mesbooks Chapter 520 Oh no, Guan Xing is robbing us again!
Chapter 520 Oh no, Guan Xing is robbing us again!
Huang Chengyan had no good feelings towards Guan Xing; on the contrary, he was full of resentment.
This kid casually scribbled a couple of lines on a piece of paper and reduced his family's land in the city by 40%. Now he comes over with a fake smile on his face. He doesn't seem to have any good intentions at all.
Upon hearing this, Guan Xing smiled even more warmly and said sincerely, "Old Huang, what are you saying? We're relatives. My Aunt Yueying even held me when I was a child."
Mentioning this made Huang Chengyan even more wary; there was never anything good about unfounded claims of kinship.
"What exactly do you want? Just say it."
Seeing this, Guan Xing stopped arguing and took out a set of blueprints from his pocket. He spread them on the bed and said with a smile, "Then I'll get straight to the point. Please take a look, Elder Huang. These are the blueprints for your mansion. They include the main gate, hall, front yard, back yard, study, rockery, and garden. Are you satisfied?"
Huang Chengyan examined the blueprints several times before saying, "It does look quite convincing, but why are you showing this to me? I didn't ask you to design it for me..."
He wasn't quite used to the new word, and his lips trembled slightly.
Guan Xing laughed and said, "Isn't this for the unified planning of Jiangling? I assure you, Elder Huang, that as long as you entrust me with the construction of your mansion, I will give you the best materials and the fairest price."
Huang Chengyan was taken aback and said, "I understand now. You want me to pay you to build a house for me?"
My Huang clan in Nanjun is large; we can find plenty of people to build houses. Why would I need your help?
What do you think?
Guan Xing smiled and said, "Old Master Huang's wisdom is so profound that he guessed it right away. That's exactly what I meant."
"Please don't refuse yet, let me explain. I know you don't lack people to build houses, but there are still advantages to entrusting it to me. First of all, I have many men under my command, and we can go deep into the mountains to cut down the best timber."
"Secondly, I have advanced tools, including axes, saws, chisels, and all kinds of tools. Advanced tools mean high efficiency, and I guarantee that you can move into your new mansion by the end of the year. Finally, if you entrust this work to me, after the completion of Jiangling New City, I will give you the priority to purchase five shops. Jiangling will soon become the largest and most prosperous city in Jiangnan. I believe you understand how valuable the shops are without me having to say it."
Huang Chengyan ignored the advantages he mentioned, and instead stared at him with a pointed look, asking, "Am I the first person you sought out?"
Guan Xing touched his nose, looking embarrassed, which made Huang Chengyan feel bitter and helpless.
This isn't Guan Xing's fault; the blame lies with him for choosing the wrong side, and twice at that.
When Baiyi crossed the river, he chose to stand by and watch. When Guan Xing recaptured Jiangling, he chose to collude with the Wei army. If he had been under Cao Cao's command, he would probably have died eight times over.
Now that Liu Bei and Guan Xing haven't settled accounts with him, and are only asking him for some money to build a house, what is there to be dissatisfied about?
He dared not refuse something that could be settled with a little money; otherwise, if Liu Bei got angry and held him accountable, he would be left speechless with grief.
Thinking of this, Huang Chengyan sighed helplessly, "Then I'll hand over my mansion to you. I won't haggle over the price; I'll do it your way."
Guan Xing immediately handed over the contract and said with a smile, "Mr. Huang is wise. Let's sign the contract first. Don't worry about the money. Just give it to me within a month."
Huang Chengyan was speechless after reading the contract; the price was nearly 50% higher than what he would have spent building the house himself.
Damn Guan Anguo, aren't you a general? How come you also have the talent of a cunning businessman?
Huang Chengyan picked up his pen, signed his name, and stamped the official seal. Guan Xing happily bowed and took his leave, then went to find other gentry from Jingzhou. He planned to sign with the gentry from Jingzhou first, and then go to find the gentry from Jiangdong and the officials from other places in Ji Han.
It is worth mentioning that the gentry of Jingzhou had homesteads in the city, and he could only earn a meager living by building houses for them.
However, the Jiangdong gentry were different from other outsiders. They did not have homesteads in the city, so they had to buy not only houses but also land, which cost several times more than the Jingzhou gentry.
After signing the agreement with the gentry of Jingzhou, Guan Xing went to find his father-in-law first. As long as Sun Quan signed the agreement, things would be much easier for the officials in Jiangdong.
But Sun Quan wasn't as easily fooled as Huang Chengyan. Looking at Guan Xing's smiling face, he said with an unfriendly expression, "No money. You've taken my entire estate and my daughter, and you've ruined my home. Where would I get the money?"
Guan Xing continued with the fake smile typical of a businessman, saying, "Father-in-law, what are you saying? Everyone in the world knows how well you manage your household and how to make money. Besides, you have so many family members; you can't live in a tent forever, can you?"
"I promise to use the best materials for you so that you can live comfortably and with peace of mind. But as you know, I'm short on money lately. I don't have the means to pay for the house myself to show my filial piety. So I can only contribute my labor, and you'll have to pay for it yourself."
He still owes Sun Luban several thousand bolts of cloth, how could he not be in a hurry?
Sun Quan was still fuming and about to argue again when Bu Lianshi quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Husband, please calm down. Anguo isn't something we're taking for nothing. It's to help us build a house. Besides, we don't have that many expenses right now. We can't keep our money around to have children, right?"
Guan Xing nodded hurriedly, thinking to himself, "My mother-in-law really cares about her son-in-law, unlike some people who have a sour face as if they owe them something."
However, it seems that he does owe Sun Quan a debt, and quite a lot at that, since he even destroyed Sun Quan's stronghold.
Sun Quan, a master of political maneuvering, naturally knew when to stop. When Guan Xing came to him for help, he could just put on a show of anger and vent his frustration. He couldn't really refuse, so he reluctantly said, "You decide."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with his parents-in-law, Guan Xing took the contract and turned to leave, ignoring his father-in-law's disapproving look. He then walked to Lu Xun's tent and called out from afar, "Brother-in-law, I've come to see you."
Lu Xun's wife was the daughter of Sun Ce, the enemy who wiped out his clan, and was a cousin of Sun Luyu. Guan Xing and Lu Xun were brothers-in-law.
But in Lu Xun's opinion, this brother-in-law was very dishonest, always trying to cheat his own relatives.
Lu Xun reluctantly invited Guan Xing into the tent, and after chatting with him for a long time while holding his nose, he reluctantly signed the contract and told Guan Xing to get lost.
With the contracts from Sun Quan and Lu Xun in hand, things became much easier with the rest, including Lü Dai and Zhuge Jin. As time went on, Guan Xing accumulated more and more contracts and the amounts on them, and his excited smile never stopped.
Meanwhile, after hosting the banquet and arranging other matters, Liu Bei returned to his tent, where he had the opportunity to spend time alone with his wife Sun Shangxiang, who was more than thirty years younger than him.
Upon seeing him enter, Sun Shangxiang immediately rose and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty."
Liu Bei reached out and helped her up. The old couple, who hadn't seen each other for many years, looked at each other and didn't know what to say for a moment, making the atmosphere inexplicably awkward.
After gazing at each other for a short while, Liu Bei held Sun Shangxiang's delicate hand and sighed, "My lady, you have worked hard all these years."
A simple act of concern instantly broke Sun Shangxiang's defenses, and she buried her face in Liu Bei's arms, bursting into tears.
Sun Shangxiang's life was quite bitter. On the surface, she was the legitimate daughter of Eastern Wu and enjoyed endless glory, but in reality, she lost her father before she came of age and wandered around with her older brother Sun Ce, who was also underage, living under the roof of others.
Sun Ce finally unified Jiangdong and found peace, but her heartless second brother, Sun Quan, married her off to Liu Bei, who was old enough to be his father. Even after marrying Liu Bei, he didn't let her have a good time. He tricked her into returning to Jiangdong under the pretext of her mother's serious illness and has been imprisoned ever since. She has been left to live alone for years, wasting the best years of her life. Not only that, but she is also over thirty and still doesn't have a child of her own. Is this something an elder brother would do?
It's important to understand that the Han Dynasty was not like later times; not having children was a very serious matter, as it meant that no one would offer sacrifices after one's death.
Thinking of the hardships she had endured over the years, Sun Shangxiang's tears flowed like a burst dam, and she cried uncontrollably, drenched in sweat.
Liu Bei could understand the suffering she had endured over the years. He silently patted her back to comfort her, and waited until she was exhausted from crying before wiping away her tears and patiently consoling her. Once the atmosphere was right, he picked her up by the waist and carried her into the inner tent...