Chapter 341

Adding it all up, it was exactly thirty thousand taels.

The crowd immediately erupted into another commotion.

Manor.

Shops.

And beautiful top courtesans.

Which one wouldn't make people drool?

"How about it, Lady Du, can we consider it settled?" The accountant said with a smile. "With so much money, land, and beauties, your Jiang family can be considered a wealthy family from now on. Congratulations, congratulations."

Du Ruo curled her lips sarcastically. "To raise these thirty thousand taels of silver, your Princess Consort really racked her brains."

Du Ruo knew exactly what kind of devious scheme the Prince Ji Mansion was plotting.

They just didn't want to pay, but they had to, so they deliberately made such a big commotion to put her on the fire to roast.

Carrying a huge sum of money, but without the ability to protect herself, she would definitely attract the covetousness of criminals.

Stealing or robbing would be considered light.

It was possible that some guy with high skills and bold courage would directly come to murder her for money.

Hah, what a good move of borrowing a knife to kill!

But Du Ruo wasn't afraid. Not to mention that she had a system, she had a handful of poisons, and as long as it wasn't a top expert, it wouldn't be easy for them to do anything to her.

Even if she couldn't deal with it herself, there were two great protectors, Jiang Li and Lao Tietou.

What was she afraid of?

"I've accepted the silver, but as for those manors and shops, how do I know if you haven't falsely reported high prices?"

Du Ruo didn't object to using goods to offset the debt.

After all, it wasn't easy to scrape together thirty thousand taels of hard silver in such a short time, even for a Prince's mansion.

Another thing, Jiang Li had already been transferred to Fengyang Prefecture as an official, so the family would definitely have to live here for a long time in the future, and setting up industries was inevitable.

But she first had to be sure that the industries paid by the Prince Ji Mansion didn't have any water in them.

"If Lady Du doesn't trust us, you can go check it yourself."

The accountant seemed to have expected Du Ruo to say this and handed the list in his hand to Du Ruo very calmly. "The names of the manors and shops, as well as their respective locations, are clearly written on this, absolutely worth more than the price."

Du Ruo really took it without being polite.

After thinking for a while, she took the list and entered the gate of the Xian Hall, saying to the old manager who was leaning against the door watching the fun: "Manager Uncle, can we talk in private?"

The old manager was stunned for a moment, and then obediently followed her to the second floor.

"Does Lady Du have something to ask me?"

Du Ruo took out a silver ingot and stuffed it to him, smiling: "Manager Uncle has been in Fengyang Prefecture for many years, so you must be very familiar with the situation here, right?"

The old manager immediately understood what she meant.

This was wanting to ask him about the situation of those shops and manors!

"Lady Du, you are being a stranger." He pushed the silver back and said sternly, "Top Scholar Jiang is the pride of our Wutou Xian, and even my Wutou Xian Hall has benefited from it, and the grade has improved a lot. It's just a few words, if I take your benefit again, what kind of person would I become?"

Since he said so, Du Ruo didn't insist anymore. "Then I'll trouble Manager Uncle."

The old manager took the list and read it line by line.

"These two shops are indeed on the main street of Wulin Street, and the locations are quite good. According to the market price, three thousand taels is about right."

Oh? Du Ruo was a bit surprised.

She thought there was some trick in it, but it turned out to be worth that much.

Was she being a small-minded person?

Just as she was reflecting on herself, she heard the old manager change the subject. "However, these two shops, one sells rouge and powder, and the other is a tea house. Logically speaking, they shouldn't be bad, but in reality, business is bleak, and few people patronize them."

Du Ruo understood immediately.

She said so, how could the Prince Ji Mansion be so kind as to offset such good shops to her.

It turned out they were all loss-making enterprises.

"Do you know the reason?" she asked.

The old manager shook his head. "I haven't been to the rouge shop, so I don't know, but that tea house, I've heard some guests talk about it. They say the storyteller inside has old-fashioned stories, looks ugly, the tea and snacks provided taste bad, and the charges are outrageously expensive. Basically, it can only cheat those outsiders who don't know the truth, and the locals don't like to go."

So that's it, Du Ruo thought while touching her chin.

The first rule of a prosperous shop, and the most important one, is that the location must be good.

As for the others, such as whether the things are good or not, whether the price is expensive or not, and whether the service is thoughtful or not, these can all be adjusted according to the situation.

Du Ruo was quite confident about this.

Although she hadn't opened a shop in her previous life, she had seen pigs run even if she hadn't eaten pork. The routines of doing business in modern times could all be borrowed.

She wasn't afraid that the shop wouldn't make money.

After figuring out the shop, Du Ruo continued to ask: "What about the manor? Have you been there?"

The old manager narrowed his eyes and suddenly his face changed greatly.

"No, no, I haven't been there! I wouldn't dare to go!" He waved his hands repeatedly.

Du Ruo raised her eyebrows. "Why, is there a problem with the manor?"

"Yes, the problem is huge." The old manager looked around and then lowered his voice. "That place, it's haunted!"

Huh?

Du Ruo was shocked. "No way, right?"

She had also been a ghost, and there was a wall between the ghost world and the human world, in a state of not disturbing each other. Ghosts that violated the laws would be wiped out.

Which ghost was so bold?

Soon the old manager told the origin of the matter.

Actually, five years ago, the manor was still a famous hot commodity in Fengyang Prefecture. First, the location was good, it was only three or four miles outside the city gate, and the traffic was very convenient.

And the scenery inside was very beautiful, with mountains and water, and patches of plum blossom forests.

The young masters and ladies of Fengyang Prefecture would always travel together in groups of three or five when they were free.

The owner of the manor was also very hospitable.

Originally, everything was very harmonious, until five years ago, the manor suddenly changed hands and was bought by the Prince Ji Mansion for a high price of ten thousand taels.

Not long after, it started to be haunted.

First, the poultry was bitten to death by something for no reason, and then it was the turn of the people.

Drowned, fallen to death, hanged to death, and scared to death, more than a dozen people died one after another, and each of them died in a miserable state, but the murderer could never be found.

Later, no one dared to stay inside anymore.

The manor was slowly abandoned, and no one wanted it even if it was sold cheaply.

"Sigh, actually no one has really seen that ghost, I only heard that I could always hear a woman crying at night. The Prefect has sent people to search inside several times, but couldn't even find a ghost shadow."

The old manager sighed. "It's a pity for the five or six hundred acres of fertile land inside, it's just abandoned like this..."

Du Ruo's eyes lit up. "Is there fertile land?"

The old manager: "... and a ghost."

Du Ruo waved her hand. "There's nothing to be afraid of with ghosts."

She believed there were ghosts, but she didn't believe there were ghosts in that manor. Needless to say, it must be man-made.

Just find it and solve it.

But five or six hundred acres of fertile land... Du Ruo was a little moved.

So much farmland, if it were in Wutou Xian, it would be at least five or six taels per acre, but this is Fengyang Prefecture, and the price would at least double. Let's say ten taels per acre, just the farmland would be five or six thousand taels, not including the plum forest, houses, etc.

Calculated this way, it's not a loss.

It's just right for Jiang Sheng to do experimental fields.

Like chili, medicinal materials, double-season rice, triple-season rice, hybrid rice, all of which can be researched, which is a great thing that benefits the country and the people and also benefits herself.

Thinking of this, Du Ruo made a final decision.

She wanted it!

Thanking the old manager, Du Ruo went downstairs. Seeing her come out, the onlookers looked over in unison.

"How about it, Lady Du, have you considered it?" The accountant asked.

Du Ruo smiled slightly. "I can accept the shops and the manor, but I have a condition."

"Lady Du, please speak."

"Take those five beauties away and exchange them for something else, money or shops, anyway, I don't want people."

"This..."

The accountant looked embarrassed. "Lady Du, don't you want to see the people first? They were all top courtesans, and they were beauties who were once stunning in one area, and they were hard to find for a thousand gold. Do you really not want to consider it again?"

"Or, do you want to ask your husband before making a decision?"

The implication.

You don't want them, but your man might want them very much!

Du Ruo rolled her eyes speechlessly and directly shook out the receipt. "Stop talking nonsense, either take the people away; or, take everything away, and I'll take this thing to the government office and let your Heir Apparent eat prison food."

The accountant's face twitched.

Damn, she was threatened.

It seems the Princess Consort's plan didn't work. This Lady Du has a hard temper, how could she keep five disasters by her side?

The plan to use beauties to alienate their husband and wife relationship seems to be unworkable.

"Alright, since Lady Du doesn't like beauties, then I will take them back."

Saying this, the accountant returned to the carriage, took out a wooden box, opened it, and inside was a pile of silver notes. "This is two thousand taels, Lady Du, count it."

Lao Tietou stepped forward to take it, flipped through it casually, and nodded to Du Ruo.

It meant the number was correct.

So both sides handed over the money and the receipt, completing the delivery.

The accountant quickly led the people away.

More than a dozen large boxes were placed on the ground, and twenty thousand taels of silver shone in the sunlight, making the onlookers drool.

Lao Tietou, Jiang Zhan, and the others hurriedly went over to cover the boxes, blocking the prying eyes.

With so much silver, it was naturally impossible to put it in the Xian Hall, as it would be easy for something to happen.

It had to be deposited in the bank first.

Master Yan and a group of students all came to help, called four or five carriages, and everyone worked together to lift all the wooden boxes onto the carriages.

After tossing for half an hour, the silver was finally deposited.

Walking out of the bank, Du Ruo called out to the system in her mind: "Little Tong, I want to deposit!"