After our homes were confiscated and we were exiled, the women in my clan and I raised a million sol

Noticing that the four grain merchants' eyes were wandering over him, Liu Yu's mind became clear as a mirror, and he instantly understood their inner hesitation and calculations.

Although he was not fully aware of Zhang Liang's true intentions, he decided to go with the flow and cooperate with this seemingly sudden drama.

Liu Yu's face suddenly changed and he was filled with anger. He suddenly slammed the wine glass in his hand onto the table, making a crisp "bang" sound, which attracted everyone's attention.

Then, he resolutely stood up from his seat and shouted at Zhang Liang, "Prince Wang! How dare you make such a request? Isn't this action putting the people in dire straits?"

When Liu Yu got excited, his saliva even flew everywhere. His emotions were so sincere that he seemed like a person who was concerned about his country and the people.

Liu Yu snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with disdain and contempt. He turned to Zhang Liang and continued, "I simply cannot be associated with insects like you who only care about their own interests and don't care about the people's livelihood!"

"Take your time eating, I suddenly need to leave early!"

After saying that, Liu Yu turned away, leaving the room in shock and silence.

When Zhang Liang heard Liu Yu's words, his eyes suddenly lit up, and the worry in his heart disappeared in an instant.

He was worried that Liu Yu didn't understand what he meant and wouldn't cooperate with his plan. Now it seems that his concerns were completely unnecessary.

Immediately afterwards, an angry expression appeared on Zhang Liang's face, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

He stood up suddenly and shouted at Liu Yu's back, "Damn old man! What are you doing? My father in the court wanted to say a few good words for you, but I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful!"

Zhang Liang's words were not only an accusation of Liu Yu's "rudeness", but also a clear signal to the four grain merchants: he had powerful connections in the court, enough to influence Ning Gucheng's power structure.

The four grain merchants, who were originally skeptical, had a subtle flash of surprise and calculation in their eyes when they heard Zhang Liang mention "father in the court".

They instantly believed that Zhang Liang's proposal was sincere and not a trap.

After all, if Liu Yu and Zhang Liang were really in the same group, then they would definitely not believe anything Zhang Liang said, because Liu Yu's stubbornness and kindness were well known to everyone.

But now, the two have obviously fallen out, which shows that Zhang Liang's suggestion to raise grain prices was not out of malicious framing, but out of consideration for his own interests.

More importantly, Zhang Liang's connections in the court gave them hope of currying favor with the powerful and improving their family's status.

Thinking of this, a hint of heat flashed in the eyes of the four grain merchants.

They began to secretly calculate that if they could gain Zhang Liang's favor this time and then get the favor of the mysterious "official", then they would no longer be just merchants who controlled grain, but would have the possibility of becoming one of the four major families in Ninggu City and becoming truly powerful people.

Seeing this, Zhou Xia turned to Zhang Liang impatiently and said anxiously, "Master Wang, please don't be angry. It's not worth getting angry over such a pedantic old man!"

The three grain merchants around Zhou Xia saw this and were dissatisfied, secretly cursing "Damn it!"

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset, unwilling to fall behind in this delicate game.

Qian Duo immediately stood up from his seat, picked up the wine jug, personally filled a glass of wine for Zhang Liang, and handed it to Zhang Liang with a smile on his face as a gesture of friendship.

Zhao Hao pondered for a moment, then said, "Prince Wang, I deeply admire the good deeds you have done for the people. Therefore, I intend to donate 30% of my profits to you as a token of our cooperation. What do you think?"

After these words were spoken, although the other three cursed in their hearts, faced with such a situation, they had no choice but to follow suit and expressed their willingness to offer the same conditions so as not to fall behind at this critical moment.

Zhang Liang heard this and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

He originally planned to make these grain merchants bleed heavily, but he didn't expect that they would come to him on their own initiative. How could he not accept such a good thing?

So, he raised his glass, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction, and said to everyone: "Then let us raise our glasses together and wish our cooperation to be happy and fruitful!"

Upon hearing this, the four grain merchants responded quickly, raising their wine glasses and gently clinking them with Zhang Liang's glass, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

Then, they drank the wine in the cup without hesitation. At this moment, they were more determined in their hearts. At this moment, they were more certain that Zhang Liang was the same person as them, except that Zhang Liang was a little more hypocritical than them.

Zhang Liang took a sip of wine, then gently put the glass down. He glanced at the four grain merchants present and said slowly, "Oh, I forgot to tell you that our action needs to wait until my porridge distribution event is over."

After these words were spoken, several grain merchants were visibly stunned, as if they were trying to digest this sudden information.

Sun Yi was the most alert and was the first to react. He quickly responded, "Don't worry, Young Master Wang. We will follow your lead and obey your orders!"

His words were full of flattery and fawning, and it was obvious that he was completely convinced by Zhang Liang.

Seeing this, the other three people hurriedly agreed and expressed that they would strictly follow Zhang Liang's instructions.

Zhang Liang nodded with satisfaction, a barely perceptible hint of pride flashing in his eyes.

Then, the atmosphere at the banquet became more lively. Several people raised their glasses to celebrate, each with their own thoughts, as if they had already seen the bright prospects of future cooperation.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Liang and several grain merchants were already drunk, and the banquet was gradually coming to an end amidst the noise.

Looking at the grain merchants who were staggering and supporting each other as they left, Zhang Liang's eyes instantly became clear and sharp from being confused.

Liu Yu, who had originally left the table out of anger, quietly returned to Zhang Liang's side at the end of the banquet. The anger on his face had been replaced by concern, as if the previous dispute had never happened.

He looked at the slightly tipsy Zhang Liang and asked gently, "Master, you've drunk so much, are you still holding up? Do you want me to ask the kitchen to prepare a bowl of hangover soup?"

Liu Yu's eyes were full of worry, which was in stark contrast to the previous confrontation.

Zhang Liang waved his hand gently, a faint smile on his lips, and responded: "Mr. Liu, this little bit of wine is nothing, no need to worry."

Seeing this, Liu Yu nodded, then changed the subject and asked with some concern, "Young Master, why are you asking those grain merchants to raise grain prices? Grain prices are already high now. If they continue to rise, how will ordinary people make a living?"

After saying that, Liu Yu sighed.

After hearing Liu Yu's words, Zhang Liang shook his head slightly, with a confident smile on his face, and slowly said, "Mr. Liu, I am naturally aware of the interests involved. Don't worry, I have my reasons for doing this."

After hearing this, Liu Yu pursed his lips, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he finally nodded and chose to trust Zhang Liang.

Then, Zhang Liang turned his gaze to Liu Yu and revealed an even more shocking decision: "One more thing. After my porridge-giving activity is over, I will close the granary in Ninggu City."

His tone was calm, but the content of his words was like a bombshell, which made Liu Yu stunned for a moment.

"Young Master, are you kidding me? Even with the granaries now open and grain being released, Ning Gucheng's grain prices are still hard to curb, and now you're saying you want to close them? Are you really planning to work with those profiteers to drive up grain prices?"

Liu Yu's face was full of disbelief, and his voice was trembling with deep worry.

At this moment, footsteps were heard outside, and Zhong Tian and Wang Wu walked in side by side.

There was some confusion on their faces, and it was obvious that they didn't quite understand what was happening before their eyes.

Because they were so busy with the tasks assigned by Zhang Liang in recent days that they missed the news about today's banquet.

Seeing the two people coming, Liu Yu immediately stepped forward, his tone filled with anxiety: "My two lords, please help us! The young master..."

He hadn't finished speaking, but the urgency was conveyed to everyone through his expression.

He then recounted what had happened previously.

After hearing the old man's words, Zhong Tian and Wang Wu exchanged glances, and they could see the surprise in each other's eyes.

Finally, Zhong Tian broke the silence: "My Lord, this..."