Chapter 71

Silence.

After a short while, a group of grain merchants arrived, and Du Ziteng relayed Wang Xian's demands to them.

The grain merchants had thought they were doomed, but now they had a chance to contribute grain to avoid disaster, and they could continue to sell at high prices in the future, so they were naturally overjoyed. However, when they heard that they had to make up six thousand dan of grain within a month, they all became troubled.

As Wang Xian had predicted, due to the convenient transportation in the Jiangnan region, grain did not last long in storage. The grain merchants usually kept little stock, mostly buying and selling grain on a monthly basis. This reduced financial pressure and minimized storage losses. Therefore, the three merchants together only had one thousand seven hundred dan...

Even this amount of grain could not be used, as it was the food supply for the people of Fuyang. With the New Year approaching, the county magistrate Wei would certainly not agree to a situation where the county faced a grain shortage.

"It's not that we are not trying our best, but we are truly incapable, Your Excellency," Zhou Yang, the grain merchant, said hoarsely. "If it were just after the autumn harvest, it would be easier, but now it's the twelfth month. With the cold weather, grain can be stored longer, and the grain merchants are all hoarding grain, waiting for the spring to raise prices."

"Where do you get your grain from?" Wang Xian asked.

"These are long-term deals. For example, I have connections with grain merchants in several counties in Jiaxing. They sell me five hundred dan of grain each month, but this is already the limit. When the price is low, I don't buy, and when the price is high, they don't sell," Zhou Yang sighed. "In short, even with money, it's impossible to buy six thousand dan of grain in the twelfth month." This was an exaggeration; with enough money, it was still possible to buy the grain, but it would be very expensive.

"That's right, Your Excellency, can you give us some leeway?" the other two grain merchants nodded. "Give us half a year, and by the time the summer harvest comes, we will do whatever it takes to make up the six thousand dan of grain!" If they waited until the summer harvest, their purchase cost for six thousand dan of grain would be four thousand taels of silver. Divided among the three grain merchants, Du Ziteng, and Li Sheng, each would have to contribute eight hundred taels, which would basically mean two years of hard work for nothing.

But if they bought the grain now, even ten thousand taels of silver would not be enough, and they would go bankrupt...

Seeing that Wang Xian was silent, the group exchanged glances. Zhou Yang, who had some acquaintance with Wang Xian, whispered, "Of course, we won't let Your Excellency suffer any loss. With the New Year approaching, we grain merchants will, as usual, make a contribution to the household department. This time, we will add one hundred taels for Your Excellency. Additionally, the regular contributions we make to Your Excellency will be increased by twenty percent. We only ask for a few months' leniency, and we promise not to play any tricks with the grain reserves in the future."

Clearly, they had already discussed this on their way here. The grain merchants believed that their current predicament was likely due to not making timely contributions to Wang Xian...

"..." The offer was generous, making Wang Xian feel a bit tempted, but his professional caution told him that it was better to be safe than sorry. What if a famine occurred in the spring? The disaster relief grain for the people could not wait until the summer harvest. If things got out of hand, no amount of money would save their lives.

Having made up his mind, he met their pleading gazes and slowly shook his head. "No, no matter how difficult, you must overcome it. By the end of the first month, six thousand dan of grain must be in the warehouse."

"Even if Your Excellency pressures us, we still can't get the grain," the grain merchants said helplessly. "In the end, even if we are executed, we won't be able to complete the task."

"Since you say that the grain merchants from other counties are hoarding grain to sell at high prices," Wang Xian said calmly, "why don't you buy it at the famine price now? They will be more than happy to get their money back a few months earlier."

"This..." Zhou Yang smiled bitterly. "Where do we get so much money? Even if we sell everything we have, it won't be enough."

"Ha ha..." Wang Xian teased, "They say merchants are cunning, but why are you so stubborn?" He paused and said, "Who says that high prices mean you have to spend a lot of money?"

"What do you mean?" the grain merchants asked, puzzled.

Wang Xian smiled and said, "I'll give you a plan that will ensure you don't have to spend much money to complete the task."

"We are all ears," the grain merchants said, wide-eyed.

"Learn to think in reverse. Rarity makes things valuable, and abundance makes them cheap..." Wang Xian whispered a strategy, "This way, you can turn the seller's market into a buyer's market, and the price will naturally come down."

The grain merchants were stunned. Wang Xian was truly the most cunning of all merchants...

Without delay, that afternoon, Zhou Yang and the other two immediately wrote letters to the grain merchants in neighboring counties such as Haining, Yuhang, Lin'an, Xin Cheng, Changhua, Jiande, Tonglu, Chun'an, and Shouchang, announcing a shocking piece of news—because the new county magistrate had suddenly become strict, the grain sold by the Fuyang grain merchants to the Changping Warehouse was deemed old grain. The magistrate was furious and had them imprisoned, giving them a month to replace it with new grain, or they would all be executed!

To save their lives, the three grain merchants from Fuyang had no choice but to offer a high price of three taels of silver per dan for the new rice of the current year!

The grain merchants who heard this news were stunned. Such a price was unheard of even during a famine!

At present, the general grain price in the counties was eight mace of silver per dan. When selling to grain merchants from other counties, the price would naturally be higher, especially for such urgent and emergency purchases. Even then, the highest price would be about one tael and six mace per dan.

Even during a famine, the price of grain sold to Fuyang grain merchants never exceeded two taels per dan. With the spring famine still a few months away, they would at least give an eighty percent discount!

Therefore, the grain merchants from the counties considered one tael and six mace per dan to be a good profit. Now, the Fuyang grain merchants were offering three taels per dan, which was a huge profit!

After all, with their purchase price and storage costs, the cost of one dan of rice was only six mace of silver. This meant a fivefold profit, enough to drive anyone mad!

Although the Fuyang grain merchants required the sellers to transport the grain to Fuyang, the distance was negligible compared to the huge profit. A little transportation cost was nothing.

It was easy to imagine the enthusiasm with which the grain merchants would approach this big deal.

Unfortunately, the messengers were just shop assistants and had no authority to sign contracts. They simply said that their bosses were seeking help from many counties and hurriedly went to the next place to deliver the message.

However, under the temptation of huge profits, everything was not a problem. The grain merchants calculated that Fuyang was not far away. Even if they made a trip in vain, they could still make a fortune and have a prosperous New Year!

Thus, bags of grain were moved from the warehouses of the grain merchants in various counties, loaded onto boats, and transported along the waterways to Fuyang...

In just a few days, the docks in Fuyang were filled with fully loaded grain boats. After the boats docked, the grain merchants or their managers would go ashore to inform the three grain shops that the grain had arrived and to ask them to quickly inspect and store it, as they were eager to return home for the New Year.

The managers of the grain shops smiled and said, "We can't make the decision. Gentlemen, please wait a moment. We will go to the jail to consult with our bosses and inform you as soon as we have a plan."

Hearing that their bosses were still in jail, the grain merchants and managers did not say much, just instructed their assistants to guard the boats and went to the city's taverns and teahouses to gather information.

Throughout the day, grain boats kept arriving in Fuyang. The later arrivals, seeing the long line of grain boats at the docks, became anxious. As soon as their boats docked, they rushed to the grain shops to inquire, only to receive the same response: "Please wait overnight. We will inform you after we consult with our bosses."

The grain merchants were unhappy, but with so many competitors, no one dared to offend the golden goose. They could not even say a harsh word and had to show magnanimity:

"Of course, of course, everyone has their difficulties."

"No rush, no rush, let's wait and see..."

The grain merchants left the grain shops and, seeing it was late, no one wanted to return to the boats to squeeze in with the hired workers. They sought out brothels and taverns for food and entertainment.

Fuyang was a small place, with only a few decent brothels and taverns. No matter which one the grain merchants went to, they would encounter a group of fellow merchants. Upon meeting, they would naturally be very friendly, and in almost every tavern, the same scene played out:

"Brother Zhang, I didn't expect you to come in person. I wish you a happy New Year in advance!"

"Oh, Brother Liu, you're here too. It's been a long time, a long time..."

"Waiter, add a chair! Brother, let me introduce you to the other bosses and managers of the grain shops in our county..."

"Long admired, long admired!" Even though they had never met, they acted as if they were old friends.

"Long admired, long admired, please take the seat of honor!"

"You take the seat of honor!"

After some polite exchanges, everyone sat down and the feast began. After a few rounds of drinks and dishes, the conversation naturally turned to the topic of the Fuyang grain merchants' grain purchases.

"Brother, how much grain did you bring this time?" Brother Liu asked.

"Not much, just a few dozen dan," Brother Zhang stroked his beard. "It's the end of the year, and no one is well-off. But since Zhou Yang and the others are in trouble, as fellow merchants, we should help them. Who cares about the money?" In fact, he had brought several boats, and the "few dozen dan" was a significant understatement...

"Right, no one cares about the money," everyone nodded, feeling noble.

"However, I walked around the docks this afternoon and saw at least a hundred grain boats, each carrying at least forty dan," Brother Liu said.

"That's at least four thousand dan!" everyone gasped. "Do they need that much grain?"

"Definitely not," Brother Liu frowned. "I heard that the Yongfeng Warehouse in Fuyang only bought two thousand seven hundred dan of grain this year."

"Heaven!" the grain merchants changed their expressions. "Just from those who arrived today, at least forty percent will have made the trip in vain!"

"Right, more will arrive tomorrow," Brother Liu said with a worried face. "I didn't expect everyone to move so quickly, and they can't start buying grain immediately. What are we going to do?"

"Right, what are we going to do?" the grain merchants worried.

"Regardless of others, we came first," at this critical moment, Brother Zhang had an idea. "Tomorrow morning, everyone should go to Zhou Yang's shop and wait. We'll be the first in line!"

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