The price of grain only stayed at 5,300 qian per stone for two days, and then it began to slowly drop, 5,100 qian, 5,000 qian, 4,800 qian, and 4,500 qian. After half a month, it dropped to 3,400 qian, and then rebounded to 3,600 qian, and then began to fluctuate around the price of 3,500 qian.

Although the price of grain is rising and falling, it has been maintained at around 3,500 yuan, maintaining a high price trend.

The price can be maintained no longer rises, thanks to the government's Yi Porridge. Now Yi Porridge is located in the streets and alleys. As long as the food is cut off at home and as long as there is no need to worry about the amount of sand in the porridge, you can come out to Yi Porridge to queue up and get a bowl of porridge to drink it to keep your life.

Because of the high price of grain, it is not just a poor family. Even some people who have good food and clothing on weekdays will occasionally go to the street to drink two bowls of charity porridge. After drinking one's mouth, they said, "If you drink these two bowls of porridge, you can save dozens of money. It's more cost-effective than spending half a day of work."

Then someone inevitably said, "Thanks to the Emperor, His Majesty, let me have a bowl of porridge to drink, so I won't be hungry."

"Yes, His Majesty the Emperor is kind and loves the people as much as his son. He is such a rare and good emperor."

Everyone held the bowls and praised His Majesty the Emperor. But when they turned around and found a corner to squat down to drink porridge, they spit out the sand in their mouths while whispering: "It's all a pity that the abominable little emperor, the food price has risen absurdly, which has caused me to eat sand!"

When a few people get together, they can’t help but discuss the food issues that concern everyone’s livelihood.

"Oh, it was only eight hundred coins per stone, and the price of grain was released for only one day, and it rose to five thousand coins. Although it dropped to more than three thousand coins, I couldn't afford it even if I had three thousand coins! These unscrupulous businessmen were purely worried that I wouldn't eat enough!"

He didn't expect that when the price was 800 yuan, he couldn't buy grain in the grain store at all.

"What does it have to do with the unscrupulous business? No business is traitorous. They just care about making money. Of course, the more expensive the food, the better. If I were a grain merchant, I would do the same! Anyway, the government doesn't care!"

"The price of grain is so high, and the government still needs to relax the price. No matter how high they sell, it is definitely a collusion between officials and businessmen. It is estimated that the government will get at least one thousand of the price of 3,500 yuan per stone! It has always been a big mouth with a seal, and can be exchanged for money when you say something. The only thing that is bitter is that we ordinary people!"

"Isn't this little emperor always good? Why are you now..."

"Shh, stop the sound! You want to find the crime of beheading yourself, don't implicate us!"

In public places outside, who dares to say bad things about the emperor? Then it’s a serious crime to behead the head and exterminate the clan!

But when I returned to my home and closed the door, I couldn't control the people's mouths. I don't know how many dirty words were swallowed up by those thick walls.

The little emperor Liu Yu rubbed his ears. These days, he always felt that his ears were getting hot and he had to sneeze a few times. According to the bull head and horse face, it must be that the people outside praised His Majesty, the wise and powerful Emperor, which made His Majesty have such a reaction.

Liu Yu didn't believe a word of these words, and he thought it would be nice if no one scolded him.

"How much is the price of grain on the market now?" Liu Yu asked.

The minister He Xin replied: "The prices of major grain merchants are around 3,400 to 3,700 yuan, and this price has been ten days."

"It seems that I have been stabilized for the time being, and I am really short of food!" the emperor sighed.

As a modern cultural youth, he certainly knows the principle of supply and demand relationship. Supply is oversupply, prices fall, supply is in short supply, and prices rise. Unless they are exclusively monopolized, a fully competitive market can find the most suitable price for a commodity.

Before the grain prices were liberalized, the official price of 800 yuan per stone had no reference value. The black market price was the actual market price. However, at that time, grain merchants were hoarding grain. Even the five thousand yuan per stone they recognized were all trading secretly. The transaction volume was not large, because they would be caught and punished by the government if they were not careful, which led to a false shortage of food supply.

When the grain prices are liberalized, grain merchants can openly sell grain for 5,000 yuan per stone, so they move out all the inventory and go to the store to sell. When the grain supply increases, the price will naturally fall slowly. Therefore, the grain price drops to 3,500 yuan in about half a month, which is the effect of liberalizing the grain price.

So in the eyes of the people, the price of grain from 800 to 3500 yuan was the pot of His Majesty the Emperor, and they secretly scolded the emperor. But in Liu Yu's own opinion, he was a hero who reduced the price of grain from 5000 yuan to 3500 yuan. The reduction of this 1,500 yuan was the benefit of liberalizing the price of grain.

However, the price of grain has stabilized at around 3,500 yuan and can no longer be reduced, which shows that there is indeed a shortage of grain supply, and grain merchants have not stored much grain, so they are reluctant to sell it.

"How much money and food should be consumed every day for disaster relief?" the emperor asked again.

He Xin replied: "There is now more than 800 stones of grain needed every day in Chang'an City."

The emperor silently calculated the accounts in his heart. Eight hundred stones, one hundred thousand kilograms, which was converted into the current kilograms of 50,000 kilograms. After he took over, the residents of Chang'an City experienced an explosive growth, and the population reached 300,000.

Even if half of the people drink charity porridge, more than 100,000 people drink the kind of porridge mixed with sand in one day, can they drink 50,000 kilograms of grain?

Liu Yu was a single dog in his previous life. He often cooked porridge and cooked by himself. He knew how much porridge can be made by a pound of rice. Moreover, the porridge for disaster relief is a life-threatening one, and it cannot be compared with the porridge he cooks at home.

I use food to save the people’s lives, not to embezzle those borers!

"Send embroidered envoys to secretly investigate disaster relief matters in the city. If you find someone who uses power to seek personal gain and is greedy for ink and food, you will be punished twenty or more. If you are greedy for ink and more than four stones, you will be the city Dan. If someone who is greedy for ink and more than eight stones of food, you will be killed!"

He Xin looked at the cold and solemn face of His Majesty, and his heart was trembling. He was punished with four stones of grain for hard labor. Eight stones of grain would cost a person's life. This was a severe punishment. However, during the period of food shortage, it was necessary to punish the law, otherwise the grain in the official warehouse would slowly flow to the hands of those shameless officials.

The embroidered envoy is a secret policeman who is directly responsible to the emperor. He originated from Emperor Wu of Han and is equivalent to the Jinyiwei in later generations. He punishes illegal acts and acts on behalf of the emperor, which has a great deterrence.

When Liu Yu read history in later generations, he hated the most was the Jinyiwei, the East Factory, and the West Factory. When he became emperor, he felt that the embroidered clothes messengers were very easy to use. No wonder emperors of all dynasties liked to use it.

As soon as the embroidered envoy came out, it was true that six officials participated in the disaster relief were killed, dozens of people were punished for hard labor, and countless people were punished. In just a few days, the food used for disaster relief in Chang'an City dropped by 40%. Now only 500 stones of grain are needed a day.
Chapter completed!