Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 210 Li Chengqian: I predicted your prediction! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Breaking News! Breaking News! All the officials in the court are enthusiastically donating grain! We are saved!"

Countless newsboys were selling the latest issues of newspapers along the streets.

People have gradually begun to accept newspapers and regard them as a daily consumption habit.

Therefore, there was not much hesitation in purchasing and everyone was very active.

In less than an hour, all the newspapers in the newsboy's cloth bag were sold out, and then he ran back to the newspaper office to carry other printed newspapers.

At the same time, a new group of talents emerged on the streets, called newspaper readers.

They read newspapers specifically for wealthy people who have money but low social status, thus satisfying the wealthy people's sense of superiority among the people.

Soon, a large group of people gathered around a rich family.

"Read it to everyone and see what's new!"

The rich man was delighted to see more and more people gathering around him, and then he smiled and reminded the scholar.

The scholar immediately understood and said loudly, "Don't worry, Zhou Weng. Today's newspaper has been reissued, so there's more content. Let me take a look before I read it!"

"Okay! You take a look first!"

The rich man waved his hand without any embarrassment.

After about half a quarter of an hour, the scholar shouted, "The nobles in the court have begun donating grain to the disaster area! Now let me read out how much grain each family has donated!"

"The Fang family of Zhongshu Ling Fang Xuanling donated a thousand dan!"

"Wow! Mr. Fang is so righteous!"

The crowd cheered.

Then the scholar smiled and read: "The Du family of Du Ruhui, the Minister of War, donated 900 dan, and the Changsun family of Zhangsun Wuji, the Duke of Zhao, donated 800 dan."

As the scholar finished reading one by one, the crowd first let out a huge exclamation. A total of nearly 20,000 dan of grain were donated! Such a large amount of grain was definitely a huge donation.

However, the wealthy man, well-versed in business, was the first to notice something was wrong and couldn't help but exclaim, "Except for the ten or so ministers above, why are the donations getting smaller and smaller?"

"Yes! I remember that on the list of the richest families in the Tang Dynasty, every family had hundreds of thousands of dan of grain. How come the total amount donated by all the civil and military officials was less than 20,000 dan?"

As soon as the rich man finished speaking, someone came to his senses.

Immediately afterwards, countless people also reacted and expressed their dissatisfaction.

"It's not fair! They have so much food, but they donate so little. It's so unfair!"

"That's right! This is being rich but unkind!"

"Everyone! Calm down for a moment, I haven't finished reading yet!"

Seeing the people filled with righteous indignation, the scholar quickly greeted them with a smile, "There's a new column in the newspaper with a celebrity interview. The content of this interview is exactly about this grain donation!"

"I'll read it to you all. I hope you will treat this matter rationally and exercise restraint."

"Okay, stop talking nonsense and read quickly!" The rich man interrupted the scholar in a bad mood.

"hey-hey."

The scholar gave an awkward smile, then picked up the newspaper and read aloud again, "The following is the content of an interview with the first Director of the Information Department of the Tang Dynasty, the Right Secretary of the Eastern Palace, Cen Wenben, also known as Lord Cen!"

"This shameful grain donation campaign in the court will probably become the biggest topic of discussion during this period. Let's hear Lord Cen's opinion!"

The always loyal Lord Cen said bluntly: "This time the grain donation was requested by His Majesty, and the ministers donated such a small amount of grain, I am afraid they don't even give His Majesty face!"

"As the saying goes, 'Eat the emperor's salary, bear the emperor's worries.' These ministers who pretend to obey but actually disobey are definitely not qualified ministers!"

As if fearing that the people might misunderstand, the newspaper reader emphasized after reading this: "This is what Lord Cen said!"

"Lord Cen said that the local area has suffered numerous natural disasters year after year? Are you going to change? You're still using the same old methods, the same old methods in a new bottle! What would the Dali Temple Secretary Cui Renshi say? How old am I? Who are you? You've experienced several natural disasters at such a young age? And you still dare to teach me disaster relief?"

"Lord Cen also said that the officials responded to the grain donation. Don't you know? Is this amount of grain enough? Your Cui family is a wealthy and prestigious family among the Five Surnames and Seven Nobles, yet you only donated 20 dan of grain. Who can eat this amount of grain? I've already donated 500 dan, and you don't have enough! You have to donate more!"

"Master Cui said that whether to donate or how much to donate is our freedom. Your Majesty doesn't care about us, so how can you care about us?"

"Lord Cen said that if this continues, the people in the disaster area will starve to death, and this donation of grain will definitely not be enough!"

"Master Cui said that starvation has nothing to do with us. We have already donated grain. You can find some wealthy people and see how much they can donate!"

After reading the newspaper, the reader couldn't help but sigh: "Ah, Lord Cen is helpless! These people don't care about their dignity!"

"This"

There was silence all around.

Such a straightforward dialogue and interview obviously shocked the people around.

There are no pretentious remarks. It starts with a high-energy dialogue, and the attitudes of Cen Wenben and Cui Renshi are displayed vividly.

A newly appointed director of the Information Department donated 500 shi, while a wealthy family only donated 20 shi. Isn't this shameless?
This is simply shameless!

"Lord Cen is so righteous!!" someone in the crowd shouted.

It immediately resonated with countless people, who echoed it one after another.

"Lord Cen is a good official who serves the people!"

"Master Cui Ren, this old thief is so despicable!"

For a moment, the entire street was filled with angry insults and praises.

"Lord Cen cares so much about the victims, I also want to donate grain! We should contribute as much as we can. Where can we donate grain?" the rich man said indignantly.

The newspaper reader carefully read the newspaper and said loudly: "In the Prince's Mansion, Lord Cen is the Right Secretary of the Eastern Palace. He has already reported to the Prince and set up a collection point at the Prince's Mansion. Everyone can go there to donate grain!"

"Okay! Let's go donate food."

Everyone dispersed in a hurry.

Until the afternoon, the matter fermented more and more. Many extreme people even sneaked into the mansions of the Five Surnames and Seven Families and threw rotten eggs at the door and the courtyard wall, making the people in the mansions of the Five Surnames and Seven Families so angry that they were fuming.

However, this was not the end. Not only did the people of the Five Surnames and Seven Families suffer, but even people like Changsun Wuji, who was in the top 20 of the rich list, began to be "attacked" on the Internet by the people. They questioned why he only donated a few hundred stones of grain when his family had tens of thousands of stones of grain. He was so angry that he immediately found Li Chengqian and asked him what was going on.

"Cheng Qian! I am your uncle! You don't even let me go?" Changsun Wuji said to Li Chengqian with a stern face.

"Uncle, calm down!"

Li Chengqian consoled him with a somewhat amused tone, then asked, "Uncle, have you ever been hungry?"

"Of course I've been hungry! When your mother and I were kicked out of our home, we starved for quite a while. Even when we moved in with your great-uncle, we didn't dare eat much for fear of being disliked. It was only after we met His Majesty that we finally had a full meal!"

To be honest, it was the first time that Li Chengqian heard about the tragic experience of Zhangsun Wuji and Empress Zhangsun. He never thought that they had such a hard life.

However, this little hardship was nothing. He shook his head and said, "Actually, I don't think my uncle has ever been truly hungry. I'm not talking about living from hand to mouth, but true hunger. It's like having a loved one by your side, and you just hope they starve to death so you can get their share of the food and preserved fruits!"

"This"

Changsun Wuji swallowed subconsciously and stood there in a daze.

Li Chengqian's expression gradually grew serious upon seeing this: "Uncle, have you ever seen a real disaster victim?"

"Didn't we see it outside Chang'an City before?" Changsun Wuji asked with his head tilted.

Li Chengqian sighed and said, "Those aren't enough. I'm talking about those victims deep in the disaster area, who are so starving that they're emaciated and can't even walk a few steps!"

"There are ruins everywhere, new graves have been built, and when you go to the homes of the disaster victims, you'll see broken pots and broken stoves, and cries everywhere."

"Unfortunately, I've seen it. Not only have I seen it, I've even witnessed disaster victims starving to death!"

"Uncle, do you know why I went to Jiangling? Because I want the people of the Tang Dynasty to survive! Even if it means being enemies with the officials and the noble families, I will do what I want to do!"

"Perhaps, I am not a qualified prince, but I feel that I need a little fearless courage!"

After hearing these words, Changsun Wuji was speechless and just stared into Li Chengqian's eyes.

After a while, seeing that his attitude was still firm, she gave a helpless smile and said, "Forget it, you can do whatever you want. His Majesty won't stop you anyway!"

After saying this, he stood up from his seat, turned around and left, his back looking indescribably desolate.

The surrounding officials of the Crown Prince's Mansion looked at Li Chengqian with sparkling eyes. They had never expected that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was the greatest!
It’s worth it to follow His Royal Highness the Crown Prince through thick and thin in this life!

But soon, Changsun Wuji, who had already left, hurried back.

"Cheng Qian! Uncle's family doesn't have tens of thousands of dan of grain. At most, there are only eight thousand dan of grain. Remember to publish an advertisement in the newspaper to clarify this for Uncle!"

After saying that, he left in a hurry.

Li Chengqian grinned upon hearing this, then turned to look at Cai Kun, who was working at his desk, and said, "Write this down! Duke of Zhao, Zhangsun Wuji, shed tears at the Xing Tang Newspaper, lamenting the hardships of the people's lives and offering to donate 90% of his family's food to help the victims!"

"What!?"

All the officials in the Prince's Mansion were stunned when they heard this.

Even the newspaper editors led by Cai Kun looked at Li Chengqian in astonishment.

Changsun Wuji!

He is the Crown Prince’s uncle!
Is there anyone who would cheat his own uncle like this?!

Cai Kun said in doubt, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, Lord Zhangsun didn't seem to say those words, right? Besides, they are royal relatives. Isn't donating 90% too much?"

"Humph!"

Li Chengqian snorted coldly and said solemnly, "What do you know? Those are my uncle's true feelings! He said them to me and me alone! Besides, this is all for disaster relief. What about royal relatives? I've always been impartial, don't you know that?"

"But."

"Don't say buts! With great power comes great responsibility. My uncle is donating grain, so I have no choice but to do it! Put it in the newspaper tomorrow, and make a note of it!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

Cai Kun nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, and everyone in the room was instantly excited beyond words.

What is a perfect prince? This is the epitome of a perfect prince!
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince even donated his own uncle's food to the disaster area, which is tantamount to cutting flesh to feed the eagle.

Following a prince like this, if you become emperor in the future, your name will definitely go down in history, and your ancestors’ graves will be filled with smoke!

Overtime! I have to work overtime to get tomorrow's newspaper out! If I don't work overtime, I won't be able to stay with the prince anymore!

At the same time, at Cui Renshi’s residence.

Several family heads looked at the newspapers in their hands, their faces livid.

"This is too much! This is absolutely too much! We will go to His Majesty to impeach the prince!" Li Zhen said angrily.

Cui Renshi narrowed his eyes and said, "The Crown Prince is determined to go against us. It seems that even if we don't provoke him, he will deal with us!"

"It seems that Patriarch Lu's proposal is a good one! We should indeed sell the family's grain!"

"What's the current grain price in the disaster area?" Zheng Shanguo asked with a frown.

Lu Chengqing smiled and said, "According to the news from our Lu family's grain merchants, the price of grain has now risen to two hundred coins per bucket, and it is still rising!"

"Two hundred coins a bucket?!"

Li Shushen said excitedly: "This is much more than the 180 coins purchased by the court!"

"Yes! The trick Li Shimin used before is no longer effective. Soon, the people in the court will be unable to receive food. Meanwhile, the aristocratic families in Jiangnan and the powerful families in Guanlong have begun to transport food to the disaster area. I believe that it won't be long before the food in the disaster area will be sold at a high price, causing a food shortage!"

Lu Chengqing laughed and said, "My order to the family grain merchants is to drive up the price of grain to 500 coins per bushel, and then sell it at a high price!"

"Five hundred coins!?"

Even Cui Renshi was shocked by Lu Chengqing's ambition: "How dare you be so bold?!"

"Master Cui probably hasn't received any word from the family yet. The area most severely affected by the food shortage is Henan Province, where the locust plague first hit. Then there's Hebei Province and the Guannei Province! It's said that there's not even a single green leaf to be seen in Henan Province right now. The people and wealthy families in the city have already eaten up all their food. Many people can't even buy food with money!"

"You know, there are hundreds of thousands of people in Henan Province alone. Add Hebei Province and Guannei Province, and that's nearly two million people! With so many people short of food, how much money can we make?"

Hearing this, all the family heads were moved and their faces flushed.

However, concerns soon arose.

Wang Gui frowned and said, "Won't the influx of grain from the southern noble families and the Guanlong clans affect the price of grain? What if it goes down?"

"Will not."

Lu Chengqing smiled and shook his head, saying, "The price of food won't go down. Even if their food comes in, it won't be enough for the two million disaster victims. So, they'll raise the price too!"

"Yeah, that makes sense! As long as the disaster victims don't have enough food, they will always be craving for food!"

Cui Renshi nodded in agreement, then looked back at the newspaper in his hand and sneered, "You're still trying to force us to donate grain by ruining our reputation! That's just wishful thinking! How can you ruin the reputation we've built over hundreds of years with just a few words?"

"That's right, the Crown Prince still underestimated us, the Five Surnames and Seven Families. We know much more about earning fame than he does. Moreover, we are on our own territory. We can just set up some porridge stalls, give some food to the disaster victims, and then call on some scholars to sing our praises. Wouldn't those disaster victims be grateful to us?"

"Yes! Maybe they'll even give us their children to repay their kindness!"

"That's right! The prince still underestimates us!"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter, as if all the anger they had just felt had vanished.

However, before they could rejoice too soon, a voice came from outside the door: "Sir, something terrible has happened! Food prices have plummeted! Some merchants are selling food at low prices in the disaster area, and the food we bought at high prices is stuck with us!"

"What!?"

When the family heads heard this, the smiles on their faces were still there, but their bodies were as if petrified.

They were so overwhelmed!

It was as if I had heard it wrongly!
After a while, Cui Renshi rushed out of the room like a madman, grabbed the butler who reported the matter, and asked with red eyes: "What's going on? Who is selling grain at a low price? Which family is it?!"

These three questions confused the butler.

Only when Cui Renshi slapped him in the face did he come to his senses. He quickly covered his rapidly swollen cheek and said vaguely, "Little, I don't know who it is. It's a letter from my cousin, asking you to find a way to stop those grain merchants who are selling grain at low prices!"

"Bastard!"

Cui Renshi was so angry that he kicked the housekeeper away, then turned to look at Lu Chengqing and asked with a dark face: "Master Lu, what do you think?"

Lu Chengqing thought for a moment and said, "This is quite strange, but it's not difficult to guess who is behind it. The most urgent thing is to stabilize the grain prices and buy up the low-priced grain! We will buy as much as we can, and not only us, but also the southern families and the Guanlong clans!"

"Until their food is harvested!"

"But, wouldn't that be a bargain for them?" Li Zhen asked with some confusion.

Lu Chengqing glanced at him and sneered: “Although our purpose is to make money, this is not the main purpose. Our main purpose is to make the prince and His Majesty bow their heads!”

"They thought they could force us to surrender by selling us grain at a low price, but they didn't realize how terrifying it would be if all of us aristocratic families united together!"

After saying this, he glanced around at everyone and said solemnly, "Do you think the food supply of His Majesty and the Crown Prince can meet the needs of two million people?"

"This"

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other.

It was obvious that they didn't believe that Li Shimin and Li Chengqian had so much grain. Otherwise, why would they call on civil and military officials to donate grain?!

"Yes! Even if we empty the national treasury and the entire Jiangling, we can't gather enough food for two million people!"

Li Shushen was in high spirits and said confidently, "I'll notify the family right away and buy their grain at a high price!"

"I am coming too!"

"And I!"

Soon, the heads of various families wrote letters to their respective clans, trying their best to purchase low-priced grain from the disaster-stricken areas.

At the same time, Li Chengqian, who had predicted their prediction long ago, was writing a locust recipe in the Prince's Mansion.

Things like Tianji Shrimp Fillet, Chang'an Drunken Locusts, Dry-fried Locusts, Spicy Locusts, and Fried Locusts, all are written down.

He did not have enough food rations to feed two million people, but who said that only food could save lives?
Aren’t locusts delicious?!
　I was planning to take a nap, but I was woken up after only half an hour, so I decided to write a chapter! The climax is coming soon anyway! Also, please give me a monthly pass!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)