An Expert

The Fourth Day of Grand Feast for the World.

A faint smell of alcohol wafted in the air, and everyone's face was beaming with smiles.

The Grand Feast for the World" was supposed to be a reward for all the people in the region, so they could eat and drink to their hearts' content. But if everyone were to eat and drink to their heart's content, no one could resist.

The reality could only be similar to distributing meat porridge, plus a five-day tax exemption for taverns.

That's already quite good.

Only grain merchants suffered; when faced with such circumstances, grain prices fell further, reaching eleven wen per jin.

Taking into account the return trip costs, the losses are so great that they're already losing money, and they're probably cursing under their breath.

In the past two days, Liang Qu talked with the Old Monk, a Former Dynasty Graduate. He found that the new County Government Office government was more capable than he had imagined, and he finally understood the original purpose of measuring the land.

The most common method used by County Government Office to regulate prices is to Price Stabilization Price Equalization.

The former focuses on the stockpiling of essential resources such as grain, while the latter aims to establish market price benchmarks.

When prices fall too sharply, local County Government Office buy up and stockpile goods at high prices; when prices rise too drastically, local County Government Office sell off their stockpiles at low prices.

By taking in and releasing, prices can be effectively controlled within a certain range.

Normally, when grain prices rise, the County Government Office should open its granaries to release grain or sell it at a low price to stabilize prices.

The Ping Yang County government did the opposite. Instead of providing grain to Price Equalization, it encouraged merchants to raise prices to over twenty coins, thus driving up the overall market price!

Getting rice shops to lower prices is harder than killing them, and raising prices is also impossible; the government won't allow it.

Now that they can legally raise prices, they'd love to pay an ounce of silver per pound of rice.

Rice is a necessity; no one can do without it. There's no such thing as low profit margins and high sales volume, or high prices and difficulty in selling rice. The higher the price, the more you earn.

Little did they expect that raising prices was just a bait, a lure to attract grain merchants to transport grain from other places to Ping Yang County.

The land surveys were not for redistribution or tax adjustments, but simply to increase credibility after grain prices were raised!

This move tells everyone that, yes, Ping Yang County has surveyed its population and land, and it is indeed severely lacking in food, which has risen to twenty coins per catty! There is a wise person in the County Government Office government.

Early May.

As the weather gets hotter, the water level in the Jianghuai Marshlands has risen significantly, and few fishermen are going home, instead casting their nets to catch fish while sweating profusely.

Summer fish are lively, autumn fish are fat.

Xia Tian fish are not as fat as autumn fish, but they are more active and often venture into Shallow Water Area to breathe and forage.

Fish need to fatten up in autumn and store for winter, and fishermen do the same to save money for the winter.

Fishing was very stressful back then, and summer was the happiest season for fishermen.

With a little extra money in hand, they wouldn't have to worry about getting through the winter, and they wouldn't catch a cold when they went into the water. They didn't have to worry about getting sick, and fishermen could often be seen in taverns.

[Marsh Essence +0.2]

Liang Qu sat cross-legged on the shell of Old Giant Clam, circulating his Qi and Blood throughout his body according to the qi circulation diagram in the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Vajra Sutra.

He overestimated himself; the Golden Body was more difficult to condense than he had imagined, and after more than half a month, he had only made less than one-fifth of the progress.

It takes me several months to cultivate myself; for others, it would take at least two or three years.

The progress of the Viscera Gate) is quite encouraging. With the daily contribution of Cockscomb Fruit, Spirit Monster meat, and Old Giant Clam, there are more than 100 points of Marsh Essence, and the progress is steadily increasing by one point every day.

The more than 8,000 Marsh Essence remain untouched, and the replenishment of Qi and Blood continues unabated; the process is already one-third complete.

Before June arrives, Liang Qu will definitely be able to break through the Viscera Gate, condense the Aperture Gate, and achieve the Galloping Horse, becoming one of the most powerful cultivators in the entire Yi Xing Town.

Ordinary people might waste more than ten years at the fourth stage of cultivation, so this kind of cultivation speed is among the best in the entire Da Shun.

"That's all for today, I'm leaving now, Old Bei. Remember to keep an eye on the lotus roots, don't let the fish eat them."

"Zhi Xi".

After relieving his fatigue, Liang Qu patted the Giant Clam shell and floated to the surface with the ripples.

The Old Giant Clam adjusted its position, adopting a more comfortable posture to bask in the sun.

Liang Qu, bare-chested, pulled out Compass and headed to Ping Yang County.

Black Fang's three wives all gave birth to kittens yesterday, a total of six.

That's right, the three female dogs only gave birth to six puppies, all of them were twins per litter, no more.

Black Fang already possess semi- Spirit Monster characteristics; not only are they intelligent, but they are also strong enough to fight tigers and leopards, making them much more difficult to breed than ordinary dogs.

Liang Qu hadn't forgotten his idea of raising a dog in the yard, so he chose a black dog with the largest frame and the thickest claws from among the six puppies.

There was no other way; the Black Fang had too much of an impact, so all the pups had black fur or were spotted. We simply chose a pure black one.

When puppies are born, Yang Dongxiong usually gives them away or lets others take them home, or keeps them in the yard.

If a disciple needs something, he/she can choose first. Several of Liang Qu's senior brothers had to go through the selection process several times.

Every day after Liang Qu finished his cultivation, he would detour to take a look and leave a trace of his scent so that the cub would remember him, waiting for the forty-day cub period to pass before capturing it back.

They also brought some Spirit Monster bones with them, grinding some into powder to feed the cubs to speed up their growth, and feeding the rest to Black Fang and his wife, which was unexpectedly welcomed by Black Fang.

The bones of the Water Beast are very fresh, as it doesn't eat much of them on a regular basis.

In the garden.

Liang Qu broke off a piece of the Water Beast, held it in his palm, rubbed it into powder, mixed it with cow's milk, and personally fed it to the cub.

We did it once yesterday, and today the cubs didn't resist much. They smelled it and crawled to the rim of the bowl to lick it, their mouths covered in milk.

Yang Dongxiong shook his head. "If you keep feeding him like this, this kid will probably be even more formidable than Black Fang when he grows up."

Liang Qu chuckled, "That's perfect."

"Has the reward from the River Conservancy Office been issued yet?"

"From what Big Brother Xu said, he should arrive in the next day or two. The two Great Merit are a sure thing. I just don't know if he can be promoted to the Principal Eighth Rank River Earl."

"Fishing is a leisurely pastime, yet it still holds the power of life and death; playing chess is a simple game, yet it stirs up thoughts of war."

The two factions within the River Conservancy Office are currently ruling in peace, but I think the River Conservancy Office's residence will soon be completed, and when that happens, the conflict will be more intense than it is now.

You have received Da Zao Marquis and are a young person of the Principal Eighth Rank, which will surely attract the envy of petty people. Be careful.

By the way, I heard last time that someone in the River Conservancy Office wanted to seek refuge with you. I can't interfere with such matters, but you should know who to befriend and who not to befriend.

I almost forgot that Yang Dongxiong was a senior official in the River Conservancy Office. Although it was a sinecure, he was not completely ignorant of the situation.

The River Earl official of Liang Qu was appointed by imperial decree.

Normally, a military officer who reaches the eighth rank must be Galloping Horse Martial Master.

Having low strength but holding a high position can easily lead to trouble.

"Master, there is no need to worry. Your disciple knows right from wrong."

"Yes, I picked some green plums yesterday. Remember to come over for some plum wine in ten days."

Yang Dongxiong left a message behind his back and walked out of the garden.

"Did you hear that? Come over in ten days for some plum wine."

Liang Qu nodded the dog's head, and the puppy, unable to open its eyes, whimpered twice.

Eating and sleeping is the most pleasant thing, and it is also an instinct of the cubs. Liang Qu put the sleeping cubs back in their nests and took a boat home.

At the main entrance, Chen Tongmin, who was sitting on the steps, saw Liang Qu suddenly stand up.

"Lord Liang!"

"Brother Chen? Why are you sitting at the door waiting? Come in and have a cup of tea."

"It's a small matter, no need to bother you by visiting." Chen Tongmin took out a few papers. "The River God Sacrifice on June 6th this year is the same as last time, with Lord Liang still serving as the Chief Priest. This is the Sacrificial Text. You are familiar with the general process, there are no changes."

"Thank you." Liang Qu took the Sacrificial Text and read it through. It was basically the same as last time. As he looked at it, he suddenly said, "Tongmin, do you think this Sacrificial Text can be revised?"

"Huh, change it? Why do we need to change it?"

Chen Tongmin was puzzled.

It's pretty much the same every year, I wonder what's different this time.

"It's just a small matter. Do you think we could change the subject of this Sacrificial Text to the Jiang Huai River?"

Why is that?

"Since the Jiang Huai River God is the embodiment of the Jiang Huai River, wouldn't it be the same if we just worshipped the Jiang Huai River directly? We could just change the content of the Sacrificial Text slightly."

Chen Tongmin replied somewhat awkwardly, "It seems so."

Since the Jiang Huai River God is the embodiment of the Jiang Huai River, then worshipping the Jiang Huai River and worshipping the Jiang Huai River God seem to be no different.

"Then please go and ask Old Chen for me. Thank you."

Liang Qu returned the Sacrificial Text.