Chapter 1068: Chapter 904: Opening the Granary

After giving these instructions, Gu Chengyu instantly started to feel a headache coming on again.

It’s all about Silver, but what to do without grain? The court only mentioned fifty thousand taels of Official Silver, not grain relief.

Yesterday, he shamelessly asked the merchants for quite a bit of grain. It’s not reasonable to keep asking them to donate, is it?

Silver can’t fill a stomach, and buying grain won’t go far with such high prices—how much can fifty thousand taels buy?

Not to mention, twenty thousand of those taels are meant for reinforcing the river embankment.

Do we really have to open the granary? What happens after it’s opened? So many disaster victims, and even the granary has a day when it runs empty.

The granary must never be emptied; otherwise, in case of another emergency, what then? Even if Gu Chengyu moves grain from the granary, he must find a way to replace it quickly.

Recently, grain prices have remained high, monopolized by several large households. How to make them willingly sell grain at a low price?

Gu Chengyu pondered while walking. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to him. His lips slightly curled up, and his steps quickened significantly from before.

Upon returning to the study, Gu Chengyu immediately summoned a guard from the C Class.

This person was named Bing Qi, known as quite clever among the C Class.

"Bing Qi pays respect to Master!" Bing Qi felt both excited and slightly anxious about Gu Chengyu’s sudden summons.

He was unsure why the master sought him. Though wanting to be of use, Bing Qi felt it unlikely.

The master’s side had plenty of seasoned members from the Ding Generation, not to mention Manager Mo and Steward Yan. Newcomers like themselves couldn’t even get close to the master.

Seeing Bing Qi’s tension, Gu Chengyu smiled gently.

"I called you over for a task I want you to handle! Ming Mo says you’re steady and clever. If you do this well, you can start working by my side!"

The number of people under him keeps growing, and Gu Chengyu naturally provides chances to capable individuals. Selecting the best and letting the strong prevail is an age-old principle.

The guards of the C Class are currently under Manager Ming Mo, and Gu Chengyu must consider Ming Mo’s feelings when promoting someone.

Bing Qi was overjoyed to hear that the master intended to use him, not expecting such luck to fall upon him.

Simultaneously, he felt more grateful towards Ming Mo, recognizing it must be Manager Mo’s recommendation that caught the master’s eye.

"You’ve all been staying at Yingnan Mansion these days, so you must have some understanding of the situation there. Take those Government Officials to open the granary and take out one hundred stone of grain to feed the disaster victims for the next couple of days. I’ll have Ming Mo find some craftsmen in town to set up shelters and porridge stands. Make sure to transport the necessary grain to the porridge stands daily. Do you understand?"

This task wasn’t difficult; Ming Mo and the others all had work, and they couldn’t always be relied upon for such tasks.

Bing Qi agreed immediately without hesitation.

Even though the court hadn’t issued any public notice to open the granary, Bing Qi wasn’t afraid. What’s there to fear? If the sky falls, tall people will hold it up.

The master wasn’t worried, why should he be? As a subordinate, he only needs to follow orders.

Seeing Gu Chengyu’s confident demeanor bolstered Bing Qi’s confidence.

Once Bing Qi left to execute the orders, Ming Mo entered the room.

"Ming Mo, take the Silver and go to a distant Prefecture to buy some rice." Gu Chengyu rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, and instructed Ming Mo.

Ming Mo was surprised, "Master, isn’t rice available for sale right here in Yingnan Mansion? Why go far?"

Gu Chengyu sneered, "Those people are hoarding the rice in their own warehouses and refuse to sell it. Even if I want to buy their grain, they’d charge exorbitant prices. Despite my stern warnings against high prices, they claim they’re keeping it for their own consumption. What can you do?"

This is what’s called a top-down approach, with countermeasures responding to policies.

Keeping grain in hand, these people are not worried about selling it. When there’s a shortage of grain in the Prefecture, and ordinary people and disaster victims are without food, finally there’ll be countless people begging them to sell grain at high prices.

But would Gu Chengyu let such an event come to pass? Certainly not.

"But Master, the nearest place would be Sunan Prefecture. The quantity of grain we need is significant; I worry Sunan Prefecture might catch word and increase prices, forcing us to spend more Silver. Plus, transporting grain from Sunan Prefecture involves a long journey, various losses along the way, and quite a delay—it’s not very worthwhile!"

Ming Mo expressed his concerns to Gu Chengyu, his face full of worry.

Gu Chengyu nodded secretly, as Ming Mo’s maturity brought forth insightful thoughts—a positive change.

Ming Mo has always been careful in his dealings, and this time he thought things through quite thoroughly.

"The distant journey makes losses significant by land travel. Water routes cut down travel time, avoiding delays, with granary grain as back-up. As for Sunan Prefecture’s grain potentially rising in price, we needn’t worry. It’s only twice that we need to buy, with each purchase being about ten stone."

Gu Chengyu smiled mysteriously, shaking his fan with ease.

Ming Mo got a bit muddled by Gu Chengyu’s words.

"Master! Ten stone would only supply food for two days, and that’s if we’re serving thin porridge!" Ming Mo’s face seemed full of question marks, troubled.

Gu Chengyu chuckled, "Ten stone wouldn’t suffice, which is why we’ll start by supplementing with granary supplies. Yet, the specific amount used from the granary daily must remain confidential, a task I’ve already set for Bing Qi! Just remind him again when necessary."

Now completely puzzled by his master, Ming Mo couldn’t understand why bothers with buying from Sunan Prefecture, if granary supplements would be needed.

Seeing Ming Mo’s confusion, Gu Chengyu continued, "You head to Sunan Prefecture and buy ten stone of grain, but bring back more than just ten stone."

Gu Chengyu watched Ming Mo, whose brain seemed turned to mush, and explained his plan to Ming Mo.

Upon hearing it, Ming Mo suddenly understood, looking at Gu Chengyu with immense admiration, as his master’s scheme was incredibly clever.

Let them succumb to greed; this time they’re bound to lose everything.

... 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

A maid-like young girl reached the corner gate of the government office’s backyard and, looking at the two Government Officials guarding it, felt a growing resentment.

Mr. Li had been suddenly arrested, throwing her into panic.

Now trapped in the inner courtyard, even wanting to go out to buy food was impossible.

Being Mr. Li’s family, viewed as a criminal’s relatives, they were strictly prohibited from leaving the mansion.

Two Government Officials and several guards watched over the backyard of the government office; she, as a female in the inner court, couldn’t get out.

The maid young girl was extremely anxious, paced the area twice, tidied her clothes, and decided to try going out.

"Stop, who goes there?" Bing Wu spotted the maid approaching and immediately grew vigilant, raising his voice.