Chapter 63: The Aristocratic Families Are Numb

"Will this really work?" Li Qingyao asked doubtfully after listening.

Qin Hao replied, "There is too little time, and this is currently the best method."

"Even so, it is impossible for the noble families to redeem all of the 1.2 million taels of supplies in actual goods, but redeeming at least half of it should be no problem."

"Coupled with our 300,000 taels, we will have around 900,000 taels, which will definitely be enough for this year."

"Once the migration of southerners to the north is completed, next winter, the northern regions will not be in such dire straits."

Li Qingyao still felt somewhat uncertain and looked toward her imperial father.

Emperor Xuande nodded and said, "Hao'er's method is quite good, but this matter requires the cooperation of the military generals. It can be considered an effective balance between the civil and military authorities."

And speaking of military generals, the military generals arrived.

The Duke of Zheng strode in like a dragon or a tiger, dragging Ma Yingze by the collar.

Although Ma Yingze was tall and sturdy, in the hands of the Duke of Zheng, he looked just like a little chick.

Before coming, the Duke of Zheng had already given strict instructions that no matter what Ma Yingze saw, he must not speak of it.

Originally, the Duke of Zheng did not want his grandson to realize the importance of Qin Hao.

However, fearing that his grandson might cause trouble for Qin Hao, he simply brought him along to give him a stern warning.

Moreover, he wanted to properly thank Qin Hao for bestowing such a great achievement upon his grandson.

"Old Ma?" Qin Hao asked in surprise when he saw Ma Yingze being dragged in.

"Old Qin," Ma Yingze smiled awkwardly; this posture was far too undignified.

Yet when Ma Yingze saw Emperor Xuande seated beside Qin Hao, his legs went weak. Just as he was about to bow in salute, he heard his grandfather say, "Have you forgotten what I told you? From now on, study hard under Qin Hao. He gave you such a massive achievement, and you haven't even thanked him properly!"

Qin Hao had naturally met the Duke of Zheng before. Seeing his good brother now, a look of suspicion flashed in his eyes as he asked, "Brother, who is this?"

Ma Yingze swallowed hard, not even daring to breathe too heavily, and stammered, "My grandfather, the Duke of Zheng."

As he spoke, Ma Yingze cast a stealthy glance at Emperor Xuande.

His grandfather had forbidden him from speaking or bowing, but if His Majesty were to take offense, wouldn't he be completely doomed?

Qin Hao hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Duke of Zheng. Previously, this junior did not realize you were a Duke and was overly impudent. I hope you will not hold it against me."

"Hahahaha, hold it against you for what? You lad have improved the conditions for the northern soldiers, and now countless military generals want to meet you. How could I hold anything against you?"

"Besides, with your teacher here, who would dare hold anything against you!" The Duke of Zheng laughed heartily.

"Teacher?" Qin Hao turned his head to look at Emperor Xuande.

Emperor Xuande felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

Surely this old ruffian, the Duke of Zheng, wouldn't expose My identity ahead of time just because he's too happy?

Then he heard the Duke of Zheng's next words: "Qin Hao, your teacher is a member of the imperial clan, truly of royal blood."

"Oh, right, wait a moment; the Prime Minister is coming over as well, and once you see him, you'll know who he is."

Qin Hao understood instantly and hastily asked, "Teacher, you are... a Prince!"

"Consider it so." Emperor Xuande let out a sigh of relief.

Hearing that Zhao Rufeng was coming, Emperor Xuande knew this must be Zhao Rufeng's doing.

Yet Zhao Rufeng had acted correctly.

Both of them wanted to thank Qin Hao, but they certainly couldn't expose his identity as the Emperor merely for the sake of showing gratitude.

Even as foolish as Ma Yingze was, he knew that Qin Hao was the only person present who did not know the Emperor's true identity.

And what had he just heard?

Qin Hao called the Emperor "Teacher"!

Good grief!

Back then, he and Zhao Guangnian had spoken with unbridled arrogance, planning to rescue Qin Hao from prison.

As it turned out, standing behind him was the most formidable figure in the entire Great Jing Dynasty!

We are terribly sorry; it seems we were getting far too full of ourselves.

Soon, Zhao Rufeng arrived accompanied by Zhao Guangnian.

When Zhao Guangnian realized that Qin Hao was well acquainted with his father,

and subsequently learned of the relationship between Qin Hao and the Emperor, his feelings became—to put it mildly—exceedingly complex.

He exchanged a look of tacit understanding with Ma Yingze, and the two simultaneously reached a decision.

They must never expose the Emperor's identity, or they would undoubtedly be dead meat.

Sorry, Old Qin, we have no choice but to keep this from you. It's not that your brothers lack loyalty; the situation forces our hand.

"Qin Hao, regardless of anything else, this old man still wants to thank you, and the 200,000 soldiers in the north will thank you as well!" the Duke of Zheng said solemnly.

Qin Hao, however, replied, "The Duke of Zheng needn't be so formal. Besides, the 300,000 taels aren't entirely mine; within the distillery, your grandson Ma Yingze holds a ten percent share, which means he contributed 30,000 taels."

Hearing Qin Hao bring this up, Ma Yingze frantically tried to signal him with his eyes, but it was too late to stop him.

The Duke of Zheng glared, locking his eyes onto Ma Yingze: "Is that so? You actually have a ten percent stake, and how is it that your grandfather knew nothing of this?"

Ma Yingze felt like he was about to die of grief. He had finally managed to build up his own little treasury, hoping to go carousing in the pleasure quarters in the future.

And yet, before the little treasury could even be established, it had completely collapsed.

Zhao Rufeng turned his head to look at his son, Zhao Guangnian.

Zhao Guangnian pressed his lips together and nodded, "I also have ten percent."

Zhao Rufeng's eyes narrowed as he sighed inwardly.

This favor was owed, and it was a massive one.

Right now throughout the capital, anyone with a family business desperately wished their own shops could stock the two famous liquors created by Qin Hao.

Even the four great aristocratic clans had sent money to Qin Hao simply to secure the sales rights.

This was a business yielding tenfold profits.

For a moment, Zhao Rufeng did not know how to return such a favor.

After chatting for a little longer,

when Zhao Rufeng and the Duke of Zheng were about to leave, taking Ma Yingze and Zhao Guangnian with them,

Qin Hao felt a twinge of reluctance to see them go.

The Duke of Zheng and the Prime Minister—these two were absolute pillars of support.

In the future, when he engaged in his personal research and development, dealing with these two would be indispensable.

However, he did not force them to stay.

Mainly because he hadn't visited the pleasure houses lately, and it was about time to relax. Seeing his two good brothers about to walk away, he raised his voice and called out, "Old Ma, Old Qin, is the sun shining brightly?"

Ma Yingze and Zhao Guangnian, who were just about to make their escape, stopped dead in their tracks with a jolt.

They felt like dying right then and there.

For Qin Hao to call out to them at a time like this was practically asking for their lives.

Yet turning back to see Qin Hao's sincere gaze and flirtatious raised eyebrow,

Ma Yingze steeled himself, gritted his teeth, and called back, "Old Qin, winds and clouds converge!"

Zhao Guangnian stared at Ma Yingze in utter astonishment. Was this fellow really so daring?

But the moment he thought about how both Qin Hao and Ma Yingze were heading to the pleasure houses, how could he possibly stay behind? "Old Qin, sleepless through the night!"

Qin Hao flashed an OK gesture: "Understood."

All the dignitaries present wore expressions full of question marks.

Li Qingyao felt an intense itch of annoyance.

Why did Qin Hao keep coming up with these secret codes!

Soon after, once Emperor Xuande finished his instruction to Qin Hao, he asked, "Hao'er, have you thought of a title for your peerage?"

Qin Hao pondered for a moment and replied, "Teacher, let me think about it a bit longer, or can I be ennobled first and decide on the title afterward?"

"Very well, then ponder it further, but you must decide upon it after the imperial examinations and before the palace examination," Emperor Xuande instructed.

"I understand, Teacher," Qin Hao agreed with a nod.

Immediately thereafter, Emperor Xuande took his leave.

As soon as he departed, he issued an imperial decree summoning Zhao Rufeng and the Duke of Zheng to an audience in the Imperial Study.

...

The following day.

In the imperial court.

Zhao Rufeng and the others were, in accordance with their plan, once again bringing up the matter of the migration of southerners to the north.

The officials belonging to the four great aristocratic clans offered endless opposition.

Having already lost face in the civil-military rivalry, they were absolutely resolved not to lose on the matter of the southerners' migration today.

Yet they could not be considered entirely defeated.

They were merely tasked with gathering supplies to be sent north, and the prices of those supplies were not dictated by them alone.

That could be considered recovering half a point.

However.

Just as everyone was engaged in fierce debate,

suddenly a guard rushed into the imperial audience hall accompanied by a soldier.

"Your Majesty, an emergency dispatch spanning five hundred li!" the soldier knelt and gasped for breath.

Hearing this, everyone instantly halted their arguments.

An emergency dispatch of five hundred li signified that a major event had occurred!

Could it be that some prince had risen in rebellion?

They only heard the soldier anxiously report, "Your Majesty, the southern regions have suffered a disaster, and food supplies remain severely insufficient. Many grain and salt merchants have taken advantage of the crisis to inflate prices, multiplying the costs several times over."

"The common people can no longer afford salt and grain, and their suffering is beyond description."

"As of yesterday, over a thousand disaster victims have gathered together to riot, smashing and looting two grain shops, resulting in dozens of casualties."

"We implore Your Majesty to dispatch troops to quell the rebellion!"

What!

Every official in the imperial court was utterly startled.

An actual rebellion had broken out!

This was far beyond a mere five hundred li emergency dispatch!

The Duke of Zheng immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty, this subject requests command of the forces to suppress the rioters and, furthermore, to crack down upon the unscrupulous merchants."

"Taking advantage of the people's greatest peril to reap profits from a national disaster and maliciously driving up prices—this is an attempt to undermine our Great Jing. Such individuals must not be spared!"

Prompted by the Duke of Zheng's words, several military generals who were close to him also stepped forward to request active duty.

"The Duke need not trouble himself; mere thousands of rioters are quite enough for us to suppress."

"We humbly beg Your Majesty to grant us permission to raid the homes of these unscrupulous merchants and execute them!"

Emperor Xuande did not immediately grant permission. Instead, he asked Zhao Rufeng, "Minister Zhao, throughout the years of natural disasters, there have always been merchants who hoard goods to drive up prices and poison the lives of the common people. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Zhao Rufeng replied, "Your Majesty, this subject believes the Duke of Zheng speaks with reason. Unscrupulous merchants cannot be tolerated; malicious price-gouging during a disaster tears at the foundations of our Great Jing and harms our people."

The Duke of Zheng reiterated his request: "Your Majesty, this subject begs to eradicate these unscrupulous merchants!"

Following him, seven or eight military generals stepped forward, demanding to lead troops to suppress both the rioters and the unscrupulous merchants.

"Minister Zhao, I asked you to devise a strategy to prevent such occurrences during disaster years. How is it that you, much like this old ruffian Ma, know only of charging into battle!" Emperor Xuande asked with simulated anger.

Zhao Rufeng scratched his head: "Your Majesty, this subject does have a plan, but I fear some here might object."

The Duke of Zheng bristled with rage: "Your Majesty, though this old minister has read very few books, so long as it is for the good of the country and the people, let me see who dares to object—I shall be the first to cut them down!"

"The common people have been driven to riot by unscrupulous merchants; must they be driven to take up arms in rebellion once more across the Great Jing Dynasty before these people are satisfied!"

"Come, I should like to see who dares to object!"

With that, the Duke of Zheng glared threateningly at the officials of the four great aristocratic clans.

The officials belonging to the four great aristocratic clans felt their scalps go completely numb.

They understood. They understood everything now.

This was clearly aimed directly at them.

Yesterday, they had devised a counter-strategy to secretly swap concepts and slip away.

And today, this exact performance was staged.

Who were they putting on this act for?!

No matter how refined Marquis Yang's composure usually was, at this moment he was cursing inwardly.

Whose rotten idea was this?!

With a military suppression and crackdown underway, who would ever dare to raise prices again?!

How utterly devoid of conscience!