Tibet

The sixth day of the first lunar month is the first day after the New Year holiday. This year is the second year of Qianyuan, and it is also the fourth year of the Anshi Rebellion.

Jincheng County is extremely lively, all shops are basically open for business, everywhere is full of the atmosphere of the new year, and everything is full of vitality.

In fact, most restaurants open on the third day of the first lunar month. This is also the custom in Longyou area. On the third day of the first lunar month, the Kitchen God is worshiped and no fire is opened at home.

If the stove is not turned on at home, you have to go out to eat. Of course, the restaurant must be open.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Dongshi also reopened. Early in the morning, thousands of people buying rice were waiting outside Dongshi. During the New Year period, news of the sudden increase in grain prices in Chang'an spread quietly throughout Jincheng County, and many people began to worry. .

As soon as the gate of Dongshi opened, thousands of people poured in. There was a long queue in front of the Luo's Rice Shop. No other rice shops opened their doors. They were all waiting to see the price of the Luo's Rice Shop.

In fact, the prices of two types of grains are the most important, one is the price of fine corn and the other is the price of fine wheat.

At this time, a price sign for staple grains was hung in front of the door of Luo's rice shop. The price of high-quality corn was 150 Wen per dou, and the high-quality wheat was 130 Wen per dou. This price caused thousands of people to burst into uproar and curse. .

Soon, other grain stores opened their doors one after another and posted new grain prices, which were exactly the same as Luo's Grain Store.

The news of the sharp rise in food prices spread throughout the city like wings. It also shocked the whole city. People's hearts were in turmoil. Countless people ran to Dongshi with bags of rice.

Jiedu Mansion also held an emergency meeting and decided on the measures to open Changping Warehouse to stabilize grain prices. Li Ye made the final decision. He set up a tent directly at the entrance of Dongshi to sell grain for seventy cents per bucket of rice without having to go to Dongshi to find a shop. Each person can buy five buckets.

There was a bustle of people in front of the gate of Dongshi, tens of thousands of people gathered. Those who had grabbed food were beaming with joy, and those who had not bought food were pale. At this moment, countless soldiers and carts suddenly rushed over, and the soldiers began to march in Dongshi. A tent was set up in the open space in front of the city.

When the banner of Changping Rice Store was hung up, tens of thousands of people became excited and turned around and rushed towards the big tent. At this time, the big tent was filled with food, all of which were small bags of military rations. There were two types: five dou per bag and one dou per bag. The specifications and prices are also listed. "The best corn costs seventy cents per dou, and the top quality wheat costs fifty cents per dou. Each person can buy five dou, and the supply is constant all year round." ’

Tens of thousands of people suddenly burst into joy, and now it was reversed. Those who had not bought food were smiling, while those who had bought food were stamping their feet in regret.

The rice shop was already packed, and every shop was crowded with people grabbing rice. At this time, someone came and shouted: "The government has opened a Chang Ping warehouse outside the gate. Wheat is fifty cents a dou!"

This news made the people in the rice shop feel like they were in a panic. Everyone in the rice shop stumbled out and ran out. The people who were buying rice stopped buying and tried their best to get their money back. In just one stick of incense, everyone in the rice shop was shocked. People ran away cleanly.

Only a group of businessmen with big eyes and small eyes are left.

At this time, a man in Tsing Yi walked into a rice shop and said, "Are you shopkeeper Zhang?"

A middle-aged shopkeeper stood up and said, "I am!"

This person was the store where Li Ye had asked him about the market price twice. He had just put up a food price sign and had not sold a few orders. The long queue outside the store suddenly disappeared, and he felt very disappointed.

The man in Tsing Yi showed a post, "My name is Ji Shouchun, and I join the army from His Highness Prince Qi's office. His Highness asked me to tell you, change the grain price brand to be the same as that of the Changping store. You can go to the government granary to purchase goods in the future without looking at other people's prices." If anyone dares to take revenge on you, just come to me and His Highness King Qi will support you."

The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly, "With King Qi's support, I won't be afraid anymore. I'll change it right now!"

He changed the price of grain on the spot, making it seventy cents per dou for high-quality corn and fifty cents per dou for high-quality wheat.

Ji Shouchun gave him a name card and left.

Not long after, the shopkeeper's business came. Changpingcang did not sell in bulk, but sold the rice at a minimum of a bucket. Those who wanted to weigh a few liters of rice could only come to the rice shop. Soon, there was a long queue in front of shopkeeper Zhang's small shop.

His house was the only one with a long queue of nearly a hundred people in front of the rice field. This news alarmed Luo's Grain Store, which was quite eye-catching.

Not long after, Luo Qing, the second boss, came over, followed by a large group of shop owners from other stores.

Luo Qing looked at the rice price sign and was really not happy. He stepped forward and said, "Lao Zhang, you can't do this! It's breaking the rules."

Shopkeeper Zhang laughed: "The second boss doesn't know something. It's not me who wants to lower the price, but His Highness King Qi who ordered me to lower the price. I dare not disobey."

Luo Qing snorted, "Do you know what you are talking about?"

Shopkeeper Zhang knew that he didn't believe it, so he handed him Ji Shouchun's name card and said, "Do you know this Ji Canjun? He just came over to ask me to change the price."

Luo Qing took a breath of air, "Do you know His Highness King Qi?"

Shopkeeper Zhang said proudly: "Last year Liu Shengdian seized the Luo family's grain store, and His Highness King Qi happened to make an unannounced visit in my store. I told His Highness King Qi about your nephew being tricked into gambling. His Highness King Qi came again a year ago. Make secret visits or come to my store. He tells me if I have any difficulties, anyone who dares to bully me can go to him and he will support me!"

Luo Qing's face changed several times, and he snorted coldly for a while, "So you have climbed to a high branch and don't take the Luo family seriously."

Luo Qing turned around and left. At this time, more than a dozen shopkeepers nearby asked: "Is it really His Highness King Qi who asked you to lower the price?"

Shopkeeper Zhang looked at the back of Luo Qing who was walking away, and whispered: "The Luo family has violated His Royal Highness Prince Qi's bottom line. Maybe his family will become the second best in Liu Shengdian."

Everyone nodded, and another shop owner worried: "If we offend the Luo family, what will happen to Liancang's purchase of goods?"

"His Royal Highness King Qi said that in the future we can go to Guancang to purchase goods, which is cheaper than Liancang. I guess Guancang will control the price of food from the source."

This news was so important that everyone ran back to restore the price to the normal price. They also ran to invite their old customers back and refunded all the money they had overcharged.

By the afternoon, the rice store was gradually improving, and many people still came back to buy. One of the important reasons was that the grain in Changpingcang was the food from the previous year, and the rice store was last year's grain. The taste was good. Be slightly better.

Luo's rice shop was still empty, and no one came to buy high-priced grains. The next day, the Changping store still supplied grains normally, but the number of people buying grains was no longer as crazy as yesterday, and the number dropped from tens of thousands to thousands.

Originally, most people were not short of food, but they came to collect food because they were afraid of rising prices. Now that the government has guaranteed the food supply for everyone, the worries in the hearts of the people have gradually subsided.

Luo's grain store finally couldn't stand it any longer, and the prices returned to normal at noon. His house was immediately filled with a long line of people, not to buy rice, but to refund money and grain. People who had bought grain at high prices before How could it be possible to just give up.

Of course, the Luo family refused to give back. His family had just sold less than two hundred shi of high-priced grain that morning, but they had more than 1,500 shi of grain to return. Who knows if they sold low-grade grain to the Luo family at a high price?

The next morning, Xin Yunjing was invited to the official room by Li Ye. Li Ye asked him to sit down and said with a smile: "You know about yesterday's food price incident, right?"

"I heard that the Luo family has gone too far. If His Highness wants to clean up the Luo family, I will give my full support!"

Xin Yunjing knew very well that the Luo family was greedy for profit and increased food prices without authorization, which offended King Qi. King Qi came to him to say hello to the Xin family, and he had to express his position in time.