From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Before the news could be leaked, the other rebellious grain merchants had no time to react and were all captured!

It involves major grain merchants in four locations, and hundreds of people of all sizes!

All the ringleaders were executed on the spot for the crime of assassination! The other accomplices were either exiled or imprisoned for hard labor, depending on the severity of their crimes.

Zou Shichang, at Xiao Fengxiao's instigation, was cut in half at the waist and his body was left in the wilderness, with no permission allowed to collect or bury him.

In addition, the property of these grain merchants was also confiscated.

It must be said that following Xiao Fengxiao, they made a fortune, becoming incredibly wealthy. However, their insatiable greed led them to this tragic end.

The confiscated wealth was distributed by Chen Shi: 60% went into Xiao Fengxiao's private treasury, 10% was handed over to the court as a formality, and the remaining 30% was distributed as a bonus to officials in various places.

After these grain merchants were arrested, Xiao Fengxiao immediately appointed several replacements to ensure that business in these areas would not be disrupted. The specific appointments were left to Chen Shi, who was intentionally grooming these men into his trusted inner circle.

Thus, it was more than ten days later that everything was finally settled.

It's already May, and in about a month, the new grain will be harvested.

But now is also the time when grain reserves are at their lowest and grain prices are at their highest.

Xiao Fengxiao immediately ordered grain merchants in various regions to sell all the massive amounts of grain they had stockpiled!

In no time, as all the granaries were quickly emptied, silver poured into Xiao Fengxiao's pockets like a river.

With this money, Xiao Fengxiao's wealth ranks among the top ten in the entire Jiangnan Road area!

Meanwhile, Xiao Fengxiao and Chen Shi left Wuxing Prefecture to inspect other places.

First, to supervise and urge the sale of grain; second, to introduce Chen Shi to merchants from various regions, not only grain merchants, but also Xiao Fengxiao's other businesses.

"I want to ask my second grandmother for a favor."

After a day of running around the grain store, in the afternoon, when things were almost done, the three of them sat down for a drink in their temporary residence.

Chen Shi filled Xiao Fengxiao's glass and said something ingratiatingly.

"Why are you in such a hurry? You should wait until Yun'er isn't around."

Xiao Fengxiao looked at Chen Shi with seductive eyes and deliberately lowered her voice to say coquettishly.

Yun'er, who was setting out the dishes, immediately stopped and stared at the two of them warily.

"Um?"

Chen Shi blinked, wondering what this was all about.

"...Look at you two, acting like idiots."

Xiao Fengxiao burst out laughing, her laughter shaking her body.

The two then realized that Xiao Fengxiao had been deliberately teasing them.

"Alright, alright, if you keep laughing, you'll get wrinkles."

Xiao Fengxiao stopped laughing, picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and looked at Chen Shi.

"Tell me what you want, and I'll give you anything."

"Uh, it's not really anything important, I just want some food."

"What do I need? The last thing I lack right now is food."

Xiao Fengxiao gave a light snort and said directly.

"How much do you need? Although most of it has already been sold, there are still about 20-30% left in the granary. Just take it and use it."

"We won't need that much. I estimate that one or two hundred shi (a unit of dry measure) per county will be enough."

Chen Shi waved his hand, thought for a moment, and said a number.

"You can have someone carry this little bit of grain yourself, why are you telling me what to do?"

Xiao Fengxiao didn't take it to heart, and then looked at Chen Shi with curiosity.

"By the way, what do you need the food for?"

"Distribute porridge!"

"Distribute porridge?"

Xiao Fengxiao was taken aback, staring at Chen Shi for a long time before frowning.

"What, you've done too many wicked things, and now you want to accumulate good karma?"

"Look at what you're saying! When have I ever done anything immoral?"

"Isn't stealing your master's woman immoral?"

Xiao Fengxiao looked at Chen Shi with a half-smile and gave a soft snort.

"Your sins are enough to send you to hell."

"If that's the case, wouldn't Second Madam be going to hell with me?"

Chen Shi smiled and looked at Xiao Fengxiao.

"I'd rather go to hell with you."

Xiao Fengxiao spoke slowly and deliberately, his face composed.

Yun'er listened from the side, constantly pouting; the two of them were going on and on about something far beyond what they wanted to say. Fortunately, it had nothing to do with her, since she hadn't been anyone's woman before.

The three of them drank and chatted, and by the time they finished eating, it was already getting late.

Xiao Fengxiao was already three-tenths drunk, and Yun'er helped him rest. Chen Shi got up and left, going straight to the front hall.

"Greetings, Chief Steward Chen."

In the hall, a group of people were already waiting. When they saw Chen Shi enter, they hurriedly bowed.

Each of them was strong and powerful, with fierce eyes; they were the same gangsters that Zou Shichang had previously hired!

After Zou Shichang was arrested, these people were also taken down. After interrogation, they were found to have no major problems and were released.

But it would be a shame to just leave it like that.

After all, these are all skilled fighters, and there are even three of them who are at the sixth rank.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Shi instructed Bao Xing'an to keep them locked up until yesterday, when they were finally released.

These江湖人士 (jianghu figures) are used to being free and unruly, and most of them are not easy to control. It is unlikely that they can be subdued, but they can still do some work.

"I will give you some food, and you can go to various places to set up soup kitchens."

"Yes, we'll do as Steward Chen says!"

Everyone nodded quickly, without any objection.

Distributing porridge is a virtuous act that accumulates good karma!

They had been in the government jail for several days, living in constant fear. Now that they were finally released, they dared not cause any trouble.

Moreover, Chen Shi was asking them to do good deeds, not to risk their lives.

Moreover, Chen Shi said that he would not work for free, but would be paid money, and even more than Zou Shichang would pay!

Given that, what else is there for them to say?

"However, I cannot give away my porridge for nothing."

Chen Shi's face darkened, and he continued.

"I want to hang my portrait at every soup kitchen, to tell those who receive the porridge who is feeding them. In short, I want those who receive the porridge to be eternally grateful to me!"

"...Of course!"

Everyone was taken aback. So it wasn't a good deed done for nothing; it was all for the sake of reputation.

That makes sense, though. People are driven by either profit or fame; there's no one who doesn't want either.

"Listen carefully, what I want is gratitude."

Chen Shi repeated it again, his cousin speaking solemnly.

"Every so often, I will visit the soup kitchens in various places. I ask you to gather the people who are going to receive the soup in advance. When they see me, they are so grateful that they want to worship me!"

"Uh, well, this might be a bit difficult."

The group exchanged glances, their faces showing reluctance.

He couldn't help but think to himself, "To be given a bowl of porridge and have to worship it is going too far."

"This is something you need to consider."

Chen Shi gave a soft snort and said no more.

"Yes! We understand."

After a slight hesitation, everyone had no choice but to accept the order.

After explaining the situation, Chen Shi waved his hand, and the people left to inquire further.

With everyone looking so worried, how could the people receiving the porridge be grateful to Chen Shi?

After much thought, I'm afraid only those who truly need it and are on the verge of starvation would be grateful for a bowl of porridge.

"Greetings, sir."

After those people left, three more people came in.

One man and two women were the same three who had previously impersonated Chen Shi and his companions.

According to Xiao Fengxiao, these three dared to impersonate them; they were incredibly audacious and should all be killed.

But Chen Shi found the three of them interesting, so he stayed.

"From now on, you will all follow me."

Chen Shi glanced at the three of them and said with a smile.

The interrogation had already revealed that these three individuals had no special background; they were originally street performers and petty thieves. They only started plotting after overhearing about Xiao Fengxiao's inspection tour.

These three may not be very skilled, but they might still be useful. Even if they are useless, keeping them around to perform acrobatics would be entertaining.

"Yes, yes! Thank you for your kindness, sir!"

The three men were filled with excitement, and they knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly.

For them, getting close to Chen Shi was an incredible opportunity!