Ouchi Taming the Cat, starting with the Ten Tiger Forms!

Chapter 480: Man is Desire
Xishi, Taobao stall.

The alley, which was originally sparsely populated, is now packed with people.

In the past, there were always more stall owners than buyers, but now the situation is completely reversed.

Taobao stalls are doing a booming business nowadays. Dozens of people gather in front of one stall, vying for antiques priced at fifty taels.

These people didn't care what they looked like or what goods they had, as long as they saw it on the fifty-liang stall, they would rush over and try to be the quickest.

The Fourth Prince squeezed into the crowd, frowning as he looked at the buyers who were frantically rushing to buy antiques. He asked Boss Qian beside him:

“Has business here always been so good?”

"Fourth Master, how is this possible!" Boss Qian said anxiously.

"This place used to be deserted, with more sellers than buyers. If the Taobao stall business really continues to be so popular, why would I open an antique shop?"

Boss Qian looked at these stall owners, who were selling those inferior antiques at a rapid rate of fifty taels each, and his eyes became red.

Thinking about my own "business" these days, it's really frustrating to compare with others.

But after the Fourth Prince took a look, he still felt something was wrong.

"Since the price of these things on the black market is much higher than fifty taels, why don't these stall owners sell them privately, but sell them to these people at a low price?"

No matter what the Fourth Prince thinks, there must be someone behind this, and this is not a normal phenomenon.

This is not difficult to guess. After all, as soon as the competition in Royal Garden started, the business of Taobao stall was ignited, which is really easy to make associations.

However, this move was beyond the Fourth Prince's expectations.

According to the information Boss Qian had received, someone had already invested at least 100,000 taels of silver in the previous three days. Looking at the booming scene today, I'm afraid the amount will soon exceed 200,000 taels.

With such strength, the Fourth Prince could only think of the Eighth Prince who could unite the little ones.

But after thinking about it, the Fourth Prince still felt something was wrong.

You can't make any profit by simply throwing money at it. If you want to make money, you must have the ability to stabilize the market and ship the goods at the same time. Otherwise, you will suffer losses if you hold on to the hyped goods, or even lose all your money.

And in order to stabilize market shipments, a considerable amount of money will be needed. Adding all this up, I'm afraid that even the combined money of all the princes and princesses could not do it.

In response to the Fourth Prince's question, Boss Qian immediately replied:

"Fourth Master, you don't know."

"Most of the antiques sold by the stall owners are temporary. This news attracted many laymen who can't tell the difference between antiques. They just want to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune."

"Many of our colleagues who run antique shops have joined in. They are not speculating on these antiques, but taking the opportunity to sell their own inventory. Anyway, if there is a profit at the price of fifty taels, they can bring it here to buy. There will always be people who don't know the value of the goods and get fooled."

"Now that we have dealt with the inventory, can't we rush to make another batch?"

"This way, we won't lose anything, and we may even make a profit."

Boss Qian tried every means to impress the Fourth Prince. Anyway, he was unwilling to do the previous "business" again. If he continued, his huge fortune would not be enough for the Fourth Prince to spend.

"Well, let's get all the stock in your store."

The Fourth Prince finally gave in, and Boss Chen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Fourth Master, do you think we should rush to make a batch of antiques?"

"I do know some experts in this area."

The fourth prince thought about it and finally said, "Let's make five thousand taels first and see how it goes."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Boss Qian's face, but then he changed it into a flattering smile: "Okay, I'll listen to you, Fourth Master."

But at this moment, the Fourth Prince saw some big men maintaining order in the alley where the Taobao stalls were doing business, and he recognized at a glance that they were members of the Money Gang.

"Is this place managed by the Money Gang?" asked the Fourth Prince.

"Yes, it has always been like this." Boss Qian nodded and continued, "I guess it's because it's been too busy these past few days, so they sent someone to manage the order."

"Haha, these stall owners have been paying management fees to the Money Gang, but it's a rare day that they get to enjoy the corresponding services."

……

Sihai Gambling House.

Li Xuan was listening to Zhu Shimin's report here.

Princess Ankang and Yu'er are traveling around the capital these days just as Li Xuan said before.

Princess Ankang handed over all matters concerning the competition to Li Xuan, so she didn't have to worry about it herself.

"Master Xuan, I have controlled the supply of goods on the market as instructed. Do you want to continue buying goods today?" Zhu Shimin asked.

"Sweep, but we will reduce the intensity. Today we will only sweep 30,000 taels of goods. And let your people continue to make the illusion of selection, and try not to let others find the pattern."

"Also, the first batch of fakes that we hurriedly produced can be released now. You must have your people buy them all and not put any of them on the market. Then, starting tomorrow, you can release them little by little. It would be fine to release only one tenth of them at the beginning."

Li Xuan wagged his tail leisurely and instructed Zhu Shimin about these details out of boredom.

Based on his rich experience, Zhu Shimin thought he had guessed what Li Xuan was going to do from the beginning.

But gradually he realized that he had underestimated this black cat.

What Li Xuan is doing now is not just a simple operation.

After three days of buying things up, almost all the fifty-liang antiques on Taobao stalls were in their hands.

But they are far from having a monopoly on this thing. After all, there are always new antiques entering the Taobao stalls, which can only create a vacuum in the market for a period of time.

It would take some time to naturally fill these vacant markets.

But because Li Xuan asked them to spread various rumors, the market quickly became hot and many people got involved, wanting to get a piece of the pie.

As the saying goes, there is no business without fraud. Those people doing antique business in Xishi are all fools. It is not easy to make money from them.

But there is always a shortage of greedy and incompetent people.

Almost all the customers in their casino meet this requirement.

Therefore, the news of the Taobao stalls quickly attracted a large number of speculators in Beijing, who joined in promoting this market.

In the current situation, if they sell the goods they bought from the market slowly on the black market, they can make a small profit.

Since they had a lot of capital, this small profit was worth tens of thousands of taels of silver.

But obviously Li Xuan's appetite is more than that.

On the first day, Li Xuan asked Zhu Shimin to control a group of people who specialized in imitating antiques.

The Jinqian Gang originally had this business, but Li Xuan felt that they were short of manpower, so he asked Zhu Shimin to find another group of people and asked them to work day and night to produce according to the requirements. Now they have accumulated hundreds of imitation antiques.

Zhu Shimin had previously listened to Li Xuan's instructions and had roughly guessed what he was going to do next, which was also the reason why he was shocked.

And Li Xuan's next words also confirmed his guess.

"We will gradually shift the trading center from the Taobao stalls to the black market, and then only trade the antiques we have, and sell the antiques we found before little by little at the right price, and finally only trade the antiques we have imitated."

"We sell them ourselves, and then we buy them back ourselves, leaving only the transaction records, without leaving any silver or antiques."

Zhu Shimin had silently taken out a pen and paper to take notes, fearing that he would miss any step.

Seeing Xiao Minzi being so humble, Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction.

Xiao Minzi has been very reliable in doing things these days.

"Finally, when people realize that we have real antiques that are worth thousands of dollars, we will start to increase the price and sell them to them until we have sold all the imitation antiques. As for what happens after that, it has nothing to do with us." "This business needs to be fast. The only criterion is the market sentiment. When the sentiment is right, we will move forward until we are done and leave."

"Otherwise, if the emotions subside, someone will have to wake up."

"When the time comes to make the transaction and push up the price, I will come and give you personal guidance. This is a big deal."

Li Xuan couldn't help but smile nostalgically, and then asked Zhu Shimin: "Xiaominzi, do you have any questions?"

Zhu Shimin was fascinated by this incredible business of "pouring money from the left hand to the right hand".

Hearing Li Xuan's question, he thought for a moment and asked, "Sir, the people in the imitation workshop are working day and night, and they are almost exhausted. Do you want to add some more people?"

"No need, just let them work in three shifts and slow down the production."

"Wouldn't that delay the adults' important business?" Zhu Shimin was now more anxious than Li Xuan.

Li Xuan shook his head and explained, "It's useless to have too many imitation antiques. To push up the price, we still need the funds in our hands. It's just like an auction. As long as someone takes over in the end, how high the price can be pushed depends entirely on our own strength."

After Li Xuan made this analogy, Zhu Shimin immediately understood the meaning.

“Of course, the more imitation antiques there are, the easier it will be to find someone to take over,” Li Xuan added.

"Master Xuan, I want to share your worries, but I am afraid that I will miss your important task. I wonder how much I should contribute?"

Zhu Shimin asked Li Xuan with a pair of sparkling eyes and an expectant look on his face.

Li Xuan pursed his lips tightly to hold back his smile.

A few days ago, Zhu Shimin looked like he was afraid of Li Xuan borrowing money from him, but now that he knows how this business is done, he is eager to help Li Xuan share his worries.

But Zhu Shimin's attitude in the past few days is absolutely impeccable. Although he did not contribute money, he was very unambiguous in contributing manpower and effort.

"It's up to you. In a city as big as Beijing, there will always be someone willing to take over."

"Sir, any price is fine?" Zhu Shimin was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help asking, "Aren't you afraid that if you push the price too high, no one will dare to take it?"

Li Xuan couldn't help but smile and asked:
"How many people have you seen in this gambling house stop gambling after winning?"

"Desires are as hard to satisfy as a stream, and wealth is as easy to drain as a leaky cup."

"As long as a person has a selfish thought, he will lose his strength and become weak, stop being wise and become stupid, and turn kindness into misery."

"All we do is arouse people's greed, and then things will take their course."

"If he can win the money and get away with it, it's his ability."

"But most people are simply consumed by greed and lose everything."

Zhu Shimin recalled the example he had seen in the gambling house and knew that what Li Xuan said was true.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart that a cat had such an understanding of human nature.

"I can now withdraw 200,000 taels of funds, but I need to report to the chief steward and obtain his approval."

"But considering Master Xuan's plan, I'm sure Master General will have no reason to refuse."

Zhu Shimin gave an amount of investment he wanted to invest.

In response, Li Xuan nodded and agreed to it.

"Well, I've almost used up all my cash, but I still have a batch of property deeds. When the time comes, I'll need you to help me with the cash flow."

"Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any loss."

If it were the first day, Zhu Shimin might still be skeptical about Li Xuan's words, but now he has complete faith in what Li Xuan says.

"I will obey your orders!"

……

In the following days, the business of the Taobao stall became increasingly hot, and the news spread more and more widely, gradually spreading among the aristocratic circles in the capital.

On this day, the eldest prince and his two siblings were having breakfast at Zhang's residence.

When they went out of the palace these days, they lived directly with their mother's family.

"Fourth brother, have you heard about the recent commotion in the capital regarding the Jinpeng Dynasty?" asked the eldest prince.

"Brother, fourth brother. I've heard about this, too. The remains of the Jinpeng Dynasty that unified the Western Regions thousands of years ago have reappeared, and a batch of antiques have been unearthed and flowed into the capital. I heard that the secret treasures of the Jinpeng Dynasty are hidden among them. Whoever can get the treasure will be able to become wealthy enough to rival a country!" The Sixth Princess said excitedly.

They handed over the matter of doing business outside the palace to the Fourth Prince. After all, this was the Fourth Prince's forte, and the Eldest Prince and the Sixth Princess also trusted him very much.

Therefore, the eldest prince and the sixth princess lived a life similar to Princess Ankang's these days, just going out of the palace to travel and enjoy the scenery.

The Fourth Prince, who was in charge of business, naturally could not have not heard of this. He even knew about it much earlier than the Eldest Prince and the others.

"I've heard about it, too. At first I thought it was Old Eight's doing, but the situation is getting bigger and bigger. I'm afraid it wasn't done by one of us."

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince and the sixth princess looked at each other.

The Sixth Princess thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "Fourth Brother, I heard that when the antiques of the Jinpeng Dynasty flowed into the capital, no one knew about them and they were only sold for a few dozen taels of silver. But now they are sold for thousands of taels of silver. Is that true?"

The fourth prince put down his chopsticks, sighed, and replied:

"As far as I know, that's the case."

"These antiques were originally sold at Taobao stalls in the West Market, where the most expensive antique was only fifty taels of silver."

"Later, some people with ulterior motives plundered the market and bought up most of the antiques related to the Jinpeng Dynasty. Now, only a small portion is still being traded on the black market. Yesterday, one piece was sold for a whopping 2,800 taels of silver."

"That's it. There's still no demand for it. The price is skyrocketing."

After hearing this, the Sixth Princess couldn't help but feel moved.

"Fourth brother, can we also do this business with the money we have?"

The fourth prince explained helplessly, "Sixth sister, fourth brother has tried it too. He once asked someone to make a batch of copies and sell them, but he only made a little money at the Taobao stall."

"When the black market becomes popular, everyone will know the goods and know how to identify the antiques of the Jinpeng Dynasty. It will not be easy to imitate them."

"As far as I know, several antique dealers in Beijing have tried to imitate it, but they were not very successful. It seems that the buyers have special ways to distinguish the real from the fake."

To be honest, the Fourth Prince now feels a little regretful.

He originally invested five thousand taels of silver to make imitation antiques and sold them at Taobao stalls, but only made two thousand taels of silver.

Judging from the payback period, this business is good, and if the Fourth Prince is interested, he can continue. However, the Taobao stall business is not as popular as the black market, so I am afraid that the profit will not be as great as at the beginning.

Nowadays, the price of antiques from the Jinpeng Dynasty circulating in the black market changes every day, rising steadily, allowing those who bought the real thing in the early stages to make dozens or even hundreds of times the profit.

This made the Fourth Prince always think that if he had used the 100,000 taels of silver he had on him to go all in, then at the very least, if it had increased fifty times, he would now have 5,000,000 taels of silver.

With five million taels of silver, they would have a sure win in this month's competition, and it would even be enough for the three siblings to become rich overnight.

The Fourth Prince must be regretting his decision to death, but at least he is feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Especially in front of Boss Qian, the Fourth Prince's momentum has inevitably weakened recently, and it is not easy for him to continue to exploit him.

"Ugh--"

But what had happened in the past could not be undone, and the Fourth Prince could only sigh to the sky.

But at this moment, the Sixth Princess said mysteriously:

"Fourth brother, I have a way to buy some antiques from the Jinpeng Dynasty. Do you want to buy them?"

(End of this chapter)