Liu Xun stopped in his tracks, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"Sir, how much grain have we stockpiled?"
The advisor bowed. "Your Highness, as you instructed, we began secretly stockpiling grain in various places outside the Capital City three months ago. We used our connections with Caobang and several major merchant associations. We now have a full three hundred thousand shi—enough to slash grain prices in the Capital City by half in an instant."
"Three hundred thousand shi..." Liu Xun savored the number, his smile growing colder. "It's still not enough. Not enough to make my Imperial Brother despair completely."
He looked at the advisor. "Send word to our contacts in Jiangnan and Huguang. Spare no expense—have them gather another two hundred thousand shi of grain for me! Quickly!"
The advisor hesitated. "Your Highness, moving such a large amount of grain may draw the attention of the Ministry of Personnel and the local authorities..."
"Attention?" Liu Xun sneered. "Let them pay attention! I want them to know someone is moving grain! I can even spread the word that a mysterious Southern Righteous Merchant, unable to bear seeing the people of the Capital City suffer, is gathering grain and sending it north so we can weather this crisis together!"
The advisor's eyes lit up as he immediately understood Liu Xun's intentions.
"Your Highness is brilliant! This will give the people hope, while wearing away what little patience they have left for the Crown Prince. And we can hold our grain until the price is right. Once the Crown Prince can no longer hold out and public resentment reaches its peak, we'll unleash these five hundred thousand shi of grain onto the market with a thunderous flourish!"
"Exactly!" Liu Xun smacked his fist into his palm. "Then I won't just stabilize