Chapter 63

As Gu Jinnian's voice sounded, everyone was taken aback. They looked over and then let out a sigh of relief. To be honest, they were now afraid that if Gu Jinnian wrote something, it would trigger various anomalies. They glanced around, and upon seeing no anomalies, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. If another anomaly occurred, they would have nothing to say and would just go home without reading the book. The reason was simple; being with such a genius was too stressful. "Sir." "It's finished." Gu Jinnian looked at the strategy paper in front of him and let out a sigh of relief. He had long had ideas about the situation in Jiangning County. What was the key point in Jiangning County? Food. As long as there was enough food, everything would be fine. The Black Dragon had already been suppressed, which meant that external factors were under control. Now, the focus was on internal factors. The imperial court could not transport food into the county, and someone was secretly stirring up unrest, trying to cause a rebellion and gather all the people in Jiangning Prefecture. Jiangning Prefecture had enough food reserves, but it could not withstand the influx of millions of refugees. Once the government's food reserves were depleted, the major grain merchants would start to raise prices crazily. Those who could afford to buy rice would, and those who couldn't would sell their children. If they had no children to sell, they would just wait to die. Of course, the most likely scenario was a riot. At that point, life would be unbearable, and a rebellion would break out. The government, under pressure, would have to send troops to suppress the rebels, and those who took up arms would be considered bandits, leading to a massacre without hesitation. However, Gu Jinnian believed that with the current emperor's character, he would certainly seal all the grain merchants before the rebellion and distribute the food to the disaster victims. From the perspective of the common people, this would be a good thing; the emperor was doing the right thing, and these grain merchants deserved to be punished. But from the perspective of the dynasty, this was not a good thing. Such actions would undermine the credibility of the dynasty. The country has its laws, and families have their rules; buying and selling by merchants is a reasonable matter. Internally, the beneficiaries would certainly criticize the Xia Dynasty for its poor conduct, accusing the emperor of being cruel and inhumane. Who were these beneficiaries? They included merchants, noble families, and even court officials. Who were their descendants? Scholars. What would happen next? A group of scholars would criticize you, making you doubt your life. If you were not convinced and wanted them to shut up, you could refer to the First Emperor. If it were a regular feudal society, it would be fine, but here, with the existence of immortals and martial arts, killing scholars meant a decline in national fortune and major problems. Therefore, you would not dare to kill; you could only hold back, wiping away tears in bed, and saying, "Yes, yes, yes." From an external perspective, the Fulu Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty would be laughing. What do the foreign ministries of various dynasties do? Besides the basic Confucian rituals, what else? Diplomacy. So, don't blame them for writing articles to criticize you. Gu Jinnian could guess the general content. It would be something like, "Look at the Xia Dynasty, how ruthless are they? In times of life and death, the merchants sell rice at a slightly higher price, but it is the result of their hard work. The Xia Dynasty's court is incompetent, killing the merchants and taking the rice. Would you still dare to do business in the Xia Dynasty? Would you still stay if you were doing business in the Xia Dynasty?" If such articles were published today and tomorrow, the people of the Fulu Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty would start to question the Xia Dynasty. They would think that the emperor of the Xia Dynasty was ineffective, only bullying within, and when problems arose, he would just kill people. In modern terms, this would be international public opinion. You simply could not withstand it. If the Xia Dynasty were the first dynasty, it would be fine; at worst, it would just take a few scoldings. But the problem was that the Xia Dynasty was not the first, and the most critical issue was that Emperor Yongsheng's ascension was not legitimate. The two major dynasties' criticism of the Xia Dynasty was based on this. So, the impact of killing merchants was not less significant than the rebellion in Jiangning County. But if merchants were not killed, a rebellion would occur, and many people would die. In other words, according to the current situation, Emperor Yongsheng had only two paths to take. One was to bear a great reputation and lose the people's support. The other was to undermine the credibility of the dynasty and add another sin, which would be used by anyone who wanted to rebel in the future. There was a tiger in front and a wolf behind. But the strategy written by Gu Jinnian could solve the core problem. Food. The text was not long, just a thousand words, but it could stabilize the situation in Jiangning County. "Gu Jinnian is truly talented. In just the time it takes to burn an incense stick, he has completed the strategy. I am in awe." Su Wenjing was actually hopeful about Gu Jinnian's strategy from the beginning. After all, Gu Jinnian always surprised everyone. But after the incense stick burned out and no anomalies occurred, Su Wenjing felt somewhat disappointed. He subconsciously thought that Gu Jinnian was just trying to应付一下. But this was reasonable. The disaster in Jiangning County was a problem that even Su Wenjing himself could not solve, so he could not expect too much from others. "Sir, please take a look." Gu Jinnian handed over the paper. The others continued to focus on their own strategies. As long as no anomalies occurred, they still had hope. Su Wenjing took the paper, his expression calm, and then unfolded it to read. The Crown Prince also looked over, very curious about what Gu Jinnian had written. Just a glance, and some very eye-catching words caught his attention: "High prices, cheap people, silver..." Before Li Gao could read further, Su Wenjing turned around and began to read the article seriously. This behavior made Li Gao somewhat amused. He knew Su Wenjing was being cautious. After all, the flood in Jiangning County involved many people, and in the eyes of many, he himself was also a suspect. Ultimately, it was because of the title of Crown Prince. But Li Gao had a clear conscience, so he did not care about these things. At this moment, Su Wenjing's expression gradually became more serious, and his demeanor became more solemn. He read word by word. At first, there was confusion in his eyes, but it gradually turned into seriousness, and then more seriousness. In the end, Su Wenjing's body actually began to tremble. Yes, Su Wenjing was trembling. Li Gao noticed this change in Su Wenjing's behavior, and he was completely baffled. What could make a near-Saint tremble? He could not think of it. At the same time, his heart was filled with endless curiosity. "Gulp." The next moment, Su Wenjing's eyes were blank, and he stood there, staring intently at Gu Jinnian. He was staring intently at Gu Jinnian. "Great talent." "Great talent." "Gu Jinnian, you are truly a prodigy of the Great Xia." After a deep breath, Su Wenjing spoke, but no matter how calm he tried to be, his voice still trembled. "Thank you for your praise, sir." In response to Su Wenjing's praise, Gu Jinnian smiled shyly. But before Gu Jinnian could speak, Su Wenjing waved his hand, his voice loud and clear. "No need for further testing." "Gu Jinnian should be first." With these words, a black ink crane appeared under his feet, and he headed towards the Great Xia Palace without any other emotions. He was thoroughly shocked. He did not know what to say or how to say it. He had only one thought: to quickly deliver this strategy to Emperor Yongsheng. Quickly. Because this strategy could resolve the disaster in Jiangning County. Su Wenjing's strange behavior caused everyone to fall silent. Li Gao could not help but look at Gu Jinnian, truly curious. "Brother Jinnian, what did you write? Why is Mr. Wenjing so agitated?" Li Gao was genuinely curious. A near-Saint suddenly becoming so agitated, anyone would think there was a problem. "I don't know, maybe he's just old and gets excited easily." Gu Jinnian shook his head. Su Wenjing did not tell Li Gao, and he could not speak recklessly either. After all, the fewer people who knew about his strategy, the better. Ideally, only three people should know. One more was not good. At this moment, in the Great Xia Palace, Emperor Yongsheng was reading the latest memorial and was completely silent. The situation in Jiangning Prefecture was truly serious. All the refugees were heading to Jiangning Prefecture, as if it were a premeditated plan. Originally, the court intended to disperse the refugees and avoid concentrating them. Unfortunately, he underestimated the fear of the refugees and the power of rumors. Scouts reported that someone was spreading rumors, telling the people that Jiangning Prefecture was a county seat with abundant grain reserves, and that other places were already full of refugees, so even if they went there, they would not have food. With just this sentence, all the people headed to Jiangning Prefecture. It was not that they were truly foolish, but no one dared to risk their lives. If they gambled and won, it would be fine. But what if they lost? They would lose their lives. And what is the most terrifying about rumors? They are based on facts. Jiangning Prefecture is a county seat. It indeed has more resources than other prefectures, and although the journey is long, at least they could reach Jiangning Prefecture before dying, and they could see hope. If they made a wrong move and then tried to go to Jiangning Prefecture, it would be impossible. At this moment, the Great Xia Emperor had no solution. Because he only had two options: either kill the merchants or suppress the people. He did not want to choose either. But the current situation forced him to do so. He felt truly exhausted. At this moment, he wished someone could descend from the heavens and offer a good strategy. Whoever could solve this disaster, not only would they be promoted three ranks, but if they were clean, they could be cultivated in advance and eventually appointed as a second-rank minister. Great rewards would certainly attract brave men. Unfortunately, there was no time. Of course, there was another method, which was simple: the court could spend silver to buy grain. Buy expensive grain for the people. But this method could only delay the situation for a short time. A very short time. The national treasury did not have much silver, and the Minister of Revenue would be the first to disagree if this were done. But at this moment, a voice suddenly sounded. "Your Majesty." "Your Majesty." "There is a good strategy