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

"Minister Chen, now we'll see if grain prices will drop to what you expect."

Pei Ju turned his head and looked at the young man beside him.

Chen Huai'an laughed and said, "Minister Pei, please rest assured. We've arranged so many troublemakers and released so much information; it must have all spread by now."

"If these grain merchants weren't stupid, they would definitely lower the prices."

"Just make sure you have enough money to buy food."

"Chang'an City is absolutely not short of grain nowadays, and the price of 250 coins per dou has attracted countless grain merchants from all over the country."

"If possible, I hope your Ministry of Revenue can collect as much as possible. This year's national treasury grain revenue has definitely decreased sharply, and the imperial court cannot function without grain."

Pei Ju pondered for a moment and said, "Whether it's ironware or refined salt, the Ministry of Revenue only controls 30%, the Ministry of Works controls 40%, and the remaining 30% is in the hands of the Ministry of Personnel."

"Even with a price of 180 wen per shi, consuming so much grain would still be difficult. Perhaps... we could try to take 30% of the Ministry of Revenue's share back to the Ministry of Revenue?"

Should 30% of the Ministry of Revenue be taken back to the Ministry of Revenue?

Chen Huai'an was startled.

Pei Ju wasn't suggesting that the Ministry of Personnel use 30% of its revenue to buy grain.

His meaning is to take back all of those 30% of the profits.

In modern terms, they want not only money, but also shares!

Asking for money is easy, since it's for buying grain at rock-bottom prices, and the Ministry of Works and even His Majesty certainly have no objections.

We need to get the shares back...

Is this thing so easy to get?

Chen Huai'an had never thought of it that way. He had always thought of using 30% of the profits to stabilize a large number of people in the court so that he could do practical things without any obstacles.

Besides, the initial agreement was for two years anyway. After two years, whether it was the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of Finance, they would eventually have to give the profits to the Ministry of Revenue.

But now, Pei Ju wants to take it back ahead of schedule.

"Excuse my bluntness, but this is difficult." Chen Huai'an shook his head, not optimistic about the matter.

Pei Ju nodded slightly and sighed, "It is indeed difficult. You gave it away because of the situation and to win over a large number of supporters. But it's not so easy to get back what you've given away in advance."

"However... I have a way!"

"Oh?" Chen Huai'an asked, somewhat surprised. "What method?"

"Hehe..." Pei Ju shook his head and chuckled, then walked forward with his hands behind his back. "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed, hahahaha."

"Minister Chen, you are an extraordinary person. You have stirred up a storm and shown great talent during this period of time."

"But I, an old man, have at least lived for eighty years, and I still have some reputation to speak of."

"Just wait for my good news!"

Chen Huai'an was taken aback upon hearing this, then chuckled as he looked at Pei Ju's smug back with his hands behind his back, "This little old man..."

"You're even acting mysterious now, how mischievous!"

"..."

Chen Huai'an didn't take Pei Ju's words seriously and focused all his attention on the grain market.

"Your Excellency, today, apart from my subordinates and the grain shops privately run by the Ministry of Revenue, none of the other grain merchants have lowered their prices!"

That evening, Wang Bai reported to Chen Huai'an with a bitter face: "Minister, I already have very little grain on hand. Most of the people in Chang'an City cannot receive disaster relief grain and can only buy it. Today, I sold nearly three thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), and my inventory is almost gone."

"Even if my subordinates try to delay as much as possible, they can only hold out for one more day at most. The day after tomorrow, my subordinates will probably have no grain to sell."

"No need to rush." ​​Chen Huai'an sat in front of several buckets, seemingly preparing something, the smell of which was not pleasant. "These grain merchants probably realize they've been tricked, and they're holding their breath, determined not to lower the price."

"But just because they can hold on doesn't mean that the small grain merchants below can hold on. Tomorrow, or at the latest the day after, someone will definitely lower the price."

"It's good that you continue to spread the news that the crops planted on the reclaimed land are growing well, that Jiannan and other areas have not been affected by the disaster, and that there is grain in the granaries."

"If even one person can't hold on and lowers their grain price to the same level as yours, everyone else will inevitably follow suit!"

"This is the human heart!"

Chen Huai'an paused for a moment, then said, "Tomorrow, we'll lower the price by another ten coins. I'll inform the Ministry of Revenue so you can all lower the price together."

Wang Bai exclaimed in shock, "Minister, are we going to lower the price again?"

"Surrender!" Chen Huai'an clapped his hands, wiped them with a handkerchief, and said, "Why don't you surrender?"

"How can we get these grain merchants to realize the reality without lowering prices?"

"Some of them might still be dreaming."

"Understood, Minister." Wang Bai suddenly realized and respectfully withdrew slowly.

The next day, things turned out exactly as Chen Huai'an had predicted.

Wang Bai, along with several grain shops run by the Ministry of Revenue, lowered the price by ten coins, bringing the price down to one hundred and seventy coins per shi (a unit of dry measure).

The people were happy, but the grain merchants were extremely anxious.

They had intended to wait and see if grain prices could rebound, but now they are falling lower and lower.

Yesterday it was 180 coins, today it's 170 coins, will it be 160 coins tomorrow?

In addition, the words spoken by Chen Huai'an and Pei Ju have been thoroughly spread, and the news that the imperial court has tens of thousands of acres of grain waiting to be harvested has also spread throughout Chang'an.

By the afternoon, grain prices in Chang'an had completely collapsed.

Wang Bai and the grain shops run by the Ministry of Revenue acted like troublemakers, initially raising prices sharply, but now drastically lowering them.

Selling grain at a price of 170 coins per shi drove all the grain merchants, large and small, in Chang'an City crazy.

"Damn it, how could the price drop be so drastic? How could it be so drastic!" a grain merchant wailed.

They were all attracted by the high prices of grain, hoping to make a fortune, but now it's hard to say whether they can even break even.

This includes the original cost of the grain, as well as the various expenses required for its transport.

One hundred and seventy coins—it's difficult to even break even.

But if we ship it back, the cost will be even greater, and we'll only lose more money.

Of course, there are also hard-line grain merchants who would rather suffer losses than sell at a low price.

Yes, in their eyes, this price, which is even higher than before the disaster, is a fire sale.

These people, carrying provisions, intended to leave the city, but were stopped by imperial guards wielding long swords.

"Why won't you let me out?" the grain merchant shouted angrily.

The leading commander sneered, "His Majesty has decreed that, given the current natural disaster, to prevent malicious acts, no one is permitted to carry large quantities of supplies out of the city!"

"Chang'an City is under lockdown!"

When this news spread, the grain merchants gathered in Chang'an felt as if the sky had fallen.

"Sell grain! Sell grain quickly!"

Finally, a small grain merchant couldn't withstand the pressure and posted a price of 170 wen per shi (a unit of dry measure).

If it's 170 coins, there's still a chance to break even; at worst, it's all for nothing.

But if they continue to lower prices, they may incur losses.

This is something that small grain merchants cannot accept.

Once someone started, it was like igniting a signal; within just one hour, seven or eight grain shops began lowering their prices, and the number of shops doing so was increasing...

"..."