"Open the granary by imperial order!"
At the command, minor officials bowed and took orders, producing a large bundle of heavy keys. Sorting through them, they unlocked the massive locks of the first granary.
As the doors swung open, a scent unique to stored grain rushed out to meet them.
There was none of the expected stale, rotting odor; the air was remarkably dry and clean. Zhang Dai's eyes flashed, but he remained silent, standing right in the threshold to observe.
Inside the granary, bags of grain were stacked neatly and orderly, and judging by sight, the quantity was substantial.
"You lot, go in!"
Zhang Dai glanced at the men beside him, and several immediately stepped inside, heading toward different directions throughout the interior and exterior to randomly select and inspect bags of grain.
With the weather already hot, the silence grew even more profound as those outside held their breath and watched. They saw the men checking the bags, roughly estimating the weight, and tallying the numbers.
Although the others did not go inside, a rough count allowed them to reckon that the grain here closely matched the quantity that this granary ought to hold.
After a moment of inspection, the men turned and nodded to Zhang Dai at the door, signaling that there were no problems.
"Is that so?"
Seeing this, Zhang Dai's expression remained unchanged, nor did he utter a sound. He stepped forward himself, examining the bags one by one, his pace measured, his expression unreadable.
Suddenly, he stopped mid-stride, randomly picked out several bags, and commanded, "Open them!"
"Yes!" The accompanying men immediately obeyed, drawing small knives and slicing downward. Pure white rice spilled out. Maintaining his composure, Zhang Dai reached his hand inside and stirred the grain around; it was indeed genuine rice, with