Qingshui City
Cui Xinghe stood with his hands behind his back in the government office, holding a letter that had been sent from Chang'an at the fastest speed.
Behind him stood the respectful magistrate of Qingshui County.
The magistrate of Qingshui County couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement as he watched Cui Xinghe's back.
This Cui Zhuan Yuan was truly remarkable.
Within just a day of arriving in Qingshui City, he had used decisive measures to force the city's major grain merchants to lower the price by five coins per dou!
The price of grain in Qingshui City had dropped dramatically from 100 wen per dou to 95 wen, and then another five wen within the next day, as he ordered the opening of granaries and the purchase of grain, bringing the price down to 90 wen per dou!
The price of grain on the market had stabilized at 90 wen per dou.
Such tactics were enough to make the magistrate of Qingshui County admire him greatly. He had heard that in nearby Linjiang City, the grain prices were not only not controlled but had started to rise drastically…
After reading the letter, Cui Xinghe's handsome face showed a hint of disdain.
Then he spoke aloud, "The people of Linjiang City are in for a rough time."
Behind him, the magistrate of Qingshui County, curious, asked, "Master Cui, what happened? Why are the people of Linjiang City in trouble?"
Cui Xinghe turned around to glance at the magistrate, casually replying, "The grandson of the Duke of the State, Gao Yang, arrived in Linjiang City. His first order was to command the four major grain merchants in the city not to sell grain for less than 150 wen per dou!"
"150 wen per dou?"
"What?"
The magistrate's face showed shock.
That price would be enough to starve the common people!
Cui Xinghe continued, "The Duke of the State holds immense power. Even though the Empress ascended the throne and the Great Qian Dynasty is undergoing a reshuffle, the Duke of the State is a veteran of three reigns, and his prestige is known throughout the Great Qian!"
"Gao Yang, with his status as the grandson of the Duke, is even stronger than my Cui family. Instead of using his power to pressure the greedy grain merchants to lower the prices..."
"On the contrary, he raises the price of grain. What a fool. He's wasting his excellent position."
Cui Xinghe's tone was full of disdain.
He couldn't help but laugh at the Empress's arrangement.
He, Cui Xinghe, was from a prestigious family, the top scholar of the Great Qian Dynasty, and a man of great talent.
His knowledge and strategy were far superior to someone like Gao Yang, who only played with treacherous tactics.
The Empress had placed them in similar positions, one going to Linjiang City, the other to Qingshui City, clearly a competition between them.
And compared to Linjiang City, Qingshui City was much more manageable.
But Gao Yang chose to go to Linjiang City.
In Cui Xinghe's eyes, it was an enormous disgrace!
Gao Yang was nothing but a playboy, always lingering in the entertainment districts of Chang'an. Cui Xinghe, on the other hand, was focused on studying statecraft in the Hanlin Academy. But in the Empress's mind, she valued Gao Yang more.
This was a disgrace to his entire Cui family, and an even greater disgrace to Cui Xinghe himself!
Thinking of this, Cui Xinghe's eyes grew colder.
"Send out my decree to these grain merchants. Don't be too greedy, or if you anger me, it won't be easy to handle!"
"The grain price in Qingshui City must be lowered by another eight wen, to 82 wen per dou. They will still make a profit, but it's time to stop!"
"If they show me respect, when I return to Chang'an and become a senior official in front of the Empress, I will remember this favor. If not, they can act as they wish, but they won't be able to bear the consequences!"
The magistrate of Qingshui County was shocked. "Master Cui, you want to lower the price by another eight wen?"
This would bring the grain price in Qingshui City down to 82 wen per dou. Although that was still much higher than the 50 wen per dou before, it was manageable for the people, as long as they tightened their belts. At least it wouldn't be a scene of starvation and death.
Of course, in such a disaster year, a job that could support a family was invaluable. For the poor people, even if the price were lowered to 50 wen per dou, they might still starve to death.
In the magistrate's view, this was already a great improvement.
Cui Xinghe nodded. "I've secretly investigated the grain prices in Qingshui City and made a calculation. The Liu and Tian families, two of the largest grain merchants, have been stockpiling grain at prices ranging from 53 to 71 wen per dou. Not to mention that they still have last year's old grain in their warehouses!"
"At 82 wen per dou, they will still make a profit, and there won't be a total collapse."
"As an official, it's important to strike a balance. Give a harsh punishment and then a reward. That's the way to govern a country!"
The magistrate of Qingshui County admired him greatly.
"Master Cui is truly talented. On behalf of the more than 50,000 people of Qingshui City, I thank you!"
"The Great Qian Dynasty is fortunate to have Master Cui, the blessing of the nation!"
With that, the magistrate immediately went off to deliver the message.
Upon hearing the message from Cui Xinghe, the two major grain merchants in Qingshui City fell silent.
On one hand was the favor of the Cui family from Chang'an, the top scholar of the Great Qian Dynasty; on the other hand, they were facing a confrontation, each side showing their strength.
But Cui Xinghe had left them a way out.
At 82 wen per dou, they could still make a lot of money.
In this game of strategy, the grain price in Qingshui City soon began to drop again!
However, this time, the decline was gradual. This way, they could make a bit more profit, and Cui Xinghe didn't mind.
If they dropped the price by 8 wen suddenly, it would cause too much fluctuation. A slow decrease would allow the merchants to control the price more effectively and still make a profit.
After all this was done, Cui Xinghe looked toward the northern part of Qingshui City, his gaze cold.
"On one hand, we have the dramatic price drop in Qingshui City by 18 wen, while in Linjiang City, the price of grain is 150 wen per dou, or even higher."
"I, Cui Xinghe, am destined to shine in all of Chang'an!"
Cui Xinghe's eyes burned with a strong ambition.
"..."
In Linjiang City.
Outside the county office.
Angry citizens surrounded the county office, unable to contain their fury, venting their anger toward the officials inside.
"180 wen per dou, can we even survive like this?"
"My lord, I kneel before you! Please show mercy and open the granaries. If not, my whole family will starve to death!"
"The price today is already over 180 wen per dou, it's already breached 200 wen per dou! These damn grain merchants won't even sell at 200 wen per dou!"
"These bloodsucking beasts, they will surely get their comeuppance!"
The waves of voices continued to spread far and wide, causing Du Jiang in the county office to frown deeply.
He paced anxiously in the county office hall, his expression filled with frustration.
The scribe beside him spoke, "My lord, if this continues, the public's anger may spiral out of control!"
Du Jiang halted his steps, turning to face the scribe. "Is this the situation I wanted to see?"
"Since the Imperial Censor issued his decree, how can the people not be enraged? But what can I do? My petition was rejected, and the emperor ordered us to follow the Imperial Censor's instructions! What can I do?"
The scribe's face showed despair.
"Today is the seventh day, but the grain prices in Linjiang City haven't dropped. They've actually risen to 200 wen per dou, which is 20 wen more than the 180 wen per dou set in the decree!"
"The people's reserves are running low, and the county office can't open the granaries. In a few more days, with the people's anger boiling over, chaos is inevitable!"
Du Jiang's brow furrowed tightly; he was well aware of the situation.
"Where is the Imperial Censor?" Du Jiang asked, his eyes bloodshot.
The scribe replied, "He should be at Huaguo Temple."
Du Jiang's expression darkened. "At the temple again?"
His face turned a shade of iron.
Over the past seven days, apart from issuing the order that no grain merchant could sell below 150 wen per dou, Gao Yang had spent his time either touring the Qing Shui River or going to temples to pray.
He even wanted to renovate the county office and organize large-scale events!
How could grain prices drop like this?
"The seven-day deadline has passed. I will go find Master Gao and see how he plans to fulfill his promise to reduce the grain price!"
...
Outside Huaguo Temple.
This was the largest temple near Linjiang City, with countless citizens coming to worship, its incense smoke thick and abundant.
In the Great Qian dynasty, both Daoism and Buddhism were popular, with no clear distinction in importance between the two.
From the high-ranking officials to the common people, burning incense and praying to the gods was a common practice.
After offering several incense sticks, Gao Yang was personally escorted out by the abbot of Huaguo Temple.
The two of them were chatting happily.
This sight made Du Jiang, who had come to find Gao Yang, grit his teeth in anger.
He did not believe in Buddhism. In his mind, if there were indeed countless gods in the world who could hear the suffering of the common people, then how could the world be plagued by so many calamities?
The gods were nothing but a joke!
When the abbot entered the temple, Du Jiang couldn't help but ask, "Master Gao, it's been seven days!"
"Yet the grain prices in Linjiang City have not only failed to drop, but have skyrocketed. Since your decree, the prices soared to 150 wen per dou, and now they have reached 200 wen per dou! Every day, there are desperate citizens outside the county office!"
"If this continues, the situation will spiral out of control, and it will be too late to stop it. Aren't you worried?"
Du Jiang spoke with great despair.
He had initially intended to report the matter to the Empress and hoped she would stop this madness, but his request had been ignored, and he received the order to follow the Imperial Censor's instructions!
Through his inquiries, he had also finally discovered Gao Yang's identity.
He was the grandson of the Duke of Dingguo, Gao Tianlong, and a notorious playboy in Chang'an.
When this information reached Du Jiang, he collapsed into his chair in despair, unable to recover for a long time.
In the days that followed, Gao Yang, apart from ordering that the county's granaries remain closed, adopted a leisurely lifestyle.
Either he was touring the entire Guangyang County along the Qing Shui River, or he was praying at temples every day, chatting with the abbots as though he were a devout believer.
He had visited more than ten temples near Linjiang City!
Now, after seven days, not only had the grain prices failed to drop, but they had soared, far surpassing the 150 wen per dou set by the county office decree, reaching a terrifying 200 wen per dou!
And they were still climbing.
Gao Yang had not taken any measures to stop this. Instead, he planned to take advantage of this disaster to renovate the county office and host large-scale events!
Thus, despite knowing that Gao Yang was incompetent, Du Jiang couldn't help but remind him, urging him to find a solution.
If things continued like this, Linjiang City was on the brink of a major disaster!
Gao Yang glanced at Du Jiang but did not answer directly. He merely said coldly, "What have the four major grain merchants been doing these past few days?"
Du Jiang, with a stern face, responded, "Ever since the county office posted the decree, the four major grain merchants have spent large sums of money, buying up grain from smaller merchants at 100 wen per dou, even refusing to sell at 150 wen per dou. As a result, the grain prices have soared. Now they are hoarding the grain, waiting for the people to run out of food, and will continue to hike the prices!"
"These people won't even sell at 200 wen per dou!"
Gao Yang smiled, his eyes cold. "Tomorrow, we will start recruiting workers to renovate the county office. At the same time, I will issue a new decree, announcing that I will host a grand dragon boat race!"
"The winner will be exempt from commercial taxes for three years!"