Chapter 719 - 497: What an Appropriation

Chapter 719: Chapter 497: What an Appropriation

Song Yunzhao never would have imagined that Xie Jinshu and Ling Yunhe had secretly gone south to purchase grain. Due to the poor communication, Xie Jinshu still didn’t know how much grain Ling Yunhe had managed to buy, but it was a glimmer of hope regardless.

Song Yunzhao was overjoyed. Xie Jinshu also mentioned that the Ministry of Revenue had begun requisitioning both grain and medicinal herbs from across the country, but it was impossible to say how much they could actually procure.

Song Yunzhao understood. Productivity in this era was low, and with seeds and soil fertility far inferior to those of later ages, yields were extremely poor. It was common for a natural disaster to result in a complete crop failure.

If one region suffered a disaster, the surrounding Prefectures and Counties had to share their grain to provide relief. Consequently, very few areas had any significant surplus, unless they were exceptionally fertile lands.

There was nothing Song Yunzhao could do. She didn’t know how to cultivate superior crop varieties, nor did she know how to grow medicinal herbs. ’As a transmigrator, I’m a real disgrace to all the others who came before me,’ she thought. ’All I can be is a useless freeloader.’

The only thing she could do now was spend as much Silver as she could to buy up some of the supplies being hoarded by opportunistic merchants.

Song Yunzhao wrote another letter to Xie Jinshu, telling him to pass a message to Ling Yunhe. He was to take the purchased grain directly to the border city instead of detouring back to the Capital City, which would be a waste of time and effort.

As for the medicinal herbs, it all depended on how much Xie Jinshu could manage to scrounge up.

This was the extent of Song Yunzhao’s abilities. The main effort still depended on the Prime Minister and the Six Ministries to reallocate and procure grain; that was where the real solution lay.

Carrying the letter from the Imperial Consort to the Emperor, along with some medicinal pills and snacks she had prepared, Zhang Maoquan set out on the return journey that very night with the official messenger.

***

「Border City.」

Feng Yi was in a meeting with his military generals.

Beiming had launched a surprise attack on Lin City, which was located just over a hundred *li* from the border city where the Emperor was stationed.

"Do the enemy have reinforcements?" Feng Yi asked, looking at the wounded Prince Zhenbei.

Prince Zhenbei replied respectfully, "I have just received the latest intelligence. The enemy attacked the city with light cavalry. Light cavalry are more agile and faster than heavy cavalry, and Lin City’s walls are low and its defenses weak. That is how Beiming was able to succeed."

Ji Yunting and Song Buran stood among the others. They had been ordered to the border city after the New Year and had traveled through the night to get there.

Ji Yunting had experience in escorting and procuring grain supplies, so with the army facing a shortage, he had been sent to assist.

Although Song Buran was a civil servant, there were many tasks to handle in a border city post-battle. Feng Yi, intending to give him some practical experience, had brought him along to help with miscellaneous duties.

The two acted as observers, listening until the Emperor finished his discussion with the generals. They then followed everyone out, walking silently at the rear.

They heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from nearby. The Emperor’s aide, Meng Jiuchang, rushed out and then led two men back into the room.

They recognized one of the men as Zhang Maoquan. The other was a stranger, but he was clutching a brocade box they both recognized—one used for sending messages to and from the Capital City. He was a messenger.

The two exchanged a look and continued walking outside in silence.

Just as they stepped out of the courtyard gate, a man quietly approached. "This humble official greets you, my lords," he said.

Ji Yunting found the man’s face unfamiliar. "Where do you serve?" he asked. "What is it?"

"I am on duty at the city gate," the man replied. "Today, a man claiming to be a subordinate of Mr. Song asked me to deliver a message."

Song Buran froze. ’A subordinate?’

’Could it be someone from the Song Family?’

He was far away at the border, and the Song Family wouldn’t contact him unless something major had happened. "Did he give a name?" he asked.

"The man called himself Ling Yunhe."

While the name was unfamiliar to people in the border city, both Ji Yunting and Song Buran recognized it. This was one of the Imperial Concubine’s men.

Their eyes met. Song Buran immediately said, "He is indeed one of my men. Let him in."

With that, Song Buran untied the purse from his waist and handed it over. "For your trouble."

The man quickly waved his hands in refusal, then turned and bolted.

Ji Yunting laughed. "Mr. Song, your reputation for integrity has truly won the hearts of the people."

By now, Song Buran was quite familiar with Ji Yunting and didn’t mind his teasing. "Let’s go wait for him up ahead," he said.

"Alright." Ji Yunting wasn’t well-acquainted with Consort Ming, but his wife was her cousin. Moreover, he had met her a few times himself before she entered the palace.

Unfortunately, Consort Ming did not have a favorable impression of him.

Everyone in the Capital City knew the story of how Ling Yunhe had once helped Consort Ming, which almost led to the Ling Family betraying her.

It was Ling Yunhe who, choosing justice over kinship and single-handedly turning the tide, had saved the Ling Family.

’Ling Yunhe’s appearance here is surely no coincidence.’

After a good while, Ling Yunhe finally appeared before them. His face was weathered from his travels, and his right arm was injured. Blood had soaked through the cloth bandage, making for a miserable sight.

"This commoner greets you, my lords." Upon seeing Song Buran, Ling Yunhe’s eyes welled up with tears.

"What happened to you?" Song Buran asked in astonishment.

Ling Yunhe had no time for explanations. He said urgently, "Mr. Song, by order of the Imperial Consort, I have been secretly purchasing grain, traveling all the way from Lichuan to this border city. I was ambushed by bandits outside the city but was fortunately rescued by government soldiers. I have not failed Her Highness’s great expectations—I’ve brought the grain."

Ji Yunting and Song Buran stared at each other in shock. Song Buran immediately said, "I’ll go with him to check on the grain. Ji, you must report to His Majesty at once!"

Ji Yunting nodded quickly and turned to go back.

’With the current grain shortage, any amount Ling Yunhe has brought is a blessing.’

After Ji Yunting departed, Ling Yunhe followed Song Buran out of the city, explaining the whole situation as they walked.

It turned out Ling Yunhe’s grain acquisition had not gone smoothly. Things had been relatively easy in Jiangnan. As the "land of fish and rice," it was more prosperous than other areas. There, he had made private deals, buying grain with Silver at fair prices and supplementing the payment with goods from the Baozhuang Building.

However, once he left those prosperous lands, this method no longer worked. Few merchants, other than the families of officials, were willing to part with their grain.

But Ling Yunhe was resourceful. In every new place, he would first visit the local official’s wife. With her introduction, merchants were reluctant to offend the authorities and would usually spare him some of their grain.

"As the journey grew more remote, it became impractical to travel with so much grain at once. I hired escort agencies to transport it to the border city in batches. But I never imagined someone would leak the information. The grain was confiscated by officials here in the border city, and they even tried to frame me as a bandit! Luckily, I realized something was wrong and fled immediately. Otherwise, my lord, you wouldn’t even be able to find my body for a burial."

Song Buran stopped in his tracks. "So the grain is real, but it has been appropriated by the officials here?"

Ling Yunhe shook his head. "I dare not speculate as to whether they’ve taken it for themselves. All I know is that the granary I rented here through an associate is now surrounded by government soldiers."

Song Buran looked at Ling Yunhe. "We’re going back. This is no longer something I can handle for you."

’This must be brought to the Emperor’s attention. Only His Majesty can pass judgment.’

’The amount of grain Ling Yunhe transported in batches was substantial. From the sound of it, the Xie and Ling families had spent their entire fortunes to acquire it.’

’Appropriating it for themselves!’

’Their audacity is utterly shameless!’