Chapter 0033: The Disheartened Powerful Minister Shen, Xie Chengze’s Clever Scheme
Some fool had spread rumors across various counties claiming that Jiangdu Xian possessed substantial grain reserves. In no time, nearly a dozen counties’ worth of refugees swarmed toward Jiangdu Xian!
Despite all precautions, they had failed to prevent it!
What made it worse was that the rumors only mentioned the grain reserves in Jiangdu Xian but omitted the fact that the Second Prince was here. Recalling how Xie Chengze had been holed up in the government office, refusing to reveal his identity, Shen Yuan kicked open Xie Chengze’s door in a fury and shouted his name, “Xie! Cheng! Ze! Was this your doing?”
He had deliberately concealed his identity as a prince for his own safety. Luring tens of thousands of refugees here under the pretense of grain reserves was nothing but a scheme to create immense trouble for Shen Yuan—to have him dismissed by the emperor or even executed!
He had even learned to kill with a borrowed knife!
Xie Chengze was in his room, sipping thin porridge, when Shen Yuan burst in. Startled, he nearly spilled the bowl in his hand.
He rolled his eyes dramatically and replied sarcastically, “Oh my~ Lord Shen, you’ve found me out~ How impressive~”
“Have you lost your mind?” Seeing him admit to it, Shen Yuan’s eyes turned bloodshot. He grabbed Xie Chengze’s shoulders with such force it seemed he meant to crush them.
If Xie Chengze refused to provide funds, so be it—Shen Yuan could find another way. He had already lowered his expectations of Xie Chengze repeatedly, to the point where he would be satisfied as long as the man stayed quietly in the government office without causing trouble.
But he had forgotten: he was the one who had killed Xie Chengze’s men. How could Xie Chengze not hold a grudge? How could he not seek to make trouble?
Yet Shen Yuan never imagined Xie Chengze would use the lives of tens of thousands of commoners to exact revenge!
He was utterly mad!
Shen Yuan was deeply disappointed, though he couldn’t pinpoint the source of that disappointment. He only resented himself for being momentarily blinded by Xie Chengze’s pretense, letting his guard down and bringing about this disaster.
“Your Highness, the Second Prince,” he said, his eyes burning with rage and disappointment, as if consumed by the emotions. “I admit defeat. I should never have believed you had any intention of repentance.”
After being driven out of the government office by Wuhen that day, Shen Yuan had been astonished to discover that not a single casualty had been reported in Jiangdu after the flood. Moreover, the citizens were enthusiastically rebuilding their homes, and the gloom of famine that had once loomed over the city had vanished entirely. It was unbelievable.
Upon closer inquiry, he learned that Liang Wan Da had foreseen the heavy rain and led the people from nearby counties up the mountain to seek refuge before the flash floods struck. The stable terrain of Yu Ji Mountain had withstood the flood’s onslaught, saving their livestock and lives.
But how could Liang Wan Da have accomplished such a feat? Given his character, if he had truly foreseen the disaster, he would have fled the city to save himself long ago!
Xie Chengze must have been behind it.
Shen Yuan regretted the disparaging remarks he had made in front of Xie Chengze, thinking that the prince had genuinely repented and aimed to become a benevolent ruler who cared for the people.
But now he realized he was wrong.
Dead wrong. Xie Chengze had not repented; he had only grown wiser, learning how to truly destroy a person.
He had won.
Watching Shen Yuan’s disheartened demeanor, Xie Chengze set down his porridge bowl, stood up, and calmly pried loose the trembling, tense hands gripping his shoulders.
He stepped forward, closing in on the other, his eyes locking directly with Shen Yuan’s, a faint yet mocking smile on his lips. “Remorse? Why should I feel remorse? I owe Lord Shen nothing, and Lord Shen has never been my enemy.”
His voice was soft, tinged with a trace of indifference and disappointment. “On the contrary, it is I who am utterly disappointed in Lord Shen.”
“What makes you think I was behind those rumors? And what gives you the idea that I, Xie Chengze, would gamble with tens of thousands of lives just to spite you?”
Xie Chengze jabbed his index finger harshly against Shen Yuan’s chest, his tone icy. “You, Shen Yuan—are you even worthy?”
—
The two parted on bad terms.
Xie Chengze sat in a rosewood chair, waving a gold-threaded fan. Even with his stunning, captivating beauty, he could not conceal the coldness and ferocity gleaming in his phoenix eyes.
The arrival of these refugees in Jiangdu Xian was both within Xie Chengze’s plans and outside of them.
Or rather, they had arrived far earlier than he had anticipated.
In contrast to Xie Chengze’s calm, Liang Wan Da beside him was on the verge of tears, slapping his thigh and wailing, “Second Prince, what are we to do? Nearly thirty thousand refugees… if they rush the city, they could tear down the walls!”
Liang Wan Da and Xie Chengze were now grasshoppers tied to the same string. Escape from the city was impossible, so he could only pin his hopes on Xie Chengze to devise another strategy.
“Governor Liang, do not panic.” Annoyed by the noise, Xie Chengze decided to silence him first. “I already have a plan. Send men immediately to gather all the Yamen Runners from the nearby counties and have them assemble in Jiangdu Xian. Tell them to bring weapons—the more, the better.”
“Your Highness plans to block their path by force?” Liang Wan Da wiped his tears, cautiously probing.
Xie Chengze smiled mysteriously. “Just carry out the order.”
Liang Wan Da hurriedly obeyed. Once he had left, Xie Chengze abruptly stood and began pacing restlessly around the room.
“Of all times, why now? Why now?”
On his way to Yi Province, when he exchanged the embezzled funds for silver notes, he had quietly spread the word that Yi Province was suffering from floods and food shortages. If one could transport grain to Yi Province and sell it at inflated prices, there was a fortune to be made.
Merchants were quick to catch wind of such news and sharp in their calculations. If even one of them began buying up grain in large quantities, others would notice and flock to Yi Province to sell.
He had also sent Wuji to spread rumors in the neighboring provinces that Governor Liang was willing to pay high prices for grain. With the official credentials Wuji had “borrowed” from the prefectural office, bold merchants would be willing to transport grain to Yi Province even without upfront payment.
Even the embezzled relief grain would slip in among the commercial shipments, disguised as merchant stock, and enter Yi Province.
In Xie Chengze’s plan, once the second flood in Yi Province receded, merchants from all over would arrive with large grain shipments. The market would be flooded with excess grain, supply would outstrip demand, and the artificially inflated prices would be forced down. Once grain prices returned to normal, the famine could be fully resolved.
Then, with their bellies full, the people could channel their strength into the complex and massive reconstruction of the Jiangdi.
His chess game had been progressing smoothly, but now his opponent, in a desperate move, had shamelessly overturned the entire box of black pieces onto his board, disrupting his strategy and ruining everything!
If these grain carts happened to encounter the starving refugees outside the city, Xie Chengze hardly dared imagine what might happen!
“What should I do? What should I do?”
Xie Chengze put away his folding fan and kept tapping his forehead as he paced back and forth on the ground. His earlier claim of having a strategy in mind was merely a lie to reassure Governor Liang—in truth, he had no idea what to do.
Thirty thousand refugees…
Could Jiangdu Xian possibly accommodate them all?
Suddenly struck by a thought, Xie Chengze halted abruptly, his expression turning peculiar.
What if… we did it this way?