Chapter 493: The Calculation Was Good
Chapter 488 of "The Great Ming in the Box" kicks off with action-packed scenes: After crossing the Longmen Bridge, they soon reached Hancheng on Tongguan Road.As a crucial military... Discover more!
After crossing the Longmen Bridge, they soon reached Hancheng on Tongguan Road.As a crucial military stronghold and vital transportation hub, this place remained firmly under the imperial court’s control.
Shi Kefa deliberately visited a grain market to inquire about the grain price. Just as he had anticipated, the closer one got to Chengcheng County, the lower the grain price fell. Here, the grain price had dropped to 120 wen per dou—barely higher than during non-drought years.
The direct effect of the falling grain price was the revival of all trades throughout the city. The streets grew lively once more; both industry and commerce began to recover, and smiles returned to the common citizens’ faces.
After walking just a few steps down the street, Shi Kefa heard a storyteller narrating a tale in a roadside teahouse: “Now, Shi Si arrived at Gaojia Village in Chengcheng County. After several days of toiling at menial work, he earned a bit of money. But he thought, ‘What fortune can come from toiling all the time at menial work? One must learn some proper skill!’ So he packed a bag of flour, grabbed two liang of cured meat, and set off to find a blacksmith as his master. Yet before he could even leave the village—just as he reached the bamboo grove—thud! Sharp pain struck the back of his head, and he was knocked unconscious…”
Shi Kefa, unexpectedly intrigued, paused to hear the rest.
But the storyteller snapped his fan shut. “To learn what comes next, we shall continue in our next session.”
Shi Kefa fumed. “Keep going! Instead of learning what’s good, you learn cliffhangers?”
“Sir, don’t be angry. Have some tea,” a waiter offered him a fragrant cup.
Shi Kefa took a casual sip, then froze in shock. Ordinary folk might not detect it, but he recognized it instantly—this was top-grade Pre-Rain Longjing tea. In the wealthy lands of Suzhou and Hangzhou, such quality tea would be unthinkable in a humble roadside teahouse.
Only wealthy nobles could savor this.
And yet, this tiny teahouse in Hancheng had served him a cup?
Shi Kefa pressed, “Where did you get this tea?”
The waiter beamed. “The shopkeeper’s brother brought it back. He’s a teacher at Gaijia Village School in Chengcheng County. Rumor has it this was a special consolation gift for teachers, bestowed by the Deity’s own hand. The brother doesn’t care for tea, so he sent it back. The shopkeeper doesn’t fancy it either, so he serves it to guests.”
Hearing “Deity,” Shi Kefa understood. What was fine tea compared to a deity who could grant a Huanghe Bridge itself?
He patted the waiter’s shoulder. “Tell your shopkeeper this tea isn’t easily found even in the south—it’s rare and precious. Best not squander it serving every passerby.”
The waiter gasped. “Truly such good tea?”
Distracted by this exchange, Shi Kefa turned to find the storyteller gone. Struck by disappointment, he asked, “What happened next in that storyteller’s tale?”
The waiter chuckled. “He was recounting ‘Gao Piao.’ Truth be told, most folks in Hancheng have read the comic book already—they’re just there to enjoy the storyteller’s flair. If you’re keen, sir, you could buy a comic book.”
Shi Kefa asked, “Where’s the bookstore?”
“Just around the next corner.”
At the bookstore, Shi Kefa saw shelves stacked with texts. Half bore familiar titles: works like the Four Books and Five Classics, and books such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin. The other half baffled him: Physics, Chemistry… He understood the first two words, but the rest left him utterly bewildered.
Beside these sat piles of comic books. Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale instantly caught his eye. Recalling the deity’s power shown at the bridge, he promptly bought the full six-volume set for his attendant to carry.
Farther along stood classics like Yang Family Generals, Yue Fei’s Legend, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, all in comic form. Among them was Gao Piao—the very one he’d wanted.
As a man of means, Shi Kefa decided on impulse. Never mind—stock up! Every title he hadn’t seen before, be it text or comic, he bought them all, burdening his attendant with piles.
He’d come for Gao Piao to see Shi Si’s fate. Yet among the stacks, Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale intrigued him most. Flipping through on the move, he started perusing it immediately.
Before long, the procession departed Hancheng for Heyang County.
Even mounted, Shi Kefa devoured all six comic volumes. At last, he understood the origin of the “Deity.”
His heart stirred in awe. So the one I encountered at the Longmen crossing was indeed this deity—manifesting himself to speak with me.
“Sir, the crops on Heyang’s farmlands… they grow oddly, unnervingly well.”
As Shi Kefa finished the books, his attendant hurriedly reported this observation.
Closing the volumes, Shi Kefa surveyed the surrounding fields. The crops flourished radiantly, promising not just a bountiful harvest but a yield many times above normal.
Without reading Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale, astonishment would have overwhelmed him. Now he comprehended. Lightly, he explained, “This is because the Deity granted celestial fertilizer to the farmers here. Crops watered with it see doubled yields. Yes, volume three mentions that. Give it a read.”
The attendant leafed through the pages and grasped it instantly.
Shi Kefa pulled a secret missive from his sleeve and scanned his own report: “Grain prices are unnaturally low.” He sighed ruefully. “During the Tianqi era, Chengcheng and Heyang Counties’ combined populations stood between 160,000 and 200,000. That is, without a famine, local food yield could support some 200,000 people. Now, the yield has doubled beyond normal times. Thus, this land alone can feed 400,000! Add newly cultivated wasteland farmlands? Supporting half a million is no feat.”
Shi Kefa muttered to himself, “Earlier I wrote questioning why grain was so cheap, how so many refugees were sustained. By these calculations, absorbing those refugees is nothing. Even without the Deity’s intervention, the farmland alone could support tens of thousands of victims—let alone the resources the Deity occasionally bestows.”
Shi Kefa’s calculation was good!
Since Li Daoxuan had brought rain to Chengcheng County and provided fertilizer, he’d deliberately reduced his grain provisions, teaching the two counties self-reliance. The diligent common citizens lived up to expectations, learning to feed themselves with their own harvests. Surpluses went into the village treasury.
Then Thirty-Two directed transfers from the village treasury to feed the labor offenders.
By now, most grain bestowed by Li Daoxuan flowed directly into Shanxi.