The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

The atmosphere in the main hall of the Great Song Grain Contract Trading Center was so lively it was like dumplings being boiled in boiling water.

The Lin family head, accompanied by several other prominent family leaders, swaggered and occupied the grand chairs in the VIP area. On the square table in front of them, several heavy camphor wood chests were lined up, filled with gleaming silver.

Li Gefei stood behind the tall counter, pinching his thigh hard to keep himself from bursting out laughing.

He steadied his voice and spoke in a businesslike manner: "Patriarch Lin, are you sure you want to sign this contract for 100,000 shi of wheat? At 300 wen per dou, the total price is 300,000 guan. You'll need to pay a 10% deposit, which is 30,000 guan in cash."

The head of the Lin family snorted disdainfully and slammed his hand on the silver box.

"The 30,000 strings of cash are right here! What's wrong? Isn't Jiang Shanchang usually so wealthy and powerful? Why is he afraid to sign now?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Lin led Su Shi out of the back hall.

Jiang Lin remained as spineless as ever, casually hooking onto a grand chair and slumping inside, picking up his teacup and blowing away the foam.

"Master Lin, you've got quite the spending spree." Jiang Lin glanced at him with a half-smile. "Ten thousand shi of grain is no joke. If you can't deliver in three months, the penalty for breach of contract is ten times the amount. Three million guan—Master Lin, you'd better think this through."

Upon hearing this, the Lin family head threw his head back and burst into laughter, laughing like a weasel that had stolen a hen.

"Jiang Shanzhang, don't worry! We in Jiangnan have plenty of grain. Let alone 100,000 shi, I can easily raise 200,000 shi. But Jiang Shanzhang, please don't be unable to come up with 300,000 guan to collect the grain in three months!"

The Lin family head had already been plotting his moves for a long time.

Currently, because they've joined forces to seal off the warehouses, the market price of grain has been artificially inflated to 500 wen. But once the autumn harvest comes in three months, the price will definitely plummet back to the stagnant level of 100 wen.

He's now paying a 30,000-guan deposit and signing a contract worth 300 wen to sell the grain to the academy. Three months later, he'll spend 100,000 guan to collect the new grain and then dump it on Jiang Lin, thus getting 300,000 guan for free.

After calculating everything, he made a net profit of 200,000 strings of cash! Is there anything more satisfying than getting something for nothing in the world?

As for not being able to pay the grain? What a joke! Jiangnan is their aristocratic family's private territory!

Looking at the arrogant "I've already won" face of the Lin family head, Jiang Lin silently labeled him a pure-blooded traitor in his heart.

"Since Patriarch Lin insists on sending it... and insists on cooperation, then let's sign it." Jiang Lin lazily raised his hand.

Li Gefei immediately pulled out the contract stamped with the official seal, and both parties quickly signed and sealed it.

The Lin family head held the thin, cicada-wing-like contract in his hand, making it feel like a 200,000-string silver note, and led his men away arrogantly.

The Wang family head, who was watching from the sidelines, was so jealous that he hurriedly squeezed to the front.

"Jiang Shanzhang! Does your academy need more grain? Our Wang family can provide 50,000 shi!"

Jiang Lin stroked his chin, his acting was incredibly realistic, his face clearly showing that "even the landlord's family has no surplus grain."

"Master Wang, 100,000 shi of grain is enough to sustain the West Lake project for quite some time. If we collect any more, our academy's accounts will run into financial difficulties."

The head of the Wang family was furious when he heard this. Why should the Lin family let him take away such a juicy piece of meat, basin and all?

"Jiangshan is long, the price is negotiable! I only want 280 coins per dou! I'll also sign a contract for 50,000 shi!" The head of the Wang family shouted at the top of his lungs.

Upon hearing this, the grain merchants in the hall went into a frenzy, completely enraged.

"I'll offer 270 coins! Give me 30,000 shi!"

"Two hundred and fifty wen! I'll sign for twenty thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), and I've brought the cash with me!"

The once grand trading center instantly transformed into a bustling market where middle-aged women were scrambling to buy discounted eggs. Everyone was frantically driving down prices, afraid of missing out on this lucrative opportunity.

Jiang Lin nestled in the armchair, his brows furrowed and his face contorted with pain, but inside he was overjoyed.

He casually tilted his head and gave Li Gefei a look.

Li Gefei instantly understood, cleared his throat, and shouted, "Quiet down! Since everyone is helping the academy, we'll invest more money and add another 200,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) to the purchase quota! The price will be uniformly 250 wen (another unit of dry measure), and the deposit will remain at 10%!"

The entire hall erupted in thunderous cheers, and the grain merchants, like sharks smelling blood, lined up to pay and sign.

The trading center didn't put up a "Closed" sign until sunset.

Li Gefei and Qian Duoduo were leaning over the counter, checking their accounts. Looking at the astronomical figures on the abacus, their hands trembled like leaves.

"Headmaster..." Qian Duoduo swallowed hard. "Today alone, we've spent 300,000 shi of wheat contracts. The cash deposits we've collected alone amount to a full 75,000 guan!"

Su Shi stood to the side, his head buzzing. The Confucian classics he was so proud of had never taught this.

"Zizhan, you're playing with fire!" Su Shi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Three hundred thousand shi of grain! In three months, we'll have to pay seven hundred and fifty thousand guan! Even if we sold the government office, we couldn't raise that much money!"

Jiang Lin slowly stood up and stretched comfortably.

He strolled over to the large chest filled with silver, grabbed a handful of snow-white silver ingots, and let the silver slip through his fingers, making a crisp and pleasant clinking sound.

"Old Su, you've broadened your horizons."

Jiang Lin turned his head, his eyes revealing an absolute rationality that sent chills down one's spine: "We don't need to pay a single penny. Because three months from now, they won't even be able to pay a single grain of rice."

Jiang Lin patted the silver dust off his palm, turned to look at Qian Duoduo, and his tone turned completely cold.

"Duoduo, withdraw all of this 75,000 guan as a deposit, plus the 1 million guan in the treasury."

Qian Duoduo was stunned: "Why bring so much cash?"

"Go buy grain," Jiang Lin ordered, enunciating each word clearly. "Break the operation into smaller groups and send in unsung heroes to sweep up supplies throughout Jiangnan. Buy up all the grain available on the market, no matter how high they've inflated the prices! Smuggle it out into cellars outside the city and smother it."

A flash of lightning seemed to strike Li Gefei's mind, instantly revealing Jiang Lin's deadly trap. A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Take the deposit from the aristocratic families and sweep up all their available grain on the market!

When the delivery date arrives three months later, the aristocratic families will be devastated to find that they cannot buy a single grain of rice in the entire Jiangnan region when they go to the market to collect grain to fulfill their obligations.

By then, they will not only fail to make a single penny of profit, but will also have to pay ten times the penalty for breach of contract, which would be more than enough to cover even if they sold everything they owned!

This isn't doing business; it's practically rubbing blood out of powerful families with a butcher's knife!

"Headmaster... that move was too ruthless," Li Gefei muttered to himself.

Jiang Lin chuckled lightly, his eyes as cold as ice: "Ruthless? When they hoarded goods and drove the people to starvation, didn't you think they were ruthless? Strike the snake at its vital point. To deal with these bloodsuckers, this is called a financial dimensional reduction attack."

Jiang Lin stepped over the high threshold, gazing at the lights gradually illuminating the myriad homes along the West Lake, and lazily rolled up his sleeves.

"Let the bullets fly for a while; the real show is just beginning."