Frost for a Thousand Years

Individual investors lack cohesion.

When major players dump their shares, that's when retail investors rush to sell at a loss.

At this point, the major players can buy back their shares at a lower price.

Playing futures with me, Lord Song?

I drew all the candlestick charts myself!

"Your Excellency, we have purchased nearly 150,000 shi of grain at the original price," the Prefectural Magistrate said excitedly as he entered the main hall.

“Just keep the original grain prices, there’s no need to keep pushing them down,” Song Shi’an said. “The intention is simply to bring grain prices back to normal, not to deliberately exploit them.”

This is also a kind of soft landing, isn't it?

Although those wealthy households who bought grain at high prices were also planning to disrupt the military farms, essentially opposing the government, many of them were also coerced by powerful clans.

Halving one's assets is already a severe punishment.

Of course, Song Shi'an could go all the way and continue to drag things out, leaving these people trapped in the heavy snow. Without warehouses, the price of grain would drop further and further, eventually being cut to half price. But he also had to consider the public outrage.

What constitutes public outrage?

That is, a 50% reduction in grain prices means a 75% loss.

Although many people staked their entire fortunes, and even borrowed money to leverage their investments, many of these large investors were also making this deal as investors.

There are still many merchant ships on the river. If an agreement is reached with the ship owners to pay several months' rent and forcibly stockpile the grain, Song Shi'an's grain collection task will be difficult to complete.

Furthermore, if some people have a bad temper and neither sell their grain cheaply to the government nor have a place to store it, they might just dump the rice into the river, which would have a terrible impact.

Sometimes, not pushing too hard can be a win-win situation.

“But Lord Prefect,” the Prefectural Magistrate said softly, “we have no money left to buy grain.”

This potential hazard has existed for a long time.

Or rather, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Because the 'gap' is there, and everyone can see it.

But when we talked about it before, the Prefect said not to worry, he would take care of it.

Now it's his turn to solve it.

Of course, the prefectural magistrate was not flustered at all.

Ever since witnessing the Lord's miraculous trickery in swindling everyone's food without even using a shred of force, he has become blindly trusting.

Even though Song Shi'an was beaten to death and his head was cut off, he still felt that the Lord's feigned death was a top-notch display of wit!

"Gather all the wealthy families and make them wait for me."

"Yes." The prefect accepted the order and withdrew.

Then, Song Shi'an said to San Gou, "Please invite His Highness over so that he can join me in the meeting."

"Yes!"

At this moment, only Song Shi'an and Xin Yue remained in the hall.

“This high-priced grain purchase was largely orchestrated by a few individuals. Sun Qian is a prime example, and some nobles, such as… Duke Li and others, are also involved,” Xin Yue inquired. “They’re spending money and manpower to hoard grain at high prices, deliberately defying the court. Why not just have these wealthy families sign the petition?”

For Xin Yue, Song Shi An has already won this round.

To win and not be arrogant, and not press the advantage, would be too merciful.

"Are you saying that if I lose, they will let me off like this?" Song Shi'an saw through Xin Yue's thoughts at a glance and teased her.

"Yes, they won't."

"I do not know either."

His expression gradually turned solemn, and Song Shi'an said calmly, "But dealing with these people can no longer be satisfied by simply filing complaints."

.........

Once the loophole of swindlers, or rather, wealthy swindlers, selling grain at the original price was opened, everyone else went crazy, scrambling to get the government to bail them out. At this point, trying to prop up the market would seem both foolish and rebellious.

They initially seemed to be in the right, but once they realized it was all a trap and that Song Shi'an didn't think they had been wronged at all, their enthusiasm cooled down.

And they dared not argue anymore.

After being summoned by officials to a huge tent with no enclosure on the sides and only a raised roof, everyone squatted on the ground with their hands tucked in their pockets, showing no airs of the rich at all.

That goes without saying; the cool breeze blowing through them made their spines tremble. Not even a stove was provided—wasn't this pure punishment for their previous betrayal by raising grain prices?

"We never intended to raise grain prices; it was all Sun Qian's fault..."

"Yes, they won't force us, nor will they take the risk of doing such a thing."

"If you confess honestly now, is it possible to reach a settlement?"

"Were you also forced into this by Sun Qian?"

"We're from Qinzhou, we were definitely forced by those nobles... well, not exactly forced, but..."

"Stop defending them. They're not even here, so what's there to be afraid of? They were the ones who originally wanted to oppose the military settlements!"

Those who originally regarded the Sun family, the Sizhou aristocratic families, and the nobles as their backers even had plans to bring out their leaders and reconcile with Song Shi'an.

There's no other way. There's still so much grain left. If you don't waste it, why would anyone buy it?
Just as everyone was anxiously discussing, a man dressed in armor, carrying a sword, and wearing a red robe walked in.

"The Sixth Prince has arrived..."

"It is His Highness the Prince of Zhongshan."

"The Prefect is also here."

Behind Wei Wusheng was Song Shi'an.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the tall Wei Wusheng stood in the middle, one hand on the hilt of his sword, exuding righteousness and majesty.

Before he could speak, everyone prostrated themselves in worship.

"We pay our respects to His Highness the Prince of Zhongshan!"

“Raise your head,” Wei Wusheng said.

So, these people slowly raised their heads.

Some people were about to get up, but seeing that everyone else was kneeling, they immediately knelt down as well.

He knelt on the cold ground, receiving the king's instructions.

“We have enough grain for the military farms, and the funds allocated by the imperial court for grain have also been used up,” Wei Wusheng said bluntly. “But the government is still willing to buy grain at the original market price. However, they can only issue IOUs.”

These words were met with a chorus of sighs and complaints from the audience.

"Even at such a low price, do you still need to sign an IOU?"

"Yes, many people received five times the grain price before, and they were given it directly."

"And with so many white coupons, we can really collect the money later..."

"You bastards! They told you to buy grain at high prices, promising to pay you back later, and you believed them. But you don't believe the government's signatures and seals. What are you trying to do!"

As Wei Wusheng spoke, his expression was filled with punitive anger, as if he were dealing with spies and the Qi traitors. He looked particularly stern, making people feel that if they did not comply, they would really be punished by military law.

This is why Song Shi'an asked His Highness to speak.

You civil officials find it despicable.

Alright, then go talk to the army.

Let's see if your speculation and profiteering have any grounds for justice with Xiao Wei!

"Your Highness, we know we were wrong!"

"Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

"We trust the government!"

This sudden shift from arrogance to obsequiousness is truly delightful.

After all, this is the Prince of Zhongshan, and there are not many people more noble than him. Song Shi'an needs to be careful about the impact of counter-terrorism efforts, so if he sends Xiao Wei from the military, then there will only be one list.

“Your Highness, although your words sound like an excuse…” a wealthy man kneeling in front said, feeling very aggrieved, “we are not truly greedy. When we bought the grain at such a high price, we were not willing either. After all, we paid double when we bought it and sold it back at double the price, so we didn’t make any profit at all.”

That's absolutely true. Some people are just pure opportunists, thinking that those powerful families have taken a lot from them, and with them propping up the market, grain prices can't possibly collapse.

However, the vast majority of people were forced into participating in the land reclamation program and resisted it.

Especially the people from Qinzhou.

The nobles all had their own private armies, and in the local area, they treated the common people like ginseng roots, so how could they dare to disobey?

Moreover, it was secretly orchestrated by certain nobles to send them here to sell grain.

Indeed, the noble group wanted to punish Song Shi'an and prevent grain from flowing to Huai County, but they were not entirely united. Some of them, seeing the fivefold increase in grain yield, turned against him and secretly sold off their property in Qinzhou to "aid the enemy."

Even opponents are not a monolithic entity.

Faced with an open conspiracy, as long as there is greed, it is impossible not to be fooled.

"Is someone forcing you to buy grain?" Wei Wusheng questioned.

"This..." the man stammered, "Many of us here have been coerced."

"Tell me, who is it?" Wei Wusheng demanded. "Who has coerced you?"

"Your Highness, please spare me!" The man knew the other party was trolling him and would never stand up for him, so he refused to speak, even at the cost of his life. "If that name gets out, my whole family will be doomed."

"Very well, I will not pursue your difficulties," Wei Wusheng said, raising his head. "Therefore, I consider all of you to be innocent, having been coerced!"

"Your Highness is benevolent!"

After the label of "speculation and profiteering against land reclamation" was removed, everyone was extremely grateful.

“If you are unwilling to sign the grain IOU, there is another way,” Wei Wusheng said. “The government will provide you with granaries, and your grain will be registered and stored in the military farm camp.”

After this method was proposed, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then, a choice was made.

"Your Highness, we are willing to sign a white voucher!"

"We trust the government! We trust His Highness!"

"I also believe in the Lord!"

That's human nature. I said I'd pay for the grain on credit, but you wouldn't agree. So I said, "Fine, I'll keep the grain safe for you and pay you back later." Then everyone accepted the idea of ​​the government issuing an IOU.

After all, the former at least had a rule!
"Gentlemen, you feel you've been tricked this time, but think about it," Song Shi'an countered, "was anyone forcing you to transport the grain to Huai County?"

The villains are here.

But no one could argue with that.

This is indeed the truth.

Those powerful families forced you to buy grain, but Song Shi'an allowed them to sell grain without using troops to force them to do so.

I can only blame myself for being greedy, I can only blame myself for being foolish.

“Those useless people in the imperial court, the useless people in the local government, and the useless people in Qinzhou, I don’t care who they are or how high their rank is.”

Song Shi'an made no attempt to conceal his intentions and stated bluntly, "As you can see, the land reclamation project has been completed."

Everyone had to admit that he was right.

"The government will give you every penny of the grain payment you signed and sealed. As for the difference in price you lost in the process, that's your bet that you thought the military farming would lose."

Song Shi'an pointed at these people, a smile playing on his lips: "Now, you still have a chance to bet on winning the land reclamation project."

.........

"The incompetent officials in the imperial court, the incompetent officials in the local government, the incompetent officials in Qinzhou—are they talking about us?"

In the mansion of the Duke of Li, the Duke of Li, sitting in the central seat, relayed the news from the front and, after recounting Song Shi'an's words in front of the grain merchants, began to joke.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lie below was immediately enraged and stood up to curse, "To bring up Qinzhou in front of such a piece of trash, how many heads does this Song Shi'an have to dare to mock us, the meritorious officials who followed the emperor!"

"Yeah, he's really courting death!"

"They think we Qinzhou people are easy to bully just because they used those underhanded tricks!"

"Shut up, this is outrageous!" However, the Duke of Li did not share their righteous indignation. He immediately raised his finger and pointed at Han Qi, "Marquis of Changling, how did they manage to transport the grain from Qinzhou out of the country!"

Han Qi was the father of Han Yuan, who was killed by Ji Yuan.

Upon being asked, he nervously lowered his head, feeling extremely guilty.

"Lord Qu," he pointed at Ran Mu, Ran Jin's father, and questioned, "the road from Qinnan to Huai County is guarded by your family. I have repeatedly ordered that trade with Huai County is prohibited. How did your caravan get through?"

With that gesture, another person ducked down.

"Fool, fool!" The Duke of Li, his hand on his head, was truly enraged. "Use your brains! Where did Song Shi'an get the gold and money to buy grain at five times the normal rate? He was afraid I'd find out, so he did it secretly behind my back. So, did I interfere with your money-making?"

If no problems arise within the nobility and the north remains blocked, Song Shi'an will not be able to gather enough grain, and may even be far short.

But this is not a coincidence.

Because the nobles would fall for it, it was an open conspiracy.

These nobles, who rely on the protection of their ancestors, have only two things in their lives: they are born everywhere like donkeys, and they can't even remember who their own descendants are; they are not good at fighting the people of Qi, but they are experts at using their power to amass wealth in their fiefdoms.

"Can't you all show some backbone?" Zhao Lie retorted confidently, having not participated in the conflict. "No wonder Song Shi'an pointed at us and called us trash. He can't even handle such a paltry sum of money and he's tearing us apart. Is he even a true Qinzhou native?"

"Are you alright?" the Duke of Li asked indiscriminately as soon as he finished speaking.

"What problem do I have, Duke?" Zhao Lie retorted, not considering himself a good-for-nothing.

"Isn't your son Zhao Yi a member of the land reclamation party, and a supporter of Song Shi'an?"

"But Duke, I have solemnly declared to him many times that he is the Crown Prince..."

"Either your son sever ties with Song Shi'an," the Duke of Li warned mercilessly, "or you sever ties with us."

Upon hearing this, the other nobles also glared at him.

What gives you the right to bet on both sides?

You won't lose if you lose at Tuntian, and you won't lose if you win at Tuntian either.

Those who sit on the fence and yet preach lofty ideals—do they deserve it?

"..."

Zhao Lie stood there dumbfounded, at a loss, but he also realized something from the Duke of Li's domineering attitude—this was truly a critical moment of life and death.

……

"Your Majesty, after hearing Song Shi'an call the court 'useless trash,' Minister Sun fell ill on the spot..."

The eunuch reported this to the emperor.

"He's quick to jump to conclusions," the emperor said calmly. "Send someone to inquire after him."

These words made the eunuch realize the old emperor's cunning.

The emperor sent someone to offer his greetings, conveying two different attitudes.

Firstly, Minister Sun, I have been keeping an eye on you.

Secondly, Minister Sun, you're too old to be so presumptuous. This loss is just a warning.

“His Majesty’s divine might is overwhelming; Minister Sun will surely realize his mistake and dare not repeat it,” said Eunuch Xi.

"Fu County is ruined. Let Sun Qian be transferred back to the imperial court," the emperor said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Sun Qian's actions directly ruined the economy of Fu County and created conflict between officials and gentry. Transferring him away was also part of maintaining stability.

“Song Shi’an said that those people had won the bet on land reclamation, so he used work relief to encourage the wealthy families in the two prefectures to invest in land reclamation.”

The emperor laughed, looked at Eunuch Xi, and jokingly asked, "Would you say I made the right bet from the very beginning?"

"Your Majesty is Song Shi'an's greatest benefactor. His gambling capital was all provided by Your Majesty, and now Your Majesty has won," said Eunuch Xi earnestly.

"of course."

The withered hand tapped lightly on the armrest, and the emperor said, "I have never stepped down from the gambling table." (End of Chapter)