Chapter 33: Organizing a Pre-sale Event

Miss Mi arrived in Lu County brimming with joy, fully expecting to meet Lu Chuan soon and secure greater benefits for the Mi family. However, after staying for several days and sending in calling cards daily, she found herself blocked by the guards at the entrance every single time, unable to gain entry.

This sent Miss Mi into a frenzy. She fashioned a small effigy at home, wrote Lu Chuan’s name on it, and spent her days stabbing it with needles.

"You wretched Lu Chuan! You detestable Lu Chuan! Still refusing to see me! Hmph! See if I don't stab you to death!"

Her maid stood by, fanning the flames. "Miss, I heard that Zhen Jiang of the Zhen family is quite beautiful. While she may not compare to you, she is not far off. Perhaps that Lu Chuan has set his sights on her beauty!"

Initially, Miss Mi had only been venting her frustrations internally by cursing Lu Chuan and stabbing the effigy, without much deeper thought. But after the maid’s words, a sudden sense of crisis took hold.

Although Zhen Jiang’s beauty could not rival her own, she was, after all, a young lady from a family of immense wealth; her appearance would surely be far from ordinary. Moreover, with her elegant manners and graceful demeanor, Lu Chuan might truly be drawn to her.

Thinking back to her brief contact with Lu Chuan in the carriage, Miss Mi felt a growing agitation.

No!

She had to find a way quickly; she absolutely could not let Lu Chuan meet Zhen Jiang first!

Noticing her mistress’s anxiety, the maid suggested, "Miss, why don't you stop seeking an audience as 'Young Master Jun' and revert to your female attire? With your beauty, Lu Chuan will surely be captivated once he sees you!"

"Absolutely not! My eldest brother told me I must never reveal my true identity!"

While Mi Zhu’s warnings played a part, Miss Mi also had an intuition that if she were to reveal her identity voluntarily, she would likely never get to see Lu Chuan at all. There was no reason for it; it was simply a premonition. Therefore, she would not expose her identity under any circumstances, especially in front of Lu Chuan.

Since she refused to reveal her identity and her calling cards were being blocked, Miss Mi had no choice but to wait at the inn. Fortunately, a few days later, Lu Shui came to the inn in person to pay a visit. He presented Miss Mi with an invitation to attend the "Northern Outer City Real Estate Pre-sale Conference" the following day.

Upon receiving the invitation, Miss Mi was quite bewildered.

"Fixed assets in the Northern Outer City"—this was the first time she had heard the term. While she could understand the literal meaning, she truly could not grasp what a "pre-sale" was.

Was the Northern Outer City not still in the construction phase? She had heard that currently, only the drainage system and underground networks were complete. While vast quantities of kiln-fired red bricks had been delivered to the site, only a few dozen three-story buildings had been erected. There was still a long way to go before completion.

Could it be that Lu Chuan intended to sell these unfinished houses? Who would pay for something they could neither see nor touch? It was utter nonsense! Miss Mi simply could not wrap her head around it, nor could she fathom what trick Lu Chuan was playing. However, receiving the invitation was a good thing; at least she would finally see Lu Chuan tomorrow.

Zhen Jiang, also staying at the inn, had received an invitation as well. Unlike Miss Mi, she had been gathering intelligence for days and could actually decipher Lu Chuan’s motives.

Lu Chuan was holding this pre-sale conference largely to recover capital and instill confidence in all those investing in the development of the outer city. If, during the peak of expenditure for an unfinished project, he could recoup a portion of the funds—or even turn a profit—through his maneuvering, just imagine how excited the investors would be! If this succeeded, Lu Chuan could even force the start of construction on a second outer city!

In short, as long as the investors had faith in Lu Chuan and faith in Lu County, Lu Chuan could secure a continuous stream of investment and create all sorts of miracles in Lu County!

Zhen Jiang felt she had grasped Lu Chuan's intentions and decisively began her preparations.

Zhen Mi, the younger girl, looked at the invitation brought by Lu Shui like a curious child. "Big Sister, is something wrong with Lu Chuan's head? That Northern Outer City hasn't even been built yet, and he's trying to sell it? Who would be foolish enough to buy something that isn't finished?"

Zhen Jiang looked at Zhen Mi with a helpless expression. Was she supposed to tell her that she was that very fool?

Within Lu County, it was not just Miss Mi and Zhen Jiang who received invitations; many other merchants had received them as well. Lu Shui’s standard for sending invitations was simple: any merchant who had paid over one million coins in taxes in Lu County within the past year. High tax payments proved that their transaction volume in Lu County was sufficient and their capital large enough to purchase houses and storefronts at the pre-sale. The Mi and Zhen families, recognized as the wealthiest in the land, naturally did not need to go through such a process. If other wealthy merchants of equal standing to the Zhen and Mi families had come to Lu County, Lu Shui would have sent them invitations as well. It was just a pity that the only families of such immense wealth currently in Lu County were the Mi and Zhen families.

As the pre-sale conference sparked heated discussion among the merchants of Lu County, Lu Shui was busy reporting the situation to Lu Chuan.

"My Lord, the invitations have been sent out. If everyone who received one attends, seventy-two people should participate. The venue for the pre-sale has also been prepared in the main hall of the county office. It’s just that..."

Lu Chuan looked back. "Just what? Do you think the pre-sale tomorrow might not be as lively as expected?"

Lu Shui remained silent. It wasn't that he thought it wouldn't be lively; he simply doubted that people would accept this method of pre-selling. He had listened to Lu Chuan explain the concept for a full hour before he barely understood the logic behind it. The more he understood the "tricks" of the pre-sale, the more he worried that others would see through them. How could it possibly work to sell things that hadn't been built yet? People weren't stupid.

Lu Chuan chuckled. "Lu Shui, you are indeed very clever, and you learn about commerce quite quickly, but there is one thing you still haven't seen through."

"What is that?"

"Human nature."

"Human nature?" Lu Shui fell into deep thought.

The reason Lu Chuan dared to put so much effort into this pre-sale was that he had calculated human nature perfectly! The houses and storefronts yet to be built were indeed invisible and intangible, but one must not forget that Lu County’s commercial credit was exceptionally high, and Lu Chuan treated merchants with great care; otherwise, so many would not have gathered in Lu County. Having made a fortune in the county, they had long since developed a firm belief: following Lu Chuan meant having plenty to gain.

Furthermore, Lu Chuan did not expect every merchant to hold this belief firmly and stand by him no matter the circumstances. Since he dared to hold this pre-sale, he naturally had the confidence and the preparation. As long as he could grasp human nature and devise a plan targeting the fundamental needs of these merchants, he was certain they would take the bait!

Thinking back to the era before he traveled to this time—when the real estate market was at its most feverish and pre-sales were in full swing—Lu Chuan knew that some things were simply impossible for people to refuse.