Rebirth of the eldest daughter

Chapter 1312 I will only face difficulties
In the evening, a burning cloud floated to the west.

The winter sun, whether it is rising in the morning, setting in the evening or at noon, seems to be less scorching and sharp, and more comfortable and warm.

The entire mountaintop was surrounded by a faint halo of afterglow.

But in such a peaceful and peaceful evening, Bai Yu returned to the place where Licheng settled down, full of solemnity.

When he saw Liu Yao, he calmed down his emotions and knelt down respectfully: "Your Highness, Bai Yu, the counselor of the Ministry of War, is here to return your orders."

Liu Yao put down the things in his hands, remained silent for a while, and then said in a gentle tone: "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Bai. Please stand down first and tell me what you have to say slowly."

Bai Yu stood up and reported everything he found:
"Your Highness, as of now, the garrison has thoroughly inspected five Pingcang and Yicang warehouses in Licheng and nearby areas. A batch of food and medicinal materials of unknown origin were found in each location."

"In addition to food and medicinal materials, there is also a batch of clothing materials. I have confirmed that those clothing items were part of the items that were originally supposed to be distributed to the refugees from Shecang."

"But it will take some time to prove the origin of the food and medicinal materials. In addition, the garrison troops who went to the warehouses in various places have not yet brought news due to time issues. But I can be sure that news will be sent back one after another."

Liu Yao's expression was calm from beginning to end.

Although his expression was so calm, his words had betrayed him.

As he spoke, Bai Yu clenched his fists: "Although we know that corruption has swept across Jiangbei, from parents' officials to ordinary government officials, it is pervasive."

Bai Yu opened the booklet, and the ink on it was not dry yet.

He watched silently, but his expression became more and more solemn: "Your Highness, these are..."

Bai Yu nodded, with a particularly solemn look on his face: "Your Highness, there are merchants involved and helping to transport it. The people and forces involved in this matter are wider than we imagined."

Both of them knew the truth of the matter.

Bai Yu nodded his heavy head: "I know, I know."

Liu Yao silently handed over a booklet on the table and said slowly: "Before you come back, I and other subordinate officials came up with this information after long discussions. Please take a look."

It can be seen that this is unfinished information that His Highness Ninth Prince has worked hard to sort out.

"There are very few warehouses recorded in the ledgers. To completely survive this disaster, a large amount of materials is needed. According to the current market price, converted into silver, it is about 800,000 taels."

"Such a methodical and mature method of collusion shows that there is not only organization and planning behind it, but also involves many officials besides Jiangbei officials..."

Obviously, it was not convenient for him to say what he said later.

Liu Yao's voice was a little deep and a little astringent.

"This is the most conservative estimate when Jiangbei is safe and has no epidemic. If an epidemic breaks out, a rough estimate would require at least 1.5 million taels."

At this point, Bai Yu stopped talking.

Yes, by now, everything has been figured out.

Having said this, Liu Yao's face was as dark as water: "So, you know how they make profits, right?"

It was obvious that Liu Yao knew what Bai Yu had not said.

"This is the storage situation recorded in the account books of the eighteen counties in Jiangbei; as well as the amount of food, clothing and other materials expected to be needed to survive this disaster."

After listening to Bai Yu's narration, he raised his eyes to look at Bai Yu and asked:
"Master Bai came to see the king so quickly. He must have found out how these things were transported to the palace's warehouse and hidden, right?"

"However, judging from the way these things were transported to the imperial warehouse without anyone noticing, it can be judged that there are collusions between officials and businessmen at almost every level."

Jiangbei has had no harvest this year due to floods, and the previous warehouses have been depleted by the war in northern Xinjiang.

Therefore, materials that can be used to deal with disasters are now very scarce.

In order to save the people in Jiangbei, Mingwei used the social warehouse as a channel and excuse to continuously deliver food and other necessary supplies.

In addition, the move of merchants becoming officials won the support of many merchants. In addition to the things brought in by Mingwei, the Shecang also received donations from merchants.

If used properly, it would be enough to survive this disaster.

However, just as they were going all out to solve the flood problem, some businessmen took the opportunity to drive up the prices of goods, making huge profits for these materials, which gave rise to a terrible trend of corruption.

As a result, a large part of the supplies that were supposed to be delivered to the people were corrupted at all levels. Although Mingwei immediately implemented the "Grand Robbery" initiative, which curbed the corruption trend, it still lost a lot of numbers.

And these corrupted things were openly hidden in the court's warehouse.

Because there are merchants involved, the merchants have mature transportation teams. It only takes a few days for them to hide the proceeds from corruption for corrupt officials.

On the other hand, the merchants themselves also used business channels to hoard a lot of supplies privately.

That's why they will try every means to cultivate the epidemic. Once the epidemic breaks out, the situation in Jiangbei will undergo earth-shaking changes.

The amount of food, medicines, clothing and other materials needed at that time will be huge compared to what would have been the case without the epidemic.

As long as they sell what they gained from greed and what they had hoarded earlier.

At that time, no matter whether it is the court who provides the money or who provides the money, they will be able to make a fortune.

In the worst case scenario, even if the court ignores the victims, they can use the things in their hands as bargaining chips to enslave and control the victims who want to survive.

Participants in the former can amass huge amounts of wealth.

The latter person who controls the entire conspiracy holds the people of Jiangbei in his hands.

In this way, they have the final say on what they want to do.

Even if it creates a major "riot", it is not impossible.

Thinking of this, Bai Yu's clothes became wet with sweat: "Your Highness, the situation is not optimistic."

Liu Yao nodded: "It's not optimistic. As the saying goes, the law does not punish everyone. With so many people involved, we can't kill them all."

"What's more, I am just a small imperial envoy. I can move a few corrupt officials, but without that power, it is impossible to bring everyone to justice."

"These corrupt officials and businessmen involved are like part of this high-rise building in Jiangbei. Some are cornerstones, some are beams, and some may just be an insignificant piece of rubble."

"It's okay to clear out a few of them, but if we clear them all out, Jiangbei will be riddled with holes even if it doesn't collapse. So the problem I encounter is not a big one..."

"It's a very important matter. If you don't grasp the scale, it will come back to bite you, and you will end up dying without a burial place."

When Bai Yu heard this, he was convinced.

But he still asked: "Your Highness, what are your plans?"

Liu Yao asked back: "Are you trying to get my attitude from this king?"

Bai Yu nodded: "This is exactly what I mean. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Liu Yao put his hands on the desk, his expression was so helpless.

But those eyes contained unprecedented determination.

Every word he spoke spoke loudly:

"The road is blocked and long, so we can follow it. Bai Xiang has walked this road all his life, but Jiangbei is only the first step for me. I will not retreat when faced with difficulties, but will only face them forward."

He didn't say much, but his determination was self-evident.

However, in the face of such a situation, he currently does not have a very mature response strategy.

Perhaps we can draw on Lao Baixiang's many years of experience, but the situation in Jiangbei is not the same as before, and a more complete strategy needs to be formulated.

He has great determination, but still needs the right way to act.

But he is not alone, and this is his greatest reliance.

It is also the key to whether he wins.

Bai Yu cupped his hands and said, "Wherever Your Highness goes, I will follow you to the death."

Liu Yao's tense expression relaxed a little, and he asked: "Do you think this matter is just the work of corrupt officials in Dongling, or does it involve forces from other countries?"

(End of this chapter)