YWTGU -Chapter 35 Stop Buying! I Beg You, Stop Buying!

The next day, at the break of dawn.

Li An, who had just fallen asleep, was already woken by the clamor outside. He groggily sat up, blinking in confusion:

“What’s going on here?”

Hongmei pushed the door open, her expression strange:

“Young master… you should… go see for yourself.”

Rubbing his eyes, Li An threw on his coat and followed Hongmei quickly toward the exposition.

Before they even reached the main gate, he was already stunned by the sight.

A sea of people.

No, that phrase didn’t even suffice.

It was… a sea of mountains and oceans!

From the exposition entrance all the way to the city gates, it was packed with people. Some pushing carts, some carrying loads, some holding children, and even elderly ladies in palanquins.

“All… all these people are here just to buy things?”

Li An could hardly believe it.

Hongmei said coldly, “Young master, this is called… ‘first come, first served.’ Everyone’s trying to snatch bargains!”

“Snatch bargains? It’s just a little discount! Is it really necessary to go this crazy?”

“They say the news of last night’s one-tenth-price sale spread, and half of the capital rushed out overnight.”

Li An’s eyes widened, suspicious: “One-tenth? Who said one-tenth? I clearly said seventy percent of the price! The lowest is fifty percent!”

Hongmei glanced at him casually: “Maybe the news got distorted along the way… and became ‘starting from one-tenth off.’”

Li An: …

Suddenly he remembered that last night he had indeed shouted that he would sell at a loss—and the bigger the loss, the better.

And, as always, rumors only get more exaggerated the more they spread.

“Sir!”

At this moment, Jin Daya came rushing over, face red, looking either exhausted or overly excited.

“Sir! There’s trouble!”

“What trouble?”

Li An, who had been slightly annoyed earlier, immediately perked up at the word “trouble.”

“The entrance… the entrance is overcrowded!”

Jin Daya panted, “There are just too many people! The gate collapsed from the crowd! I quickly sent people to block them, but it’s impossible to hold back!”

Li An snorted. Trouble? This was perfect! For the exposition, this was amazing!

Then he thought again, a smile creeping across his face.

Collapsed?

Perfect!

If it collapses, the event would have to stop. Stop the exposition, no more sales. No sales, no income, and the ten million taels goal would fail!

Perfect!

“Since it collapsed, just issue an order to stop—”

“Sir, don’t worry!” Jin Daya immediately interrupted, “Luckily I was quick-witted and had people block it! And to limit the overflow, I decided to start charging an entrance fee!”

“Entrance fee?”

“Yes! One tael per person! Even if someone leaves and comes back, they have to pay again!”

Li An froze: “You… you’re charging an entrance fee? One tael is so expensive, people would actually pay?”

Jin Daya chuckled: “Sir, I had no choice. Too many people—it’s impossible to control without fees. But by charging an entrance fee, at least we make something… Don’t think that one tael is usury! I’m following your orders, no shady gains. It’s fair and just! The people pay one tael to enter, and as long as they buy anything, the discount more than covers it. Anyone not buying would be a fool!”

“Make something?!” Li An stomped angrily. “I want this exposition to lose money! Charging a fee—what are you doing?!”

Jin Daya looked confused: “Sir, lose money?”

“Cough…” Li An realized he’d slipped, and quickly corrected himself, “I mean… this exposition is for the nation and the people, to showcase the glory of Great Qi—not for profit! We must not care too much about money!”

“Sir, your noble purpose!” Jin Daya was genuinely moved, his eyes glistening. “But sir, the entrance fees have already been collected…”

“How much?”

“Up to now…” Jin Daya counted on his fingers, “roughly… one hundred thousand taels?”

“What? Just this morning, one hundred thousand people have gone through? Don’t exaggerate!”

Li An nearly spat blood.

One hundred thousand taels?

From entrance fees alone?

“And that’s just the first hour after opening,” Jin Daya added. “Outside, there are still hundreds of thousands lining up and rushing over. At this rate, today’s entrance fees alone could break five hundred thousand taels!”

Ding!

【Exposition Explodes Upon Opening!】

【Entrance Fees Surpass 100,000 Taels! Great Qi’s Glory Enhanced!】

【Great Qi National Fortune +5000】

【Current National Fortune: 63,479】

Li An looked at the system alert, feeling dizzy.

Five thousand points?

In just a little while, the national fortune rose by five thousand?

Sending Jin Daya away, Li An thought about which of his tricks he could use to cool down the feverish exposition.

But…

Not even half an hour later…

“Sir!”

Jin Daya ran over again, this time with an even stranger expression.

“Sir, something’s happened over there!”

“What happened?”

Li An’s heart moved—could it be some accident?

An accident would be great! That would give him an excuse to halt the exposition.

“It’s… the one-tenth and one-fifth off goods…”

Jin Daya swallowed hard, “They’ve all been snatched up! Alas, we prepared too few! After all, only the high-profit items could be sold at one-tenth without it being too big a loss.”

“All snatched up? Good, good!”

Li An smiled knowingly.

Good, all gone!

No goods, no sales. No sales, no revenue!

“Sir, don’t get too happy yet…”

Jin Daya said with a pained face, “Although our goods were snatched up, the problem is… now bidding has started.”

“Bidding?”

“Yes! Those who didn’t get the goods are now competing to buy from each other! Items that were three taels are now going for thirty!”

Li An: …

What is this? The one-tenth discount was supposed to make people buy cheap goods. How did it turn into an auction?

“And!” Jin Daya continued, “Those who got the goods are reselling at ten times the price to those who didn’t, and there are scalpers in the middle!”

“They… even coined a term, calling them ‘Exposition Limited Editions,’ saying ‘miss this village, miss this shop!’”

Li An was utterly dumbfounded.

Limited editions?

How is that even a term in ancient times? Just say it plainly!

The junk he set up to sell in a makeshift stall somehow became “limited editions”?

Ding!

【Exposition Goods Snapped Up!】

【Secondary Market Prices Soar!】

【Hunger Marketing a Complete Success!】

【Great Qi Exposition Gains Fame, Enhances National Prestige!】

【Great Qi National Fortune +8000】

【Current National Fortune: 71,479】

Li An stared at the words “Hunger Marketing,” his head buzzing.

Hunger Marketing?

I know this is Raibus’ ultimate trick, and I can use it, but I never intended to!

I just wanted to lose money!

How did it become hunger marketing?

Jin Daya was stunned: “Don’t buy?”

“Yes.”

Li An stood up and shouted to the dense crowd below:

“Fellow villagers!”

The crowd gradually quieted, all looking up at him.

“Thank you all for supporting today’s exposition! I am truly grateful!”

“But!”

Li An strained his voice, shouting, “Starting tomorrow, all goods… will return to their original prices! No more discounts!”

He thought, if there are no discounts, surely no one would buy anything, right?

The crowd was silent for a moment.

Then…

“Great! Back to original prices! That means today’s purchases are limited editions—they’ll be even more valuable later!”

“Buy! Buy! Buy! Hurry before the discount ends!”

“I’m not leaving today! I’ll queue right here!”

Li An: …

“And!”

He continued shouting, “The exposition won’t open tomorrow! Nor the day after! It will be closed for three days!”

The crowd erupted again.

“Three days off? Then today’s purchases will be even rarer!”

“Rush! Today is the first day—and the last day!”

“I’ll pay double for a ticket! Let me in again!”

Li An: …

He suddenly understood the saying, “The more restricted, the more you want it.”

Ding!

【Host announces “three-day closure”!】

【Reverse marketing—panic buying among the public!】

【Exposition popularity hits a new high! This tactic will spread across nations, sparking discussion and envy! Greatly increasing Great Qi’s prestige…】

【Great Qi National Fortune +15,000】

【Current National Fortune: 96,479】

Li An looked at the system notification and completely gave up struggling.

He slumped back into his chair, muttering to himself:

“Ten million taels… and I made twelve million in one day…”

“What the hell did I even do wrong… in just one day, the national fortune, which had dropped tens of thousands, has shot up… The system settlement period is almost here!”

Hongmei stood nearby, hesitant.

“Sir… about that bet…”

“Bet?”

Li An remembered the ridiculous bet and chuckled: “Murong Xue lost. She has to marry me as a concubine.”

Hongmei’s expression changed slightly.

“Sir… isn’t that… inappropriate? She’s the princess of Northern Yan!”

“What’s inappropriate about it?”

Li An waved his hand, “Honestly, I’ve become numb to it all.”

He looked at the distant sunset, a trace of bewilderment on his face.

“To be honest, sometimes I wonder…”

“This damn Heaven… is it deliberately opposing me?”

“Every time I want to squander, it increases the national fortune. Every time I try to lay low, it makes a big scene.”

“I almost started believing I was a loyal minister of Great Qi myself…”

Hongmei was speechless for a moment, then said:

“So you still remember your own identity!”

Li An was momentarily stunned, then laughed heartily a few times, before quietly saying:

“Of course I remember!”

“Hongmei, don’t joke about this.”

“I am Northern Yan’s top-level spy. My mission is to ruin Great Qi’s national fortune, not strengthen the country or benefit the people.”

Hongmei said nothing.

She just quietly observed Li An’s profile, her eyes complex.

…

Night deepened.

The exposition finally closed.

Li An dragged his exhausted body back to the Chouxi Treasury. Just as he was about to lie down, faint footsteps came from outside.

“Who’s there?”

He sat up alertly.

“Sir, it’s your subordinate,” Hongmei’s voice came from outside the door. “A guest… requests an audience.”

“Guest? This late?”

Li An frowned.

Hongmei opened the door and lowered her voice:

“That person says… he was sent by Northern Yan.”

Li An felt a chill.

Northern Yan?

He quickly adjusted his clothes and feigned calm:

“Let him in.”

Moments later, a seemingly ordinary, unremarkable old man was led in.

The old man was hunched, wearing plain coarse cloth, looking just like a common farmer.

But Li An knew—anyone sent by Northern Yan would never be ordinary.

“Lord Lone Wolf,”

The old man bowed low, voice hoarse.

“I am here by imperial command to deliver an edict from His Majesty, the Emperor of Northern Yan.”

Li An’s heart skipped a beat.

An edict?

Could it be that because the exposition was too successful, Northern Yan wants to punish him?

“Lord Lone Wolf…”

The old man looked up seriously, carefully studying Li An. A glint of sharpness flashed in his cloudy eyes.

“His Majesty the Emperor of Northern Yan commands—”

Li An held his breath, thinking: Are we still in the ancient times? Even carrier pigeons weren’t this fast. The Northern Yan emperor already knows about today’s feat? Unless…

At this thought, Li An felt a chill run through him.

“In recognition of your outstanding performance in Great Qi…”

The corners of the old man’s mouth curved into a smile.

“The Emperor has decided… to promote you to First-Rank Special Envoy of Northern Yan.”

Li An: Huh?

“And grant you ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand rolls of silk, and ten beauties to enjoy upon your return to Northern Yan.”

Li An: …Huh??

“Additionally, His Majesty has a message for me to convey.”

The old man leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.

“The Emperor said… ‘My beloved minister is truly Northern Yan’s greatest contributor. The exposition superficially earned money, but in reality, it lured the people of Great Qi into spending their fortunes, emptying their households. In less than three years, Great Qi will be financially exhausted. Such a brilliant open scheme!’”

Li An gaped, unable to speak for a long time.

Open scheme?

Empty households?

Financial exhaustion?

No, no, no!

He really hadn’t thought this far!

And besides, are you sure this exposition, which succeeded so spectacularly and boosted Great Qi’s national fortune so much, could really impoverish the people and drain their wealth?

As for Li An’s planning…

He really just wanted… to lose money!

Who knew it would turn out like this!

“Special Envoy?” the old man asked, puzzled, “Are you alright?”

“Nothing… nothing…”

Li An tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing a smile uglier than crying.

“I’m just… too excited.”

The old man nodded in satisfaction.

“Then I shall take my leave. Rest well, Special Envoy. All of Northern Yan awaits your good news on completely ruining Great Qi!”

After giving Li An a meaningful glance, the old man turned and left, smiling.

Li An stood in place, unmoving for a long time.

“Sir?”

Hongmei approached and asked softly, “What did Northern Yan say?”

Li An was silent for a moment, then sighed heavily toward the sky.

“Northern Yan says… I am their top contributor.”

Hongmei was stunned: “Contributor?”

“Yes.”

Li An’s voice was filled with exhaustion.

“They think this exposition was an ‘open scheme’ to empty the wealth of Great Qi’s people.”

Hongmei: …

“But the problem is…”

Li An shook his head with a bitter smile.

“Everyone in Great Qi also thinks I am a contributor.”

“The Emperor thinks I am a capable minister.”

“The Prime Minister thinks I am a master at amassing wealth.”

“The Imperial Uncle thinks I am the ideal son-in-law.”

“The common people think I am the reincarnation of the God of Wealth.”

He looked at Hongmei, eyes confused.

“Hongmei, tell me… whose contributor am I really?”

Hongmei was silent for a long time.

Finally, she said softly: “Maybe… sir… you’re just… extremely lucky.”

Li An: …

Lucky?

This is called lucky?

This is clearly Heaven messing with me!

Ding!

【First day of the exposition is a huge success!】

【Nations pay tribute; the seeds of economic dominance emerge!】

【Northern Yan recognizes the host as “top contributor”; Great Qi also recognizes the host as “top contributor”!】

【Double agent, playing both sides!】

【Great Qi National Fortune +40,000!】

【Current National Fortune: 136,479】

…

Meanwhile, in a corner of the Imperial Garden.

Emperor Zhao Ling’er stood alone under the moon, looking at the battle report in her hands.

“First-day revenue of the exposition: twelve million taels…”

She murmured to herself, unable to suppress a smile.

“Li An… Li An…”

“You really didn’t disappoint me.”

She lifted her head, gazing at the night sky.

“With you here… how could Great Qi not prosper?”

At the same time, in the Prime Minister’s residence.

Wang Fu looked at the intelligence reports, his expression grim.

“Twelve million taels?”

He slammed his fist on the table.

“This Li An… is becoming increasingly uncontrollable.”

An aide cautiously said, “Prime Minister, Li An is after all one of our people…”

“Hmph.”

Wang Fu sneered.

“One of our people?”

“I think… he’s everyone’s person.”

“A man who makes the Emperor, the Prime Minister, and the Imperial Uncle all think he’s on their side…”

Wang Fu narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing.

“He’s either a genius in disguise, or…”

“Incomprehensible.”