Chaos of Ming 1628

backyard.

As soon as Sun Qing stepped into the front hall, he saw Yang Qingqing waiting to the side, serving Sun Quan tea.

She was gentle and graceful, and her every move exuded elegance.

Sun Quan sat in the armchair, his expression quite unpleasant. He held a teacup in his hand, finding it difficult to drink.

Logically speaking, Yang Qingqing is now Sun Quan's daughter-in-law. However, all three of them are well aware of Sun Qingqing's true identity and how much she actually relates to the Sun family.

The courtyard was filled with imperial guards and secret agents. The tea was at the perfect temperature, but it was hotter than a sweet potato.

Just as Sun Quan was at a loss, he heard Sun Qing's footsteps approaching.

There was a sense of relief, like surviving a disaster: "Sun Qing, you're finally back."

"Husband." Seeing Sun Qing return, Yang Qingqing said softly, "I am serving Father-in-law his breakfast."

Seeing this, Sun Qing couldn't help but laugh. The relationship between the two was too ironic.

A man who hated the eunuch faction to the core was now being addressed as "father-in-law" by them. Even so, this cup of tea was unpalatable.

"I'm not eating anymore," Sun Quan suddenly stood up, as if fleeing: "The snow disaster in Gaoyuan hasn't been resolved, and I'm feeling uneasy."

"It would be great if I could learn a few disaster relief methods," he said, giving Yang Qingqing a meaningful look.

Although he didn't speak, his meaning was clear. If he had to stay with this woman, he would rather leave first.

Sun Qing's gaze swept over Yang Qingqing and Sun Quan, and finally he nodded, pointing towards the study: "Let's move over and talk in detail!"

In the study.

Yang Qingqing did not come along.

Sun Qing didn't see the disappointment in Yang Qingqing's eyes after he left.

In the study.

Sun Quan breathed a sigh of relief: "You're finally back."

"If you don't come back soon, I'm definitely going to come looking for you!"

Sun Qing gave a wry smile, then looked at Sun Quan and cut to the chase: "There are no outsiders here, Lord Sun, so let's speak frankly!"

"Alright." Sun Quan visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

The Sun family did not acknowledge Sun Qing. Having to pretend to be father and son in public was truly exhausting.

"I apologize to you first. I didn't expect Junru to be so willful. She dares to act recklessly on such a big wedding." Sun Quan sighed.

Sun Qing's eyes darkened, and he gave a wry smile: "It's nothing."

"She'll come back when she grows up."

Sun Quan's eyes clearly showed surprise; he had never expected that Sun Qing could think of how to survive.

His voice turned serious: "You're right, a good man's ambition should be for a thousand years to come. He shouldn't dwell on romantic love. In short, your marriage to her is approved by the Sun family."

"By the way," Sun Quan paused slightly, then immediately asked, "What are you going to do about the granary situation?"

Sun Qing couldn't help but smile at this: "To be honest, the Emperor won't give a single penny. I'm currently struggling with how to save Hejian Prefecture."

"Who would have thought that someone would offer help in my time of need? They filled my food containers themselves, solving all my problems."

The more relaxed Sun Qing's tone was, the more tightly Sun Quan frowned.

His expression was extremely complicated, and he sighed inwardly, "Sun Qing, do you really intend to withhold this batch of grain?"

"To be honest, I don't agree. Your distribution of food and porridge yesterday was just a last resort."

"A small amount of grain is not a big deal. But if you continue to stay, do you really want to make enemies of all the grain merchants?"

Sun Qing did not speak.

Seeing his reaction, Sun Quan's tone softened, no longer as forceful as before: "I know you are thinking of the people. But you should also know that in this year of famine and war, the national granary has less than 300 million shi of grain."

"And what you have in your granary right now is the grain stored by all the grain merchants in Hejian Prefecture. A preliminary estimate is that it is at least one million shi (a unit of dry measure).

"If you refuse to return it, it's as if the grain you possess already accounts for one-third of the total national treasury."

Sun Quan's calculations were relatively modest, not including everything Wei Zhongxian had brought under his wing. If one were to truly calculate, Sun Qing's current possessions would exceed even the national treasury.

Wei Zhongxian's belongings were all dowry items, and they even had a designated category.

But it's unacceptable for Sun Qing to forcibly seize the grain.

Thinking of the Sun family's reputation, Sun Quan kindly advised, "The grain merchants and granaries in Hejian Prefecture combined are equivalent to one-fifth of the current national grain reserves. If they all close their granaries and shut down markets, the grain distribution in Beizhili will immediately be thrown into turmoil!"

"I think it's better for you to know when to advance and retreat. Now that Wang Fengyuan is dead, I know you will never admit your mistake. If you were to ask them to donate some grain now, it wouldn't be difficult."

Looking at the trouble he's caused at his age, I can't help but sigh: "Misjudging is not terrible, what's important is knowing how to cut your losses in time."

"Don't make things too ugly."

After Sun Quan finished speaking, Sun Qing finally smiled and firmly shook his head: "I need this batch of grain for the winter; how could I possibly give away even a single bit?"

"These grain merchants hoarded grain, and when disaster struck, they inflated market prices, causing widespread suffering among the people."

"The goods are in the government granary, how would I know who it belongs to?"

"And which emperor has ever issued an order forbidding anyone from privately appropriating national resources?"

Sun Quan gave no room for explanation: "Even for the sake of the Sun family's reputation, I have no choice but to say it."

"If grain merchants completely seal off warehouses and transport goods, and are impeached in the capital, the grain shortage in Hejian will worsen and the displaced people will suffer unrest."

"You'll be held accountable by the imperial court then, which is definitely not worth it."

He had considered that Sun Quan was a pedantic person. But he hadn't expected him to be so foolish.

Sun Qing patiently explained, "Lord Sun, you should be able to see clearly that the cold is getting colder year by year, and famine will inevitably follow. Food is the foundation of survival."

"The granaries in the capital are now empty, and the court cannot allocate a single grain of rice. I have no other choice but to borrow grain from you all temporarily to ensure the survival of tens of thousands of people in Hejian."

The winters are getting worse each year, and we will need to consume grain everywhere. The imperial court has no grain to provide relief, so requisitioning stored grain to aid the disaster victims is my only feasible solution.

Sun Qing smiled helplessly and said slowly, "Lord Sun should understand that the cold is getting worse year by year, and famine will inevitably follow. Food is the foundation of survival."

"The capital's granaries are now empty, and the court cannot allocate a single grain of rice. I have no other choice but to temporarily borrow grain from you all to ensure the survival of tens of thousands of people in Hejian."

Sun Quan was indeed stumped by these words: "Then how are you going to explain this to the merchants?"

"Explain?" Sun Qing chuckled. "Why me?"

"I didn't take over any of it. He didn't object when he was guarding the grain warehouse that day. Now a bunch of people suddenly appear, all shouting that it's his. I definitely won't admit it."

"If the merchants really start making a fuss, how will you quell it?" Sun Quan asked anxiously.

Sun Qing's gaze was deep and serious: "What are you afraid of?!"

"I am now Wei Zhongxian's grandson-in-law. With the eunuch faction still in power, Wei Zhongxian will always take the blame. If we really want to investigate the crimes, I will never be the first to be held accountable."

Sun Quan was dumbfounded, never expecting to hear such outrageous words from Sun Qing.

In vain, he tried again, earnestly trying to communicate with Sun Qing.

"Hmph!" Sun Quan snorted coldly, his eyes full of disdain. "You really are that kind of person. It seems that Junru leaving was the best choice!"

"I don't think I need to learn anything from you. After all, I can't learn your moves!"

After saying this, Sun Quan left angrily without looking back.

Sun Qing knew that some people couldn't be stopped, so she didn't try to keep them.

He simply called out to his retreating figure, "To save the people from suffering, one cannot be bound by ordinary rules."