Mortal Realm Sells House to Pay Debt 2
Forced into a corner, Xie Guijin drew the sword from one of her bodyguards, pointed it at the crowd, and shouted, "If you dare to come forward again, I will kill you all."
"Oh dear, I'm so scared," Bu Yaolian, who had just wanted to take Xie Guijin as a concubine, stepped forward with a lewd grin. Although he said he was scared, he wasn't worried at all. Everyone knew that Master Xie was looking for a son-in-law everywhere because Miss Xie was weak and easily bullied and couldn't stand up for herself.
After he stepped forward and took the knife, he could even touch Miss Xie's hand.
Bu Yaolian, who was only interested in taking advantage of the situation, was completely unaware that Xie Guijin, seeing him approach, slashed down with her knife without hesitation.
If someone hadn't intervened, Bu Yaolian would have been killed or at least bleed.
"You, you dare..." Bu Yaolian was still in shock.
"Hmph," Xie Guijin said with a fierce look, "Why wouldn't I dare? My word is law."
Seeing Xie Guijin's erratic behavior, the crowd was too afraid to approach. They only wanted money and did not want to force Xie Guijin to her death in front of everyone, much less gamble with their own lives.
At the stalemate, Xue Linchuan, the Prefect of Jingzhao, personally led his men to the scene.
Logically, such a trivial matter should not have troubled Xue Linchuan, but upon hearing the report, Xue Linchuan inexplicably felt that he would regret it for the rest of his life if he did not go in person.
When he arrived, the government officials led the way. He looked up and saw Xie Guijin being forced to draw her knife in self-defense. He felt heartbroken and guilty, even though he had never seen Xie Guijin before.
Xue Linchuan suppressed his doubts and stepped forward to ask.
Xie Guijin told the truth and explained the general situation.
Xue Linchuan then said, "Since the contract has been written, the money will naturally be repaid on schedule. As for whether the bank is short of money, I will investigate. You deliberately caused trouble, but considering it is your first offense, I will not detain you for now. If there is a next time, you will be dealt with according to the law."
"Lord Xue is being unfair! This woman injured someone with a knife. Shouldn't she be punished?" Bu Yaolian, who had been driven down the steps, shouted, clutching his chest with one hand and pointing at Xie Guijin with the other.
The Great Zhou Dynasty broadened channels for public opinion and granted the people the right to supervise, so the common people were not afraid of the government.
"Oh? Who was injured? And why?" Xue Linchuan asked, frowning.
Bu Yaolian was pulled back by the servant and swallowed his words. Xie Guijin hadn't mentioned the details, nor had he said that he had spoken rudely earlier. If it were taken seriously, offending others in public could be a crime, but usually, if the people don't report it, the officials won't investigate.
If he were to say that Xie Guijin slashed him with a knife, it would naturally bring up the previous incident and create further complications.
Upon realizing this, Bu Yaolian waved his hand and said, "Enough, enough, it was my slip of the tongue, Lord Xue, please don't take it to heart. Since Lord Xue has guaranteed that the Xie family will repay the debt on time, we will return now."
"So, when my Xie family can't repay the money, you'll ask Lord Xue for it? Lord Xue only spoke a fair word, and you're already clinging to him?" Xie Guijin mocked.
Xue Linchuan was about to blurt out, "I'm willing to act as guarantor."
Xie Guijin turned to him and said, "Lord Xue, there's no need to pay attention to these petty people."
Xue Linchuan swallowed the words "I'm willing to vouch for you," and changed his words to "It's alright."
"Gentlemen, since you have come to collect your debts today, I will give you a clear answer," Xie Guijin said loudly to the crowd below the steps, "Within seven days, my Xie family will repay all the money. Before that, please do not come to bother us again."
Xue Linchuan said urgently, "Miss Xie, there's no need for this. I will send people to protect the Xie family in the future. Even if it's written down in black and white, they won't be able to do whatever they want."
"I appreciate Lord Xue's kindness, but my Xie family has its own ways of raising funds." Xie Guijin thanked Xue Linchuan and then said, "Gentlemen, would you be willing to agree?"
"Miss Xie, since you say so, then we'll come again in seven days."
The group took their leave.
Xue Linchuan then said, "Miss Xie, please feel free to come to me if you need anything."
While expressing his gratitude, Xie Guijin said to the system, "The officials of this Great Zhou are quite good; they are truly virtuous and caring officials."
"Why did you make a seven-day agreement with them?" The system asked, ignoring Xie Guijin's sighs.
"Guess," Xie Guijin retorted, thinking to herself, "Anyway, I only have seven days to sell the house. Once I've sold it, I can naturally pay back the money. If I haven't sold it, I'll be dead. Why should I care about the debt in this illusion? It's more important to make them not cause trouble in these seven days."
Xue Linchuan, unaware of Xie Guijin's involvement in the system dialogue, continued, "I wonder if it's convenient for Miss Xie? I need to inquire with the family about the case involving your father."
"Of course, please, Lord Xue." Xie Guijin invited Xue Linchuan to the main hall to answer questions.
While answering Xue Linchuan's questions according to the real-time answers provided by the system, she asked the system, "No matter where others transmigrate, at least they know the background plot, which is a kind of cheat code. You've only given me a little bit of the background information, so at least tell me the truth about Xie's father's murder."
"Please explore on your own, host," the system replied in a serious tone.
"Tch, am I supposed to sell the house or investigate the case? You useless system, just give up."
Feeling frustrated, the system transmitted some less important details.
After asking the Xie family members, Xue Linchuan felt quite reluctant to leave, but he knew that it would be better for Xie Guijin to solve the case as soon as possible, so he hurriedly took his leave.
The Xie family only knew that Xue Linchuan was known as an upright official, and that he was always meticulous and discerning in handling cases, so they didn't think much of it.
However, having followed Xue Linchuan's close attendants since childhood, he felt that he was not feeling well at all.
His son comes from a prestigious family, entered officialdom through the imperial examinations, and is of upright character and appearance, ranking among the best in the talent-rich Great Zhou Dynasty. He is usually considerate of the people and treats them with kindness, but he has never been seen like this before.
It wasn't that the young master's words and actions were inappropriate or out of line, but rather that his subtle care and consideration for Miss Xie was something he had never shown to anyone else, and that only someone as close as him could perceive it, like a calm lake concealing turbulent waves.
But the young master clearly dislikes women and is not interested in men.
The lady of the house was very anxious about this and wanted her son to get married as soon as possible, but the son was focused on his official duties and had no interest in this matter at all.
But now, seeing how attentive the young master is to Miss Xie, could it be that he has fallen in love with her at first sight?
Oh dear, Master Xie, you can't really be the murderer! The family will never agree to your son marrying the daughter of a criminal.
Xue Linchuan's attendants were constantly thinking about all sorts of things, feeling utterly overwhelmed with worry.
Butler Hao also felt that he was extremely worried. Why did Miss set a seven-day agreement? As the business grew, the money naturally generated money in various places, and there wasn't much liquid money. How could they possibly raise enough money to pay off all the debts?
Seeing the bitter face of Steward Hao, Xie Guijin felt no guilt whatsoever. She said, "Since I can't see Father anyway, why don't you accompany me to see the newly built house in the outer city, Uncle Hao?"
"Miss wants to sell those houses to pay off the debt?" Butler Hao frowned, but didn't blame Xie Guijin. He just said, "Selling them all would indeed be enough to pay off the debt, but they're hard to sell right now. They definitely won't be sold out within seven days. Miss, let's think of another way. Oh, Miss, don't worry, we have plenty of business. I'll go and discuss it with the managers."
While Steward Hao went to discuss countermeasures, Xie Guijin led Lingge and the others to inspect the house.
Lingge asked nervously, "Miss, are we the only ones going?"
"Who was it that told me before that they envied Miss Lin's maid for becoming the head manager? Now you're not envious anymore, and you don't want to be the head manager anymore?" Xie Guijin said casually as she looked at the street scene through the carriage window.
Lingge thought to herself, "Isn't that to encourage Miss to study hard with Master?" Thinking of the current situation in the manor, she forced a smile and said, "Of course I did, thank you for your guidance, Miss."
Upon arriving at the outer city, construction was underway everywhere.
As one of the first merchants to respond, Master Xie was responsible for housing in the "fang" (neighborhood) under the "lifang" (neighborhood system) division standard, which was for commoners or poor, low-ranking officials.
Since the imperial court built the outer city, it was naturally because the city had too many people to live in, and the migration of people was mobilized by the imperial court, so the houses themselves were not hard to sell.
The difficulty lies in selling at a price no lower than the market price within seven days.
The Xie family's house was among the first to be built, while the others were finishing up.
The city gates, walls, and streets have been built, but the government offices, markets, and pharmacies for the benefit of the people have not yet been completed.
Although the imperial court had made plans in advance, the surrounding facilities were not completed and could not be used.
Unlike the world Xie Guijin came from, where there were off-plan properties, here people only buy houses after the buildings are completed and the surrounding area is fully equipped. Buying a house is a major event for ordinary people, and they have to wait and see. It's even less likely that they would spend the same amount of money to buy the Xie family's house early on when there are many other options available.
Back at the Xie residence, Xie Guijin was troubled and racked her brains for a solution when Steward Hao returned.
When Butler Hao entered the room, he discussed with Xie Guijin that the cash that each shop could come up with was limited. Unless they sold off a large amount of goods at a low price, the Xie family's business would be severely damaged.
Because Xie Guijin had previously declared that if the money was not repaid within seven days, the Xie family's reputation would be ruined, making the situation even more critical.
The managers of the Xie family did have their grievances, but they had been loyal to the Xie family for generations and had always received good treatment and salaries. They were unwilling to take advantage of the situation at this time and were willing to weather the storm with the Xie family.
However, if they survive this ordeal but Master Xie doesn't return, and Xie Guijin can't hold her ground, they will have to fend for themselves.
Xie Guijin disagreed with selling the goods at a low price.
Butler Hao said anxiously, "Miss, I've already been to the real estate agents, but none of them are willing to take over our house. They all say it won't sell within seven days; they don't want to ruin their reputation. If the agents won't take it, the house won't sell, and if we don't sell the goods at a loss, where will we get the money?"
"Does it have to be a real estate broker selling houses? Can't we do it ourselves?" As a senior real estate marketer, Xie Guijin knew about real estate brokers. Real estate brokers were roughly equivalent to real estate agents in ancient times, and they were responsible for matchmaking, price evaluation, registration agency, tax supervision and other duties.
"That's not entirely true. The imperial court didn't prohibit families from selling their own houses. But there's no precedent. Throughout history, all houses have been sold by real estate agents. How can we sell them ourselves?"
"Alright, give me three days. If I can't sell them, then we can sell them at a lower price. Okay, Uncle, you've had a long day, go and rest."
After getting rid of Butler Hao, Xie Guijin wrote down numerous plans and didn't rest until late at night.
The next morning, Xie Guijin gave the completed proposal to Butler Hao, who had barely slept all night and had dark circles under his eyes.
At first, Butler Hao didn't think much of it, but the more he looked, the more energetic he became, and he felt that the headache caused by staying up late had been relieved.
"Who created this? What a genius!" Butler Hao said excitedly to Xie Guijin. "Miss, we must win this person over."
Xie Guijin was a successful real estate marketing businesswoman in modern times, but things are different in ancient and modern times. She was unsure of herself, but Butler Hao's reaction made Xie Guijin secretly relieved.
"I wrote it. Uncle, do you think it's feasible?"
“Of course,” Butler Hao said without doubt, knowing it was his young mistress’s doing, and praised her repeatedly.
Xie Guijin then said, "Since it is feasible, we must make sure it is a sure thing and do all the preparations well. I am not familiar with the manager and the staff, so I will trouble you to make arrangements for them, Uncle, and make sure everyone is put to good use."
"Don't worry, Miss," Butler Hao said, and left with a brisk pace.
Yesterday, Xie Guijin made a bold statement, and today, fearing that the Xie family would abscond with the money, people gathered in twos and threes outside the Xie residence to chat. They saw Steward Hao leave in a hurry and were wondering what was going on when they saw Second Master Xie arrive at the Xie residence.
The crowd began to murmur among themselves. The two branches of the Xie family had been at odds for a long time and had already separated. What was Second Master Xie doing here?
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