She picked up the young prime minister while fleeing famine

"That's easy, easy."

"Why doesn't the young master bring his family directly through Qingyang County?"

"Don't worry, with us brothers here, we'll definitely not let those people snatch the young master." The constable chuckled as he took the copper coin, weighed it in his hand, and offered his sincere advice.

"But I'm still worried about the many disaster victims outside the city."

"Besides, I have a lot of family members, and some of them are short of money." Lian Chengmo's small face was serious as he spoke, and he lowered his head slightly as if embarrassed.

It was as if admitting that his family was poor was something he found very difficult to say.

The constable seemed surprised by Lian Chengmo's words. While inwardly cursing the man for being stingy, his mind began to race.

"In that case, if you trust me, young master, I'll find someone to deliver it for you. But you can't buy too much, or I'm afraid I won't be able to keep it."

"Moreover, we can only help you get out of the city after dark," the constable said with some difficulty.

"I don't want to make things difficult for Brother Cha. How about I buy two hundred catties of grain?" Lian Chengmo thought for a moment and then stuffed a string of copper coins into his hand.

This distressed Yao Dahe and Yao Daniu, who were standing nearby; several hundred coins had already been spent.

“Alright, if you don’t mind, young master, I know a grain shop with absolutely fair prices.” The constable’s eyes swept over Yao Dahe and his companion before he added.

"That's wonderful, please lead the way, Brother Cha." Lian Chengmo quickly cupped his hands, this time much more sincere.

The bailiff happily led the way, thinking that he could probably get a lot of kickbacks this time by buying two hundred catties of grain.

Lian Chengmo saw through the constable's little scheme and let him be. Along the way, Lian Chengmo subtly inquired about Yunzhou and the news of Prince Cheng.

Of course, they didn't care if his identity as a member of a collateral branch of the Liancheng family was exposed, because only then would the other party do him a favor.

Although the collateral branches of the Liancheng family held a lower status than the direct descendants, they were still considered important figures to these low-ranking yamen runners.

Not to mention, Lian Chengmo also portrays himself as a member of the Liancheng family who longs to return home, having been separated from his family due to the war, and hoping to find out more about his family.

"I don't know much about Yunzhou either, but I've heard that the current head of the family, Mr. Liancheng Ruihong, is a favorite of Prince Cheng."

"Nowadays, many things in Vietnam Prefecture are managed with the help of Mr. Liancheng. Everyone says that he has the talent of a prime minister."

"By the way, young master, are your family and the old gentleman's family close?" The constable asked Lian Chengmo with longing in his eyes.

He naturally knew Lian Chengmo's identity, which is why he was sent to guide him.

However, the squad leader also told him that he was just a member of a collateral branch of the Liancheng family, which was easy to identify. All members of collateral branches had a single character in their name.

Just like Liancheng Mo, Liancheng Yu, and Liancheng Shuang, their given names consist of only one character besides their surname, while the direct descendants, like Liancheng Ruihong, have two characters besides their surname.

“We are within the five degrees of kinship; the old gentleman is my paternal uncle,” Lian Chengmo replied.

He wasn't lying; Liancheng Ruihong was indeed his great-uncle, but they were not only not close, they were practically enemies.

"So you're the old gentleman's grand-nephew, huh? Don't worry, young master, I'll handle this matter perfectly for you. Don't forget me when you get home, brother!" Upon hearing this, the constable's mouth practically stretched to his ears.

This could potentially connect him with the head of the Liancheng family, so how could he not do his best?

"Don't worry, Brother Cha, I will definitely send you a gift of thanks once I return home safely." Lian Chengmo cupped his hands again, and he was speaking from the heart.

He just didn't know if the constable was still alive at that time, but he would never forget the help he had given Lian Chengmo.

Yao Daniu glared angrily at the back of the constable's head, wishing he could go up and beat him up.

The young master has already given him two strings of copper coins, yet he still has the audacity to ask for more. He's really giving him face, isn't he?

Fortunately, Yao Daniu knew he was on someone else's turf, so he held back and even gave the constable an ugly smile when he looked over.

"..." The yamen runner thought, "Is this young master's guard stupid?"

Fortunately, they arrived at the grain shop, and the group followed the constables inside.

The constable spoke enthusiastically to the shopkeeper, who then quoted what Yao Dahe and Yao Daniu considered an exorbitant price.

"Thirty coins for coarse grains? Are you robbing me?" Yao Daniu finally couldn't hold back this time, and he pointed at the shopkeeper angrily.

In ordinary years, fine grains only cost ten or twenty coins per pound, and coarse grains are even cheaper, sometimes as low as three or five coins per pound. Now they're asking for thirty coins. Isn't this robbery?

"If you can't afford it, don't buy it. I'm only giving you a two-coin discount because of the constable. Otherwise, go ask around and see if they have this price." The shopkeeper snorted and retorted.

Anyone who can keep a grain shop open at a time like this must have someone behind them. According to the constable, this young master in front of him is a collateral descendant of the Liancheng family, so he deserves to be polite to him.

Why should the shopkeeper treat Yao Daniu, who is just a servant, with a good attitude?

"Don't be angry, shopkeeper. This is because the young master has just returned from the north. It's very cold there, so the price of grain must be low."

"Young master, why don't you send your attendant to ask across the street, so you don't misunderstand that the shopkeeper and I are deceiving you? In this day and age, grain prices are really like this." The constable wasn't angry; considering the kickback he was about to receive, he smiled politely.

"Brother Dahe, go and ask him." Lian Chengmo said calmly, and actually sent Yao Dahe to inquire about the grain shop across the street.

"Okay, I'll be right back." Yao Dahe nodded and ran out quickly.

Seeing that Lian Chengmo had actually sent someone to inquire, the yamen runner looked alright, but the shopkeeper's expression turned rather unpleasant.

Nowadays, everyone knows that Qingyang County is facing a severe food shortage. If it weren't for the fear of unrest among the county's residents, these grain shops would have closed down long ago, since even the King's provisions are insufficient.

Raising grain prices is a last resort; if no grain is given, the people will have no way to survive and will really revolt.

Lian Chengmo naturally noticed the shopkeeper's expression, but he didn't care. Instead, he strolled around the grain shop.

The grain shop that the yamen runner found for him had a fairly complete selection of grains, including all kinds of coarse and fine grains.

Lian Chengmo looked at each item one by one and asked about the prices of various grains.

Although the shopkeeper said that coarse grains cost thirty coins per pound, that was just a rough price; in reality, the price could vary.

The cheapest coarse grains cost more than twenty coins, and in Liancheng's family, these coarse grains were generally used to feed livestock.

Then there are refined grains. Coarse grains are already thirty coins a pound, so refined grains are naturally more expensive, with the worst costing sixty coins a pound and the best costing one hundred coins a pound.

Just like Yao Daniu said, they're robbing people!