Hu Maoshen was originally quite opposed; since he had come to Jiangnan, he could not stay out of this matter.

Even though the disaster relief effort was now led by Gu Chengyu, if the Emperor were to hold someone accountable, he would have nowhere to escape.

However, upon hearing Gu Chengyu mention a way to return the grain, his curiosity was piqued, and he asked, "So, do you have any good strategies? You know this matter is no triviality. Without a mandate from the court, opening the granary and using grain privately would be something we couldn’t bear if the court held us accountable. Even though you are favored by the Emperor, those courtiers would not spare you."

Gu Chengyu naturally understood the severity; he wouldn’t have opened his mouth confidently if he had no assurance. He was not foolish.

"Lord Yang, just follow my lead. Should anything arise, I will bear the responsibility."

Gu Chengyu indeed had that confidence; in fact, the grain in his space had already piled up like a mountain, but he had no reason to take it out.

This issue would soon be resolved, as the time had come.

Yang Chaoying opened his mouth to speak, then thought it over, and, surprisingly, said nothing more.

Gu Chengyu knew that his silence amounted to agreement, having found through these days of interaction that Yang Chaoying was a person with hidden qualities.

In reality, Yang was audacious yet careful, despite his seemingly dull exterior; truly, appearances can be deceiving.

"Next, abandon the river embankment task; entrust all of this to Doctor Duan and his team. We have serious matters to tackle!"

Gu Chengyu’s eyes gleamed, and his lips curled into a subtle smile, projecting an air of unshakeable confidence.

Hu Maoshen and Yang Chaoying exchanged glances, with each seeing a hint of doubt on the other’s face.

...

"Shopkeeper! Those folks have gathered in front of our rice shop and won’t leave; they still want to buy rice."

A clerk wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and hurried inside to report.

The shopkeeper quickly stepped forward, pulling open the curtain for a peek. He saw the people gathered outside, reluctant to leave the shop, while clerks were busy trying to usher them out—this sight worried him greatly.

Dropping the curtain, the shopkeeper found himself spinning in circles with anxiety.

He had told the owner earlier not to sell grain now, but the owner simply wouldn’t listen. He understood the owner’s kindness, unable to bear hoarding grain while watching people starve, but one had to yield to greater forces!

The Xia’s Rice Shop had opened numerous outlets across major prefectures and was now also busy collecting grain everywhere. Were they planning to sell? No, it was to hoard until prices rose for huge profits later!

Which other rice shops dared to oppose Xia’s? Everyone looked to Xia’s for direction!

Only Li’s and the Zhang Family in West City sold grain intermittently; otherwise, the city’s people would have run out of food long ago.

But Li’s and the Zhang Family were just minor families—Li’s survived just on the protection from their ancestors. Nowadays, Li’s was a modest merchant family in Prefecture, not at all like the flourishing days of their ancestors.

Could such small families withstand a behemoth like Xia’s? Those prospects seemed fantastical.

If not for years of Li’s honest business practices, they would have been squeezed out by those powerful families long ago.

Even so, surviving in the cracks was anything but easy!

"Get your shopkeeper out here! Why bother having a rice shop if you’re not selling rice? What’s your intent? We’re out of food, and without buying rice, we’ll starve to death—where’s your conscience? Are you just like others, hoarding grain plotting to raise prices?"

A young man with a scholar’s air shouted angrily, holding an empty cloth bag in one hand and striking the counter with a fan in the other.

"Yes! Get your shopkeeper out here! We’ve always bought rice at your shop; we are frequent customers, and your shopkeeper and owner have acted unfairly this time!"

Others joined in agreement—they were regular patrons of Li’s Rice Shop. He had come three times but never managed to grab any.

Seeing such attitudes in the crowd made the shopkeeper’s temper rise fast.

He pushed aside the curtain, moving from inside to outside, "Everyone, please calm yourselves! Ask around; who else, besides us and the Zhang Family, has a store open now? For the sake of the hungry, the owner made a tough decision to keep the rice shop open, bearing a large cost. Li’s doesn’t have much stored grain, and we’ve offended many to source grain for everyone. Your words really break our hearts!"

Manager Li almost shed tears at this point.

He was born into the household of Li’s. Many years ago, his father nearly starved to death, had it not been for Li’s rescue, where would he be now?

Now aging, he was put in charge outside the Prefecture, which granted him a certain dignity. Such a kind owner is hard to find.

Even though Li’s was a merchant family, the owner was known for righteousness and kindness throughout Hangtian Prefecture.

But now, to be so wrongly blamed by these people angered Manager Li greatly.

Seeing Li’s outraged disposition caused embarrassment among the patrons, leading to a silent pause.

They knew very well their complaints lacked rationality, but without food, starvation was a real threat.

Adults could endure a few days, but children couldn’t!

"Manager Li, we know your owner is a good person; our anger led to careless words; please forgive us, Manager Li!"

An elderly gentleman stepped forward, his face slightly red, clearly feeling deep remorse.

Throughout Hangtian Prefecture, who didn’t know of Li’s reputation—especially after hearing of their porridge distribution to disaster victims outside the city gates recently? It was indeed a charitable family.

Their coercion was clearly unjustified, tantamount to ingratitude.

"Yes! It’s our fault, but we’re pushed to the edge here. As our household has emptied of grain, with two-year-olds starving thin, anxiety takes over. Please, beg your owner to show mercy and sell more rice."

That proposal found many supporters. They were truly at a loss; other rice shops were sealed shut, only Li’s and the Zhang Family sold rice intermittently.

The Zhang Family had a small shop; their grain was always snapped up quickly. Only Li’s had slightly more grain, but it’s still just a drop in the ocean.

"Everyone, it’s not that Li’s is unwilling to sell rice, but we literally don’t have any left—please, return home!"

...

Gu Chengyu rode toward the outskirts by carriage, intending to first assess the disaster victims’ conditions. A tough battle lay ahead.

As the carriage drew near West City, Gu Chengyu heard commotion from afar.

He lifted the curtain to glance outside, spotting a dense crowd gathered before a store—the sign above read: Li’s Rice Shop.

"Ming Mo! Go check it out!" Gu Chengyu ordered sternly.