Royal Gold Magistrate

There are still opportunities to make a fortune!?

Everyone immediately perked up again, looking towards Fang Zheng.

However, those who had succeeded in the auction seemed somewhat disinterested, after all, they had already been drained quite a bit, and who knew how much more they would have to spend later.

Fang Zheng looked towards the side of the stage not far away and called out loudly, “Bring the items up!”

A strong man began to walk out from the side, carrying a loom.

Behind him followed two more strong men, carrying another uniquely designed loom, though this one appeared much heavier, the two men struggling to lift it.

The two looms were placed side by side.

Looms? Everyone was filled with confusion.

What’s so special about these things?

However, those in the audience who ran fabric shops or clothing stores immediately stood up, craning their necks to get a better look at the heavier loom.

A flash of shock passed through their eyes.

Seeing their reaction, the others didn’t dare to underestimate it and also began to pay close attention.

No one doubted the discerning eye of the experts!

“Lord Fang! This loom looks extraordinary at first glance! How much is it?”

Fang Zheng smiled slightly, “Oh, you all indeed have keen eyes, immediately noticing the uniqueness of the loom on the stage.”

“Then this official won’t keep you in suspense, let me explain it briefly.”

“The one on my left is an ordinary loom currently used in the market, hand-cranked spinning, only able to spin one spindle at a time!”

“But the one on the right is remarkable! It’s the latest foot-powered five-spindle spinning wheel developed by the prefecture’s workshop!”

“What this means… I don’t need to say much more.”

“Come!” Fang Zheng called out, and immediately a maid appeared, sitting down at the spinning wheel and beginning to spin.

The new loom operated through repeated foot movements, with the shuttle quickly moving back and forth in the loom.

The high efficiency made everyone excitedly stand up from their chairs, straining to see more clearly!

Although the vast majority of people had nothing to do with the fabric industry, the efficiency of this thing before their eyes was truly terrifying!

It could spin five spindles at once, and the speed was lightning fast! Wasn’t that like one person doing the work of seven or eight?

This was simply a huge shock to the entire industry!

With such an efficient machine, how low could the costs be reduced? Even starting a fabric business from scratch could put one in an unbeatable position!

Everyone’s hearts stirred again! And each person was convinced they had to win it in the auction!

Risk? There was no risk at all!

The loom before their eyes was genuinely working, how could it be fake? Just getting hold of such a treasure and being one step ahead could open up the market with ultra-low prices and establish a firm foothold!

Sun Jiacheng’s business also had a foot in this industry!

He looked at Fang Zheng with red eyes and asked, “Lord Fang, how are you selling this? However many you have, I want them all!”

As long as he could buy one and take it home to study and understand it, he could replicate it. But he had to get all of them in hand to gain the first-mover advantage!

Fang Zheng tapped his small hammer once, “Everyone, calm down! This official hasn’t stated the rules yet.”

“The new loom starts at one thousand taels each, ten in total! We’re only accepting pre-orders now, to be delivered in order within a month! Subsequent maintenance will also be handled by government-appointed personnel!”

“Now, you may begin.”

“Lord Fang! I bid twenty thousand taels, I want all ten!” Sun Jiacheng stood up, breathing heavily.

Behind him, Wang Qixun’s mouth fell open. After a moment’s hesitation, he stood up and said, “I bid twenty-one thousand taels!”

“Wang Qixun, are you sick in the head?! You have to compete with me for everything!”

“I want to! I have money, what’s it to you? Lord Fang! No matter how much this Sun fellow bids, I’ll always bid… one more copper than him!”

“Go to hell!”

“Hey! Don’t fight, Lord Fang is still here…”

The scene below descended into chaos, and Fang Zheng’s face grew long.

A mistake… It seems he had still underestimated these old foxes, their coffers were truly not shallow, he had been too gentle!

This Wang Qixun had just spent ten thousand taels, yet he dared to bid over twenty thousand more for the looms, truly wealthy.

Fang Zheng frowned, picking up the small hammer and striking it hard twice: “Enough! Stop fighting, if you want to fight, go to the theme room to fight!”

“The auction continues!”

The wealthy merchants who had been fighting in a tangle immediately returned to their seats, quietly waiting for Fang Zheng to speak.

“Starting bid is one thousand taels, each increment is one hundred taels, now begin…..”

………

After a fierce competition, the ten looms were all sold at an average price of three thousand taels each, bringing in over thirty thousand taels.

As for the cost, it was mostly wood.

These looms were all handmade by Old Qi, so there was hardly any cost to speak of, it was pure profit.

After the two auctions, the guests were all satisfied. Even those who hadn’t won anything had received a hundred catties of sweet potatoes for free, so they could be said to be content.

After everyone had dispersed, Li Yuanzhao rubbed his stiff jaw.

The intense competition at the auction site had truly given him a shock.

He couldn’t understand why these people were willing to let Fang Zheng fool them like this.

Fang Zheng walked down from the stage and sat beside Li Yuanzhao, letting out a long sigh and leaning back weakly in his chair.

This session had indeed consumed too much physical and mental energy.

On one hand, he had to constantly observe everyone’s reactions and adjust his strategy.

On the other hand, he also had to continuously provoke the emotions of the bidders.

This kind of work should be delegated to someone else in the future…….

After he had rested for a while, Li Yuanzhao hesitantly said, “Old Fang… you’ve scammed eighty thousand taels of silver in just this short while?”

Fang Zheng’s eyes widened, “Your Highness, what are you saying? Doing business can’t be called scamming… it’s cooperation! …How can businessmen’s affairs be called scamming?” He then continued with a series of incomprehensible words, things like “win-win cooperation” and “mutual benefit” and so on.

Li Yuanzhao was bewildered, “Aren’t you afraid those merchants will mess up the road construction?”

Fang Zheng waved his hand, “What’s there to be afraid of? It might be chaotic for a while, but it won’t stay that way forever.”

“The saying goes, ‘It’s harder to stop people’s mouths than to stop a river.’ This applies to the court, and it applies to merchants as well.”

“At first, they’ll want to fill the streets with advertisements, but there will always be times when the common people are dissatisfied. When the people are dissatisfied, competitors can take advantage of the situation.”

“If you make it chaotic and affect your reputation, then I’ll make mine simpler to attack you.”

“The market is the will of the people, it will adjust according to the wishes of the common folk, it just needs some time.”

“Besides, our top priority now is disaster relief, other things are of little consequence.”

“Your Highness, you’ll have work to do next.”

Li Yuanzhao’s eyes lit up, “I can finally do something useful?”

“Hehe, of course, just don’t complain about being tired.”

“A large number of disaster victims outside the city will need your help to settle soon. I’ll find someone to assist you. Your Highness already has enough experience and ability to manage a few thousand people.”

“I don’t know if you can handle a scale of tens of thousands of people now?”

Li Yuanzhao grinned and patted his chest, “Definitely can! Don’t worry!”