The Comeback of the Charming Farmer's Wife-Chapter 2209 - 2211: Goods Are More Expensive Than Elsewhere

"They’re all really clever, aren’t they? They’ve put the shops under their wives’ names. Some have opened rice shops, others oil mills, and some even textile shops. The shops have been set up from Ning City to Liao City, and even throughout Xining. They’re not only making money from the frontier army but also from the common folk. Look at the pricing of these goods—whether it’s rice or soy sauce, it’s all more expensive than elsewhere."

Due to the long distance from the border to the Capital City, the soldiers’ rations are often given once every six months, half in food, half in silver. When they run out of food, they will naturally buy nearby in Xining, but the grain in Xining is much more expensive than in other places. One tael of silver could buy a hundred pounds of rice elsewhere, but in Xining, it only buys seventy pounds.

No wonder the frontier generals report every year that the rations are insufficient. This is one of the reasons behind it.

As expenses rise, the original amount of silver is definitely not enough. If the soldiers can’t eat their fill, how are they going to defend the nation?

And the local people, too—they earn little to begin with, and food is so expensive. Moreover, they have no way to buy grain from other places and have no idea that it’s very cheap outside. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

After several promotions from Prefect Liu, they even think that the grain in Xining is the cheapest in Great Zhou. No wonder when he went undercover, everyone spoke so highly of the local officials; turns out they were all being kept in the dark.

"Sir, this isn’t the most infuriating part yet." Ye Liu pointed to a column behind, "Look, it seems someone found out that the grain price in Xining is more expensive than elsewhere and brought rice from outside, but the shop was shut down in less than half a month. They were harassed by the prefect and others abusing their authority—one day it’s an inspection, the next day another, until the shop was forced to close."

"And look further, oil shops, sugar shops, they all have similar incidents."

"It’s despicable!" Ye Zi’an angrily tossed the documents aside, "These people have monopolized Xining’s economy. Not only are Xining’s people being squeezed for every penny, but they also have to feel grateful to them. It’s simply outrageous."

"Go, Ye Liu, send a letter to Prefect Liu for me, asking him to immediately lower the prices of grain, oil, and salt. If he refuses, shut down all these shops for me. I am not worried about no one opening shops; with my support, many people will surely be willing to come forward and open shops in Xining."

"Yes, I will go at once."

"Wait." Ye Zi’an gestured again, "If he asks why I am concerned about this matter, just say I overheard our cook complaining while buying supplies that it’s more expensive than in the Capital City. You know how to say it, right?"

"I know, I guarantee to complete the task."

Ye Liu left with a cheeky grin.

Only after he left did Ye Zi’an’s anger subside a bit, feeling much better after a few gusts of cool air.

"You’ve been in Xining for so long, have you ever gone to buy grain yourself?" Returning to the main house, Ye Zi’an asked Yang Chuxia.

"Yes, I have. What’s the matter?"

"Didn’t you notice that things in Xining are much more expensive?"

"Indeed, Liao City is more expensive than other places. Why, is there a problem?"

Ye Zi’an then recounted the contents of the letter he had just received to her.

"These people are truly shameless; having authority isn’t enough, they want money too. If they like money so much, they should all go into business." Yang Chuxia added, "Now that you mention it, the court should legislate on grain pricing. The price should be unified nationwide, with limits on how much it can rise and fall. There has to be a benchmark, and anything outside this benchmark should be considered illegal."