Chapter 53: Troubles ( 1 )

Chapter 53: Troubles ( 1 ) After she was done eating, Yao Zhi passed her time by working. She watered the vegetable garden and pulled out the weeds.

In the afternoon, the news about the grain shop owned by the General’s wife selling millet for only half the current market price spread not only in the entire Zhu’an town but also to the surrounding towns and villages.

Fearing that they wouldn’t be able to buy any grains if they were too late, everyone rushed to Zhu’an town. Due to this matter, a large group of people crowded outside the town gate.

When the town guards noticed that the situation might go out of control, one of them rushed to inform the Commander, and a group of guards was mobilized to control the situation.

As the sun slanted to the west, the news finally reached the county magistrate.

At this moment, the County Magistrate, Zhao Xian, was reading the report about the grain store. After a while, he placed the report down and said, "Inform the Commander to tighten the security and keep an eye on other merchants for the next few days."

Hearing this, his aide asked, "My Lord, are you worried that the commoners will cause trouble?"

Shaking his head, Zhao Xian replied, "This move made by the General Mansion affects a lot of parties. If their interests are harmed, they might take extreme measures. By then, it will be too late for us to respond."

The aide thought for a moment before he said, "My Lord, with the General backing the grain store, I doubt those merchants will dare to cause any trouble."

"They might not dare to do it in the open, but there is a possibility they will do something in the dark that harms not only the reputation of the grain store but also the commoners."

When he heard this, the aide’s expression turned serious. He cupped his fists and bowed at him while saying, "This subject will inform the Commander as soon as possible."

Zhao Xian nodded and gestured for him to leave. After he was alone in his office, he looked out the window and muttered, "I hope there will be no casualties because of this matter."

Because there was a limit on how much grain one person could buy, more and more commoners came to Zhu’an Town one after another after receiving a message from their families.

Due to this, the town guards didn’t dare to slack off, and at sunset, the town gate was closed.

Seeing this, the commoners who didn’t make it on time decided to spend the night outside the gate. Even under the guards’ persuasion to come back tomorrow, no one was willing to leave.

Under this situation, the night passed, and a new day arrived.

At six o’clock in the morning, the town guards went to the town wall and were stunned when they saw that the number of commoners waiting outside had tripled. They didn’t dare to open the gate and went to report to the Commander instead.

At this moment, the town guard Commander was sleeping soundly while holding his favored concubine when the steward knocked on his door.

Although he rarely went to the battlefield and fought the barbarian, he was also someone who had experienced several battles. Therefore, he woke up instantly when he heard the knock.

Opening his eyes, he asked hoarsely, "What is it?"

The steward didn’t dare to keep him in suspense and replied, "My Lord, a town guard came to ask your decision regarding the commoners waiting outside the gate."

Hearing that it was just a small matter, Shen Hao was annoyed at being disturbed from his slumber. "Just open the gate and let them in," he said with a hint of impatience.

Noticing his bad mood, the steward wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and continued, "My Lord, the number of commoners outside is three times more than yesterday. The town guards did not know what to do, so they came to ask for your order."

This time, Shen Hao’s drowsiness disappeared instantly. The number of commoners who entered the town yesterday was already more than 1,000.

If they continued letting everyone into the town, with just 500 town guards, they wouldn’t be able to control the situation if something bad happened.

Shen Hao didn’t want to take the blame, so he said, "Tell them to stay put. I will discuss this matter with the County Magistrate first."

Finally getting an answer, the steward bowed to the closed door and replied, "Understood."

The town guards’ Commander was a fifth-rank military officer who commanded a total of 500 soldiers, equal to the Battalion Commander.

While both he and the County Magistrate held the same rank, military officers’ ranks were one rank below civil ministers. Therefore, he still had to report to the County Magistrate if he wanted to move the troops stationed in Zhu’an Town.

With the order from the Commander, the town guards only needed to follow it. As for the consequences caused by this, it was not their concern.

When the sun rose higher, the commoners waiting outside the gate were getting impatient.

Usually, the town gate would be opened at five o’clock in the morning. But now it had already been half an hour past the usual time, and the town gate was still closed.

Feeling that something was not right, they started to get restless. At first, they only complained in a low voice. But when more and more people joined the complaining, several men and women joined the crowd and started fanning the flame.

"I don’t know why they refuse to open the gate. What if we are late and the grains are sold out?" one of the commoners grumbled unhappily.

After he said this, a man standing behind him suddenly said, "Brother, you might not know, but this grain store is owned by the General’s wife. She has so much grain and only takes it out for sale now. If she sold these grains earlier, my family wouldn’t have had to starve to death!"