Chapter 70

Listening, listening.

After Wang Xian’s persuasion, Wei Zhixian felt that the situation wasn’t as bad as he had thought. Looking at this young man who was over a decade younger than himself, he grew even more fond of him. In a moment of enthusiasm, he said, "Wang Xian, do you have a courtesy name?"

"Courtesy name?" Wang Xian was taken aback for a moment before he reacted, "I haven’t entered school, so I don’t have a courtesy name."

"I’ll give you one then," Wei Zhixian smiled.

"Ah..." Wang Xian was stunned, unsure of what was happening.

"Still not thanking the magistrate!" Sima Qiu nudged him again, "Granting a courtesy name means taking you as a student."

"Ah..." Wang Xian thought to himself, how sudden this is, I haven’t even thought about the pros and cons yet. In a flash, he quickly calculated... becoming a student of the magistrate would mean he could walk around Fuyang County with confidence. Moreover, Wei Zhixian was so young, his career had no limits, and following him would definitely bring benefits.

Of course, there were also downsides. Wei Yuan was a Confucian scholar and fond of grand achievements. If he got involved with him, he would inevitably face trouble and might even risk his life and fortune...

"Look at this kid, he’s so happy he’s dumbfounded." Seeing him like a dazed melon, Sima Qiu laughed, "The magistrate is a two-time imperial scholar, whose virtue and writings are highly praised by the current emperor. Now he has the idea of taking you as a student, this is your good fortune from a past life. Why don’t you kowtow and become his disciple?"

"Ah, yes..." Wang Xian thought, whether it’s good or bad in the future, but if I dare to say no now, can I still survive in Fuyang County? He had to put on a look of surprise, kneel down, and kowtow three times, showing deep gratitude, "Teacher, please accept your student’s kowtow!"

Wei Zhixian sat solemnly and accepted his grand salute, then took the tea offered by Wang Xian, sipped it lightly, and thus completed the ceremony. He then slowly said, "According to the 'Shuowen Jiezi,' 'Xian' means 'talented.' You are indeed worthy of this character. However, talent is only for use, and virtue is the foundation. Only when virtue and talent are combined can one be considered to be on the right path. Since you are the second son, I will call you 'Zhongde'!"

"Zhongde thanks the teacher for the name!" Wang Xian said excitedly.

"Hehe..." Wei Zhixian smiled, "Zhongde, although you are very smart, you have read too little. How can you be considered a disciple of a sage without reading? In the future, when you have free time from official duties, you should read more classics and history. If you have any questions, you can come and ask me..."

After a pause, he added, "I took a liking to your talent and took you as a student, but there should be no private relationships in the public office, which is somewhat taboo..."

"The student will strictly keep it a secret," Wang Xian quickly assured, "I won’t publicize it."

"That’s very good, but in private, we can still address each other as teacher and student." Wei Zhixian nodded and then returned to the main topic, "Have you calculated the results?"

"Reporting to the teacher," Wang Xian picked up the list in his hand and reported, "The accounts show that the Yongfeng Granary has 9,312 shi of grain in storage, 2,710 shi and 7.5 dou of old grain for sale, leaving 6,600 shi. Of these 6,600 shi, 1,100 shi are new grain, and the rest are old grain. The problem lies with these old grains. According to the samples, only about 40% are still edible, and the rest are old grains that cannot be eaten."

"About the same as estimated," Wei Zhixian nodded, "Why are there so many old grains?"

"The reason is not complicated." Through the flow of accounts, Wang Xian had already seen through their tricks, "As long as the granary and the grain merchants collude, when it’s time to sell old grain, the grain merchants will offer to buy it but not remove it. Since they also need to replenish the granary, the granary will buy back the old grain from the grain merchants. In fact, the old grain never leaves the granary. However, there are two transactions recorded on the books between the granary and the grain merchants. The grain merchants spend very little to buy the old grain, but the government pays the price of new grain, and the difference is enormous, which is then divided among the corrupt officials."

"The grain doesn’t move, yet they can cheat for large sums of money every year, these people are really smart!" Sima Qiu sighed with great emotion. In his heart, he couldn’t help but feel regretful, what a good opportunity to make money, ruined by these two fools...

"It’s not entirely immobile. Some of the old, rotten grain that can’t be stored is still disposed of when the opportunity arises," Wang Xian said, "But the grain that is replenished is also old grain that the grain merchants can’t sell, mixed with sand and lime. As a result, the granary is full of old grain."

"A bunch of lawless scoundrels!" Wei Zhixian’s sense of justice flared up, but was quickly buried by reality, "So, do they need to make up 3,300 shi of grain?"

"It’s 6,000 shi, plus the 2,700 shi of old grain that needs to be dealt with this year," Wang Xian sighed, "And those corrupt merchants are used to getting something for nothing, they probably can’t even come up with 1,000 shi."

"How do we solve the 5,000 shi problem?" Wei Zhixian asked anxiously.

"We can only try to buy it," Wang Xian said softly, "But there isn’t enough money in the accounts, and even if we sell everything, we can’t afford it."

"This money can’t come from the county, they have to pay!" Wei Zhixian said angrily, "They’ve been greedy for so many years, they can’t get off easy!"

"Yes." Wang Xian frowned, "We need to act quickly. This amount is too large, two months ago there was still some hope, but now it’s already the twelfth month, and grain merchants everywhere are starting to hold back..."

"Whatever it takes, it must be resolved before the New Year! The last batch of grain must not enter the granary later than the first month!" Wei Zhixian said decisively, "You are fully responsible for this, and you can take any necessary measures!"

"Yes." Wang Xian thought, I knew this mess would be dumped on me.

After Wang Xian left, Sima Qiu asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to take a student?"

"It’s not a sudden decision. The official world is dangerous, and wherever you go, you are outnumbered and a guest. Without good helpers, how can you manage?" Wei Zhixian sighed, "Wang Xian is a remarkable person. Despite his young age, he is so mature, experienced, and wise. He is a gift from heaven, and I must keep him close!"

"I see..." Sima Qiu felt a bit sour, what about me? Am I just a burden?

Wei Zhixian sensed the jealousy and smiled, "You are my Xiao He, and he is my Zhang Liang. You are still more important, but we need to work together."

"Yes." Unexpectedly, Sima Qiu felt even more sour, they used to say I was Zhang Liang...

The next day, after the morning assembly, Wang Xian went to the Yongfeng Granary again. Wu Wei and others were still on duty, and fortunately, nothing had happened overnight.

"Go back and sleep," Wang Xian looked at his tired and dirty subordinates, "You don’t need to work today."

Everyone cheered and scattered. Wang Xian then looked at the timid granary clerk, "Where is your superior?"

"Stomachache," the clerk quickly answered, "He has been vomiting and diarrhea all night and just fell asleep."

"Strange, he can sleep," Wang Xian said coldly.

"Yes, he said to call him if you come," the clerk hurriedly said.

"Then what are you waiting for!" Qin Shou glared.

A moment later, in the granary clerk’s office, Wang Xian smiled at Du Ziteng, who looked pale and as if he had been trampled by an elephant, "How do you feel?"

"Ah, like I died once," Du Ziteng said dejectedly, "But still, thank you, brother. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you today."

"Good, I’m glad you don’t hold a grudge," Wang Xian said with a smile.

"How could I? You were just following orders," Du Ziteng denied, whether sincerely or not, and then asked cautiously, "What does the magistrate mean?"

"The magistrate means that the grain must be replenished as soon as possible," Wang Xian said calmly, "If the grain is replenished, everything can be discussed. Otherwise, don’t blame him for being ruthless."

"I’ll call Zhou Yang and the others," Du Ziteng sent someone to call the grain merchants to the Yongfeng Granary. While they were on their way, Wang Xian asked Du Ziteng how he had managed over the years.

"There’s no secret, just do it for a long time, and you’ll naturally get it," Du Ziteng said, "The granary’s daily expenses are mainly two: one is lending grain during spring famine, and the other is selling rice to stabilize prices when the price is too high. The former is at most 1,000 shi per year, and I always prepare for this. As for selling rice, the granary deliberately uses old grain. People in the south are particular about rice, and the people of Fuyang are wealthy. They won’t even look at old grain mixed with sand, so it doesn’t affect the price."

"Have you ever thought about what to do if the granary needs to open and distribute grain?" Wang Xian asked.

"I’m not after money at the cost of my life," Du Ziteng said with a bitter smile, "But Fuyang is different from other places. Most people buy rice, so the price is naturally higher. Merchants seek profit, and grain merchants from all over prioritize selling to Fuyang. People just spend a bit more, but they won’t starve."

"What if the whole province is short of grain, and the government controls the outflow of grain?" Wang Xian asked.

"Well," Du Ziteng muttered, "If the whole of Zhejiang is short of grain, there will definitely be chaos. At that time, it’s about survival..."

"What if the country is peaceful, but only Zhejiang is short of grain?" Wang Xian asked coldly.

"How could that happen..." Du Ziteng saw that he had angered Wang Xian and quickly changed his tone, "If such a thing happens, I can only accept it." He sighed, "Brother, you don’t know the situation. The granary is only taken seriously in the north. In our Jiangnan, the land of fish and rice, grain doesn’t last long, so the granary isn’t very useful. It’s just a cash cow for the counties, and the Yongfeng Granary is not an exception."

Wang Xian was silent. Du Ziteng, who wasn’t very bold, dared to be a big rat, so the situation in other counties was probably even worse...

"Regardless of other counties, the granary in Fuyang must have enough grain to save lives!" Wang Xian knew that if he blocked all their ways to make money, they would become his mortal enemies. Besides, he didn’t have the sense of being a righteous official; he just didn’t want to risk his life and didn’t want to have a son without an anus.

Du Ziteng was overjoyed. He clearly understood Wang Xian’s implication... he must prepare the grain for famine, but how he sells the grain is none of his business!

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