Prosperity Capital's Rice Was Dear; the Grand Chancellor Roared

"Among that group of people, there are failed Xiucai, dejected students, and martial artists who are all stuck at the Foundation Establishment. They're unlikely to achieve much. However, they've listened to the young master's lecture, so things might change in the future." With Dai Guo shaking his head, the three of them slowly walked away and disappeared into the distance.

The road ahead leads directly to Prosperity Capital.

The next day.

The political center of Great Rui, Xingjing Imperial City, is undergoing changes because of the upcoming Metropolitan Examination.

It's not entirely accurate to say that the Metropolitan Examination was the cause; it was mainly the scholars who gathered from all over the country, along with their subordinates and families, who triggered the hidden dangers in Prosperity Capital.

The most obvious manifestation is the soaring prices; a bushel of rice that used to cost forty or fifty coins has now risen to nearly one hundred coins!

Double it!

This means that if you use the same amount of money to buy grain, you will only receive half of what you originally received.

The stark contrast even affected powerful and wealthy families. After all, maintaining a large household required considerable daily expenses, not to mention the social interactions and bribery involved. There was never enough money to go around.

As for ordinary families, it goes without saying that their lives were already difficult enough, and with the rise in prices, their wealth shrank rapidly, with far-reaching consequences.

In ancient society, food was considered the most important thing for people. This did not only refer to eating, but also to the price of other goods. When the price of grain rose, the prices of other goods would also rise, causing the cost of living to increase many times over and making life difficult.

Living in the capital of the nation, where land is incredibly valuable, the houses are difficult to liquidate and are subject to household registration restrictions, preventing residents from moving to areas with lower living costs. As a result, the people here do not live a comfortable life.

However, since ancient times, no matter who they are, when they encounter misfortune, they always find a target to hate. Moreover, the prices of goods are not something that ordinary people can control. Outsiders can hardly understand the mystery behind it, so the people of the Imperial City naturally need to find a specific target to transfer their hatred to.

This isn't some inherent flaw; people naturally resist hardship and can't accept it willingly. However, this only makes things harder for others.

The people of Prosperity Capital are now directing their hatred at those scholars who have come from afar.

The most direct manifestation of this was that every scholar who entered the city would receive a lot of attention along the way.

"Brother Luo, why are the people of Prosperity Capital so strange? The way they look at us seems full of malice, as if they want to devour us?"

At the south gate of Xingjing Imperial City, two candidates who had passed the inspection were walking slowly. There was a clear age difference between them, with the younger one being the more noticeable one. As they walked, feeling the gazes cast upon them by the people along the way, he couldn't help but say something.

"To be honest, brother, I feel the same way." The older scholar glanced around, a slightly uneasy look on his face. "Perhaps that's just how people in Prosperity Capital are. We are scholars in Jiannan Circuit, respected by all, but in this Imperial City, everyone is a high-ranking official or a wealthy man. The people here are worldly-wise, how could they possibly care about a mere scholar? Let's not talk about this anymore, let's hurry and find an inn to stay in."

"That makes sense." The young scholar nodded.

The two of them were dressed simply, without any pageboys or servants accompanying them. Each of them carried a book box, and they walked along the street, enduring many unfriendly stares. After asking several questions, they finally arrived at the door of an inn.

"This inn looks a bit dilapidated; it must be in dire need of repairs," the young scholar muttered to himself as he and another person entered. But after asking about the price, they were immediately taken aback.

"Why is it so expensive? The price of one night here could buy you a stay for ten days or half a month elsewhere."

"How can this be the same as anywhere else?" The shopkeeper behind the counter was unconvinced and didn't try to flatter them, clearly having seen it all before. He looked at the two scholars with a disdainful expression. "This is the capital! Our price is already low. If you two walk a few steps further into the city, you'll find prices higher everywhere!"

The older scholar couldn't help but say, "I've inquired about prices in villages and towns outside the city, and they're only one or two times more expensive than elsewhere. How can you raise them tenfold like this?"

"Can things be the same outside the city and inside the city?" The innkeeper looked at the two with disdain, raised his hand and pointed to the main hall, "We have many scholars here who are taking the imperial examinations. If you stay here, you can communicate with them and learn about the situation. If you stay outside the city, you won't have this advantage. Moreover, this place is not far from the Inner City, so news travels fast. You can get any news as soon as possible."

Just as the three were talking, another scholar entered from outside. He was not tall, had a hooked nose, and a gloomy face. He went to the counter, took out a few Jiaozi from his pocket, and slapped them on the table.

"Shopkeeper, a room! And quickly!"

"Oh, young master is back? How about it? I didn't lie to you, did I? The inns inside are even more expensive. Look, there are only three rooms left. If you come any later, they'll be gone." As he spoke, the innkeeper deliberately glanced at the two scholars beside him.

After the hook-nosed scholar followed the waiter upstairs, the two scholars who had been there discussed it briefly and then came over, saying they wanted a room.

"The two of you are sharing a room?" The innkeeper's expression was one of disdain, which made the two men blush with embarrassment. However, they didn't say anything more, but instead wrote a few words in the register and then asked, "Give me your names."

"Do we need to state our names?" Both scholars were taken aback.

"Of course. You're here to take the imperial Metropolitan Examination, right? When you pass and make it onto the list, someone will come to announce the good news. How can we announce the good news if we don't know your names?" The shopkeeper continued, "Not only your names, but also your identification documents need to be handed over to me so I can verify them and report to the authorities."

"We need identity documents too?" The two scholars hesitated. These documents were their proof of identity. Ordinary people had to show their travel permits when traveling the world and entering cities and passing through checkpoints. Often, they had to get a new permit every time they arrived at a new place, which was very troublesome.

For scholars with official titles, having proper identification documents allows them to travel freely and study at will; these documents are extremely important and should not be easily separated from them.

"What? You think I'm going to lie to you? What would I do with your documents? Can't I use them myself?" The innkeeper said, putting down his pen. "If you don't believe me, you're welcome to leave and ask at other inns. But if we're full by then, you'll regret it."

"This..." The two scholars stared at the shopkeeper for a moment, then finally gave in, "We certainly believe you." They then gave their names.

"Luo Jiayun, Zhou Guan... Oh? From Jiannan Circuit? What a coincidence, our inn's cook is also from Shu Region. He's an excellent cook, but he worships some strange deity."

The older scholar, Luo Jiayun, said, "It must be because they worship the Kitchen God. Almost every inn and teahouse in Jiannan Circuit worships the Kitchen God, and even ordinary families are seeing more and more people doing so, hoping it will protect their homes."

"The Kitchen God?" The shopkeeper frowned, but didn't answer. He then asked the two men for their documents and urged them to go upstairs to inspect the room.

After the two left, the hook-nosed scholar strolled out again, exchanged a knowing glance with the innkeeper, and left the inn.

"We've fooled two more. Just by looking at their spirit, you can tell these two scholars are pure of heart and rare gems of learning." The shopkeeper looked at the documents in his hand, then lowered his head and took a deep sniff, revealing a look of intoxication. "Even with the many restrictions of Dragon Qi and Official Qi in Prosperity Capital, you can still smell the Votive Thoughts and thoughts that have been poured into ten years of hard study. It's truly the most delicious thing ever."

As he pondered this, he beckoned to a servant, handed him the document, and instructed him to "go quickly and return quickly," before sending the servant away.

Fifteen minutes later, Luo Jiayun and Zhou Guan came downstairs and returned to the lobby. They found a table and sat down, but didn't order any food. They just sat there, listening intently to the conversations of the people in the lobby, trying to find out about the situation in Prosperity Capital.

However, after listening to many people, there wasn't much about the Imperial Examinations; the conversations were mostly about "reform," "grain prices," and "Northern Barbarians."

"How's the fighting going in the north...?"

"It's rumored that Market Exchange Law will be promulgated soon..."

"The Market Exchange Law was intended to revolutionize the merchants of Prosperity Capital, which led them to take a desperate gamble and raise grain prices. They wanted to help each other, which resulted in the current situation, but we, the people taking the imperial examinations, have been made the scapegoats."

"I heard that this year's Imperial Examinations is being personally overseen by Chancellor Wang. I wonder what the exam will test? Will it be the same as before, focusing on classical texts, or will it involve the New Learning advocated by the Prime Minister? I'm not familiar with that New Learning."

After listening to Luo Jiayun and Zhou Guan for a long time, they finally encountered something related to the Imperial Examinations and immediately perked up their ears.

Not only them, but people at the other tables also stopped talking and turned their attention to them.

The man's companion lived up to expectations, replying, "That's hard to say. The New Learning has been promoted for several years. Even if you are anxious, sir, you probably won't directly replace the classics with the New Learning. However, given the current situation, with the New Laws in power, the questions for this imperial Metropolitan Examination related to the state of the nation."

"The state of the nation? Could it be this sudden surge in grain prices? If you ask me, rising grain prices aren't necessarily a bad thing. Low grain prices hurt farmers, so higher prices have their advantages..."

"**, your family is in business, dealing in grains, so of course you'd say that."

"Actually, there's some truth to that..."

The crowd started discussing it again.

"Grain prices?"

Luo Jiayun pondered these words, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over a person who looked down on the examinees in the room.

Beside him, Zhou Guan said, "The Black-faced Chancellor is personally overseeing the Metropolitan Examination? We should really think about that. The New Laws have already been implemented in Jiannan Circuit, and we have firsthand experience with them. We might as well study them carefully."

"That's exactly right." Luo Jiayun nodded, withdrawing his gaze and turning his attention back to the Imperial Examinations, but then suddenly added, "I wonder if Shen Zhi has also arrived in Prosperity Capital? I'll have to inquire about it."

At the same time.

Inside the Inner City of Prosperity Capital, within the Imperial City, in the Council of State Affairs, an old man was slamming his fist on the table and roaring.

"I think Wang Heimian has gone mad! The Imperial Examinations examination system is a matter of national importance; how can it be changed so easily!" (To be continued, please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)

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