hsntnovel Chapter 2750 Li Shen's Speculation.
Chapter 2750 Li Shen's Speculation.
Wang Xuance, standing to the side, craned his neck, wanting to see which name was written in Prince Ji's grudge book.
These trusted confidants all knew that Prince Ji had a revenge book, in which the names of those who had offended him were written.
Wang Hongfu called it the Book of Life and Death; whoever was recorded in it would be unlucky.
I've heard that His Majesty is the one who records the most events, followed by the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Wei, but I don't know if that's true.
"Xuan Ce, what are your thoughts on this?"
Li Shen took a sip of tea and then asked.
Wang Xuance quickly averted his gaze and bowed:
"Your Highness, I also cannot understand their purpose. I originally thought they had gathered together to discuss how to deal with my Prince Ji's residence."
But now it seems they are more interested in spices.
"Can't you even tell?" Li Shen took another sip of tea, then returned to his bed and continued to lie down.
"Your subject is ignorant, and I humbly request Your Highness to enlighten me." Wang Xuance bowed respectfully, seeking guidance with humility.
Prince Ji was far more familiar with intrigue and scheming than he was.
"Xuan Ce, don't you think this gathering looks familiar?"
Li Shen didn't say it directly, but instead asked a question.
“This…” Wang Xuance was a little puzzled, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t figure out where it looked familiar.
Seeing this, Li Shen shook his head helplessly and reminded him:
"Dividend distribution meeting, shareholders' meeting."
"..." Wang Xuance was still puzzled.
"Sigh, don't you understand? Think about how we swindled those spoiled brats."
Li Shen sighed and said directly.
"Ah~ Your Highness means that the aristocratic families' purpose this time is to deceive those gentry?"
Wang Xuance finally understood, and looked surprised.
Li Shen nodded:
"Don't you think it's similar? Gather them together, start brainwashing them, and then finally throw out the bait."
This is practically an imitation of me!
After witnessing the whole process, Li Shen felt a sense of familiarity. Wasn't this exactly what he did when he was adding value to those playboys?
They let people see hope and benefits, then throw out a bait to lure them in.
Wang Xuance picked up the intelligence report again and studied it carefully. Suddenly, he realized that it seemed to be true.
"Your Highness, how could aristocratic families do that? Don't they care about their reputation?" Wang Xuance asked incredulously.
"Reputation? How much does reputation cost per bushel? Do you think I've ever cared about reputation? Every noble in Chang'an has a few words of criticism against me at home."
Fame is worthless compared to the prosperity of a family.
Don't forget, these aristocratic families have done this kind of thing countless times over the centuries, otherwise how would they have risen to prominence?
Do you think that once a family produces a prime minister, it can become a prestigious family that lasts for thousands of years?
Besides having a voice in the court, the most important thing is wealth.
How much money can you accumulate in a lifetime with that meager salary? It's all earned through plunder and extortion.
Li Shen scoffed at the idea of aristocratic families caring about their reputation, believing that people should eat their fill before worrying about their image.
Before they rose to power, which aristocratic family wasn't corrupt and despicable? It was only after they achieved fame and fortune that they began to care about their reputation and wanted to clear their name.
Wang Xuance felt somewhat ashamed after hearing this. It was surprising that Prince Ji could see things so clearly. He was just a scholar and always cared a lot about his reputation.
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. I understand." Wang Xuance bowed again.
"Yes, it's good that you understand. You have to stand up first before you have the right to speak, otherwise people will just treat what you say as farts."
Li Shen nodded. He wasn't intentionally trying to manipulate Wang Xuance; he was just expressing his feelings.
This world is all about results; aside from creating humans, nobody cares about the process.
If you succeed, your words are considered wise sayings; if you fail, your words are considered wishful thinking.
"Your Highness, what exactly are these four families plotting, and how exactly do they intend to set up their scheme?"
Wang Xuance sought instruction in Taoism.
"Isn't it obvious? It's written in the intelligence report, isn't it?" Li Shen replied casually.
"Is Your Highness referring to their plan to buy spices from merchants in the Western Regions?" Wang Xuance asked, looking at the intelligence report.
"Indeed, isn't this the same trick I used last time? Have you forgotten?"
Two years ago, I raised 10,000 strings of cash from everyone I knew, and told them to trade spices. Then, at the profit-sharing meeting, I told them that the ship had sunk and we had lost money.
"These are all things I've already played with before."
Li Shenyi curled his lip, looking disgusted. This was something he no longer played; it was pure deception with no skill involved whatsoever.
He can only use it this once.
He guessed that those spoiled brats had probably already guessed something, but no one said it aloud.
Over the years, they have earned so much money for them. This time, the Ji Prince's Mansion is facing an economic crisis, so they should consider it a way of repaying the Ji Prince's Mansion.
But if this happens again next time, these people won't agree.
"It seems that Your Highness is not like that," Wang Xuance said, handing the intelligence report to Li Shen.
"Your Highness, look, it says here that there is no need to pay in advance. Payment can be made after the spices arrive."
In this way, even if the powerful families claimed they had run out of spices, none of them would suffer any loss.
"Really?" Li Shen was taken aback upon hearing this, and took the intelligence report to examine it carefully again.
When Li Shen saw that what Wang Xuance said was true, he was also a little confused.
"Wow, the aristocratic families are playing this cleverly this time?" Li Shen was somewhat surprised.
"That's why I said I couldn't see the intentions of the aristocratic families," Wang Xuance replied with a nod.
Li Shen frowned, deep in thought as he looked at the intelligence report. He wondered what the aristocratic families' purpose was and what methods they were using.
If he comes from a prominent family, what should he do?
After a long time, Li Shenyi patted the bed:
"Damn, brilliant! It's unbelievable that a prestigious family has such a capable person."
"Has Your Highness come to a realization about something?" Wang Xuance asked quickly upon seeing Li Shen's expression.
“Xuan Ce, if I’m not mistaken, their scheme is still focused on the final purchase of spices.”
However, instead of selling spices from the Western Regions, they sold their own spices.
Li Shen said with a smile.
"Sell their spices?" Wang Xuance didn't understand.
Li Shen nodded:
“That’s right. Look ahead. Prince Ji’s Mansion deliberately suppressed prices and then let Xixiangji buy spices.”
They used this as an excuse to charge everyone an exorbitant price.
They also said they would double the price and that someone wanted to sell to them for acquisition.
This sent a signal to the gentry: don't worry about the spices being stuck in your hands; they'll cover it. No matter how much it costs, they'll always be more expensive than my Prince Ji's mansion.
Once the price of spices became too high, they secretly sold them to these noble families.
They then offered to buy it at an even higher price as bait.
They offered 110 strings of cash for it, and my Prince Ji's Mansion definitely had to match that price, otherwise we wouldn't be able to acquire it.
Even if we don't match the price, they'll still find someone to match it.
"But wouldn't that mean they'd lose ten strings of cash?" Wang Xuance asked, puzzled.
(I suddenly had a feeling today that I'm getting old.)