The Pretty Wife of General Jinxiu Huanian

Chapter 141: Raising Food

The prince was wearing luxurious brocade clothes and sitting in the study with a serious expression.

On the desk in the study, documents were piled up like a mountain.

"Butler Li, how much food can the mansion provide at present?" The prince stared at Butler Li and asked loudly.

Steward Li bowed slightly and replied cautiously, "Your Highness, the grain reserves in the palace are running low. The most we can give out is 500 dan."

When the prince heard this, his brows knitted into a big knot. "This is far from enough. The drought is severe and the people are starving."

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeves, stood up, and strode out, shouting as he walked: "Prepare the horses, I am going to visit the rich businessman Zhang."

The prince, along with several followers, jumped on his horse, raised his whip, and the horse rushed out like an arrow.

Soon, they arrived at the residence of wealthy businessman Zhang.

When the servant at the door saw that it was the prince coming, he was so scared that his legs went weak and he crawled in to report.

After a while, the wealthy businessman Zhang came out with a big smile on his face, "Your Highness, I'm sorry for not welcoming you."

The prince said straight to the point, "Mr. Zhang, the people are suffering from this drought. I have come here to ask you for some food."

When Mr. Zhang heard this, the smile on his face froze instantly. His eyes, which had been narrowed into slits, suddenly widened. He said hurriedly, "Your Highness, it's not that I don't want to help, but my business has been bad recently and I don't have much food."

As he spoke, he kept wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. His eyes were wandering and he didn't dare to look the prince in the eye.

The prince stared at Zhang Fushang with a sharp gaze, as if he could see through him. He said loudly, "Zhang Fushang, I know that you have a big family and a big business. At this critical moment, I hope you can lend a hand."

The prince paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his brocade robes swaying with his movements.

Rich businessman Zhang looked embarrassed, his brows furrowed like twisted dough sticks, his lips trembling for a long time. After hesitating for a long time, he stammered, "Well, Your Majesty, I can only give you 300 dan at most."

After saying this, he lowered his head almost to his chest, and rubbed the corners of his clothes nervously with his hands.

Although the prince was dissatisfied, he knew that any money he could raise was valuable. He suppressed his anger and clasped his hands together, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang. I will remember your kindness."

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves, turned around and strode out of Zhang Mansion.

After leaving Zhang's house, the prince went straight to Mr. Wang's house.

When he arrived at Mr. Wang's residence, the prince explained his purpose without even having time to catch his breath.

Mr. Wang was quite straightforward. He slapped his thigh, stood up, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I will fully support you in raising grain for the people. I am willing to donate 500 dan."

Mr. Wang was a big and strong man. His voice was as loud as a bell and his face was full of determination.

The prince clasped his fists, his eyes filled with gratitude, and said, "Mr. Wang is so righteous, and I am deeply grateful to you."

In this way, the prince visited each family one by one. Some of them donated generously, while others refused.

Along the way, the prince was tired and anxious, and his face looked a little haggard.

One day, the prince came to Mr. Liu's house.

Mr. Liu sat in the hall, drinking tea leisurely, his legs crossed high. He didn't even look at the prince, and said slowly: "Prince, it's not that I don't want to help, but this food is related to the livelihood of my family."

Upon hearing this, the prince's face flushed with anger. He quickly walked up to Master Liu, his eyes wide open, and shouted, "Master Liu, the people are suffering now. If you don't help now, how will you face them in the future?"

Master Liu was shocked by the prince's momentum, "Prince, calm down, I will pay 200 stones."

The prince glared at Master Liu and said through gritted teeth, "Humph, two hundred dan?

"Master Liu, your family has more than just this much food in stock! I will not argue with you for now, considering that you are quite sensible."

During the days of collecting grain, the prince lived in the open air and looked haggard. His once fair face was now covered with dust, and his eyes were red from staying up all night.

That day, the prince saw a group of disaster victims on the street, all of them looked pale and thin.

Hunger and despair were written all over their faces, and their clothes were tattered, like strips of cloth hanging on their bodies.

A child tugged at the prince's clothes and said, "Sir, I'm hungry." The child was so thin that only bones were left. His eyes were empty and lifeless, and his voice was so weak that it seemed that it could be blown away by a gust of wind.

The prince felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. He bent down and touched the child's head. "Child, there will be food soon."

Follower Zhao Si followed behind the prince and said with a worried look on his face: "Prince, you haven't had a good rest for a few days. Your health is very important."

Zhao Si's face also showed fatigue, and his clothes were wrinkled.

The prince waved his hands and straightened his back. "How can I rest when the people are still starving?"

Finally, after many days of running around, the prince managed to raise a lot of food.

The prince finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the carriages filled with grain.

He stood in front of a wagon filled with grain and said to everyone, "Send it to the disaster area immediately. There must be no delay."

While transporting grain, they encountered a group of robbers.

"I built this road, leave some food for us!" The bandit leader, who was tall and strong with a face full of flesh, shouted while waving a big knife.

The prince glared at them, "How dare you, the bold robbers, rob the disaster relief grain? I will not forgive you!"

The prince drew the sword from his waist, and the sword flashed coldly in the sunlight.

After that, the prince drew his sword and started a fierce battle with the bandits. The prince was agile, dodging left and right, and the sword in his hand whistled like the wind.

The robbers rushed forward in a swarm, but the prince was not afraid at all, and stabbed the robbers in the vital points with his sword.

The prince was agile and his sword was sharp, so the bandits were gradually defeated.

Some of the robbers were stabbed in the arms by the prince, and some were chopped in the legs, and they screamed in pain.

Finally, the bandits fled in panic. The prince watched the bandits retreating and panted, "Hmph, you want to steal the disaster relief grain? No way!"

The food was successfully transported to the disaster area. The prince looked at the happy expressions of the people when they received the food, and a relieved smile appeared on his tired face.