Chapter 138 – So Dark, It Can’t Be Cleansed (Part 1)
“However, what you just said reminds me of something,” Jiang Pengji furrowed her brow in thought, as if envisioning an amusing scene, her lips curling slightly with a chilling smile, “As the sage says, ‘A fool doesn’t take the cheap deal.’ This is indeed a good opportunity.”
Xu Ke’s lips twitched in disbelief, at a loss for words.
Which sage uttered such crude nonsense? They ought to be silenced!
Now that Jiang Pengji was set on stirring up trouble, she clearly needed some initial capital. She already had an inkling of how to turn that little bit of capital into a huge snowball, potentially shaking the entire world.
From Xu Ke’s perspective and character, he wouldn’t encourage her to exploit the Common People. In other words, if this fellow had any ideas, the knife he wielded against the fat sheep would surely be aimed at the gentry… Was she planning to engage in a black-market scheme?
Suddenly, she recalled several classic rags-to-riches stories.
Even though the two eras were entirely different, humanity’s innate greed was remarkably consistent.
Jiang Pengji maintained a playful smile, “Please, elaborate on your plan. If I like it, I might consider adopting it.”
Her words evidently piqued Xu Ke’s interest. His eyes flashed as he promptly cast aside his previous misgivings… Despite his Master’s somewhat peculiar temperament, it was precisely what he found agreeable, especially in terms of employing people.
With just that, no matter how eccentric his Young Master was, he could tolerate it.
Xu Ke clasped his hands, “Forgive my intrusion, but I hope Young Master will approach me.”
Oh—seems we have some extraordinary content, we’re about to share whispers.
Jiang Pengji stepped closer with a smile, while Xu Ke lowered his voice, “Before I answer Young Master’s question, I have a matter I hope you can clarify. How did you learn about the chaos in Cangzhou’s Meng County, and when do you suppose it will spread to Hejian and the neighboring counties?”
She pondered for a moment, “Initially, I heard about it from Wenzhen. You don’t know him yet, but he’s quite an interesting character. His words likely originated from merchants traveling through Meng County. If I’m not mistaken, he said Meng’s forces have quite the authority, even locking down Meng County, positioning troops at various checkpoints in Cangzhou to catch rebel scum…”
The mobility of the refugees isn’t that swift, but the merchants are different; they come and go and have their own caravans. Much of the news spreads through them. Although Meng’s forces might delay the merchants, they cannot truly detain them from trading.
After all, the flourishing scene in Cangzhou today cannot be separated from these bustling merchant caravans.
However, even if these caravans manage to leave Cangzhou and carry the news outside, they’d face pressure before departing. Most merchants fear the Meng family’s power in Cangzhou and still rely on profits from here, so they’ll likely remain tight-lipped.
A small portion of the merchants, having deep roots in Cangzhou, might choose to steer clear after this incident.
It’s precisely these merchants who have the potential to spread the news of the chaos in Meng County to the outside world.
“Is this information reliable?” Xu Ke pressed.
“Reliable, absolutely reliable.”
Thinking of Meng Liang’s Master and Servant, Jiang Pengji’s lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin.
Is there any evidence more credible than this pair of Master and Servant regarding the chaos in Cangzhou’s Meng County?
Xu Ke mused, “Spring plowing has just finished a month ago. If we wait for the chaos in Cangzhou’s Meng County to blow up, we’ll probably have to wait until summer planting, let alone autumn harvest. By then, the farmers will be in a bind—last year’s harvest has likely been nearly exhausted. If this really escalates, the Common People will surely panic, hoarding rice, and how could the heartless rice merchants miss this golden opportunity?”
As the saying goes, “He who has grain is not anxious.”
What would be the Common People’s reaction if the chaos in Cangzhou’s Meng County became widespread?
Even a fool could guess the answer.
Xu Ke could even imagine how high prices would soar by then.
This isn’t mere worry on his part—he’s witnessed such scenes as a child too many times.
His mother, working for others, mending clothes and planting a few acres of crops, could only sell the meager harvest she painstakingly accumulated over the year for half the amount of rice she had before. In other words, rice prices had skyrocketed fivefold or more compared to normal!
Those wealthy merchants with their warehouses full of rice couldn’t care less about the Common People, who could only endure hunger.
Dongqing had faced years of drought and floods, leading to severe rice shortages, and the ordinary couldn’t even afford to dig up wild roots or eat dirt.
He’d spent some time as a wandering hero, hoping to uphold justice, and the sights he’d seen were truly appalling.
“Merchants are driven by profit; that’s been the case since ancient times,” Jiang Pengji said. “That’s nothing surprising. What I’m more curious about is, do you intend to pull off a grand heist?”
Xu Ke’s eyes widened in astonishment, then filled with admiration as he exclaimed, “A grand heist? Young Master, your description is exquisite!”
She replied confidently, “If that’s the case, I suppose you’ll need a stash of rice to operate with.”
Xu Ke’s eyes lit up as he clenched his teeth, “Though it goes against the gentlemen’s code, I assure you, I won’t harm the Common People.”
“And what are you assuring me? Do you think I wouldn’t agree?” Jiang Pengji suddenly laughed, and under Xu Ke’s incredulous gaze, she added, “I was just thinking that you might need to adjust that temperament of yours, lest it clash with mine, leaving you worse off in the end. But now, I see it’s quite to my liking!”
Before Xu Ke could speak, she added, “In this world, you can’t afford to lose anything. A grand heist? I’m all for it.”
Jiang Pengji had already guessed Xu Ke’s scheme.
Such a plan might have been a staple for kids back in her era, but here, it was both bold and brazen, as merchants were generally looked down upon, and few thought of schemes to outwit them.
Xu Ke, it seemed, was genuinely the brilliant accountant she had presumed, an adept at managing internal affairs—he was already showing some cleverness.
His strategy was akin to stock trading, albeit more crude. Given the slower flow of information, there was plenty of room for maneuvering.
“However…” Jiang Pengji shifted gears, looking a bit troubled, “The key question is, where do we acquire such a large quantity of rice?”
Xu Ke’s smile faltered, realizing, oh, while his plan was brilliant and he could make a fortune, starting it would require rice that wasn’t easy to gather—not to mention the grand heist concept would be a challenge… His social awkwardness was about to kick in.
He was confident his plan could make a fortune for Young Master but had overlooked the most fundamental condition.
【Sugar Roasted Chestnuts】: 233333333 Forgive me, I couldn’t help but laugh, watching the streamers and Xu Ke, two serious individuals, discussing strategies only to get stuck on the most basic requirement, staring at each other in disbelief—it’s just hilarious! Their expressions could totally become memes!
