Chapter 1474: Bai Tan

The Madam was skeptical: "Are you sure?" "Not sure. Before this kind of thing is settled, who can be sure?" Things in the court couldn't be ten percent guaranteed.

"..."

"But it must be tried." You Rongzhi reached out to her. "Fifty thousand taels!"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow morning!" The Madam rolled her eyes at him. "It's the middle of the night, and you want to rush to Sanmentou? Only a madman would do such a thing. Besides, it takes time for me to get the silver out; can't you wait until tomorrow morning!"

"Fine, fine." You Rongzhi wasn't afraid of his wife; he also needed time to think carefully and clear his thoughts.

"Sleep."

He Lingchuan had just entered the post house when he smelled a burst of oily fragrance. Walking to the next guest room, he saw Dong Rui gnawing on sausages and fried chicken with wine.

"Done?"

"Auctioned." He Lingchuan looked left and right. "You're fine here too?"

"Calm and peaceful."

"Where's Fubao?"

Just as He Lingchuan finished asking, the eyeball spider passed on Wang Fubao's words: "Lord, I'm still in place, everything is normal."

Dong Rui hummed: "Aren't you afraid someone will take action against me? Where are they?"

"Slower than I thought, but it's a matter of time; don't let your guard down." He Lingchuan also sat down and reached for a chicken leg. "So hungry. There was nothing to eat at the auction."

The Chibao auction just let the VIPs and onlookers sit dryly; VIPs could get a cup of wine, unlike the Dunyuan auction run by Fang Canran, where food and wine could be taken at will.

Stingy.

The sausages on the table were added with twelve kinds of spices during the filling process, and also added with sweet wine lees, not only bursting with rich meat juice when bitten, but also with a slight sweet wine aroma; the fried chicken was marinated with a secret recipe for two hours before being fried in the pot, golden and crispy, and it crunched as soon as it entered the mouth.

He Lingchuan finished a large chicken leg in three bites, thinking that the Yao State's spices and fried food were a perfect match. He wanted to take another one, when Wan Shifeng suddenly came in from outside to report: "Lord, General Bai from the Ministry of Justice is here."

General Bai? He Lingchuan was startled. The head of the Ministry of Justice, Bai Tan, had been a general and fought big battles, so everyone still called him General Bai, and he himself liked this title.

Why did Bai Tan come in the middle of the night? They weren't familiar. He Lingchuan had dealt with many officials and nobles these days, but Bai Tan wasn't among them.

He washed his hands clean in the water basin first, then said: "Go."

In this season, a string of golden soapberries was placed by the basin, just right to be used as hand-washing soap.

He Lingchuan returned to his room and saw several guards standing outside the door, their waists standing straight.

Bai Tan was already standing in his room, and seeing him come in, he greeted him with a smile: "Island Master He is high-spirited and returning with a full load tonight."

He Lingchuan personally poured him a cup of tea: "Thanks to everyone's support."

The two seemed very familiar, but it was actually their second meeting.

The first time was at the Chibao auction.

Yes, Bai Tan was also at the auction scene, witnessing the Qing Prince's Mansion spending a huge sum to buy the first villa of Youhu Villa. Bai Tan took the warm tea and sat down to sip slowly.

It looked like he was waiting for He Lingchuan to speak first.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror hummed: "So anxious to come to the door in the middle of the night, and then act big after coming. These old things!"

He Lingchuan didn't care, maintaining a gentle smile: "What wind blew General Bai to my place?"

Only then did Bai Tan put down his cup and let out a light breath:

"I'm not afraid of Island Master He laughing at me; I rushed over overnight because I want to buy a villa from you."

It was late, and he was too lazy to go around in circles. Coming to the door in the middle of the night must mean he had something to ask for; both sides knew it well.

He Lingchuan vaguely guessed his intention, but hearing him say it himself, he was still a bit surprised.

The first official to come to the door in person was actually a military general? The reactions of other civil officials and important ministers weren't as fast as his; this General Bai wasn't as simple as he looked on the surface.

But with the position of the head of the Ministry of Justice, he was indeed qualified to buy a villa. "The villa hasn't been built yet, there is no real scene for General Bai to see. I'll go get the blueprints..."

This had to be said in advance, so as not to cause disputes later.

Bai Tan waved his hands repeatedly: "No need, no need, not necessary, it doesn't matter if you look or not."

Did he care about the villa itself? Hehe.

"Which row do you want?" Bai Tan had a position.

"The first row facing the lake."

Facing the lake? He Lingchuan looked at him twice: "There is only one villa left in the first row facing the lake."

The lakeside villas were the largest and most luxurious, and the scenery was better, but the quantity was limited, totaling only three.

"Give it to me." Bai Tan pointed to the silver notes and metal pieces on the table: "These things are worth more than fifty thousand silver taels; I want the last one."

He Lingchuan stated clearly: "Does General Bai understand the significance of buying a villa?"

Bai Tan pointed to the money on the table and grinned: "Of course, otherwise why would this villa be worth fifty thousand taels?"

These people always like to underestimate the brains of military generals.

He Lingchuan took out a gold-labeled wooden plate from his bosom and handed it to him: "General Bai is truly a fierce general, always rushing to the front no matter when."

"For the Sovereign, I will not hesitate to go through fire and water." Bai Tan took the plate and put it away, stood up and said, "If you encounter any difficulties during the process of building the house, just come to me."

Thinking about his position, one knew the weight of this sentence. He Lingchuan was overjoyed: "Thank you, General Bai! It seems I can walk sideways in Tianshui City from now on."

"You can do it now." Bai Tan laughed and left.

Ten-odd breaths later, Dong Rui walked in, seeing He Lingchuan packing up the treasures on the table.

"Huo, how much money is this? Thirty thousand, fifty thousand?"

"Fifty thousand." Bai Tan didn't give much silver, but gave several kinds of precious materials, each of which was worth a lot. This was also a way of thinking; some heavenly materials and earthly treasures were small in volume but high in price.

Hmm, the black market in Tianshui City was said to be very developed.

Dong Rui was surprised: "How come it's more expensive than the final price of the auction? If he really wanted it, why didn't he bid on the spot?"

"He might not have been able to bid it even if he did, and he would have helped to continue to hype up the price, which would be a lose-lose situation, and might offend the Qing Prince's Mansion." If it weren't for the Luodian people helping to hype it up, the first villa couldn't have sold for such a high price. "It's better to come to me privately to negotiate conditions."

"He rushed over overnight because he was worried that the lakeside villa would be bought by someone else first."

With Bai Tan's fifty thousand taels, the first-row villas of Youhu Villa were snapped up.

"Qing Prince's Mansion, Yuwen family, Bai Tan." He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "It's very appropriate for them to occupy the first row facing the lake. If it were someone else, they might not be able to stand."

"According to the information I got, Bai Tan has a violent temper and is impulsive and straightforward. This is a bit different from what I saw with my own eyes."

Dong Rui wondered: "Why does he insist on the first row facing the lake?" ===== CHAPTER 1475 =====