As Zhao Kang expected, those small grain merchants who only carried goods ranging from a few hundred kilograms to several thousand kilograms saw the weather getting worse and worse.
Moreover, food was not as easy to buy as expected, and everyone was murmuring in their hearts.
Why is this different from what we said before?
Under such circumstances, when they heard the news that the government was now collecting grain, these small grain merchants did not want to waste any more and sold the grain to the government for thirteen cents per catty.
Every account was recorded in the books, and the grain was sent to the temporary granaries established by local governments. It was often put into the warehouse just one moment before it had to be distributed later.
At the same time, Zhao Kang also asked the government officials to purchase wheat and rice seeds.
This locust plague in Qingzhou is too large.
All the crops have been eaten up. If there are no seeds next year, the people will still be hungry.
In this way, people from the government collect grain from small grain merchants every day, and the price fluctuates very little.
Today it is thirteen, tomorrow it is fourteen, and the day after tomorrow it is reduced to thirteen, as if it is a deliberate disaster to tease these grain merchants.
Do you want to sell it?
If I don’t sell it now, I’m afraid it won’t be at this price tomorrow!
After doing this several times, some merchants with poor psychological endurance could only sell the food in a depressed mood, but secretly cursed that false information was harmful to people.
But the most uncomfortable thing was the grain merchants gathered in Qingzhou City.
As the hub center of Qingzhou, Qingzhou City has a population of more than 100,000 and covers an extremely large area.
On weekdays, there is no such thing as congestion, but these days, even if the autumn rain does not stop, the streets are still crowded with people.
Just look up and you will see a large group of out-of-towners gathering together to ask if there is anywhere to collect food today.
How many people came from who's house? Let me scold you a few more times.
"Damn it, who said Qingzhou's grain is easy to sell! You can easily sell it for thirty or forty! Thirteen or four is about the same!"
In a restaurant.
Several well-dressed middle-aged men gathered at a table. They were the ones who brought the most grain among the foreign grain merchants.
Almost every family has more than ten thousand stones, and grain trucks are distributed all over Qingzhou.
One person frowned, glanced at the continuous rain outside, and said worriedly: "If the rain continues like this, our wheat might get damp and sprout!"
"No! This damn southern climate is so annoying. I mean, we can't keep doing this, right?"
One person was holding up a cigarette pole and smacking his words: "But there are still many people rushing to Qingzhou like crazy. Today, the government has offered fourteen, or we might as well just sell it."
"Isn't that a trip in vain?" one person said angrily.
The man holding the cigarette pole blew out white smoke and turned over the smoke: "Run in vain? In a few days, I'm afraid it won't be in vain but I'll lose all my pants!"
"I've spent hundreds of taels of money on food, drink, and accommodation for people down here these days."
"Coupled with this damn weather and those people who are rushing here, I estimate that for five or six days at most, Qingzhou will have nothing but food!"
"It's so fucking evil!"
One person cursed and stood up and said: "Okay, okay, I won't hold it in with you anymore, I'll go find the people who collect grain from the government. This trip should be treated as a sightseeing tour!"
Immediately, three or four people who were also unable to hold on to their anger left the restaurant and went to find the people who collected grain from the government.
Qinyang Mashan has not been idle these two days. He really can't sleep well. Every day he sends people to the city to find out information, or he sends people to Wu's house in the hope of meeting Zhao Kang.
Zhao Kang naturally understood what they were thinking, but he just didn't see it.
Finally, on this day, they couldn't hold it in any longer, and together with several foreign businessmen who transported the most grain, they came to Wu's house with gifts.
After listening to Wu Xinyi's words, Zhao Kang tutted: "Oh, they're all here."
"How about I send them away?" Wu Xinyi said with a smile.
Now that the situation has been completely controlled by Zhao Kang, there is nothing to worry about.
"No, it's almost time to finish."
Zhao Kang laughed and asked Wu Xinyi to take the person to the lobby. He changed his clothes and then arrived.
"Mr. Zhao!"
As soon as they saw Zhao Kang, Qin Yang and Ma Shan couldn't sit still and stood up in a hurry.
"Everyone is sitting down, it's really cold today."
Zhao Kang lowered his hand and asked the grain merchants in the field to sit down and talk. After taking a sip of tea, he pretended to say: "Everyone, you are so anxious to see me. What's the big deal?"
Everyone looked at each other, but Qin Yang finally said bravely: "Mr. Zhao, I don't know if the government has any plans to collect grain recently. We all want to sell the grain we have."
"Collect it, isn't it being collected all the time?" Zhao Kang looked playful.
Ma Shan thought thoughtfully and said: "Mr. Zhao, we all have a lot of food on hand. I don't know what price the government can give. If you don't reveal it, we will trade it if the price is right!"
Just waiting for you to ask.
Zhao Kang immediately let out a long sigh: "Brother Ma, I also know what you are thinking. I haven't seen you behind closed doors these days. It's not that I don't want to help you. It's actually because I am powerless!"
"Mr. Zhao, if you tell us, we will all listen." Qin Yang said quickly.
Zhao Kang held his sleeves and said quietly: "First of all, the government must collect grain, but I'm afraid it won't collect grain from Brother Ma and Brother Qin!"
Qin Yang and Mashan were immediately confused and quickly asked: "What does Mr. Zhao mean by this!"
Why do you say you won’t collect our food?
Zhao Kang snorted coldly: "You are still asking me? I really think that the court came to provide relief. The disaster ministers and the others are blind!"
"Yes, you are businessmen. The pricing of sales and purchases is your own business and no one can control it. But it doesn't mean that the court ministers have no objections to this!"
"The price of food was so high some time ago. You won't say it has nothing to do with you, right?"
The faces of Qin Yang and Mashan suddenly became extremely embarrassed.
At this time, Zhao Kang said mysteriously: "And you two, as far as the latest news I got, Mr. Qi Yunshan, the leader of the disaster relief ministers, has already drawn up a list."
"What is written above is all about the grain merchants from all over Qingzhou during this period. Those who participated in driving up grain prices and sold and bought grain at high prices are all on it!"
"It is said that after the disaster is alleviated, this list will be handed over to His Majesty. The descendants of the families of those whose names are recorded will not be allowed to participate in the imperial examination for twenty years. It is said that these officials
Stingy."
"This is because I have a grudge against you! If this really happens, I guess there won't be any great people in Qingzhou in the next twenty years!"
Qin Yang and Ma Shan were both wide-eyed, as this happened! The other grain merchants from other places were also a little surprised.
