Chapter 149: The Grain War

"More than just inconvenient? This is going to be a massive catastrophe!" Luo Tong said.

"Is it really that serious?"

Qin Huaiyu was still putting up a stubborn front.

Yet deep down, he realized he had caused a huge mess.

"What should we do now?"

"Sigh!"

Luo Tong said with a troubled expression, "With this stunt you pulled, you've completely disrupted the Prince of Jin's original plan and made all my previous efforts go to waste. Now our only option is to report this back to the capital and let His Majesty and the Prince of Jin make the decision! After all, the imperial court must consider the bigger picture, and we are far from being able to handle something this large. Acting blindly and willfully will only ruin everything!"

"Just report it like this?" Li Longjiang asked in shock.

"What else?"

If it were reported like this, the crimes Li Longjiang had committed would be nearly impossible to clear.

He might be immediately dismissed from office and investigated!

Thinking of such consequences, Li Longjiang panicked and hurriedly said, "Young Lords, can we discuss this? Let's try to remedy the situation first, and then report it!"

"Indeed!"

Qin Huaiyu was also feeling rather intimidated.

On his very first official assignment, he had managed to throw the entire realm into turmoil. What kind of future prospects would he have left?

"It was my carelessness before. I never anticipated that arresting the Taiyuan aristocratic families would lead to such severe consequences. Luo Tong, you are close to the Prince of Jin, you should understand his intentions..."

"Why don't you try to anticipate a solution?"

Luo Tong replied, "The Prince of Jin has countless thoughts running through his mind. How could I possibly guess them?"

...

Pondering this way and that, they reached their wits' end.

Luo Tong couldn't be bothered to think anymore either. Clutching the wound on his body, he slowly sat down and said, "Don't say another word. Quickly draft a memorial and send someone to the capital overnight!"

"Leave whatever comes next to the imperial court!"

"Sigh!"

The two of them wore long faces, completely at a loss for what to say.

Chang'an.

The Secretariat.

Li Zhi happened to be there, reviewing the reports from various prefectures and counties.

Suddenly, a memorial delivered from Taiyuan arrived, leaving Li Zhi thoroughly shocked.

"Absurd!"

"Utterly absurd!"

"Qin Huaiyu actually dared to arrest the aristocratic families directly and execute a large batch of their leaders! Isn't this asking for trouble and digging his own grave?" Li Zhi threw the memorial away in anger, tossing it to Changsun Wuji.

"What is so wrong with that?" Changsun Wuji asked after reading it.

"You are well aware that all the wealth and grain in the world are controlled by these aristocratic families. If we push them too far, they will hoard their grain and refuse to sell it. What will the common people do? What will become of the nation's economy? Who will drive it forward?"

Changsun Wuji replied, "Your Highness... didn't you previously arrange for officials in every county to collect grain from all over and distribute it to the people? Even if the aristocratic families cut off the grain supply, surely we have nothing to fear?"

"That may be so, but the question is: how long can we hold out?"

Li Zhi had no confidence in his heart, nor was he willing to risk a famine caused by a cut-off grain supply, which would be an unprecedented catastrophe.

"Luo Tong asks in the memorial what he should do now. Shall Your Highness reply to him?"

"Reply!"

Li Zhi signaled the nearby scribe to pick up his brush and said, "Tell him this... Release every single one of the arrested family leaders! Detain only their family members, and order the local authorities to keep strict watch over them!"

"And inform those aristocratic families that because their family members have committed crimes, they must be detained for two years before being released! Oh, right... return all the wealth and assets confiscated from them as well!"

...

Li Zhi quickly formulated a plan.

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji immediately understood the rationale behind it and praised him immediately, "Your Highness is truly brilliant! This way, these aristocratic families will not dare to oppose the imperial court! Even if other aristocratic families wish to cut off the grain, these people will step forward to stop them because their family members are in our hands! Being afraid of hitting the rat for fear of breaking the vases, how could they dare to act recklessly?"

"Mm, mm!"

Being able to devise such a brilliant strategy in such a short period of time left all the officials in the Secretariat filled with admiration.

Changsun Wuji did not spare his praise either, saying, "Your Highness's talent is rarely seen throughout history! From now on, all major affairs of the court will inevitably require Your Highness to make the final decisions!"

"Just write it down and send it out." Li Zhi ignored Changsun Wuji.

Everything he did was aimed at completely defeating the aristocratic families, which would allow him to reap massive system rewards.

As for the grand affairs of the imperial court...

Li Zhi had no great interest in them!

Taiyuan.

Within Jinyang City, the activities of the aristocratic families were no longer visible.

Everyone from the aristocratic families had been hauled off to the local government offices, where they now faced the judgment of the imperial court.

Just at this moment, the letter dictated by Li Zhi reached Luo Tong's hands.

Qin Huaiyu and Li Longjiang eagerly crowded around. "Young Lord Luo, what did the Prince of Jin say? Are there any instructions?"

What Li Longjiang cared about was not only the disposition of the aristocratic families, but also whether his own grave offenses would ultimately be forgiven.

"As expected of the Prince of Jin!"

After reading the letter, Luo Tong was filled with absolute, heartfelt admiration.

Faced with such a complex situation, Li Zhi had resolved it with absolute ease, and even subtly gained the upper hand.

Just how was this brain of his wired to be so unfathomably clever!

"His Highness has already figured out a solution for us. Everyone, execute it at once!" Luo Tong handed the letter to Qin Huaiyu.

After reading it, both men let out long sighs of relief.

"Thank goodness the imperial court is not placing the blame on us!" Li Longjiang cupped his fists and said, "Please rest assured, Young Lords, I will go make the arrangements right away. There will definitely be no mistakes this time!"

...

In strict accordance with the contents of Li Zhi's letter, Li Longjiang carried out the orders meticulously.

That very night, all the leaders of the aristocratic families were released.

However, their family members were all detained and accused of various fabricated crimes. After all, a tongue has no bones, and one can say whatever one pleases; pinning a crime on someone couldn't be simpler.

Most importantly, those several hundred people were now lawfully detained.

Several days later, the aristocratic families of Guanzhong learned of the events that had transpired in Taiyuan.

They were struck with sheer terror.

Some, cowardly and fearful, prepared to distance themselves to avoid disaster.

Others, unwilling to accept defeat, wanted to make a desperate final stand.

The aristocratic families holding the wealth and grain supplies successively proposed fighting the imperial court to the bitter end, forcing the authorities to submit. This was their last remaining trump card and the only means left to threaten the imperial court.

Just as a massive grain war seemed about to erupt, the Taiyuan authorities suddenly released all the leaders of the aristocratic families and posted public notices declaring that the events of that fateful night were merely a misunderstanding. They even returned the confiscated properties to demonstrate their sincerity.

It sounded as though relations had eased considerably.

Yet, the fact that the imperial court continued to detain their family members under various pretexts made them utterly furious.

It was glaringly obvious that their family members were being used as hostages.

If they were to launch a grain war, their loved ones would be in grave danger.

"Despicable!"

Having escaped Jinyang and managed to survive, Li Dejiang flew into a rage upon hearing the news.

"When did the imperial court become so utterly shameless as to threaten us through our families? Hmph! Rather than being tied down by these concerns, we might as well fight them to the death!"

Zheng Xiong, the head of the Zheng family and a leading figure among the Guanzhong aristocracy, declared, "We have grain in our hands and more than enough capital; we have absolutely no reason to fear the imperial court. If we remain this weak, we will truly be in mortal danger. I propose we immediately close all grain shops, cut off market supplies, and teach Li Shimin a lesson he won't forget!"