Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Fang Zheng Yi's words undoubtedly struck a chord with everyone present.

However, everyone here was an experienced player in the market and wouldn't be easily swayed like ordinary people.

Before long, the excited expressions on the faces of the wealthy merchants faded, and they began to reconsider.

Although what Fang Zheng Yi said sounded good and was quite moving.

The road renovation, coupled with fifty years of maintenance, was clearly a huge expense.

Adding to that the sum to be given to the government, many of them would probably have to empty their coffers to afford it.

Such a deal couldn't be decided on a whim.

Of course, Fang Zheng Yi didn't think he could sway these people so easily.

Even with a good future plan, he still needed to offer some benefits.

Although there was a slight element of persuasion, the essence of business is cooperation and mutual benefit.

If these merchants couldn't profit, wouldn't that be fraud?

The disaster victims are people, and the wealthy merchants are people too. Although he needed to leverage their power, he couldn't be too biased.

I, Fang Zheng Yi, act uprightly and live honestly. How could I do such an unethical thing?

Looking at the whispers below, Fang Zheng Yi smiled and waved his hand.

Servants began to walk out gracefully from behind the scenes, each holding a plate of sweet potato-based foods.

Then, they distributed them to everyone at the tables.

"Everyone! This is the 'Prosperity Sweet Potato' from the capital. This crop yields thousands of pounds per acre, and you probably haven't tasted it yet. Today, I've had people prepare some for you to try."

"Friends who came to participate in the auction today will each receive one hundred pounds of sweet potatoes for free."

"This crop is currently only grown on the imperial estate. You can be said to be among the first to plant this 'Prosperity Sweet Potato'!"

"In a year or two, everyone here will have granaries full of grain. The funds you usually use to stockpile grain can be saved to continue seizing the market. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

The people below thanked him repeatedly and then lowered their heads to start eating.

The rich, sweet aroma of the candied sweet potato clearly captivated many people.

They looked at the sweet potato on their plates with a bit of envy.

Such a delicious thing was also so high-yielding! It seemed the news from the capital was not exaggerated.

They knew this thing was delicious, but they didn't expect it to be so delicious. This stuff was even better than rice and flour... and it seemed it could be both a staple and a dish.

Amazing!

Someone in the crowd stood up and said softly to Fang Zheng Yi, "Lord Fang, my family's financial resources are insufficient, and I'm afraid I can't afford to bid for the road construction rights."

"I wonder... is there any more sweet potato...?"

Clearly, many people were interested in this question.

Fang Zheng Yi waved his hand magnanimously and said, "Of course! Everyone here is a friend!"

"Even if a deal isn't made, goodwill remains. I've said it before, all aspects are voluntary."

"Everyone, please don't overthink it. Act according to your means. Participate if you want to, and if you're tired of sitting, you can go home directly. I'll have someone send the sweet potatoes to your residence."

"Thank you, Lord Fang!" Everyone cupped their hands in thanks.

Fang Zheng Yi pointed to another place on the map with a small wooden stick: "Everyone, eat first and listen to me finish before making a decision. If you want to back out so early, you might miss out on a great opportunity!"

"The construction of roads definitely requires a large amount of building materials. If your standards are high or you want to come up with something unique, you'll need brick factories to make bricks."

"Look here! This place is under the jurisdiction of the prefectural government. The government has decided to allocate two hundred acres of land here as a dedicated park, which will be provided free of charge to the bidders for ten years."

"You can build brick kilns, porcelain kilns, lumber yards, and other industries here. The road conditions here are currently poor, but the government will pay for and provide manpower to build a road from here directly to the city!"

"In addition! A piece of land outside the city will also be allocated free of charge to you, specifically for building houses for workers."

"Finally, if you do well enough and the number of workers you hire reaches the corresponding standards, the government will consider giving you tax reductions."

"As for what the standards are and how much the reductions will be, you can come to the yamen to discuss them."

"All the conditions are here. Consider them carefully. After there are no more questions, the auction will begin directly!"

This was the real bombshell!

Fang Zheng Yi didn't have much money in hand, but fortunately, Jianjiang Prefecture still had land to use.

The initial costs were higher, but the long-term, substantial income should be able to move everyone present.

Doing so was somewhat against the rules, but at this stage, some rules could be broken.

Sure enough, everyone was immediately moved upon hearing of such favorable treatment!

Those who were originally hesitant also focused their attention on the map.

At this stage, hiring workers was almost free. A large number of people would obediently come to your door as long as you provided some food. After all, there were hordes of disaster victims outside the city.

Even if the grain in hand was sold, it could only earn a wave. The government had ordered that prices not be raised, and selling grain was risky.

Now that there was the 'Prosperity Sweet Potato,' grain would be worthless in the near future!

Then why not maximize the value of the grain and use it to hire workers?

Invest in building streets, and the entire street would become my brand within fifty years!

Now there was also a large amount of free land to use, and there might even be tax reductions! This wave... the risk was much smaller.

It was suitable to change careers!

"Alright! Everyone has considered it enough, right? It's about to begin now!"

"I've selected nine streets with the highest traffic, which are all on this map. Now, let's start with the first street..."

Many people under the stage stared intently at the map, pursing their lips and constantly moving their throats.

Clearly, they were in a state of readiness.

With all worries removed, the auction began again.

........

The result was not unexpected. The construction and maintenance rights of all nine streets were quickly auctioned off, bringing in nearly fifty thousand taels of silver!

Those who failed to bid shook their heads and sighed, looking enviously at the successful bidders. Without sufficient capital, the opportunity to get rich slipped through their fingers.

Those who had competitors bid successfully were already considering shrinking their scale or changing careers. After all, if everyone was squeezed onto one street, the possibility of winning again was basically zero!

The successful bidders smiled contentedly, constantly cupping their fists to those around them.

Sun Jiacheng and Wang Qixun were of course also among them.

The two of them fought the fiercest. The first street was driven up to ten thousand taels, and Wang Qixun ultimately won.

Fang Zheng Yi was also very satisfied with this result.

Of the twenty or so people present, only about a dozen could afford it. It seemed that profit maximization had been achieved.

However, those who didn't bid still had silver to squeeze!

Fang Zheng Yi said with a happy face: "Congratulations to the friends who bid successfully! There are still some details that you need to discuss with the government later."

"Friends who didn't get a bid, don't be discouraged!"

"Don't rush! There are still good things below! The opportunity to get rich is still there!"

..........