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墨書 Inktalez
What Lord Wang demanded of Jiang Han was truly a daunting task. If he were to comply, it would essentially expose the existence of the mysterious forces to everyone. In that case, there would be no value in Jiang Han's continued existence.
Ever since the incident with Quan Gai Su Wen, Jiang Han had not encountered any large-scale assassination attempts. The reason was simple: everyone suspected that Jiang Han had connections with the mysterious forces. If they killed him, perhaps those forces would vanish as well. To them, Jiang Han was merely a spokesperson for these enigmatic powers.
In their eyes, if Jiang Han were to clarify everything, then Prince Langya could potentially reach out to that mysterious force. And for Jiang Han, there would be no reason to live on.
Assassination attempts against Jiang Han would come one after another, even in broad daylight, with the intent to eliminate him. Su Qianxue's gaze darkened; she hadn’t expected that the old fox known as Prince Langya would employ such cunning tactics, using this situation to set a deadly trap for Jiang Han.
In other words, if Jiang Han were to clearly explain the source of his grain supplies, it would signify his impending doom.
Under Lord Wang's directives, dozens of ministers knelt in unison, declaring that in order to procure grain from Jiang Han, he must clarify where it came from and which force had sold it to him. Otherwise, they would have no choice but to purchase from the grain merchants in the capital.
However, at such a critical moment, how could those merchants—backed by Prince Langya—not raise their prices? One hundred thousand taels of silver would normally suffice for buying grain and setting up a porridge shop to feed several hundred thousand people for two or three months. But if they sought grain from the capital's merchants, it was doubtful they could last even a month.
Many court officials spoke grandly, pretending to act for the good of the country and its people. In reality, they were all calculating their own interests.
"Your Majesty," one minister said, "without clear explanations from Shopkeeper Jiang, we cannot proceed with procurement!"
"Your Majesty," another chimed in, "this concerns tens of thousands of disaster victims; we must clarify this matter!"
"Your Majesty, I second that!" yet another minister added.
Soon after, thirty more ministers knelt down in unison, requesting Su Qianxue to insist that if they were to buy anything from Jiang Han, he must clearly state how he obtained it.
At this point, Minister of Revenue Zhao spoke again: "Your Majesty, if Jiang Han cannot provide clarity, we can still purchase grain from the Four Major Grain Merchants in the capital! However, rice prices will skyrocket; one hundred thousand taels of silver might only suffice for a month's supply for those disaster victims!"
"We beseech Your Majesty to make a decision!"
With the ministers working together in this manner, they effectively placed Su Qianxue in a difficult position. The officials under her command were mostly upright individuals without wealth; at this moment, they found themselves unable to voice their opinions.
"Ah! What a fine group of Civil and Military Officials!" someone remarked bitterly. "To procure from Jiang Han requires him to clarify everything!"
Purchasing from the Four Major Grain Merchants would require three times the price of rice. Su Qianxue couldn't help but sneer as she scrutinized the court officials, feeling quite displeased.
Seeing the ministers kneeling before her, she declared fiercely, "I will still procure grain from Jiang Han. If there are any issues, I will take responsibility! If you do not trust Jiang Han's provisions, then just wait and see! The money in my royal treasury is mine to manage as I see fit! This one hundred thousand taels of silver is my own money! How I choose to allocate it is my decision alone!"
The group of elderly officials seemed to think that things were still as they used to be. "Your Majesty!" Minister Wang spoke up again, "What if there are problems with Jiang Han's food and it harms the disaster victims? What then?"
"Then according to your reasoning, what should we do?" Su Qianxue retorted.
"Your Majesty, perhaps we could do it this way," Minister of Revenue Zhao suggested once more. "The one hundred thousand taels of silver could be divided into two portions: one for purchasing grain from Jiang Han and the other for buying from the Four Major Grain Merchants! This way, we can prepare for both possibilities and avoid a situation where the grain truly goes bad and the disaster victims riot!"
Hearing this, Minister Wang added, "Your Majesty, that sounds quite reasonable. If both portions are one hundred thousand taels of silver, we can also compare the quality of grain provided by Jiang Han with that of the Four Major Grain Merchants! If Jiang Han cannot deliver quality provisions, then we should demand accountability!"
The other ministers immediately echoed this sentiment, suggesting that if there were issues, Jiang Han should be executed. As long as Su Qianxue agreed, if any problems arose with Jiang Han's grain, they could justifiably capture Jiang Han for interrogation. If Jiang Han dared to resist, he would have no place in the entire Da Zhou.
Su Qianxue's eyes darkened as she prepared to counter their arguments. She would not gamble with Jiang Han's life. However, Minister Wang and the others continued to assert that Jiang Han was essentially an unknown entity—no knowledge of his background, no understanding of his origins, and no clarity on where his grain came from. Purchasing grain from such a person meant that if any issues arose, they would certainly execute Jiang Han.
Even though Jiang Han had provided plenty of military supplies and food to Lin Qingyue without issue, the court officials were adamant. "I can't see it; I don't know it; I suspect that your grain from Jiang Han might have problems."
"Your Majesty, if you do not agree, then we cannot make the purchase. All the civil officials will not consent. They will boldly declare that the lives of hundreds of thousands of disaster victims cannot be left in the hands of a single merchant."
A barrage of grand principles and lofty rhetoric pressed down upon Su Qianxue. If there were any issues with the grain provided by Jiang Han, I will give an account to the court officials and the common people.
I will additionally allocate Three Hundred Thousand Taels of Patterned Silver as extra compensation to the Four Major Grain Merchants, Su Qianxue stated.
Upon hearing this, the Langya Prince suddenly opened his eyes wide, signaling Lord Wang and the others to agree. According to his calculations, the royal treasury held about six hundred thousand taels of silver. If Jiang Han's grain supply was insufficient or problematic, then after Su Qianxue added more funds, any further issues would leave the royal treasury empty, forcing them to heed the court officials.
The cash in the royal treasury is limited! However, there are still many other treasures! But now, during wartime, trying to exchange treasures for goods is fraught with difficulties; not only will the premium be low, but whether one can even make an exchange is uncertain.
"Your Majesty, let us make an agreement! If the grain provided by Jiang Han is insufficient or has issues, Your Majesty must either execute Jiang Han or increase the grain supply. We cannot allow hundreds of thousands of disaster victims to go hungry!" Lord Wang reiterated his point, solidifying this stance.
The Langya Prince thought to himself, if it comes to that, how can my control over grain merchants compare to you, Jiang Han? You can provide supplies for Lin Qingyue. I can also supply grain to the disaster victims. With a foundation of one hundred thousand taels, I can provide even more grain than you. Then you, Jiang Han, will not escape being labeled a profiteer.
When that time comes, capturing you, Jiang Han, will be justified. I will interrogate you thoroughly; I do not believe we cannot uncover the mysterious forces behind this.
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