Page 232
Speaking of this matter, I would like to talk about the Xue family. The eldest branch of the family is very thin. After Baochai's father passed away, only Aunt Xue, Xue Pan and Baochai were left alone, orphans and widowers, who are currently in the capital.
The main lineage of the Xue family left in Jinling is the second family. However, the owner of the second family has left and is not in Jinling now. The person who came to replace the Xue family is an elder of the Xue family.
Holding the wine bottle and taking a sip, Shui Rong suddenly said: "Everyone, I have invited you this time because I have something to entrust you with. I hope you will not refuse."
Everyone knew Shui Rong's attitude from his words of "Don't refuse", and they felt a little uneasy. From the moment they received the post, they knew that this banquet was a "Hongmen Banquet" and they would not give up until they saw "blood" .
Because of his status as an imperial envoy and a county king, he had to come even if he didn't want to.
Zhen Yingjia thought that Shui Rong was hosting the banquet to raise money for disaster relief. She was already prepared in her heart and said respectfully: "Your Majesty's words are serious, but as you have been told, we will do our best."
Well, I tried my best again and my attitude is good, but is it really what it says?
At this time, an old man wearing a light green robe and a white beard said: "Your Majesty, there is a shortage of disaster relief money. Your Majesty, don't worry about this. We can make up the difference no matter how much it is."
Shui Rong glanced at the old man who spoke. This man was Jia Daizhai, the head of the twelfth room of the Jia family in Jinling. According to his marriage relationship with the Jia family, he could be regarded as Shui Rong's elder.
Smiling, Shui Rong said: "Everyone, disaster relief money is a trivial matter. The key is food. You are all from the Jinling wealthy family, with a lot of land and a lot of food stored in it. I hope you can donate generously and hand over the food stored in the warehouse." As for the government, of course, I won’t take it for nothing, the government will buy it for eighty cents per bucket, I don’t know what you think.”
The price of rice in Jinling is generally about 60 cents per dou, and Shui Rong bought it at 80 cents per dou. In fact, they made some profit, but in the face of a major disaster, rice is as valuable as gold, and smart people know the losses involved.
As expected, everyone's expressions were startled. Zhen Yingjia, who had been "trying his best" before, fell silent. The same was true for the Jia family who were related to Shui Rong.
They all knew that Shuirong had already raised nearly two-thirds of the disaster relief silver. In addition, other prefectures and counties had not raised enough money, so the shortfall was not large. The Jinling wealthy family could only make up the money with some money.
But I didn't expect that the prince's purpose was not the silver, but the grain in their warehouse. The meaning was different. If he really accepted it, the loss would not be just some silver.
Seeing that everyone was silent for a moment, Shui Rong was not in a hurry. He pushed the wine bottle, and Liu Qingqing, who understood, started pouring the wine from the crescent moon pot, with a pair of beautiful crystal eyes glowing with color.
Guest House, in the flower hall.
Shui Rong sat upright on the huanghuali tree in the first place, holding a tea cup in his hand and sipping it, his eyes slightly dazed.
When they were in Yilanyuan, when faced with the request to purchase grain, the wealthy Jinling families usually expressed their difficulties with excuses such as that there was not much grain left, or that the collected grain had not yet been returned to the treasury.
Shui Rong knew that this was their excuse, because it was the time after the autumn harvest, and basically all the new grain had been put into the warehouse, so there would not be a shortage of grain. However, what they said "there is not much grain in the warehouse" was not empty talk, because their Most of the food is sent to disaster areas for sale.
The price of food in Jinling has doubled. The price of food in the disaster area is as expensive as gold, and that is where the biggest business opportunities are.
However, after all, Shui Rong had the status of a county king, so it was not all for nothing. Starting from the Jia family, who were in-laws, they subscribed to a thousand shi of grain. The Zhen family and other Jinling wealthy families could not turn a blind eye and subscribed one after another. They were currently coordinating how much grain they would have in total.
After a moment of silence, Jia Yucun in the hall raised his hands and said, "Prince Bing, in total there are thirty thousand shi of food, which can be enough for the victims outside Jinling City for half a month."
There are approximately 200,000 victims outside Jinling City. Based on a ration of one kilogram per person per day, 30,000 shi of food can last for almost half a month.
"Thirty thousand shi of grain", this amount of grain is enough to give Prince Shui Rong enough face. If it were anyone else, it would be a problem to get 300 shi from them. This makes Shui Rong even if he knows that these Jinling rich people are playing tricks. You can talk.
Is it possible that the wealthy Jinling family needs to be rectified by water solution? It feels good, but even the prince Shui Rong may not be able to withstand the consequences. Even if Emperor Yongkang does not blame him, he still has to give an explanation to the world's wealthy families and merchants. This is the so-called "death penalty can be avoided, but living punishment can be avoided" Could it be."
How could a prince attack a wealthy family just because they had no food? Where is the law of the court?
To put it bluntly, the 30,000 shi of food given by the wealthy Jinling family was to seal the water-soluble mouth, so as not to cause "sharpening the knife to the pigs and sheep" in a hurry.
Shui Rong calculated in his mind that according to the plan, the price of rice in Jinling would have to increase several times to attract grain merchants from all over the country to gather, and then it would be feasible.
At present, the food can last for half a month, which is quite different in terms of time, but this is only for Jinling. Once the plan is implemented and the grain merchants benefit, the food in the disaster area will be in short supply, and the people who have no food to eat will not know. How much do you have to starve to death?
The purpose of Shuixin is not only to save the disaster-stricken people who came to Jinling to seek survival, but also to save the people in the disaster areas of Henan and Shandong. Therefore, Shuixin still needs to transport food relief to the disaster areas to ensure that the victims will not starve to death. Thirty thousand shi of food alone is far from enough. .
Jia Yucun, who was sitting on the huanghuali wood chair in the hall, saw Shuirong deep in thought and knew the prince's thoughts. He hesitated for a while and said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, why not buy the grain from the grain store in Jinling City first?"
Before the price of rice in Jinling increases, clearing out all the grain in Jinling grain stores is nothing more than spending more money. Looking at the prince's attitude, it is obvious that he doesn't care about the silver.
Upon hearing this, Shui Rong glanced at Jia Yucun coldly, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice, and said, "The victims of the disaster are no longer making trouble, but the people of Jinling are going to make trouble, thanks for your words."
Purchasing grain from the grain store in Jinling can indeed increase the grain in hand, but the grain store has no grain to sell, so what should the people of Jinling do? The original intention was to raise the price of rice, but now that there is no food to eat, are you really just trying to catch the people of Jinling to eat and treat them like they have no temper?
Not to mention whether the Jinling Grain Shop is willing to sell in large quantities, even if the grain shop is wiped out, it will only be a drop in the bucket, and there is no need to take such a risk.
Jia Yucun looked bitter when he heard this. He felt that the prince cared about the people in the disaster area, so he took this strategy. After all, you can't have your cake and eat it too. No matter what you think about in the face of a disaster, there will always be losses.
There is no need to think too much now. I have made the prince unhappy. I guess there is a feeling of depression in his heart.
At this time, Jia Yucun was hoping that someone else would come to help the prince calm down, so as to avoid implicate innocent people, such as Miss Qingqing. Unfortunately, the prince did not have this idea, and he had to spend a lot of effort to invite someone.
Shui Rong did not say much after seeing this. He thought about it again and again and decided, "Jia Fuyin, let's carry out the plan."
Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain. How can a person do great things without sacrifice? If he strives for perfection in everything, he will make things worse. After a while, he will issue an imperial envoy to let officials from all over the country do their best to provide disaster relief.
Jia Yucun agreed upon hearing this and immediately resigned. As the governor of Jinling, he had many things to do. At this moment, he had to raise the price of rice in Jinling and send people to spread the news quickly to attract rice as soon as possible. Businessmen gathered in Jinling.
He knew in his heart that the sooner he could get things done, the more important he would be in the prince's heart.
Just as Jia Yucun was leaving, Shui Rong added in a deep voice: "By the way, collect the grain that the wealthy Jinling family promised to sell as soon as possible. Don't make any mistakes."
With the food in hand, he didn't panic. He didn't want to delay it and cause any accidents. If these Jinling nobles still played tricks, don't blame him for being rude.
If I didn't pull out the knife, I would have thought it was an embroidery knife and couldn't cut anyone.
In a blink of an eye, the lanterns came on and lanterns were hung on the eaves of the guest house.
Under the eaves of the corridor, Xiao Hong, dressed in red armor, came over with a basin of water. After pushing open the curtain and entering the room, she saw the young man who was leaning on the Arhat's bed and reading a book. A strange flash appeared in his beautiful eyes.
For the ambitious Xiaohong, she has been eyeing the prince since she followed the third girl into the palace. Just because she was not taken seriously, her heart gradually became cold. However, after being pinched by the prince that time, she fell silent. My heart is burning again, and I have wild thoughts.
But I didn't expect that the prince would have nothing to do, and it would make people unable to get up or down.
After the prince came out, Xiaohong's heart started to throb again. After all, when she was in the prince's palace, there were so many people who wanted to serve her closely, and it was not her turn to be a marginal maid. After leaving the prince's palace, there was less competition, wasn't it? Chance.
He originally planned to have a big fight, but the fantasy is beautiful, but the reality is cruel. After the prince left the capital, the only people serving him were the three girls, which made it difficult for him to get close to him.
People who have ups and downs and are not strong-hearted may get sick.
Then there was another twist of events. The third girl accompanied Miss Lin to carry the coffin to Gusu, leaving her and Wu'er to serve the prince. Before leaving, the third girl privately told them to serve with all their heart.
Xiaohong has a quick mind, how could she not know the hidden meaning of the third girl? Even if they climbed into the prince's bed, the third girl would not blame them.
Xiaohong probably had some guesses about this. When they were in the palace, they knew that the prince was a little greedy and often made ridiculous nonsense with the princess, sister Baoqin and the others. Now they were alone in a prosperous area like Jinling, and they were gradually lusting for things. Charming eyes inevitably make people worry.
Even though his prince has a pure heart, those foxy girls are clever in their methods, so the three girls had to let them do their best just to be safe.
After all, my own prince is too attractive. Rather than taking advantage of outsiders, it is better to let maids like them take over, so that they cannot threaten the status of the girls. This is the consistent behavior of the big family.
Climbing onto the bed in accordance with the order was simply a blessing from heaven. This was also the opportunity for her to climb onto the prince's bed in a legitimate manner. If she missed this opportunity, she would never see it again in the future.
"Your Majesty, wash your feet."
Xiaohong smiled slightly, revealing the two pear dimples on her cheeks, which were close to the front.
Shui Rong said "hmm" but didn't pay much attention to it. He held a miscellaneous book in his hand and started to read it casually.
Xiaohong felt a little sad when she saw that the prince didn't even raise his head to look at her. If he had no interest, why would he pinch her chin, provoke her, ignore her, and make people feel itchy.
But Xiaohong understood that she was just a maid, how could she complain to her master? She put the basin down honestly, knelt down and took off the boy's boots. She held the boy's feet as if they were treasures and put them into the basin, gently. Scrub gently.
Not long after, Liu Wu'er, dressed in a green dress, walked in holding a fruit bowl. She was a little stunned when she saw Xiao Hong, who was serving the prince to wash his feet. He immediately stepped forward and placed the fruit bowl on the table on the Arhat's bed. Go up, and then stand quietly on one side.
Shui Rong reached out and pinched a crystal bodhi and tasted it. It was quite sweet. After pursing his lips, he raised his eyes to look at Liu Wu'er and asked, "Wu'er, are you feeling better?"
Earlier, Liu Wu'er couldn't help coughing in front of him, and Shui Rong specifically asked her to go to the warehouse to get medicinal materials.
Liu Wuer was startled when he heard this. He raised his eyes and glanced at the young man. When he met those clear eyes, his jade cheeks warmed slightly. He quickly lowered his head and said softly: "My slave is much better. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
At this time, Xiaohong, who was washing her feet, felt a little bit disgusted. The prince's love for Liu Wuer was already enviable, but now he ignored her and cared about Liu Wuer, which always made people feel dissatisfied and a little aggrieved.
Compared to Liu Wuer, I am not much worse.
Shui Rong stared at Liu Wu'er's graceful face, his eyes flickering slightly. He was a little bored because of the disaster relief work before, and he was restless even when he was reading. Now he felt a little tempted to vent the frustration in his belly.
Thinking of this, Shui Rong beckoned: "Wu'er, come here."
Liu Wu'er's heart trembled when he heard this. Although he didn't know what the prince meant, he cleverly stepped forward, clenched the embroidered handkerchief tightly in his hands, lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes and said, "What are your orders, the prince?"
Shui Rong reached out and pinched the girl's chin and raised it, staring at the girl's jade face, gently stroking her willow eyebrows with his fingertips, and couldn't help but secretly thought: "The eyebrows and frown of these five children are really similar, or maybe She looks very much like Qingwen."
Thinking of Mei'er's romantic attitude, Shui Rong's heart palpitated a little, she burst into tears, and gasped slightly, which made people feel pity uncontrollably.
Bah, that's my sister.
Liu Wuer's heart couldn't stop trembling when he saw his chin was pinched by the young man, his fair face as bright as the clouds.
Why did the prince pinch my chin?
Xiao Hong was deeply touched by this situation, and her beautiful eyes could not express her envy. She hoped in her heart that the young man would treat her with just a pinch.
Well, it's probably the jealousy of women. It was obviously me who came first, so how could the prince only see Liu Wu'er.
"Wu'er, are you willing to serve me?"
When Liu Wuer heard this, his eyes widened, his cheeks were as hot as fire, and his eyebrows were full of disbelief.
Serving the prince, but what she wanted to serve?
Pursing her pink lips, Liu Wuer's eyes wandered and he whispered: "My slave. I am willing."
There is no maid in the palace who doesn't want to serve the prince, especially Liu Wu'er, who was even more willing to do so after the prince donated the medicine.
Shui Rong chuckled when he heard the words, let go of his hand, whispered a few words into the girl's ear, and said no more.
Liu Wu'er's body trembled slightly when she heard the words. Her willow eyes were like a pool of clear water, looking at the boy with rippling light. She pursed her lips and knelt down silently.
When he was in the palace, he had already heard that the prince liked music, so Liu Wuer was not surprised.
After some rustling, Liu Wuer's eyes widened again. At this moment, the look on her face was not disbelief, but full of worry.
She gestured a few times with her bare hands, feeling uneasy in her heart. She was really too weak to be nourished and could not hold on.
Chapter 327 A surprise from the Xue family
The orange candlelight was like water, sweeping across the entire wing. The willows outside the window were swaying in the autumn wind, and their shadows were floating, appearing and disappearing.
Xiaohong was supposed to leave, but she was clever and resourceful. Now that the girls were away, there was nothing to refuse. She stood aside calmly, seeing that Shuirong didn't care, and her heart relaxed slightly. Staring at the nodding acquaintance in front of her, her beautiful eyes were shimmering with a layer of water mist. She bit her pink lips lightly with her teeth, and couldn't help but swallow a few times. She seemed to be seduced by the delicious food, and couldn't help but lift her embroidered shoes straight down. A little closer.
In fact, she can do it, but the prince doesn't give her a chance, letting her look at the sun and sigh.
Looking at Liu Wuer's clumsy appearance, it was as if he had eaten candied haws on a stick when he was a child and was reluctant to eat it. He could suck on one candied haws for a long time, but was it a candied haws? I didn't see the prince frowning, obviously dissatisfied.
Even so, Xiaohong couldn't help but feel envious. No matter how she behaved, Liu Wu'er finally ate it. There were a lot of maids in the palace who couldn't eat anything they wanted, and the same was true for her.
After this incident, given the prince's temperament, even if Liu Wu'er was not brought into the house, the treatment would at least be much better, and he was halfway through.
At this moment, Xiaohong wished she could take her own life.
Shui Rong stared at Liu Wu'er, frowning slightly. The ignorance of the young girl always made people confused. To put it bluntly, it was frustrating. It was meant to express the depression in her belly, but unexpectedly it accumulated more and more. deep.
Anyone who knows how to deal with people knows that "sincerity" is the key to dealing with others. Liu Wu'er is very dishonest in Shui Rong's opinion.