Ruse
Everything was set and ready once Albert took the bait. He had no idea what I was after and would never guess what my method was. My method would allow to me rapidly rake in the money in society. The attached risk was that one failure would send the entire plan down the drain. In essence, it was a gamble. Trying to make an enormous profit from nothing was a gamble. Nevertheless, it was the concept Sisi used to rule. The method was convenient and straightforward, which made it perfect against a businessman with other tangible assets, a box that Albert ticked off – his import and retail family business.
A sumptuous meal had been prepared for me and Albert in the dining hall. Ross, who was next to Lilia, was surprised to see me. He then cheerfully ran up to me and bowed. With a smile, he effused, “Lord Lin, why are you here? Were you not at the imperial capital?! I heard you had been conferred the rank of count! You are no a noble! You will live in the imperial capital from now, right?! Miss Leah and Lord Veirya must be very happy about it!”
“That’s right. Ross, head straight to the imperial capital when you come back. Veirya and I will still hold our wedding in the North, however, so we’ll be going back there again.” I scrubbed Ross’ head with a smile.
“So… so, how shall I address you from now? You are now a noble, so I cannot address you as I did in the past, can I? What would be appropriate? I will be sure to address you properly! You just need to tell me how I address you!”
“There’s no need to change anything. To be honest, I’m not interested in being a noble,” I answered, sitting down in the chair opposite Albert. “Ross, just behave as you did. Frankly, you’re already respectful.”
“Lord Lin, we should welcome you after you went out of your way to come here. Unfortunately, we did not know you were coming, so we sincerely apologise for failing to welcome you properly,” expressed Lilia, standing up and speaking with a smile.
I reciprocated the smile: “Madam Lilia, there is no need for you to do that. You should sit as you are pregnant. I did not notify you out of consideration for your health. Furthermore, I only came to discuss some things with Albert and, therefore, did not want to disturb you.”
“You are being too courteous. Albert has just inherited the business; I hope you can provide him with excellent suggestions,” responded Lilia, as she sat back down in her chair.
“Lord Lin came mainly to help me with my business. I am sincerely grateful to him. My business had entered a deadlock, but I am sure I can overcome the obstacle with Lord Lin’s assistance,” explained Albert.
Lilia cheerfully clapped: “Really? I am glad to hear that! It is fantastic to hear that Lord Lin took the initiative to come and help you. Although I do not understand your business for I am a woman, I do feel that Lord Lin is the right man to consult. Lord Lin, thank you very much.”
I heartily laughed: “What can I do? While I’ve been conferred the rank of count, Queen Sisi didn’t provide me with the assets to go with it. As a consequence, I need to earn money to feed Madam Veirya as well as Miss Leah. That is why I must seize opportunities to make money. As a result, here I am hoping to join Albert to earn some money. Additionally, I will have a stable income this way.”
“Really? So, that means that Lord Lin and Sir Albert are now friends?!” inquired Ross. Judging from Ross’ tone, Albert and I becoming friends was supposedly something worth being delighted about.
I softly laughed: “That’s right. I am now friends with Albert. We do need to work together, after all. None of us will earn, otherwise.”
“So, what is your method, Lord Lin?” asked Albert.
“Haha, Albert, your business’ main business is importing foreign goods to resell, correct? You don’t sell to just nobles but also offer lots of things commoners would purchase. The thing is not all commoners can afford them as they are considered luxuries. Commoners wouldn’t be able to afford them. Nonetheless, they are attractive. For instance, there are drinks and exquisite ceramics.”
“Indeed. While commoners will buy porcelain, that does not mean everyone can afford it. We target mainly nobles and the wealthy.” Albert nodded then waited for me to elaborate.
I carried on, “Why are you stuck in an impasse? It’s because you don’t have enough money on hand, correct? So, we can do this: we’ll sell your ceramics to the commoners. Let them buy a sort of fund. Three months later, repay the money used to buy the ceramics.”
By doing that, within three months, we’ll have a huge income. Once we get our hands on the shipyard three months later, we can get a loan from the bank with the shipyard’s shares as collateral to fill the gap. Next, we use the profits from the shipyard to repay the loan from the bank. Everybody has seen what the value of the shipyard is. Given that it could generate income, the bank would unquestionably go along with it. That was the fastest way to gather up scattered money.
Commoners are easy to deceive as they wouldn’t know what was going on behind the scenes. Plus, they would think, “Getting luxury items for free? Why not?” If we also deploy a scarcity tactic and limit it to one purchase per person, then some might even invest in the small business. In turn, lots of people would buy it and then resell it. They’d think they were smart when, in reality, they helped us fulfil our goal.
Albert locked his brows as he pondered what my suggestion. I didn’t feel anxious by his look because I knew he’d opt to go with the aforementioned method in the end. That was the only way he could instantly attract a large sum of money. Nothing would change, otherwise. Plus, after my ruse, the bank would no longer provide those who didn’t have shares anything. Accordingly, my approach was Albert’s only option.
Finally, Albert stated, “If we do that, we will be bankrupt if it fails.”
“We won’t. If necessary, you just need to sell some shares to cover it. The price of the shares will still be high. All you need to do is abandon the goods, and you’ll get back your expenses. That’s why there’s no need to worry about anything. If you don’t get the rights to the shipyard, your shares won’t serve much purpose. As a matter of fact, you’d be better off just selling them.”
“Mm… Let’s do that, then!”
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