As soon as these words were spoken, Du Jiang was stunned.
"What?"
He hadn't expected Gao Yang to be serious.
He really intended to overhaul the county office and hold a grand event!
But this was clearly a year of disaster, the common people were struggling to survive, and yet he was squeezing them further. Wasn't this asking for the people to die?
"Sir, I will carry out your orders, but Gao Yushi, even though you are the grandson of the Duke of Dingguo, you cannot bear the consequences of causing such a great disaster!"
Du Jiang's face was filled with anger.
On the side, Shangguan Wan'er looked at Gao Yang with a complex expression, her lips curling into a bitter smile as she said, "Young Master Gao, what exactly do you intend to do?"
"Otherwise, I will have to take over Linjiang City on behalf of Young Master Gao!"
Shangguan Wan'er's expression grew serious, her eyes filled with deep concern.
The situation had become somewhat uncontrollable.
She needed to understand Gao Yang's intentions.
Du Jiang's eyes suddenly sparked with hope as he clasped his hands and said, "Lord Shangguan, please take action quickly."
"Otherwise, if the people revolt, it will lead to an irreparable disaster!"
Shangguan Wan'er looked at Gao Yang, her beautiful eyes filled with doubt. "You clearly don't like Buddha. There are many followers in Chang'an City, I have seen them, their eyes filled with an inexplicable fervor, but you have none of that."
"In other words, your visits to the temples these past few days weren't your true intention. Overhauling the county office is even more bizarre. Soon, you will return to Chang'an, but why overhaul the county office?"
"To bear the wrath of the city, while letting the price of grain in Linjiang City skyrocket, all of this, Young Master Gao, you must explain it to me!"
Du Jiang was also stunned.
He wasn't foolish. After Shangguan Wan'er said this, he began to sense something was wrong.
All of these actions were very out of the ordinary. Even if one believed in Buddha, it was impossible to visit the temple and burn incense every day.
Overhauling the county office was a thankless task. Gao Yang would eventually return to Chang'an, and even if he were a wastrel, he wouldn't do such a thankless thing.
Could it be that Gao Yang really had something else in mind?
Gao Yang stood outside the temple, looking down at the entire Linjiang City from his vantage point.
He said, "Du Daren, do you remember the words I said to you seven days ago?"
Du Jiang furrowed his brows, instinctively responding,
"Was it about lowering the price of grain, but not necessarily by desperately pushing it down?"
"But with the grain prices soaring, the merchants are greedy. How could they stop without reaping a harvest?"
Gao Yang said, "Du Daren, I want to ask you, even if the four major grain merchants unite and press down hard, how much can they lower the price by?"
"Eight wen? Or eighteen wen? Even if the price is reduced to eighty wen per dou, how many common people can afford it?"
Du Jiang froze, and Shangguan Wan'er was also left speechless.
"Unless they raise the butcher's knife and kill them all, but once they execute them, all the merchants in the city will be on edge."
"And for the ordinary people, whether it's a hundred wen per dou, or a hundred and fifty wen per dou, or even two hundred wen per dou, it doesn't make much of a difference. They still can't afford it."
"But with the grain price in Linjiang City skyrocketing, and even the government issuing an order that it cannot be sold for less than a hundred and fifty wen per dou, what will this attract?"
As soon as these words were spoken.
Buzz!
In an instant, Du Jiang's head felt as though it was struck by lightning.
The price of grain had soared to sky-high prices, and the ordinary people could not afford it, but who would this attract?
In Du Jiang and Shangguan Wan'er's minds, almost simultaneously, one word emerged.
Out-of-town grain merchants!
Could it be... could it really be...
Du Jiang looked at Gao Yang in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Shangguan Wan'er's heart churned with a storm of emotions!
Even the delicate-faced Green Vine, with her full chest, was heaving in astonishment.
Gao Yang's face was cold as he said, "Qian, Zhao, Han, Lin—the four major grain merchants are greedily sweeping up the local grain, driving up prices. Local small-scale grain merchants are also hoarding grain, hoping to sell it for sky-high prices."
"Greed is human nature. All merchants in the world are greedy, but at the same time, news of Linjiang City's soaring grain prices will spread to nearby regions at a terrifying speed!"
"These past few days, at the city gates and docks, the number of carts and cargo ships carrying grain has been increasing every day!"
"Now, the number of out-of-town grain merchants in Linjiang City is rising daily. Linjiang City no longer lacks grain."
"At this moment, the grain prices in Linjiang City are like a giant balloon—big, but will burst at the slightest poke!"
"These merchants want to profit from the national disaster. This time, I'll make sure they end up destitute and ruined!"
An icy look appeared in Gao Yang's eyes. His voice was not loud, but Du Jiang and Shangguan Wan'er heard every word clearly.
The light and casual tone swept through Du Jiang and Shangguan Wan'er's hearts.
Their gazes were filled with shock, as if they had seen a ghost!
If what Gao Yang said was true, then these grain merchants would face a great disaster. However, Du Jiang felt no pity—only satisfaction.
These merchants who profited from the national disaster all deserved to die.
"Then, why does Your Excellency want to overhaul the county office and hold the dragon boat race? What is your true intention?" Du Jiang asked, puzzled.
Gao Yang did not explain.
He simply said, "Du Xianling, you'll understand after some time. For the common people, even if the grain price is fifty wen per dou, they still need silver to buy it."
Upon hearing this, Du Jiang's eyes rarely showed no contempt.
He fell into deep thought.
A grain price of fifty wen per dou still required silver for the common people to buy.
These words gave him some insight, but he still couldn't grasp it fully.
Du Jiang suddenly knelt down, "My Lord, I am guilty. Not only am I foolish, but I also dared to impeach you!"
Gao Yang calmly responded, "The four major grain merchants have deep roots, and there are many of their people within the county office. That's why I kept silent."
"The impeachment from a few days ago is of no consequence. You need not worry about it."
But Du Jiang, sweating profusely, said, "My Lord, just an hour ago, before I came to see the Yushi, I wrote another letter with even more intense language and more passionate tone."
Gao Yang: "…"
He looked at Du Jiang, his lips twitching.
Du Jiang's speed is truly impressive!
Could it be that Chang'an would explode over this?
Shangguan Wan'er spoke up, "I will immediately draft a letter and send it to Chang'an by fast horse. Young Master Gao, do not worry."
Gao Yang nodded.
These grain merchants were unlucky to have met him!
Gao Yang turned to Shangguan Wan'er and said, "Lord Shangguan, tonight, please have sandbags filled with earth and sand brought from outside the city. Be sure that no word of this leaks. I have important plans."
Shangguan Wan'er immediately nodded, "I will carry out His Majesty's orders and send troops from the city outskirts to assist Young Master Gao."
Gao Yang looked down at Linjiang City, his eyes cold beyond measure: "Tonight will be the last celebration for the grain merchants in Linjiang City. Tomorrow, I will show them what true despair looks like!"