240: The Grain Store Dispute (1)
"I thank you on behalf of my husband …"
Meng Zhan's friend quietly stepped away to avoid Meng Zhan's concubine's bow.
Not to mention anything else, but based on the gossip he heard, he felt that the Meng's did not live up to its reputation.
He had never heard of the Meng's using a concubine to pretend to be the legitimate son.
He didn't want to get involved in this mess.
"Chief Meng needs to rest after this incident. You can't get angry again in case it hurts your foundation."
Before the medical officer could step out of the main street where the Meng Residence was located, he was hurriedly called back. He wrote a new prescription and gave a few instructions.
His friend took the chance to leave. He was worried that he would hear another scandal if he stayed any longer.
Meng Liang died. Everyone in the Meng's family mourned. They wore plain linen clothes. The Meng's army was also ordered to mourn for the Second Langjun.
Meng Zhan's action was met with a lot of resistance. He was scolded by several elders.
Who was Meng Liang?
A son of the first wife who was not even 20 years old!
To the public, he was the son of the first wife. However, some of the elders who had heard the rumors knew that Meng Liang's identity was different. His identity as the son of the first wife was still a question mark. It was not like the Meng family was so short of people that Meng Liang was the only one. There were still many candidates for the Meng family.
A son of the first wife died and the entire Meng's army mourned for him.
Who did he think he was?
Even if the emperor of Dongqing passed away, he wouldn't be treated like this.
More importantly, it was a critical moment. The civil unrest in Cang Prefecture was getting worse. Mobs were everywhere.
The Meng's army needed to clean up their colleagues. They didn't have time to mourn for a young boy.
Speaking of which, Meng Liang was the source of the civil unrest.
If it weren't for the fact that the boy was too much of a bastard and made the people angry, the Meng's wouldn't be in such an awkward situation.
It was better for him to die. He didn't have a good background anyway.
If it weren't for the fact that Meng Zhan loved him so much that he wouldn't give him anything and even ignored the legitimate eldest son of the first wife, the elders wouldn't have cared about Meng Liang. He was just a piece of mud that couldn't be helped. He was a waste of air when alive and a waste of land when dead.
Meng Zhan's heart was as hard as steel. He refused to give in even half a step.
The two sides were locked in a stalemate. As a result, there were several voices within the Meng family's army. The news of the civil unrest that they had painstakingly concealed seemed to have grown wings and spread among the people. When the people in the neighboring counties and prefectures heard the news, they panicked and felt insecure.
"The Meng Family is truly a sinner!"
A plain-looking carriage stopped on the mountain road. The man in the carriage lifted the curtain and saw the people fighting outside. Their clothes were ragged and their faces were yellow from hunger. It was a scene of chaos. The man sighed in his heart and put down the hand that lifted the curtain.
Judging from his appearance, he wasn't the man who was a guest at the Meng residence?
At this moment, the guard outside asked him in a low voice.
"Master, should we return to Shang Jing first, or …"
The guard's voice was filled with concern and nervousness. There were only eleven of them, including the man. With such a small group of people, if they encountered a large wave of rioters, they could not guarantee the safety of the man in the carriage. The longer they stayed, the more dangerous it would be.
The man went silent for a moment before he said abruptly, "No, let's go to Langya!"
He had some doubts and was eager to seek confirmation from his young friend.
The guard did not even think about it. He answered yes and pulled the reins of the carriage.
Soon, the seemingly ordinary carriage completely disappeared on the vast mountain road.
"Yuanjing, what kind of students do you have …?"
Faintly, the man seemed to be complaining.
There were different voices within the Meng family's army. The suppression was lax, which made the already serious civil unrest even more intense.
Hejian County, which was only half a month away from Meng County, was naturally the first to be affected.
Jiang Pengji returned to the mansion from the streets as usual. The information she collected made her look cold. The audience in the streaming room could feel the low pressure around her through the screen. Even the funny comments on the bullet screen had decreased greatly.
"The price of grain has soared to eight times the original price … Even so, the supply still cannot meet the demand." Xu Ke hurriedly jumped off the carriage and hurried to Jiang Pengji's study room. He knelt in front of her and said, "Langjun, it's time for us to take action."
When the price of grain skyrocketed, it would be difficult for them to lower the price. By then, they would have to face the resistance of all the grain merchants in Hejian County. The grain merchants were supported by the gentry clans. They were not afraid of one or two of them, but it would be hard to say if they joined forces.
"No hurry …" Jiang Pengji was expressionless. She seemed to be deep in thought, which made Xu Ke so anxious that he almost couldn't speak. It was not the time to act aloof. "Let me ask you, have you found any refugees from the nearby counties?" Jiang Pengji asked.
"Not near Hejian County, but there are many in Zisang County …"
Zisang County was near Hejian County, which was closer to Meng County in Cang Prefecture.
If there were refugees, they would be the first to appear.
"I got it." Jiang Pengji pounded her palms and said, "Tell the grain stores to put out the signboards and try to spread it throughout Hejian County. We must let every citizen know that the three grain stores will be buying large quantities of cheap grain."
"Signboards?" Xu Ke was startled. "What is that?"
"It means to widely advertise. Hire 30 to 50 children or hooligans who are familiar with the roads nearby. Give them some money and let them advertise on the streets …" Jiang Pengji explained. "Anyway, we must let the people know as soon as possible."
Xu Ke's eyes flashed. If it were not for the situation, he would have praised his Langjun's idea.
Nowadays, there were too few people who could read. Even if they put up the signboards at the city gates, not many people would know about the grain stores. The effect was minimal.
If they let children or hooligans advertise everywhere, it would be faster and wider than just putting up the signboards.
The key was that the labor cost was not high.
"I'll do it now."
Xu Ke calmed himself down, bowed to Jiang Pengji, and left.
"Wait!" Jiang Pengji suddenly shouted and stopped Xu Ke, who was in a hurry to leave. "Before we do this, go and find out which grain store has the lowest price. The price we set will always be 20% lower than the lowest price!"
Xu Ke was dumbfounded. "Not … the normal price?"
Jiang Pengji snorted and said, "We just need to be kinder than the black-hearted merchants. We are good people, understand?"
Xu Ke was still dumbfounded. It was different from what he had imagined.
"Don't worry. The price will not go on." Jiang Pengji said calmly, "Our price will only be 20% lower than the other grain stores. If they want to compete, they will naturally lower their price. Then we will lower it by 20% …"
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