hsntnovel Chapter 2654 Scam Failed
Chapter 2654 Scam Failed
Li Shen's methods were endless, and Li Shimin had already experienced them firsthand. So when Li Shen said he would invest another million strings of cash, Li Shimin became wary.
Although he couldn't understand the words Li Shen used, such as "capital chain," he understood the general meaning.
In other words, the one million strings of cash they invested in the early stage was not enough, and now each person must contribute another one million strings of cash, otherwise the previous one million strings of cash would also be lost.
"Tenth Prince, you're deceiving me again!" Li Shimin said angrily to Li Shen.
"Father, you've been wronged! Everything I said is true. If you don't believe me, Father, you can investigate whether the workshop has been built or not, and whether the donkeys have been purchased."
Li Shen looked completely innocent.
"How could one million strings of cash not be enough?"
Li Shimin asked, "One million strings of cash is enough to build a county town, so how could it not be enough to build a workshop?"
"Father, the donkeys are all purchased from all over the Tang Dynasty, and special people are needed to transport them to Chang'an City. The farthest distance takes more than a month."
The transportation costs along the way were higher than the value of the donkey.
But in order to achieve scale, we have to do this. After that, it won't be so troublesome. Once I have more donkeys, I can breed them myself.
"So the initial investment needs to be larger," Li Shen quickly explained.
These were all excuses he had prepared long ago.
"That couldn't possibly cost such a huge sum," Li Shimin still didn't believe it.
Li Shen could only patiently explain again:
“Father, the donkey alone costs about ten strings of cash, and the food and drink along the way will also cost money.”
The key point is that these donkeys are fed medicinal herbs at the farm, so they are naturally quite valuable.
"Father, initial investment is necessary for starting a business. Think about the future profits; at least 500,000 strings of cash in dividends a year, and you'll earn it back in just a few years."
"I will not pay this money. You said you could succeed, so you should take responsibility." Li Shimin did not want to pay, as it was a million strings of cash.
Li Shen didn't insist, but said helplessly:
"Since Father doesn't want to spend money, there's nothing we can do. For now, it's just on hold, and the million guan invested so far will just go down the drain."
Please forgive me, I am powerless to help.
Li Shen's attitude was also very clear: if you don't pay, then there's nothing we can do; the previous investments will be lost.
Li Shimin was immediately enraged upon hearing this:
"You bastard, you think it's gone just like that?"
"Father, there are only two options now: either pay money to salvage the losses, or just accept the loss of one million strings of cash."
Father, don't feel like you've lost out. Your son has invested even more manpower and resources. Just for the purchase of donkeys, the Prince Ji's mansion dispatched thousands of people to various prefectures and counties of the Tang Dynasty.
I lost even more.
"If I hadn't been forced to, I wouldn't have asked you for money again. You know our current situation; we really can't afford that much."
Li Shen's genuine feelings made Li Shimin believe him more. Indeed, the Prince Ji's mansion had been emptied out during the road construction in the past two years.
He also borrowed a lot of money from others.
Judging from Li Shen's expression and demeanor, he didn't seem to be trying to deceive him.
More importantly, what should be done with the initial investment of one million strings of cash? Should we just abandon it?
At this moment, Li Shimin was caught in a dilemma. If he didn't spend the money, one million strings of cash would be gone, but if he did spend the money, certain businesses required an investment of three or four million strings of cash.
It was obvious that Li Shimin suspected Li Shen of deceiving him.
The conflicted feelings left Li Shimin somewhat at a loss. He looked at Li Shen earnestly and asked:
"Tenth Prince, are you telling the truth? You should know the consequences of lying to me."
Helpless, he could only resort to threats when questioning.
Li Shen nodded very sincerely:
“Father, I swear it’s absolutely true.”
Seeing this, Li Shimin thought it over and over again and finally nodded in agreement, after all, he did not want to lose the millions of strings of cash he had invested.
"Alright, then I'll trust you this once. Tomorrow, I'll have your mother send someone to deliver the money."
If you are lying to me, I will confiscate your treasury.
"Thank you for your trust, Father."
Upon seeing his father agree, Li Shen quickly bowed in gratitude, overjoyed.
However, he was a little too complacent, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but smirk, a scene that Li Shimin happened to see.
"Wait! You unfilial son, how dare you deceive me! The crime of deceiving the emperor is unforgivable!" Li Shimin roared.
Li Shen cried out in alarm, jumped off the bed, grabbed his shoes, and dashed out the door with superhuman speed. By the time Li Shimin got off the bed, Li Shen had already vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, Li Shen's shouts still echoed from inside the main hall: "Wife, run! See you at the usual place!"
"Is Shen'er running away because of this?"
After listening to Li Shimin's story, Empress Zhangsun immediately asked.
Just now, while these women were chatting idly in the main hall with their children, they saw Li Shen run out in a disheveled state.
He ran out shouting as he put on his shoes, and no one understood what was going on.
So it turns out they failed to deceive His Majesty and fled in disarray.
"Hmph, luckily he ran fast, otherwise I would have thrown him into the Ministry of Justice prison today."
"Guanyinbi, tell me, was I wrong to say that I just called him a rebellious son?"
Li Shimin snorted and asked angrily.
"That's true, the kid really deserves a beating. One million strings of cash, and he just swindled it like that."
"Next time he enters the palace, I will certainly discipline him properly."
Empress Zhangsun nodded vigorously and stopped defending Li Shen.
Good heavens, this child is really audacious, daring to openly deceive his father with such a huge sum of money, a million strings of cash.
This kid really needs to be disciplined; he's far too lawless.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It is all my fault for failing to educate my son properly, which has led to his unruly behavior. I am guilty."
After hearing Li Shimin's account, Consort Wei also came over to bow and apologize.
He sighed inwardly; his son's mental illness had flared up again. "Yuanzheng," he thought, "on such a joyous day, how dare he deceive the emperor? Has he gone mad?"
"Your Highness, there's no need for this. This matter has nothing to do with you. This rebellious son is just like that by nature, and it's also because I've neglected to discipline him."
Li Shimin helped Consort Wei to her feet.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty is wise and insightful, which enabled you to see through his treacherous scheme and avoid any loss."
Consort Wei stood up and said that she was not flattering him, but rather relieved that His Majesty had discovered it. Otherwise, if Li Shen had succeeded, who knows what the consequences would have been.
"Yes, Erlang, no matter what, Shen'er was eventually seen through by you, Erlang," Empress Zhangsun said approvingly.
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin burst into laughter:
"Hahaha, actually, after thinking about it carefully, I realized that the tricks used by this rebellious son were truly ingenious, containing some military strategies."
I have spent half my life fighting on the battlefield, and I have also used this method to lure the enemy.
Surround a portion of the enemy forces without attacking, lure the enemy to come to their aid, and finally wipe out the entire enemy force.
This man's method employs military strategy, but it's been applied in the wrong context.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. I hope everyone can be vigilant and not trust anyone, not even your friends.
Be aware of your own limitations, avoid being greedy for cheap deals, and be wary of telecom fraud.