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

"Brother Wang, this is no laughing matter."

Ma Yan suppressed his excitement, but his voice still trembled slightly.

Previously, Wang Bai said that the price of grain could reach three strings of cash, but they did not believe it, thinking that it would be remarkable if it could reach more than one string of cash.

Now, however, I have no choice but to believe it.

Wang Bai seemed somewhat helpless and impatient: "I've already told you the news, you can go and verify it yourself. The migration of Shandong disaster victims to Chang'an is no small matter. You can just ask around, can't you?"

"Anyway, I've said everything I needed to say. If it weren't for..."

"Fine, believe it or not!"

"No, no, no!" Lu Xun quickly comforted him, "Brother Wang, Brother Ma didn't mean that. We're not doubting you, but you should know very well what this news means."

"We just want to double-check."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Ma Yan nodded repeatedly. "That's exactly what I meant, Brother Wang, please don't be angry... Here's what we'll do: today I'll treat you to the best restaurant in Chang'an, as an apology!"

Wang Bai frowned and said, "No need for apologies. Just cooperate with me from now on and don't hold us back. The price of grain is about to reach the price I mentioned last time."

"You guys... get ready."

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged a glance, their eyes burning with undisguised fervor and boundless greed.

What preparations should be made?

Of course, we should be prepared to welcome immense wealth!

.....

The following day, grain prices soared to a level that shocked everyone in just one day.

"Two hundred and fifty coins for a peck of rice?"

In front of a grain shop, a middle-aged woman stared at the prices on the wooden sign, her voice trembling: "Yesterday it was 180 coins per dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice, and 1,800 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice. Why is it 250 coins today?"

"Why don't you just rob it?"

The grain shop owner, sleeves rolled up, gave a forced smile and bowed slightly: "Auntie, yesterday is yesterday, today is today. Grain prices change almost every day these days."

"If you have any doubts, you can go outside and ask around. It's not just our family; other families pay the same price: 250 coins per dou of rice."

"Oh dear!" the woman cried, slapping her thigh. "You heartless grain merchants, aren't you afraid of retribution? Two hundred and fifty coins for a bushel of rice, how are we supposed to afford that?"

"You're cutting off our livelihood!"

The shopkeeper still wore a faint smile, not angry at the woman's words: "Auntie, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. We didn't want to see grain prices rise like this either."

"But that's just how it is, and there's nothing we can do about it. If you're not going to buy, please stay away and don't interfere with our business."

"Of course, I must remind you that if you don't buy today, the price tomorrow might not be 250 coins per dou of rice, but 300 coins per dou of rice."

The woman was first taken aback, then became furious: "You want to raise it again? It's already gone up to 250 coins, and you want to raise it again?"

"Are you animals? How black-hearted have you become? Are you trying to drive us to our deaths?"

"My grandson is only eight months old, not even a year old. My daughter-in-law hasn't had enough to eat for two days. How will she survive without breast milk?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's smile vanished completely, replaced by a hint of coldness: "I've made myself perfectly clear. The price isn't determined by us, but by the current drought."

"If you're not satisfied, go talk to God. Whether you pray to the gods or beg for divine mercy, do whatever you can think of!"

"But please don't interfere with my business!"

"This is the second warning. If you don't listen, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Looking at his cold face, the woman's anger instantly dissipated. Her legs went weak and she knelt on the ground, her voice filled with sobs: "Shopkeeper, please, have mercy on me, just sell me half a bushel at yesterday's price, okay? My family really can't afford to eat. My child is waiting at home. He's still a baby, he can't go hungry."

"What does that have to do with me?" The shopkeeper's face turned completely cold. "If you can't afford it, get out! Don't cause trouble in front of my shop! I've tolerated you twice already. If you keep making a scene, don't blame me for having you kicked out!"

The surrounding onlookers were indignant: "How dare you talk to me like that? We're open for business, how can you tell someone to get lost?"

"Exactly! Who can afford this price of grain? Yesterday it was 180 wen per dou, today it's 250 wen per dou, and it's going to rise again tomorrow. Now that there's a severe drought, you're leaving us no way to survive!"

"You have to lower the price!" someone shouted.

These words immediately drew a lot of agreement.

"Yes, lower the price!"

"Price reduction..."

We're all ordinary people. Faced with such exorbitant grain prices, who can remain calm? And who doesn't have children?

The shopkeeper snorted and waved his hand. Several burly men stepped forward and blocked the grain shop.

This action, instead of deterring the people, caused even greater unrest.

"Why not lower the price? Where are the government officials? Why aren't they doing anything about it?"

"Yes, where are the government officials? It's come to this, why haven't they opened the granaries and distributed grain? Are they really going to watch us die?"

"God, please open your eyes..."

On the second floor of the grain shop, Zhang Ming looked out the window and saw the scene below. He sneered, "A bunch of lowly commoners, always causing me trouble. Lowering prices? What wishful thinking!"

"Give back to the government! What grain has the government ever given you? Instead of hoping for divine intervention, you'd be better off figuring out how to make money. Otherwise, you deserve to die!"

After saying this, Zhang Ming put his hands behind his back and ordered, "Men, send a few more people down here. Don't let these lowly people damage my shop, or they won't be able to pay for it even if they sell their lives."

"..."

This wasn't just happening here; similar incidents occurred frequently in front of grain shops throughout Chang'an.

Public opinion was boiling over, and resentment was overwhelming.

Apart from grain merchants, no one can accept the current grain prices.

It's too high, so high it's deadly.

At this moment, the people hated these grain merchants to the core.

The people witnessed every single truckload of grain that was brought in.

All of this was observed by Chen Huai'an, Li Shimin, and Li Chengqian, who were on nearby high-rise buildings.

Li Shimin's voice carried a hint of unconcealed exhaustion: "It's finally coming to an end. If it continued any longer, I wouldn't be able to keep going."

"Even the Emperor Emeritus has inquired about this matter."

Chen Huai'an gazed at the streets below filled with complaints, then at the endless stream of convoys transporting grain into the city in the distance, and chuckled softly, "Heh... Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the roads, the starving dead lie!"

"It's time to let these grain merchants know what divine justice is!"

"..."