latelenovela Chapter 98 Refugee Camp
Chapter 98 Refugee Camp
Chapter 98 Refugee Camp
When the refugees saw Wang Qingtian, the living bodhisattva who saved them from suffering, they all knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude.
"Wang Qingtian is the reincarnation of Guanyin!"
"Wang Qingtian is a kind and benevolent man!"
"Thank you! Please rise, everyone!" Wang Wenzhou cupped his hands to the people and said, "Gentlemen, as an official of the imperial court, this is my duty. Please do not kneel on the ground, please get up!"
Wang Wenzhou earnestly reassured the people, and only then did those who had been kneeling to express their gratitude stand up. There was a reason why the people were so grateful to Wang Wenzhou. During their escape, although local governments had provided relief, the porridge they received was so meager that even chopsticks couldn't stand up, with only a few grains of rice floating on the surface. Unlike Hanshan County, where three meals a day were served at fixed times, and everyone, except for a few with large appetites, could eat their fill.
It must be said that the people of the Ming Dynasty were truly compassionate. In particular, the wealthy gentry, seeing so many refugees outside the city, generously contributed their own money to set up porridge distribution points.
This also alleviated some of the financial pressure on the government. The price of grain in Hanshan City had doubled compared to previous years, now costing one tael of silver per shi (a unit of dry measure). One shi of grain was enough to feed about 90 people for a day. There were over 100,000 refugees outside Hanshan City, consuming over 1,000 shi of grain daily, which was equivalent to over 1,000 taels of silver.
Wang Wenzhou arrived at the porridge distribution point, which Liu Rushi had set up herself. Wang Wenzhou greatly admired Liu Rushi; a woman, yet she possessed such magnanimity and generosity. Somewhat regrettably, Liu Rushi wouldn't let Wang Wenzhou sleep there.
"You've arrived?" Liu Rushi said.
"Ruru, have you missed me these past few days?" Wang Wenzhou teased.
"Sigh..." Liu Rushi shook her head with a wry smile. Wang Wenzhou, in a way, was a benevolent ruler. He set up refugee camps and provided food for them. But he was just too lecherous!
"Do you really want me to hate you?" Liu Rushi asked.
"Ruru, if you don't want to hate me, then sleep with me!" It's impossible for Wang Wenzhou to say he doesn't want to have sex with this beautiful girl who can make him hard.
"Do you know? Grain prices have gone up again. One shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain is now worth one tael (another unit of dry measure) of silver!" Liu Rushi said worriedly.
"Haha...this is great news!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile. "Looks like I'll have to open a grain store. No, a monopoly is the most profitable. From now on, Hanshan County will implement a grain monopoly system. Everyone must buy grain from designated grain stores. Selling grain privately is illegal and will result in confiscation and fines!"
"You are the head of a county, can you please stop being so shameless! If the people don't have enough to eat, trouble will break out!" Liu Rushi said irritably.
“Ruru, I’m getting married in a few days. Why don’t you marry me too? You see, I’m rather shameless. After you marry me, you can keep an eye on me and give me instructions. To the people of Hanshan, you’ll be their great benefactor!” Wang Wenzhou teased.
"Get lost!" Liu Rushi said irritably.
"Ru Ru, I just love hearing you say 'get lost'! The way you say that word sounds so beautiful!" Wang Wenzhou shamelessly teased Liu Ru Shi.
"Get out of here! Can't you be serious for once?" Liu Rushi was increasingly realizing that Wang Wenzhou was a person who had no sense of propriety.
"Okay, I'm off! Ruru, I'll miss you!" Wang Wenzhou teased the girl for a while, then happily left.
"Xiaoqiang, go and inform Li Jinshui and Geng San, and Xiaoliang, go and inform Feng Yuantao and Fan Ning to come to Zuihualou for a meeting," Wang Wenzhou instructed.
"Understood!" Wang Qiang and Sheng Liang accepted the order and left.
……
Zuihualou.
Wang Wenzhou summoned his close associates mainly to discuss the grain issue.
Regardless of the era, grain prices are always a crucial issue. Low grain prices hurt farmers, while high grain prices starve them. If grain prices are not managed properly, people who don't have enough to eat will inevitably cause trouble.
“Sir, Brother Feng is more familiar with grain prices, so please speak first, Brother Feng,” Li Jinshui said, cupping his hands in greeting.
Feng Yuantao nodded and said, "Your Excellency, I have grain stores in all the counties of Hezhou Prefecture. In the past few days, the store managers in each county have reported that there are people buying up grain in their areas. Logically speaking, it is not the season for buying grain now. I find this very strange. But recently, the price of grain in Hanshan County has skyrocketed, changing almost every day. I think that someone must be hoarding grain and deliberately raising the price."
"How much grain do you still have?" Wang Wenzhou asked.
Feng Yuantao said, "I still have more than 20,000 shi of grain in my granary."
Li Jinshui replied, "I also run a grain store and have 30,000 shi of grain in storage."
Geng San replied, "My lord, my steamed bun shop uses more than 500 shi of grain every day, and we still have more than 10,000 shi of grain left."
Feng Ning said, "I don't do grain business and don't have much grain stored up."
Wang Wenzhou asked the clerk Li Yinshui, "How much grain is left in the county government's granary?"
Li Yinshui thought for a moment and then replied, "Your Excellency, the Ever-Normal Granary has been releasing grain to relieve disaster victims these days. It needs nearly a thousand shi of grain every day, and currently there are more than forty thousand shi left."
Ever-Normal granaries originated from the system of "leveling grain purchases" implemented by Li Kui in the state of Wei during the Warring States period. This involved the government purchasing and storing grain during bumper years to prevent farmers from suffering losses due to low prices, and selling the stored grain during lean years to stabilize prices. During the Ming Dynasty, local governments throughout the country established Ever-Normal granaries.
There are a total of 80,000 shi of grain. Hanshan County has a population of about 260,000, plus 100,000 refugees outside the city, for a total of 360,000 people. This amount of grain can probably last for about a month.
Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment and then asked, "If we buy grain from other places now, how much can we buy?"
Feng Yuantao, a seasoned grain trader, was an expert. After a moment's thought, he said, "Sir, the grain purchasing season usually begins after the autumn harvest. After that period, the grain is controlled by local granaries and some grain traders. These days, some people are buying grain in the counties surrounding Hanshan. I estimate that even if we wanted to buy grain, there probably wouldn't be any left to buy."
Wang Wenzhou asked, "What about purchasing grain from even more distant places?"
Feng Yuantao shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Grain transportation is a major problem. If the journey is long, the losses along the way are enormous. So much so that only one in ten is left when it reaches its destination. Unless the grain is taken from the official granaries in Nanjing and transported by canal. But the official granaries in Nanjing are the imperial reserves, and it is very difficult to buy grain from them."
"Haha!" Wang Wenzhou laughed, "What's so difficult about that? My uncle served as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner for over twenty years. If I wanted to buy some grain from the Nanjing granary, how could I not have connections?"
"Xiaoqiang, go and fetch your grandfather quickly," Wang Wenzhou instructed.
On his way there, Wang Zhixin learned about what had happened from Wang Qiang.
As soon as Old Wang arrived, he said, "Young master, it's not difficult to buy some grain from the Nanjing city granary. But the silver can't be lacking."
Wang Wenzhou smiled and said, "Grandpa, don't worry about that. One tael of silver for two shi of grain. I currently have 15 taels of silver on hand. Can you transport 30 shi of grain over first?"
Old Wang frowned. Where did the young master get so much silver?
“300,000 shi of grain is probably difficult. The journey from Nanjing to Hanshan will cost about 10,000 taels of silver. 150,000 taels of silver can transport 280,000 shi of grain to Hanshan,” Old Wang replied after thinking for a moment.