After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

Chapter 1196 - 1178: Zhao Hanzhang’s Intent

The County Magistrate thought there was another strange wind blowing here and immediately sent people to investigate.

Then various messages returned to the county government. It wasn’t just one group buying grain; it was a lot of people, like scattered flowers in the wind. Each village had someone shouting vigorously, and what made the County Magistrate even more terrified was that even villagers from the local villages were helping.

This was even more frightening than collusion between local gentry and merchants because this represented public sentiment, so the County Magistrate couldn’t sit still and immediately took people with him to personally investigate the countryside.

Then he tracked the matter back to the Zhao’s Paper Workshop. Although this was the Great General’s property, he suspected there was some trickery concerning the management of the paper workshop buying grain.

As he continued to investigate, he heard that the villagers helping to buy grain in neighboring villages were working at the Glass Workshop.

County Magistrate: ... A paper workshop might have many surnames, but there is only one Glass Workshop in this world, and it bears the surname Zhao.

He was puzzled, and the government officials who went out to investigate started coming to him one by one. Coincidentally, all the different forces buying grain in various villages, when traced to the end, all had the surname Zhao.

Well, the County Magistrate was reassured; this was clearly not the irresponsibility of a single workshop but was done under orders.

But why would the Great General want to buy grain?

The County Magistrate’s eyes lit up; he realized it was for price stabilization!

This was even taught in the classroom, and it was Mr. Fu who personally lectured; he remembered it very clearly.

That’s right, with so many unscrupulous merchants appearing in the market, to prevent the common people from suffering the hardships of cheap grain, the Great General had people buy grain to stabilize prices!

The County Magistrate felt relieved and no longer intervened in this matter, just asked people to monitor it, as long as no major problems occurred.

The grain merchants were stunned, not expecting a sudden twist to the situation.

Like the County Magistrate, they naturally soon traced it back to Zhao Hanzhang’s businesses. She was someone they couldn’t afford to provoke, so the grain merchants gritted their teeth, having to buy grain at the same price, fearing they’d miss out if they delayed.

Despite offering the same price, they found it difficult to snatch grain from the Zhao Family workshops.

On one side were the grain merchants who once pressed down the grain prices, and on the other was the Great General whom they admired and respected; under the same price, naturally, they chose to sell the grain to the Great General.

The grain merchants had no choice but to raise their prices, and they couldn’t raise them too little; otherwise, for every stone, a few cents difference would naturally still lead them to choose the beloved Great General.

Under such circumstances, grain prices rose, and due to the rush to buy grain, many grain merchants bid on the spot, couldn’t unify the prices, leading to the peculiar phenomenon where the purchase price in the countryside was higher than the selling price at the grain stores.

However, the grain they were buying now wasn’t for immediate sale; most were to be sold between February to April next year.

By then, without wheat yet harvested and stored grain used up, prices would rise for a period.

But grain... honestly, in peaceful times, to grow and strengthen, grain merchants took a low-profit, high-sales route. The world seemed stable now, visibly volatile grain profits would only last a year or two, so their opportunities were shrinking.

In times of chaos, grain merchants faced high risks and high returns.

Nevertheless, most grain merchants hoped for peace in the world, since chaotic times, despite high returns, might very well cost them their lives.

Many counties experienced similar situations as this one.

Some counties were poor, unable to open Zhao Hanzhang’s workshops, but it didn’t matter, as within a prefecture, at least one county would host these workshops, from where they spread to surrounding areas.

After all, there weren’t many extra grains for farmers to sell at this time. The lady said each workshop must at least stock a warehouse full of grain, at least, but not the most, so naturally more is better.

With a desire to achieve merits, they took all the future profits that hadn’t been handed over in three months to buy grain.

And to buy more grain, the workshop managers vigorously sold goods, wholesale, retail, offering buy one, get one, enticing some grain merchants to take money out to purchase products from Zhao Family workshops.

Then the workshop managers immediately used the money to buy grain.

Zhao Hanzhang never imagined that single-handedly she could raise the grain prices throughout the Nine Provinces of the Northern Land, achieving price stabilization.

And because each workshop manager was so active, even though she said it couldn’t be leaked, who didn’t notice?

Thus, the whole nation and officials all learned about it, and before Zhao Hanzhang even realized it, a wave of praise came rolling in. Thus, throughout the realm, grain merchants knew Zhao Hanzhang loathed cheap grain harming people.

There are always grain merchants fixated solely on profit, calculating benefits, but there are also those who understood right from wrong and had a sense of justice.

Thus, grain merchants immediately followed in Zhao Hanzhang’s footsteps, buying grain at reasonable prices, helping stabilize grain prices.

This thriving vitality made Zhao Cheng unable to hold back a compliment for Zhao Hanzhang at the grand court, "The social mood is improving gradually, people recognize kindness, merchants know morality, and the Great General has a compassionate heart. Why worry about the world not being governed?"

Even Xun Zu, who had always disapproved of Zhao Hanzhang, couldn’t help mentioning to his brother in private, "Since the Jin Dynasty, rites and morals of the world have collapsed, and people’s hearts are no longer pure, seldom seeing such acts of righteousness, Zhao Hanzhang now has won not just the people’s hearts."

Xun Fan then asked him, "So, does this still make you want to oppose her?"

Xun Zu remained silent for a while before speaking, "She could assist Your Majesty and become a minister for all time, why engage in rebellious acts and tarnish her own reputation?"

Xun Fan replied, "Are you so blinded by fifty years that you still don’t see this? The Little Emperor perched on that seat is unpredictable, not to mention you also resent her controlling the court. How many will oppose her decrees in the long run?"

"And having reached this point, withdrawal is no longer hers to decide," Xun Fan continued, "If she wants her decrees to pass, to shape this world as per her ideas, there’s no better way than to ascend to that seat with legitimacy."

Xun Zu was torn, still clinging to wishful thinking, "Brother, perhaps we’ve overthought, she never had that intention, hasn’t she been respectful towards His Majesty all along? Didn’t you trust her greatly before?"

Xun Fan coldly responded, "This time she used her private assets to stabilize prices; why do you think she used her private resources for something the state should do?"

Because, she regards this world as something within her grasp.

Xun Zu was speechless.

Many, like Xun Zu, suddenly realized, and rumors began spreading among the populace, substituting Sima Zhao’s ambition with Zhao Hanzhang’s, yet unlike during Sima Zhao’s era, the public was not resentful, but rather hopeful.

The Xiongnu Khanate was destroyed by the Great General, Shi Le was subdued by the Great General, and even the chaos of Prince East Sea and Gou Xi was quelled by the Great General; the Jin Dynasty’s rightful claim was never legitimate, perhaps it’s finally time for the Great General to take the seat, isn’t it?

If it’s the Great General, perhaps grain prices will never skyrocket again, right?

Of course, this was a matter for after the new year; at the moment, everything was just beginning, and apart from a few confidants, nobody in the completely unaware court knew that Jingzhou and Yangzhou were clashing a thousand miles away.

Wang Si Niang waited at the radio station, and as the telegraph operator translated the message, she immediately took it to read. Seeing only three big words "Understood," she blinked knowingly, immediately grasping the situation.