A brightly lit awning boat glided past the small river beside the street not far away. Looking down from the upper floor of Bamboo Memoirs (Zhu Ji), pedestrians moved back and forth on the street. A small cart selling noodles and fried dough sticks passed through the crowd, and a vendor under a nearby tree shook a kite in his hand at a passing child. The night of Bianliang was deepening in this shimmering starlight.

Ning Yi tapped on the railing with his fingers.

"When the Prime Minister's office considered candidates for the Deputy Transport Commissioner of Hedong Road, there were several other considerations. But frankly speaking, the grain price increase along Hedong Road is very serious. This time is different from the past, and if you want to do a good job in disaster relief, you will offend many people. Liu Congming, the Transport Commissioner of Hedong Road, is indeed an old official who has a long-standing relationship with Prime Minister Qin. He will also do his best to cooperate in this disaster relief, but this effort is limited."

He paused slightly, "After many years of working in the officialdom, it is not that there are no honest and upright officials. But it is rare to find someone who has not been tainted with any bad habits at all. Lord Liu does not fit into either of these categories. Of course, if you say he is a bad official, that is not entirely true either. If it were just a general mess, he would have the foundation to rectify the officialdom, even to kill a dozen or so disobedient subordinates, with the foundation he has built in Hedong over the years. However, this time, his heart is willing but his strength is not enough, because he will offend many people. These words are Mr. Yao's evaluation of him."

"So in the end, the Prime Minister's office had to settle for second best. They felt that there should be someone with a straightforward personality, preferably someone who is not afraid of offending people, to work under Lord Liu, and only manage the most important thing. And Lord Liu would be willing to relinquish the power of this one thing. Later, when Prime Minister Qin chose you, I was a little surprised. But Prime Minister Qin's reasoning was simple, in any case, Dexin, you are capable. After the matter is over, even if you offend people and are blamed and criticized, at least it may save you several or even a dozen years of struggle... Of course, if you only do things with the mentality of protecting your position, I am afraid you will not do a good job. But you are a smart man and can naturally understand what I am saying."

"Li Heng has underestimated me." Li Pin laughed when he heard Ning Yi say this. He shook his head. "In this situation, it is natural to do things after being promoted several levels. If I were to be two-faced and only wanted to be safe and climb upwards, that would be the real way to seek death. But Li Heng, none of this matters. As scholars, we should go where duty leads us, even if it means facing a million people. Just like what the Emperor said in the palace today, this disaster relief is not for being an official, but for the people. Whether I offend people or kill people, if I, Li Dexin, have even a hint of worrying about myself on this trip north, I deserve to die."

His tone was not high, but his expression was filled with righteousness. Ning Yi had seen this kind of scholar's temperament more than once, and naturally understood his mood. He nodded, and after a moment, sighed, "Many people will die this time. All the Prime Minister's office is seeking is to reduce the number of deaths as much as possible..."

Li Pin frowned and said, "What is the business path that Li Heng is talking about?"

Ning Yi asked, "What does Dexin think is the most important thing in this disaster relief?"

Li Pin thought for a moment, "So-called disaster relief, which seems complicated, but in fact, what we can do is only a few things: As long as we can strictly manage the officialdom, so that the corrupt officials and petty officials below do not dare to embezzle the disaster relief grain, and the grain can be distributed to the victims, then half of the matter will be done. After that, strictly control the market price, so that merchants are not allowed to sell grain at high prices. Those who maliciously hoard grain prices will be investigated, arrested, and killed in batches, and the disaster relief will basically improve. Of course, in this way, the number of people offended will naturally be a lot."

After he finished speaking, Ning Yi shook his head, "Most disaster relief is done this way, but this time the situation is too troublesome. In the market, as you said, the people are hoarding grain spontaneously, and behind the scenes, the background is profound. When you go to Hedong Road, the Zuo family of Zuo Duanyou will participate, and the big player is the Qi family of Qi Yan. They may not come forward, but only act as umbrellas behind the scenes, so it will be difficult for you to investigate, arrest, and kill."

"...On the other hand, the number of people affected by the disaster and in need of relief exceeds 1.7 million." Ning Yi said, "The total amount of on-the-books grain that can be allocated to the disaster area nationwide is only 380,000 shi. In terms of numbers, there may be many that have not been counted, and as for the grain, haha, much of it may still be bad debts and non-performing debts. We have calculated that the amount that can actually be taken out is about half, about 190,000 shi. The distance between the two sides will continue to widen. At this point, ten people are relying on one shi of grain to save their lives."

At this time, Ning Yi was almost counting on his fingers. Li Pin frowned. In fact, at this time, the unit of grain, one shi, weighed about more than 100 jin in later generations, about 60 kilograms. He heard Ning Yi say, "Regarding this matter, it has not yet been put on the table, but it is already under investigation, and a batch of officials, large and small, will be sacked..."

Li Pin said, "190,000 shi of disaster relief grain... In theory, many people in the disaster-stricken area should still have stored grain. If it is boiled into thin porridge, just to save lives, it seems..."

Ning Yi laughed, "Dexin is right. We have repeatedly calculated these things. Honestly, 1.7 million people are affected by the disaster, that is the number of people who were more seriously affected when rice prices rose. Those who were slightly affected were not counted. Among these people, those who have truly suffered from floods and lost all their possessions account for only a small part. In other words, some of these people can eat stored grain, sell houses and land, or even sell their sons and daughters, which is a means of survival. But the so-called disaster relief is to help the most downtrodden and most difficult part of the people."

Li Pin was silent at this point, and said, "...It is also necessary to deduct the losses on the road, the interception by officials, and the secret intervention of large households."

"Let's reduce it by half here." Ning Yi interjected, "100,000 shi, without considering the uneven distribution of grain, Dexin, even if the officials in all the regions become ruthless and fearless, the grain that truly saves the lives of the victims is probably 100,000 shi. Moreover, the grain cannot be distributed directly, it can only be boiled into porridge for relief, because direct distribution will only be intercepted by large households even more. In the meantime, everyone can eat wild vegetables and dig tree roots, etc. In short, after various considerations, the Prime Minister's office estimated that more than 100,000 people will starve to death across the country due to this grain price increase. In addition to those who starve to death, in various places, the property and fields of 400,000 to 500,000 people will be annexed by large households, and they will become servants, tenant farmers, and beggars. If we can control it within this number, we will be considered effective in disaster relief."

The numbers were cold and icy, but carried a heavy aura.

After a moment of silence, Ning Yi smiled, and there was also an icy sarcasm in the smile, "Don't think this is a big number. Even in Jiangning, an average of 20 people freeze to death every day in winter. If it snows for a month, 600 beggars, poor people, and old people freeze to death, which is considered a peaceful and prosperous time. This number does not include normal deaths. Jiangning is a big city, and other states will have fewer people. Throughout the Wu Dynasty, 100,000 people will freeze to death in a winter. This time, if we say that 100,000 people will starve to death, that is an optimistic attitude. If it is not handled well, it is possible that 300,000 to 500,000 people will starve to death."

Li Pin thought for a long time before opening his mouth in a dry voice, "What does the Prime Minister's office plan to do?"

"Administration and commerce must go hand in hand, but commerce must be the mainstream." Ning Yi did not hesitate much, "Those who are truly starving to death are those who no longer have any property. The disaster relief grain is boiled into porridge and released, and what needs to be saved is their lives. Those who still have property at home can buy grain themselves, even if they sell their land, they can always save their lives."

As he spoke, he shook his head, "Honestly, these places don't lack as much grain as you think. The phenomenon of total crop failure exists, but more of it is caused by the fact that everyone is starting to hoard grain, leading to high grain prices. The previous grain price on Hedong Road was only 2.5 guan per shi, but now it is 30 taels per shi, a tenfold increase, but there is still not much grain circulating on the market, and everyone is still waiting for the price to rise. Once the life-saving grain starts to snow, it is possible to turn to any extent. When that time comes, some people will starve to death, and some people will rebel."

"The Prime Minister's office wants to invest grain in the market?" Li Pin asked, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he knew it was impossible.

Ning Yi shook his head, "With only more than 100,000 shi of grain, throwing it in will not even make a ripple. At the previous price of more than 2 guan per shi, my family could buy it all. Now, even if it has increased tenfold, with the wealth of those big families that is comparable to a country, they can swallow it in one bite, and in the blink of an eye, they can sell it even more expensively. So what I am considering is to rely on merchants from other places to impact the markets in the disaster-stricken areas, and this time the business will be coordinated by the government."

Li Pin frowned and pondered. Ning Yi continued, "Under the leadership of the Prime Minister's office, and with the cooperation of Princess Chengguo's residence, we will lobby the large and small landlords and merchants. As long as they have stored grain at home, we will explain to them the grain prices in the disaster-stricken areas, and then help them make plans on how to gather, transport, and resell. If they are in other places, their grain will not be able to sell at this price no matter what, but if they leave their hometowns, it will be difficult for them to establish their own trade network and they will inevitably be bullied by local snakes. With our lobbying, many small landlords will be willing to contribute and earn a sum back. At the same time, we can also tell them that this is for the country and the people, and that they are saving millions of lives."

Li Pin's eyes lit up slightly, "I heard that the people from Bamboo Memoirs are going out to connect people to do business. Could it be that they are preparing for this?" He thought for a moment, "In this case, I also have a few acres of land at home and some stored grain, so I can write a letter back..."

"It's not mainly for this, but it can be considered a benefit." Ning Yi said, "The influence of Bamboo Memoirs is only temporarily in this circle near the capital, and it is just a small part. And honestly, if you really rely on lobbying without relying on relationships, most of those who will be persuaded are some small and medium-sized local landlords. Those who are really big and powerful have their own relationship channels. These people will have to rely on Prime Minister Qin, Lord Nian, and Master Jueming to come forward, plus Kang Xian and Princess Chengguo from the south. It is estimated that if we can continue to leverage more than 500,000 shi of grain into it, we should be able to break up the entire hoarding market."

"And once the inflated grain prices are suppressed, there will be even less interference with the distribution of disaster relief grain. Next, cooperate with investigation, arrest, and killing to rectify the officialdom and suppress the market. The final expectation is to hope that we can suppress the grain price back to below 10 taels per shi, and reduce the number of people who starve to death to 50,000 or even less. This is... the meaning of hoping that you can maintain the business route of Hedong Road."

Ning Yi smiled slightly, this time there was no sarcasm, "For this matter, you will set off in three to five days. Within ten days, after Prime Minister Qin and Grand Tutor Cai have greeted them, the entire plan will be launched. We will contact the gangs involved in transportation, including the fastest routes to various places, and the plans for dumping grain. Within a month, the first batch of grain will enter the market, and before it snows, the grain price will be suppressed. As long as we can maintain the most critical period after it snows, many people will be able to survive..."