Chapter 64

Great Xia Capital.

The matter of Jiangning County has become a source of distress for many people.

The higher the official, the more concerned they are about this matter.

Those involved in the interests must be carefully calculated.

Those not benefiting from the interests must serve the country.

However, when the news from Jiangning County arrived, it sparked a wave of discussions.

In the rear hall of the Ministry of Revenue.

Several officials of the Ministry of Revenue gathered, all discussing the matter of Jiangning County.

Minister of Revenue He Yan sat at the head of the table, his expression not very pleasant, while the other officials, reading the urgent reports, also showed signs of distress.

"Sixty taels of silver per dan of grain, what is this? Has the flood in Jiangning County reached such a level? It's only been a few days."

An official spoke, looking at the content of the memorial.

"The flood in Jiangning County is indeed terrifying, and the rise of refugees is understandable, but the grain merchants in Jiangning County are being too aggressive. In just a few days, the price has risen tenfold."

"If there are more refugees, will the price rise to hundreds of taels of silver per dan? This is truly unreasonable."

Another official spoke, finding the price to be excessively high.

The refugees have just arrived in Jiangning County, and the price has already risen to hundreds of taels of silver per dan. If this continues, it will be astronomical.

"Abnormal events must have a cause."

"These merchants are so bold because the refugees are gathered, and the government granaries are indeed empty, which has led to their arbitrary behavior."

"Moreover, there must be government officials supporting them behind the scenes. The price is so exaggerated, yet there is no prohibition. The governor of Jiangning Prefecture and the magistrate of Jiangning County cannot escape blame."

Several people discussed the matter of Jiangning County.

Minister He Yan, however, remained silent.

After everyone had spoken, He Yan's voice slowly sounded.

"The main task at hand is still disaster relief."

"The court has dispatched dragon boats to transport grain, but it is still a drop in the bucket."

"I plan to draft a memorial to use the national treasury to purchase local grain. However, with the current skyrocketing grain prices in Jiangning Prefecture, immediate action must be taken to stop it. Otherwise, the national treasury will not be able to purchase even a fraction of the grain."

"In the end, the silver will be spent, but the disaster will not be alleviated, which is a major problem."

"Everyone should also prepare to draft a memorial. Tomorrow at the morning court, it will be jointly presented by Minister Fang and Minister Li."

He Yan spoke.

After much consideration, the only solution at present is to use the national treasury to purchase grain.

Using dragon boats to transport grain is too costly.

It would be better to directly use the national treasury to purchase grain, which would reduce costs and effectively provide disaster relief.

However, the price cannot be too high. He can accept a slight increase, but buying grain at ten times the normal price is definitely unacceptable.

After he said this.

Everyone present fell silent.

After a moment, Minister Li spoke.

"Minister."

"Using the national treasury to buy grain is not a big problem, but in the current situation, will using the national treasury cause trouble?"

Minister Li spoke. He is the Left Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a third-rank official, and a top-ranking minister.

If there are no unexpected events, after He Yan retires, he will be the future Minister of Revenue of Great Xia.

He Yan is already in his sixties, and he can only hold this position for at most five more years.

Naturally, as the future minister, Minister Li must weigh the matter carefully. Directly depleting the national treasury and leaving a mess for himself is unacceptable for anyone.

Of course, this is the core issue, but there is also a secondary issue.

The national treasury is always an extremely sensitive matter. If this is done, will it cause trouble?

The price of grain in Jiangning Prefecture has risen, and you are spending money to buy grain. Is there any foul play involved?

"There is no such thing as trouble or no trouble."

"At this point, the main task is disaster relief. The national treasury still has 357 million taels of silver available. We will keep 200 million taels as a reserve, and the remaining 157 million taels can be used to buy grain."

"If the grain merchants in Jiangning Prefecture are willing, we can allocate another 50 million taels of silver. They can make some profit, but they should not expect too much."

He Yan spoke.

This is his bottom line.

Buying grain at a high price, in the face of a natural disaster, they can accept it.

First, solve the problem, and there's no need to be overly meticulous.

However, buying grain at an exorbitant price is completely unnecessary.

"Minister, what price are you willing to pay for the grain?"

Minister Li asked.

"Up to 12 taels."

He Yan spoke, stating his bottom line.

12 taels is not a problem. Although it is double the price, given the flood in Jiangning Prefecture, maintaining the original price is impossible.

To be honest, 12 taels of silver per dan is not a problem. The people can contribute a little, and the court will bear the majority.

As long as the situation can be stabilized, the problem can be gradually resolved.

"Alright."

"I will handle this matter."

Minister Li nodded.

At the same time.

The Ministry of Personnel of Great Xia.

They were also discussing this matter.

However, unlike the Ministry of Revenue, which focuses on disaster relief.

In the rear hall of the Ministry of Personnel.

There were only three people.

Minister of Personnel Hu Yong, Left Minister Xu Lai, and Right Minister Wang Jiang.

"The magistrate of Jiangning County is truly acting recklessly. The grain merchants in the county have raised the price to 60 taels of silver per dan. Where in the world is grain so expensive?"

Xu Lai's voice sounded, condemning the magistrate of Jiangning County for his negligence.

"With the rise of refugees and the empty government granaries, his actions are understandable, though there are some faults, they are within reason."

Wang Jiang spoke, as the magistrate of Jiangning County, Zhang Yang, has some connection with him, so he naturally had to say a few good words.

"Within reason?"

"With empty government granaries, can we allow these unscrupulous merchants to act recklessly?"

"In just a few days, the price has risen to 60 taels of silver per dan, ten times the original price. This is a sign of the incompetence of the officials."

Xu Lai continued to condemn, showing no mercy.

"Minister Xu, your words are a bit harsh."

"Natural disasters and human misfortunes, who can control them? Moreover, among the court officials, who has come up with a good strategy?"

Wang Jiang was somewhat不服气 (unconvinced).

However, at this moment, the voice of Minister of Personnel Hu Yong sounded.

"At this point, it is not something Zhang Yang can decide."

As soon as Hu Yong spoke.

The two immediately fell silent.

They also began to carefully consider.

"Minister, do you mean that someone is guiding Zhang Yang behind the scenes?"

They could understand the meaning and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Yesterday, at the Great Xia Academy, Gu Jinnian presented a strategy, and Su Wenjing praised it three times."

"Later, when he entered the palace, His Majesty was also very pleased."

"Today, the magistrate of Jiangning County, Zhang Yang, has allowed the grain prices to rise unchecked."

"Tell me, is there any coincidence in this?"

Hu Yong spoke calmly, pointing out the key points.

"Gu Jinnian presented a strategy? What strategy can he present? His articles and poems are indeed good, and I admire him, but in matters of state, what does a child know?"

"I have also heard about this, but I do not believe that Gu Jinnian can present any strategy. The people also say that Su Wenjing saw Gu Jinnian's talent and wanted to take him as a disciple, so he wrote the strategy and attributed the credit to Gu Jinnian."

"I agree with this view."

The two spoke, and from a simple sentence, it was clear that they admired Gu Jinnian's literary talent but did not recognize his ability to govern the country.

This is not a matter of underestimation, but rather a matter of various reasons. Being good at reading does not mean one can govern the country.

Even the top scholar in the imperial examination can only enter the Hanlin Academy at the beginning.

The reason is simple: to be tempered in the grand melting pot of the court.

Without suffering losses or being deceived, one cannot be of great use.

There are indeed geniuses in this world, but strategy is closely related to experience.

Hu Yong picked up his teacup, sipped it carefully, and then spoke.

"Whether it was Gu Jinnian's strategy, Su Wenjing's strategy, or just a performance, one point cannot be denied."

"Zhang Yang is acting under someone's instructions, tacitly allowing the grain merchants to raise prices. What you should consider is why they are doing this, not who is making them do it."

After he said this.

The two immediately fell silent.

After a moment, they both thought of a possibility.

"Minister, do you mean that this is a deliberate move by His Majesty to incite public resentment and reduce the impact?"

Xu Lai couldn't help but speak.

But Hu Yong shook his head.

"Not His Majesty."

He directly denied it, even when talking to his confidants, he would never say the wrong word.

"Mr. Wenjing?"

Wang Jiang asked curiously.

"It's not Mr. Wenjing."

"Whoever presented the strategy is who."

Hu Yong spoke calmly, not daring to say more about His Majesty, and not wanting to involve Su Wenjing.

Since the people say the strategy was presented by Gu Jinnian, let's assume it was Gu Jinnian.

Who did it is irrelevant; the key is the impact it will have.

Hearing Hu Yong speak like this, the two nodded, not focusing on who came up with the idea.

"Minister, do you mean that His Majesty is about to take action against these merchants?"

Xu Lai returned to the topic and asked.

"If there are no unexpected events."

"It should be so."

Hu Yong nodded and then put down his teacup, continuing to speak.

"To destroy someone, first make them go crazy."

"The magistrate of Jiangning County, no matter how foolish, would not act so recklessly at this critical moment. Otherwise, when the court settles accounts in the autumn, his