"Sixth Master, we've made inquiries and confirmed that a group of merchants from the Song dynasty has indeed arrived. Furthermore, the merchant leading them seemed to have a lengthy private conversation with that Zhang Jing. Not long after Zhang Jing returned, he began hoarding grain!"
The annual revenue of the entire Jiaozhi kingdom depended on trade with the Song dynasty, which accounted for more than half of their total income.
Just as Zhang Jing himself had said, Sumao City was one of the three cities with the largest trade volume with the Song dynasty each year.
All the prominent families had stationed their personnel here. On one hand, it allowed their disciples to gain experience and quickly grasp real power, familiarizing themselves with the dynamics of familial and inter-familial struggles.
On the other hand, it also served as one of the assessment methods for the families to select their disciples.
After all, in these true prominent families, besides the legitimate sons who could fully inherit the family business, countless individuals were needed to assist.
And these individuals responsible for assistance held real power within the family.
Who would rise to prominence and who would be eliminated was solely determined by their performance.
While the Zhang family was flourishing, their Liu family was by no means weak.
As one of the grandsons of the Commander Liu Qingyuan, Liu Siye naturally found himself thriving in Sumao City.
Everything belonging to the Liu family in Sumao City was under his command.
Recently, with the rampant outbreak of malaria, whoever could leverage this opportunity to gain more prestige and bring more benefits to the family had naturally become one of the focal points of contention among the disciples of these prominent families.
Initially, everyone was at a loss, with no effective solutions for malaria. However, suddenly a Song dynasty merchant appeared, and even managed to provide Zhang Jing with a potent medicine, which seemed to tip the scales of victory dramatically in Zhang Jing's favor...
"Why is he hoarding grain? Isn't the grain in the official granary enough for him?"
Upon hearing this news, Liu Siye couldn't help but frown.
"Should we find someone to approach that Song merchant?"
Seeing Liu Siye lost in thought, the servant quickly asked in a low voice.
"Not yet. Send people to start gathering grain throughout the city. Regardless of what agreement that fellow reached with them, I believe it must be related to grain. If the Zhang family can provide it, can't our Liu family?"
After a moment of contemplation, Liu Siye immediately made up his mind.
"Sixth Master is right. Then I'll have people go and acquire grain!"
"Don't make too much of a fuss. Do it quietly. Find a place to store all the grain you acquire. It's fine even if the price is a bit higher. Take whatever you can find. I want to see what trick Zhang Jing is playing this time!"
Sumao City was a place with many eyes and ears, especially during this current time of widespread anxiety.
Unless absolutely necessary, Liu Siye did not want to alert his potential rivals at this moment.
After all, no matter what agreement Zhang Jing had reached with those merchants, he could obtain the same things under the same conditions.
It wasn't until the evening of the next day that Shao Bowen suddenly had someone post a notice at the entrance of the inn.
"It is just as I suspected!"
After reading the content of the notice sent by his subordinates, Liu Siye's heart was filled with smugness.
Sumao City was not large. Although he and Zhang Jing were engaged in a covert rivalry, coincidentally, neither had leaked any information.
By the time their competitors tried to gather grain, they suddenly discovered that the price of grain throughout Sumao City had already soared to an astronomical figure.
Moreover, even at this price, it was available in name only. Sumao City was small, and the amount of grain openly sold in the city was limited.
Having acted a day earlier, how much could they possibly leave for their rivals at this point?
"Sixth Master, is the price of fifty shi per unit not a bit too outrageous? If we follow the auction method, won't the final price skyrocket?"
While this news was confirmed, the Liu family's subordinates began to express their concerns one after another.
These individuals were all carefully selected by various factions of the Liu family. From the moment each family disciple was born, the family would select suitable candidates for them.
Once they reached adulthood, these people would form their basic retinue.
The lives and honor of these people were all tied to that disciple.
They shared prosperity and hardship, and naturally, everything was done with that disciple in mind.
"Haven't you understood yet? These items are scarce and not meant for ordinary people to purchase. If my guess is correct, these should be items that have circulated from the hands of those Song dynasty nobles. These are good items that are available in name only, regardless of the price. A mere bit of grain is nothing. This malaria has been spreading so fiercely. If this medicine truly has miraculous effects, and I manage to obtain a few hundred doses to bring back to the family, what do you think the elders in the family will think?"
Liu Siye spoke while smirking coldly and looking out the window.
The education he received since childhood was different from that of ordinary people. The Liu family were military nobles, and naturally, they had witnessed many partings and losses.
Achieving one's goals by any means necessary, and the idea that success is built upon the bones of countless others, were fundamental principles.
As long as sufficient medicine could be obtained, wasting some grain and spending some money was insignificant.
After all, within the vicinity of Sumao City alone, the Liu family owned over 5,000 mu of land.
With sufficient land and manpower, acquiring grain was only a matter of time. Moreover, even if all the grain in Sumao City were depleted, they could still procure grain from other cities.
"Sixth Master is right. Since they have already posted the notice, do you think we should find someone to verify the effectiveness of this medicine?"
"Do I even need to say such a thing? I think they are likely already doing it themselves. Find someone to go and observe, see what tricks they are playing, and whether it is effective!"
As for whether to go and see for himself, Liu Siye had no interest. A gentleman does not stand under a precarious wall.
The best way to verify it was to administer the medicine to those already suffering from malaria.
For such matters, sending a servant to observe was sufficient; there was no need for him to personally venture into danger.
In fact, judging by the exorbitant prices they dared to charge, he was already 80% convinced of the medicine's efficacy.
After all, this was Jiaozhi!
Even if a Song dynasty merchant dared to swindle here, did he really think he could leave Sumao City safely?
Moreover, the exchange item he chose was not ordinary spices, rhinoceros horns, or ivory.
Even if their people could escape, could they really take so much grain out of the city?