Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 70 One Word Worth Nine Tripods

The dishes were served one by one.

Jade shrimp, fish soup, beggar's chicken... a table full of dishes, the aroma wafting straight into your nose.

The plump innkeeper eagerly served Li Che some food: "Your Highness, please try this. This fish was just caught this morning from Golden Bull Lake; it's very fresh."

Li Che picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

"Okay." He nodded.

The plump shopkeeper beamed with joy: "I'm glad the young master likes it, I'm glad he likes it."

The others also raised their glasses, urging each other to drink and serving food, but they didn't bring up the topic of food.

Jiang Xun stood by the door, watching, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly—these old foxes are all incredibly cunning.

Another incense stick's time passed.

Most of the dishes on the table had been eaten, and several rounds of drinks had been consumed.

The skinny shopkeeper was excitedly recounting tales of the "most beautiful woman in the martial arts world," while the others listened with great interest, occasionally letting out knowing laughs.

Li Che put down his chopsticks.

"Gentlemen." The voice wasn't loud, but the private room fell silent instantly.

"I came to Qiantang to buy grain for the disaster victims in Haiyou City."

The smiles on the faces of the six people froze simultaneously.

"Young Master..." The fat shopkeeper had just opened his mouth when Li Che raised his hand to stop him.

"I have taken to heart everything you have said. The scenery of Qiantang is indeed as renowned as it has been." Li Che stood up, his gaze slowly sweeping over the six people. "But now, please take a look at this."

He clapped his hands.

The door to the private room was pushed open, and Zheng Xiao led two attendants in carrying a food box, removing the dishes of delicacies from the table one by one.

The fat shopkeeper's face twitched: "Young Master, this..."

Soon, new dishes appeared on the table.

A bowl of plain congee, six dishes of pickled vegetables—pickled radish, pickled cucumber, pickled cabbage, pickled mustard greens, fermented bean curd, and salted duck eggs.

Li Che took off the fine jade pendant from his waist and placed it on the table.

She then took off her brocade robe, revealing the plain white coarse cloth long shirt she had already put on underneath. The material was so rough that even Jiang Xun felt it was prickly.

"Gentlemen," Li Che said, sitting down at the table and personally serving himself a bowl of plain porridge. "Today, I will serve you porridge."

The six people looked at each other, their smiles long gone.

Li Che picked up the bowl of porridge and took a sip.

He put down the bowl, took out two booklets from his sleeve, and gently placed them on the table.

"This is the roster of disaster victims from Haiyou City." He opened the first book, which was filled with names, each with a bright red handprint behind it. "A total of 23,743 people."

He tapped his finger on the booklet: "These are the 862 people who starved to death last month. The count for this month isn't finished yet, but it's already over a thousand."

The private room was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.

Li Che then opened the second booklet.

"These are your accounts for recent years," he said calmly. "The amount of grain hoarded, the inflated prices, the shady dealings in the grain transport, the tax evasion tricks... it's all here."

The expressions on the faces of all six people changed simultaneously.

Sweat beaded on the fat shopkeeper's forehead, the thin shopkeeper's hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly, and the eyes of the others began to wander, none of them daring to meet Li Che's gaze.

How did the Prince of Qi obtain these account books, which were so well hidden?

Li Che placed the two booklets side by side on the table, picked up the bowl of porridge, and slowly took a sip.

"You may think about this while you drink your porridge."

He put down his bowl and looked calmly at the six people:

"Should I, the Crown Prince, first petition the court to order the confiscation of your granaries, or should the 23,000 disaster victims first demolish the gates of your residences?"

Silence reigned.

Jiang Xun leaned against the door, watching the six grain merchants' faces turn pale and then flushed, and almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

High, really high.

This move is far more ruthless than simply turning against someone.

The portly shopkeeper clenched his fist on his knee, then relaxed it, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Your Highness is joking. Haiyou is in trouble, how can we, as citizens of Dayong, stand idly by? But..."

"Just what?" Li Che stared at him.

The fat shopkeeper opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Just then, the door to the private room was gently pushed open.

A follower walked in and whispered a few words in Li Che's ear.

Li Che nodded and turned to the six people: "The two managers have arrived. Please come in."

The door opened again, and two people came in.

He was a man in his fifties, of medium build, wearing a slightly worn silk shirt, who looked like an honest and unassuming person.

The other one was younger, in his early thirties, fair-skinned, and looked like a scholar.

The moment these two entered, the expressions on the faces of the six grain merchants became quite interesting.

"Manager Zhou? Manager Wu?"

"you……"

The two newcomers ignored them and walked straight up to Li Che, bowing respectfully and saying, "Your Highness."

Li Che nodded, gesturing for them to sit down.

"Manager Zhou is a grain merchant from Yuhang, and Manager Wu is a grain merchant from Jiaxing," he said to the six men. "Both managers have signed grain supply contracts with this young master at 80% of the market price, and the first batch of grain will be shipped tomorrow."

The expressions on the faces of those six people were beyond description.

The portly shopkeeper's lips trembled, and he finally managed to squeeze out, "Young Master, this..."

Li Che ignored him, simply picked up the bowl of porridge and took another sip.

Manager Zhou stood up and cupped his hands in greeting to the six men: "Brothers, there are over 20,000 mouths to feed in Haiyou. The young master himself came to Qiantang, paying in cash and settling accounts directly. Isn't that much more convenient than dealing with the canal gangs and government offices?"

Manager Wu also stood up: "To be honest, my Wu family has been selling grain for three generations, and this is the first time we've done business with the Prince's Mansion. The Prince said that those who are among the first to receive grain will have priority in leasing the newly reclaimed riverbank farmland after the disaster."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the six people finally moved.

Priority will be given to tenants of fertile riverbank land.

The most valuable thing about the Kanto Plain is its land.

After the flood, the submerged fields were reclaimed. As long as there were enough manpower and fertilizer, they could be transformed into fertile fields in three years.

This is a long-term business.

The portly shopkeeper took a deep breath, stood up, and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting: "Young Master, I have a request to make."

"explain."

"Over the years, I have indeed... indeed done some foolish things," the portly shopkeeper said, his head bowed and his voice low. "But many of my businesses are in the capital. If I rashly transport this grain to Haiyou, I'm afraid..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Che understood what he meant.

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to the crowd.

Outside the window, the scenery of Qingxi River remains captivating.

"Gentlemen, tonight I am hosting a porridge feast, not a trap." His voice came from the window, unhurried. "The famine victims of Haiyou are people under the rule of Prince Qi, and also subjects of Dayong. Their starvation is the fault of our Prince Qi's mansion, but your granaries may not be safe either."

He turned around and glanced at the six people.

"Those who are willing to supply grain at a fair price at this time will be forgiven for their past transgressions," he said, word by word. "Moreover, they will receive the 'Honest Merchant' plaque from the Prince of Qi's residence, and will be given priority in the official procurement of salt, iron, tea, and silk within the Prince's jurisdiction in the future."

After a pause, Li Che looked at them and said, "Also, the Prince Qi's Mansion can give priority to recommending your children to the Imperial Academy."

The private room fell silent again.

Looking at the faces of those six people, Jiang Xun knew perfectly well that he was tempted.

The thin shopkeeper swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask, "Is the young master truly serious?"

Li Che glanced at him: "My word is my bond."

The six people exchanged glances and remained silent for a moment.

The portly shopkeeper finally sighed, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness speaks frankly and directly, which I admire. As Your Highness has suggested, I am willing to donate three thousand shi of grain and sell it at a fair price."

The thin shopkeeper also stood up: "Young Master, I am willing to donate two thousand shi of grain and stand with the Prince of Qi's mansion from now on."

The other four also stood up and chimed in, expressing their willingness to provide food.