Chapter 138: You Can’t Be More Unscrupulous (I)

“But your words reminded me.” Jiang Pengji frowned, but as though she thought of something interesting, she smiled. “A sage once said, ‘You’re a bastard if you don’t take advantage of opportunities presented before you.’ This is indeed a good opportunity.”

Xu Ke was so astonished. His lips parted slightly, and he was rendered speechless.

Which sage said something so crass? He would be walloped the moment he left his house.

Since Jiang Pengji had decided to become the emperor, every small investment she made would have to become profitable or even move mountains. As for that, she had some inkling on what to do.

Based on Xu Ke’s principles, he would not encourage her to exploit the commoners. If he really had an idea, it would be to exploit the nobles… That meant she would be trying to profit off other nobles.

In a split second, a few noble families flashed through her mind.

“Tell me your plan. If I like it, I’ll even consider using it.” Jiang Pengji smiled.

Her words provoked Xu Ke, but when her eyes flashed, he quickly abandoned all prejudiced thoughts. His Langjun had a weird temperament, but her personality and ability to make use of people was right up his alley.

Just based on that ability, even if her personality was not strange, Xu Ke would still tolerate her.

“I apologize. But I’ll need you to come closer.” Xu Ke brought his hands up in respect.

Oh? It seemed to be important since he wanted to whisper it into her ear.

Jiang Pengji kept her smile and stepped forward. Xu Ke lowered his voice and said, “I have something I don’t understand. Where did you find out about the unrest in Meng County, and when do you think it would spread throughout Hejian and other nearby counties?”

Jiang Pengji pondered for a moment. “I first heard it from Wenzheng. You don’t know him, but he’s very interesting. I think he heard it from some Meng merchants. According to him, the Mengs sent their army to put Meng County under a lockdown. They placed some of their troops in strategic locations in Cang Prefecture under the guise of trying to capture turncoats…”

No matter how they tried to clamp down on the public, they could not delay or hold back traveling merchants. Most news about the different counties were spread by traveling merchants. Even if the Mengs tried to detain the merchants, they could not stop them from doing their business.

Cang Prefecture was flourishing, and they could not afford to stop any traveling merchants from hawking their wares.

The Mengs were afraid that once the traveling merchants left Cang Prefecture, they would spread the news to the other counties. Even so, the merchants would still think twice before doing so, as most of them feared the influence the Mengs had in Cang Prefecture. They would keep their mouths shut if they still wanted to profit from Cang Prefecture.

There was a small minority of merchants who left Cang Prefecture after the incident.

“Is this information reliable?” Xu Ke asked.

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“Definitely.”

When she thought of Meng Liang and his servant in the Liu residence, Jiang Pengji gave a smile filled with bloodlust. Even if there was no evidence about the turmoil in Meng County, that pair of guests in the residence were the most reliable sources.

“The spring ploughing had not even ended for a month, and if this incident were to spread, we might have to wait until summer to plough the fields. That would mean harvesting in autumn… The farms might not be able to make ends meet if that’s the case. We should have used up about half of last year’s harvest. If the turmoil spreads, the public may become anxious and start hoarding provisions. Those greedy rice merchants would make use of this opportunity, too,” Xu Ke muttered.

If one had enough provisions, they would not panic.

How would the common folk react if the turmoil in Meng County spread? One did not even need to think hard about it.

Xu Ke could imagine how much the inflation for rice would go up. He had experienced it once before when he was a child.

His mother had sewn clothes, done laundry, and even sold a few fields just to buy rice. The hard-earned money could not even buy twice the usual amount of rice. The price had gone up to five times its usual rate.

The black-hearted merchants only cared about money, and they had not a single thought for the poor souls who could not afford rice.

Dongqing had suffered from droughts and famines for years. Rice was in extreme shortage and those who could not afford it, dug up wild grass and tree roots to satiate their hunger.

Xu Ke had spent a period of time wandering as a warrior. He had hoped to be a chivalrous warrior and had traveled to many places. He also saw many ghastly sights.

“It’s common for merchants to gain from calamities,” Jiang Pengji said. “It’s not surprising. What’s surprising is that you’re trying to set a trap with nothing.”

Xu Ke was startled before admiration took over his face and he said, “Set a trap with nothing? Langjun’s use of words is interesting.”

“If that’s what you’re planning, you would need some bags of rice for it to work,” she replied calmly.

Xu Ke’s eyes flashed. “Though it does go against the gentleman’s code, I swear to you that it will not hurt the commoners.”

“Why are you swearing to me? Are you afraid I won’t agree?” Jiang Pengji laughed. “I was still thinking that you’d need to fix your temper before you and I clash. But now? It feels all right. Whatever you do, you should not be at a disadvantage. Setting a trap without nothing? I like that!”

Jiang Pengji had guessed what Xu Ke was planning.

Such a scheme was child’s play in her era. But in the current one, it was considered overboard and no one would dare try it. The people in the current era saw merchants as the lowest life form, and they would not even think about trying to plot against them.

Xu Ke was starting to get into the groove of things and proved to her that he could take on the role of an accountant. He could manage internal affairs with ease.

“But…” Jiang Pengji awkwardly started, “The most important thing is––where do we find bags of rice?”

Xu Ke’s smile froze on his face. His idea was good and he had thought far ahead about profits and how to make use of the rice… but he had forgotten the most basic requirement: the rice.