Chapter 220: Grain and Money

Under the bright sunshine, within the Eastern Capital, the clamor of voices was lively, far more orderly than before. The most obvious change was that the imperial guard soldiers who once ran rampant through the markets had vanished. This was the result of Shang Hongqian's recent efforts to rectify military discipline and restrain the imperial army.

In their place were market officials and patrolmen who managed the markets, now under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng. Since Hou Yi took office, he had employed the harshest measures to tighten public security throughout the markets and wards of the Eastern Capital, disciplining many people, and the atmosphere gradually improved.

Yet even with the sun shining bright, it was hard to make the demons and monsters completely disappear. The new administrators had clearly settled into their roles, throwing their weight around.

"Hou Yi has done a decent job as Governor of Kaifeng!" Standing inside a tea house, Liu Chengyou watched as a squad of several market officials and patrolmen gradually walked away under the awed gazes of the small vendors and peddlers working nearby, disappearing around the street corner.

Though it was a tea house, it actually sold wine—provided the customer could afford the high price. Because of grain shortages, the court had banned alcohol, but how could it truly be enforced? While not entirely a dead letter, for those nobles and high officials, secretly brewing some wine in the depths of their grand mansions was neither a big deal nor a difficult task. What the court's ban truly constrained was still the common folk at the bottom. Moreover, the scope of enforcement was limited to the capital region.

Even so, of late the calls from both court and commonalty in the Eastern Capital for lifting the ban were growing louder and louder. Wine was truly something people could not resist.

And State Finance Commissioner Wang Zhang had, just two days prior, proposed to Liu Chengyou that the matter of wine starter be brought under state management, just like salt and iron. This was yet another money-making scheme Wang Zhang had devised, for since the court's prohibition on alcohol, many in the capital region had been privately selling wine starter, seizing the opportunity to reap exorbitant profits.

As for Wang Zhang's proposal, Liu Chengyou truly did not know what sentiments to feel. Upon learning of the matter, his first reaction was not to worry about the poor enforcement of the court's ban, but to consider how to profit from the opportunity. Of course, Wang Zhang was also doing his utmost to increase revenue for the state treasury.

Across the entire court, the man whose hair had turned white the fastest was Wang Zhang. For the sake of the nation's taxes and revenues, with Liu Chengyou's tacit approval, Wang Zhang had formulated many policies and decrees sheltered under the guise of "regular taxes," bearing no small amount of infamy on his back.

Liu Chengyou knew in his heart that blocking was ultimately not as good as channeling. But this alcohol ban still had to continue for a while—if the court did not suppress it, no matter how severe the grain shortage, a great deal of grain would still be used for brewing. Moreover, the clandestine trade in wine starter within the Eastern Capital also needed to be dealt a targeted blow.

"Your Majesty." Li Shaoyou turned into the room, walked quietly to Liu Chengyou's side, and called out.

"Have you investigated thoroughly? Whose property is this tea house?" Liu Chengyou did not even turn his head, maintaining his air of authority.

Li Shaoyou said: "It was established by a relative of Chancellor Su's retainers."

Now at court, only one Chancellor Su remained......

"The connections and relations here are truly not simple." Liu Chengyou's mouth curled slightly, and he raised his hand, giving a faint order: "Report this matter to Kaifeng, and have Hou Yi handle it!"

"Yes!"

Liu Chengyou looked up at his cousin, who wore a respectful expression, and suddenly said flatly: "I observe that among the markets, there is much criticism of the court. Why have I not heard any reports of this from the Wude Office?"

Hearing this, Li Shaoyou's heart tightened instinctively, his gaze wavering for a moment before he quickly said: "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Your servant will immediately notify the relevant offices and instruct them to rigorously purge those who spread reckless words and wild talk among the people!"

"Nonsense!" Liu Chengyou immediately rebuked.

"Yes!" Li Shaoyou bent his waist.

"Can the clamor of a thousand tongues all be stopped? Even if you could seal their mouths, could you silence their hearts?" Liu Chengyou lectured: "The court naturally has its flawed policies. If the people suffer under them, can they not be allowed a complaint or two? If the court can implement good governance, why should it fear rumors?"

Li Shaoyou echoed respectfully: "What Your Majesty says is most true! Your servant spoke rashly."

Seeing his cousin's cautious expression, Liu Chengyou added another remark: "However, as for those words that smack of inciting the people or harboring ill intent, we must not relax our vigilance, lest the wicked take advantage! Observing the public sentiment in the Eastern Capital, the common folk are not exactly at ease!"

"Your servant understands!" No matter what Liu Chengyou said, Li Shaoyou agreed to it all without any hesitation. But inwardly he could not help grumbling—the Son of Heaven was truly hard to serve.

"Your Majesty, it is time to return to the palace! Shall we set out?" At this moment, Zhao Yanjin, the Chief Inspector of the eastern shift of the Chuigong Hall, entered with a sword at his waist to request instructions.

This son of Zhao Hui was a bit more clever than Li Chongju had been before him.

"The air outside the palace is truly fresher and freer, making one feel so comfortable!" Liu Chengyou sighed leisurely, with a hint of affectation, but quickly collected himself: "Let's go back!"

"Take these grains, flour, meats, and vegetables back to the palace!" Before leaving, Liu Chengyou did not forget to give the order.

"Yes!"

In the room were laid out various items—millet and rice, flour, chicken, duck, fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, and the like. Indeed, the reason Liu Chengyou had left the palace this time, besides observing the conditions of the markets and common folk in the Eastern Capital, was to purchase grain.

Grain prices in the Eastern Capital were climbing higher and higher. Taking rice as an example, it had jumped from four hundred cash per dou last year to over seven hundred cash—nearly doubling—and this was even the result of the court's painstaking efforts to maintain stability.

Of course, the reason grain prices were so high was not only the grain shortage, but also that money was no longer worth what it used to be. Circulating in the markets now were far too many old coins and debased coins of inflated value. Besides the various "tongbao" coins minted and issued over the decades by the three dynasties, there were also many iron and lead coins, and in addition, miscellaneous coins from the other states were flooding in as well......

The chaos of the currency system was plain to see. As for precious metals like gold and silver, or silk and cloth as high-value equivalents, ordinary people could not afford them. In many places within the Great Han today, society had already regressed to a state of barter.

Observing this, Liu Chengyou knew that he and the court had gained another task—minting and issuing new coinage.

After returning to the palace, without even a moment's rest, Liu Chengyou summoned Wang Zhang to discuss the matters of stabilizing grain prices and casting new coins.

The grain price problem—call it difficult and it was difficult; call it simple and it was actually simple. All that was needed was sufficient grain.

The entire nation was in a period of scarcity between harvests, and the Eastern Capital's grain sources were now severely lacking. The Southern Tang's ban on markets and grain exports, cutting off the supply of purchased rice from Jianghuai, had truly caused no small trouble for the Great Han. Whenever he thought of it, Liu Chengyou was filled with deep resentment.

However, solutions always outnumbered difficulties. When domestic grain could not be increased rapidly, one could only seek ways from outside.

There were two main sources. The first was Jingnan. Gao Conghui, the King of Nanping, had recently sent envoys to Kaifeng to confess his faults, requesting the court's forgiveness for his previous transgressions and the restoration of the bond between sovereign and subject. Liu Chengyou had not yet responded, and this was precisely an opportunity to draw grain northward from Jingnan—the Gao family did, after all, have some stored grain in Jingnan. As a bonus, it would let the Gao family, those turncoats, give the Southern Tang a nasty taste of their own medicine.

The second was to do business with the Later Shu. Previously, after the great victory at Jifeng Mountain, a portion of the captives had been sent to the Eastern Capital, where Liu Chengyou had organized them into the Huaiwei Army; the rest were still being held in custody at Fengxiang.

Liu Chengyou planned to have the Later Shu ransom back those Shu army officers and soldiers. Word had it that Meng Chang, the Shu sovereign, was in the final stage of purging powerful ministers, and with such an opportunity to boost his prestige and win over the army's loyalty, he would surely not let it pass. As for the previous hostilities between the two states, that could be set aside for the time being.

In comparison, the matter of casting coins was somewhat more troublesome. The first and most important problem was the shortage of copper.

Where to find copper? Besides prospecting for mines and smelting, Liu Chengyou's mind was filled with all the Buddhist temples throughout the realm......