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

"Sir, sir!!"

On the third day, Wang Bai ran back excitedly and found Chen Huai'an: "Grain prices have completely collapsed! Now almost all small grain merchants are selling grain at rock-bottom prices!"

"I think that if this continues, those big grain merchants will definitely not be able to withstand the pressure and will have to sell their grain."

"Hmm!" Chen Huai'an raised his eyes slightly. "Notify the Ministry of Revenue to send people to collect grain immediately, as much as they can."

"As for those big grain merchants... they're just making a last-ditch effort, ignore them!"

"Yes, Minister!" Wang Bai jumped up and nodded hurriedly in response.

Not long after Wang Bai left, Li Chengqian came over and immediately told Chen Huai'an some news that surprised him.

"Sir, the Emperor has ordered the temporary cancellation of the regular court sessions today."

Chen Huai'an was surprised for a moment, then suddenly realized.

Given the current situation, temporarily canceling the regular court sessions is the best option; otherwise, many officials will likely cause trouble again.

The most important thing right now is to harvest grain and reap the fruits of victory. Who has time to pay attention to these officials?

"Sir, you are truly amazing!" Li Chengqian said with sincere admiration.

During this time, the little guy often followed Chen Huai'an around, watching helplessly as the price of grain dropped from 250 wen per dou of rice to 17 wen per dou of rice.

The enormous gap between these two prices left everyone speechless.

Chen Huai'an stood up and rubbed his head: "The price of 250 wen per dou of rice was artificially inflated by me and the Ministry of Revenue. There was a huge amount of inflation in it, so it's only natural that it has dropped so drastically now."

"You should know that in early March, the price of grain was only thirty or fifty coins. If you look at it that way, I only managed to lower the price of grain by a little over a hundred coins. Do you still think you're amazing, sir?"

Li Chengqian said speechlessly, "Sir, don't try to fool me. You've made such a big fuss, working with the Ministry of Revenue and my father on such a grand scheme. How could you possibly only manage to lower the price of grain by a mere hundred or so coins?"

"For you, price is relatively secondary; what's important is that there's plenty of grain in Chang'an right now."

"Therefore, the imperial court could use its funds to purchase large quantities of grain at low prices."

"With this grain, and the continuous income from ironware and refined salt, the imperial court will have both money and grain, and thus..."

Li Chengqian thought for a moment, but couldn't seem to find a suitable word to describe it.

Chen Huai'an smiled and asked, "Risk resistance?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian's eyes lit up. "It's about risk resistance. Sir, that's a good word; it describes it very accurately!"

"..."

The Ministry of Revenue, which was well-prepared, acted swiftly. After Wang Bai conveyed Chen Huai'an's message, it immediately dispatched a large number of people to begin purchasing grain.

Such a large-scale grain purchase naturally aroused suspicion among grain merchants.

Many clever people had already guessed that these were government officials.

But what good will it do to guess?

If you have something to say, go and tell the Imperial Guards with their long swords!

Three more days passed in the blink of an eye. Some of the larger grain merchants in Chang'an could no longer hold on and had no choice but to sell their grain at low prices in hopes of escaping the vortex that was Chang'an.

They understood perfectly well that even if they lost money selling the grain now, at least they could save their lives.

If they continue to be stubborn and refuse to see the light, there is only one fate awaiting them: death!

Pei Ju watched as stones of grain were deposited into the national treasury, grinning from ear to ear: "Minister Chen, you are indeed a cut above the rest!"

"With this grain, even if this year is a year of famine, the people can still live in peace."

"It's just... tough on these grain merchants," Pei Ju said with a chuckle. "Many big grain merchants have lost everything this time. Not only have they lost their grain, but they may also have to give up their wealth accumulated over the years."

Chen Huai'an said softly, "People always have to pay the price for their greed."

"No one forced them to come, but since they dared to come, dreaming of getting rich overnight, they also have to be prepared to lose everything."

Wang Bai, who was following behind, remained silent.

Pei Ju nodded in agreement, then said, "Minister Chen, why don't we go out and take another look today?"

Chen Huai'an asked warily, "You're not going to cause me trouble again, are you? Are you going to make me talk to so-and-so?"

"Hahahaha." Pei Ju laughed loudly, "Minister Chen, so even you have moments of fear?"

"Don't worry, don't worry, we're just going out for a walk. Last time it was a coincidence, but this time... I just want to see what kind of expressions those grain merchants have now, and hear how they're cursing you!"

Chen Huai'an's eye twitched: "They insulted me, and you think you can get away with it?"

"Fine, I won't stoop to your level."

As he spoke, Chen Huai'an stood up. Seeing that Pei Ju hadn't moved, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Come on, didn't you say you were going out?"

"Perfect, I'd like to hear whether these people are criticizing you more or me!"

Pei Ju stroked his beard and followed Chen Huai'an out with a smile.

It was almost evening, but Chang'an was still bustling with activity. Caravans carrying grain could often be seen on the streets, along with people clutching their grain sacks.

If the Ministry of Revenue wanted to stockpile grain, the common people would naturally do the same.

No one knew when the drought would end, and the people were terrified of the price of 250 coins per dou of rice.

Therefore, during this period, people who were able to afford it were buying grain.

Two ministers followed Wang Bai down the street. Pei Ju looked at the expressions on the faces of the people around him and felt a sense of satisfaction.

"I vaguely remember that Chang'an was shrouded in dark clouds a while ago, but now the rain has finally stopped and the sky has cleared."

"Hmm... what's that place over there? It looks like there are quite a few people gathered there."

Chen Huai'an looked in the direction Pei Ju was pointing, but he didn't know what it was because there were too many people around.

"Sir, that's Zhang Ming's grain shop over there. They've also lowered their prices now," Wang Bai replied from the side.

Chen Huai'an suddenly realized: "Is it one of those three major grain merchants?"

"yes......"

"Wang Bai, I'll fuck your mother!!!"

Before Wang Bai could finish speaking, someone suddenly rushed out of the grain shop.

Zhang Ming, with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, held a short knife in his hand: "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?!"

"You son of a bitch, it's all your fault that we've ended up like this! Three generations of family business, decades of hard work, all gone in an instant!"

"You set us up, and you still dare to show your face in front of me so brazenly?!"

Zhang Ming's eyes were filled with venom, and his face contorted with rage as he lunged at them, yelling, "I'll kill you!!!"

Wang Bai and Pei Ju were both frightened by Zhang Ming's appearance.

Seeing Zhang Ming rushing over in a frenzy, Wang Bai was both shocked and frightened.

What was shocking was that Zhang Ming dared to commit violence in the street, and what was frightening was the possibility that Zhang Ming might injure Chen Huai'an and Pei Ju.

The sky... is about to collapse!

In an instant, Wang Bai gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and made the right choice: to sacrifice himself to ensure the safety of the two ministers.

"Sir, you run first, I'll hold him off!!"

"..."