Yuhe Restaurant is one of the largest restaurants in Ning'an County. It is usually packed with customers, but today it is deserted, with only a few scholars with foreign accents staying in some private rooms.
In the upper room of the Tianzihao, twelve scholars were drinking and chatting. Among them were a Hanlin, seven Jinshi and four Juren, wearing the style of Qiguo.
"I'm afraid that Fang Xusheng will not be able to escape this time."
"If you want to blame someone, blame him for getting involved in the Saint Path dispute too early, forcing the Zong family and Liushan to do their best to block it."
"However, he could obviously give up the subjects of livelihood and agriculture, and spend his own money to let the dragon clan use the swallowed sea shells to buy food from all over the country to provide relief to the people, but he has no plans to do so so far, which shows that he doesn't care about the lives of the people."
"That's wrong. Don't make a conclusion until the last minute!"
"Fan Ming praised Fang Xu Sheng many times. I know Fang Xu Sheng is very talented, but if people really starved to death in Ning'an County, he cannot escape the blame! He will definitely be branded as unkind. Of course, everything is just a possibility. As for whether to choose kindness or profit, it depends on how he chooses."
"The rise in food prices is not just one problem, but the beginning of a series of problems. For example, workers in a private weaving workshop need to eat. Now that food prices are high, they will ask for higher wages. If the workshop owner pays higher wages, the cloth will be sold at a higher price. If the cloth price rises in the market, the buyers will have to spend more money. The same is true for other sundries. Anything that involves labor wages will increase in price."
"That's right. The prices of necessities will go up, but the non-necessities will be terrible. If no one buys them, we won't be able to feed ourselves and won't have enough to eat."
"For another example, the prices of our food and drinks are shockingly expensive!"
"So, this time the test from the other party is extremely great. It depends on whether he can pass it."
"There will be a medical and literary gathering tomorrow. I'm afraid someone will say that people are living in misery under Fang Yun's rule."
"I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm afraid of people starving to death."
Fang Yun, who was far away in the government office, frowned as he looked at the latest price information sent by his staff.
Not only did food prices rise, but the prices of a large number of commodities such as vegetables, meat, and wine also began to skyrocket, and labor costs also began to increase.
The price of coarse grains is already close to half of the price of vegetables, which is very dangerous.
Unlike the later generations with developed planting and animal husbandry, the Shengyuan Continent at this time was somewhat similar to the ancient Huaxia Valley Country. Most of the food depended on grains, and ordinary people could only eat meat a few times a year. Oils like soybean oil and rapeseed oil were extremely expensive, and ordinary people could not use oil to cook.
In Shengyuan Continent, most of the land is used to grow food, there are very few vegetable plots, and the price of vegetables is extremely high. Even if ordinary people can eat fresh wild vegetables, they only eat them raw or boiled. Stir-frying or deep-frying is the way for wealthy families to eat them.
Vegetables are easy to spoil and difficult to transport, so they are often made into pickles. Together with coarse grains, they form the recipes of ordinary people.
The south is better, with a suitable climate, rich plant species, and wild vegetables all year round. But in places like Ning'an County, it is impossible to grow vegetables at this time of year. When the vegetables that can be kept fresh from other places are transported here, they will inevitably be quickly bought up by wealthy families, almost catching up with the price of meat.
Fang Yun sighed. If you don't see it with your own eyes, it's hard to imagine that the lives of ordinary people in ancient times were so difficult. However, although Shengyuan Continent is close to the Sui Dynasty of the ancient Chinese country, the species are not as poor as in the Sui Dynasty. Many species have entered Shengyuan Continent in advance.
Moreover, the output of those vegetables and fruits is limited. It is impossible to reduce farmland or waste a lot of manpower for them. Therefore, ordinary people can rarely eat them. At least only prominent families can eat them often.
After reading the letter, Fang Yun once again read the newly compiled "On Plague" to look for omissions.
Tomorrow is March 19th, which is also the day when Ning'an County holds a medical and literary conference.
Unlike ordinary small literary gatherings, the medical literary gathering will be held for three days, and its theme is Fang Yun’s "On Plague".
Fang Yun didn't fall asleep until the early morning.
March 19th is the day of the Medical and Literary Conference, and it is also the day chosen by Fang Yun himself.
The venue of the Medical and Literary Conference is located in the Temple Square of the County Academy of Literature. Since yesterday, the officials and soldiers have begun to set up the venue, striving to avoid any problems.
Doctors are an important pillar of the human race. This medical and literary gathering is rare in many years, so it has attracted a large number of doctors from the ten countries.
At that time, the Grand Scholar of the Medical Palace will hold the rare Xulou Pearl and record the entire literary gathering. Then he will go to various ancient places outside the Shengyuan Continent to broadcast it, so that medical people in other places can learn the most advanced knowledge of the human race.
When night falls, the entire literary gathering will be decorated with lights and colors to welcome medical practitioners and scholars from all over the world.
However, the atmosphere throughout Ning'an County was extremely depressing.
Early in the morning, Fang Yun had just finished washing up when he received bad news from Cai He, the prefect of Qingwu Prefecture.
Last night, Yingyang General Lan Xungu said in public that if Fang Yun could not solve the grain price problem in Ning'an County, he could lend a hand. Lan Xungu said that the reason he did not take action was to save Fang Yun's face. Since someone spread rumors that Zuo Xiang deliberately caused the grain disaster in Ning'an County, Lan Xungu was willing to sell grain at a fair price in the name of Yingyang Army in a few days.
This news has spread in the streets and alleys of Ning'an County.
"It's all calculation. If you let the Yingyang Army come forward, it will be tantamount to admitting your inability to govern the county. Not only can Zuo Xiang and his party attack you, but the people of Ning'an County will also think that you have no governance and put the blame on Zuo Xiang. Moreover, this time the famine disaster was actually solved with the help of the military. At least the people's livelihood subject will not be rated B this year." Ao Huang sighed softly.
Fang Yun nodded and said, "Let's eat."
Ao Huang rolled his eyes and said, "It's such a mess outside, but you are so relaxed. The price of coarse grains has risen to six times the usual price! A large number of poor people have already stockpiled coarse grains. The price of fine grains has not risen so much, but it is still more expensive than coarse grains. If this continues, the price of coarse grains may rise to seven times by noon! Fang Yun, this price may go down in history!"
"Anyway, the historians all have brains and won't put the blame for the price increase on me. Even if I'm infamous for eternity, it's still the Left Prime Minister who's infamous."
"But if you can't solve it, you'll be the one to get stinky!"
Fang Yun was about to speak when a thunderous voice spread throughout the city.
"People of Ning'an City, please stay calm. The grain price has been a concern of all of us in Mizhou. The Yingyang Army has already prepared to open the warehouses and sell grain at a fair price. However, Fang Yun is the chief executive of Ning'an County. Once the Yingyang Army sells grain at a fair price, the palace examination will definitely determine that County Magistrate Fang is incompetent and lower his palace examination rating, so Fang Xusheng may not agree. Whether County Magistrate Fang's palace examination is more important or the lives of the people of Ning'an County are more important will be decided by County Magistrate Fang himself. Here, as the Director of the Transportation Department, I would like to ask, County Magistrate Fang, which is more important, your palace examination or the lives of the people of Ning'an County?"
Geng Ge draws his sword. (To be continued...)