I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

So, Xu Qing spoke up.

"Gentlemen, what are you saying? Young Master Xiao represents Songlin Academy, after all. Aren't you afraid of alienating the academy by speaking ill of him like that?"

"What? We're just telling the truth, why can't we tell the truth?"

Xu Qing snorted coldly, "You have the right to speak. But if Young Master Xiao wins in a moment, it means you've been slandering him, and slander comes at a price."

"Hmph, what price? I don't believe he can win."

"I don't believe he can win either! Xu Qing, you've always been on his side, tell me, what are you planning to do?"

Xu Qing sneered, "Fine, since that's what you say. Then if Young Master Xiao wins, each of you will buy a bra from the Xiao family, wear it, and walk around the entire county town."

The group of people were stunned upon hearing this.

"Xu Qing, you've gone too far! This is so perverted, going to such extremes!"

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Why wouldn't you dare? If Young Master Xiao loses, the two of us will run a lap in our bras. Then I'll give each of you fifty taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, several people's eyes lit up; they were tempted!

They still didn't believe it.

How could Xiao Mingyuan, who had never been able to answer a policy essay question, possibly beat other skilled opponents?

"Okay! It's a deal, we'll take the bet!"

Xu Qing grinned, a smile that sent chills down their spines...

……

……

Several students present stood up one after another to answer the questions.

A tall student from Songlin Academy spoke first, quoting a passage from the "Rites of Zhou" and then recounting several past examples of disaster relief in the current dynasty, giving a lengthy and eloquent speech.

It simply means that the imperial court should make preparations earlier, allocate more silver, and open the granaries to distribute grain.

After he sat down, Xue Wenyuan spoke.

"You're skilled at quoting classical texts, but they're all from predecessors. Where are your own insights?"

The student blushed slightly but remained silent.

Another student from Tingzhu Academy stood up, with a slightly newer idea than the previous one.

He suggested that grain should be sourced from elsewhere and stored before shortages occur, and then released when grain prices rise, in order to stabilize the market.

Xue Wenyuan listened to him finish speaking, his tone remaining gentle.

"The idea is good, but how to allocate the grain? How much to allocate? From where to allocate it? Where will the money for the grain come from? Are there detailed accounts? Without detailed accounts, this strategy cannot be implemented effectively."

The student opened his mouth, but ultimately sat back down.

The third was another student from Songlin Academy, who turned his attention to the grain merchants.

They suggested that merchants should be allowed to bring in more grain, and the government should purchase a portion of it at official prices to encourage grain merchants.

Xue Wenyuan's comments were a bit harsh.

"That sounds good, but you've only told us half the story. What is the official price? Is it higher or lower than the market price? If it's too high, it will attract speculation; if it's too low, merchants won't have any incentive. Don't grain merchants incur costs when transporting grain? Who will cover those costs?"

The student was stumped by the question and sat down with his head down.

After going around the room, Xue Wenyuan commented on the answers of seven or eight students one by one. None of them could hold up completely, and the atmosphere in the hall became even more somber.

Xiao Mingyuan sat in the back row, listening to the answers from these people and Xue Wenyuan's comments.

He then looked at what Xu Qing had just written on the paper.

I mentally went over the questions that had stumped those people earlier, and slowly I started to get a clue.

Xue Wenyuan walked around the hall, his gaze sweeping over those who hadn't yet answered, finally settling on Xiao Mingyuan.

"Young master, why don't you tell us?"

In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on him.

Everyone knows Xiao Mingyuan's background to some extent, so they don't expect him to offer any profound insights.

Meanwhile, several students from Tingzhu Academy and those who were close to Chen Shijin all looked on with amusement, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

Xiao Mingyuan stood up, took half a step forward, and began to speak.

"My idea is simple: limit purchases but not prices, let prices fluctuate with the market, but restrict the export of local grain."

As soon as he said this, the students from Tingzhu Academy couldn't help but mock him.

"If there are no price controls, won't food prices skyrocket?"

Someone nearby muttered under their breath, "This idea is as good as not saying anything at all."

Xue Wenyuan did not rush to deny it, but raised his hand to signal for quiet.

"Let him finish speaking. I want to see what he has to say next."

Xiao Mingyuan continued speaking.

"First, spread the word that Hengyang County is short of grain, but the government will not restrict grain prices and will let the market regulate itself. When grain merchants hear this, they will take the initiative to transport grain to Hengyang."

Secondly, when grain prices were about to double, the government opened its granaries and began selling grain at a price 20% lower than the market price, subject to purchase restrictions. Although grain prices were still 80% higher than usual at this point, this at least stopped the runaway price increases. Moreover, the purchase restrictions would not make life too difficult for the people.

Third, once enough grain is brought in from other regions, the price of grain will naturally fall. At that time, the government will then purchase all the grain at a price lower than the market price. Grain merchants who are unwilling to sell at a discount can transport the grain away themselves.

The hall was quiet for a few moments. Several students from the academy exchanged glances. Their smiles hadn't completely faded, but their eyes had changed.

Xue Wenyuan frowned and asked another question.

"Why are you buying so much grain? Once the new grain comes in, it'll all be old grain; who will want it?"

Xiao Mingyuan's lips curled up slightly; he was prepared.

"It can be used to brew wine."

Xue Wenyuan then asked, "What if the harvested grain exceeds expectations? Who will buy the brewed wine?"

Xiao Mingyuan glanced at Xu Qing, then turned back, touching his double chin.

"It just so happens that the Xiao family is planning a new brand. If you don't believe me, just wait and see."

He paused, then added.

"With this back-and-forth arrangement, the grain supply is secured, and the grain merchants who arrive early make money. This won't dampen their enthusiasm. Next time there's a similar situation, they'll still rush to come. If we discard them after they've served their purpose, the grain merchants will never be willing to transport grain to Hengyang again."

Xue Wenyuan remained silent, standing in front of the podium without immediately offering his comments.

He stared at Xiao Mingyuan for a long while before slowly speaking, seemingly lost in thought.

"The strategy is clear and the steps are interconnected. When the grain price doubles, we open our warehouses to match the price. This will help plug the immediate gap before we open up procurement. The grain price is set at a moderate level, ensuring that grain merchants don't make a wasted trip, but also preventing them from profiting. Ultimately, we focus on brewing, transforming the purchased old grain into high-value-added liquor, turning losses into stockpiling."

His tone was extremely serious.

"Your viewpoint is well-reasoned and supported by evidence. Your strategy is the best today. It may not bring the highest benefits, but it is the most practical. I can't find any point to refute you."

After Xue Wenyuan finished speaking, he turned to Chen Chengbo and Zou Linchuan.

"In this round, I declare Songlin Academy the winner."

Zou Linchuan's lips finally relaxed.

Chen Chengbo's folding fan remained closed, but he shifted his posture and gently placed the fan on the table. The force wasn't strong, but the sound it made when it landed on the table was still crisp.

He didn't say anything, but anyone could tell that his expression had darkened even more than before.

The students from Songlin Academy were stunned for a moment, then one of them clapped quietly, and then the applause spread out.

Li Yan turned and glanced at Xiao Mingyuan, then spoke in a low voice.

"When did you learn all this? How did you do it?"