Chapter 385: Esteemed wangfei is impressive (1/2)

Chapter 385: Esteemed wangfei is impressive

The attendant was prepared to throw his life away on Long Feiye’s sword. As long as Long Feiye killed someone here, he’d be in big trouble! But Long Feiye simply hit the man with the flat of his blade then he fell to the ground, before resting his foot on the man’s back. He glared at the mob and said sternly, “Your lordship came precisely to deliver the grain. If anyone else dares to take a step forward, they won’t get a single granule!”

The teeming masses grew still at his words, none of them daring to utter a peep. His Highness Duke of Qin is really here to deliver grain?

That was all they wanted, in the end. At his words, nobody wanted to riot anymore. But Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu were cut from a different cloth. They exchanged glances of tacit understanding through the crowd, their hearts filled with scorn. The higher-ups had already looked into the Duke of Qin’s grain stores in his various estates down south. They knew exactly how much grain he had left–and it wasn’t very much. His Highness Duke of Qin might have plenty of silver, but there was no place to buy grain at times like these. Even if he went shopping in the black markets, it’d be an impossible feat. Most of the larger grain stores there were being sold by the imperial uncle’s estate. How could they ever do business with His Highness Duke of Qin!

Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu were smiling as they were precisely because they’d achieved their goal! They had fanned the flames of the famine victims’ discontent just enough so they could force His Highness Duke of Qin onto a path of no return. But instead of fleeing, he’d said such words instead. He was simply seeking trouble for himself. Once he was unable to make good on those claims, the peasants would be even more furious. Perhaps by then, the peasants wouldn’t even need our instigation. They’d find the Duke of Qin unforgivable on their own!

See here, Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu hadn’t even made a move yet, and someone had already started to speak. “Dare I ask Your Highness Duke of Qin how much grain you’re planning to deliver?”

Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu were filled with a vile delight, especially Nanguo Mingde. He silently released a breath, happy to have escaped his looming calamity! Now I can sit back and enjoy the show. The Duke of Qin was praised as eminent and a mess in degrees by the crowd. How would he take care of this pretty problem? It won’t be long before that high and mighty duke regrets ever provoking my precious son.

“As much as the national treasury sent down. South Ning Prefecture is a big prefecture, so they would have been allocated substantial quantities of grain,” Long Feiye answered in a sub-zero voice.

Many of the people grew joyful at his words. Some were even excited beyond belief, and asked in a tremulous tone, “Is Your Highness Duke of Qin speaking the truth?”

Instead of getting affronted, Long Feiye simply said icily, “It’s the truth!” At this, the courage of the crowd grew.

“Dare we ask Your Highness Duke of Qin, when the grain will arrive?”

“That’s right, that’s right! Your Highness Duke of Qin, will it arrive within the next few days?”

“Can Your Highness Duke of Qin speed up the grain delivery? Everyone’s been out of grain for days now!”

Nanguo Mingde only smiled coldly at the sight of the happy peasants. He never expected the Duke of Qin to have the gall and lie to so many people. He’d like to see how the man would justify his falsehoods later. Official Yu wore a similar expression. He was looking forward to seeing the Duke of Qin’s blasphemy exposed. He wanted to see whether that peerless duke would drown beneath the spittle of the populace! Even the thought was enough to give him a thrill!

Official Yu hid himself behind the person in front of him and couldn’t resist a jab at a perceived weakness, “Your Highness Duke of Qin, why don’t you give us all an exact time, so that…so that we won’t be disappointed!”

Long Feiye’s cold eyes glanced over to his side before he intoned, “It’ll be delivered immediately!”

Immediately?

The crowd burst into cheers, their shouts absolutely deafening. Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu were stunned. How could this…that’s a little too much, even for a lie! How was it possible for him to deliver the grain immediately? Where was he supposed to get so much grain?

“Your Highness Duke of Qin, then where’s the grain? It’s not the bunch that Official Nanguo brought, is it?” Official Yu couldn’t resist asking again.

Long Feiye didn’t answer him this time, because surprised cries rose from the back of the crowd. “The grain is coming! It’s here! We have food now!”

What’s going on? Everyone in the crowd turned back, including Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu. But there were so many people that all they saw were each others’ heads. Despite this, the distant cry came over in waves to crash against their eardrums.

“The grain is here! We have grain! There’s so much! Enough for everyone!”

“May His Highness Duke of Qin prosper for thousands and thousands of years! May esteemed wangfei prosper for thousands and thousands of years!”

This… Why are they bringing up Han Yunxi, too? She didn’t even show up!

Both Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu wore flustered expressions, unable to make head or tails of the matter. Gradually, the cries grew closer and closer, louder and louder. The crowd that had surrounded Long Feiye now moved backwards to seek out the source of the commotion. Just what was going on back there? Everyone was saying there was grain, but what was that all about? Official Yu and Nanguo Mingde were starting to get antsy. Nanguo Mingde couldn’t go anywhere, but Official Yu decided to follow the rest of the crowd after some hesitation. However, he stopped walking very soon, because all of the peasants had long parted ways to opposite sides of the street. In their place was a wide avenue, upon which a distant caravan of horse-drawn carts were coming their way. Each of the carts were piled full of grain, and the entire caravan looked like a long dragon snaking its way through the city. Under the gazes of the populace, it looked especially grand and imposing.

At the head of the caravan was a woman dressed in purple robes, riding atop a tall, strong horse. From her lofty perch, she looked down at the people as a noble, elegant, and inviolate spirit! This woman was none other than Qin Wangfei Han Yunxi!