Chapter 37: Hmph! You little vixen!

If one were to ask what the fastest way to accumulate wealth is, the answer would undoubtedly be a public auction.

Goods originally worth ten thousand coins can, if managed well, fetch as much as a hundred thousand at auction. Similarly, houses and shops with permanent property rights, under the intense pursuit of the Zhen and Mi families, were destined to become highly sought-after resources. This was especially true given the secret rivalry between Lady Zhen and Lady Mi; once their competitive spirits were ignited, the prices were bound to skyrocket.

Naturally, Lu Chuan could not allow only the Zhen and Mi families to reap the benefits. When drafting the auction plan, he included a restriction: each individual or family could purchase a maximum of one house and two shops. In fact, Lu Chuan had only made this concession because he realized the Zhen family lacked a single permanent shop in Lu County. Otherwise, he would have strictly limited everyone to one house and one shop.

When the merchants present first heard that the properties would be sold via auction, their hearts sank. They feared that the immense influence of the Zhen and Mi families would result in them buying up every single unit. However, upon hearing Lu Chuan’s restrictions, they were immediately relieved and delighted. They realized that Lu Chuan did not only have eyes for giants like the Zhen and Mi families but had been considering them—the ordinary merchants—all along. A wave of warmth washed over them, and almost every merchant began to look at Lu Chuan with newfound fervor. Their requirements were actually quite modest; they did not necessarily need direct financial gain, but as long as Lu Chuan showed that he had their interests at heart, they were satisfied.

The sales methods and prices for the one hundred houses and twenty shops were fully disclosed. Lu Chuan then granted everyone half an hour to examine the layout map of the northern outer city and select their preferred properties. If multiple people set their sights on the same house, priority would be given to the individual who had paid the most in taxes to Lu County the previous year. No one could find fault with this method. Those who wished to gain an advantage in the future simply needed to work harder, contribute more to Lu County, and pay more taxes, so that when the next phase of the outer city was opened for pre-sale, they could hold their heads high.

Once all the details were announced, the crowd’s enthusiasm was ignited, and they flocked to the maps to make their selections. As for the prices, they were already clearly marked. A quick calculation revealed that by paying the equivalent of roughly thirty years of rent upfront, they would secure seventy years of property rights—an incredibly lucrative deal.

Those attending the pre-sale event intended to reside in Lu County long-term. Being able to secure a house with seventy years of rights for less than half the market value was a massive temptation. It was not just the houses; the shop prices were also very reasonable. Furthermore, the locations were excellent; even for a business with low profit margins, such as grain trading, it would be impossible to lose money. Consequently, Lu Chuan did not need to push for sales at all—the attendees had already made up their minds.

Lady Zhen and Lady Mi were also studying the topography of the northern outer city, though they were focused on the properties reserved for the auction. As two of the most famous merchant families of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, they were bound to go all out. The difference was that Lady Zhen truly recognized the immense potential of Lu County and wanted to use this opportunity to establish a commercial presence while leaving a good impression on Lu Chuan, whereas Lady Mi’s primary goal was to outshine her rival. Ever since Lady Zhen appeared, Lady Mi had been incredibly annoyed. She even felt that if Lady Zhen hadn’t dressed so provocatively, Lu Chuan would have certainly met with her. Hmph! It was all that vixen’s fault!

After speaking for so long on stage, Lu Chuan finally took the chance to retreat to a back room to relax, leaving Lu Shui to answer the crowd's questions. The subsequent steps were straightforward, requiring only that Lu Shui strictly follow Lu Chuan’s instructions. The only parts requiring Lu Chuan’s personal presence were the lottery and the auction.

Half an hour passed quickly. Everyone had selected their houses and voluntarily registered with Lu Shui, signing sales contracts and paying at least a thirty percent deposit, with the remaining balance due within three days. Although there were only seventy-some houses and it was merely a pre-sale, the average price per house reached a staggering two hundred thousand coins. In other counties, a house typically cost only twenty or thirty thousand, and even in Luoyang before it was burned, an ordinary house cost between fifty and one hundred thousand. That these unfinished houses in the northern outer city of Lu County could fetch two hundred thousand coins showed just how much these merchants trusted in the future of the county. These house sales alone amounted to fifteen million coins.

And this was merely the appetizer for the day.

Once everyone had secured a satisfactory home, Lu Chuan returned from the back room to preside over the lottery for the ten shops with seventy-year property rights. With over seventy people competing for only ten spots, the competition was fierce and relied entirely on luck rather than wealth. Had Lu Chuan not been there personally, it was inevitable that some would have tried to throw their weight around or seize the eligibility of others. Since Lu Chuan insisted on fairness, he naturally prevented such behavior. Only by fully protecting the interests of the vulnerable could more people see hope.

Because of Lu Chuan’s presence, those who had harbored ulterior motives during the lottery did not dare to act out. While Lu Chuan usually appeared amiable, those who had spent enough time in Lu County knew that when he turned ruthless, he was more fearsome than anyone. If anyone dared to cause trouble in such a serious setting, Lu Chuan had a hundred ways to make them pay a heavy price.

Lu Chuan monitored the entire lottery process to ensure maximum fairness. The results were soon out. Neither Lady Zhen nor Lady Mi won a spot. They were slightly dejected, but they kept it to themselves and made no attempt to stir up trouble. Seeing that even they remained orderly, the others who lost out had no choice but to accept the result.

Lu Chuan instructed the ten winning merchants to sign their contracts, pay their deposits, and complete the paperwork with Lu Shui. He then returned to the stage to announce that the first Lu County Pre-sale Auction had officially begun.