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

The air in the main hall seemed to freeze, ready to explode at any moment.

Old Master Lu placed the two pieces of mutton-fat jade on the table with a "clatter." The old man stared at Jiang Lin, abandoning his patriarchal demeanor, and his tone finally revealed a hint of business.

"Jiang Lin, let's not beat around the bush. The Lin family's contract for 300,000 shi of wheat and the penalty for breach of contract of 3 million guan are more than they could raise even if they sold their entire clan. If you force them, they'll have no choice but to hang themselves."

"Once you die, you will become the mortal enemy of all the powerful families in Jiangnan, and you will find it impossible to move an inch in the future."

Old Master Lu revealed his trump card: "My Lu family will refund your deposit and provide an additional 300,000 strings of cash. The remaining penalty for breach of contract will be waived. We'll each compromise; you gain money and reputation, and the Jiangnan business community retains its vitality. Everyone's happy, how about it?"

Jiang Lin laughed in exasperation. He leaned back in the armchair like a boneless rag doll: "Grandpa, are you getting old and your brain's splitting?"

"A debt of three million strings of cash, and you just shrug it off to three hundred thousand with a few words? Even Pinduoduo wouldn't cut it like that. Is this business negotiation or outright robbery? I, Jiang Lin, may not be the richest man, but I'm not going to break the rules I set for such a small amount of money."

The eyes of the middle-aged men in brocade robes standing nearby almost popped out of their sockets. Just as they were about to explode, Old Master Lu raised his hand and pressed them down.

"Money is no problem." Old Master Lu narrowed his old eyes, revealing his true intentions. "The Lin family's fate is a minor matter. What I'm interested in is your 'Great Song Grain Contract Trading Center'."

Jiang Lin scoffed inwardly. The case was solved. The old fox had been babbling on for so long; it turned out he was eyeing the pricing power of the Song Dynasty's first futures exchange.

"Using contracts to lock in future grain prices is indeed a clever move. But your academy is too weak, with no cash or grain reserves. If someone shorts the market and causes a run, it will collapse instantly." Grandpa Lu began to paint a rosy picture.

"But the Lu family is different. Jiangnan is full of our granaries and banks. The Lu family will invest and send people to manage them for you. With this powerful alliance, we'll control the grain prices throughout the Song Dynasty! At that point, a few million strings of cash will be nothing!"

This pie in the sky looks incredibly appealing. If it were a local merchant, hearing that the most powerful clan in Jiangnan was going to be associated with him, he'd probably be so excited he'd kowtow a few times on the spot.

But who is Jiang Lin? Even the Wolf of Wall Street would have to take a beating if he came. He knows all too well the value of the words "financial pricing power".

This is blatant manipulation! They claim to be helping manage things, but once someone from the Lu family infiltrates, they can use their financial advantage to sideline Jiang Lin in no time. The trading center will then become the Lu family's personal ATM, and the economic lifeline of the Song Dynasty will be transferred to the Lu family.

Jiang Lin sat up straight, his nonchalant smile vanished, and his eyes turned as cold as knives.

"Grandpa, those abacus beads you're using have hit my face!" Jiang Lin stared directly at the old man.

"The trading center is an official institution run by Prefect Su, with his seal on it. Its purpose is to stabilize grain prices and ensure that the people have food to eat, not to allow you powerful and wealthy to launder money and fleece the people! Private investment? And you want to send people to manage it? What kind of pipe dream are you having in broad daylight?"

Jiang Lin stood up and dusted off his clothes: "The Lin family must produce gold coins, not a single coin less. As for the trading center, I'm in charge. Even the Heavenly King himself can't interfere."

"I've finished my tea, farewell. I'll be waiting for the Lin family to deliver the money in Hangzhou in three days."

After saying this, Jiang Lin turned and left. Su Shi and Zhao Lingjun immediately followed, without the slightest hesitation.

"stop!"

Old Master Lu slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups rattle. A dozen burly men in brocade robes rushed forward and blocked the gate. Footsteps echoed in the courtyard outside, and hundreds of armed servants instantly surrounded the main hall like an iron barrel.

Zhao Lingjun's phoenix eyes flashed coldly, and his embroidered spring knife was drawn with a clang, directly protecting Jiang Lin. Su Shi's legs trembled, but he still gritted his teeth and stood to Jiang Lin's side.

Jiang Lin, however, remained as steady as a mountain. He patted Zhao Lingjun on the shoulder, signaling him to sheathe his sword, then turned to look mockingly at Grandfather Lu.

"What, trying to overturn the table and force our guests to stay?" Jiang Lin laughed arrogantly. "You'd better think this through! Prefect Su is a fourth-rank official in the imperial court, and I have thousands of students from the academy behind me."

"Today we might lose a hair on the island, but tomorrow the Imperial City Guard's army could blow Taihu Lake to smithereens! Are you even worthy of sacrificing a century-old legacy for a little personal money?"

Old Master Lu gritted his teeth. The Lu family had been the local tyrants of Jiangnan for hundreds of years, and this was the first time they had been ridden on someone's neck.

The old man's eyes flashed with murderous intent, but he also knew that Jiang Lin was telling the whole truth. Killing is easy, but cleaning up the mess is incredibly difficult. The imperial court was just looking for an excuse to crack down on the powerful families of Jiangnan; to act now would be nothing more than sending their heads to their deaths.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the atmosphere was deathly still.

A full cup of tea's time passed. Old Master Lu took a deep breath, and the anger on his old face miraculously vanished, replaced by a cryptic, fake smile. The old fox's change of expression was faster than turning the pages of a book.

"Young man, you're too strong and easily broken." Old Master Lu waved his hand, and the thugs around him immediately stepped aside. "Since my Lu family has sent out invitations, we naturally won't do anything despicable."

"Since we can't agree on a deal, let's talk about something else."

Old Master Lu turned to look at the back hall and slowly said, "Mingyue, come out and greet the guests."