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Chapter 39 Surplus Food
Lu Qing did not respond to Lu Jingxing's heart-wrenching accusation. Instead, he suddenly asked, "You, Lu Ji, need to stockpile grain to brew wine. How has the grain price been in Qingshui County in recent years?"

Lu Jingxing was still immersed in his own tragic and generous emotions. When he heard the censor's question, he was a little confused. It took him a while to realize what he was asked. He hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, although I have never interfered with the family business in the past, I have heard my brother talk about it after dinner.

In recent years, grain prices in Qingshui County have remained high, and we can't even afford the grain needed for Lu Ji's winemaking. Often, our winery has to send people to other counties to buy grain."

"The annual grain production in Qingshui County isn't enough to make wine for a single winery?"

"That's right, my brother said. After the farmers who are still willing to stay in this area to farm have reserved their own food, the remaining rice is in short supply.

Although my brother had taken the wrong path in the winery business, he had always been unwilling to buy the little surplus grain left in Qingshui County when it came to purchasing grain for winemaking.

He said if other people in the county couldn't even get enough to eat, no one would drink alcohol.

That’s why Lu Ji doesn’t hesitate to travel hundreds of miles to buy the grain needed for brewing wine.”

"Why is it a hundred miles away?"

"Because some of the nearby areas are not much different from Qingshui County," Lu Jingxing replied. "I heard that the only way to get there is to go to the neighboring Runzhou. I don't know what method the prefecture there used to keep all the farmers in their state to cultivate the farmland. As a result, there is a bumper harvest every year. Not only is there enough food for the people in the state, but there is also enough to sell for money."

After finishing speaking, Lu Jingxing waited for the censor to continue asking him questions. After waiting for a long time, he still didn't hear the censor open his mouth. He had no choice but to muster up the courage to raise his head and cautiously called out, "Sir..."

"How should I deal with you properly..." Lu Qing's voice sounded cold, his eyes staring at Lu Jingxing from behind his mask, "It is said that the Lu family has done all kinds of evil things in Qingshui County over the years in order to monopolize the winery business, forcing innocent people to death and causing the destruction of families. If your brother were still alive, I would definitely tie him to a pillar and skin him alive.

Just now you said you were willing to take the punishment for your brother, do you still mean it?"

When he asked, his tone rose slightly, as if it was full of contempt, and as if he was very interested in skinning Lu Jingxing.

Lu Jingxing's face turned even paler, his whole body was shaking, his teeth were chattering, and he could hardly open his mouth.

If your head is chopped off by a knife, you just have to make up your mind, close your eyes and go for it. No matter how scared you are, it will only last for a moment.

But flaying...

When Lu Jingxing thought of someone cutting his flesh piece by piece with a knife, he felt the blood in his body suddenly run cold.

But even so, he still forced himself to speak while trembling: "Although I am not a heroic man, I also believe that my words are law.

My Lu family feels guilty towards the elders of Qingshui County, and I am willing to die to atone for my sins..."

"If you go back on your word today and are afraid of death, I will make you take the punishment for your brother." Lu Qing snorted, "But since you have this courage, I am impressed.

You go down and write out a list of all the evildoers who have been in cahoots with your brother in recent years. It must be extremely detailed and without omissions, then the Lu family can be spared the death penalty.

If you deliberately conceal or protect me, I will exile the rest of your Lu family members to a cold and harsh place."

As soon as Lu Qing finished speaking, Fu Wen, who was guarding the door, stepped forward, grabbed the back of Lu Jingxing's clothes with one hand, pulled him up from the ground, and staggered to an empty room next door to write a list.

After Lu Jingxing was taken away, Lu Qing turned his attention to Zhu Yu. Seeing that she was lost in thought, he waved his hand in front of her eyes and said, "Chief Secretary, you've returned to your spirit." Zhu Yu came back to her senses and whispered, "You didn't come to Qingshui County specifically to investigate the Ghost Fairy Temple case this time, did you? At best, it was just a side job."

"Oh? Then tell me, why am I actually here?" Lu Qing asked instead of answering.

"Farming matters." Zhu Yu answered with certainty.

She knew it! When she first came to Qingshui County from the post station, she was shocked to see the vast expanses of barren farmland. How could Lu Qing, as the current emperor's personally appointed censor, turn a blind eye to it?

Although it is indeed not a trivial matter that five or six lives were lost in a small ghost temple, food is the most important thing for people. Putting five or six lives together with food, the foundation of the country, seems a little insignificant.

Lu Qing must have come to target the counties with the largest amount of abandoned farmland, headed by Qingshui County, in order to make an example of them.

The Ghost Fairy Temple is just an extra thing that we can deal with since we are already here.

Lu Qing didn't deny it, but just looked at Zhu Yu again, as if talking to her, or as if talking to himself, "The governor of Runzhou... I've never paid attention to this person before."

Zhu Yu was very unfamiliar with the appointment of officials in the various states and counties of Jin State, and was unable to respond on this issue. She stood up and looked at the door, making sure that the room where Fu Wen took Lu Jingxing should not be able to hear their conversation, and then she returned.

"Do you think it's possible for a person to be good at brewing wine and also be quite proficient in perfume making?" She asked Lu Qing. This was also something she had just thought about.

Lu Qing thought about it and shook his head: "It's difficult. Winemaking requires mellowness, and perfume making requires refinement. Both of them are taboo to be contaminated by other scents that will destroy the original flavor.

Perfumery requires constant interaction with spices. Over time, one's entire being is immersed in their scent..."

At this point, Lu Qing paused, and when he looked at Zhu Yu, his eyes showed a little more understanding, and there was also an almost imperceptible smile: "So the Chief Secretary is trying to enlighten me, but I am stupid and still can't figure it out. Why don't you, Chief Secretary, clear up some of my doubts?"

Zhu Yu always felt that behind the ferocious golden mask at this moment was a fox face that pretended to be ignorant while knowing the truth.

"Okay." Despite this, she still followed his wishes, not wanting to waste time on talking to him. "The day we went to the cave, I felt that a place like this where corpses are dumped was not something that one person could accomplish.

Although no one knows what grudge the four people in the village have with the murderer, at least in Qingshui County, the old restaurant owner used to tip off Lu Ji to gain benefits, which indirectly harmed many wineries.

Not to mention Lu Ji, he forced several people to death in Wang Shan's family alone.

Coupled with the aged wine of unknown origin in the restaurant, it was obvious that the feud between the other party and Lu Ji was over this wine.

Before, I just thought they were a group of winery owners who were badly harmed by Lu Ji, but I couldn’t understand why the wine jars were stained with such a strange fragrance, and what kind of winery owner could make such a fast-acting incense that made Fu Wen unable to react.

Just now, Lu Jingxing mentioned that his sister-in-law bought soul-calling incense from some wandering Taoist priest. This made me suddenly enlightened. Everything that I had not figured out before suddenly became clear to me.

There is probably more than one murderer. If that is the case, who says that all of these murderers must be winemakers?
Although I don't know what history that incense maker has with Qingshui County, his incense is truly strange."

Lu Qing nodded: "Compared to this person, I would like to know where the spice in his incense comes from."

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(End of this chapter)