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“What exactly is going on? The food prices were stable until recently, although they were rising, they were within a certain range. How could they have spiked so much in the past few days? Did something go wrong?” As soon as Su Wenyue heard about the severe rise in food prices, she immediately called back her people for questioning.

“Madam, your subordinates have followed your instructions to the letter, daring not to dissent. Only, a few days ago, a group suddenly appeared in the market buying up large quantities of food, which led to much speculation. Combined with rumors in the marketplace that the Imperial Court would send troops to attack Yiyang Prefecture, the people of Yiyang Prefecture became anxious, fearing unforeseen events, and they too joined in the frantic purchasing of food, leading to the current situation,” a subordinate reported.

Su Wenyue’s frown deepened upon hearing this news: “Have you found out who these people are and what they intend to do with such aggressive purchases of food?”

With so many events happening recently, upon hearing this Su Wenyue’s thoughts immediately turned to conspiracy theories, suspecting that these people were sent by the Imperial Court to sabotage Liu Xiu, causing market chaos with the aim of inciting panic among the populace and creating internal disorder.

“Since the appearance of these people, we have been vigilant and had people monitoring them. We found out that they were sent by a woman named Chen Li, but as to why she’s hoarding food and driving up the prices, we have no idea,” the subordinate explained.

When Su Wenyue learned that Chen Li was behind it, she breathed a sigh of relief but was also rendered speechless and furious. As for why Chen Li would do such a thing, Su Wenyue thought she had a guess—Chen Li was as selfish as ever, unconcerned about others’ lives and not considering how a sudden spike in prices would place many families in crisis. And it wasn’t just for this reason alone; such reckless actions could have consequences far beyond this, and might even affect Liu Xiu and Han Yu.

“This woman is simply—I don’t even know what to say. Has she gone mad?” Su Wenyue said, indignant. The situation in Yiyang Prefecture was already chaotic enough, and now this woman’s act of suddenly hoarding food and driving up prices would likely make the rumors even more rampant, destabilizing people’s hearts and even affecting the army.

Albeit angry, Su Wenyue thought of Han Yu. She wondered if he knew about this and whether Chen Li’s actions would affect Han Yu’s strategies and plans. She immediately sent someone to inform Han Yu, prompting him to prepare in advance.

At this time, Liu Xiu was also very irritable and angry. The rumors that the Imperial Court would attack Yiyang Prefecture had caused quite a stir, not only panicking the public but also demoralizing the army. Just as he had managed to stabilize the situation, this new crisis emerged.

“Talk, what exactly is going on? Who are these people deliberately hoarding food and driving up prices?” Liu Xiu asked, barely suppressing his anger, conspiring much like Su Wenyue did in the beginning by suspecting a plot from the Imperial Court.

“My Lord, these people were sent by Miss Chen. A few days ago, Miss Chen dispatched a large number of people to purchase food, not only in Yiyang Prefecture but also in the nearby towns, buying up all the grain at prices several times higher than the market rate. Thus, our local food prices have risen so sharply, and it’s all due to the commotion Miss Chen has caused,” a subordinate reported.

It was Chen Li’s actions that were too noticeable, making the discreet purchases by Su Wenyue’s people seem insignificant by comparison. By the time Liu Xiu’s men started investigating, they paid little heed, as by then, there were too many scrambling over the food prices.

Liu Xiu had never expected that Chen Li would be the instigator. This woman! He couldn’t fathom what had gotten into her to pull such a stunt. Her actions were insufficient to succeed but more than enough to cause failure. Liu Xiu even began to doubt whether leaving Chen Li and the Su Family to balance each other had been the right decision, likening Chen Li to an unreliable ally.

“Call that woman here!” Liu Xiu said curtly, eager to confront Chen Li and question her sudden decision to hoard food and inflate prices. Surely, she wasn’t insane.

At this moment, Chen Li was indeed feeling uneasy. Her initial plan was to hoard food as a bargaining chip to leverage her value when Liu Xiu would seek her help in desperate times. She hadn’t anticipated that her purchasing would spike food prices to an uncontrollable level.

Chen Li, although impulsive and hasty to reap immediate gains, was not foolish. She quickly realized her mistake, especially when she saw the panic caused by the sudden surge in food prices causing public unrest. She knew she might have caused trouble for Liu Xiu, but the situation had spiraled beyond her control. As she was pondering a solution, Liu Xiu had already sent for her.

Chen Li was typically proud and arrogant, and she somewhat belittled Liu Xiu. But now, she was panicking. Liu Xiu might appear easygoing, but he had distinct boundaries that, once crossed, would not bode well for the offender. Chen Li regretted her actions thoroughly, realizing that Liu Xiu, albeit not yet the King of the Forest, still had the dignity that must not be offended lightly—once one provoked the tiger’s whiskers…

“Have you arrived?” At this point, Liu Xiu’s anger had peaked. Seeing Chen Li arrive, he unexpectedly calmed down, his expression inscrutable. He had already decided that if Chen Li could not provide a satisfactory explanation, he would no longer want such a person around, lest she become a future menace.

“Big Brother Liu, have you called for me because something is wrong?” Chen Li asked with a strained smile. Liu Xiu was seldom so enigmatic, especially when she had done something wrong. Chen Li felt inexplicably guilty and frightened. It was moments like these that Liu Xiu demonstrated the imposing air of an emperor. Chen Li had always thought Liu Xiu was too mild, but only now did she realize the gravity of her mistake. A tiger was still a tiger, and even if not yet the King of the Forest, his majesty was not to be trifled with—once one touched a tiger’s whisker…

“I thought you should explain your recent actions to me?”