CHAPTER 269: CHAPTER 260: JIN, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE

The final preparation group consisted of Yu Xiaolian’s own people, guarded by Yu Changhe, Sun Fengshou, and Grandma Sun.

As for Sun Erji’s wife, Yu Xiaolian arranged for her to cook for everyone, with the same wages as the others.

Aside from these tasks, Yu Xiaolian also arranged for Sun Feixue to help the Sun family; otherwise, Sun would be overwhelmed caring for two children alone.

As for the adult grandsons of Fourth Uncle Sun, Yu Xiaolian assigned them to procure and transport spices.

The granddaughters were responsible for cutting the finished base material into uniformly sized squares, wrapping them in oil paper, tying them with grass ropes, and placing them in the stone house in the backyard.

For several consecutive days, Yu Xiaolian traveled back and forth between Taohua Village, Luocheng, and the academy, busy as a dog.

When the first batch of hot pot base was successfully sold out through Shopkeeper Zhao, Yu Xiaolian discovered a problem: the academy had started its semester, but the Su Jingchen brothers still hadn’t returned?

Did they encounter something in Funan?

Or did they decide to settle down in Funan?

Su Jingchen has been gone for over two months without a word, what’s really going on?

Hmph, he couldn’t even ask someone to send her a message.

While waiting for Su Jingchen’s letter, Yu Xiaolian received one from Jiang Lin instead.

Thanks to regular correspondence with Fu Zihan, Yu Xiaolian was very familiar with the posthouse officer, so when Yu Xiaolian asked for help to send a letter to the Southern General Mansion before the year’s end, the officer agreed without hesitation.

Yu Xiaolian didn’t expect to receive Jiang Lin’s reply in less than two months.

In the letter, Yu Xiaolian asked Jiang Lin to inquire about news of Sun Erji and Sun Wulin to see if they were in General Yu’s army.

Jiang Lin replied, telling Yu Xiaolian he would try to find out but advised her not to hold out too much hope since finding two people in a massive army is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, Sun Erji and Sun Wulin had been temporarily recruited by Prince Jin in the Northern Land. As far as he knew, when Prince Jin returned from the Northern Land, he was heavily injured, with barely any trusted aides left, almost failing to make it back.

If the Sun brothers had been among the guards when Prince Jin returned to the Capital, they probably didn’t survive.

Yu Xiaolian put down the letter, feeling heavy-hearted.

But she recalled when she encountered Prince Jin in a remote town, when the inn was surrounded by Prince Jin’s trusted aides demanding a clear out.

She thought those men wouldn’t include Sun Erji and Sun Wulin, given that they were only strong without martial skills, Prince Jin likely wouldn’t have taken them along; they should have been left in some place in the Northern Land to do labor, not returned to the Capital with Prince Jin, or maybe they used the official road with the main army and headed south?

Yu Xiaolian decided to send a letter to Zheng Yuanfeng, asking him to help inquire about Sun Erji and Sun Wulin’s situation.

Luckily, she had Fu Zihan, her high-ranking official friend; otherwise, sending a letter would be difficult.

Of course, Yu Xiaolian wouldn’t let the posthouse officer help for free; each time she sent a letter, she brought gifts for the officers, sometimes wine and tea, other times sweets for them to take home to their families.

Over time, Yu Xiaolian became familiar with the posthouse people, who often knew official news quickly.

On this day, Yu Xiaolian sent out another letter to Jiang Lin and heard about this news.

The court plans to start regulating local unrest, including controlling the prices of salt, iron, and grain.

Some officials greedily lined their pockets, causing widespread hardship and complaints among the people.

The Emperor understands that those who can support the boat can also overturn it.

Moreover, it’s early spring now, a critical time as food supplies dwindle across regions due to rising hunger-related deaths, forcing the court to take action.

The posthouse officer’s information was accurate; within days, the real regulations were posted publicly.

The new regulations stated coarse grain should not exceed ten wen per pound, fine grain not over twenty-five wen per pound.

Not only official shops could sell grain; regular grain stores could reopen as well.

Salt prices halved, though iron prices largely remained unchanged; officials were prohibited from seizing iron arbitrarily from villagers.

With the new regulation, many were happy, feeling like seeing the sun after days of smog.

The regulation pleased the people, but Jin Dongsheng, the owner of the grain official shop, wasn’t happy as his grain was purchased at a high price and now had to be sold cheaply.

Nominally an official shop, his older brother held a Second-rank Minister of Agriculture position, conveniently setting up an official flag at his store for profit, splitting earnings with his brother.

Though they earned more within the past half-year than several previous years combined, selling grain to people at a loss now wasn’t affordable for him.

Jin Dongsheng’s brother, Minister Jin, sought to dominate the grain market, using various methods to suppress other state grain shops while keeping his own functioning smoothly.

Even if other grain shops had supply channels, he’d use his power to block their grain from entering the city.

Thus, when Jin’s grain shop closed, Luocheng suddenly had no grain available for purchase.

Ten wen? I won’t sell!

You beg me to sell you some? Fine, go to the back door, fifty wen, take it or leave it!

Jin Dongsheng acted unbeknownst to his brother Minister Jin in the Capital.

When the court ordered grain price regulation, Minister Jin messaged state officials to enforce it, knowing Imperial Censors would soon investigate.

Jin Dongsheng chose not to comply, believing he could sell all his high-priced grain before inspections began.

Apart from this confidence, Jin Dongsheng believed Yu State was Prince Jin’s domain, Prince Jin owning a mansion in Luocheng, and his brother Minister Jin being Prince Jin’s man.

The wealth his brother gained helped Prince Jin secretly recruit and train soldiers, establishing solid relations between the Jin family and Prince Jin.

In Prince Jin’s domain, earning money for him, who could intervene?

He was unfazed by Imperial Censors; having seen them before, he feared not!

Most inspections by Imperial Censors were mere formalities, nothing to fear.

Besides, when the inspectors reached town, he could temporarily lower prices to appear compliant; would the poor dare block carriages and report?

If anyone dared, their family truly had a death wish.

Disregarding court rules, Jin Dongsheng still sold grain at high prices, simply switching to an inconspicuous storefront without the official flag.

The peasants knew the Jin family was well-backed, unable to voice objections, swallowing their grievances.