Chapter 123: Hmph, go ahead and be smug! (Double monthly votes requested!)

Liu Qingmei only felt a slippery sensation beneath her feet.

Walking felt just like stepping into mud.

This little beast.

He really has all sorts of strange and bizarre ideas!

Where in the world would a woman openly step on such things to go out and walk about!

If this were to spread, she would be that woman who corrupted moral standards, was shameless, and deserved to be drowned in a pig cage! Especially.

This fellow used so much, and it was so substantial!

It felt as if both feet were sticky.

But for some reason, a surge of indescribable excitement welled up in her heart; her face flushed red, and she actually felt a sense of eagerness to try.

Ning Mu chuckled happily.

"It's fine, it will dry in a while."

"But this smell, there's no guarantee people won't be able to smell it..."

"Isn't it enough just not to get close to others?"

"But..."

Liu Qingmei was about to say more.

At this moment.

Xia Chan's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.

"Young Master, news just arrived. Zhang Lao has finished the preparations over there, and the Prefect has also sent someone to notify us that the message has already been spread by Yu Ji."

Upon hearing this, Ning Mu's eyes lit up.

He immediately walked to the door, signaled for Liu Qingmei to compose her expression, and then, without giving her time to react, opened the door.

Sniff, sniff.

The moment the door opened, the scent that surged in with the airflow made Xia Chan subconsciously sniff lightly.

But before she could react, Ning Mu said directly: "Understood, tell Zhang Lao, Jiang Fuling, and the others to proceed according to the plan!"

"Hmm... wait. Give him more provisions, and make the momentum even greater."

Xia Chan nodded to show she understood.

What is this smell.

Why is it so familiar!

She furrowed her brows, feeling a bit strange, but still turned to go and deliver the message.

"What are you doing? Why are you getting the Prefect involved?"

Liu Qingmei stepped forward and asked curiously.

The conversation between Xia Chan and Ning Mu left her completely confused; she even forgot about the matter beneath her feet.

"He Daqian sent people to assassinate me before, but it didn't succeed, and he was captured alive by Liuli Shitai."

"Since he dared to use assassins, then I naturally must make the Tan Family perish!"

"Mei'er, no need to worry, just wait and watch the show."

Hearing that Ning Mu had been assassinated by He Daqian, worry immediately flowed across Liu Qingmei's face.

However, after Ning Mu noticed, he promptly pulled her into his arms to soothe her.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Liu Qingmei chided.

A mere small merchant actually dared to lay a hand on her disciple; did he not want to live? A murderous intent surged in Liu Qingmei's heart.

Ning Mu smiled slightly and said calmly: "If I relied on you for everything, would you still love me as you do now, Mei'er?"

"Rest assured, I can handle such small matters myself. If there is ever something I truly cannot solve, you won't be able to run away even if you wanted to!"

Upon hearing this, infinite tenderness welled up in Liu Qingmei's heart. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes radiated a soft light as she whispered: "Mei'er wouldn't run away. You and I shall share the same quilt in life and the same grave in death!"

"Haha, let's go."

Ning Mu smiled with satisfaction.

Afterward, he pulled Liu Qingmei and walked outside.

"Wait a moment!"

But Liu Qingmei suddenly held him back.

"What is it?" Ning Mu looked at Liu Qingmei curiously.

He saw Liu Qingmei's pretty face flushed with a rosy glow, and she cast a glance at Ning Mu with her beautiful, glistening eyes.

Then, she whispered: "Give that to me..."

"Hmm?"

He finally saw her take the initiative to ask for it.

Ning Mu's eyes lit up instantly.

He immediately pulled the Explosive Modification Jumping Bead out from his sleeve pocket as if performing a magic trick.

Following that, he pulled Liu Qingmei into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

"I, I'll do it myself!"

Liu Qingmei was blushing to the tips of her ears and hurriedly covered her skirt.

But how could Ning Mu agree to that?

"Let me see, little Mei'er, be good, listen to me!"

"Mm~"

Liu Qingmei felt the very tip of her heart trembling.

Facing such aggressive coercion from her beloved disciple.

She could only tilt her head back, pretending not to look, and let things take their course.

Yet in her mind, the previous scene surfaced involuntarily.

This kind of experience is not something just anyone can have!

A moment later.

Ning Mu stood up with a mischievous expression and clapped his hands.

Mission accomplished!

"Mei'er, you were amazing; later, you must absolutely not use your Cultivation Points to forcibly suppress it!"

Liu Qingmei was already overwhelmed with shame, her face burning hot.

She wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

Yet this rascal Ning Mu insisted on whispering such things in her ear.

This was simply like roasting her over a fire.

"You brat! You're very pleased with yourself, aren't you?"

Liu Qingmei could only force a straight face, cast a resentful glare at Ning Mu, and then brushed past him to push open the door.

She walked outside in her wooden clogs.

The creaking of the clogs made her face flush slightly red, and her eyes shimmered with a glistening light.

Especially.

After stepping into the sunlight and being greeted by Chunzhi, who was sweeping the courtyard, she felt even more shy.

Her gaze subconsciously darted left and right.

As if terrified that Chunzhi and the other maids would notice the movement of her feet.

Even though her skirt already covered her feet.

She still couldn't stop thinking that everyone was watching her.

More importantly.

Her legs were feeling a bit weak and sore!

————

At the same time.

Tan Family Mansion.

"He Daqian, what is going on with you? As a dignified president, the grain prices are actually beyond your control. Didn't you gift a concubine to Prefect Pi? Why didn't he notify you about such a big matter?"

Tan Ruyi glared at He Daqian, rebuking him with a face full of dissatisfaction.

He Daqian looked flustered; facing his aggressive wife, he lacked even a shred of the prestige and courage he displayed outside.

"Wife, please calm down. I have already united with the colleagues in the Chamber of Commerce to have them hold the grain prices. As long as we don't lower the prices, the government side won't be able to hold out. As for the Jin Family, there is even less need to worry. I will go communicate with the outside Grain Merchants again; the schemes of Prefect Pi and the others will be easily resolved!"

He Daqian explained nervously.

"Hmph, resolved my foot! Do you know that someone is already secretly buying up the grain in the hands of those foreign merchants? The news has already reached my ears, yet you still don't know. Tell me, what have you been doing all day!" Tan Ruyi was even more dissatisfied.

Almost roaring, her look of frustration at his incompetence made it seem as if she wanted to cook He Daqian alive.

He Daqian was stunned.

"Someone is buying the grain from the hands of the outside Grain Merchants?"

"What else? Would I be in such a rush to call you back otherwise?" Tan Ruyi sighed, her words filled with anger.

And just at this moment.

A Servant rushed in.

Seeing the master being scolded by the mistress, the Servant stopped immediately, not daring to approach.

"What is it? Speak!"

He Daqian was agitated and asked impatiently.

This was his trusted aide.

If it weren't an important matter, he wouldn't have rushed in at such a time.

"Master, news has come from the office."

The Servant hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said in a low voice.

Hearing this, Tan Ruyi glanced at He Daqian.

The so-called office naturally referred to the Tai Shou Government Office.

He Daqian asked hurriedly: "What news? Speak!"

"Replying to Mistress and Master," the Servant hurriedly reported: "The messenger said that the grain in Prefect Pi's hands is already running low and he is currently contacting outside Grain Merchants to purchase more. He wants you to try your best to get there first and buy up as much grain as possible from the outside Grain Merchants. That way, you can turn the passive situation into an active one!"

For the Husband and Wife, Tan Ruyi and He Daqian, this was undoubtedly heartening good news.

"I understand. Go notify all the Shopkeepers to come to the mansion and assemble immediately!"

He Daqian's expression revealed a hint of surprise and ambition; his eyes rolled, and he immediately ordered the Servant.

"Yes, Master!"

Almost at the same time the Servant left.

Another Servant entered.

"Mistress, I have found out clearly. The Jin Family was forcibly dragged into this game by the Prefect, and their grain reserves are also running low!"

As soon as that Servant entered the door, he lowered his head and reported to Tan Ruyi.

"Understood, you may go down first!"

Tan Ruyi nodded. This was someone she had arranged to go out and gather information.

After the Servant left, He Daqian turned his head to look at Tan Ruyi and asked, "Wife, at what price did they acquire it?"

"Between 300 and 400 wen," Tan Ruyi said.

"Hmph, Prefect Pi is being too impulsive. With no grain in his hands, he dares to fight a grain price war against us?"

Tan Ruyi sneered.

"As an official who has never done business, how could he understand how deep the waters of this trade run? I'm afraid he still thinks it's as simple as drinking flower wine and taking bribes!"

He Daqian sneered, responding to his wife.

But a moment later, he hesitated, and a fierce light erupted in his shrewd little eyes; he leaned forward and whispered, "Wife, why don't we... just go all the way and finish them off completely!"

"You want to go and snatch all the grain in the hands of those foreign merchants?"

Tan Ruyi raised her eyebrows slightly, her eyes showing some hesitation.

She also had this thought.

But the long-standing comfortable life made her afraid to take such a big risk.

"Yes, everything is ready except for the east wind. They aren't prepared at all and are simply not cut out for business; how could they be our opponents?"

"As long as we hold all the grain in our hands, we can take advantage of this momentum to quickly buy up the grain from those foreign merchants at a low price. Then, won't the grain prices in this Yonghang Prefecture be whatever we say they are?"

He Daqian's eyes were gleaming.

With his preconceived notions, plus the news passed on by Yu Ji, and the information obtained by his wife, all these factors combined made He Daqian feel that the opportunity had arrived!

After hearing He Daqian's words, Tan Ruyi hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and nodded.

This huge profit completely clouded her judgment.

"Fine, but I'm afraid the silver we have on hand isn't enough..." Tan Ruyi frowned and said.

This wasn't just a little bit of grain.

The amount piled up at the entire port plus other inns was at least several million jin! This was a sky-high price! "How about we find a few reliable ones and join forces to do it together?" Tan Ruyi looked at He Daqian, feeling somewhat moved.

She still tended to be a bit conservative; after all, this was a business where success meant prosperity and failure meant ruin! She couldn't afford to be careless.

But He Daqian shook his head and tempted her, "Go borrow it. As long as we survive this wave, the days ahead will be our good days!"

"Bringing others in not only risks leaking the news but also invites disputes. A fortune-making matter like this should, of course, be done by us alone. And since we are going to do it, we should acquire as much as possible. I estimate there are at least two million jin piled up at the port alone. Adding in other inns and temporary warehouses, the total amount of grain in all of Yonghang right now, excluding what is in the hands of local Grain Merchants, is estimated to be at least three million jin. Calculating it this way, we need to prepare at least 800,000 taels!"

"We'll scrape together what we have on hand, and if it's really not enough, I'll go to Qian Wuye to borrow it!"

He Daqian had made up his mind and gritted his teeth.

"With such a large amount, I'm afraid even Qian Wu can't produce it. I'll scrape some together, and if it really doesn't work, then I'll go to Qian Wu. After all, it's usury!" Tan Ruyi thought for a moment and said.

She decided to empty out all her family assets.

As long as they survived this time, then in the future, throughout all of Yonghang, or even the entire southern border of Qi, the Tan Family would be the most powerful Grain Merchant! Perhaps by taking this opportunity to symbolically provide disaster relief and save the people, and then doing some maneuvering, they could transform themselves into Imperial Merchants.

He Daqian couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

Finally, he had emptied out all of this woman's family assets. After this time, the Tan Family would surely change its surname!

The plaque in front of the mansion gate—the character 'Tan' should be changed.

He Daqian sneered in his heart.

It was precisely for this reason that he decided to completely let go and have a real, full-scale commercial war with Pi Taiyu and Jin Xiangyu and the others!

————

And while He Daqian and Tan Ruyi were each harboring their own thoughts.

At the city gate.

Ning Mu and Liu Qingmei had arrived together.

Seeing that it was Liu Qingmei, the general guarding the city immediately stepped forward and took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"It's Grandmaster Liu. Are you going out to inspect the disaster situation?"

The city-guarding general Cheng Dagui cupped his hands in a salute and then asked with a smile.

"Mm~"

Liu Qingmei could not describe how nervous she was inside.

Especially when she saw Cheng Dagui approaching.

But immediately, after she cupped her hands to return the salute, she said in a fairly normal tone: "General Cheng, you've worked hard. My disciple and I are going out to take a look. My daughter will also be coming over later, so I ask General Cheng to please make things convenient for us then!"

When she said this, her heart felt as if it were about to jump out.

It was simply impossible for her to control her emotions.

This brat.

Liu Qingmei couldn't help but complain resentfully about Ning Mu in her heart.

And at this moment.

Cheng Dagui looked at her with some surprise and asked suspiciously: "Grandmaster Liu, have you... caught a cold?"

"A year of great disaster is bound to have a great plague. Grandmaster Liu, you are in contact with disaster victims every day, so you must be careful not to be infected by the plague. I heard that the plague has already started to spread outside the city. In the past few days, the Prefectural Office has arranged for many physicians to go over there. Your face is so red, could it be..."

Seeing Liu Qingmei's face flushed red, Cheng Dagui subconsciously took two steps back.

He hadn't expected that a dignified Grandmaster-level martial artist would be easily infected by the plague?

However.

Having this excuse, Liu Qingmei immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said on the spot: "Cough, it's nothing. I have indeed felt slightly unwell these past few days. I will use my Cultivation Points to dispel it when I have time later. General Cheng, sorry to bother you. We will be heading out now."

"Good, good, good. Grandmaster Liu, please go ahead!"

Cheng Dagui hurriedly cleared the way.

Ning Mu followed with small steps. As they passed through the city gate tunnel, he leaned close to Liu Qingmei and said with a wicked smile: "Master, you are so wanton. You were even talking to General Cheng; aren't you afraid he will discover that you are such a wanton woman?"

"Mm~"

Liu Qingmei's body trembled suddenly, and her knees went weak; she nearly lost her footing, but fortunately, Ning Mu was leaning very close and supported her in time.

"It's all because of you, you brat! Hmph~ just be smug then!" Liu Qingmei puffed out her cheeks, glared at Ning Mu with resentment, her eyes full of bashful coquetry.

But finally, despite her stubbornness, she still had to admit defeat and pleaded in a low voice.

That bright and charming face was now flushed with a deep crimson, as moving as a lotus bud about to bloom; her long, slender eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her beautiful peach-blossom eyes held a warmth belonging only to Ning Mu, filled with deep affection.

"What? I can't hear you, Mei'er. Beg me, and maybe I'll understand," Ning Mu smirked, whispering into her ear.

"Mm~ good man, please, husband, my love, Ning-lang... please, Mei'er really can't take it anymore!"

At this moment, Liu Qingmei's soft, gentle words were spoken almost through gritted teeth.

Her mind went blank, not knowing what to do; she could only bite her lip gently and lower her head slightly, appearing to look at the ground, though it was merely to hide the unease and shame in her heart.

However.

Her emotions had not yet had time to completely dissipate.

Not long after leaving the city gate.

Before they had even reached the temporary shacks at the porridge-dispensing station.

At this moment.

Suddenly, a group of people surged over.

"Great benefactor, a great benefactor!"

"Madam has a heart of a Bodhisattva; if not for you, Madam, this old woman's pair of granddaughters would likely not have lived until today. Gouzi, Nannan, quickly, kowtow to our benefactor..."

"Madam, thank you!"

"..."

A group of ragged, hunched, and frail disaster victims, carrying their children, knelt down before Liu Qingmei like a tidal wave.

They kowtowed like they were pounding garlic.

Row after row.

Just like devout believers worshipping Buddha and seeking the Dao.

Only.

Liu Qingmei, who was trusted by them, was now unable to speak her mind.

"Hoo~"

She took a long breath.

Without using her Cultivation Points, Liu Qingmei tried her best to control her emotions.

Even so, her cheeks remained as hot as fire.

"Everyone~ please get up. We could not have foreseen such things happening. Fortunately, at the moment, *ahem*~ it has improved. The government and the people are working together to help, *hoo*~ help everyone overcome these difficulties. Only through hard work can we walk out of this predicament!"

"Everyone get up, Xiao Mu~"

Speaking to this point, Liu Qingmei finally could not help but turn her head to look at Ning Mu, her eyes filled with a deep plea.

She could not help herself, and her beautiful peach-blossom eyes flowed with a gentle, watery sheen.

Ning Mu naturally did not want to play too hard.

Seeing Liu Qingmei's bright, charming face flushed red, he knew it had reached the critical threshold.

Immediately.

He secretly used his Cultivation Points.

"Hoo~"

Liu Qingmei finally felt relieved and let out a small sigh.

But this feeling of being left in limbo made her heart feel restless in a hundred ways.

Yet, she still forced herself to deal with the crowd of disaster victims.

Those remaining here waiting for relief were mostly the old, weak, sick, and disabled; the disaster victims in their prime had almost all been recruited to work as Laborers.

Not far away.

One could vaguely see many monks wearing clean, neat robes selecting people among the disaster victims.

On that small protruding hill, Liuli stood in white, watching the Buddha Gate disciples below with a calm gaze.

Liu Qingmei went to each porridge-dispensing station to understand the situation.

Afterward.

She came to Ning Mu's side.

And at this time.

Ye Yin had also arrived.

"Mother, Brother."

Ye Yin greeted them.

Then, she said curiously: "Mother, I noticed that the grain price at the Official Market in the city dropped for a while, reaching as low as 320 wen, but it didn't take long before it rose again. It has now reached 380 wen. Jin Ji Grain Shop is at this price too, but the prices at other grain shops remain completely unmoved, frighteningly high."

"Is it that the Official Market can no longer control the grain prices?"

Ye Yin's words carried a hint of worry; as she spoke, her gaze swept over the dense crowd of disaster victims below, her eyes full of pity.

Originally, seeing Ye Yin arrive, Liu Qingmei had become extremely nervous.

But hearing Ye Yin's words, her gaze shifted to look at Ning Mu.

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(End of this chapter)