Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

The bet was finalized, causing an uproar in the court and among the public. Zhang Lin's cronies and the four major grain merchants all waited for Lin Yanzhou and the young emperor to crash and burn.

Lin Yanzhou had a clear division of labor and was steadily laying the groundwork. Princess Zhao Lingxi was stationed in the palace, monitoring the court's movements and stabilizing the situation at home. Even though she still had doubts about Lin Yanzhou's actions, she remained dutiful and silently cooperated with all arrangements.

Zhou Yan and Shen Qing disguised themselves and left the city, heading to various prefectures and counties around the capital to launch a frenzied publicity campaign. At every tavern, market, and large grain merchant's shop, they spread the news: the price of grain in the capital had skyrocketed to 150 wen per shi (a unit of dry measure), and was about to break 180 wen; there was no market for it, and the profits were unparalleled—trading grain in the capital could bring in a fortune!

The news spread rapidly throughout the surrounding prefectures and counties, instantly enticing out-of-town grain merchants. The price elsewhere was only thirty wen per shi (a unit of dry measure), but upon entering the capital, it increased fivefold—it was like money falling from the sky. As the saying goes, a great reward always attracts brave men; greedy people are always willing to take risks. Previously, grain merchants had always been confined to their own territories, but now, the enormous temptation drove grain merchants from all over the country to take the plunge. In no time, grain merchants from all over the country, with their wagons laden with grain, surged towards the four gates of the capital.

Meanwhile, Lin Yanzhou had ascertained the court's true intentions: the national treasury's grain reserves were limited, with less than 10,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain currently stored in the official granaries—a pitifully small amount for the capital. Half of the 10,000 shi was to be sold under false pretenses, while the other half was used for disaster relief. This was simply insufficient to directly confront the million shi of grain hoarded by the four major grain merchants. A direct confrontation would be suicidal; Lin Yanzhou instead employed a modern, financially-grade, overt strategy.

The imperial court publicly announced the grain pre-sale policy: grain orders would be released in two batches, with the first batch consisting of 5,000 shi of grain at a price of 150 wen per shi.

The second imperial edict followed: Emperor Jinghe, showing compassion for the people, ordered Princess Zhao Lingxi to distribute porridge daily in the capital to alleviate their suffering. 300,000 shi of military provisions were to arrive in the capital in ten days, with prices to be announced later. The people were assured that the food shortage would soon end.

Upon hearing the news, the four major grain merchants held an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures. They had banded together to monopolize the capital's grain market, betting that grain prices would only rise and never fall. They poured all their working capital into stockpiling grain, gambling that the ten-day bet would collapse and they would control the market. If they didn't take over the pre-sold grain, the court would have a massive supply of grain after the bet was won, and prices would naturally return to normal, rendering their life's work worthless. If they did take over, they would have to invest their entire fortune. Among the four, the Zhang, Su, and Li families of grain shops always followed the lead of their leader, Jia Daqiang. Jia Daqiang, unsure of the Grand Tutor's true intentions, decided to personally go to the Grand Tutor's residence to gather information.

Inside the Grand Tutor's residence, Zhang Lin sat in the center, as steady as a mountain. He was already certain of victory in this bet. Taking a sip of fresh tea, he slowly said, "You can rest assured, I have my arrangements. The military rations are unlikely to return. I have already sent messages by carrier pigeon to all the border troops, instructing them not to use any military supplies to prevent foreign invasion, and to be prepared for war at any time. Besides, where would the border find 300,000 shi of grain?"

"Furthermore, the grain merchants from other regions that you're worried about shouldn't receive this message. I've already ordered a thorough inspection of the four exits from the capital. Even if a small group manages to get in, I'll arrange for a strict inspection of the grain entering the city to prevent any disruption to the market. All the guards at the city gates are my men. What are you afraid of? You think you can beat me? What a joke! It's all that brat's stalling tactic. You can accept whatever grain they offer, no matter how much. I'll ascend the throne in ten days, hahaha."

Upon hearing this, Jia Daqiang beamed with joy: "Grand Tutor. Oh, no, Your Majesty is wise, Your Majesty is wise! We will proceed according to plan!"

The moment the ten-day bet was finalized in public, the entire court of officials shared the same sentiment: Lin Yanzhou, that immortal, was doomed.

The powerful minister Zhang Lin stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes brimming with relaxation. In his eyes, this was not a gamble at all, but an invitation to usurp the throne delivered to his doorstep.

With all the city's grain routes blocked and the four major grain merchants monopolizing the market, the capital was effectively strangled. The deadly situation of food shortage was imminent; even a god couldn't turn the tide, let alone this strange, oddly dressed man of unknown origin.

The people of the capital were filled with anxiety, but Lin Yanzhou remained remarkably calm.

After all, he had spent over a decade in the corporate world in his previous life, and he had seen all the treacherous tricks in the real estate and stock markets. The tricks of this group of ancient capitalists and seasoned court officials were ridiculously naive.

In this game, he didn't rely on cheating; he mainly used a calculated strategy to win people's hearts.

To win, one must win honorably, humiliate one's opponent, and incidentally tease the stubborn yet kind-hearted, beautiful and proud Princess Zhao Lingxi.

Day 1: Going against the grain to raise prices, drawing scorn from thousands, infuriating the princess.

The original price of grain, which was 30 wen per shi (a unit of dry measure), was driven up to 110 wen by the four major grain merchants, forcing the people into a state of widespread resentment. Every household tightened their belts, hoping that the imperial court would intervene to release grain at a stable price and save the people's livelihood.

Just as the entire capital was eagerly awaiting news, Lin Yanzhou made a shocking and outrageous move that shattered everyone's worldview. He ordered 5,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain from the official granaries to be sold for a limited time at 150 wen each. The news caused an uproar throughout the city, arguably the most outrageous move ever made by the imperial court. Although porridge was distributed as a form of disaster relief, the people knew it wouldn't solve their basic needs for food and clothing.

The people immediately broke down in their anger, and curses erupted throughout the streets and alleys, with everyone complaining that the new official was even more unscrupulous than the grain merchants. Zhang Lin's cronies laughed heartily, spreading rumors and vilifying Lin Yanzhou as a traitor who had brought ruin to the country and a monster in a chaotic world.

The four major grain merchants jumped for joy, and a group of grain shop owners gathered together to celebrate, beaming with delight.

"See that! Even the imperial court dares to raise prices, which means the food shortage will only get worse!"

"We were right to hoard grain and gamble on price increases! Lin Yanzhou is a complete idiot; he's practically handing us money!"

"A ten-day bet? In my opinion, he'll have to beg for mercy on his knees after three days!"

A group of people were arrogant and domineering, spouting nonsense, and had already begun to dream of dividing up the grain market in the capital and becoming rich and powerful overnight.

Inside the palace, Zhao Lingxi, who had been overseeing the entire process of calming the people, completely lost her composure when she saw this outrageous decree.

She was usually aloof and composed, never showing her emotions, but at this moment she was so angry that her chest heaved and her brows furrowed like frost. She rushed into the Jingxin side hall that very night, holding up her skirt, to confront Lin Yanzhou. Her beautiful face was filled with disappointment, speechlessness, and disdain.

"Sir!" Zhao Lingxi's voice was cold and angry, each word ringing out, "Do you even know how to govern? The people are already starving and struggling to survive, and instead of providing disaster relief and stabilizing grain prices, you're selling grain at the exorbitant price of 150 coins. Are you taking advantage of their misfortune?"

"You've gambled with His Majesty's empire and the livelihoods of the entire city! This absurd act is no different from Zhang Lin's disastrous actions that brought ruin to the country!"

Lin Yanzhou sat at the table, slowly picked up his teacup and took a sip. Looking at the princess in front of him, who was puffed up like a beautiful little cat with its fur standing on end, he found it both amusing and pleasing to the eye.

He put down his teacup, his expression calm and nonchalant: "Princess, don't rush to scold me, and don't rush to condemn me."

"I'm not trying to harm the country, I'm just setting a trap. The four major grain merchants are insatiable. If I don't satisfy their appetites, how dare they recklessly jump into the pit I've dug?"

Zhao Lingxi choked upon hearing this, his face filled with disbelief: "Feed the merchants? Feed the wolves with the blood and sweat of the common people? Such a strategy, sir, is unheard of!"

Lin Yanzhou shrugged and smiled, maintaining a calm and collected demeanor: "Ten days are the time limit; the outcome will speak for itself. Princess, please be patient and watch the show; don't rush to take sides or criticize."

Zhao Lingxi was so angry at his nonchalant attitude that she had a headache. She snorted coldly, turned around and left, silently welding the label "Lin Yanzhou is unreliable" to herself.

On the first day, the people cursed him, his opponents were arrogant and overjoyed, and the beauty completely misunderstood him; only Lin Yanzhou remained clear-headed.

Five thousand shi of government grain, priced at an exorbitant price, sold out in a single day, with all four major grain merchants taking over, plunging the market into complete panic.

The high grain prices terrified the people, who feared further price surges, leading to a city-wide buying frenzy. Meanwhile, the four major grain traders were brimming with confidence, their monopoly position firmly secured.

Just as these speculators were getting carried away and floating on air, Lin Yanzhou's second killing move quietly landed.

The imperial court publicly announced the start of a half-price grain pre-sale, with 75 cash per shi (a unit of dry measure) and no limit on the amount available. To the outside world, it was ostensibly a gesture of compassion for the people and a benefit to all households.

The market price is currently 110 coins, but the imperial court is offering a pre-sale at half price. It looks like the imperial court is losing money and giving grain merchants a huge benefit.

Ordinary people have meager resources and simply cannot afford to buy these grains. Only the four greedy grain merchants truly understood the business opportunity.

The four grain merchants' eyes turned red instantly, and they went completely mad, with only the four words "guaranteed to double their money" left in their minds.

"Pre-sale at 75 coins! Settlement in ten days! A sure-fire way to make a profit!"

"Don't hesitate! If you're too late, there won't be any left! This stupid government is just giving away freebies!"

The four companies instantly entered a fierce, cutthroat competition, each investing 100,000 taels and 200,000 taels, fearing that their competitors would grab more quotas and they would earn less money. In just two days, all the pre-sale grain orders released by the imperial court were completely snapped up by the four major grain merchants.

They poured most of their working capital into the pre-sale projects, celebrating with banquets every night and mocking Lin Yanzhou as a money-giving boy.

The national treasury was thus directly filled with silver, and the accumulation of funds was successfully completed.

In the past two days, Zhao Lingxi's anxiety and doubts have reached their peak.

In the dead of night, the candlelight flickered in the side hall. Zhao Lingxi came to the door again, her brows and eyes filled with helplessness and exhaustion from anger.

"Sir, what are you thinking?" She rubbed her forehead, looking exasperated. "You knew perfectly well that the four merchants monopolized the grain market, yet you deliberately allowed them to buy at rock-bottom prices and profit?"

"Now that they hold a massive amount of pre-sold grain, they are even more confident, and the chaos in the government and the public is escalating. Halfway through the ten-day period, you haven't achieved any turnaround; instead, you've only bolstered your opponent's confidence!"

Looking at her proud and worried expression, Lin Yanzhou chuckled and teased, "Is the princess worried about the country or about me? Afraid that I'll lose the bet and beheaded, and that you've misjudged me?"

Zhao Lingxi's ears instantly turned bright red. Forcing a cool and aloof demeanor, she retorted stubbornly, "I...I'm only worried about the safety of the nation! Who would care about you! Sir, please don't flatter yourself!"

Lin Yanzhou laughed even harder, then slowly added, "Fine, even if you don't care about me. Just wait and see how arrogant these grain merchants are now, they'll be crying their eyes out in a few days."

Zhao Lingxi was completely speechless at his unheard-of fighting style. She was half-believing and half-doubting, but a secret expectation was quietly mixed in with her doubts.

On the fourth day, the situation appeared peaceful on the surface, but the opponent's arrogance reached its peak.

The four major grain merchants held pre-sale grain orders at a low price of 75 wen, while simultaneously controlling the market price of 110 wen for high-priced grain, thus having complete control and a firm grasp of the situation.

They held a lavish banquet for court officials and curried favor with the powerful minister Zhang Lin. At the banquet, they were full of sarcasm and their words were always about Lin Yanzhou's stupidity and arrogance.

"That strange outsider is just trying to attract attention; he's all talk and no action!"

"Stabilize grain prices in ten days? Let's see how he kneels down and begs for forgiveness after ten days!"

"Once Prime Minister Zhang ascends the throne as regent, we will be meritorious officials who helped him rise to power, and we will enjoy endless wealth and honor from then on!"

Zhang Lin's cronies seized the opportunity to spread the word, impeaching Lin Yanzhou daily in the imperial court, asserting that he was causing chaos in the market and harming the country, and that he was doomed to fail. No one in the court had any confidence in him, and everyone was waiting for him to fall from grace.

Looking at the chaos in the city and the ridicule from the court and the public, Zhao Lingxi's doubts deepened. Looking at Lin Yanzhou, who spent his days drinking tea, slacking off, and leisurely idling, she couldn't understand the situation at all.

She couldn't help but ask again, her tone filled with helplessness: "Sir, you sit quietly sipping tea every day, without making a single move. Could it be... that you've given up on turning the tables and are planning to just lie back and wait to lose?"

Lin Yanzhou looked up at her, his smile relaxed yet mysterious: "No rush. When a hunter hunts, he always waits for the prey to walk into the encirclement and lower its guard. The time isn't right yet, so don't be anxious."

Zhao Lingxi was speechless upon hearing this, and could only sigh inwardly, silently praying that he really had a backup plan and wasn't just throwing in the mud.

Unbeknownst to everyone, while outwardly everyone watched and mocked, Lin Yanzhou had already secretly laid out his deadly plan, waiting only for the right moment to strike and capture the enemy.