I Backed the Empress with Underhanded Tactics

Modern capitalist Jia Xu accidentally travels through time and becomes a pampered heir of the Duke of Huguang in the Great Yuan Dynasty. After accepting Empress Ye Huang's talent recruitment list, he immediately solves crises with his 'poisonous strategist' schemes in the court, only to face suppression from political rivals and have his fiancée, Li Qingshuang, withdraw her engagement. To prove his worth, Jia Xu and newly crowned Prime Minister Xie Bi'an travel to Suzhou and Qinchuan to stabilize grain prices. Instead of following tradition, he closes the granaries to raise prices, luring foreign merchants into the trap, then uses rumors about disaster relief grain and a strategy of blocking city gates to make the merchants panic. This not only stabilizes prices but also revitalizes Suzhou's economy through work-based relief. Through his cunning, he secures a future for himself and the Jia family in the chaotic times and gradually becomes a crucial pillar for Empress Ye Huang's stable rule.