fynovel Chapter 64 A Won't Die a Good Death
Chapter 64 A Won't Die a Good Death
The carriage moved steadily, passing one tenant farmer's farm after another.
Under the big tree at the entrance of the village, elderly people sat chatting, while children ran around.
Smoke rose from the chimneys of each house, mingling with the morning light.
"Big brother."
"Um?"
Feng Shouzhou hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Su Wantang...who exactly is she?"
The carriage fell silent, with only the rumbling of the wheels on the dirt road remaining.
"have no idea."
"Big brother..."
Feng Shouzhuo's mind was in turmoil, and the endless wheat field looked rather dull.
Without external distractions, my mind can't help but wander to certain thoughts.
Just as he opened his mouth, the dragon-shaped jade core that Feng Xiu was holding slowly stopped and glanced at him.
"If you keep talking nonsense, get back to your residence."
.....
.....
It was evening.
Qingyan City, Lin Mansion.
In the main hall of the Lin family mansion, in a quiet and elegant space, sat a middle-aged man with a slightly plump figure.
At this moment, the man was holding a thick ledger in his hands, looking at it intently. The sound of turning pages could be heard from the large central hall.
"Wen Yuan." After that, her fingertips reached the last page.
Lin Xiuyuan placed the account book on the wooden table and looked down at Lin Che, who was gently sipping tea on the chair to his left.
"With the grain depletion so high these past few days, what's the Feng family up to?"
Lin Che put down the antique porcelain teacup and shook his head slightly. "Father, the Feng family is still the same as before, but I have ordered people to approach the managers of the Feng family's dozen or so grain depots."
"According to them, the Feng family has now opened a private granary, and apart from the normal expenses of the mansion, all the remaining grain has been distributed out."
Lin Che answered calmly.
The Feng family has remained silent these past few days, a stark contrast to the initial Ganlin Grand Ceremony and Feng Ao's "outrageous" actions a month ago when he forced the River Law Division to comply.
This seems very unusual.
If it weren't for their reckless act of distributing grain, Lin Che would have really thought that the Feng family was secretly plotting something.
"They've even opened a private vault?" Lin Xiuyuan asked in surprise.
"Well, according to our actuaries' assessment, the Feng family can only hold on for another ten days at most," Lin Che continued.
Accounts can be public or private, and so can grain.
The public granary was where the grain stores of various families kept their grain, while the private granary was the most important measure of how much profit a grain merchant could actually make.
Whenever grain prices soar, the competition boils down to the amount of money in private coffers.
"The Feng family didn't have much food to begin with, so Feng Wenzheng's move is truly impressive!"
Lin Xiuyuan sighed softly upon hearing this, his narrowed eyes filled with admiration.
"Yes, Wenzheng is different from Fan Ling."
Although it wasn't the first time Lin Xiuyuan had expressed admiration, Lin Che smiled faintly.
"Feng Yujin had approached me before, saying that the Feng family was going to make some big moves. I never expected that the father and son would think so far ahead."
"Now, the Fan family has become the target of everyone's criticism."
As Lin Xiuyuan spoke, a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
Following the Feng family's lead in distributing porridge and grain was a risky move, and he wouldn't have done it if Lin Che hadn't repeatedly persuaded him otherwise.
Looking back now, that was a brilliant move!
"The Fan family had no choice."
A cold smile appeared on Lin Che's face. The Fan family stood on the opposite side of all the grain merchants.
Aside from not severing ties, he had no further connection with Fan Ling!
"Father, the news has been confirmed. There is indeed movement within the Eastern Army Commandery, and the Eastern Army will arrive soon."
"Now that all the major families are selling off their grain, what do you think the Fan family will do?"
When this was mentioned, Lin Che couldn't help but smile.
"Hahaha, what can you do? Small grain merchants can dump their grain or sell it, but the Fan family is the only ones who can't."
Compared to Lin Che's reserved manner, Lin Xiuyuan laughed quite heartily.
The initial worry about the cost of distributing grain vanished instantly.
Now, refugees from outside are flocking to Yunzhou all at once, ignoring other prefectures and only coming to Qingyan City in Qingyan Prefecture.
Qingyan City is renowned for its benevolence, and all the major families are struggling to survive.
They all wanted to distribute the grain before the Eastern Army arrived.
"Wen Yuan, do you think Fan Lao Er will regret being in cahoots with He Lu Si?"
After laughing, Lin Xiuyuan asked with great interest.
As soon as he asked the question, he couldn't stop smiling.
I'm losing money myself, and my competitors are all losing money.
The Fan family may seem to have suffered no losses, but in reality, they've lost everything.
"Regret is inevitable. The Eastern Army not only wants grain, but also land. If he distributes the grain, he will offend the Eastern Army and the River Law Office. If he doesn't distribute it, the Eastern Army will requisition his grain."
Lin Che's lips curled up slightly. "They're doomed either way. Besides, they have no way out now, they can only hold on."
The analysis is very insightful.
"Once this matter is over, there will be no place for the Fan family in the entire Qingyan City."
At this point, Lin Che felt a surge of emotion.
Large families may appear glamorous, but sometimes, a single wrong decision can destroy their entire fortune.
Lin Che sighed again, wondering what Feng Xiu was thinking.
A horizontal comparison reveals that the Fan family and the Feng family are two completely opposite examples.
"Father, I thought about it carefully again yesterday. Although the Eastern Army is a legitimate government appointment, no one knows whether the Eastern Army will resort to force."
Lin Che paused for a moment, then said solemnly, "I've thought about it. Jinzhou is currently in chaos. If the Eastern Army is forced into a corner and insists on taking the territory, I do have a solution."
Lin Xiuyuan's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
"What method?"
"Hanging on the ground".
Lin Che read it out heavily, and seeing that Lin Xiuyuan was a little confused, he explained again.
"Plain soldiers can't farm the land on the plateau. In any case, we'll have to farm it ourselves in the end. But in order to keep our soldiers and bandits in check, it's inevitable that the Eastern Army needs to secure the land."
It's a key location for the Eastern Army; anyone with eyes can see that, and that's unavoidable.
"You mean, we'll register our land under the names of Eastern Army soldiers, but we'll actually be the ones farming it?"
"Pay a sum of...land rent to the Eastern Army every year?"
Lin Xiuyuan understood Lin Che's meaning and said thoughtfully.
He did not ask how much the rent paid to the Eastern Army was.
With all the families joining forces, this can be discussed slowly.
"Therefore, since the Feng family is so decisive, we must step up too!"
Seeing that Lin Xiuyuan had taken it to heart, Lin Che then spoke decisively.
"Distributing the grain from the private granaries is a good idea. Let's do as you say and distribute all the grain from the private granaries!"
Lin Xiuyuan nodded slowly.
It seems that the plan to distribute the land later involved cooperation with the Eastern Army, and it is inappropriate to distribute the existing grain.
On the contrary, this is a good opportunity for all the major families to show their resistance and fight back!
Only by putting on a show of fighting to the death can the East Army possibly sit at the negotiating table!
"However, take some time to ask Feng Wenzheng and hear his opinion. After all, our two families are on the same side."
After speaking, Lin Xiuyuan looked at Lin Che and smiled with satisfaction.
Feng Yujin, your son is an outstanding person, but my son is no less so!
"Let's wait a few more days. Wenzheng doesn't have time these next couple of days."
After gaining Lin Xiuyuan's approval, Lin Che smiled and stepped forward, picked up the teapot, and was about to pour tea when he found that the teapot was empty.
Immediately, a maid in a blue robe with a slightly chubby face was summoned, and the maid quickly picked up the empty pot.
A short while later, a maid in a green robe hurriedly entered the main hall, carrying a teapot overflowing with steam on a wooden tray.
Na Liao was walking too fast, and he stumbled, causing the wooden tray to slip and the teapot to shatter.
Hot water splashed out, interrupting the conversation between the Lin father and son. Lin Che frowned and glanced at the maid who looked somewhat panicked and timid.
"What happened?"
"Young master, it was my fault."
The maid in the green robe was not burned, but her face turned pale and she spoke haltingly.
"Be more careful next time," Lin Che waved his hand.
The maid nodded quickly and hurried to clean up the mess on the floor.
"Is Feng Shouzhou getting married?"
At this moment, inside the main hall, Lin Xiuyuan listened to Lin Che's explanation, paused for a moment, and then asked with great interest.
"Yes, this morning, the head steward of the Feng family personally went to all the matchmakers in the city and even announced that he wanted to find a respectable woman for Feng Shouzhuo."
Lin Che smiled and said, "I guess Wen Zheng is currently looking for women from various families."
"I've also heard of Feng Yujin's son. He's idle and good-for-nothing. What woman would want him?"
"Father, that's hard to say," Lin Che replied with a faint smile.
"Feng Shouzhou is ignorant and incompetent, but his elder brother is not. Who knows, some people might want to use him to get involved with the Feng family."
A short while later, the maid in the green robe cautiously approached.
After gently pouring tea for the two of them, she slowly withdrew and quietly closed the door.
Behind them, the conversation between the Lin father and son continued.
As soon as she stepped out of the hall, the paleness on the maid's face disappeared, and she patted her chest with a sense of relief.
"Oh my god, that scared me to death!"
After he finished speaking, he saw something wriggling under the blue sleeves.
The maid in the green robe glanced around, her dark eyes filled with guilt.
Then, she quickened her pace and walked towards the artificial hill in the courtyard.
Just as he was about to release what was under his sleeve, he looked around again.
Only after confirming that no one had noticed his unusual behavior did he slowly roll up his sleeves.
A brown, palm-sized piece of paper slowly climbed up my arm and quickly transformed into a paper crane.
"Lord Crane, please don't contact me while I'm on duty next time. I'm afraid the master will find out."
Despite being alone, the maid in the green robe was still a little flustered and placed the paper crane on a protruding rock on the artificial hill.
I bowed respectfully.
Immediately, the paper crane flapped its wings and disappeared in mid-air. The maid in the green dress watched the direction in which the paper crane flew away.
He clasped his hands to his chest and prayed silently, his face showing a hint of pleading expectation.
Not long after.
The paper crane slowly flew back onto the artificial hill, and the maid in the green dress's eyes lit up.
On the back of the paper crane, a small piece of silver weighing more than ten taels was glittering.
The maid in the green robe quickly picked up the loose silver and put it in her bosom, her face beaming with joy.
Has anything major happened in the city recently?
Immediately, the folded paper of the origami crane transformed into a flat sheet, and a line of large characters clearly appeared.
"No, Lord Crane. I heard from my master that the River Law Office is going to open the sluice gates to release water in a while."
The maid in the green robe was not surprised by this scene and said the words she had already prepared.
[How many days exactly?]
Another line of text appeared on the page.
"It seems to be seven days, but many big merchants have been distributing porridge and grain these days, and I bought a bag too."
A thoughtful look appeared in the dark eyes of the maid in the green robe before she answered.
She only heard this much news while she was on duty, and could only answer truthfully.
As the characters slowly fell silent, the maid in the green robe seemed to feel somewhat sorry for Lord Crane.
After thinking for a moment, he added another sentence.
"Oh, by the way, I just heard the host say that the philanthropist Feng from the city is looking for a matchmaker for his younger brother."
"He said he was going to get married."
Sizzle, sizzle~
Unexpectedly, as soon as these words were spoken, the paper floating in front of them instantly crumpled into a ball.
The brown paper was crumpled into a ball, as if it had been pulled and torn apart by a tremendous force!
The sound of the paper being torn was harsh and violent, and scraps of paper, no bigger than a fingernail, fell from the sky.
The maid in the green robe was so frightened that her face turned pale. In her daze, she seemed to hear a mournful woman's voice coming through the scraps of paper.
"Feng Xiu, I'll make you suffer a terrible death, a truly terrible death!"