People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 472, What you're here for isn't important, what's important is dying here.

Back at the restaurant, the steward told Zhang Liang everything he had found out.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang was taken aback, and then prepared to leave for the Sikou Mansion.

"Young lord, please wait. We cannot touch this grain depot."

The steward immediately realized what Zhang Liang was about to do, so he hurriedly stopped him.

"Why? This grain store is deliberately hoarding grain, but His Majesty just issued an edict forbidding grain stores in Korea from deliberately hoarding grain and driving up prices. They have violated the law. Why can't I arrest them?" Zhang Liang asked in a deep voice.

"Because the person behind this grain store is Guo Kai, the prime minister of Zhao, if we take action against the grain store, we will inevitably offend Guo Kai," the steward said in a deep voice.

"Guo Kai!?" Zhang Liang exclaimed in surprise.

Zhang Liang was naturally familiar with the name Guo Kai, after all, he was a favorite minister of the King of Zhao, as well as a notorious traitor in the state of Zhao, and a figure who was on par with Ji Wuye of Han, the Grand Minister of Works of Wei, Lord Yanchun of Yan, and Hou Sheng, the Prime Minister of Qi.

Guo Kai's most infamous act was after King Xiaowen of Zhao died, and King Yan of Zhao ascended the throne. He advised the king to appoint Yue Cheng instead of Lian Po as commander-in-chief, which angered Lian Po. Lian Po then led his private troops to attack Yue Cheng, forcing Yue Cheng to flee. Lian Po, fearing punishment, also fled to Daliang, the capital of Wei.

Two of Zhao's most famous generals were forced to leave Zhao by a single sentence from Guo Kai, and from then on, Guo Kai held absolute power in Zhao.

"Our state of Korea has always been allied with the state of Zhao. Why would they take advantage of our misfortune?" Zhang Liang said angrily, clenching his fist.

Among the three states of Jin, Zhao, Wei, and Han were once prominent. Wei's elite infantry dominated the world, and Han's reforms made it famous. Before the Battle of Changping, Zhao was the only state that could stand up to Qin.

However, the three states encountered setbacks shortly after their rise to prominence and never recovered. But even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. Zhao remained the eldest of the three Jin states, while Han was naturally the youngest of Zhao's younger brothers.

Guo Kai, as a favorite minister of the King of Zhao, was extremely greedy. With just a few words, he forced two famous generals to leave the State of Zhao. If he had captured the other party's people, Guo Kai would definitely have retaliated against the State of Han.

Given King Yan's trust in Guo Kai, the State of Zhao might even send troops to attack the State of Han.

The steward glanced at Zhang Liang, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. Their young master was good in every way, but he was too naive and had no idea about the dirty things behind power.

"There are some things you should ask the Prime Minister about," the steward said helplessly.

Zhang Liang stood silently with a heavy expression. Before he could make a decision, there was another knock on the door.

Two members of the Zhang clan rushed into the room, and upon seeing Zhang Liang, they bowed and said...
"Young Master, something terrible has happened! Several merchant caravans have appeared out of nowhere and are buying up grain in Xinzheng City. These caravans are from Zhao, Yan, and Qi. They've bought up all the grain from the merchants from those countries."

“We were thinking of buying some, but these grain merchants simply didn’t dare to sell to us.”

"The same situation has occurred in major cities such as Yewang and Xincheng, and the previously reduced grain prices have risen again."

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang looked surprised, his figure swayed slightly, and then he looked at the steward beside him.

"What are the names of those caravans?" the steward asked.

The Zhang family members stated the name of the caravan, and the steward, with an expression of "I knew it," looked at Zhang Liang and said...

"Young Master, these people are the Grand Minister of Works of Wei, Lord Yanchun of Yan, and the merchant caravan under the Prime Minister Hou Sheng of Qi."

Zhang Liang was startled at first, then his face showed a bitter expression, and he said with a wry smile.
"So that's how it is, Brother Xu, is this your method?"

Zhang Liang now understood why Xu Qing was willing to leave Nanyang so easily; Xu Qing's true intentions lay not in Nanyang, but in Xinzheng. Whether it was Guo Kai, the Grand Minister of Works of Wei, Lord Yanchun, or Hou Sheng, without exception, these people were all extremely close to Qin.

Xu Qing didn't need to resort to any schemes or tricks. With the strength of the Qin state, he could easily make forces that didn't belong to him work for him.

Moreover, once the news of these people's caravans purchasing grain spreads, what will the other grain merchants think? They will certainly not dare to sell grain to South Korea anymore, otherwise they will be offending them.

South Korea could only swallow its anger, as this involved four of the six countries in Shandong. What could South Korea do but silently bear the loss?

Upon realizing this, Zhang Liang's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he panicked, quickly running outside.

"Young Master, where are you going?" a member of the Zhang family asked.

"Return to the Sikou Mansion quickly."

After Zhang Liang finished speaking, he walked out of the restaurant without looking back.

If Xu Qing didn't intend to use Qin grain merchants to disrupt grain prices in Han, then why did these Qin grain merchants make such a grand appearance in Xinzheng and actively contact grain merchants from other countries? All of this can only mean one thing.

These Qin grain merchants were deliberately sent by Xu Qing so that he would arrest them.

In Xinzheng, in the prison of the Sikou Mansion.

The four Qin grain merchants stared silently at the jailers outside, their expressions shifting between anger and uncertainty, their eyes filled with struggle, as if they were agonizing over something.

"If you maintain your dignity, your descendants can shed their merchant status, and the Marquis and the Grand Chancellor will select talented individuals from among your descendants to serve as officials in the court. If you no longer desire dignity, then I will help you maintain your dignity."

"I think you all know how to choose."

The jailer looked at the four men in the cell and said coldly. The four grain merchants exchanged glances, then smiled nonchalantly. They had been chosen by Marquis Wenxin, Lü Buwei, so they naturally knew why they had come to the State of Han.

“We certainly believe in the promises of Marquis Wenxin and the Grand Chancellor, but we would like to ask you to convey a message to the Grand Chancellor on our behalf: it is our honor to be able to dedicate our lives to the Great Qin,” one of them said.

“We are the same,” the other three said in a deep voice.

Since they chose to come to South Korea, they must have been prepared to stay there forever, using their lives to pave a path for their descendants to enter officialdom and thus escape their status as merchants. This was a worthwhile deal.

Rather than backing out at the last minute and losing face, it's better to take the initiative, which will make Xu Qing and Lü Buwei feel even more indebted.

"Alright, then please set off on your journey."

Seeing that the four were so obedient, the jailer handed them the prepared poison.

"This poison is colorless and odorless. It takes effect very quickly after ingestion, and you will not feel any pain."

The four men resolutely took the poison from the jailer's hand, then bowed to him.

"Please convey our message."

The jailer remained silent, only nodding to indicate that he would do his best.

"Thank you."

After thanking them, the four grain merchants swallowed the poison without hesitation. Their faces turned deathly pale, their eyes glazed over, and they collapsed helplessly in the prison.

The jailer looked at the four corpses and, after confirming that all four were dead, left with peace of mind.

Not long after the jailer left, Zhang Liang arrived late with his men.

Looking at the four still-warm corpses in the prison, Zhang Liang closed his eyes, his fists clenched tightly beneath his blue sleeves.

"We're still too late. Four grain merchants died mysteriously in the Han court. Even if they were just four merchants, Qin wouldn't let this opportunity pass."

Zhang Liang felt a pang of regret. Although merchants did not have a high status in Qin, they were still Qin people. As long as Qin held onto this point and did not let go, it would have enough reason to send troops to attack Han.

However, amidst his regret, Zhang Liang had a new question in his mind.

What exactly is Xu Qing trying to do? Is all this trouble just to create a pretext for Qin to attack Han? Although Han is suffering from a drought, and it would be morally wrong for Qin to take advantage of the situation to attack Han, which country cares about such things these days?
Therefore, Zhang Liang was certain that Xu Qing's purpose was not limited to this; the other party must have a greater scheme.

"Find the coroner; we must find out the truth behind the deaths of these four people," Zhang Liang said.

"promise."

The officials of the Sikou Mansion were so frightened that they were completely at a loss and could only blindly obey Zhang Liang's orders.

After glancing at the corpse on the ground, Zhang Liang turned and left, preparing to go home to find his grandfather, Zhang Kaidi.

Now that Han Fei is not in Xinzheng, the only person he can discuss this matter with is his grandfather.

Just as Zhang Liang was in a panic, grain prices in Xinzheng City rose again. This was because Guo Kai and his caravan were buying up grain in large quantities, causing the already high grain prices in Korea to rise even further. The Korean people, who were already worried about the drought, became even more afraid and frantically hoarded grain, hoping to give themselves more confidence in surviving in this year of great disaster.

Kaijin Trading Company.

Xu Qing sat on the cushion, holding a cup of tea in her hands, slowly savoring it.

The once arrogant Manager Zhao was now fawning over Xu Qing, bowing and scraping respectfully as he handed her an account book.

"My esteemed guest, our Prime Minister has instructed that all the grain collected in Korea be transferred to you," Manager Zhao said with a fawning smile.

Xu Qing put down his teacup, took the ledger and started looking at it, but after a few glances he lost interest and casually tossed the ledger aside.

"Tell your Prime Minister Guo that Marquis Wenxin will honor the agreement. He will reimburse you in full for the expenses incurred in purchasing the grain this time," Xu Qing said calmly.

It was impossible to get Guo Kai, Yan Chunjun, Hou Sheng, and others to help purchase grain from Han for free. However, all the expenses were paid by Marquis Wenxin, Lü Buwei, because the other party had enough wealth, probably equivalent to more than half of the Qin state's treasury.

Moreover, the money spent was only temporarily held by Guo Kai and others. Once the Qin army conquered the six states, the money would still belong to the Qin state.

"Hehehe, thank you so much, thank you so much."

Manager Zhao's smile deepened as he repeatedly bowed to Xu Qing.

After Xu Qing waved his hand, Manager Zhao tactfully left, and Zhen Gang returned as well.

"Grand Master, the four prisoners have been dealt with. Zhang Liang, the grandson of Zhang Kaidi, discovered their bodies and quickly returned home. The four dead men said before they died that it was their honor to be able to dedicate themselves to the Qin state."

"Because grain prices have risen again, the people of Xinzheng are even more panicked and are considering fleeing."

Zhen Gang slowly recounted the changes happening outside.

(End of this chapter)