“If I were to sell the grain at a low price now, what would happen to them?”
Yun Qi was no fool. Shen Mingyuan had already spoken to this extent—if he still couldn’t grasp the meaning, he would be too foolish.
He abruptly stood up from his chair, unable to resist pacing back and forth in the room, hoping to slightly calm the surging emotions in his heart.
Yun Qi’s face flushed with excitement, his eyes burning brightly: “They can’t possibly take the grain back—that would only incur greater losses. So, they would have no choice but to sell it at a low price. This way, not only would there be enough grain, but the grain price would also drop.”
Shen Mingyuan smiled faintly: “Your Highness could use the disaster relief funds to purchase this grain and distribute it to the people. In doing so, this would become your achievement.”
Merchants chase profit. Throughout history, disaster relief has always been a great challenge. As long as the people didn’t starve to death, it was considered a success.
But he was about to create a miracle.
Yun Qi could hardly imagine how his father would praise him, how the court officials would admire him, and how the common people would sing his praises if he accomplished this so splendidly.
This was his achievement, one worthy of being recorded in history, enduring through the ages.
Yun Qi took several deep breaths before barely regaining his composure. He turned his head and happened to see Shen Mingyuan’s calm expression, which completely cooled the turbulent emotions in his heart.
Yun Qi suddenly regretted not having personally gone out to greet him earlier.
Fortunately, there was still a chance to make amends.
Yun Qi wore an apologetic expression: “Sir, you are truly wise and resourceful. For the sake of the people, I should not refuse. However, I fear that you may offend other wealthy merchants, and thus I feel deeply uneasy.”
He saw a flicker of emotion in Shen Mingyuan’s eyes.
Shen Mingyuan straightened up and bowed solemnly: “For Your Highness, why fear making enemies with the world?”
“Sir!” This time, it was Yun Qi who was moved.
Yun Qi said: “Sir, rest assured. I will repay you double the gold and silver you spent on this plan. I will certainly not let you suffer any loss.”
As the most favored prince, he was quite wealthy.
Shen Mingyuan smiled and shook his head: “Your Highness has already given it.”
He pointed to the jade pendant that had been used to announce his arrival earlier, which Yun Qi had casually placed on the desk.
Shen Mingyuan smiled: “I merely wore it and walked around outside. The next day, someone sent generous gifts to my home. Without consulting Your Highness, I borrowed your name without permission. Please forgive me.”
“A trivial matter.” Yun Qi spoke with deep sincerity: “Sir, you have long been a pillar of my camp. What harm is there in using my name?”
He wasn’t angry. As he said, the matter was truly insignificant.
Those who sent gifts were likely just the powerful families of Yuzhou. Having the opportunity to connect with Prince Qi was their good fortune.
Moreover, he had gained such a great advantage and was overjoyed—how could he possibly be angry with Shen Mingyuan?
Shen Mingyuan smiled, stood up, and bowed: “My purpose in coming here has been achieved. I shall take my leave now.”
Yun Qi hurriedly tried to persuade him to stay: “Sir, must you leave? Can’t you stay?”
Shen Mingyuan shook his head: “It is still too early.”
He smiled faintly: “By not staying by Your Highness’s side, I can do more for you.”
Yun Qi trusted his judgment and could only regretfully escort him all the way to the door.
His attitude was so friendly and respectful that even the guards at the gate were surprised, secretly relieved that they hadn’t acted disrespectfully earlier.
Yun Qi handed the jade pendant back, speaking earnestly, "My promise to you, sir, will always stand. Whenever you come, you will be the most important right-hand man by my side."
Then, in front of Shen Mingyuan, he instructed the surrounding guards, "Next time Sir Shen arrives, be sure to receive him well and notify me immediately."
"Yes," everyone bowed in unison.
Shen Mingyuan smiled and returned the courtesy, "Your Highness need not see me off."
Yun Qi remained at the entrance, watching Shen Mingyuan's figure disappear before turning to walk inside.
"Find out where the gentleman lives and prepare a generous gift to send to him. Also, withdraw ten thousand taels of silver from my private treasury and deliver it to him as well."
Although Shen Mingyuan had said that the money for purchasing grain was given by others out of respect for the jade pendant, Yun Qi had already declared he would repay it twofold and had no intention of retracting his words.
Such worldly possessions were trivial compared to earning Shen Mingyuan's goodwill. Nothing could be more worthwhile.
Shen Mingyuan strolled leisurely back, swaying his folding fan. As he passed, countless people along the roadside gazed at him, mesmerized.
The System offered a sharp critique: [Master, you currently resemble a peacock desperate to fan its feathers into a screen.]
[Is a peacock as handsome as I am?] Shen Mingyuan glanced back, a faint smile curling his lips.
Immediately, a series of gasps and barely suppressed exclamations rose from behind him.
Satisfied, Shen Mingyuan withdrew his gaze.
He entered a shop bearing the sign "Yan Gui," inquired about the location of the courtyard Zhang Mingquan had rented, and then unhurriedly followed the direction the clerk had indicated.
He could have freeloaded accommodation at the government office, as Prince Qi would surely have been willing.
But he was not inclined to do so.
Along the way, he passed the street performance troupe again. This time, there was no acrobatics—only a shirtless brute whipping a child curled on the ground, clutching his head, while hurling incessant curses.
It seemed that during the earlier performance, the child had made a mistake in a movement, causing the act to fail.
A crowd had gathered, larger than the one watching the performance when Shen Mingyuan first passed by.
How strange—humans seemed more fascinated by the cruel beatings and torment among their own kind than by fire-breathing or bowl-balancing acts.
The System chimed in again: [Regretting becoming human now?]
Shen Mingyuan ignored it. He sighed and spoke up to intervene, "Stop hitting him. He's just a child, too young to be performing such dangerous acts in the first place."
"Who do you think you—" The brute's curse was cut short as he turned and saw Shen Mingyuan.
Dressed in luxurious robes, Shen Mingyuan was clearly someone not to be trifled with.
The man's fierce expression faltered as he tried to force a smile, resulting in a rather comical look on his face. "Young master, you…"
Shen Mingyuan took out a piece of broken silver and tossed it over. "Is this enough?"
The brute caught the silver, weighed it in his hand, and his smile instantly widened.
He yanked the curled-up child to his feet, pressed his head down to make him kneel, and bowed obsequiously. "Thank you, young master, thank you."
The child remained silent, like a clay doll, allowing himself to be manipulated.
By the time the brute looked up, Shen Mingyuan had already vanished from sight.
Shen Mingyuan lost his desire to linger and headed straight for the small courtyard Zhang Mingquan had rented.
The courtyard was modest, and the gate was ajar. As soon as he reached the entrance, he heard voices conversing inside.
Could Zhang Mingquan have a visitor?
Shen Mingyuan was curious. He didn't even bother entering to interrupt, simply leaning against the doorframe and openly eavesdropping.
The three entangled individuals were so engrossed in their argument that they actually didn't notice.
The two who had come seemed to be frail scholars. They grabbed Zhang Mingquan's sleeve, their faces flushed with urgency as they spoke rapidly, seemingly reproaching him:
"Chief Merchant Zhang, the money the common people obtained by selling their houses and fields can't even buy a single peck of rice from you? In this year of famine, you exchange human blood and bones for such immense wealth—aren't you afraid of retribution?"
"Chief Merchant Zhang, ill-gotten gains should not be taken. If you could open the granaries and distribute grain, every household would surely remember your kindness in their hearts."
Similar words had likely been said for a long time, as Zhang Mingquan was growing somewhat impatient.
He brushed off their hands, "What use do I have for their gratitude? How much is gratitude worth? Young masters, I respect you as scholars, which is why I treat you with courtesy. If you only have these things to say, then I must ask you to leave!"
"You!" one of them angrily retorted, "How can you think only of money?"
"A single coin can stump a hero; thinking of money is normal," Shen Mingyuan said leisurely.
He understood now—they were actually here for him.
Only when Shen Mingyuan spoke did the others notice his presence. All three turned to look in his direction.
Zheng Honglin swallowed the anger that had risen to his throat, forcing a calm expression. He cupped his hands in greeting, "And who might this be?"
Zhang Mingquan walked over to Shen Mingyuan and bowed respectfully, "Young master."
Shen Mingyuan helped him up, his tone warm and smiling, "I am the person in charge of the Yan Gui Merchant Association. Chief Merchant Zhang is merely following my orders. If you have anything to say, you might as well speak directly to me."
Zheng Honglin was stunned, and after a moment of realization, he erupted in fury, "I see you are also a scholar—how could you commit such heinous acts? You disgrace the teachings of the sages!"
Shen Mingyuan chuckled, "Alright then. Suppose I open the granaries and distribute grain. The thousands of taels of silver spent earlier to purchase the grain—who will cover that cost? You two?"
He looked them up and down, "I doubt you can afford it. What, with just a few words from your lips, you think this money can be erased? Being generous with others' wealth comes quite easily to you—is this what the sages' teachings instruct?"
Zheng Honglin flushed red with embarrassment.
Zhang Mingquan looked delighted, almost wishing he could cheer for his young master.
You Zhonglun sighed, pulling Zheng Honglin back slightly before bowing solemnly to Shen Mingyuan, "We also know our visit is presumptuous, but you are well aware that you didn't need to spend so much money in the first place. Hoarding and monopolizing grain with malicious intent—what you are scheming is known to all under heaven."
Shen Mingyuan shook his head helplessly and smiled, "Being overly confident is not good. What you can see is always just the tip of the iceberg in the vast, deep sea."
Zheng Honglin and You Zhonglun took these words as Shen Mingyuan's way of refusing.
You Zhonglun said, "If you, sir, sell this batch of grain to the common people at a low price, I will consider the remaining price difference as my debt to you."
Shen Mingyuan, who had originally planned to sell the grain at a low price anyway: "?"
Oh? There's such a good deal?
Shen Mingyuan happily agreed.
Then he said, "But you don't look like someone who can repay it."
You Zhonglun calmly replied, "If I cannot repay it in one day, I will repay it over a year, ten years. If I cannot repay it in this lifetime, my children will. If you feel at a disadvantage, sir, you may also include interest."
When you have many lice, you don't feel the itch. Having already incurred a debt of over a thousand taels, what's a little more money?
Zheng Honglin stepped forward without hesitation. "Brother You, I'll repay it together with you."
He sneered coldly. "As the sages said, the accomplished should care for all under heaven. We scholars should take the world as our responsibility, shoulder righteousness, and harbor benevolence. Some people will never understand such aspirations."
These two scholars didn't know how to curse properly. Shen Mingyuan wanted to laugh.
He coughed lightly to suppress it and instructed Zhang Mingquan, "Go prepare a written agreement—how much have we spent on purchasing grain so far?"
Zhang Mingquan answered immediately, "Two thousand eight hundred taels of silver."
"Oh, then I'll give you a discount. Let's just call it five thousand taels." Shen Mingyuan sighed. "What a bargain for you."
Zheng Honglin was about to flare up on the spot. "How can you calculate it like that?"
You Zhonglun quickly stopped him. "Brother Zheng, we are indeed taking advantage. This is only what they've spent so far. More merchants are still arriving, and they'll likely need to spend at least three times more later."
After explaining, You Zhonglun paused and couldn't resist adding a sarcastic remark. "And given their character, they'll surely sell this two thousand eight hundred taels' worth for double the price."
Shen Mingyuan wasn't angered either. He motioned for Zhang Mingquan to prepare paper and brush, smiling brightly. "So you see, I've been quite merciful to you. Hurry up and say thank you."
Author's Note:
Shen Mingyuan: Your Highness, even if you stand against the whole world, I will stand behind you.
Shen Mingyuan: Your Highness, I care more about your future than you do.
Yun Qi (moved): Although I don't know why I would stand against the whole world, hearing these words from you, sir, truly makes you my trusted confidant and right-hand man!