GBP Chapter 462 Food Crisis
Chapter 462 Food Crisis
The breach in the city wall was only half-repaired when the craftsmen at the cement workshop said they were running out of limestone and needed to send someone to the mine a hundred miles away to haul more...
Just then, Shiqing rushed over, holding a note in her hand: "Miss, Young Master Cui sent this, saying that the granary's grain reserves are only enough to last for half a month. Grain merchants from neighboring prefectures refuse to sell grain, saying they have to wait for the order from Prince Rongyang."
Shi Wanxia took the note, her fingertips icy cold. The Prince of Rongyang's influence was truly vast; he could even control grain merchants in neighboring prefectures.
She turned to Shiqing and said, "Go and tell Young Master Cui that I'm going to the government office to see him right now. Tell him to make preparations so we can visit Mr. Zhou, the local gentry in the west of the city."
“His family has a private granary with a considerable amount of grain stored up. As long as he is willing to provide the grain, I can agree to let his family use the grain to offset this year’s taxes in Chuzhou.”
When they arrived at the government office, Cui Zhihao was reading official documents in the courtyard.
He was dressed in a blue long robe, his hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and his face showed a faint weariness, yet he remained composed.
Seeing Shi Wanxia arrive, he put down his official documents and handed her a cup of hot tea: "I was just about to send someone to find you. You know about the grain matter?"
"understood."
Shi Wanxia took the tea, and the warmth spread from her fingertips.
“I want to go to Squire Zhou. His family has grain. If we can persuade him, the grain shortage for half a month can be resolved.”
Cui Zhihao nodded: "I have already had someone investigate Zhou Xiangshen's background."
“His son is an official in the capital. Last year, he was implicated in the matter of Prince Rongyang and imprisoned. He harbors resentment towards Prince Rongyang, but he dares not say it.”
"Go and talk to them; there might be hope."
He paused, then said, "I'll go with you. If he refuses, I'll use the Cui family's name to put pressure on him."
"He still has to give face to the Cui family of Qinghe."
Shi Wanxia felt a warmth in her heart.
Since the Crown Prince left, Cui Zhihao has been her support. No matter what difficulties she encounters, he can calmly come up with a solution and never shirks his responsibilities.
She remembered that Shen Yanchu had come to see her a few days ago, saying he wanted to send his personal guards to Chuzhou to "help," but she refused—Shen Yanchu's intentions were too obvious. He wanted control of Chuzhou, while Cui Zhihao only wanted to help her defend Chuzhou.
Just as the two were about to leave, Wang Jinqian walked in carrying a food box and said with a smile, "Sister Shi, Young Master Cui, where are you going?"
"I made some snacks, they're fresh out of the oven, have some to tide you over."
She wore a pink dress, with shallow dimples on her face, looking lively but with a clever mind.
These days, relying on the Cui family's name card, she has traveled all over the surrounding prefectures and cities, securing a lot of medicinal herbs and tools for Chu Prefecture.
"I was just about to meet with Mr. Zhou to discuss the grain matter."
Shi Wanxia picked up a pastry, took a bite, and found it sweet but not cloying.
"Miss Wang, thanks to you, we wouldn't have been able to get the medicinal herbs from the neighboring state last time without you."
Wang Jinqian waved her hand: "Sister Shi, you're too kind. I'm also a part of Chuzhou, so it's only right that I help out."
"By the way, I just came back from outside the city and saw Young Master Li training the local militia—he pawned his jade pendant to get some weapons, which he distributed to the militia, and said he would help protect the farmland."
Shi Wanxia was stunned.
Since the Ghost Festival, Li Changyu has rarely spoken to her, only silently doing his own things.
She knew he felt guilty—if it weren't for him back then… they wouldn't have become strangers.
Now that he's willing to humble himself and help train the local militia, it's a kind of compensation.
"It's a good thing that he's willing to do things."
Shi Wanxia said softly, "Once the grain issue is resolved, I'll go check on the local militia he's training."
Cui Zhihao looked at her, a gentle smile in his eyes: "Let's deal with the immediate matter first. Let's go to Magistrate Zhou's place as soon as possible, so as not to delay the farming season."
The three of them walked out of the government office together. The sun was shining brightly on the streets of Chuzhou.
Although there are still some dilapidated houses along the roadside, and the arrow holes in the walls are still clearly visible, there are already pedestrians on the street, and the sounds of vendors calling out can be heard from the market.
Chuzhou is slowly getting better, like wheat seedlings in the field that, despite the cold winter, are still stubbornly sprouting green shoots.
Shi Wanxia walked at the very front, her steps firm.
She knew that the Crown Prince was still fighting a bloody battle on his way back, and she couldn't let him worry or cause any more trouble in Chuzhou.
She wanted to protect this land and its people, and wait for the Crown Prince to return, to bring news of their safety and take them back to the capital.
The morning mist at Liuxi Wharf had not yet dissipated when Shen Yanzhou, escorting the prison cart, quietly boarded a covered boat.
The boat captain was an old man in his fifties surnamed Chen, his face etched with the marks of time, and he was someone Cui Zhihao had arranged in advance.
He has been sailing in the Jianghuai area for many years, is familiar with the waterways, and is reliable.
"Your Highness, this boat is fast. Going down the river, it will reach Yangzhou in three days. Once in Yangzhou, we can take the Grand Canal and go straight to the capital."
As Old Man Chen untied the mooring rope, he said in a low voice, "But this section of the river is not safe. There are river bandits who specialize in robbing passing merchant ships. You must be careful."
Shen Yanzhou nodded and instructed the guards to secure the prison cart to the bottom of the cabin. He also arranged for four guards to take turns guarding it, while the rest of the guards stood watch on the deck.
He stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at the river surface shrouded in morning mist. The mist, like a white veil, enveloped the boat, reducing visibility to less than ten feet.
"Your Highness, please have a bowl of hot soup."
Lin Zheng brought over a bowl of ginger soup and handed it to him.
"I didn't sleep well last night, so I'll have some ginger soup to warm myself up."
Shen Yanzhou took the soup and had just taken a sip when he suddenly heard the sound of a horn coming from afar.
He looked up abruptly and saw three fast boats rushing out of the morning mist. On each boat stood a dozen or so men holding curved knives, their faces covered with black cloth, revealing only their fierce eyes.
"They're river pirates!"
Old Man Chen exclaimed in alarm, "Your Highness, they are members of the Black Wind Gang, the most ruthless of all!"
Shen Yanzhou handed the bowl to Lin Zheng and drew his sword: "Pass down the order, archers, prepare to aim at the sails!"
“Their ships are fast; once we shoot through their sails, they won’t be able to catch up with us!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Black Wind Gang's speedboat charged over.
The bandit leader roared, "Listen up, people on the boat! Hand over your valuables and the people in the prison cart, and we'll spare your lives!"
Shen Yanzhou sneered: "If you want the people in the prison cart, you'll have to get past me first! Fire!"
The archers unleashed a volley of arrows, a hail of arrows raining down on the sails of the fast boat. With a few "thuds," the sails were pierced, and as the wind rushed in, the sails collapsed instantly.
The lead speedboat slowed down, and the two boats behind it also lost their footing.
"kill!"
Shen Yanzhou leaped onto the lead speedboat. A flash of sword light, and the head of a river bandit rolled into the river, staining the surface with blood.
The guards also jumped onto the speedboat and fought with the pirates.
Seeing that the situation was dire, the bandit leader pulled a torch from his pocket and grinned maliciously, saying, "Since we can't get the person, we'll all die together! There's gunpowder in this boat. I'll light it, and we'll all perish together!"
Shen Yanzhou's pupils contracted, and he was about to rush over when he suddenly heard a "whoosh" sound. A crossbow bolt shot out from the shadows and hit the bandit leader's wrist.