Zhou Fu'an was overjoyed when he heard this. It really took no effort to get it without trying to find anywhere. Nowadays, there is a great famine in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. If you have food in your hand, it will be a mountain of gold and silver! A sure profit! . He originally wanted to buy this batch of grain at the market price of three taels of silver per stone. However, how could Huang Qianshan miss this perfect opportunity to extort money? He told Zhou Fu'an with a stern face: "These two hundred thousand shi of grain are not ordinary goods. They are high-quality wheat from Kaifeng. The grains are full. Each shi is worth six taels of silver." Zhou Fu'an frowned in embarrassment after hearing this. Now the grain he sells is ten taels of silver per stone. If he purchases it at six taels per stone, the money he makes will be greatly reduced. Huang Qianshan noticed Zhou Fu'an's hesitation and his face darkened: "If Boss Zhou is not willing to buy it, then just go ahead. I believe there are people who are willing to take over this business." Zhou Fuan weighed the pros and cons in his mind. He knew that cooperation with Huang Qianshan could bring stable supply and profits, but at the same time, he had to pay higher costs. In the end, in the battle between greed and reason, greed prevailed. He gritted his teeth and stamped his feet: "Okay! I'll make the deal at the price you said!" As Qin Hui's order was issued, the Ministry of Household Affairs began to get busy. The task they faced was to distribute the 300,000 shi of grain in proportion to the population of each state and county. However, this seemingly fair plan gradually turned sour during the implementation process.
Officials at all levels, like greedy hungry wolves, regard the food originally used for disaster relief as their own. They used various excuses to deprive and embezzle, leaving a part at each level. In this way, the food that was supposed to save the lives of disaster victims was lost in the hands of officials at all levels. When the food finally arrived in the disaster-stricken areas, it was less than 100,000 dan. In the face of the victims who are crying for food, this food is nothing more than a drop in the bucket. In and around Xuanzhou City, hungry people were wandering everywhere. Their faces were sallow and thin, and their eyes were full of despair. On October 20th, Zhao Yingluo disguised herself as a man and quietly came to Xuanzhou with Xia He, Dong Xue and a few guards. She witnessed all this, and her heart was filled with anger and helplessness. She had thought that the court's disaster relief food would at least alleviate the plight of some of the hungry people, but the sight before her completely disappointed her. At the disaster relief food distribution area, officers and soldiers held whips to maintain order. Those hungry people who dared to crowd in were often severely beaten. Seeing that there were hundreds of victims here, but only a dozen sacks of relief food, she couldn't help but stepped forward to ask why. "Why are there so few relief grains?" When the officers and soldiers saw that she was well-dressed, they thought she was the son of some official family, so they politely told her: "This man doesn't know something. This disaster relief food was originally supposed to be distributed in more than a hundred sacks. But those officials suddenly There are layers upon layers of corruption, and that’s all we have left.” After hearing this, Zhao Yingluo was filled with anger and her eyes became more and more stern, "These corrupt officials are so bold and reckless! They don't care about the life and death of the people and only care about their own selfish interests!" Xia He has followed Zhao Yingluo for many years, and the composure she has gained through experience allows her to remain calm at this time. "Your Highness, the officials may really be kept in the dark." "Xia He, do you think the official family really knows nothing about this?" Zhao Yingluo's tone revealed a hint of exhaustion. She was well aware of the power struggle and interest entanglements in the palace. "How can we expect that all 500,000 shi of food will be distributed to the victims if we appoint a person as weak and greedy as Qin Hui?" "Then what do you think should be done, Your Highness?" Xia He asked softly. Zhao Yingluo was silent for a moment, as if thinking about the best strategy, "Go and arrange for someone to go to Zhu Shengfei's house and ask him to investigate the matter. What Qin Hui does must be known to the court." After Zhu Shengfei learned the news from Zhao Yingluo, his anger was palpable, "The people of the world are in dire straits now, but those corrupt officials, regardless of the people's life and death, embezzled the food funds for disaster relief, and they really deserve to be killed!" The atmosphere at the court meeting five days later was extremely tense. Zhu Shengfei handed over a detailed letter in front of all civil and military officials. There was unsuppressible anger in his voice, "Your Majesty, in the past few days, I have checked the accounts of the Ministry of Household Affairs and compared the amount of grain distributed to each county, and found that the two do not match. There is serious corruption in the disaster relief grain funds."
Zhao Gou's face was ashen. Although he was weak to the Jin people, he was still a kind emperor. After seeing Zhu Shengfei's report, he asked Qin Hui angrily: "Qin Qing! How do you explain?!" Qin Hui pretended to be innocent: "Your Majesty, I swear to God that I will never be corrupt. Someone must be slandering me and trying to sow discord between you and me." His sly eyes wandered around, trying to find an excuse to escape the blame. "You keep saying that you were wronged, so investigate this matter and prove your innocence! If not, let Zhu Shengfei take over your post of left prime minister!" Zhao Gou's angry scolding echoed in the court, and every word struck Qin Hui's heart like a heavy hammer. Qin Hui's face was pale and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He had no choice but to accept the official appointment. "I am determined to find out the truth and clear my name." At the same time, Zhao Gou turned to Huang Qianshan and scolded sternly: "Huang Qianshan, as the Minister of Household Affairs, you know nothing about the corruption of food funds for disaster relief. You are really derelict in your duties! I will remove you as Minister of Household Affairs." Your official position will be demoted and retained. If this matter is found out clearly, you can prove your innocence and your official position will be restored to your original position. If you are not found out clearly, you can take your family back to your hometown to farm!" Huang Qianshan's legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees. Immediately after going to court, he came to Qin Hui's mansion. Seeing him in such a panic, Qin Hui couldn't help complaining: "Shilang Huang, you are so bold! You actually came to visit during such a special period. Aren't you afraid of being stared at?" Huang Qianshan smiled bitterly and said: "Prime Minister Qin, I have no choice but to find out this matter. Not to mention losing my official position, I may lose my life. We must find a way to deal with it." Qin Hui's face was gloomy, with a fierce look in his eyes: "Don't worry, I have my own arrangements. However, you must also be prepared. If things are exposed, you must learn to protect yourself." After hearing this, Huang Qian felt a chill in his heart. He knew that he had been involved in a power struggle and it was too late to escape. He could only hope that Qin Hui could settle the matter, and at the same time, he silently prayed in his heart that he could escape. Qin Hui patted Huang Qianshan's shoulder gently, with a hint of comfort in his tone, "Don't worry yet. Although this matter is difficult, it is not without a solution." Huang Qianshan nodded, took a deep breath, and tried to calm down the panic in his heart. "My husband is right. The most important thing now is to find out how much evidence Zhu Shengfei has and whether we have any room for maneuver."
