"My lord, seventy taels of silver for a single dan of grain, that's an exorbitant price! Why did you pay so readily?" Wei Feng asked, bewildered. "Didn't the young master say he wouldn't give them a single cent?"
Wen Mohan pointed a finger at his own head. "Wei Feng, sometimes, you must look with your mind, not just your eyes. You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a cub. Without giving them silver, how can we obtain the remaining seven thousand dan of grain? And how will we know where they've hidden the ill-gotten silver?"
"The young master paid the money to find out where they hid the silver, and then take the opportunity to steal it back?"
"I was wrong to overestimate your intelligence."
Wei Feng smacked his forehead. "Your subordinate is foolish, please bestow your wisdom upon me, young master."
"Twenty-one thousand taels of silver is no small sum. They will surely hide it in their treasury and then offer it to their master behind the scenes," Wen Mohan said with a smirk. "The bait has been cast. Now we see how big a fish we can catch. Send men to keep a close eye on them. Report any stirrings immediately."
"Yes, young master."
Qin Xue, watching Xiao Man smile brilliantly, couldn't help but shrink her neck. Based on her understanding of her mistress, when she smiled so happily, it usually meant she was plotting against someone.
"Mistress, what are you planning?"
"Me?" Xiao Man's smile bloomed like a flower. "I'm not planning anything, just want to watch a good show."
"Can you just watch and not get involved?" Qin Xue clearly didn't believe it. "This doesn't seem like you. Your subordinate has a feeling that Lord Zou is about to have bad luck."
"Qin Xue, is your mistress such a wicked person?" Xiao Man asked with a gentle smile. "I've simply never seen Mohan act so subservient. His acting skills truly impress me."
Qin Xue shivered. "You... you're planning mischief?"
Xiao Man's eyes twinkled. "If Mohan discovers his prey has been snatched by someone else, will he fly into a rage? I've never seen him in a rage before. In the past, when he disliked me and scolded me, he always politely called me a degenerate and shameless hussy. Even when Wen Moyu had his accident, he endured his sorrow with restraint. Qin Xue, what do you think Mohan looks like when he loses control?"
"Mistress, your subordinate believes you won't see it." The person who could make him lose control is probably only you.
"Indeed. He has always been self-controlled and restrained. I doubt anything could make him lose control."
Qin Xue glanced at Xiao Man and sighed inwardly, *Miss, oh Miss, you are as cold-hearted as ever. The men who fall in love with you are truly pitiful. Even if they present their purest hearts to you, you would only ask with a smile, 'What game are you playing now?'*
Having tasted success, Zou Yang was eager to hand over the remaining seven thousand dan of grain to Wen Mohan, but Pang Tong stopped him.
"General, isn't it good to dispose of the official grain in our hands quickly?" Zou Yang asked, confused.
"Foolish!" Pang Tong played with a walnut in his hand. "If we give him the remaining grain so soon, won't that tell him that Jiangzhou has grain, and we've just been hiding it?"
"This... my consideration was insufficient." Zou Yang immediately wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Then, General, when do you think we should give him the remaining seven thousand dan of grain?"
"No rush. We'll give it to him when the three thousand dan he has is almost depleted." Pang Tong grinned, then squeezed the walnut in his hand with all his might, crushing it. He picked out the kernels and ate them bit by bit. "The one million taels he has is all ours. Not a single tael will be missing."
"Rest assured, General, the one million taels will all be ours!"
Upon receiving the three thousand dan of grain, Wen Mohan immediately continued his relief efforts for the people and personally led a team to inspect the dam.
"Lord Wen, the dam broke because of faulty materials. The Ministry of Revenue appropriates funds for dam maintenance every year, so this shouldn't have happened," an official from the Ministry of Works said, breaking off a piece of the damaged dam and handing it to Wen Mohan. "My lord, look. It crumbles with a gentle squeeze. How can a dam of such poor quality withstand the flood's impact?"
"It's all the work of corrupt officials," Wen Mohan gritted out between his teeth. Those corrupt officials, for their own selfish desires, caused the people of Jiangzhou to lose their homes and become destitute.
"How long will it take to rebuild the dam?"
"First, we need to divert the upper stream, then clear away the shoddy remnants, then redesign the dam and reconstruct it. It will take at least three years."
"Three years? That's so long?"
"Lord Wen, building a dam is no easy task. Three years is already a short time."
Wen Mohan sighed deeply. "The dam is crucial to the livelihoods of Jiangzhou. The sooner it's repaired, the better. If anything happens in Jiangzhou, the time will likely be further delayed."
"My lord, shouldn't we prioritize resettling the people?"
"The people must be resettled, and the dam must be rebuilt," Wen Mohan said slowly. "Lord Chen, have the statistics for the affected people been compiled? Ensure that every affected person receives aid."
"There are twelve affected prefectures and counties in Jiangzhou. We are responsible for eight, and the prefect of Jiangzhou is responsible for the remaining four. The situation in those four counties has not yet been reported."
"Zou Yang is unreliable in his work. It would be best to personally inspect the situation," Wen Mohan instructed, feeling uneasy.
"Yes, your subordinate will lead men to inspect them one by one tomorrow."
"Wei Feng, go urge Zou Yang. When will the remaining seven thousand dan of grain be delivered?"
"Yes, young master."
Zou Yang, seeing Wei Feng's expressionless face, smiled broadly. "Has the three thousand dan of grain collected last time already been consumed? This time, the grain collected is a bit more, and it will take some time."
"There are many disaster victims, and the grain is insufficient. My lord needs more grain!"
"We are doing our utmost to prepare. After all, Jiangnan is quite far from Jiangzhou. Even after collecting the grain, it will take time to transport it. Please be patient, my lord."
"How long?" Wei Feng was truly stingy with his words.
"About a month."
"If it's a month, then we don't need it."
"What do you mean, you don't need it?" Zou Yang was somewhat surprised. They did have grain, they just didn't want to give it too readily, lest Wen Mohan think they were too obedient.
"The young master fears that Lord Zou cannot procure so much grain, so he has also contacted others to procure grain. In a month, that grain should arrive, and the price is half that of what the merchants offered! If it weren't for your face, my lord wouldn't want this overpriced grain."
Zou Yang felt a pang of urgency. "My lord has contacted others?"
"Yes, it was recommended by a friend of my lord. Coincidentally, my lord also needed grain, so he agreed."
"May I ask who it is?"
"The wealthy merchant of Jiangnan, the Shangguan family."