

Yan Chasan shook his head helplessly and said: "It's me who mistakenly believed in the villain, if you talk about buying low and selling high, and manipulating prices, I am not as smart as those businessmen after all." ”

Han Zhang hurriedly explained for him:

"There are also those corrupt officials and corrupt officials, who oppose the adults everywhere and shield those gentry and grain merchants, otherwise it would not be like this."

After speaking, he said: "As for the shelter of the victims for the winter, the progress is still very fast. ”

"Lord Yan didn't worry about the local officials, so he personally recruited thousands of craftsmen to build shelters for the victims, and now more than half of them have been built."

"It should have been completed by the end of the year, although there are occasional victims who freeze to death, but after all, it is a minority, and it is inevitable....... The fifth brother doesn't need to be anxious. ”

When Bai Yutang heard this, huge disappointment flashed in his eyes, and he shook his head and said:

"Before I came back, Cao Bin was in charge of the seven states, and all the food and lodging for the winter had been prepared."

"And the food is sufficient, the shelter is stable, and now the victims there have begun to build the government and county government and city walls in various places!"

Yan Chasan and Han Zhang were speechless for a long time, and then Yan Chasan said with difficulty: "Is he working for relief?" His grain ......."

As he spoke, he nodded thoughtfully and said:

"Yes, he is in the same stream as the local grain merchants, buying grain at a high price, and now there is naturally enough grain, but there is still a long time before the autumn harvest next year."

Then, he asked, "Escort Lu is coming back soon, right?" ”

Han Zhang hurriedly said:

"Yes, my lord, the first batch of grain has 380,000 stones, which will be escorted by my eldest brother, and it will arrive in three or five days."

Yan Chasan's eyes flashed with joy, and he nodded:

"That's good, with food, we can practice the method of cash-for-work, and we can also stabilize food prices."

"This time, I see how those grain merchants can resist?"

"Even if I lose some money and food, I will never be in the same league as those corrupt officials."

Han Zhang opened his mouth, wanting to persuade Yan Chasan, but he didn't say anything after all.

In the past, he had lost 80,000 or 90,000 guan to stabilize grain prices, and it cost more than 100,000 guan to build shelters for the victims, but now Yan Chasan has not much money in his hand.

And Cao Bin saved a lot in this regard, he implemented work-for-relief, as long as he paid food, fast and stable.

Seeing that the problem he had solved here, Yan Chasan remembered Bai Yutang's task.

"Brother Bai, have you collected evidence of corruption by Cao Bin, Chang Feng and others?"

When Bai Yutang heard this, he took out a pamphlet and said:

"This is the grain purchase account and bribery record of the local officials and Cao Bin."

As he spoke, his eyes were full of anger and he said:

"During my time in Jeju, officials paid bribes to Cao Bin every day, and gold, silver, jade, silk and silk forgings were just ordinary."

"There are all kinds of antiques, rare treasures, beautiful women......"

"Some of these women were robbed from the homes of the common people."

"When Cao Bin goes out, as long as he takes a look at the woman on the street, there are people who coerce and lure him in order to please him."

"I heard from the subordinates of the Qin envoy that Cao Bin's bribes have been piled up in a courtyard."

"There are also people who are nicknamed 'Soft Red Hall' because of the many treasures in the yard and the warm fragrance of nephrite!"

Listening to Bai Yutang's introduction, Yan Chasan couldn't suppress the anger in his heart, and said to himself:

"This Cao Bin is simply a national silverfish, lawless, I will impeach him."

Bai Yutang continued: "In addition to Cao Bin, Shandong's pacification made Chang Feng and others also greedy. ”

"I suspect that when the imperial court first issued relief food money, the fire caused by the rioters was secretly planned by them."

"The purpose is to swallow the relief materials of the imperial court......"

Yan Chasan calmed down a little at this time, turned around the study twice, and muttered:

"I have to write a letter to inform the teacher of this matter, and the first few times, all the pieces I put on the table have been lost."

"I'm afraid that someone in the court is complicit in them and covers up this matter......."

He guessed very accurately, it was indeed someone who had intercepted his piece.

Cao Bin was reading the letter sent by Taishi Pang at this time, and he talked about Yan Chasan's recital, reminding him to be careful.

Since arriving in Shandong, Yan Chasan has been on the table several times, especially the impeachment of Cao Bin.

If it weren't for Taishi Pang temporarily intercepting a part, the imperial court might have sent someone to investigate.

Cao Bin read the letter with a black face, and felt very uncomfortable, this belongs to the toad crawling on the surface of the foot, it can't hurt people, but it is disgusting.

Although he had been prepared to deal with the investigation, the emperor had listened to this kind of recital too much, and he must have had a bad impression of himself.

"Someone is coming, call Xia Laodao and Shi Qian to come over."

After a deep groan, Cao Bin commanded.

The time has entered the month of La, and he must return to Beijing to report on his work and report the disaster relief situation to the imperial court before the year, so he has to prepare in advance and strike first.

Three days passed in a flash.

On this day, Yan Chasan was leading people outside the city to inspect the resettlement of the victims, but Bai Yutang ran back with Lu Fang covered in blood.

"Lord Yan, my eldest brother was attacked by the Liangshan bandits, and all the grain was robbed!"

When Yan Chasan heard this, he almost fainted.

That's 380,000 stone of grain, and throwing away this grain not only disrupts all his plans, but also faces a situation where there is no food to help in the future.

Although he had received a definite answer, he still couldn't believe it:

"Liangshan thieves, they dare to attack the official ship? Intercept and kill official rations? ”

Lu Fang smiled weakly and said:

"It's me who underestimated them, Zhongjing Bo once reminded us, but we didn't take it to heart."

Hearing what he said, Yan Chasan also remembered.

When he first arrived in Jeju, he wanted to send a tiger-winged navy to supervise the counties, but Cao Bin did not agree on the grounds that he was threatened by thieves.

After staying for a while, Yan Chasan stomped his feet and said, "It's too late to say anything now, the key is how to save it!" ”

Bai Yutang said: "Please give me five hundred soldiers, and I will go and grab the grain back." ”

Lu Fang hurriedly said: "Fifth brother can't be impulsive, that Liangshan Bo is eight hundred miles long, the power is not small, and we don't have a naval army, how can we attack?" ”

At this time, Yan Chasan was very anxious, and he couldn't care about the previous contradictions, so he was determined: "I'll go find Cao Bin and Chang Feng to borrow soldiers!" ”

So he personally ran to Jeju City to ask for help.

Cao Bin refused very simply, he couldn't wait to see Yan Chasan unlucky, how could he help him?

Moreover, he only has 1,500 forbidden troops under his command to call on, and he also has to guard millions of money and grain, once someone takes advantage of the loophole, the consequences are unimaginable.

After all, he didn't trust the local soldiers.

However, Chang Feng did not directly refuse, dragging Yan Cha to disperse, while secretly preparing soldiers, I don't know what it means.

Yan Chasan hated that the two of them did not take official affairs seriously, but there was no way but to buy some high-priced grain to temporarily tide over the difficulties.

In a blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed.

The victims of the disaster in Jeju and other seven states are fully on the right track, and although they are constantly tired every day, at least they will not go hungry.

They have even been grateful to Cao Bin, for the victims, as long as they are fed, they don't care about the reputation of the official Shilin, and how much they have embezzled.

Maybe only the civilians in the city don't read Cao Bin's well, after all, "Gu Gui hurts the people", Cao Bin made them bear more than three times the price of food, and it has not changed.

But they at least have life support, they can't afford to eat if they are bankrupt, and they also have a way back to be disaster victims......

What's more, there are contrasts close at hand?

Didn't you see the people of Qi, Zi, and Qing at this time?

They can't even get half a pound of food every day, and they will freeze and starve to death if they are not careful.

On the twenty-third day of the lunar month, after receiving the last batch of high-priced grain, Cao Bin was ready to return to Beijing, and the grain merchants were still transporting grain, ready to make a good fortune.