Chapter 138: Drawing the Snake Out of Its Hole

Xue Rui could not even spare time for a meal; he ordered his carriage and departed for Xiaoshiyong Quarter.

He had visited the neighborhood twice before. On one occasion, he went to the Zhao residence to express his gratitude for their rescue, and on the other, he visited the home of Chen Yi, the Left Censor-in-Chief, to report that Grand Defender Liu An had unauthorizedly abandoned his assigned military post.

This journey to Xiaoshiyong Quarter was once again to see Chen Yi, to discuss the matter concerning the Eastern City Military Garrison.

Prior to the battle at Tumu Fortress, Chen Yi held the rank of Censor-in-Chief. When the news of the defeat subsequently arrived, the military and civilian population across the capital region fell into great turmoil. To stabilize the situation, Zhu Qiyu specially promoted him to the rank of Left Censor-in-Chief of the Second Senior Rank, entrusting him with the pacification of the troops and citizens within the capital garrison.

Although the Five-City Military Garrison fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, the patrolling censors possessed the power of impeachment and supervision, making them the direct superiors of the garrison. Since the patrolling censors were dispatched by the Censorate, Chen Yi, as the highest leader of that institution, naturally exerted significant influence over their decisions.

The grain merchants' intention to artificially inflate grain prices would have a profoundly detrimental effect on the stability within the capital. Restoring and maintaining public order fell squarely within Chen Yi’s official duties. Xue Rui possessed sufficient grounds to persuade Chen Yi to take action and deliver a severe blow to these greedy merchants.

This was the sole purpose of Xue Rui's excursion.

The carriage swayed along until it reached the Chen residence. Xue Rui presented his calling card, and a maidservant promptly escorted him into the estate.

Seeing that the maid was leading him toward the inner courtyard, Xue Rui quickly asked, "Elder Sister, why is Lord Chen having me enter the inner residential quarters?"

"His Honor is currently dining in the dining hall and has requested Master Xue to enter and speak with him there," the maid replied, turning slightly to the side.

"Ah, I see."

It was already the *you* hour, corresponding to a little past five o'clock in the afternoon by modern reckoning. At this time of day, Xue Rui would normally have already finished his evening meal. Today, consumed entirely by urgent matters, he had not even had time to eat, and his stomach was already rumbling loudly.

Upon hearing that he was being taken to the dining hall for a conversation, Xue Rui subconsciously tightened his belt.

After walking for a short while, they arrived at the inner quarters.

The Chen residence was not particularly large, nor did it feature overly lavish architecture, appearing instead quite modest and unpretentious.

Outside the dining hall, the maid first announced his arrival before inviting Xue Rui to enter.

Stepping inside, Xue Rui saw Chen Yi seated at the table partaking in a meal. He cupped his hands in a salute and said, "This student pays his respects to the Chief Censor."

Chen Yi put down his chopsticks, raised his hand slightly, and smiled. "My young nephew, why such excessive formality? As I mentioned before, your late father and I were friends across generations; you may simply address me as Uncle."

"This student wouldn't dare."

The corner of Xue Rui's twitched.

His father had met Chen Yi only once, and had even been nearly deceived into perishing within the imperial prison by him. Chen Yi was trying to forge such close ties merely to silence the Xue family, and Xue Rui was far too clever to fall for it.

Seeing that Xue Rui remained distant, Chen Yi did not press the matter further. He asked with mild curiosity, "It is nearly dark. What brings you to see me at this hour?"

"This student has come to beg the Chief Censor to save the lives of the million residents of this entire city!"

Xue Rui bowed deeply until his hands reached the floor, performing an immensely solemn and formal ritual.

Startled, Chen Yi hastily stood up to support him, asking in astonishment, "What does my nephew mean by this?"

"Does the Chief Censor know about the recent surge in grain prices within the capital?" Xue Rui asked, cutting straight to the point.

Nodding, Chen Yi replied, "Naturally I do. Not just this time; prices rose after the Tumu Fortress incident as well. Fortunately, the price eventually dropped back down, falling even slightly lower than before."

"Does the Chief Censor believe this instance will mirror the last?"

"In my view, the current rise in grain prices is merely driven by public panic and the hoarding of supplies on a massive scale. Once the populace has stored sufficient amounts, the price will naturally fall. There is an abundance of grain within the city walls," Chen Yi said dismissively.

"Has the Chief Censor considered that the Oirats are about to invade the capital, and we know not how long the martial curfew must endure? Under such conditions, when will the populace ever cease hoarding?" Xue Rui retorted.

Frowning, Chen Yi looked at him intently. "Are you suggesting that if the Oirats besiege the capital for an extended period, grain prices will remain stubbornly high?"

"Precisely. Furthermore, this student has obtained definite intelligence that several major grain merchants in the city are conspiring to artificially drive up prices. Within these next few days, grain prices are likely to skyrocket, which will inevitably provoke widespread public panic," Xue Rui stated with a solemn expression.

"Where did you acquire this intelligence? Is it truly reliable?"

Shocked, Chen Yi realized this was the very first time he had heard of any conspiracy by major grain merchants to raise prices.

"This was not merely heard by hearsay; I experienced it firsthand..."

Without any exaggeration, Xue Rui recounted the ordeal faced by his maternal grandfather's grain shop.

Upon hearing that the Eastern City Military Garrison had been bought off by grain merchants and had brazenly come to harass the Yonghe Grain Shop, Chen Yi's expression turned dark and stern.

Although Xue Rui was merely a youth, Chen Yi well knew that he possessed a maturity and astuteness far beyond his years. His judgment on this matter was most likely correct.

"These grain merchants are utterly lawless and audacious! I truly never imagined that in this hour of national crisis, they would dare commit such treasonous acts. Their crimes are unpardonable; I shall undoubtedly report this to the court and have them investigated and punished according to the law!"

Chen Yi felt a private sense of relief. Had Xue Rui not come to warn him in advance, this conspiracy by the grain merchants to raise prices might well have caused a tremendous upheaval. Should the defense of the capital have been compromised, he, as Left Censor-in-Chief, would have been held inexcusably at fault.

Hearing this, the stone in Xue Rui's heart finally dropped.

At present, the military and civilian population of the capital were united as one, actively preparing to resist the Oirats. The conspiracy of these grain merchants to drive up grain prices was an invitation to their own destruction. Once the imperial court intervened, their doom would be sealed.

Having informed Chen Yi of the matter, the rest no longer concerned him. Xue Rui made to take his leave, but Chen Yi stopped him.

"Stay a moment longer, nephew. I still have a favor to ask of you."

"What further instructions does the Chief Censor have?"

Xue Rui had no choice but to stay and await Chen Yi's following words.

After weighing his thoughts, Chen Yi said, "In my estimation, these grain merchants are merely conspiring at present and have not yet launched their formal moves, meaning it might be difficult to seize concrete evidence against them. Since you are already entangled in this affair, why not help me gather some definitive evidence of their crimes? Only then can the imperial court unleash thunderous measures to execute all those involved.

Otherwise, without sufficient evidence, any premature action by the court will merely startle the prey and cause the guilty merchants—and the hidden powers backing them—to go into hiding, leaving behind endless future troubles. Since the court is going to strike, it must capture them all in one sweeping net to fully demonstrate its efficacy. What do you think?"

"Does the Chief Censor wish for me to continue matching wits with those grain merchants?"

Xue Rui understood Chen Yi's intent. The official feared that a premature move by the court would alert the grain merchants and their hidden protectors, thereby ruining all previous efforts.

By asking for his assistance, Chen Yi sought to use the Yonghe Grain Shop as bait to drag out whatever monsters and demons lurked behind the scenes.

"Precisely. In this hour of peril, if we are to handle this case, we must make it an ironclad, major case capable of deterring other petty villains. This is of the utmost importance for the stability of the capital. I must ask my nephew to help me in this endeavor," Chen Yi said with an approving nod.

"This... Since the Chief Censor commands it, how could this student dare refuse? As long as we can bring these treacherous merchants to justice, this student will gladly walk through fire and waters without hesitation!"

After a moment of hesitation, Xue Rui agreed. If they failed to eradicate the treacherous merchants in one fell swoop, the Yonghe Grain Shop—having ruined their schemes—would undoubtedly face relentless retaliation. Since that was the case, striking first was the only viable path.

"Splendid, splendid, splendid! I knew you were a righteous man eager for the public good. Rest assured, this time I will certainly not let these scoundrels escape justice!"

Chen Yi laughed heartily. With Xue Rui's assistance, the matter would become far easier to manage.

"Chief Censor, since the contest of wits is to continue, my grandfather's grain shop must reopen tomorrow. What should we do if the men from the Five-City Military Garrison return to cause trouble?"

After a brief reflection, Chen Yi replied, "I shall write a brief note. Take it to Zhao吉, the Patrolling Censor of the Eastern City Censorate. Once he reads it, he will naturally know how to act."

"Then this student takes his leave."

Upon receiving Chen Yi's handwritten note, Xue Rui wasted no time and hurried directly to the Office of the Eastern City Patrolling Censor—namely, the Eastern City Censorate Office—and handed it to Zhao Ji.

When Zhao Ji listened to Xue Rui recount the whole sequence of events, cold sweat poured down his back in torrents.

As the official directly responsible for supervising the Eastern City Military Garrison, Garrison Commander Lü Hui had actually dared to champion corrupt merchants right under his nose and willfully harass local shopkeepers. The fact that the highest authority of the Censorate had already learned of this meant it was sheer fortune he had not yet been charged with gross dereliction of duty.

Fortunately, by writing this note, Chen Yi also gave him a chance to redeem himself through meritorious service. While letting out a breath of relief, Zhao Ji assured Xue Rui that he would fully cooperate to complete the plan laid down by the Chief Censor.

By the time night fell, Xue Rui finally returned home.

Liu Ren and Xue Yuanhao had been waiting anxiously for news. Upon hearing that he had successfully persuaded Chen Yi to take action, the family members instantly rejoiced.

Those grain merchants had acted so wildly precisely because they relied on influential backers. Now, their own family possessed a powerful patron as well—none other than one of the most formidable officials in the imperial court. Let those merchants see how arrogant they could remain now!

...

Because the hour was late and the nocturnal curfew was already in effect, Liu Ren feared being apprehended by the patrolling guards of the Eastern City Military Garrison and stayed the night at the Xue residence.

The following morning, Xue Rui and his father went to the Directorate of Astronomy to report for duty, while Liu Ren returned home alone. Upon hearing that their family now possessed such a formidable backer, the members of the Liu family were overjoyed. They marveled at how remarkable Xue Rui had become: not only did Minister of War Yu Qian hold him in high regard, but he had now managed to latch onto the coattails of Left Censor-in-Chief Chen Yi, allowing the entire family to bask in his reflected glory.

After their excitement subsided, Liu Ren and Liu Yi rushed to the grain shop and instructed the manager to reopen for business.

The surrounding residents had long since heard that the Yonghe Grain Shop was selling grain at low prices and had been repeatedly suppressed by its competitors.

They had assumed that after the military garrison's interference yesterday, the Yonghe Grain Shop would either shut its doors or obediently comply with the price hikes.

Yet to their utter astonishment, upon opening its doors today, the Yonghe Grain Shop was still selling grain at the exact same previous prices, without raising them by even a single fraction of a cash.

This discovery left the townspeople both startled and delighted. In less time than it took to brew a cup of tea, a long queue of citizens seeking to purchase grain had already formed outside the shop.

Within the official quarters of the Military Garrison Office:

Lü Hui slept until the sun was high in the sky, finally waking to wash and dress with the assistance of his concubine.

"Milord, Milord, are you awake?"

Just as he sat down to breakfast, the voice of his subordinate officer, Tang Ming, echoed from outside the door.

Yawning, Lü Hui rebuked the person outside, "Damn you, shouting like a funeral summons at the crack of dawn! It's rare for me to have a moment of peace, and here you are bothering me with more troubles?"

"Milord, that Yonghe Grain Shop has opened its doors again!" Tang Ming reported from outside.

"Opened again?"

Lü Hui could not help but be stunned. Yesterday, his paternal cousin, Sun He, had come to him complaining that the Yonghe Grain Shop was ruining his business, asking him to help straighten them out and slipping him a hundred-tael silver note as a token of appreciation.

In ordinary times, it was commonplace for military garrison personnel to extort and demand bribes, and encountering unyielding merchants invariably called for a bit of suppression. Naturally, Lü Hui had no interest in personally stepping out for such a minor establishment as the Yonghe Grain Shop, so he had simply sent a squad of garrison soldiers to handle it.

He had never expected that this Yonghe Grain Shop possessed such a stubborn backbone. Despite being harassed several times yesterday, they stubbornly refused to yield, and today they had actually opened for business once more.

His cousin had instructed that if the Yonghe Grain Shop raised its prices or closed down, that would be the end of it; but if they refused to raise prices or shut their doors, he must ensure they were completely unable to conduct business before the task could be considered successfully completed.

Reluctant to give up, Lü Hui asked, "Did they raise their prices or not?"

"They didn't raise them. It's still yesterday's price," Tang Ming replied with a trembling voice.

"Son of a bitch!"

Lü Hui flew into a rage, grabbing a porcelain teacup and hurling it outward. The cup smashed against the doorframe, shattering instantly into shards.

"Milord, calm your anger! Milord, calm your anger!"

Tang Ming stepped back a few paces, his voice laden with grievance. He knew Lü Hui's anger was not directed at him, but since such bad-luck chores always fell upon his head, he had no other recourse.

After venting his fury and calming down slightly, Lü Hui noticed his concubine standing trembling to one side and snapped at her, "Idiot! Why haven't you gone to urge the kitchen and bring my breakfast here?"

"Yes, right away, Milord."

The concubine fled in panic.

After leisurely finishing his breakfast, just as Lü Hui stepped outside, he saw Tang Ming still standing there wearing a ingratiating smile.

Straightening his face, Lü Hui ordered, "Take twenty men and accompany me to the Yonghe Grain Shop. I'd like to see just how tough this stubborn bone really is!"

Having assembled his troops, Lü Hui mounted his steed and, surrounded by his guards, marched toward the Yonghe Grain Shop.

At that moment, business at the Yonghe Grain Shop was thriving, and the queue of grain-buying citizens stretched far out into the main street.

*Clop, clop, clop—*

The sound of hoofbeats approaching from afar immediately caught the attention of the veteran soldiers maintaining order outside the shop.

Upon confirming the identity of the arrivals, a veteran rushed inside to inform the Liu brothers that the military garrison had arrived.

Hearing that over twenty men had come, Liu Ren felt a instinctive flutter of panic, but remembering that their shop possessed an "anchor of stability," he quickly regained his composure.

Lü Hui arrived at the entrance of the Yonghe Grain Shop with a swaggering air. With a wave of his hand, the twenty-plus soldiers under his command scattered in all directions and began unceremoniously driving away the waiting citizens.

"Disperse! Everyone, disperse!"

Acting on orders, the soldiers executed their task with considerable roughness.

Among the citizens being shoved about were several who had queued multiple times without managing to purchase grain. Seeing the men from the Five-City Military Garrison come to make trouble yet again, their anger flared up and they began arguing with the soldiers.

Other townspeople, harboring their own grievances, chimed in to help, and soon a fierce shouting match erupted between the citizens and the garrison troops in the middle of the street.

"You insolent rabble, why aren't you hurrying back to your homes? If you dare gather here again, don't blame me for charging you with the crime of rioting and disturbing the peace!"

Seated upon his horse, Lü Hui brandished his riding crop and shouted fiercely at the surrounding crowd.

Seeing an official speak out, the crowd's momentum diminished somewhat. Under his malevolent glare, the citizens who had been arguing with the guards also fell silent and resentfully retreated to the sides.

In a very short time, a vacuum cleared out directly in front of the Yonghe Grain Shop.

Outside the door, aside from a few wary veteran guards, only Lü Hui and his band of tyrannical garrison soldiers remained.

Glancing at the shop's signboard, Lü Hui barked toward the interior, "Which one of you is the proprietor of the Yonghe Grain Shop? Step outside and answer to me!"

Knowing it was time for him to appear, Liu Ren smoothed his robes, stepped out into the open, and cupped his hands to Lü Hui. "This humble person is Liu Ren, the owner of this establishment. What instructions does the Honorable Commander have?"

Lü Hui's purpose today was to settle the matter once and for all and thoroughly eliminate the Yonghe Grain Shop.

Seeing Liu Ren emerge, Lü Hui sneered coldly, "This official has received a report that the Yonghe Grain Shop has been substituting inferior goods for superior ones, peddling spoiled grain, and disrupting the market with low prices. I have come today to arrest you and bring you to justice, so as to restore public fairness to the populace!"