The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

March in Guanzhong should be a time of lush grass and blooming peach and plum trees, but for months there has been no rain. The wind sweeps through the streets with dust, and even the air is filled with the dry, acrid smell.

Before we knew it, it was mid-March.

During this period, Chen Huai'an often took Li Chengqian around, and he didn't try to hide the little guy from him most of the time.

Of course, Li Chengqian himself was also very obedient. He rarely spoke and never bothered Chen Huai'an when he was free. Only when Chen Huai'an was free would Li Chengqian ask him some questions.

That day, Chen Huai'an led Li Chengqian through the streets of the West Market, noticing that many people had worried expressions on their faces.

Li Chengqian turned his head and lowered his voice, saying, "Sir, the price of grain has risen to four hundred coins."

"Okay, I understand." Chen Huai'an pondered the price and made a decision.

Turning around, he led Li Chengqian to a secluded warehouse, which Wang Bai had rented to store grain.

At this moment, Wang Bai was counting the grain with officials from the Ministry of Revenue.

"Your Highness, Minister!"

Upon seeing Chen Huai'an and Li Chengqian arrive, these people quickly bowed.

"No need for formalities, you all go about your business. Wang Bai, come with me for a moment." Chen Huai'an instructed, then walked a little further away, and Wang Bai immediately followed.

"Sir, what are your instructions to me?"

Chen Huai'an asked directly, "Wang Bai, how's the deal with the Ministry of Revenue going?"

"Has all the grain been sold? Which batch is this?"

Wang Bai respectfully replied, "Sir, we possess a considerable amount of grain. It will take time to transport it to the Ministry of Revenue in batches. After today's batch is delivered, we will have only five thousand shi left tomorrow."

"Okay." Chen Huai'an said immediately, "After we finish transporting today's batch, we don't need to sell tomorrow's five thousand shi to the Ministry of Revenue. I will let Pei Ju know."

"From today onwards, you are a grain merchant. Take your five thousand shi of grain and rent a shop in the West Market to sell it!"

"Huh?" Wang Bai was completely puzzled. "Sir, wasn't it said that all this grain was to be sold to the Ministry of Revenue? Why was the last five thousand shi not sold?"

"I run a grain store...who do I sell to?"

Chen Huai'an said calmly, "The plan has changed. Five thousand shi of grain is not necessary for the Ministry of Revenue, but it can play a greater role if it stays in your hands."

"As for who to sell to..." he chuckled, "You don't need to sell to anyone. All you have to do is keep raising the price for me!"

"The price of grain is four hundred coins now; tomorrow, I'll make it four hundred and thirty, or even four hundred and fifty!"

"I want grain prices to keep rising, to an astronomical price!"

Wang Bai understood Chen Huai'an's plan. After hearing these words, he was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening.

"Sir, it's no problem for my subordinates to open grain shops and raise prices, but with just me and the five thousand shi of grain I have, I'm afraid it will be difficult to raise grain prices so quickly."

"Don't worry about that," Chen Huai'an scoffed. "Just carry it, there are plenty of people who will cooperate with you."

"Besides, besides you, aren't there other people from the Ministry of Revenue?"

"All you need to do is get started."

"Of course, I'll also need you to have drinks and meals with the major grain merchants in Chang'an later, and maybe give them a little information."

Wang Bai instantly understood and said pitifully, "Sir, if I do this, I'm afraid I'll become the target of everyone's criticism. Afterwards, these grain merchants will probably want to skin me alive."

Chen Huai'an said irritably, "You good-for-nothing."

"Can you be a little more presentable? Don't embarrass yourself!"

"Have you forgotten who you work for? Not only me, but also the Ministry of Revenue and even His Majesty are your backers. What do you have to be afraid of?"

Wang Bai thought about it and realized it seemed to be true. He immediately calmed down and even became somewhat excited: "Sir, shall I pretend to be a grain merchant and drive up the price now?"

"No." Chen Huai'an chuckled. "Let's wait until tomorrow. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a good day."

After saying that, his tone softened: "Wang Bai, from the first moment I saw you, I knew you were a talented person. I believe you won't let me down, right?"

"Go! Go and turn the grain prices in Chang'an upside down!"

"..."

"Sir, Wang Bai only has five thousand shi of grain. Can he possibly control such a large market?"

After Wang Bai, who had been given a shot of adrenaline, left happily, Li Chengqian couldn't help but ask him something.

Chen Huai'an said with a smile, "Wang Bai doesn't need to influence the entire market. All Wang Bai needs to do is make a start."

"You should know that although grain prices are rising now, everyone is actually watching and waiting, and no one dares to raise them too much at once, lest they become the first to do so."

"After all, this is Chang'an, the capital city, right under the emperor's nose. Many people don't dare to go too far, but if someone starts it, then the situation will be different."

"Furthermore, these grain merchants are all incredibly shrewd. Some time ago, your father redeemed the children of people who had sold them and returned them to them. They must have guessed that Your Majesty would save the people."

"Therefore, these people are currently watching to see what the imperial court will do next."

"If the imperial court opens the granaries to distribute grain and provide relief to the people, then grain prices may drop a little in the short term. But once the imperial court stops providing disaster relief, then grain prices will skyrocket."

Li Chengqian suddenly realized: "Without disaster relief from the imperial court, grain prices will only rise slowly, because grain merchants dare not go too far, for fear of being punished by the imperial court."

"However, this is clearly not in line with your plan. What you want is for grain prices to skyrocket before the court provides disaster relief, so Wang Bai is needed to set the precedent."

"Once Wang Bai and the grain shops he secretly set up with the Ministry of Revenue start raising prices, these people will inevitably follow suit. At that point, even if the imperial court causes trouble, they'll see it as targeting Wang Bai, right?"

"That's right." Chen Huai'an nodded slightly.

"But," Li Chengqian asked doubtfully, "Sir, you just said that these people must have guessed that the Emperor wouldn't abandon the people because the Emperor redeemed their children."

"Thinking along these lines, Father will definitely save the people. If Father wants to save them, then the court needs to provide disaster relief."

"Under these circumstances, even if Wang Bai and the people from the Ministry of Revenue take the lead in raising prices, the increase probably won't be much, and it won't meet your expectations, sir?"

"Huh?" Chen Huai'an was quite surprised. "The fact that you thought of this proves that you've thought about it seriously. That's very good."

"But your consideration is incomplete. You must understand that since June of the ninth year of the Wude era, too many things have happened in the court, the imperial family, the border regions, and indeed the entire Tang Dynasty!"

"Are these things secrets?"

Li Chengqian shook his head: "Whether it's the imperial court, the royal family, the border, or the Tang Dynasty, what happens is no secret. In particular, the border wars and the Turkic army's invasion of the Tang Dynasty have long been known throughout the world."

"Haha," Chen Huai'an said with a laugh, "It's no secret that the northern government led a large workforce to mine iron ore, that Jiannan and other areas undertook large-scale construction projects, and that Guanzhong and other areas led people to reclaim wasteland, isn't it?"

Li Chengqian replied, "These matters involve too much scale; they are not secrets."

Chen Huai'an continued, "Then could we use this information they have to create an information gap, making the grain merchants think that the imperial court has no grain to provide disaster relief?"

"..."