Chapter Sixty-Four: This Official Impeaches the Count of Kaiyang for Incompetence in Disaster Relief

"Minister Ma, there is no need to be so emotional," Emperor Xuande said calmly.

"Minister Zhao, continue speaking. Even if you are mistaken, We absolve you of any blame."

Zhao Ruofeng nodded and said, "Your Majesty, then your subject shall speak."

"Your subject believes that for the sake of the people across the realm, a specialized department should be established to oversee and regulate the merchants of the empire."

"Its primary focus will be to target merchants who maliciously drive up prices during disaster years, preventing them from undermining the foundations of our Great Jing Dynasty."

"Furthermore, this newly established department can accurately monitor the production output of resources in every region."

"Should a disaster strike, this data can be used to determine whether a region possesses sufficient resources to withstand the crisis."

With these words, Zhao Ruofeng fell silent.

He waited.

He waited for the officials belonging to the four great noble clans to speak.

However...

Everyone remained silent.

Seeing this, Emperor Xuande said faintly, "My lords, what are your thoughts on this proposal?"

Silence.

Still silence.

Because the matter of price gouging had become intertwined with civil unrest and the suppression of riots, no one dared to speak lightly.

Anyone who dared to utter a single word of dissent would be branded as someone who wished ill upon the Great Jing Dynasty, someone who desired public uprisings and the suffering of the common people.

Who would dare?

Aside from anything else, there were those eager martial generals sitting in the imperial court. If anyone dared to object, those bloodthirsty brutes would surely skin him alive.

A moment later.

Grand Duke Yang was the first to speak. "Minister Zhao, even in times without disasters, commodity prices experience normal fluctuations. Pray tell, how steep must a price increase be before it is considered arbitrary price gouging?"

Zhao Ruofeng had long since prepared his answer. "As long as the price fluctuation does not exceed fifty percent above the local average price of the same item within each province, it shall not be considered arbitrary price gouging."

Grand Duke Yang narrowed his eyes, sighed, and said, "Minister Zhao, this matter has far-reaching implications. Such stringent rules will be difficult for merchants to accept."

"When grain is scarce, it is completely normal for grain prices to double or even multiply several fold."

"If this new law is enacted, it will effectively cut off the livelihood of merchants."

"If merchants cannot make a profit, who among them will be willing to travel far and wide to transport grain and sell it across the country?"

"Is the imperial court going to fund the grain transport itself?"

Zhao Ruofeng countered, "Then what are Grand Duke Yang's thoughts?"

Grand Duke Yang suggested, "The fluctuation limit should not exceed one hundred and fifty percent. Merchants might be able to accept that. Otherwise, the merchants will likely riot before the common people do."

Zhao Ruofeng shook his head. "Inappropriate. One hundred and fifty percent is still far too high for disaster victims."

"Moreover, the new law does not prevent merchants from making a profit; it merely forbids them from profiting off national calamities."

"..."

Following this, after a fierce debate, the matter was finally settled with the decree that prices during disaster years must not be raised by more than one hundred percent above the average price.

Subsequently, the new department was pushed forward.

A new law that considered the welfare of the common people in such a manner, once introduced, would undoubtedly be deeply loved by the populace.

The officials of the various noble clans felt utterly helpless.

Faced with the overwhelming pressure of national righteousness, they had no choice but to bow their heads.

However...

Just as this matter concluded, when everyone thought things had settled and were exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Ruofeng was the first to speak once again.

"Your Majesty, I impeach the Earl of Kaiyang, Qin Ziqian, for failing to handle disaster relief properly, which led to civilian riots and nearly shook the foundations of the Great Jing Dynasty. I implore Your Majesty to severely punish the Earl of Kaiyang!"

The Earl of Kaiyang, already bogged down by trivial matters, had not planned to speak at all today.

Never did he expect this to drag him into the fray!

Yan Shifan immediately followed up, "I second the motion. The Earl of Kaiyang and other officials of the Ministry of Revenue were derelict in their duties, which sparked the civilian riots. I hope Your Majesty will punish them severely."

"I also request that Your Majesty swiftly implement the policy of relocating southerners to the north to alleviate the pressure in the south."

Hearing this, the Earl of Kaiyang finally understood.

He had become the breakthrough point for today's debate on relocating southerners to the north.

Though Zhao Ruofeng and Yan Shifan claimed he had mismanaged the disaster relief, they were actually targeting all the officials of the noble clans.

Grand Duke Yang once again felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him.

The recent series of events had been far too dense, suffocating him.

Even as a Grand Duke, he could not withstand such immense pressure.

Dealing with Yan Shifan alone was already exhausting enough.

Adding Zhao Ruofeng—a madman who never played by the rules—made it unbearable.

If Zhao Ruofeng went crazy, he would likely bash his head against the pillars in the imperial court again. Who could endure that?

While the officials of the four great clans were at their wits' end, Grand Duke Yang racked his brains to steer the debate in another direction. He stated, "Relocating southerners to the north is a massive drain on finances and labor, even if the common people agree to migrate."

"Whether it is the transport vehicles needed for the migration, the consumption of grain, or keeping warm during the cold nights on the road, tremendous problems exist."

"Sturdy young men can endure the night winds, but the elderly and children certainly cannot..."

Unable to bear the pressure any longer, Grand Duke Yang directly tossed the problem back.

These were all practical issues. Without the full support of the four great noble clans, relying solely on the imperial court made such a large-scale population migration utterly impossible.

Immediately, fierce discussions erupted in the imperial court once more.

Yet, after debating to the bitter end, it all devolved into endless bickering.

Zhao Ruofeng saw through it as well.

Ultimately, discussions regarding the northward migration of southerners had to return to these practical concerns.

However, this was already sufficient.

As long as the noble clans relented and agreed to the relocation of southerners, subsequent countermeasures could be deployed.

Qin Hao had also told him not to push too hard at first; the goal was simply to get the noble clans to yield and to make the southern populace willing to migrate northward, after all else could unfold.

Furthermore.

Current dissemination of the northern migration plan in the south was still not widespread enough. Everyone needed to at least catch wind of the rumors before the next step could be taken.

At this moment, Zhao Ruofeng finally understood why Qin Hao had ordered rumors to be spread beforehand.

Even with the early dissemination of the southern migration news, it had not fully permeated the south by now.

If an abrupt decision were made once the proposal was finalized, it would likely provoke strong resistance from the southern populace.

Therefore, the most pressing tasks at hand were still pressuring the noble clans for disaster relief and collecting and transporting supplies to the north.

Without hesitation, Zhao Ruofeng spoke, "What Grand Duke Yang says also makes sense. Disaster relief must take priority."

With that, many noble officials breathed a sigh of relief.

The imperial court session concluded.

...

Meanwhile.

At the Wind and Moon Pavilion.

Qin Hao had almost been driven to fury the entire previous night.

After recuperating for days, his body had finally nearly recovered, and he was all set to gallop across the battlefield the night before.

Who could have foreseen that Mei'er and Xue'er would both start their periods at the same time?

Qin Hao's head was left buzzing.

The wine was drunk, the tea was tasted, he was geared up for battle, only to be told it was all for naught?

Where was the logic in that?

Fortunately, Mei'er and Xue'er's deft tongues and nimble jade hands allowed Qin Hao to barely scrape through the night.

Yet, without charging into battle, Qin Hao always felt something was missing.

As he was leaving, the alluring glances from Xue'er and Mei'er only intensified his desire for their menstrual periods to end quickly.

Later, when Ma Yingze and Zhao Guangnian refreshed and vigorous joined Qin Hao, they asked him with puzzlement why he looked so glum.

Upon learning the reason, the two men cast strange glances at his direction.

"Old Qin, are you really that devoted?"

"If Miss Mei and Miss Xue are unavailable, couldn't you find other maidens?"

"If you still want a courtesan, you only need to recite a poem, and the courtesans of the Wind and Moon Pavilion would practically throw themselves at your doorstep. Women like Miss Feng or Miss Hua would be yours for the taking."

Qin Hao's jaw dropped in astonishment, as if struck by lightning.

Then, he slapped his forehead in profound regret. How could he have forgotten about this!

No, he had to come back tomorrow.

For now, however, serious business came first.

Qin Hao immediately declared, "Old Ma, Old Zhao, let's go! We're going to collect our debts!"

Ma Yingze and Zhao Guangnian looked at each other in confusion, wondering what debts there were to collect.

Qin Hao curled his lips. "Did we smash all that wine for nothing?"

"Over a hundred jars."

"Don't you want this money back?"

Ma Yingze stared blankly. "Old Qin, where did we even get over a hundred jars of famous wine? Didn't you say we would only fake fifty jars? What happened to your theory that scarcity drives up value?"

"Mmm-mmm-mmm..."

Zhao Guangnian clamped a hand tightly over Ma Yingze's mouth.

Bursting with excitement, he said, "Old Qin, so you had me smash those wine jars precisely for this moment?"

Qin Hao curved his lips into a smile. "Of course, why else?"