Hearing this, the guard felt suspicious and found his painful expression wasn't fake. He stared at him closely and said to him, "Go in, please."

Then Feng Xian walked in with a smile and then continued.

It was time to have meals in the barrack.

Feng Xian entered the crowd and picked up the bowl to fill the porridge.

Then he sat with the soldiers and ate it.

Feng Xian said to soldiers next to him, "Have you found that the porridge is thinner than before?"

"Perhaps the cook put less rice this time." People sitting next to Feng Xian said and had the porridge.

Feng Xian said again, "When I went to pee before, I heard that army provisions are running out."

"It should be impossible. I haven't heard of it before." The man next to Feng Xian frowned and said.

Feng Xian continued, "Haven't you found there are any changes in your food these days?"

Then all the soldiers gathered in front of Feng Xian, "After hearing what you said, food these two days is truly worse compared with that before."

"Are you sure? If so, what can we do?" Someone said in a low voice.

Feng Xian heard this and said, "I'm sure. When I passed the gate, I saw that the cook was about to fetch the rice. But there was only a little rice left. The cook said the news should not be known by our soldiers. Then the cook was worried about whether the general came up with solutions."

"Really? If there were no army provisions, how could we fight against the Xiling army? The problem of freaks in Xiling hasn't been solved, and we don't know when Xiling's army will fight back again. What can we do then?" One of them said with panic.

Another man thought for a while and said, "Please don't worry. This is just a rumor, and we don't know whether it is true. Calm down."

"Yes. We don't need to guess it casually. Perhaps I didn't hear clearly. We will know the truth until tomorrow." Feng Xian said again.

The other soldiers nodded and said, "Yes. Don't talk about it anymore. Have meals quickly."

Then they scattered and continued to have meals.

Feng Xian smiled slightly and thought it was done.

Feng Xian mounted the horse and rode to Xiling.

At this time, Zheng Qiu and other people had reached Jiandu. Because there weren't goods on the carriages, they went to Jiandu more quickly.

In the mansion of officials

Zheng Qiu and other people went out of the carriages and directly walked to the mansion of officials.

Xu Qing was reading the previous materials about Jiandu in the study.

Zheng Qiu and other people walked in from outside and said with happiness, "Your Excellency."

"You have come back? So quickly?" Xu Qing put down the materials and stood up to ask them.

Zheng Qiu said with his hands cupped, "Your Excellency, you don't know that our potatoes were scrambled to be bought the moment they were taken to Suizhou. Just after half a day, they were sold out."

"Really? Are our potatoes the best sellers?" Hearing this, Xu Qing felt surprised and asked. He never thought potatoes would be so popular. Before he was worried that potatoes would be kept too long in stock, but now he didn't need to worry about it.

Zheng Qiu nodded to Xu Qing with a smile.

Seeing Xu Qing was surprised, Su Tong walked forward and said with his hands cupped, "Your Excellency, you don't know that Mr. Zheng came up with a good way to sell potatoes more quickly. Potatoes were sold ten catties at a time. Ordinary people thought it was cheap, so they all came to buy potatoes."

"What's the price of potatoes?" Xu Qing asked.

Zhao Po, who was in charge of keeping the money, walked forward, "Your Excellency, ten catties of potatoes were sold for thirteen copper coins. We earned about a total of 18,000 copper coins. Except the money used in eating and drinking, this is the rest of the money."

Zhao Po gave the money to Xu Qing. Seeing this, Xu Qing frowned, took the money, and asked, "How did you sell so much?"

"Your Excellency, Mr. Zheng met one of his friends and made a big business. That man was very generous. He bought the rest of the potatoes and directly paid us 10,000 copper coins without weighing the potatoes." Before Zhao Po said, Su Tong hurried to say.

Xu Qing frowned because he was considering who the generous man was. He knew that Zheng Qiu moved to Jiandu with his family from Suizhou at a very young age, and he never knew he had a rich friend.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing shifted his eyes to look at Zheng Qiu and asked, "What's up?"

"Your Excellency, I need to give you an explanation." Zheng Qiu glanced at Su Tong and Zhao Po.

Seeing this, Zhao Po understood it and said to Xu Qing with his hands cupped, "Your Excellency, I just think of something that needs Su Tong and me to deal with, so we go out first."

"OK." Xu Qing nodded.

Before Su Tong understood what happened, he was taken out by Zhao Po.

Walking out of the study, Su Tong asked Zhao Po with puzzlement, "Why do we go out suddenly? We just come back and we don't have anything to do."

"The man Mr. Zheng knew wasn't common. His identity should be concealed." Zhao Po said to Su Tong.

Zhao Po sighed slightly and thought his brother was good, but he was too straightforward. He was worried that Su Tong would make a mess one day.

After Su Tong and Zhao Po walked out, Zheng Qiu hurried to close the door and walked to the front of Xu Qing, "Your Excellency, you also know the man that Su Tong mentioned before."

"I know? Who is he?" Xu Qing felt surprised and asked.

Zheng Qiu said, "He is Marquis Shuo's follower, Xiao Mu."

"Xiao Mu? He went to the border, didn't he? Why did he appear in Suizhou?" Xu Qing asked with puzzlement.

Zheng Qiu told Xu Qing the reason why Xiao Mu went to Suizhou.

After hearing the whole process, Xu Qing nodded, "OK, I see. He went there to find food for soldiers."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Zheng Qiu replied.

Then Xu Qing continued to ask Zheng Qiu, "Have you asked him why he went to Suizhou to find food?"

"Yes. The border is short of food. I hear that it will be run out in a few days. The moment they arrived at the border, they knew the news and began to find food. Now the rice in the food shop is too expensive. Even if they are willing to buy it, they couldn't buy enough rice. Later they came across us and found us selling potatoes in the market of Suizhou." Zheng Qiu said to Xu Qing.

After hearing this, Xu Qing felt irritated and raised his voice, "Xiling intended to declare war on us. The soldiers suffer from hunger. Doesn't His Majesty care about it?"

Xu Qing said and panted.

"Mr. Xiao said His Majesty had sent hundreds of piculs of food." Zheng Qiu said to Xu Qing.

Hearing this, Xu Qing felt angrier and said, "Hundreds of piculs? This was how His Majesty dealt with it. When Jiandu was flooded and many people died, the corrupt official Prime Minister Lan was just ousted from his post. His Majesty didn't mention anything about building the dam. Now Xiling declares war. Surprisingly, His Majesty acts like this. Isn't he afraid that soldiers on the border are hurt mentally? If the border is lost and the army of Xiling continues to attack us, eventually ordinary people will suffer from it."

"Your Excellency, it hasn't been that terrible. Mr. Xiao said that Marquis Shuo had gone to the border. With Marquis Shuo, the border will be safe." Zheng Qiu saw this and said.

He knew what Xu Qing said was right. But they, as ordinary people, had nothing to do for His Majesty's inaction.

These years the exorbitant and miscellaneous expenses were heavy, and ordinary people suffered from hunger. If the border were lost then, ordinary people would suffer from it.

Xu Qing calmed down and lowered his head to think about it. He knew the matter and he shouldn't dismiss it. He was thinking about how to help the border.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing had an idea. Food was scarce on the border, so he could send food to soldiers on the border.

Xu Qing said to Zheng Qiu, "Hurry up. Let's move the potatoes dug these days on the carriage and send them to the border. Now I have known the news, and I won't dismiss it. I will try my best to help them."

"Your Excellency, how do we tell it to the local people?" Hearing this, Zheng Qiu nodded and looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing sighed and said, "I will tell it to our local people. Gather the local people at the gate of the office."

He believed that the local people would agree after the local people knew the news about the border. For people who had had a narrow escape, they knew it was not easy to live.

"Yes, Your Excellency." Hearing this, Zheng Qiu turned back to walk to the gate, opened the door of the study, and walked out.

Su Tong and Zhao Po, out of the study, looked at the study with a frown.

They were considering why Mr. Xu felt so angry the moment they went out.

Seeing Zheng Qiu walk out of the study, they walked forward.

Zhao Po looked at the study and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Zheng, why Mr. Xu becomes angry suddenly?"

"It's OK. Mr. Zhao and Mr. Su, you go to find some men to gather potatoes dug by the local people." Zheng Qiu smiled and said to Zhao Po and Su Tong.

Hearing this, Su Tong frowned, "Really, Mr. Zheng? We just come back. Why are we in such a hurry? We need some rest."

"Follow what His Excellency requires. I have something to deal with and leave first. Hurry up!" Zheng Qiu turned back to walk out.

Su Tong looked at Zhao Po with puzzlement, "What's the matter? Just now His Excellency was happy. What happened in the study?"

"I don't know." Zhao Po looked at Su Tong, shrugged his shoulders, and walked to one side.

Just walking out for a while, he didn't see Su Tong. So he stopped and turned to say to Su Tong, "Hurry up. Finish what His Excellency requires."