Chapter 294: Disaster Relief ( 2 )
Yao Zhi walked over and said, "Ling Yi, there are goods in the warehouse. Later, send five people to guard the goods. Tomorrow, the Generalâs mansion will send people to pick them up."
Hearing this, Ling Yi nodded and replied, "Understood."
Before leaving, Yao Zhi glanced at their simple meal and said, "There are still a lot of eggs in the cellar. Tell the kitchen to fry some eggs to add to the dishes."
When they heard this, everyone was delighted. "Thank you, Master!"
"Eat slowly. The town guards are helping, so no need to rush," she reminded them before she returned to her room to have her lunch.
Meanwhile, Lu Qianxuan had received an urgent letter sent by his wife and ordered Bai Yunxiao and Gao Yan to bring their men and go to pick up the supplies.
The moment they received the order, they organized the army and left on the same day.
Early the next morning, before dawn, Bai Yunxiao and Gao Yan, together with their soldiers, were led by Steward Han to go to Yao Zhiâs warehouse.
When they arrived, dawn had just broken. The sky was painted with colorful clouds as sunlight peeked out shyly from the eastern horizon.
At this moment, Ling Shiyi, Ling Shiâer, Ling Shisan, Ling Shisi, and Ling Shiwu were guarding the warehouse.
Hearing the knock on the gate, Ling Shiâer opened it and saw Steward Han, followed by a large group of soldiers. "Steward Han, you came so early," he said.
"Greetings, Guard Shiâer. The matter of disaster relief is urgent, so we had no other choice but to come early," Steward Han replied apologetically with cupped fists.
Ling Shiâer didnât have any intention of making things difficult for them and nodded. He opened the gate wider and let them in.
Using the keys given by his Master, he unlocked the warehouses and said, "All items inside the buildings are for disaster relief."
At first, Bai Yunxiao and Gao Yan thought that no matter how rich this Lei family was, at most they would only donate some coarse grains. But when they checked the supplies, they were shocked to find such fine rice and refined flour.
They exchanged glances, and Bai Yunxiao said in a low voice, "Battalion Commander Gao, do you think itâs okay for us to use these as disaster relief grains? Even the one on the golden throne might never eat such fine grains and refined flour."
Gao Yan shook his head and replied, "I donât know. But since the General ordered us to deliver these to the disaster area, all we need to do is follow orders and complete them."
The two of them checked everything before they allowed the soldiers to load them into the carts. Due to the careful inspection, when they finished loading everything, it was already 8 oâclock in the morning.
"Guard Shiâer, here is the record of the items for Young Master Lei. I will inform the Madam regarding the number of goods being donated," Steward Han said as he handed a small booklet to Ling Shiâer.
Ling Shiâer nodded and accepted the booklet. "Thank you, Steward Han."
"This is what I should do."
Since they couldnât delay any longer, Steward Han and the soldiers took their leave. After Ling Shiâer locked the warehouse, he returned to the storefront with his brothers.
While the White Tiger Army was busy with disaster relief and rescuing people, the Jin family, who resided in the Capital, finally received the news.
An old man sat behind a large desk inside the study room. As he read the secret letter, he frowned deeply.
Sitting on the chair placed on the left side in front of the desk, a middle-aged man asked, "Grandfather, is there any news from the northern area?"
Jin Wenyang looked at his grandson, Jin Zhian, and said, "The situation in the northern area is still under control. Our people tried to cause a riot but failed."
Hearing this, Jin Zhian was taken aback and said, "How could that be? The court didnât agree to send disaster relief, so Lu Qianxuan shouldnât have had enough grains to suppress the unrest."
"Itâs not him."
"Father, if not him, then is it the Xue family?" Jin Zhianâs father, Jin Liangkai, asked.
"The Xue family is only a merchant family. No matter how much money they have, they wouldnât dare to go against us directly. Itâs a merchant from the south."
"Is it the mysterious merchant who solved the locust plague before?" Jin Zhiyu asked.
"Zhiyu, you know this person?" Jin Zhian asked.
"Father, he is the one who ruined our plan and caused our family to lose more than 20,000 taels of gold."
When they recalled their loss during the locust plague, their expressions turned cold.
Although their family had money, it was only slightly better compared to the noble families. Whatâs more, their wealth was accumulated over the years, and itâs not easy to replenish.
For them to lose so much money in less than a month was a huge blow to their familyâs foundation. Because of this matter, they had to halt their plan to expand the size of their private army.
With a grudge formed, Jin Wenyang clenched his fists and said, "Investigate that person as soon as possible. We canât let him ruin our plan again."
"Great-grandfather, I had sent people to investigate this person before. So far, we only know that his name is Lei Feng and he is from the southern area. He has vast connections with merchants from the West," Jin Zhiyu replied.
When they heard his words, they exchanged glances. After a moment of pause, Jin Zhiyu asked, "Great-grandfather, is there a possibility that the strange goods used by the White Tiger Army were provided by this person?"
Jin Wenyang thought for a while and said, "The possibility is not zero."
As the Prime Minister of three dynasties, he was cautious. Despite being at the age of 79, his mind was still sharp.
While he was no longer participating actively in the court, his position as the Prime Minister was still stable. If nothing went wrong, his son would take over his position when he retired.