A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

As soon as Zhao Daxuan finished speaking, the middle-aged man looked suspicious, but dared not refute him. He could only force a smile and nod in agreement.

The manager of Wang's Grain Shop changed his expression, lowered his head and pretended not to hear Zhao Daxuan's words, and went about his own business.

Zhao Daxuan observed their actions but didn't care. In any case, they would know whether what he said was true in a short while.

He turned around and led his men toward Fuyuan Grain Store. The middle-aged man followed at a distance, ready to see what was going on.

Upon seeing this, the manager of Wang's Grain Shop and the managers of other shops in the vicinity also called a quick-witted employee to follow and check the situation.

Zhao Daxuan's group finally stopped in front of Fuyuan Grain Store.

Fuyuan Grain Store occupies three storefronts and is located in the heart of the grain market. The area is easily accessible from all directions, and most people visiting the grain market will pass by it.

Zhao Daxuan looked at the large black plaque with gold lettering hanging on the storefront, which read "Fuyuan Grain Store" in gold lettering.

The storefront is impressive; it truly lives up to its reputation as the largest grain store in the market.

With so many people gathered in front of the shop, the people inside had already noticed something was amiss.

A round-faced shopkeeper hurriedly ran out and approached Zhao Daxuan with a smile.

"Sir, are you here to buy grain? My master has a close relationship with the city guards. If you want to buy grain today, I'll give you a discount."

Zhao Daxuan stepped into the grain store, where rice, flour, beans, and other grains were readily available, but the prices were all five times higher than usual.

The round-faced shopkeeper followed Zhao Daxuan into the grain store, pointing to the grains on display.

"Sir, our goods are much better than those of other shops. They are all top-quality products on the market, so the price will be slightly higher, but they are definitely worth the money."

"Which one has caught your eye, sir? Just tell me how many you want to buy, and I'll give you a 50% discount on everything, as a way of making friends."

The round-faced shopkeeper's gaze swept over the hundreds of soldiers outside the hall, a hint of pain flashing across his face.

In order to keep the peace, they had no choice but to reluctantly concede.

"I'm not here to buy food today, I'm here to ask you to donate food."

After looking around, Zhao Daxuan turned his gaze back to the round-faced shopkeeper.

His voice was calm and even, but his words made the round-faced shopkeeper's expression turn extremely ugly.

The round-faced shopkeeper looked at Zhao Daxuan with a sullen face. They came to ask him to donate grain, and he still had this attitude. Did he really think they were easy targets?

He winked at the waiter beside him, who nodded, quietly slipped out of the shop, and then ran off at breakneck speed.

"Sir, our shop is small and our profits are meager; I'm afraid we can't donate any grain."

The round-faced shopkeeper looked at Zhao Daxuan with a forced smile.

"This price doesn't look like it's a low-profit margin at all."

Zhao Daxuan gave a cold laugh and pointed to the price tag hanging in the store.

"Sir, you've misunderstood. The price increase is due to the recent siege by the Tartars and the resulting food shortage."

The round-faced shopkeeper explained with a pained expression, while Zhao Daxuan looked at the shop piled high with grain, and there was no sign of shortage.

Moreover, he had just discovered through his perception that the warehouse behind the Fuyuan Grain Store was filled with goods.

Although it is impossible to know exactly what it is, what else could be stored in the warehouses of grain stores besides grain?

Zhao Daxuan's gaze turned cold as he stared at the round-faced shopkeeper, his voice as icy as ice.

"Your warehouse is clearly overflowing with goods, yet you dare claim there's a food shortage? If that's not the case, believe me, I'll prosecute you for price gouging and disrupting public order!"

Zhao Daxuan's words immediately made the round-faced shopkeeper jump up and down.

"Sir, please don't make false accusations. To be honest, my master has a close relationship with a big shot in the city guard."

"Maybe you should try other shops, lest the flood washes away the Dragon King Temple! We need to donate food anyway, and we don't have any!"

The round-faced shopkeeper resolutely refused; given his family background, he had never been afraid of anyone in Zhenbei City.

He had only tried to appease the situation before, but since the other party was acting this way, he no longer needed to save face and immediately became more assertive.

Zhao Daxuan sneered, wondering where this round-faced shopkeeper got his confidence from, and immediately waved his hand.

"Men, search their warehouse!"

Zhao Fubao was about to lead dozens of people into the warehouse behind Fuyuan Grain Store when the round-faced shopkeeper shouted urgently.

"Stop them! Stop them!"

Fuyuan Grain Store is a large and well-established business, with a dozen or so employees, all of whom are strong and capable men.

Upon hearing the round-faced shopkeeper's shout, the workers grabbed sticks and blocked the passageway leading to the warehouse, glaring angrily at him.

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Fubao's eyes, and he instantly drew his long sword from his waist, pressing it against the neck of one of the shop assistants in front of him.

The man turned pale with fright, his hands trembled, and the wooden stick in his hand fell to the ground.

The other soldiers followed suit, drawing their long swords from their waists.

The men present looked at each other in dismay, then retreated, no longer daring to stop them.

Upon seeing this scene, the round-faced shopkeeper's expression changed drastically. Just as Zhao Fubao was about to lead his men into the warehouse in the backyard, he quickly turned to look at Zhao Daxuan.

"Sir, I'll donate! I'll donate!"

Zhao Daxuan looked at the round-faced shopkeeper with a playful expression.

"Oh? How much are you going to donate?"

The round-faced shopkeeper gritted his teeth.

"I'll donate...I'll donate one hundred bushels!"

Zhao Daxuan scoffed.

"One hundred bushels? You think you can fob me off like that! Zhao Fubao, get the search done right now!"

Zhao Fubao shoved aside the worker blocking his way and led his men into the warehouse at the back.

A moment later, Zhao Fubao returned to Zhao Daxuan, his face showing excitement.

"Sir, the warehouse in the back is overflowing with grain, at least several thousand bushels!"

Zhao Daxuan glanced at the round-faced shopkeeper beside him, whose face was ashen.

"Very well, shopkeeper, your crimes of maliciously hoarding grain and driving up grain prices are undeniable! Guards! Arrest him!"

Several soldiers immediately stepped forward, grabbed the round-faced shopkeeper, and tied him up.

The round-faced shopkeeper struggled desperately, roaring, "What right do you have to arrest me? Our boss has close ties with the city guards! You're all dead!"

Zhao Daxuan ignored him and waved for people to go to the granary to move grain.

"What are you doing? Let them go right now!"

A loud shout rang out from the entrance of the grain store, and a young man in fine clothes rushed in, looking at the scene before him with a grim expression.

A quick glance around revealed Zhao Daxuan in the crowd, and his expression immediately changed.

He strode up to Zhao Daxuan and forced a stiff smile.

"So it's Commandant Zhao. My apologies. I am Leng Wushuang, the owner of this grain shop. Commandant Leng Wuye of the Black Armor Battalion is my cousin."

Zhao Daxuan looked at Leng Wushuang meaningfully.

"So that's how it is. No wonder Captain Leng was able to spend tens of thousands of taels of silver to buy warhorses from me yesterday. So that's how he earned that money."

Leng Wushuang's expression turned cold upon hearing Zhao Daxuan's sarcastic remarks.

"What does Commandant Zhao mean by that? I don't understand!"

"Please, sir, release my manager. Our shop is small and operates on thin margins; we earn our money through hard work. Please don't make things difficult for us."

"Otherwise, if your overstepping of authority gets reported to higher authorities, it will be difficult for you to handle the situation."

Seeing Zhao Daxuan's indifferent expression, Leng Wushuang gritted her teeth.

"In that case, our grain bank will donate five hundred shi of grain. This is a generous donation we haven't made in the last ten years. Is that acceptable?"

Zhao Daxuan looked at Leng Wushuang with amusement and uttered a few words softly.

"Of course...no!"