Chapter 51

Fifty-one, The Book Flipper

"Where is the Ru Shixiong taking me?"

"You'll know when we get there."

"Let me guess... hmm, could it be a rice shop?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong walked in front and chuckled, saying nothing.

"Ru Shixiong has gone to great lengths."

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang smiled:

"However, I have been checking the morning markets every day, and today the grain prices in some rice shops in the East Market have already fallen back to before Ru Shixiong lifted the price cap, and have even dropped slightly... fourteen coins per dou!"

She clenched her fists and wrinkled her delicate nose, "Hmph, those unscrupulous merchants are all in a hurry to sell; they deserve it!"

"This price is still far from the end." Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head, "Besides, we aren't going to a rice shop."

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang was curious, "Oh?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong didn't speak again, taking Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang out of the county office. Before stepping out of the gate, Liu Ashan appeared from nowhere and silently followed behind the young magistrate.

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang was accustomed to this. She didn't know where the Ru Shixiong had found this taciturn, tall, and thin man with a tattooed face, but he was now his personal attendant.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong, Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang, and Liu Ashan left Luming Street and strolled toward the west side of the county town.

On the way.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong suddenly said to Liu Ashan, who was following behind: "Thank you for your hard work."

The tall, thin man with a gray scarf covering the tattooed characters on his forehead shook his head.

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang looked straight ahead and said softly:

"Did you really burn it all?"

"Does Xiao Shimei feel that the method was a bit dirty?"

"No, it's just a pity for the grain. We are currently short of grain, and one thousand shi could save many people."

"One thousand shi had to be burned. And we aren't short of grain now; there are over two hundred thousand shi sitting at the pier. The grain needed for disaster relief is worry-free, and the grain needed for water control is enough. Later, we can even distribute some to Jiangzhou City and the neighboring counties."

The young magistrate muttered, his slender fingers under his long sleeves calculating, and he nodded lightly:

"It's more than half the capacity of the Relief Granary... So, the orthodox Relief Granary is in Longcheng."

He smiled.

It was already considered something in his pocket.

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang said softly:

"Ru Shixiong is truly ruthless... However, without being ruthless, it's impossible to easily solve the grain problem. I suppose that Magistrate Shen in Jiangzhou will be very gratified that he chose to trust Ru Shixiong back then."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head, "Actually, I was still soft-hearted. I wasn't as ruthless as the Liu family and the others; otherwise, it would have been another clean and neat game right now."

He rubbed his face and turned to ask: "Xiao Shimei, do you believe that just now in the main hall, some things I said were actually quite sincere?"

"What things?"

"I was indeed quite grateful to them."

"..." Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but laugh, "And yet Ru Shixiong burned it just like that. Look at how scared you made them."

"But Shopkeeper Li's grain, Yan Liulang will 'find' it back in the end. Not a single bit will be missing."

"Is Ru Shixiong looking down on that merchant surnamed Ma?"

"No."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head:

"Shopkeeper Ma and Shopkeeper Li are two different types of people. Shopkeeper Ma is hard, and Shopkeeper Li is soft. To deal with the hard, one must be harder; to deal with the soft, one must be hard first and then soft. That's why one thousand shi of grain had to be burned, and the cleaner it was burned, the better."

"What about my cousin? Are you planning to be hard or soft?" Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang asked curiously.

"No need to come; he is a smart man."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong walked in front and said casually:

"Just wait. After a few more days, some of them will slowly react. If one thousand shi of grain can spontaneously combust, then the two hundred thousand shi at the pier can also spontaneously combust. If grain transported out of the city can be snatched by lawless people, then the grain warehouses at Peng Lang Ferry can also be snatched by lawless people. With both soft and hard tactics already in place, these grain merchants will know how to choose."

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang silently watched Ru Shixiong's back.

"We're here."

At a street corner in the west of the city, Magistrate Ouyang Rong stopped, stepped aside, and signaled to the Xiao Shimei.

The latter was stunned, "This is... a porridge shed?"

"Guess whose it is."

"The Liu... family's?"

"Let's go, let's also go and get some of the philanthropist Liu's thin porridge to drink, while it's still open for the last few days." The young magistrate in casual clothes smiled and walked in first.

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but look at this porridge shed that was distributing porridge for charity. It looked unremarkable, but there was also a nursery next to the porridge shed, which seemed to be connected; both were opened by the Liu family.

In her impression, the Liu family had always been the ones insisting on setting up sheds to distribute porridge in Longcheng County during disaster years. This made Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang hold some reserved attitude toward this charitable act, even though she detested the part of the Liu

family that was against her Ru Shixiong.

When she was studying at the academy, she had heard of or seen some gentry and landlords distributing porridge during disaster years. At that time, she felt that perhaps there were many who were rich but unkind in this world, but there were still some landlord philanthropists.

"Why did Ru Shixiong say it's going out of business?"

"Can't make money, it'll go out of business soon."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong lined up to get a bowl of porridge, smiled and said thank you, and took Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang to the side.

He looked at the sluggish nursery next to him, then lowered his eyes to look into the bowl, muttering: "It's thinner than the last time I came. It seems it really can't make any money... What a pity. Our Longcheng disaster situation isn't considered severe yet."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong's tone was regretful.

"What do you mean, make money?" Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang asked.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned his head and suddenly asked: "Does Xiao Shimei know how much such a simple porridge shed, plus a nursery, can make in a disaster year after a great drought or flood?"

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang suddenly felt her teeth chattering uncontrollably. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down: "You, tell me."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong lowered his head and took a sip of porridge, saying softly:

"Philanthropists usually repair bridges and pave roads, and their good names spread far and wide. When a disaster year arrives, they take the lead in assisting the government, setting up porridge sheds to boil porridge, gathering the refugees together, and first using a bowl of thin porridge to keep them half-dead. Don't worry, this porridge will only get thinner and thinner. When the refugees are so hungry that they have no strength in their hands and feet and are dizzy, they serve hot white steamed buns.

"People who are about to starve to death don't have much ability to think. Seeing these hot white buns, their eyes can turn red directly. Then, throwing a few buns can exchange for all their remaining wealth. But these buns only look fragrant, yet they are the least filling. After eating, those who should starve to death still won't escape. After such a cycle, they have harvested a wave of floating wealth with a sickle.

"How can this alone satisfy them? The philanthropists send the Buddha to the west, and then set up a nursery next to the porridge shed. Parents can entrust their young infants and orphans to it before they starve to death. But the philanthropists can't raise them for free, right? The house deeds and land deeds must be entrusted together, beautifully called returning the children when they grow up. But if the children themselves don't strive and don't survive, then that can't be blamed on the philanthropists.

"However, some philanthropists are kinder and raise the orphans, but they can't escape being slaves and maids. They always have to work like cattle and horses to repay the kindness of raising them, right? If the orphans are older, selling them directly as slaves is also a sum of money. Hey, come to think of it, some philanthropists boasting 'over ten thousand living infants in decades, immeasurable merit,' isn't entirely fake."

After hearing this, Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang felt cold all over and couldn't help but say: "I have a question, they clearly have money, why don't they buy food to eat themselves?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong said softly:

"The reason a disaster year is a disaster year is that even with money, you can't buy grain, and can only guard your houses and fields. And if the philanthropists have even more power, they can take the government's disaster relief grain to their own porridge sheds to distribute, and then unite with other gentry and grain merchants to close their doors and not sell... Now you know why the philanthropist Liu is rich every year during the floods."

"Then Longcheng..."

"I don't know about the disaster years in Longcheng before. This year's flood... when I just left Donglin Temple and came into the city down the mountain, this porridge shed and nursery of the Liu family were very popular, and even some of the government's disaster relief grain was distributed here."

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang was silent for a long while.

"Then after Ru Shixiong took office, building disaster relief camps on the outskirts of the city to distribute grain for free, wouldn't that cut off the Liu family's financial path?"

"Not entirely. The philanthropist Liu's sickle cuts the families in the city who have some surplus wealth. Those on the outskirts of the city are all poor people whose houses and fields were flooded and who fled from all directions, or who had already been cut. The philanthropist Liu is not interested in these poor ghosts, and our county office's disaster relief grain can only protect these people."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong added earnestly:

"That's why I said, I am quite grateful to your cousin, and these outside grain merchants. At least they brought grain to sell, even if it's expensive. Instead of letting the entire Longcheng grain market be controlled by Liu Liu Ziwen and the others."

Clearly standing under the noon sun, with hot porridge in her hand, Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang felt her hands and feet cold. Looking at this porridge shed and nursery in front of her, her eyes were full of skeletons and starving corpses.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong didn't speak, knowing that his Xiao Shimei was having a hard time accepting it for a while.

He waited for a while, turned his head, tried his best to pull out a smile, and said in a relaxed tone:

"But soon, your Ru Shixiong, I will truly offend the Liu family completely. At the moment, the grain price is still very high, and the nursery still has some floating wealth that can be cut. Pretending to be a philanthropist to deceive people,

but the grain price in a few days... hmm, Xiao Shimei, hurry up and cherish the limited thin porridge before it goes out of business."

The Xiao Shimei still lowered her head and remained silent.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong thought for a while, reached out to take the bowl from her hand, but just as he touched the rim of the bowl, he retracted his hand in surprise, looked at his slightly red index finger tip, as if it had been pricked by something sharp.

"Why is Xiao Shimei prickly?"

"Sorry... Ru Shixiong."

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang couldn't control the qi in her body. She raised her head with red eyes and apologized:

"I shouldn't have said those angry words when we quarreled a few days ago. At that time, I didn't know that the so-called philanthropist, porridge shed, this elegant vocabulary, was actually such a bloody and cruel scene."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head, "It's okay, you just now..."

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang suddenly said: "Didn't Ru Shixiong ask before what the seventh grade of the scholar's Daoist pulse is?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong was stunned, and Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang had already spoken:

"Book Flipper."

"The seventh grade and the eighth grade are worlds apart. The former directly enters the middle-grade Qi Refiner, vermilion spiritual energy, and the spiritual energy is released externally. But this is also an extremely difficult chasm to cross...

"Father once said that reading ten thousand books makes a gentleman, and a Book Flipper... only flips books, doesn't read them. I didn't know what this meant before, but now... I suddenly understand a little."

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang turned her head away and sniffed, "The realm just loosened."

"This is a happy event." Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled, "Then let's add another happy event."

He turned his head: "Ashan."

"Here."

"Notify that side, prepare to open the granary. From today on, we will put our stored grain into the market. Let the price be... hmm..." The young magistrate smiled embarrassedly, "Let's make it five coins per dou, just to show a little, to celebrate for Xiao Shimei."

"Yes!" Liu Ashan responded and left.

A certain noble lady of the Chenjun Xie clan quietly looked at the young magistrate who was smiling like a spring breeze, and couldn't help but suddenly shout:

"Ru Shixiong."

"What?" Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned back.

"... Nothing."

The Xiao Shimei smiled and said.

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Providing you with the

Fifty-one, The Book Flipper. However, no one doubted the origin of this ability. After all, the most proficient talent of the Kong Que Demon Clan was originally shifting stars and changing battles. Her technique had the same effect as shifting stars and changing battles.

After Meigongzi neutralized Cao Cao Yuwei's attack this time, she didn't rush to attack, just stood still in place.

Cao Cao Yuwei frowned slightly. Was this little girl's perception actually so keen? After he transformed fire into armor, he had other means. If Meigongzi had followed up with an attack, he would have been confident in using those means to restrain her. The content of the computer version chapter is slow, please use the app to read the latest content for free. But Meigongzi didn't step forward, forcing his originally ready-to-go ability to be interrupted.

The battle blade slashed out again, the powerful blade intent even stronger than before. Cao Cao Yuwei also followed the blade, man and blade as one, heading straight for Meigongzi.

Meigongzi's Heavenly Secret Feather once again formed a mysterious circle of heaven, and with a momentary shift, she switched her position. While neutralizing the opponent's attack, she also neutralized the opponent's lock. The next instant, she was already on the other side. The golden-red light on Cao Cao Yuwei's body flashed and disappeared. If she hadn't dodged quickly, there would undoubtedly have been another ability descending.

Competing in consumption! She seemed to be competing in consumption with Cao Cao Yuwei.

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However, no one doubted the origin of this ability. After all, the most proficient talent of the Kong Que Demon Clan was originally shifting stars and changing battles. Her technique had the same effect as shifting stars and changing battles.

After Meigongzi neutralized Cao Cao Yuwei's attack this time, she didn't rush to attack, just stood still in place.

Cao Cao Yuwei frowned slightly. Was this little girl's perception actually so keen? After he transformed fire into armor, he had other means. If Meigongzi had followed up with an attack, he would have been confident in using those means to restrain her. But Meigongzi didn't step forward, forcing his originally ready-to-go ability to be interrupted.

The battle blade slashed out again, the powerful blade intent even stronger than before. Cao Cao Yuwei also followed the blade, man and blade as one, heading straight for Meigongzi.

Meigongzi's Heavenly Secret Feather once again formed a mysterious circle of heaven, and

with a momentary shift, she switched her position. While neutralizing the opponent's attack, she also neutralized the opponent's lock. The next instant, she was already on the other side. The golden-red light on Cao Cao Yuwei's body flashed and disappeared. If she hadn't dodged quickly, there would undoubtedly have been another ability descending.

Competing in consumption! She seemed to be competing in consumption with Cao Cao Yuwei.

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Fifty-one, The Book Flipper Free reading. Providing you with the