Chapter 47: Oxen and horses only have 'gee gee gee

Coarse grain becomes fine grain, and they don't charge a processing fee?!

Chen Weifang froze, then immediately realized something terrifying......

The shopkeeper said they were referring to a 'young lady'.

There are plenty of capable young ladies in the world, but over all these years Chen Weifang has only seen one young lady who is 'profitless' and yet 'astonishingly capable'.

They......

We had only just seen them twelve days ago.

Strange, too strange.

What is this for?

That young lady helps people process coarse grain that costs five cash per jin into fine grain; the civilians carry the goods away, earning a profit themselves, so what silver does she earn?

Or perhaps, that young lady is......

Winning over the people's hearts?!

Chen Weifang figured out the key point, suddenly lifted her head, and in doing so startled the shopkeeper opposite her.

The shopkeeper didn't know what madness had come over him, only thinking he wanted to keep listening, and scratched his head, saying:

"Basically that's how it is. Nowadays, most of the fine grain on the market comes from that young lady's hands; people grinding grain is a profit‑free business, so the fine grain on the market naturally won't rise in price......"

Thus, the situation entered a strange cycle.

Because at the young lady's place, five cash can become eight, everyone instinctively felt that the coarse grain originally worth five cash should equal the price of fine grain, so after the autumn harvest he went to buy in bulk at last year's prices, and the farmers naturally balked, unwilling to sell.

He had thought the farmers were trying to cheat him, so he also got angry and went home, then coordinated with several grain shops in town to wait for the farmers to back down first; but after waiting a few days, he discovered that the grain they refused to buy had already been largely taken away by that young lady.

Later, when they tried to buy again, the new grain of that season was naturally scarce, so the price rose somewhat.

Recalling this, the shopkeeper felt his heart torn apart for a moment.

Chen Weifang stood there dazed for a while; after a long time, she finally came to herself and broke into a smile.

His youthful charm has faded, but his appearance remains top‑notch.

Thus, his smile now makes the indoor scenery look uniquely beautiful.

He now roughly understands what that young lady intends to do, nothing more than......

【Stockpile grain extensively, then slowly claim the throne】

It doesn't really look like Chinu's handiwork, and it's not enough to succeed in one strike.

If this is the young lady's idea, being able to carry out this plan already proves that the other side indeed has some depth of scheming.

But it's still not enough, not enough.

Chen Weifang shook her head slightly, the corner of her mouth still bearing a meaningful, helpless smile:

"Trouble, shopkeeper, give me twenty jin of millet; I've thought it over, your grain is seven cash per jin—if I go to that young lady's place to have it milled into fine grain, how much cash could I still save......"

The shopkeeper didn't find this strange at all, and shouted for his lazy brother‑in‑law hiding in the inner storeroom to bring out the measuring scoop to prepare to weigh the rice.

That young worker, after taking a beating, came out with his eyes slightly red; while slowly weighing out the millet jin by jin and pouring it into a large cloth sack, he couldn't help muttering:

"Each jin differs by only one cash; with that free time to run around, customers might as well just buy from us...... that young lady is all lies—people say she once caught a wind‑cold and then loudly claimed she wasn't a Du, but a Zhu, that she was the daughter of the deposed crown prince Zhu Huo of the previous dynasty, cast out......"

"Slap!!!"

"Bang!!!"

The measuring scoop and the slap sounded at the same time.

The face of that young worker, who had always been slacking off, instantly bore a clear slap print from his brother‑in‑law.

This time the shopkeeper held nothing back; his force was so great he nearly knocked the young worker over.

The sound of the millet rolling onto the ground rustled softly, faintly echoing.

Chen Weifang lifted her gaze, and the smile at the corner of her mouth finally eased away.

He remained silent, looking at the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper, whose face had originally been honest and sturdy, now had veins faintly bulging at his temples; he solemnly waved his hand and said:

"Please, customer, go elsewhere to shop today. I have such a brother‑in‑law; if I don't give him a stern lesson today, I would be failing his late sister."

Chen Weifang also had no intention of lingering; she nodded slightly and then left the grain shop.

Almost the instant he withdrew, wailing cries like ghosts and wolves erupted from inside the grain shop:

"Brother‑in‑law, brother‑in‑law, don't hit me!"

"I, I didn't lie either! Others have also said that the Du family's young lady is crazy! Why can't I say it? I also hope that customer buys a bit more grain...... mm! mm!"

Chen Weifang stood outside the door, listened carefully for two breaths, then heard the sound of clothing being rubbed and dragged—apparently the young worker had his mouth covered and was pulled into the inner room.

Until there was no more sound, Chen Weifang barely managed to still the turmoil in her heart, then realized what had happened——

Chinu had earlier frankly said he did not acknowledge her as his master; Chinu didn't help her, and he also didn't help her......

But that young lady, after all, is still going all‑in, preparing to scheme for the world!

Otherwise, there is no other possibility!

Who is Zhu Huo?

When the Yin Dynasty was first founded, the Grand Ancestor's favorite heir apparent was!

Back then, while Crown Prince Zhu Huo was still alive, he even pressed the Grand Ancestor Emperor to the point of breathlessness; clearly the Grand Ancestor had earned the most military merit when founding the dynasty, yet his father the Grand Ancestor stubbornly insisted on choosing to let Zhu Huo succeed as crown prince, and moreover suppressed the Grand Ancestor Emperor.

If it weren't for Crown Prince Zhu Huo truly lacking achievements, and the Grand Ancestor being too outstanding, the crown prince would never have been deposed afterwards!

The Young Emperor inherited the Grand Ancestor's line; logically, everyone should have long forgotten the Deposed Crown Prince Zhu Huo.

However......

However, that young lady actually brought this person back to mind!

Not only did she recall him, she even used him in an extremely clever way——

A few years ago the Young Emperor was assassinated, and Yuan Lang usurped the throne.

At this time, if one were to raise the Young Emperor's banner and start building a private army, it would surely attract the attention of the Imperial Court.

However, the title of Deposed Crown Prince Yan is different!

Firstly, although Deposed Crown Prince Yan has been deposed, logically speaking, his bloodline is even closer to the orthodox line than the Young Emperor's; mentioning him inevitably involves discussing Emperor Taizong, and rumors among the common folk can spread more widely!

After all, the common folk wouldn't know about the usurpation that took place back then!

Secondly, after being deposed, Deposed Crown Prince Yan went into seclusion, and for decades he never involved himself in partisan politics, truly reassuring. Even since the establishment of the false dynasty up to now, Yuan Lang has never issued an order to eliminate Deposed Crown Prince Yan, showing that this person does not attract attention......

An orphaned granddaughter of Deposed Crown Prince Yan, whose lineage is legitimate enough not to draw the Imperial Court's attention, yet able to make the common folk feel a natural affinity......

How could this identity not be exalted?!

If one wishes to succeed, the advantages this identity brings are simply twice the result for half the effort!

Moreover......

Moreover, if one were to raise an army under this identity, thereafter it would certainly only be, and could only be, to restore and uphold the Yin Dynasty......

This is completely different from treacherous ministers and usurpers seizing the throne!

In the future, it will still be the Yin Dynasty!

Chen Weifang was like a walking corpse, constantly weighing the pros and cons in his mind; when he finally understood the key point and looked up, he found, unbeknownst when, that he had already returned to his own doorstep.

He came from a humble background, had always been impoverished, was demoted away from Jinling, and after taking up the post of Chief Clerk here, his purse became even more strained.

That window......

That window, torn apart by the young lady, had only been patched by him with a layer of hemp paper,

A few days ago he didn't notice it, but now upon looking, there are still crooked paste marks on it.

A broken window, no matter how it is repaired, inevitably retains traces.

That young lady, having already come here, he truly could not pretend not to remember.

Really impressive.

Really impressive.

Chinu making a trip for her indeed still has a reason.

Chinu always deceives people; back then I shouldn't have believed his lies, thinking he wasn't assisting the female lead......

If I had known earlier, if I had known earlier......

Chen Weifang pushed the door open and closed it behind him.

Separated by a wall, outside it was bright daylight, while inside came a faint sigh.

?? The grades are indeed not good, lacking motivation; the manuscript is only for today, tomorrow might be a bit late orz