Chapter 547 - 267: Do You Dare Make Good On It?

Chapter 547: Chapter 267: Do You Dare Make Good On It?

In early spring, several light rains fell upon Linji City, seemingly heralding a year of gentle winds and timely rains—a year of bountiful harvest.

However, as April approached and the time for spring planting arrived, the weather abruptly turned dry.

For over a month, not a single drop of rain fell on Linji City, and the counties under its jurisdiction began reporting drought conditions one after another.

Last year’s drought had caused much turmoil. The City Lord’s Mansion, in conjunction with the Four Great Clans of the Inner City, had contributed manpower and resources, allocating vast sums of money and provisions to finally bring the disaster under control.

But in the aftermath of that drought, the Government Office’s granaries were all but depleted, and common households had no surplus grain to speak of.

This year, the drought delayed the spring planting, meaning another disaster was imminent—one that was bound to be even more severe than the last.

In recent days, the price of grain in Linji City had abruptly surged by twenty percent. In the surrounding counties, the price hikes were even greater, reaching as high as thirty or forty percent.

Even so, supply could not meet demand. Nearly every household was scrambling to buy grain in preparation for the coming drought.

If this trend continued, it was feared that major chaos would erupt in Linji Prefecture within two months.

Normally, managing such disasters was the responsibility of the City Lord’s Mansion. But with the Government Office’s granaries severely depleted, even City Lord Jiang Botao was at a loss.

At this critical juncture, external forces like the Taiyi Sect, eager to stir up trouble, were fanning the flames from the shadows. They widely spread rumors of an impending great drought, causing panic to spread throughout Linji Prefecture.

Beset by troubles from within and without, resolving the situation became even more difficult.

This was why Jiang Botao had reported the matter early, asking Xiao Nianci to personally make a decision.

The matter was indeed difficult to handle, but that was no reason for Xiao Nianci to seek out Chen Cheng, a mere Chief of the Imperial Guard.

’Of course,’ Chen Cheng suddenly realized. ’Xiao Nianci must have summoned me because of the disciples from the Four Major Sects.’

As expected, Xiao Nianci waited a moment longer before speaking coolly, "The drought in Linji Prefecture may yet continue. I will handle this matter myself.

However, the disciples of the Four Major Sects are maliciously spreading rumors in Linji Prefecture, sowing discord and causing the people to panic-buy grain. The rising prices are bound to cause trouble.

As a Chief of the Imperial Guard, you must find a way to put a stop to it!"

She did not press Chen Cheng to compete against the disciples of the Four Major Sects, clearly not optimistic about his chances of victory.

However, the brazen behavior of the disciples from the Four Major Sects had put pressure on her as the acting Director of the Inspection Department.

Chen Cheng thought for a moment before replying respectfully, "Yes, your subordinate will devise a plan to resolve this matter as quickly as possible."

"Oh?" Xiao Nianci had not expected him to agree so readily. A flicker of suspicion appeared in her eyes as she said,

"Then tell me, how long will you need to handle this?"

"Hmm..." After a moment of thought, Chen Cheng stated seriously, "Ten days. Give your subordinate ten days, and I should be able to quell this situation."

Xiao Nianci was still surprised by his answer. In truth, if she were in his shoes, she couldn’t think of any good solution herself.

After all, the drought in Linji Prefecture was a fact. The disciples of the Four Major Sects were free to speak about it, and doing so didn’t break any laws.

Xiao Nianci could have sent the Brocade Guard to suppress them, but she lacked proper justification. If mishandled, the Four Major Sects would use it as a pretext to provoke a dispute with the Great Dao Sect.

As for the Government Office intervening to cap grain prices, that would likely backfire, causing even greater panic among the populace and making unrest more likely.

Thus, in Xiao Nianci’s view, the matter was quite thorny.

Seeing that Chen Cheng seemed to have a plan, Xiao Nianci mused for a moment and said, "Ten days is too long. If grain prices continue to rise for another ten days, I fear they will become truly uncontrollable.

I will give you five days. How about that?"

"Done," Chen Cheng agreed with a slight nod.

"Excellent." Xiao Nianci nodded slightly. "You should get to it as soon as possible." ℴℴ𝘮

"Yes." Chen Cheng gave a respectful bow and took his leave.

After Chen Cheng left, Xiao Nianci rose and walked to the window. Gazing out, a strange light flickered in her eyes as she murmured,

"That brat... he really is more than he seems!"

...

「The next day.」

After breakfast, Chen Cheng, dressed in plain clothes, left the Zheng Martial Arts Hall with Mu Xiaowan and strolled toward the South City District.

Mu Xiaowan wore a short, cyan tunic with a Short Sword at her waist. With her graceful figure and light, agile steps, she looked every bit the part of an accomplished young Martial Artist.

Walking hand-in-hand down the street, the pair frequently drew the gazes of passersby!

Struck by their appearance, the pedestrians would secretly wonder which great clan’s young master and mistress were out for a stroll.

However, upon seeing Mu Xiaowan’s face, they would often show a hint of pity and silently think what a shame it was.

For Mu Xiaowan had applied some sort of cosmetic to her face that made her complexion sallow and had even added a conspicuous black mole near her mouth.

Her appearance was truly an assault on the eyes, making people afraid to look twice!

Even Chen Cheng couldn’t help but shake his head at the sight!

But Mu Xiaowan herself seemed quite fond of the disguise, beaming with joy like a cheerful little sparrow.

"Brother Cheng, you really didn’t have to bring me out with you," Mu Xiaowan said, tilting her face up to reveal a row of pearly white teeth.

But paired with her current disguise, the sight was so bizarre that Chen Cheng was both exasperated and amused.

"You’re cooped up at home all day; you should get out for a change of scenery.

Besides, that disguise of yours is terrifying!"

"Hehe!" Mu Xiaowan’s eyes curved into crescents as she giggled. "I think it’s great.

Back when we were in Locust Tree Lane, I used to smear my face with ash every day. It was much darker than this."

"Sigh... That’s true," Chen Cheng sighed, feeling a wave of emotion.

The world was a dangerous place. Mu Xiaowan had to deliberately make herself ugly to avoid unwanted attention.