Chapter 490: I Am Willing to Fund

Chapter 490: I Am Willing to Fund

Meng Huaining was overwhelmed with excitement because he had heard an enormous figure—an amount that was staggering to him.

The corn yield after drying could actually reach more than a thousand jin per mu. By comparison, the people had been planting wheat for years, and even with the bran included to make coarse flour, the yield barely reached three hundred jin per mu in a good year.

In bad years, crop failure was the least of their concerns—it could lead to a complete loss of harvest.

With such low grain yields, the amount of tax grain collected by the government was very limited. Even when the granaries were opened during famines, it barely made a difference, resulting in countless people starving to death.

If grain yields were higher, the situation would be entirely different. The government would collect three-tenths of the grain as a tax, but the farmers would still have more than they had before.

This way, there would be no need to worry about people not being able to survive during disaster years.

At the moment, Ninth Sister-in-law couldn’t give an exact price for the corn seeds, but even if it exceeded his budget, Meng Huaining was determined to find a way to secure all the seeds.

"Ninth Sister-in-law, I’ll return to the magistrate’s office to prepare the silver to purchase the grain seeds."

With that, Meng Huaining was about to turn and leave.

He only had three days to prepare the silver, and the matter was urgent.

As for where Meng Huaining could raise the silver, he would have to brace himself and seek help from the Magistrate.

The Magistrate was new, and they hadn’t interacted much. However, from the last incident where the Magistrate dealt with over two hundred assassins, it was clear that he wasn’t a competent leader.

Meng Huaining didn’t dare to hold high hopes, but without turning to the Magistrate for help, he couldn’t think of any other solution and could only try his luck.

Some time ago, when Mo Chuhan came home, he mentioned that the government’s tax silver had been mostly used up, and Meng Huaining was worried about the funds to purchase the corn seeds.

Seeing him about to leave in a hurry, Mo Jiuya called out to him.

"Brother-in-law, are you worried about the silver?"

Mo Jiuya had already discussed this with his wife. If the government couldn’t come up with enough silver to purchase the corn seeds, they could lend it to him on credit for the time being. They couldn’t let Meng Huaining be troubled by such a small matter.

As long as there was a good corn harvest next year, Meng Huaining wouldn’t have to worry about repaying the silver.

Caught off guard, Meng Huaining looked embarrassed.

"To be honest, Ninth Brother, the yamen’s funds are indeed not abundant. I was planning to try and find a way at the prefecture."

Although Mo Jiuya wasn’t involved in officialdom, he had heard from Mo Chuhan about the Magistrate’s character.

If Meng Huaining went to him for help, it was very likely that he would be turned away.

In fact, Meng Huaining understood this all too well. Going to the Magistrate for help was more of a formality.

Even if he could get a small amount of silver from the Magistrate, it would still be of some help.

On the other hand, if he returned empty-handed, it would allow him to see the Magistrate’s true colors clearly.

Mo Jiuya pulled him back to his seat.

"My wife and I understand that the yamen is poor, and you are an honest and caring official. There’s likely not much left in the treasury, especially after spending two thousand taels on the last purchase of sweet potatoes, which probably emptied the yamen’s reserves."

Hearing Ninth Brother’s words, Meng Huaining’s face turned a little red.

"I’ve failed to bring prosperity to City Yun."

"Magistrate Meng, it's not that you are incompetent. You've done a great job, and the people of Yun City can attest to that," Tang Mingrui said. Though he once saw Meng Huaining as a rival for love, he was well aware that the couple was deeply in love, and there was no room for him to come between them.

Especially after he was framed for hiring a killer, Meng Huaining quickly cleared his name.

For Tang Mingrui, he felt he owed Meng Huaining a favor.

"Though I, Tang, am not particularly talented, I’ve earned some money thanks to Ninth Brother and Ninth Sister-in-law since I came to the Northwest. I’m willing to help fund the purchase of the corn seeds," Tang Mingrui said.

In fact, Tang Mingrui didn’t know that this was the second plan Meng Huaining had in mind.

Although Yun City was not wealthy, it was not completely devoid of rich people.

If Meng Huaining returned empty-handed from the prefecture, he would try to rally those wealthy individuals to help.

Since Tang Mingrui had offered his help voluntarily, Meng Huaining had no reason to refuse.

"Buying seeds is usually the government’s job. Unfortunately, I inherited a poor county, and the treasury is low on funds. That said, I will thank Mr. Tang on behalf of the people of Yun City for your generous assistance."

Without any hesitation, Meng Huaining bowed to Tang Mingrui.

Although Tang Mingrui was thriving in the business world, he had not yet become the influential royal merchant recorded in history who could command great power in the Great Shun dynasty.

At present, aside from having some money, he was still an ordinary citizen.

How could he, just a county magistrate, accept such a formal gesture from someone like Meng Huaining?

Tang Mingrui quickly returned the bow.

"County Magistrate Meng is too polite. When it comes to benefiting the people, I, Tang, will not shirk my duty. I cannot accept such a grand gesture from you."

Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran had originally planned to offer the corn seeds on credit to the government, but Tang Mingrui had beaten them to it.

Since that was the case, there was no need for them to steal the spotlight. Perhaps this was the first stepping stone for Tang Mingrui to become a royal merchant in the future.

Tang Mingrui expected Meng Huaining to politely resist at first, but he was surprised by how quickly Meng accepted.

Since Tang Mingrui had offered his help sincerely, he appreciated Meng Huaining’s directness in response.

"Very well, tomorrow I will send 10,000 taels of silver to the county office. If it's not enough, County Magistrate Meng, just let me know," Tang Mingrui said.

Although Meng Huaining didn’t know exactly how much silver was needed for the corn seeds, 10,000 taels was no small sum to him.

Even if he rallied all the merchants in Yun City for donations, they might not be able to gather such an amount.

The more he talked to Tang Mingrui, the more he felt they were on the same page.

"I will remember your generosity, Mr. Tang. If there is anything you need from me, as long as it doesn't violate my principles, I will do my utmost to help."

Although the issue of funding for purchasing the corn seeds was resolved, Meng Huaining still planned to visit the prefecture.

He had been the county magistrate of Yun City for a year and had never troubled the prefect before.

This time, however, it concerned the people's livelihood, so he decided to make the trip.

Especially since it was already late afternoon, and he might not reach the prefecture office until nightfall.

That would be even better, as it would show the prefect how urgent the matter was.

"It's getting late. I'll head to the prefecture first. Ninth Brother, Ninth Sister, feel free to keep chatting with Mr. Tang."

After Meng Huaining left, the group resumed their discussion about corn.

"Ninth Brother, Ninth Sister, as you know, I am in the restaurant business. Today, we made some dishes with fresh corn, and they were quite delicious. Do you think you could sell me some fresh corn as well?"

"Fresh corn can certainly be sold to you, Brother Tang. However, fresh corn has a short shelf life, and its maturity period is quite concentrated. So, you can only make dishes with fresh corn for a short time," He Zhiran explained.