Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

Sun Yu's words were spoken so softly that they were barely audible, but they sounded deafening.

Xu Huaiyi's eyes widened, and his heartbeat quickened. "Is there a big war in the south? Is this news reliable?"

Last year, the northwest was fighting against the Tartars, and several states in the Central Plains suffered from drought and famine, which resulted in an empty treasury and people's livelihood. In order to prevent chaos in the capital, he had put a lot of thought and planning, and spent a lot of energy and resources to achieve the current stability. He finally got to breathe a sigh of relief, but why is there unrest in the south again?

In fact, although he asked this, he had already believed it in his heart. If this was the card Meng Yao took out, it was most likely true.

That Dayong was really... It was like a house that leaks when it rains, with disasters happening one after another.

Sun Yu nodded solemnly. "Although there is no exact news from the south, this matter was a warning to Dayong from the Bodhisattva that Princess Anping received in her dream. Since she dared to report it to the emperor, she must be right."

Xu Huaiyi frowned and muttered, "The war in the south is along the coast? It shouldn't be those foreign countries. Is it the invasion of Japanese pirates?"

Invasion by Japanese pirates was not uncommon, and it had been going on intermittently with no complete solution. However, they were generally small-scale attacks, and major wars had almost never occurred.

Sun Yu said vaguely, "The court has not yet reached a conclusion. It is just as you speculated, but it is also possible that it is a civil strife. The fief of King Linjiang is nearby..."

Xu Huaiyi let out a long "Oh" and felt his heart sinking even more. The King of Linjiang was a king of a different surname and one of the heroes who followed the founding emperor to conquer the world. After the founding of the dynasty, he went to his fiefdom. Unless summoned by the court, he was not allowed to return to the capital for the rest of his life. On the surface, this was the highest reward given by the royal family to heroes. After all, the princes had queens but no fiefdoms, so they could only be trapped in the capital as idle princes. But privately, there was no shortage of dark speculations. Everyone thought that the emperor was afraid of him and could not kill him, thus chilling the hearts of the heroes, so he drove him to his fiefdom, under the pretext of guarding the gate of Dayong, but in fact it was an expulsion.

Over the past few decades, the first King of Linjiang had long passed away, and was succeeded by his grandson. When this king of a different surname got married, it was the Queen Mother at the time, now the Grand Empress Dowager, who granted the marriage with an imperial decree, and the chosen one was a girl from the Liu family, a girl from the Grand Empress Dowager's family, the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion. In other words, this king of a different surname was very likely in collusion with the King of Chu.

If this is really the case, then when the Japanese pirates invade, they will definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble. By then, the situation in the south will become tense. How can the people still live a good life?

Internal and external troubles, if there is chaos...

At this time, Sun Yu pointedly reminded, "Huaiyi, if there is really a disturbance, you must prepare what you need in advance. Food, medicine, capable people, and money must be stored in a safe place. Be prepared for any eventuality. Don't make it public in the near future to avoid being targeted."

Xu Huaiyi understood and responded respectfully.

Before a war, the most important thing is to raise food and grass. What should the court do if it has no money? Of course, they will try to fleece the sheep. Merchants are the easiest to fleece. If you don't keep your tail between your legs, you will run into the gun and wait to be slaughtered.

When leaving, Sun Yu reminded him again, "Whatever thoughts you have about the Marquis of Pingyuan's mansion, put them aside for now. The overall situation is more important. As long as you have a safe place, you will get justice one day."

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi smiled easily, "Master, don't worry. I don't have any thoughts in my mind, and I don't feel uncomfortable, let alone aggrieved. Although Meng Chonglou was a bastard who provoked me, he didn't get any advantage from me. On the contrary, he lost a lot of manpower. He was smart enough to put the blame on the Fourth Prince. If I offend him, I will inevitably be liquidated by the Fourth Prince in the future. By then, it can be regarded as helping me to avenge myself. Besides..."

He paused, his voice clear and grateful, "Master, you have already sought justice for me, exposing the bad things Meng Chonglou did. Even if he found a scapegoat, anyone with a discerning eye would know that it was him who did it, and his reputation would be even worse. He was also frightened of impotence after seeing a ghost, which can be considered retribution. As for the Pingyuan Marquis's Mansion, it was implicated by him and barely managed to settle the trouble with the help of Anping County Lady. But the merits and demerits offset each other, so it's a big loss. What else can I be dissatisfied with? This punishment and revenge is enough."

Sun Yu admired his flexibility, clarity of mind, and the fact that he would not act on impulse. He was truly open-minded and insightful. Even he himself was still upset for a while before he relaxed. He was far less open-minded than his apprentice.

In fact, Xu Huaiyi was not that broad-minded, but he had already personally taught Meng Chonglou a lesson, so he could just downplay the matter. As for going to Jingzhao Prefecture to file a complaint and the censor's impeachment, which caused quite a commotion, he really didn't have high expectations.

It's not that he didn't trust Sun Yu's ability, but because he had anticipated that the Pingyuan Marquis' Mansion would definitely not sit idly by. They didn't have the strength to fight against the Sun and Lu families, but Meng Yao did. As a reborn person, the halo on her body would not let her easily become cannon fodder.

Therefore, it is normal for them to get through this crisis without any pain.

Unless the Sun and Lu families fight to the death with Earl Pingyuan for him, will they be willing to do that?

He's not that big-faced!

After returning home, when Xu Huaiyi talked to his wife, his tone was very calm, without any resentment or resentment.

Gu Huanxi was a little disappointed. "Not to mention any serious injuries, I thought the Meng family would be able to take some skin from them. Who would have thought that it would only cost them a few small fish and shrimps and some money..."

There's a lot of thunder but little rain, it's all in vain.

Xu Huaiyi was very calm, "It is foreseeable that Meng Yao is quite capable. How can she be defeated in such a short time? As long as she is here, the Pingyuan Marquis's Mansion will not fall. Huh? In this case, people who don't know the truth are likely to lean towards the eldest prince..."

The daughter of the Meng family is the eldest prince's concubine. Originally, the Pingyuan Marquis' Mansion did not have much weight, and the aristocratic families did not take it seriously. But now that the Sun family and the Lu family have taken action against them, they were able to escape safely. What does this mean?

"Good boy, it turns out that something unexpected has happened. It actually adds weight to the Crown Prince."

Gu Huanxi said, "That's on the surface. Don't you know who the Meng family really supports?"

"It's fine even if it's on the surface..."

"Good fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. They are both a weight and a trouble."

Xu Huaiyi reacted and stopped showing off. "After this incident, although the reputation of the Pingyuan Marquis' Mansion has been affected, I'm afraid it will be more valued by the King of Chu. If the war that Meng Yao predicted really breaks out, it will also increase the weight of the Emperor Jianxing in his heart, and it will be more difficult to deal with it in the future."

"Do you think there will really be another war?"

"Well, nine times out of ten."

"What countermeasures does the court have?"

"If we knew about it earlier, we would definitely prepare in advance, which would increase our chances of winning. I heard from Master that the court is discussing who to send to supervise the battle, but the most difficult part is raising food and fodder, as the treasury is running out of money."

"Isn't it just the autumn harvest?"

"The Central Plains region has suffered from drought, how can we harvest food? Don't count on it for the next two years. Just wait. I guess the prefectures, counties and towns near the capital will have to collect more taxes and grain. Alas, we have only had a few days of peace and stability."

Gu Huanxi was very sensitive, "Should we also get ready?"

Xu Huaiyi said "hmm" with a depressed look, "Just arrange the house, I'll prepare the outside."

Gu Huanxi agreed and reminded, "Although we didn't get the Meng family the punishment they deserved this time, they have done their best. We should be grateful and not give them any discount."

Xu Huaiyi nodded, "Of course."

He carefully selected several thank-you gifts and sent them one by one to Jiang Yong, the Sun family, and the Lu family. To avoid suspicion, he did not visit the Lu family in person, but asked Lu Changzhi to take them back. The gifts were not expensive, but they were all tailored to the preferences of each family.

After the incident was settled, a trend of hoarding grain secretly swept the capital, causing grain shops to be overcrowded and grain prices to rise sharply.

Afterwards, commonly used medicinal herbs, various foods, and daily necessities were all snapped up to varying degrees. Especially in autumn, when the weather turned cold, cotton cloth, firewood and charcoal became popular. For a time, they were in short supply.

Many people don’t even know why they are rushing to buy things. They just follow the crowd. If they don’t rush to buy things when others are buying, they will feel anxious and lost.

The imperial court did try to stop it, but all kinds of rumors were spreading behind the scenes and the situation was totally out of control.

After all, they were not all rumors. There was indeed going to be a war in the south. The imperial court had already been working at full speed, sending several secret decrees from the capital. The person to supervise the war had also been decided, and they were marching quickly to Gangzhou, where the war was said to be most severe, with food and fodder provided first.

The efficiency was very high this time, probably because Meng Yao described the situation very seriously and the emperor attached great importance to it, so the ministers naturally did not dare to be perfunctory or procrastinate.

However, the preparation of food and fodder was very difficult and unsuccessful.

The Ministry of Revenue had the biggest headache. The people had just paid their autumn grain, and now they were going to collect more taxes from them. Who would be happy about that?

Besides, most of them were living frugally and had no extra food to hand over.

For a time, the people were full of complaints.

Merchants were also worried because the imperial court was also reaching out to them. Taxes were increased, profits were diluted, and there was no profit in doing business. Who could feel good about that?

Even so, it is still far from the amount of food and fodder that was prepared.

Xu Huaiyi had been keeping an eye on the matter, and when things had come to this point, he realized that if he continued to play dumb, he would end up bleeding passively.

So, he discussed with his wife at night, "We can't keep a low profile anymore. If we take the initiative to bleed, we can at least gain some reputation. If we keep going on like this, I'm afraid those people won't be able to wait to pounce on us..."

He was sure to not be able to escape, because everyone in the capital knew that his business was booming. No one would believe him even if he cried poor. He was definitely a fat sheep. If the food and fodder could be collected smoothly, no one would touch him because he had a backer. But now he had reached a dead end. He would fail to complete the mission and delay the war, and he would be beheaded. Who would care whether he had a backer or not?

Of course he would be dragged out and slaughtered.

Gu Huanxi has been busy setting up things during this period. There is no shortage of food at home. The land on several farms adds up to several thousand acres, and the harvest is stored in granaries and cellars. Even though there are many people now, it can guarantee food for about three years. Other supplies are also stockpiled to be prepared. She is not panicking. She also took the maids to dry a lot of vegetables. Those that cannot be dried are pickled. Now there are several rooms in the house specially set aside to store these, and they are full.

Hearing him say that, she had expected it in her heart, but she was just worried, "I am willing to donate grain and silver, but it is hard to grasp the degree. If you give too little, those people will be dissatisfied. The Ministry of Revenue is managed by Minister Sun. If you don't show your appreciation, you will not give him face. But if you give too much, you will be envied. If you don't show your wealth, who knows how they will exploit us..."

Xu Huaiyi said, "We are not afraid of that. We still have the Su family to support us. If we talk about a wealthy family, it must be the Su family. And you forgot, there is a Chamber of Commerce this year. We can discuss the number together. No one needs to steal the limelight, and no one will fall behind. We can use the name of the collective, so that everyone will be safer..."

"Well, that's feasible. Even if it's a little more high-profile, it won't be so conspicuous."

"Ah, I just can't accept it. When something happens, they just know how to exploit the people. The real rich and powerful don't have to pay for food or money. No matter how fierce the war is, they can still live a life of luxury. But what about the common people? They have to sell their children just for a bite to eat. This world is really unfair!"

Gu Huanxi had no good solution for this. Unless the current system was overturned, "The villagers of Hutian Village should have a better life, right?"

Xu Huaiyi nodded, a smile on his face, "It's much better than other villages. Even if there's not enough food at home, we can still use silver to make up for it. We don't have to worry about food and drink this winter. But in the workshop, beans are getting more and more expensive, so we have reduced some of our production."

Gu Huanxi sighed, "The business of bookstores and beauty salons is not affected."

"The club is also doing better business." Xu Huaiyi's tone was filled with helpless sarcasm, "How can powerful people be affected? Unless the war reaches the capital."

After he complained, he went to the Sun family the next day and talked with Minister Sun in the study for a long time. Then he turned around and looked for Su Zhe. Su Zhe was getting married soon and was already busy, but after listening to his advice, he still went to the Chamber of Commerce without hesitation to take charge of the situation.

Finally, the Chamber of Commerce stepped forward and donated 300,000 taels of silver and 100,000 dan of grain, shocking the capital.