Heshen stood with his men at the shop entrance, watching the people of the Ming Dynasty queuing up to buy things.
When he got closer and saw the price of grain, his face turned deathly pale.
At that moment, he finally understood what Li Chang'an was trying to do.
He had no intention of lowering grain prices to benefit the people.
From the very beginning, his goal was to make the grain merchants who raised prices lose everything.
Everything was planned by someone else.
Heshen felt his legs go weak and his vision went black.
That's it, I'm doomed.
If it were just the plan to raise grain prices that was disrupted, he wouldn't be in any danger.
After all, he was backed by the White Lotus Sect.
Even if grain prices don't rise, everyone can still make some money.
But now, if they lose so much money, no one can save him.
Thinking of those wealthy families in Jiangnan who had lost money, Heshen felt a chill run down his spine.
Li Chang'an looked at Heshen and came down from the pavilion: "Oh, isn't this Lord He? What brings you here for a stroll? Why don't you come up for some tea?"
Heshen looked at him, did not refuse, waved away the servants, and went in alone.
"Marquis Anping has great courage. Someone and I admire him. This time, I admit defeat wholeheartedly."
“The most valuable thing for major grain merchants in Jiangnan right now is grain, and each of them has stockpiled tens of thousands of dan of grain.”
"Each family contributed a large sum of money to buy this grain. Although they didn't go bankrupt, it was still a significant financial strain."
"With this move, Lord Marquis has cut off their supply lines, making their stockpiled grain worthless. It's just that I don't know how long Lord Marquis can hold out at this price."
Li Chang'an looked at him and smiled: "However long they can live, that's how long I can hold on."
Heshen shook his head: "If you sell at this price, where in the Ming Dynasty will you get so much grain?"
"The supply of goods is always the same; if no one keeps producing, it will eventually lead to a shortage."
"Moreover, as you said, this heavy rain will last for a full six months. At that time, the capital will still not have enough food, and the price of food will rise. You can't stop it."
Li Chang'an did not refute, but instead took out a grain seed from his pocket.
"Lord He, do you know what variety this grain seed is?"
Heshen picked up the seeds and looked at them. As a member of a prominent family in Jiangnan, he had also worked in agriculture.
This grain seed was somewhat different from any he had ever seen before.
It looks like a rice seed, but it's much larger than a regular rice seed.
Li Chang'an looked at him and said, "These grain seeds are what I obtained from heaven. They can be planted three times a year, and each season can yield 6,000 to 8,000 catties of grain per mu."
"Now, this seed is being widely promoted in Lingnan."
"So they haven't asked the court for a single grain of food since last year."
"Leaving aside other places, the grain grown in the Lingnan region alone could completely supply the consumption of the entire capital."
"Besides, the grain I have wasn't transported from Lingnan."
After saying that, a golden light flashed in Li Chang'an's hand, and a small pile of rice appeared on the table.
Heshen looked at the rice in front of him and at the people frantically buying it.
He suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh that carried a hint of despair in his eyes.
At that moment, he felt that all his plans and preparations were a joke.
Throughout history, there has never been a shortage of food, and there has always been a need to procure food from various sources.
All of this is just a game played by someone else.
They and others were merely objects of his amusement.
From the very beginning, they were already in an invincible position.
"How can a mortal compare to a god?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Heshen laughed loudly and said, "It is my honor to be able to spar with a god, along with someone else."
"This time, I accept my defeat wholeheartedly."
After saying that, he pulled a sharp blade from his pocket.
Before anyone could react, they saw Heshen raise his sword and slash it across his own neck.
Blood spurted out and then flowed continuously downwards.
Heshen knelt on the ground, clutching his neck, and said, "A dying man's words are often good."
"The Marquis used me and someone else to suppress all the grain merchants in Jiangnan."
"Please also let someone use the Marquis to save my whole family."
After saying that, Heshen took out an account book from his pocket.
"This is evidence of the major families in Jiangnan colluding to raise grain prices, and it is also the account book of the merchants in the capital who bought and sold goods."
"I hope the Marquis will be satisfied with this gift!"
"When you leave the house after asking someone for help from the Marquis, you can tell others that you died because of a crime."
"Otherwise, my family in Jiangnan will be implicated. I beg you, Lord Marquis, to grant my request."
Li Chang'an looked at him and shook his head: "Lord He, why are you doing this? As far as I know, the people behind you are not the major families of Jiangnan."
Heshen smiled and said, "I long for the emperor's reward and serve the emperor faithfully."
"I will never forget my master's life-saving care and nurturing, and the person who saved my life."
"Now that the situation is hopeless, I have no choice but to die. I apologize to my mentor and ask for your forgiveness, Lord Marquis."
"I...I...!"
Heshen breathed his last before he could finish speaking.
That was his decision.
He risked his life to give his family a chance at survival.
As long as he dies at the hands of Marquis Anping, his family will have a chance to survive.
Seeing that Heshen had stopped breathing, Li Chang'an remained silent for a while.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
