Chapter 41

Lin Lao's words made the other two anxious as well.

"Lin Lao, don't keep us in suspense. What exactly does this Imperial Censor Gao want to do?" the head of the Han family said anxiously.

Lin Lao said with an ugly expression, "Posting a notice ordering us not to sell grain at a price lower than one hundred and fifty wen per dou—did you think that kid Gao Yang was really giving us a heaven-sent wealth for nothing?"

The three family heads were stunned in unison. Up to now, they still hadn't figured this out.

Is there really someone in the world who works hard and is ungrateful, even willing to bear infamy, and ends up in trouble, just to give them a heaven-sent wealth?

At that time, their eyes only had huge greed, but now, when the grain price plummeted, they also realized something unusual.

This move was very wrong.

They all looked at Lin Lao.

Lin Lao took a deep breath and said, "When the grain price is as high as one hundred and fifty wen per dou, besides us benefiting, who else will it attract?"

As soon as these words were spoken.

Hum!

The head of the Qian family almost blurted out, "Outside grain merchants from the counties around Linjiang City!"

"This Gao Yang wants to raise the grain price in Linjiang City to attract outside grain merchants to come and sell grain."

The other two family heads had ugly expressions.

They all understood.

"Linjiang City went from fifty copper coins all the way to one hundred copper coins per peck, but the grain price in the entire Guangyang Prefecture is not much different. In areas severely affected by the disaster, the grain price is around one hundred copper coins per peck; in better areas, it hovers around eighty copper coins per peck!"

"But Gao Yang arrived in Linjiang City and directly raised the grain price to one hundred and fifty wen per dou, and it might even climb further. The profit of fifty wen per dou, or even eighty wen per dou, will definitely attract these greedy outside grain merchants to flock to Linjiang City!"

"Then, when he waited until it was about time, he ordered the yamen granary to open and release grain, dumping it at the price of one hundred and five per dou, causing the grain price to plummet!"

"It's a pity that we didn't realize this, but instead accepted all the old grain in the yamen granary at the price of one hundred and five wen per dou!"

The head of the Qian family had an ugly expression and slammed the table.

"That kid Gao Yang is so vicious!"

Several people had gloomy expressions, feeling extremely regretful in their hearts.

If they had dumped their stock at the price of one hundred and fifty wen per dou when the yamen first posted the notice, they could have also made a fortune.

But they chose to continue hoarding grain and seeking huge profits!

Leading to their current passive position.

The grain price in Linjiang City has plummeted; should they continue to hoard grain, or follow the trend and dump it?

Soon, another servant rushed in.

"Lin Lao, the yamen posted a notice saying the granary has abundant grain. The Imperial Censor sympathizes with the commoners and ordered the Linjiang City yamen granary to sell at the price of ninety wen per dou, another full fifteen wen lower per dou!"

The head of the Han family wailed, "The Imperial Censor is taking our lives!"

The servant continued, "Not only that, I also saw people from the yamen wearing casual clothes, buying quite a bit of grain at the price of ninety-three wen per dou..."

Lin Lao also had an ugly, twisted expression.

"We swept up the grain from the yamen granary at the price of one hundred and five wen per dou, and the yamen used our silver to sweep up goods at the grain price of ninety-three wen per dou, and then sold it at ninety. In one go, he can even earn seven wen per dou!"

Thinking of this, Lin Lao completely broke down.

Pfft!

He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"This Gao Yang, I underestimated him!"

Seeing this scene, the servants all walked up to support Lin Lao.

Lin Lao was actually angered to the point of vomiting blood!

The Four Great Grain Merchants took him as the leader, and the Lin family also had the most grain stored. If the grain price plummeted!

The Lin family would be the first to bear the brunt!

Lin Lao couldn't care about the surging blood in his chest. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "This confrontation is far from over!"

"Outside grain merchants can press down the grain price, but in just seven days, they definitely don't have that much grain, and the yamen granary is also filled with sand. As long as we work together and stick to our bottom line, even if the grain price only returns to one hundred wen per dou, we can still make a big profit!"

"But if we dump our stock, then Linjiang City will really be finished!"

Lin Lao looked at the other three family heads.

The three looked at each other and nodded in unison.

The head of the Qian family boasted, "Lin Lao's words are reasonable. Such clumsy schemes are full of loopholes in our eyes!"

"Our four great families in Linjiang City advance and retreat together. As long as we hold onto the grain, we won't necessarily lose this confrontation!"

"I will return to the prefecture to give the order: not a single grain is allowed to flow into the market!"

"Goodbye!"

After the head of the Qian family finished speaking, he strode away.

The heads of the Han and Zhao families also cupped their hands in unison, "Lin Lao, don't worry. Our four great families are like brothers; how could we do such a thing that harms others and doesn't benefit ourselves!"

"Goodbye!"

Several people left one after another.

Lin Lao watched their backs, his gaze deep.

The Lin Prefecture steward said, "Lin Lao, I will go and order the Lin family's shops not to lower the price by even one wen!"

As soon as the steward said this, Lin Lao slapped him.

Slap!

"Idiot!" Lin Lao cursed.

The steward covered his face, completely stunned by the slap.

"Lin Lao..."

Lin Lao lectured, "If I don't sell, what if they sell secretly?"

"By then, the only path waiting for me is bankruptcy."

"Strike first to gain the advantage, strike later and suffer disaster."

"Don't sell on the surface, but sell as fast as possible in private. Sell it for me at the price of ninety wen per dou—no, sell it at eighty-seven wen per dou!"

The steward was shocked, "Sell it at eighty-seven wen per dou?"

Lin Lao nodded, "If this batch of grain is stuck in our hands, we'll suffer a huge loss."

The steward widened his eyes and hurried to handle it.

Outside the Lin Prefecture.

Inside the carriage.

The head of the Qian family sat in the carriage and sneered, "Return to the prefecture. Whoever doesn't sell is a fool!"

"In seven days, who knows how many outside grain merchants have poured into Linjiang City? We must ship out as fast as possible."

The head of the Qian family's eyes flickered.

He had spent too much silver, and almost the entire Qian family's granary was full.

He could endure this year, but what about next year?

Da Qian has had continuous natural disasters and droughts for several years; who can guarantee that next year won't be a harvest year?

Once it's a harvest year, the normal grain price will be around thirty wen. By then, it will really be miserable.

In an instant, the Four Great Grain Merchants of Linjiang City all indicated on the surface that they wouldn't sell, but in private, they were all selling frantically.

Lin Prefecture.

When Lin Lao heard this news, he was furious.

"These bastards, I knew they couldn't be relied upon. It's fortunate that I also left a way out, otherwise, I would really be finished!"

"Pass my order: all the rice shops of the Lin family are to lower their prices accordingly. Even if it's a loss, sell it for me. I have lost this confrontation!"

Lin Lao's expression was complex.

He had roamed the pugilistic world for a lifetime, but he didn't expect to be defeated by Gao Yang in the end.

He couldn't afford to gamble anymore. Once the grain price in Linjiang City stabilized, he would definitely suffer a thunderous disaster.

Once next year is not a disaster year, the century-old accumulation of the entire Lin family will be destroyed in one day!

He must never be the sinner of the family.

Accompanied by the entry of the Four Great Grain Merchants, the grain price in Linjiang City ushered in another plunge.

In just one hour, it plummeted straight from ninety-three wen per dou to eighty wen per dou!

This was already two wen cheaper than Cui Xinghe's eighty-two wen per dou!

And the most terrifying thing was that it took less than an hour to drop from the price of two hundred and twenty wen per dou to eighty wen per dou!