After those who had the porridge spread the news that there were more rice supplies coming into the city, the rice merchants would be anxious, and they would have to make a choice.
If they bet on the news being fake, they would hold on to whatever rice supplies they had and hope that the price kept rising.
And if they bet on the news being true, they would release their supply of rice and try to profit from whatever the price was before the new supplies of the rice hit the market.
Either way, Lin Xuan Qi was confident that they would fall for the latter.
With him dispensing the charity porridge and the increase of rice supplies with the new workers, Hun Xiong Kun would be the canary in the coal mine for the rice merchants.
And when some of them panicked and released their rice supplies, it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
He liked to make money, but Lin Xuan Qi also knew that the high price wasn't sustainable in the long run.
