Kong Ling knew he had slighted Shen Zechuan, so in the following days he kept his distance and stopped appearing before him. Instead, he buried himself in inspecting goods across various shops, so busy his feet barely touched the ground. Shen Zechuan, however, remained as he always was—still addressing him as “Master Chengfeng” whenever they met. This only made Kong Ling more uneasy, and in all matters he began to defer to Shen Zechuan.
Just as they had predicted, Cai Yu’s “cheap grain” failed to win over the smaller bandits. With Luo Mu quietly acting as an intermediary, several factions began drawing closer together, all harboring dissatisfaction toward Cai Yu. In recent years, Cai Yu had grown fond of extravagance. Every birthday, he demanded rare treasures, and he judged relationships by the value of gifts, breeding resentment among many. At the same time, rumors spread outside the city that Cai Yu was distributing discounted grain—the price growing lower with each retelling—stoking the anger of starving commoners gathered at the gates.
Once, Cai Yu had styled himself as a respected elder of Teazhou. Now he simply shut the gates and ignored everything. Shen Zechuan had been right—Cai Yu understood the situation, but he was trapped.
All the grain in Teazhou now came from Hezhou, supplied by the Yan clan. Cai Yu had to return profits to them; whatever he could not repay came from his own pocket. Lowering prices meant harming himself, and he refused to take such losses. So he could only grit his teeth and hold on, sending several secret messages to Hezhou to probe their stance.
This was exactly what Shen Zechuan had been waiting for.
Cai Yu never imagined that after a single night’s sleep, the entire city would be buzzing with talk of grain prices.
“Where did these people come from?” Cai Yu demanded as attendants helped him dress. “How did Cizhou’s grain carts enter without a word reaching me?!”
“They came by the main road,” his confidant replied. “The消息 was blocked outside the city—it never got in.”
Cai Yu’s expression darkened. Pulling on his boots, he paced a few steps. “When Kong Ling entered the city, I already found it strange. Why would Cizhou come here for no reason? So they’re here to steal my business! With preparations like this, they’re clearly challenging me. What price are they offering?”
“I sent people to inquire this morning,” the confidant said. “Outside the city, they’re selling at one tael for seven dou.”
Cai Yu let out a cold laugh. “I thought they’d come to play the saint—turns out they’re just taking advantage of the fire. Has Hezhou replied yet?”
“Not yet. It hasn’t reached them.”
Cai Yu stood at the doorway, deep in thought. The courtyard stream murmured softly, birds chirped under the corridor eaves—this estate had cost him dearly, meant to be passed down through generations. He had several sons waiting to inherit, and over a thousand mouths depended on his grain business. He could not afford to lose it.
“One tael for seven dou…” he muttered. “Cizhou thinks they can undercut me with that? They underestimate me. If they go low, we go lower. Tell the grain shops—I pity the people inside and outside the city, so I’m reducing the price to one tael for eight dou.”
His confidant hesitated. “But the young master hasn’t replied yet. If this—”
“Lower it,” Cai Yu said, his face tightening. “The young master still calls me ‘Grandfather.’ Even if I can’t make up the profit, I can humble myself and beg Hezhou for leniency. With him backing the Yan clan, no one dares touch me! Cizhou is coming on strong—if I don’t force them back now, it’ll only get worse.”
No sooner had the confidant left than Shen Zechuan received the news.
Fei Sheng’s network was everywhere. When he quietly reported to Shen Zechuan, the latter was outside the city distributing porridge.
The weather was clear that day. Shen Zechuan had left the city at dawn and begun serving porridge at the sheds from early morning, standing there until late afternoon. The sun now blazed overhead, cracking the dry earth, and the refugees huddled in the shade. After hearing Fei Sheng’s report, Shen Zechuan nodded slightly. “Since he’s taken the bait, he won’t escape. Go tell Luo Mu to inform the smaller bandits not to rush—Cai Yu can still lower his price further.”
Feigning ignorance, Fei Sheng asked, “Then should we lower ours as well? We can’t let Cai Yu succeed.”
Shen Zechuan tossed his handkerchief to Qiao Tianya. “Of course we’ll lower it—but at night.”
Because he had other matters to attend to during the day.
Outside Teazhou, a young man in white had appeared, accompanied by only a few attendants. Wearing a white jade bead, he stayed at the porridge shed from dawn to dusk, personally serving the refugees. Those who received porridge soon learned that this grain had originally been meant for sale by Cizhou—but Cai Yu had refused them entry. Out of pity for the starving people, they had instead given it away.
Shen Zechuan was approachable, handsome, and spoke with humility and courtesy. For families with widows, orphans, the elderly, or the infirm, he not only provided food but also sent physicians, covering all consultation and medicine costs himself. Within an hour, refugees gathered in waves. When people asked his name, Qiao Tianya and Fei Sheng simply answered, “An aide to Lord Zhou,” or “A colleague of Master Chengfeng.”
Yet Shen Zechuan’s bearing was far beyond that of an ordinary aide. His youth, composure, and refinement stirred endless speculation. The common people did not know who he was—which only made him more mysterious, and more captivating.
Cai Yu did not dare sleep even at midnight. Restless at home, he sprang up at every report. When his confidant returned, he hurriedly asked, “Well? Any new word from Kong Ling?”
The man, exhausted from running back and forth all day, was drenched in sweat. Wiping his face with his sleeve, he panted, “They lowered it! Just as you predicted—Cizhou lowered it too!”
“How much?”
“To one tael for nine dou!”
Cai Yu steadied himself. This was within his expectations. Pacing, he said, “We drop one dou, they drop one dou. Clearly, they don’t have much margin either.”
“Then should we lower again?” the confidant asked. “Another drop and it’ll reach one shi!”
From two dou to one shi, Cai Yu could already imagine the punishment awaiting him in Hezhou. But he had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Lower it again—to one tael for one shi!”
Hearing the news at his residence, Luo Mu said to Kong Ling, “Once Cai Yu pushes prices down, it’ll be hard to raise them again. He’s taken the bait.”
Kong Ling stood by the window, checking that no one was nearby before speaking. “The magistrate calculated everything perfectly.”
Luo Mu sighed. “Even I would have fallen into this trap. Who would’ve thought Cizhou aimed to match the capital’s prices? This was once a business of immense profit—every drop now is real silver lost.”
“Silver can’t be taken with you in life or death,” Kong Ling replied. “How long can Zhongbo’s disaster profits last? You’re foolish! If Cai Yu had any foresight, he would’ve restrained himself this year. Six years ago, Cizhou lacked strength—but in those six years we’ve recovered. Last year, the Northern Army’s provisions passed through Cizhou by the order of Grand Secretary Hai and the Marquis. Think about it—the capital already knew Cizhou could bear such a burden. Once Cizhou recovers, other regions will follow. When farmland is restored, grain prices will inevitably fall. This line of profit was never sustainable—it’s only a matter of who destroys it.”
He paused, then added, “With timing and conditions aligned, the magistrate intends to accomplish something great in Zhongbo.”
Seeing Kong Ling’s distant expression, Luo Mu asked, “The magistrate clearly wants you, yet you keep avoiding him. Chengfeng—do you think he’s inferior to Zhou Gui?”
Kong Ling gazed at the shade beyond the window. After a long silence, he said, “My abilities are mediocre. I could support Zhou Gui because his path is limited to governing Cizhou. Stabilizing one corner of the world is simple—someone like me can manage that. But to stabilize an entire realm requires a pillar of the state. The magistrate is no ordinary man. I cannot reach that height.”
Luo Mu fell silent.
That night, no one inside or outside Teazhou slept well. Cai Yu drank cup after cup of strong tea, afraid that the moment he lay down, the price would drop again without warning. He had never truly been a merchant—only a bandit propped up by the Yan clan. Now, anxiety burned him from within, leaving sores in his mouth.
Cizhou made no further moves. Only the porridge sheds outside the city continued operating. Cai Yu heard that more than a thousand people had gathered there—but he believed that real power lay in his armed forces. The crowd outside was nothing but a rabble.
As time passed, noon arrived. Cai Yu dozed briefly in his clothes, only to be jolted awake by urgent reports. Supported by attendants, he hurried out. One look at his confidant’s face, and his heart sank.
“How low did they go?”
“They dropped sharply!” the man exclaimed. “Down to one tael for one shi and three dou! Families who were waiting have already begun leaving the city—they’re all heading straight to Cizhou’s grain carts!”
Cai Yu felt a chill run through him. “That low?”
“It’s nearly down to Juexi’s prices. Any lower, and all this year’s profits will be used just to repay Hezhou!”
Leaning on his attendants, Cai Yu said in disbelief, “Didn’t Cizhou just supply the Northern Army? Now that the North has rebelled, future provisions will rely on them. If Zhou Gui sells all his grain, how will he answer to the Prince of Libei? And at such low prices—what profit is there?”
His confidant, equally frantic, echoed, “Exactly! Any lower and it’s no different from Juexi—there’s no profit left!”
Cai Yu, aged and sleepless, could barely stand. Sitting down, he said through clenched teeth, “They’re determined to steal my business…” His anger flared. “And they dare! Gather the men—tonight we overturn their grain carts. Seize Kong Ling, kill the rest! I have hardened bandits at my command—why should I fear them? Zhou Gui is just a green youth—let’s see if he dares oppose me head-on!”
His confidant slapped his thigh in excitement. “That’s the way! We should’ve acted sooner instead of giving them face. I’ll go at once!”