Chapter 1125 Hoarding
Her tone was calm, yet it carried a hint of unquestionable authority.
The shopkeeper wiped the sweat off his forehead, his eyes flickered, and he stammered, unable to speak.
The vendors around her also lowered their heads, pretending to be busy, not daring to look her in the eye.
Jiang Xue felt powerless. Shanghe Town was like a huge spider web that trapped her and made her unable to move.
She knew that there was an invisible hand controlling everything, and she had to find this hand in order to break out of the situation.
As the sun sets, the number of pedestrians on the streets gradually decreases and shops close one after another.
Jiang Xue stood on the empty street, feeling increasingly depressed.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves coming from far away broke the tranquility of Shanghe Town.
A luxurious carriage slowly drove up and stopped in front of her.
The car curtain opened, and a familiar figure appeared in her sight...
"Your Highness, I hope you are well." The voice of the richest man in Shanghe Town broke the silence with a hint of teasing.
The richest man in Shanghe Town was fat and big-eared, dressed in silk and satin. He slowly got down from the carriage, like a proud peacock.
He cupped his hands with a fake smile and said, "Your Highness, I am sorry for not welcoming you in person. Please forgive me."
This tone is not one of forgiveness, it's clearly one of showing off.
Jiang Xue sneered and didn't bother to flirt with him: "Mr. Richest Man, you are so grand, what can I do for you?"
"I don't deserve your kindness."
The richest man waved his hand and pretended to be modest: "I just heard that Her Royal Highness the Princess wanted to develop business in Shanghe Town, so I came here specially... to exchange ideas."
He deliberately emphasized the word "discuss".
Jiang Xue understood clearly that this person had bad intentions.
She looked around and saw that the trading place had been surrounded by the richest man's men. They all looked ferocious and acted as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
There was a tense atmosphere in the air. The richest man waved his hand to his followers behind him, and they immediately brought up several boxes and placed them in front of everyone.
Then he opened the box, and the gold, silver and jewelry inside instantly appeared in front of everyone, flashing with dazzling light.
"Your Highness, look, these are just a small gift from me, not a token of respect." His tone was frivolous, as if he was giving alms to a beggar.
Jiang Xue's face darkened. This was not a gift at all; it was clearly a humiliation!
She looked at the richest man coldly and said word by word: "What does the richest man mean by this?"
"The meaning is very simple."
The richest man put away his smile, his eyes turned cold, "Not everyone can have a piece of the cake of Shanghe Town. Your Highness, you should go back to your palace, embroider some flowers, raise some birds, and enjoy your wealth and glory."
In the next few days, Jiang Xue's business plans were destroyed one by one by the richest man.
The merchants she contacted all went back on their word, and the signed contracts became waste paper.
The huge amount of money she invested was like a drop in the ocean, with not even a sound being heard.
Seeing all her hard work go to waste, Jiang Xue was filled with anger and despair.
The sky over Shanghe Town seemed to become gloomy as well, making it hard to breathe.
"Princess, should we... continue?" The guard's voice was low and weak.
Jiang Xue took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
Instead of running around like a headless fly, it is better to find out the opponent's background first.
She disguised herself as an ordinary vendor and began to secretly investigate the business operations of the richest man.
After a few days, she really smelled something unusual - the richest man had been purchasing grain frequently recently, and the quantity was staggering.
This move seemed particularly unusual in the harvest season of autumn, as if hoarding goods in anticipation of making a fortune.
"Are they trying to artificially increase food prices?" Jiang Xue murmured to herself, with a vague guess in her mind.
She thought of the recent rumors about unrest on the border and was startled. Could it be that this richest man was a spy from the enemy country, trying to hoard food and disrupt the market, giving the enemy an opportunity to take advantage?
The air in Shanghe Town seemed to be frozen, and there was a tense feeling as if a storm was about to come.
Jiang Xue's eyes were gleaming with excitement, like a hunter who had discovered the traces of prey.
She decided to turn the tables and take advantage of the conspiracy.
She spread the news, claiming that she had a large amount of low-priced grain and was preparing to sell it at a low price in Shanghe Town.
When the news came out, it was like dropping a huge rock into a calm lake, instantly causing a thousand waves.
Those businessmen who originally avoided Jiang Xue now come to her one after another, hoping to get a piece of the pie.
Even the richest man couldn't sit still and sent people to find out the truth.
Jiang Xue remained calm and secretly observed the richest man's reaction.
Seeing food prices falling day by day, the richest man finally lost his patience.
He met with Jiang Xue again, his tone filled with anxiety: "Princess, what do you mean? Disrupting the market is a serious crime!"
Jiang Xue chuckled, her eyes full of mockery:
"Mr. Richest Man, what you said is true. I am just competing fairly, how can I say it is disruptive? Mr. Richest Man, hoarding goods and having ulterior motives is the real felony, right?"
The richest man's face turned pale and beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on his forehead.
He didn't expect that Jiang Xue would see through his conspiracy and even turn the tables on him.
He stammered and was unable to utter a word, his eyes flickering like a trapped animal.
"Mr. Richest Man, what happened to you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Jiang Xue asked with pretended concern, but her eyes were full of teasing.
The richest man suppressed his anger and forced a smile: "Your Highness, you are joking. I am just... worried that the fluctuation of grain prices will affect people's livelihood."
"In that case."
Jiang Xue changed her tone, with a hint of unquestionable majesty: "Why don't you, the richest man, sell the stored grain to the people at a low price, which can also be regarded as serving the country and the people, how about it?"
The richest man's face changed, he knew he had lost.
He gritted his teeth and agreed to Jiang Xue's request.
Looking at the panicked back of the richest man, Jiang Xue felt filled with a sense of accomplishment.
The air in Shanghe Town seemed to be much fresher, and the depressing atmosphere was swept away.
In the next few days, Jiang Xue successfully established some stable business channels in Shanghe Town and obtained some funds.
But she knew that this was only the first step in a long journey.
She looked into the distance at Shanghe Town with a deep gaze: "Next, the real challenge will come."
She jumped on the horse, whipped the horse and rode away, leaving behind only a gradually receding back.
Jiang Xue and her group rode their horses at full speed, approaching the castle that was entrenched like a giant beast.
From afar, the majestic and tall castle was shrouded in a thick layer of dark clouds. Jiang Xue squinted her eyes as she rode on her horse: "This castle is amazing!"
Then she took a deep breath, looked at the still closed city gate and said, "It seems that the owner of this castle does not welcome us!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the castle gate burst open and a large number of soldiers poured out like a tide.
The shouting and screaming were earth-shaking, as if the "Dolby sound effect" was turned on, making people's eardrums buzz.
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