Yes!
While he hadn't personally walked the streets, just imagining it was enough to know how the prices in Bianliang would skyrocket during this time of war in the southeast...
"How much is a dou of rice now?"
"I went to the market today. At this time, the price of this lower-grade broken rice has already risen to nearly fifteen hundred wen per dou..."
"Fifteen hundred wen!"
Hearing this price, even Han Mo's eyes widened in disbelief.
"If the situation in the southeast doesn't end soon, I'm afraid Bianliang city will be filled with starvation and death..."
As Zhe Yourong spoke, her entire demeanor became somber.
"Alright, these matters are beyond our control. We can only do our best!"
As Han Mo spoke, he directly pulled her into his embrace.
Although he said these words, Han Mo himself understood that his plans indeed needed to be expedited. Otherwise, if things continued at the current pace, the common people of Bianliang would starve to death long before the war was over.
"You should eat your meal first. I specifically had someone stew it. At this time, this sort of thing is truly hard to come by!"
After a moment of tender affection, Zhe Yourong finally regained her composure.
"Mm!"
Han Mo nodded with a smile, took the chopsticks handed by Zhe Yourong, and began to eat.
Only after watching Han Mo finish the entire large bowl of deer antler soup did Zhe Yourong leave, completely satisfied.
"My lord, this is a reply from the old master for you!"
Half an hour later, Xu Fengnian, his forehead beaded with sweat, finally rushed in with another letter.
"Did the grand-uncle say anything?"
Han Mo asked casually as he took the envelope.
"The old master said that Your Lord is teachable!"
"Alright, you may go and rest now."
Although Han Jiayan's words were simple, Han Mo understood that they were an affirmation of his grasp of the rules of survival in officialdom.
From the moment Han Mo began to distinguish himself, he had always cultivated an image of being exceptionally intelligent.
He could handle any situation with ease and always approached matters with ingenuity.
This earned him admiration from Han Jiayan, but also constant worry.
After all, for these aristocratic families, precocious intelligence in a young person was not necessarily a good thing.
For those who were wise beyond their years were often arrogant and disdained to blend in with the crowd. Yet, the reason these aristocratic families had endured for hundreds of years was precisely because blending in was their foundation for survival.
Of course, Han Jiayan also knew that for a shrewd person like Han Mo, if he didn't accept something himself, forcing it upon him would often backfire.
This elder, who had seen through the intricacies of the world, did not force Han Mo to accept anything. Instead, he had been quietly supporting him from behind, waiting for him to comprehend it himself.
However, according to Han Jiayan's calculations, Han Mo should have at least accepted the power of his clan after suffering a few setbacks and realizing the limitations of his individual strength.
But he never expected that Han Mo, who had been in officialdom for less than a year and had been enjoying smooth sailing, would comprehend this law of aristocratic survival so quickly.
Upon opening the envelope, there were no extra words, only a single name written simply: Fan Zhengguo!
Although this name was indeed unfamiliar to Han Mo, judging by the surname alone, Han Mo could roughly ascertain that he should be a grandson of Fan Zhongyan.
While he didn't know what his reputation was like in academic circles, relying on Fan Zhongyan's legacy and Han Mo's maneuvering, becoming a Minister of the Ministry of Revenue should not be too difficult, right?
However, before promoting him, Han Mo truly wanted to have a good chat with him.
After all, what Han Mo needed now was talent with independent thought who could be used by him, not those foolishly loyal and pedantic scholars.
After all, the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was already quite high. The next step would be to the Minister of a Six Ministries, and then, potentially, to the Prime Minister!
Mulling over it until deep into the night, Han Mo, with a weary body, returned to his room.
"Didn't I tell you? Leave this sort of thing for daytime. It's too hard on your eyes at night!"
He had expected Zhe Yourong to be asleep by now, but upon pushing open the door, he found her still by the lamp, learning to embroider.
"I just don't believe it. If others can do it, why can't I learn it..."
"Pfft—"
"Aren't these two little chicks you've embroidered a bit too plump? And what's this on the ground? Is it an earthworm?"
Hearing his words, Han Mo also leaned over with interest to look at what she was embroidering. However, just a glance was enough to make Han Mo burst into laughter.
"What earthworm? What little chicks? These are clearly mandarin ducks!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Zhe Yourong huffily threw down the bamboo hoop in her hand and glared at him angrily.
"Hahahaha! I said, aren't your mandarin ducks a bit too plump? Are you sure they can even swim?"
This time, Han Mo couldn't hold back any longer. He picked up the bamboo hoop from the ground and said with a hearty laugh.
"Han Mo!"
Seeing Han Mo mock her so much, Zhe Yourong was somewhat unable to endure it. She pounced forward and prepared to fight Han Mo.
However, what advantage could a woman gain in such a scuffle with a man?
Before long, it was unclear how they were fighting, but their clothes had long since flown off somewhere.
Young couples are always like this, and inexplicably, they were soon engaged in another bout of passion.
It wasn't until after their embrace that Zhe Yourong remembered that the scoundrel had been mocking her earlier. As she thought about it, the more she felt indignant, and she directly resorted to a hidden move.
With a strong tug on the soft flesh of Han Mo's waist with her right hand, Han Mo almost jumped up...
"You ambushed me!"
After finally breaking free, Han Mo rubbed the soft flesh on his waist and pointed at Zhe Yourong with a look of indignant grief.
"So what if I ambushed you? I'm not a man, and as a young lady, I repay my grudges! Humph!"
Having gained the upper hand, Zhe Yourong was now delighted. She proudly rolled over, occupying more than half of the bed.
Normally, in the Great Song Dynasty, men were superior to women, and there were even strict rules for sleeping.
Women could only sleep on the outer side of the bed to avoid having to step over their husbands when getting up at night.
Zhe Yourong usually paid attention to these things, but it was clear that today she wasn't planning to make room for Han Mo...
"If this can be tolerated, then it cannot be tolerated. Let this official teach you a good lesson, you shrew!"