After hearing all the gossip, Ding Yun immediately sent people to inquire elsewhere and learned that the related news had already spread far and wide, causing a great stir.
There were even many people discussing it.
Some sympathized with Old Madam Jia, believing her actions were reasonable and justifiable. Constantly seeing a son who was not her own occupying the position of patriarch, while her own son was merely a fifth-rank idle official, how could she remain balanced?
Others felt that Old Madam Jia's actions were too inhumane. Because the Zhang family fell into misfortune, harming the daughter-in-law who had married into the family was an act of extreme wickedness and unkindness, too focused on personal gain.
Yet others believed that Jia She was unfilial. Even if Old Madam Jia was not his biological mother, she was his嫡母 (stepmother/mother by law). No matter how excessive a parent's actions were, a child should not be disobedient, let alone expose their parents' deeds.
Everyone stood from their own perspective.
Discussing heatedly.
Those who sympathized with Old Madam Jia were basically the matriarchs of families.
Those who detested Old Madam Jia were daughters-in-law, those with daughters, and those who simply couldn't stand to see others do evil.
As for those who thought Jia She was unfilial.
Of course, they were all old scholars, or perhaps even elders who themselves lacked moral integrity, jumping the most enthusiastically.
In short, everyone had their own thoughts, and different people focused on different aspects. Some focused on Old Madam Jia harming her daughter-in-law's life and passively allowing her second daughter-in-law to harm her eldest grandson. Some focused on Jia She being raised by his grandmother and not being close to his嫡母.
There were also those who focused on the concubine's son being registered as the legitimate son.
Ding Yun not only enjoyed listening to the stories but also found it even more fascinating to listen to different people debate and argue fiercely due to differing viewpoints. She even wished she could jump in herself and join the argument.
However, that was all.
She did not go to see Jia She, nor did she help Jia She's cause. No matter how much they stirred things up, it was all irrelevant to her. It neither affected her mission completion nor her golden finger experiments. Showing more everyday concern was merely Ding Yun's usual enjoyment of watching lively spectacles.
But she was only willing to watch.
She was not willing to get involved unnecessarily.
Outsiders were far more at ease than those caught in the midst of it.
…
As for those large grain merchants.
After three months of strictly blocking grain acquisition channels, they finally discovered that their actions seemed to have no impact on the boss behind the so-called affordable grain store. That grain store still had sufficient grain to sell at lower prices.
This left them very puzzled as to where the affordable grain store was getting its grain. Nevertheless, they had to quickly take the next step to target the affordable grain store.
That is, to send people to rob and burn it.
To send people to investigate the source of the grain, and to investigate who the owner behind the affordable grain store truly was.
It was only at this point, when they took such actions, that some of Ding Yun's transported grain was stolen, and even the grain storage points of some shops were burned down, that Ding Yun realized she seemed to be targeted.
Although she wasn't too heartbroken by the stolen and burned grain, the opponent's actions were undoubtedly targeting her. Moreover, the casualties caused by their actions, if she couldn't find a way to prevent retaliation, who would dare work for her in the future?
Besides, no matter how much grain she had.
It couldn't withstand constant theft and burning.
Therefore, upon discovering the relevant situation, Ding Yun immediately began sending people to investigate, analyzing the existing information, and even leveraging her connections. She easily reached a conclusion.
And she also knew which families were targeting her.
However, knowing who the opponents were did not mean Ding Yun could easily deal with them. The most crucial point was that Ding Yun was unwilling to collude with them.
To follow the unwritten rules of the grain merchant world they had established.
This made reconciliation between them difficult.
Meanwhile, those few major grain merchants had probably also investigated Ding Yun, but only superficially.
They only knew that Ding Yun was a woman from a wealthy family.
And that she now had entered the Taoist registry and possessed a 度牒 (Taoist ordination certificate).
They knew nothing else.
As a result of their partial mutual knowledge but failure to reach an agreement, the conflict between the two sides became even more intense. Ding Yun directly began to cooperate with the official yamen, requesting protection from local prefectures and sending large quantities of grain to disaster-stricken areas.
She didn't sell it, but donated it directly for relief.
She donated as much as was needed.
If it was still not enough, she would reduce the supply to the grain stores that had already stabilized and were not experiencing any disasters.
In addition, she converted all the land on her farms to cultivate wheat and rice, and nothing else.
While the grain merchants might dare to unscrupulously rob and burn the grain Ding Yun transported to other places, they truly did not have the guts to do so for grain transported to disaster areas and donated directly to the yamen for free. Because robbing and burning a common merchant's grain was completely different from robbing and burning grain donated to the yamen.
Robbing the yamen's possessions.
What difference was that from outright rebellion?
With Ding Yun's actions, their original schemes in the disaster-stricken areas naturally became even more difficult to carry out. Furthermore, local officials in various places were somewhat dissatisfied with them and greatly admired Ding Yun.
Even some local officials in areas particularly prone to natural disasters, but which had not yet occurred, had begun enthusiastically inviting Ding Yun to open affordable grain stores in their regions. This way, if a disaster were to occur in the future, relief could be provided promptly.
Maintaining their relatively good performance appraisals.
For this purpose, they even went so far as to guarantee Ding Yun.
They guaranteed that the safety of the affordable grain store would absolutely be protected.
No one would be allowed to cause damage.
Even the transportation of grain on the roads would be protected by escorts.
Ding Yun accepted all these enthusiastic invitations without hesitation. Whichever place was willing to invite and protect, she would go there first. Thus, although the situation could not be considered completely resolved.
At least there was a strong counterattack.
However, Ding Yun was not satisfied with this.
Because she knew very well that the current situation was created by her at great cost, without regard for the grain. In reality, the opponent's losses were not particularly significant. Therefore, after completing the previous operations, she quickly contacted officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War through her connections.
And expressed her willingness to provide grain to the garrisons in various places at an extremely low price.
She did not approach the greedy officials, but sought out those who were still young, whose passion had not yet cooled, and who had not yet become the kind of people they originally disliked.
As a result, the relevant news finally reached the ears of His Majesty, the current Emperor.
It was placed on the desk of the current Emperor.
Ding Yun was even summoned because of this.
Subsequently, Ding Yun smoothly obtained the imperial merchant qualification from the grain merchants. The price she paid was to supply all the garrisons in the country with grain at half the normal market price, which was comparable to the price at which many grain merchants purchased grain from the countryside, at most only one or two copper coins more per stone.
How much grain could ordinary citizens buy? Moreover, each region had its own local landlords and grain merchants. Under normal circumstances, unless natural disasters occurred,
There was no need for outside grain merchants to sell grain.
The only two channels that could truly sell grain in large quantities were: one, large cities whose land output could not support their large populations; and two, the truly big business, which was selling grain to the Ministry of War and the garrisons in all parts of the country.
To ensure that the soldiers had enough to eat.
The Ministry of Revenue had to allocate millions of taels of silver annually.
To incentivize grain merchants to transport grain there,
The Ministry of Revenue even had to offer large quantities of salt permits as bait, stating that they would grant salt permits in proportion to the amount of grain transported to the border.
Therefore, the families of those large grain merchants basically engaged in the salt business while selling grain. And compared to the meager profit from selling grain, the real exorbitant profit came from selling salt.
The grain merchant business was merely a means for them to acquire enough grain and, during times of famine,
It was solely a method to annex land.
Making money was actually secondary to them. The most important thing was their ability to control grain prices. This was the method and goal of those prominent families, and it was also the reason why those prominent families would not allow others to disrupt the rules of their grain merchant community. This was not just disrupting the rules, but disrupting their monopoly on pricing power.
Monopoly pricing power was not only their protective charm.
It was also their ultimate means during times of chaos.
To stabilize people's minds, and even to choose and support the pretenders to the throne whom they recognized, and to contend for the empire.
And Ding Yun's actions now.
Were undoubtedly akin to pulling the rug out from under them.
Not only did she snatch away their biggest business, but she also directly threatened to break their monopoly on pricing power.