She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Shen Qingtan frowned. Guanzhou again?

Liu Yue took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Shen Qingtan.

Shen Qingtan tore open the sealing wax seal, pulled out a letter, and frowned slightly after reading its contents.

The granaries that the imperial courts of all dynasties stored in various places were to cope with disasters and meet the food needs of soldiers on the frontier.

In the event of a natural disaster, the imperial court would have three disaster relief strategies.

Firstly, open granaries to distribute grain to the people free of charge, or set up sheds to provide porridge and relief to disaster victims.

Secondly, it was sold to the people at the usual grain price.

Thirdly, grain was lent to the people, and they would return it to the granary when the harvest came the following year.

If the disaster was severe and the people were unable to repay the grain they had borrowed from the granary, the emperor would show compassion and issue an edict to exempt the people from the grain they had borrowed.

Last year, when natural disasters struck, Emperor Jing'an issued an edict instructing officials in various regions to choose between distributing grain to the people free of charge or lending grain to them, based on the local conditions.

Her people explained in the letter that the officials of Guanzhou chose to lend grain to the people, and the account book recorded that every person had borrowed grain, but in reality, the grain was not distributed to the people.

This batch of grain was embezzled by officials who sold it to grain merchants at a high price, with all the money going into their pockets.

Grain merchants then raised prices to sell to the people, and those with better financial means who didn't want to starve had no choice but to spend huge sums of money to buy grain.

Those from impoverished families can only wait to die.

The disaster victims from Guanzhou did not want to wait to die, so they came to the capital to seek a way to survive.

Shen Qingtan didn't need to think to know what these officials were up to.

They planned to wait until the harvest was plentiful before reporting to the court that the people were unable to repay the borrowed grain.

If the emperor were to issue an edict to exempt the people from the grain debts they had borrowed, the officials could wipe out this bad debt and make a fortune.

"Liu Yue, grind the ink."

Shen Qingtan got up and went to her desk, where she spread out a piece of plain paper and picked up her pen to write a letter.

Liu Yue grew up by her master's side since she was a child. Her master specially taught her and Ting Xue to read and write, and she could barely be considered to have read through poems and prose.

Upon reading the contents of Shen Qingtan's letter, she exclaimed in surprise, "You want Boss Qin to hoard grain? The grain being collected now is all old grain, and due to the grain shortage, the price has remained high. In less than a month, there will be a bumper harvest, and once the seasonal grain is available, the people will no longer lack food."

She analyzed, "At that time, the price of the current season's grain will not even be as high as the price of the current old grain. The old grain that you bought at a high price will probably have to be sold at a loss."

"The refugees from Guanzhou came to the capital. If it weren't for the severe food shortage in their area, why would they leave their homes and travel across mountains and rivers to reach the capital?"

Shen Qingtan sighed and said, "The grain that Uncle Qin is collecting now will be used to deal with the disaster in Guanzhou, and it won't be stuck with us."

Upon hearing that there were still places experiencing food shortages, Liu Yue frowned and said, "I remember last year when there was a natural disaster, the imperial court opened the granaries to relieve the people. At the end of the year, reports came from all over the country saying that the food shortage problem had been completely resolved."

At this point, she muttered, "Other places have survived the famine, but Guanzhou still has a large number of refugees. It must be because there are corrupt officials there who are heartlessly embezzling the disaster relief grain. The people are barely able to survive and have no choice but to flee Guanzhou to find another way to live."

“If the refugees arrive at the foot of the capital and things escalate, the Emperor will surely take it seriously.” Shen Qingtan put down her writing brush, let the ink dry, stuffed the plain paper into an envelope, and handed it to Liu Yue. She said in an inscrutable tone, “It’s too late for the officials involved to cover their mouths.”

Liu Yue asked, "What if it doesn't ferment?"

"Isn't that simple?" Shen Qingtan said meaningfully, "Add a bit of firewood, and nurture the fire, and it'll be hard not to catch fire."

“That’s true, nothing stays hidden forever.” Liu Yue laughed, then asked curiously, “Are you going to stir things up?”

Shen Qingtan shook her head: "It's not the right time yet."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yue put the letter into her sleeve pocket: "Then this servant will go to the Qin residence to deliver the letter now."

-

Chengenhou Mansion.

The atmosphere in the study in the front courtyard was heavy. Marquis Chengen sat upright in a round-backed chair with a cold expression, and a letter was spread out on the desk in front of him.

He heard yesterday that refugees had gathered at the city gate of the capital, and immediately sent people to investigate. It turned out that all the refugees came from Guanzhou.

Before he could come up with a solution, he received another letter from Guanzhou.

The letter explained that the situation in Guanzhou was out of control, with a large number of refugees breaking through the checkpoints and fleeing to the capital to appeal to the emperor.

Marquis Chengen let out a cold laugh.

To file a complaint with the emperor.

Is it so easy to file a complaint with the emperor?

"Father, what should we do with the refugees?" Shen Shaohuai frowned and said, "If this matter reaches the Emperor, you will probably be implicated as well."

Marquis Chengen had already made his decision: "This matter will be handled by your uncle."

"The Yongyi Earl's Mansion?" Shen Shaohuai pondered, "The Eldest Princess just threw a tantrum at the Earl's Mansion during my aunt's birthday banquet. If we leave this matter to my uncle, and the Eldest Princess's people are keeping an eye on the Yongyi Earl's Mansion, wouldn't we be walking into a trap?"

“I’ve inquired about this matter. The troupe leader abducted many children, which is why he was arrested and questioned.” Marquis Chengen decided to approach the Earl of Yongyi’s mansion again after careful consideration: “We need to shift the blame. The longer we drag this out, the more trouble it will cause.”

Shen Shaohuai immediately realized that his father was trying to drag the Yongyi Marquis's family into the mess as scapegoats.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Should we tell Mother?"

Marquis Chengen pressed his throbbing temples and said slowly, "Your mother is reasonable. She said that the overall situation is more important. After all, only if the Marquis's mansion is doing well can the Earl's mansion have any hope. If the Marquis's mansion falls, the Earl's mansion will be even more doomed."

Shen Shaohuai acquiesced.

Suddenly, he brought up another matter: "Now that Guanzhou is in chaos, should we send someone to bring my third brother back to the capital?"

“Don’t worry about this rebellious son!” When Marquis Chengen mentioned Shen Shaobai, his brows furrowed into a deep frown. “The Marquis’s mansion is going through a lot right now. If he comes back and makes trouble for us over Shen Qingtan, he will only ruin our plans.”

Upon hearing the name "Shen Qingtan," Shen Shaohuai immediately thought of his investigation into her, and his expression darkened.

Although her mother and second sister were the ones who started the fight, Shen Qingtan was able to avoid them each time and then use their strength against them, making her mother and second sister suffer the consequences of their actions. This shows her cunning and skill.

This was the first time Shen Shaohuai had truly looked at Shen Qingtan. This woman made him wary, and he could no longer rashly make a move against her.

Especially since Zhao Yi was standing behind her.

If you're going to make a move, you must ensure that the strike is fatal.