Shi Zhongyu said with a deliberately mysterious air, "Well, seeing as you're so sincere—forget it, at least I won't give you a hard time. You name a figure."
He could have spoken plainly, but instead he deliberately rambled and tried to muddy the waters. He clearly wanted to state a price, yet intentionally withheld the exact number just to wait for the other party to reveal their psychological expectation first. That way, Shi Zhongyu would have the upper hand. If Shi Zhongyu named a price first—say, three taels or five taels, and the buyer felt it was too little, or if he named ten or twelve taels and the buyer felt it was too much—he would rather wait for the other party to speak. If the buyer casually tossed out a number, like ten taels, he would instantly know their approximate budget and could then bump it up just a bit.
Knowing the other person's psychological expectation allowed him to calmly manipulate them. This was precisely why, in a price war, one must always find out the opponent's lowest bidding price. Knowing the opponent's budget meant knowing their bottom line, which roughly revealed how deep their pockets were and the maximum percentage they might be willing to increase their bid. That already won half the battle and guaranteed at least an undefeated stance. This was what they called "knowing yourself and knowing your enemy to ensure victory in every battle." Shi Zhongyu was playing a psychological game.
Chapter 163