Chapter 607: Luoyang Floods

"You, today, why are you back so fast again?"

In the Duke of Wei's mansion, Gao Yang held his daughter and gave a sidelong glance at Chen Yan, who was lying on a chair.

"Isn't today the day the ranked scholars officially appear before the Sage? You should be holding a banquet; according to custom, there should be many matters after the banquet."

Chen Yan lifted his eyes slightly, "What? Are you displeased that I've returned?"

"Afraid I'll hear you call your daughter 'mother'?"

Gao Yang: "......"

"Eeya~ yaya."

Xiao Sui An, being held by Gao Yang, was originally well‑behaved, but the moment he saw his own old father, he stretched out his hands and began to squirm.

Gao Yang, furious, placed his daughter on Chen Yan's belly and said, "Go, go, go, go be with your dead ghost old man, and let me see how many days it takes for you to starve to death."

Chen Yan, cradling his fragrant, soft daughter, beamed with joy, "How could my little lady be starved? There are so many servants in the mansion; who would dare neglect my little princess?"

"Is that so, Xiao Sui An~"

Xiao Sui An opened his big eyes, gazed at his own father, giggled, showing two tiny front teeth, "Dad~ Dad~"

"Ah, my good daughter."

Chen Yan laughed heartily, pressing his face against his daughter's for a while, delighted.

This made Gao Yang, standing nearby, have his eyes redden as he kept muttering about the ungrateful little thing.

"Older brother, I want to hold, I also want to hold!"

At this moment, Sizi, who had been hiding in the shadows, could no longer sit still, flailed his legs and ran over begging for a hug.

Chen Yan, irritated, gave her a light smack on the head; as she covered her forehead with a crying expression, he said, "Stop hugging, you fool. I still haven't settled the score for the time you made your mother faint."

"Go over there quickly; if I don't beat you, consider it a favor."

Mentioning the matter made Sizi even more aggrieved, "But… but my older sister already beat me; I've already apologized, mother has forgiven me, why do you keep bringing it up?"

"Your older sister and mother thought you were young, your words were innocent, so they didn't mind much." Chen Yan snorted, "But I'm different; I know your heart is black. If you keep spreading my scandal outside, I will really beat you."

"Understood..." Sizi drooped his head, replying weakly.

"But…" Chen Yan cleared his throat, "Just don't spread my scandal; you two can spread yours as you like."

Hearing this, Gao Yang's eyes widened, "My mother lends her ten gall!"

"Dare spread my scandal? I can't beat her to death!"

Sizi: "......"

"Hey." Chen Yan laughed, "Little Princess, it's fine. Go ahead and spread it; I'll protect you. If she dares to beat you, I'll help you beat her."

"Isn't that just giving her pleasure?" Sizi whispered softly.

"What did you say?" Gao Yang roared.

This matter was his greatest secret; only Chen Yan and Li Lizhi knew it. How could this little brat know?

Seeing Gao Yang angry, Sizi tucked his head in, then said confidently, "Just bully me. When I grow up and you're using canes, see how I'll bully you!"

Having said that, the little fellow immediately fled like a tiny loach.

Gao Yang, furious, chased after him; Chen Yan was momentarily stunned, then let out a helpless laugh, ignoring the trivial matter and continued to tease his daughter.

"Young Master."

At this moment, Xiao Shunzi entered respectfully.

Chen Yan, not taking it seriously, asked casually, "What is it?"

Xiao Shunzi whispered, "According to reports from people below, Luoyang's snow this year has been enormous; as the climate warms, the snow melts into water, and now there are continuous heavy rains there. Many areas around Luoyang have already suffered floods, and numerous villages have been heavily affected."

Chen Yan paused his teasing of his daughter's fingers, pondered briefly, and tilted his head slightly, "Why haven't I heard of this at the Court?"

Xiao Shunzi replied immediately, "I, the junior, do not know. I merely follow your orders, having the officials who operate the public transport boats in Weinan County gather information during ordinary days at the docks and other places."

"In the past two days, refugees fleeing from Luoyang and other places have already arrived…"

"Luoyang?" Chen Yan paused slightly, shook his head, and said casually, "If I recall correctly, Luoyang lies in the Yellow River basin, right?"

"Yes, Young Master." Xiao Shunzi replied, "Luoyang not only lies in the Yellow River basin, but according to the geographical knowledge you taught, its basin is relatively low‑lying, surrounded by many mountains, and more importantly, the Luo River, Yi River, Chan River, and Jian River all flow through Luoyang."

"Luoyang is also the center of the Grand Canal… If a flood occurs, the consequences could be quite severe. I think this matter should be taken seriously, so I specifically reported it to you."

Chen Yan didn't lift his head, pinching his daughter's chubby cheek, and asked softly, "Any other news?"

"There is, Young Master." Xiao Shunzi thought for a moment, "From the citizens riding the public transport boats, I learned that Luoyang's government seems to have taken little action, but a local merchant surnamed Meng is lavishly distributing porridge…"

"Additionally, grain prices in Luoyang are soaring rapidly, with an upward trend, and refugees say that when they left Luoyang, the price of a dou of rice had already risen to twenty wen."

"Twenty wen?" Chen Yan raised his eyebrows, a little alarmed by the price.

How to put it, in my previous life when I read history books, from the fourth year of the Zhenguan era onward, grain prices were already quite low; the books even said a dou of rice cost three to five wen.

But that was only the price in places like Chang'an, and during a bountiful harvest.

The actual price was a bit higher, yet never exceeded eight wen.

In remote, underdeveloped regions, due to local scarcity and merchants inflating prices, it could be a bit higher, roughly around ten wen.

Luoyang is neither far nor near from Chang'an; with a large granary there, even if grain prices surpass those of Chang'an, they could never be that much higher.

Chen Yan pondered for a moment, then snorted lightly, "Every day, why is there never a moment of peace?"

"Xiao Shunzi, if His Majesty learns that I received the Luoyang news before him, what would he think?"

Xiao Shunzi hesitated a moment, then said, "His Majesty would probably be very angry; after all, it's said that Luoyang's government has taken little action, while a wealthy merchant has begun distributing porridge as charity."

"Hmm!" Chen Yan replied noncommittally, "Since His Majesty is angry, then tell me, will someone else suffer misfortune?"

This time, Xiao Shunzi dared not answer.

There are some matters he can answer, for he is a trusted confidant of Chen Yan, but other things are not for him to speak of.

One cannot act recklessly just because of Chen Yan's trust.

In conduct and deeds, moderation is crucial.

"......"