Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

The following day, the grain convoy bound for the Pujitang logistics station was intercepted at noon.

The foreman in charge was surnamed Zhao, and he led twenty oxcarts along the official road in the suburbs.

The cart was loaded with 1,200 shi of loose grain collected from various parts of Jiangnan, all sealed with the seal of Pujitang.

As we passed Qingfengling, more than fifty masked men rushed out of the woods on both sides.

Holding a broadsword, they blocked the convoy.

Manager Zhao was so frightened that he tumbled off the carriage shaft, landing hard on his bottom.

"No, don't hit me! Let's talk this out!"

The masked leader didn't waste any words with him. He slapped the ox's rump with the back of his knife, and the oxcart mooed and headed down the side road.

The others followed with the remaining oxcarts, and in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the caravan, along with its people and provisions, disappeared into the mountain road.

Manager Zhao lay there dumbfounded, unable to react for a long time.

They had been transporting goods along this official road for decades and had never seen such blatant robbery.

Once the group of people had gone far away, he stood up shakily and ran as fast as he could towards the nearest logistics station.

The news reached Kyoto the next day.

In the Pujitang Logistics Park.

Gu Mingyue was sitting in her office reviewing the weekly reports from logistics stations across the country.

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Pei Yu strode in, his brows furrowed and his face full of anger.

"Boss! Something's happened! The grain we bought at the Lingjiang logistics station has been stolen! 1,200 shi (a unit of dry measure), not a single bag left!"

"Manager Zhao said there were fifty or sixty bandits, all masked and carrying broadswords. They were very swift, and the whole thing took no more than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."

"Bandits? Armed with broadswords?"

Gu Mingyue merely raised an eyebrow slightly and calmly placed the teacup back on the table.

Lingjiang Wharf is located very close to the Jiangnan Camp of Lingzhou.

A "mountain bandit" who could rob grain right under the noses of the army and still escape unscathed.

Gu Mingyue scoffed.

"These aren't bandits. They're from the Cui family."

Pei Yu's eyes widened in surprise.

"The Cui family? They dare to rob grain?!"

"With grain prices so low, the Cui family was getting anxious as they watched loose grain continue to flow into the capital. Unable to buy it all through legitimate means, they resorted to crooked methods."

Gu Mingyue relaxed slightly and leaned back in her chair, her mind racing.

Cui Yuan's move wasn't particularly clever, but it was ruthless.

Under the guise of "disrupting the mountain bandits," they secretly blocked the grain sales channels of individual farmers to Kyoto.

With the increased risks associated with transporting bulk grain, naturally no one dared to secretly transport grain to the capital without the Cui family's knowledge.

However, the fact that Cui Yuan dared to resort to such methods shows that he had reached the point of being unscrupulous.

Conversely, when someone starts to break the rules, it also means they're almost done with their serious ways.

Gu Mingyue stood up and straightened her clothes.

"There's no need to rush this. I'll go to the newspaper office to find my brother."

She doesn't need to worry about difficult things herself; she has two powerful brothers who can step in and solve them.

……

really.

The following morning at court, Xiao Ye began his dramatic performance.

On the golden throne, the emperor's face was gloomy as he ruthlessly threw an urgent report down the steps.

"Qingfeng from Lingzhou revealed that mountain bandits had robbed the grain being transported to the capital!"

"Since the founding of the Great Yong Dynasty, there has never been a case of grain being robbed on official roads!"

"Do these bandits still respect the imperial court?"

The courtiers below dared not even breathe loudly.

Wang Cong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, stood at the front with his head down, a smug look on his face.

Xiao Ye's gaze swept over him, but didn't linger on him for long. Instead, he looked at the Ministry of War.

Ministry of War.

The Minister of War quickly stepped forward.

"Your subject is here."

"Which military camp is responsible for protecting Qingfeng Road?"

"Your Majesty, the Qingfengling area is under the jurisdiction of Lingzhou. The matters of patrolling and suppressing bandits should be under the command of Wu De, the Governor-General of Jiangnan."

Xiao Ye said coldly, "Draft an imperial edict. Instruct Wu De, the Governor-General of Jiangnan, to conduct a thorough investigation into the grain robbery in Qingfeng Road, effective immediately. He is to apprehend the bandits within one month and rigorously investigate the grain robbery; otherwise, he will be punished for dereliction of duty."

"I obey your decree."

After issuing the decree, Xiao Ye looked at Wang Cong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

"Minister Wang, the shortage of military rations has not yet been addressed. Now even grain transported on official roads is being intercepted; my patience is running out."

Wang Cong pretended to shudder, but in reality, he already had a story that Cui Yuan had told him.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty has been trying to find a solution these past few days."

"The major grain merchants in Jiangnan all have their previous stockpiles of grain. I have inquired and they currently have at least one million shi (a unit of dry measure) in stock."

"It's just that grain prices are too high right now. If... if the imperial court were willing to offer a reasonable price and purchase a batch of grain from the big grain merchants in Jiangnan for emergency use, it might be able to temporarily alleviate the urgent problem."

After these words were spoken, the hall fell silent for two seconds.

Several officials from powerful factions exchanged glances, their eyes full of mockery.

No matter how tough the emperor is, he has to face reality.

Powerful clans have plenty of ways to control the world.

It's not something an emperor can fight alone, or something he can defeat by throwing a tantrum.

Xiao Ye remained silent for a long while.

"What's the price?"

Wang Cong cupped his hands and replied, "One hundred and fifty coins per dou."

Whispers filled the court.

One hundred and fifty coins per dou of rice? In previous years, the highest official price was only thirty or forty coins!

This is clearly the Cui family challenging the emperor!

Xiao Ye leaned back on the dragon throne, his fingers slowly tapping the armrest.

A long time has passed.

"Granted."

"Have the Cui family transport 500,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain to the capital first. The payment will be settled upon arrival in the capital."

Wang Cong bent down, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"I obey your decree."

With the emperor's compromise, Duke Cui's plan succeeded!

……

Just when all the court officials felt that "the emperor will ultimately be defeated by the Cui family."

Gu Mingli had already finished the latest issue of the newspaper a day ahead of schedule.

The newspaper was printed urgently and sent to the logistics park for distribution to various prefectures and counties.

The next morning, as soon as smoke began to rise from the chimneys of Kyoto, newsboys rushed into the streets with heavy satchels on their backs.

"Da Yong People's Gazette! Bandits are rampant on Qingfeng Road in Lingzhou! They have hijacked a grain transport convoy!"

"The grain supply lines have been cut off by bandits, and grain merchants can't sell their grain! Someone is maliciously driving up grain prices!"

"His Majesty is furious! He has ordered a thorough investigation! The Governor-General of Jiangnan has been given a deadline to suppress the bandits!"

The children's voices were high-pitched and clear, reaching the ears of the people in the morning market.

Inside the steamed bun shop, people who were buying steamed buns turned around and pricked up their ears in surprise.

The customers at the soy milk stall next door, who had just picked up their bowls, all stared at the newsboy with their chopsticks hanging in mid-air.

"Hey! Give me one!"

"Give me one too! Let me see who's hoarding grain and who's maliciously speculating on grain prices!"

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the first batch of 5,000 newspapers sold out.

The storytellers in the teahouse no longer needed to make up their stories; they simply read from the newspapers.

A large crowd of listeners surrounded the audience, some banging on the table, others cursing.

"More than fifty masked bandits! Wielding broadswords! Intercepting grain on the official road in broad daylight! What is this? This is trampling the face of the imperial court into the ground!"

"Grain prices were already ridiculously high, and now even the roads for transporting grain are blocked. How are we supposed to survive from now on?"

"What is the Governor-General of Jiangnan good for? Such a vast territory, and he can't even control a few bandits?"

"Exactly! He's in charge of patrolling the official roads! Grain was stolen right under his nose, how can he escape responsibility?"

"I heard that Wu De is very close to the Cui family."

"Shh! Keep your voice down!"

Public resentment surged like a tidal wave.

This was the case in Kyoto, and even more so in other prefectures and counties.

Through the logistics network of Pujitang, Dayong Minbao had already delivered its goods to more than 70% of the prefecture and county stations in Dayong one day in advance.