Chapter 340: Acquiring Property
Chapter 340: Chapter 340: Acquiring Property
Just as the two were packing up their belongings, ready to go out, there was a knock at the door. Upon opening it, it turned out to be Lin Hua returning. Unlike usual, this time he was carrying things full to the brim with both hands.
"You’re finally back," Lin Wei took the items from his hands and pulled him into the house, closing the door behind him.
"Master," Lin Hua breathed a sigh of relief, "Good thing you’re here. I just met Uncle Lin outside. He’s urging us; if we don’t go look at the house, they are ready to sell it off."
"So urgent?" Since Gu Kaiyuan was prepared to go out, he said, "Let’s not talk about anything else, let’s go see the house first."
As they walked, they talked, "I asked, they want to rush back to the countryside. If it were a few days ago, this house could have been sold quickly, but now many people are waiting and watching."
After all, even the County Magistrate can be replaced at will. Who knows what more bizarre things will happen in the future?
They thought that living in this remote small town would keep them away from the royal relatives, but unexpectedly, the surprise came so suddenly, and these people are so troublesome.
Now, everyone is in a panic. It’s difficult to do business or even survive, it’s better to withdraw quickly while they still can.
"The price he mentioned before, I didn’t try to slash it," Lin Hua felt a bit shy and uncertain, "I’m afraid he won’t lower the price by much."
"That doesn’t matter, it’s a voluntary transaction on both sides," Gu Kaiyuan was still confident in Xu Zitian. Securing the house at market price would still be a gain.
Arriving at the Lin Family, under Uncle Lin’s guidance, they inspected inside and out, and Gu Kaiyuan was very satisfied.
It was a standard three-entry courtyard, and most crucially, they also bought the small courtyard beside it, where a beautiful little pavilion was built. It’s perfect for future use as a place for children to live or play.
Such a large courtyard, and so close to the county office, and the price they offered was two thousand taels of silver, plus a small market shopfront, which made the price quite reasonable.
"How do you feel about this house? Rest assured, we will only take some personal items, all the furniture here will be left behind."
Uncle Lin wanted to quickly offload the property in hand, as his family had already gone back to the countryside today, leaving behind only him and a few servants to wrap up the affairs.
If Gu Kaiyuan didn’t take the house today, he would have to sell it at a low price through an agent, losing several hundred taels of silver in the process.
They were going back to the countryside, unsure what livelihood awaited them, so losing this silver would be very painful.
"The house is fine," Gu Kaiyuan didn’t haggle, "I’ll take it."
Uncle Lin was delighted and knew that Gu Kaiyuan had only been exiled here this year, but he had regained his freedom, so the contract was easy to handle.
Fortunately, he had some connections with the clerk at the county office, who helped them quickly take care of the paperwork at the gate.
They didn’t want to enter the county office due to someone inside they wished to avoid, so they simplified the process.
With this deal secured, Gu Kaiyuan felt the start was smooth, so he prepared to visit the agents to see what other resources were available.
Just as he was about to say goodbye to Uncle Lin, he spoke up again, "I also have two farms and a shopfront with a small courtyard on the street. Are you interested?"
Gu Kaiyuan responded, "Why didn’t you mention this earlier?"
"They’re from my wife’s family," Uncle Lin said somewhat awkwardly, "But because they left in haste, they asked me to handle them."
He certainly had his own motives, wanting to deal with his family’s properties first. Now that the house was sold and the payment received, he continued.
Otherwise, this courtyard couldn’t compare to the farms and shopfront, which were places of income.
He feared that if he presented everything at once, they would bypass his family’s courtyard.
Gu Kaiyuan didn’t bother with his little schemes and generously said, "If the place is good and the price is right, I’ll take them all."
Uncle Lin was overjoyed, "Rest assured, the two farms were personally managed by my father-in-law; they’re mostly fertile fields with good yields. The shop is well-located, but the price cannot be cheap, for all of them, the package is three thousand taels of silver."
Gu Kaiyuan went to look; both were over a hundred mu of land, not far from the county, and also close to each other, making them easy to manage.
The shop’s location was decent, but a bit old and would require some effort to renovate.
Having understood the market these days, he knew the asking price wasn’t inflated and decided to take it.
After finalizing this deal, Gu Kaiyuan saw Uncle Lin discreetly hand the clerk a pouch, indicating that previous favors were exhausted.
Now that all the properties were off his hands, Uncle Lin was in a great mood, offering to dine together, but Gu Kaiyuan declined as he wished to return to his wife and child.
Uncle Lin didn’t press him, happily clasped his hands in farewell, got onto a waiting carriage, and left Zhang County with his remaining luggage and servants.
Gu Kaiyuan, with the new contracts in hand, bought some pastries, and returned happily to the village.
They had acquired some properties here, but this was just the beginning.
They didn’t know that this quick action thwarted Rong Ruiyuan’s little plans.
Even if he knew, he wouldn’t care or be afraid, as he had already secretly instructed Lin Hua to lead people to other county towns. As long as there were properties being sold, don’t haggle; acquire them all.
This time, Rong Ruiyuan had left the capital with funds prepared to preemptively buy large tracts of land in Lingnan.
He had Ming Peifeng temporarily hold the position of County Magistrate to prepare for taking over large tracts of land.
Now the entire county seat is in turmoil, which will soon spread to nearby counties, creating an opportunity for him to acquire land at low prices.
Even if it’s just doubling the price, it’s still a hefty sum.
These days, he had been staying in the back of the county office, summoning nearby county magistrates.
These people were more considerate than Xu Zitian; just a hint from him and they would promptly pledge loyalty.
Sometimes, with just one instruction from above, subordinates would carry out the task seamlessly.
This is why no one has been able to buy properties or sell farms during this period.
"Your Highness, there are quite a few plots of land in the counties; can we handle them all?"
Ming Peifeng, taking on the role of advisor lately, enjoyed the indulgence in his official capacity. If the Third Prince could secure these lands, he could request to oversee these properties, and with this level of connection, he’d have significant autonomy here.