mtl008 Chapter 115 Discussing the Sale of Grain
Chapter 115 Discussing the Sale of Grain
After thinking for a moment, Meng Fuqing spoke again, "Any news about what I asked you to inquire about?"
"It is extremely difficult to enter and leave Yezhou City, so much so that the price of grain in the city has skyrocketed. The price of coarse rice and black flour has risen to nearly one tael of silver per dou. Not to mention that the price of refined rice and white flour is even higher."
The war has lasted too long, and the city's grain reserves must be running low.
Meng Fuqing looked at the others and said, "There are too many refugees who eat rats. Selling food to refugees means having contact with them, which is also a threat to us."
The others were surprised by how quickly Meng Fuqing's thoughts had changed. Du Zhong asked, "What do you mean?"
"As long as the people of Yezhou City know that we have grain and are planning to sell it to refugees at a low price, it would be best to spread the news throughout the city."
Du Zhong's eyes lit up. "Is it about having people in the city put pressure on the government?"
"What if the government sends troops to wipe us out?" Qi Liang asked, raising an eyebrow.
Before Meng Fuqing could answer, Mu Sheng shook his head first, "We are all armed and there are many of us. At this time of peace talks between the two countries, there are still variables. The government should think carefully before using its troops on us."
Meng Fuqing's gaze fell on Du Zhong. "Most importantly, there's you, Uncle Du. I heard from your men that you were promoted to centurion in just one year at the border?"
Du Chong glanced at his son, his back straight.
What father doesn't want to project a tall and mighty image in his child's heart?
He was too embarrassed to talk about the past, but someone spoke for him, which greatly comforted his father.
He waved his hand modestly, saying, "It's all in the past, no need to bring it up again..."
“No, we have to bring it up.” Meng Fuqing interrupted him. “Xie Jin and I can’t handle this ourselves. You have to step in so that the government knows you’re not a self-taught monk, but someone who has actually made meritorious contributions on the border. That way, the officials in Yezhou will be more wary of us and won’t dare to take action.”
Du Chong paused for a moment, then asked Mu Sheng, "What does Young Master Mu Sheng think?"
"We'll do as Miss Meng says." Mu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then looked at Meng Fuqing. "However, we can't go into the city; we need to let those who want to buy grain come out."
With so many people, it's impossible for them all to enter the city. If only some of them do, it would be like lambs to the slaughter, leaving them at the mercy of others.
Meng Fuqing nodded, "That's exactly what I was thinking. In order to prevent shops in the city from hoarding grain, we also need to limit the amount of grain each person can buy. If we can borrow the doctor at the city gate, we can sell it to the refugees."
It would be best to choose a strategically important and easily defensible location near Yezhou City, and to be fully armed when engaging with the city's inhabitants and refugees.
Meng Fuqing had considered everything thoroughly. They then discussed the details before parting ways.
"Young Master Mu Sheng." Meng Fuqing called out to him, turning his gaze away from Xie Jin's carriage, and asked, "Why is Young Master Xie nowhere to be seen today?"
No matter how she weighed the pros and cons, it all came down to personal feelings. Personally, she didn't want anything to happen to Xie Jin.
Her last contact with Xie Jin was to inform him about the "traitor's poisoning." Surely she wouldn't have fallen victim to it so soon after being warned?
That traitor must possess extraordinary abilities.
Her gaze towards Mu Sheng inevitably carried a hint of scrutiny.
“Young Master…” Mu Sheng hesitated, unsure how to begin. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, “Young Master trusts Miss Meng, and Mu Sheng trusts Miss Meng as well. Why don’t you come and see for yourself, Miss Meng?”
Meng Fuqing turned around and glanced at his own resting place. The Ji family was making a scene, and many people were watching.
She said to Mu Sheng, "Let's go."
Upon arriving at Xie Jin's carriage, Mu Feng and one of the other men stood guard by the carriage, remaining motionless.
Upon seeing Meng Fuqing, Mu Feng glanced at the car window and couldn't help but ask, "Why did you bring Miss Meng here?"
“Miss Meng knows a lot; perhaps she knows what we’re looking for,” Mu Sheng said in a low voice.
Meng Fuqing overheard their conversation, and without stopping, she opened the car window, taking in the entire scene inside the carriage.
Xie Jin was bound by iron chains and could not move his limbs. In the dead of winter, he was only wearing a plain-colored undergarment, and his chest was still mostly soaked with sweat. Sweat dripped from his face, which was not wearing a mask.
His eyes were tightly closed, his brows furrowed. When he sensed a light, he subconsciously turned his head to the side, and the moment he opened his eyes, a flash of violent anger crossed his eyes.
His gaze, sharp as a knife, shot towards the person outside the window, but when he saw Meng Fuqing's face, he seemed to be stabbed and abruptly closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, those jet-black eyes had returned to their former calm and undisturbed state.
Xie Jin gave a bitter smile, making the scar look even more ferocious. "Meng Fuqing, you guessed wrong this time. I know who poisoned me, and I took revenge myself. I just didn't expect him to poison something I never suspected."
"What kind of poison?" Meng Fuqing asked.
"Commonly known as heat toxin. The intervals between attacks are shortening year by year, while the duration is gradually lengthening. Perhaps it is what caused me to lose my mind and become violent in Meng Linlang's dream..."
As he spoke, a fleeting look of pain crossed Xie Jin's face.
“No need to worry, things will return to normal by midnight…” He paused, then slowly looked at Meng Fuqing, his eyes somewhat unfocused. “Could you… not look at me?”
Seeing that he seemed unable to hold on, Meng Fuqing lowered the carriage curtain and turned to look at Mu Feng and the other person.
Behind her, she pulled out a vine from her fingertips, which pierced Xie Jin's exposed skin inside the carriage.
Her healing abilities are not very effective on poisoned people, but she was able to heal the scar on Xie Jin's face when he was having an attack.
It's an eyesore.
"What did you say you were looking for? The antidote?"
Mu Sheng nodded. "We have collected most of the ingredients for the antidote prescription, only three remain. We are going to Jing'an Prefecture for two reasons: to find our relatives and to find the medicine."
Meng Fuqing asked about the three herbs they couldn't find, and unsurprisingly, she had never heard of any of them.
After a moment of silence, she said to the two of them, "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, I've never heard of it."
Having experienced much, the two did not show any disappointment, only saying, "We hope Miss Meng will pay close attention in the future."
Meng Fuqing nodded. "Yes."
After saying that, she put away the vines and walked towards her resting place.
What she didn't know was that the moment she inserted the vine into Xie Jin's body, the uncontrollable violence within Xie Jin gradually subsided as the healing power was channeled into him.
Xie Jin, who had become accustomed to being unable to close his eyes for twelve hours due to the torment of heat poisoning, gradually fell into a deep sleep after the vines left his body.
Unable to detect any unusual activity inside the carriage, Mu Sheng and his companion immediately went in to check. After checking Xie Jin's breathing, they confirmed that he had fallen asleep.
The two looked at each other for a moment, and both saw surprise in each other's eyes.
Meanwhile, the Ji family finally reached a conclusion after their quarrel.
Meng Bochang asked one last time, "Eldest son, are you sure you want to divorce Cui?"
Yao Shanyun was about to speak when Ji Dalang stopped her. He stepped forward, gritted his teeth, and said, "I'm sure. At worst, I'll raise Jinbao on my own and never remarry. As for her, it would be good if she could find someone better than me to rely on."
He knew that if he proposed a divorce after Cui Miao'er was harassed, people might gossip about it, so he didn't want his mother to get involved. He figured he could just bear the criticism himself.
In the past, no matter what he said, Cui Miao'er would just ignore it. Ten of his words were not as good as one of his mother's. He had always thought that his wife would change slowly, but now she almost ruined the child. Life was really tasteless.
It's better to separate and wish each other well.
"Ji Dalang!" Cui Miao'er roared angrily, her eyes bloodshot, "You heartless man..."
Ji Dalang continued, "Village chief, considering that Miao'er is Jinbao's mother, please don't drive her away. She can still eat and drink at my house. We can discuss the divorce later when she gets to her destination."
Cui Miao'er paused in her crying; if she wasn't driven away directly, she would still have a chance.
Meng Bochang nodded, knowing that Ji Dalang couldn't bring himself to be ruthless, and said, "It's up to you two. Since you've made up your minds, don't make a fuss."
"Okay, thank you for making the trip, village chief. We'll keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't wander off, and we'll call Dr. Zheng if anything happens, so please don't worry."
After this matter was resolved, the aroma of food gradually wafted from our lodgings.
Meng Fuqing's family was making stewed chicken with chestnuts and scrambled eggs, which they had just brought back. The aroma was irresistible as soon as they came out of the pot.