"I understand now!"
"This Gao Yang brat is so insidious and vicious!"
Elder Lin's face changed dramatically, filled with anguish.
The other three patriarchs realized something was wrong and became anxious.
The head of the Qian Family anxiously asked, "Elder Lin, what have you realized? Please tell us!"
Elder Lin closed his eyes in pain.
At this moment, he fully understood Gao Yang's intentions.
Cunning!
Too cunning.
"I've played with hawks all my life, and in the end, I've been blinded by one!" Elder Lin sighed.
His words made the other two even more anxious.
"Elder Lin, stop keeping us in suspense. What exactly does this Censor Gao intend to do?" the Patriarch of the Han Family asked urgently.
Elder Lin, with a grim expression, said, "Posting a proclamation, ordering us not to sell grain below one hundred and fifty coins per dou, do you really think that brat Gao Yang is gifting us a great fortune for nothing?"
The three patriarchs were stunned; they hadn't figured this out until now.
Could there really be someone who would go to such lengths, even risking infamy, to gift them a fortune?
At the time, their eyes were filled with greed, but now, as grain prices plummeted, they realized something was amiss.
This move was very suspicious.
They all looked at Elder Lin.
Elder Lin took a deep breath and said, "When grain prices rise to one hundred and fifty coins per dou, besides us benefiting, who else would be attracted?"
With these words.
Buzz!
The head of the Qian Family almost blurted out, "Foreign grain merchants from the counties around Linjiang City!"
"This Gao Yang wants to raise the grain prices in Linjiang City to attract foreign merchants to sell grain here."
The other two patriarchs looked grim.
They all understood now.
"Linjiang City's grain prices went from fifty coins to one hundred coins per dou, but throughout Guangyang Commandery, the prices are similar. In severely affected areas, it's around one hundred coins per dou, while in better areas, it hovers around eighty coins per dou!"
"But when Gao Yang arrived in Linjiang City, he directly raised the grain price to one hundred and fifty coins per dou, and it might even climb higher. With a profit margin of fifty coins per dou, or even eighty coins per dou, this would definitely attract those envious foreign grain merchants to flood into Linjiang City!"
"Then, when the time is right, he will order the county granary to open and sell grain at one hundred and five coins per dou, causing prices to plummet!"
"Unfortunately, we didn't realize this and instead bought up the old grain from the county granary at one hundred and five coins per dou!"
The head of the Qian Family looked grim and slammed the table.
"That Gao Yang brat is truly malicious!"
Their faces were dark, filled with deep regret.
If they had sold at one hundred and fifty coins per dou when the proclamation was first posted, they could have made a fortune.
But they chose to hoard grain for huge profits!
Now they were in a very passive position. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
With Linjiang City's grain prices plummeting, should they continue to hoard or follow the trend and sell?
Soon, another servant hurried in.
"Elder Lin, the county has posted a proclamation stating that the granary is well-stocked, and the Censor, out of compassion for the people, has ordered the county granary to sell at ninety coins per dou, a full fifteen coins lower!"
The Patriarch of the Han Family wailed, "The Censor is out for our lives!"
The servant continued, "Not only that, I saw people from the county, dressed in plain clothes, buying a lot of grain at ninety-three coins per dou..."
Elder Lin's face twisted with displeasure.
"We bought the county granary's grain at one hundred and five coins per dou, and the county used our money to buy at ninety-three coins per dou, then sold at ninety coins, making a profit of seven coins in the process!"
Thinking of this, Elder Lin couldn't hold it in any longer.
Pfft!
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
"This Gao Yang, I underestimated him!"
The servants rushed forward to support Elder Lin.
Elder Lin, angered to the point of spitting blood!
Among the Four Great Grain Merchants, the Lin family had the most grain stored. If prices plummeted!
The Lin family would be the first to suffer!
Elder Lin, disregarding the turmoil in his chest, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "This battle is far from over!"
"Foreign merchants can suppress prices, but in just seven days, there won't be that much grain. The county granary is filled with sand. As long as we stand united and hold the line, even if prices only return to one hundred coins per dou, we can still make a big profit!"
"But if we sell, Linjiang City will truly be finished!"
Elder Lin looked at the other three patriarchs.
The three exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
The head of the Qian Family declared boldly, "Elder Lin is right, such a clumsy scheme is full of holes in our eyes!"
"The Four Great Families of Linjiang City will advance and retreat together. As long as we hold onto the grain, this battle is not lost!"
"I'll return home immediately and order that not a single grain be released to the market!"
"Farewell!"
After speaking, the head of the Qian Family strode away.
The Patriarchs of the Han and Zhao Families also cupped their hands, "Rest assured, Elder Lin, the Four Great Families are like brothers. How could we do something so harmful and unprofitable!"
"Farewell!"
They all left.
Elder Lin watched their backs, his gaze deep.
The Steward of the Lin Residence spoke, "Elder Lin, I'll go instruct the Lin family's shops not to lower prices by even a coin!"
As soon as the steward said this, Elder Lin slapped him.
Slap! Find the original chapter at g.com.
"Fool!" Elder Lin scolded.
The steward, holding his face, was stunned.
"Elder Lin..."
Elder Lin reprimanded, "If I don't sell, what if they secretly sell?"
"At that time, the only path left for me is bankruptcy."
"Strike first to gain the upper hand, delay and you'll suffer."
"Publicly, we won't sell, but privately, sell as fast as possible, at ninety coins per dou, no, sell at eighty-seven coins per dou!"
The steward was shocked, "Sell at eighty-seven coins per dou?"
Elder Lin nodded, "If this grain is stuck in our hands, we'll suffer a huge loss."
The steward's eyes widened, and he hurried to carry out the orders.
Outside the Lin Residence.
Inside the carriage.
The head of the Qian Family sat inside, sneering, "Back home, anyone who doesn't sell is a fool!"
"In seven days, who knows how many foreign grain merchants have flooded into Linjiang City. We must sell as quickly as possible."
The head of the Qian Family's eyes flickered.
He had spent too much silver, nearly filling the entire Qian family's granary.
He could endure this year, but what about next year?
Great Qian had suffered disasters and droughts for consecutive years; who could guarantee next year wouldn't be a bountiful year?
If it was a bountiful year, grain prices would normally hover around thirty coins, and it would be truly disastrous then.
For a time, the Four Great Grain Merchants of Linjiang City all publicly claimed not to sell, but privately, they were selling as fast as they could.
Lin Residence.
When Elder Lin heard the news, he was furious.
"Those bastards, I knew they couldn't be trusted. Luckily, I had a backup plan, or it would have been over!"
"Spread my order, all Lin family rice shops must lower prices accordingly, even if it's at a loss, sell it all. This battle, I've lost!"
Elder Lin's eyes were complicated.
He had roamed the world all his life, but never expected to lose to Gao Yang in the end.
He couldn't afford to gamble anymore; once Linjiang City's grain prices stabilized, he would face a thunderous disaster.
If next year wasn't a disaster year, the Lin family's century-old accumulation would be destroyed!
He could not be the sinner of the family.
As the Four Great Grain Merchants faced their downfall, Linjiang City's grain prices plummeted once more.
In just one hour, prices dropped from ninety-three coins per dou to eighty coins per dou!
This was even cheaper than Cui Xinghe's eighty-two coins per dou by two coins!
And the most terrifying thing was that it took less than an hour for prices to fall from two hundred and twenty coins per dou to eighty coins per dou!