Chapter 39: Zhen Jiang Is Here to Make It Official

"I bid... twenty million coins..."

Zhen Mi carefully set down her bidding paddle, looking at Zhen Jiang with a puzzled expression. "Big sister, why did you ask me to bid? Isn't this all owned by our Zhen family anyway?"

Zhen Jiang held her head high, acting as if she hadn't noticed Zhen Mi's questioning gaze. Ten million had already been considered excessive; by bidding higher, Zhen Jiang was not only securing the property but also demonstrating the Zhen family's immense wealth and influence to everyone present. Yet, she felt it still wasn't enough.

Even Lu Chuan found the situation confusing. Although Zhen Mi was favored within the Zhen family, she wouldn't normally raise a paddle or make bids so casually on such an important occasion. Clearly, she was acting under Zhen Jiang's instructions. But what was Zhen Jiang’s true motive?

Miss Mi also looked at Zhen Jiang in astonishment, wondering if the Zhen family had so much money that they had nowhere to spend it, resorting to bidding against themselves. The rest of the crowd was even more bewildered, their mouths agape in sheer confusion.

Then, under the astonished gazes of the audience, Zhen Jiang raised her bidding paddle once more. "Thirty million coins!"

Following that, Zhen Mi raised her paddle. "Forty million coins!"

Finally, Zhen Jiang raised her paddle again. "Fifty million coins!"

With these three consecutive bids, the price of a single property soared from twenty million to fifty million, leaving everyone in the room numb. *Your Zhen family is wealthy and arrogant; do as you please. We are just here to watch the show.*

Lu Chuan looked at Zhen Jiang. Meeting his gaze, she rose gracefully. "Magistrate Lu, fifty million coins is a cumbersome amount. Would you allow our Zhen family to settle the payment with goods of equivalent value?"

"Of course!"

Hearing this, Lu Chuan finally understood her intention. She was here to "buy a ticket" on behalf of the Zhen family. When the construction of the northern outer city began, the Zhen family had been absent, missing the chance to invest. Now that they realized Lu County’s immense commercial potential and Lu Chuan’s own capabilities, they were eager to establish a foothold here.

However, since the initial investment period for the northern outer city had closed, Lu Chuan would not have accepted their capital even if they had brought it. Thus, Zhen Jiang chose another way. She would buy a property worth at most ten million for fifty million; the extra forty million would serve as the Zhen family’s investment in Lu County.

They might not ask for a return on this "investment," but Lu Chuan would certainly owe them a favor.

"So, Miss Zhen has bid fifty million coins. Does anyone wish to outbid her?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison. *Are you kidding? Fifty million coins? Who would want to bid higher? We aren't fools with money to burn.*

"Very well! Since there are no further bids, I declare that Miss Zhen has won the permanent ownership of this property for fifty million coins!"

"Congratulations!"

Those sitting near Zhen Jiang rose to offer their well-wishes, their faces filled with envy. They had wanted this property too, but lacked the capital. Zhen Jiang, accompanied by Zhen Mi, stood and returned the greetings one by one. Her impeccable conduct quickly won over the crowd. Aside from Zhen Jiang, it would be hard to find someone with such vast assets who remained so approachable to ordinary merchants.

Take Miss Mi, sitting nearby, who was currently sulking. She couldn't be happy when all the limelight had been stolen by Zhen Jiang.

Soon, however, Lu Chuan began the auction for the final property. It was identical in configuration to the one Zhen Jiang had won, with a starting bid of one million coins. Miss Mi made the first move, bidding one million, and then the crowd fell silent. Business-savvy individuals understood that these two special properties were reserved for the Zhen and Mi families. Since Zhen Jiang had already secured one, no one dared to compete with Miss Mi.

In theory, Miss Mi could have taken the property for the base price of one million. But seeing no one challenge her, she suddenly felt conflicted. Picking up a bargain was satisfying, but there was a time and place for everything. If Zhen Jiang had spent fifty million, it would look inappropriate for Miss Mi to spend only one million for an identical item. Putting reputation aside, she wouldn't be able to face Lu Chuan.

Reluctantly, Miss Mi kicked her maid, who unwillingly raised the bidding paddle. "Two million coins..."

"Five million coins!"

Miss Mi kicked the maid again, and she raised the paddle once more. "Six million coins..."

"Ten million coins!"

Miss Mi made the bid herself this time, without kicking her maid again. Ten million was the price at which Zhen Jiang had previously outbid her; by raising it to this level, she felt she had done enough to satisfy Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan was amused but pleased by the extra revenue. He signaled Lu Shui, who quickly struck the gavel. The final property was sold to Miss Mi for ten million coins.

With this, all one hundred properties had been auctioned off. Including the ten shops sold by lottery, the total transaction value of this pre-sale auction had exceeded one hundred million coins! It was a staggering success.

However, what the crowd was most concerned about were the ten shops reserved for the very end. Lu Chuan had saved them for last not only because they were four-story structures with massive floor space, but because he offered strong commercial support policies for them.

Anyone who successfully purchased one of these ten shops would enjoy a tax-exemption policy on a transaction amount of up to one million coins annually! Of course, this didn't mean a million coins in tax exemption; it meant the tax on the first million coins of revenue would be waived. Given that there were only about seventy merchants in Lu County whose annual tax reached that level, this was a significant incentive.

If a merchant’s transaction volume was one million, and the tax rate was twenty percent, they would save two hundred thousand coins in taxes. While twenty thousand might not sound like much, remember that this was an annual policy. Permanent ownership plus an annual tax break meant "passive income" starting from the day of purchase! If a merchant dealt in high-tax goods, the savings could be thirty thousand or even more. Over ten years, that would be two million coins!

As time passed, these gains would accumulate to a staggering degree. Everyone who realized the significance of this began to grow restless.

"Magistrate Lu, please begin the auction! We can hardly wait!"