"What opportunity?" Jin Ming asked curiously. "Does your in-laws have any plans?"
"And you?" Jiang Nuan asked in return, "Have you thought about your future path?"
“Yes,” Jin Ming nodded, “Our five brothers’ families only have a little over four hundred taels of silver left. We were originally planning to open a shop and continue doing business, but now it seems we can only buy a few acres of land and settle down in the countryside.”
"Do you know about the Jin family's estate?" Jiang Nuan suddenly had an idea. "Where is it? How big is it? How much land does it have?"
“The Jin family owns three estates,” Jin Ming said slowly. “One is near the county town, with nearly 300 acres of land. It is surrounded by mountains and water, and there is a courtyard built on the mountain where the master and mistress would go to escape the summer heat.”
“The other one is not far from the town, it’s very small, less than a hundred acres, and not very well valued,” he said, pausing for a moment, “but it seems to have already been sold.”
"The last one is relatively remote, located ten miles west of the county seat. It is quite large, with more than 500 acres of fertile land."
"If the in-laws want to buy a manor, this one near the county town is the best, because the owner often comes here to escape the summer heat, the servants take good care of it, the land is fertile, and there are houses on the mountain for escaping the summer heat, so you can stay for a while when you have nothing to do."
“More than two hundred mu,” Jiang Nuan frowned, “is a bit small.”
“It’s not small,” Jin Ming shook his head. “I remember the estate was said to be 250 mu, but it’s actually 280 mu. There’s also uncultivated wasteland around it. If you really want to calculate it, it’s even bigger than Huangjiakou.”
“Hmm,” Jiang Nuan said, having made up her mind, “The location is good, it’s just a bit small, but I won’t lose out if I buy it.”
“This estate is really nice,” Jin Ming said hesitantly. “I just don’t know if the Jin family is willing to sell. I suggest you start with Jin Yu. He’s a spoiled brat with no sense of right and wrong. He only cares about getting money and doesn’t care about his family’s legacy at all.”
"Xiao Si just said that Jin Yu lost 50,000 taels at the gambling den. If the news is true, then this matter will be much easier to handle."
"Really?" Jin Ming became excited. "Is this karma? No, I have to go to the county town to find out more."
"Don't get excited," Jiang Nuan said, somewhat speechless. "You should focus on recovering. I'll find out the news."
"Then you should inquire carefully. Besides the estate, the Jin family also has seven or eight shops, all in very good locations. If you have the money, you should take over as many as you can."
"Only seven or eight?" Jiang Nuan was not satisfied. "That's a bit few."
Didn't they say the Jin family was the local tyrant of Ping'an County, and that's all they have?
“That’s quite a lot,” Jin Ming said with a black line on his face. “The county town is only so big, and there are only about thirty shops in total. All these shops are the result of the Jin family’s accumulation over generations.”
"Okay, I've got it," Jiang Nuan hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Should I inquire about my future mother-in-law?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Ming froze, a layer of resentment settling over him. "No need, she has nothing to do with us."
“Okay,” Jiang Nuan didn’t insist, “I know what to do.”
"The servants in the Jin family are not tight-lipped. You can find out information by giving them some silver. Just knock on the back door a few times, and when someone comes, just hand them some silver. They will naturally know what you mean."
"Also, if you want to lower the price, just give the steward some silver. The madam and young master don't understand these kinds of businesses; as long as you bribe the steward, you can fool them."
"Don't worry," Jiang Nuan said with a happy smile, "I understand."
This is the difference between having an inside accomplice and not having one. Just these few words can save you a lot of trouble.
Jiang Nuan brought her son and Jiang Chao to the county town. Originally, so many people were not needed; the main purpose was to broaden their horizons.
Upon reaching the back door of the Jin family's residence, Jin Ming instructed them to slip five taels of silver into the man's hand, and the man immediately beamed with joy.
"Madam, if there's anything you'd like to ask, leave it to me."
"Including matters concerning your master?"
"Of course, when it comes to getting paid to do something, I'm not one of those people who don't know the rules."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other and fell silent.
After a short while, Old Master Huang asked, "Young man, I heard that the young master of the Jin family lost 50,000 taels of silver at the gambling den, is that true?"
"Not fifty thousand, more than forty thousand, but it will be soon. The young master is still being held at the gambling den, and the madam is preparing the money."
"Brother," Jiang Nuan suddenly asked curiously, "which group of people are we in?
Upon hearing this, the man smiled awkwardly, "You're quite early. There are only two groups ahead of you, and they're already discussing business with the madam in the front hall."
"Hey buddy, did the deal go through?"
“It won’t be that fast,” the visitor shook his head. “The gambling den has given us three days. Many people are just watching and waiting, trying to stall for time.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan immediately understood.
He immediately smiled and said, "Brother, we'd also like to discuss a deal. Could you please inform us?"
“Alright,” he readily agreed, considering the five taels of silver. “It doesn’t matter who I sell to, as long as I get the money. Wait a moment, I’ll go and inform them.”
"Thank you, sir."
"Mother," Huang Lao Er asked hesitantly, "Are all the servants in wealthy families this unreliable?"
If you can buy information for money, you're practically a thief within your own ranks, and the kind that's impossible to guard against.
“Of course not,” Huang Xiaosan denied immediately. “The Han family would not do that. They would never reveal anything about the main family, whether it’s good or bad.”
“These people’s hearts are no longer with the Jin family,” Jiang Nuan shook her head. “No one cares about such betrayal. It’s no wonder the Jin family fell into ruin.”
"They're not only incompetent, but they also lack virtue," Old Master Huang sighed softly. "If they don't fall, who will?"
“Isn’t this perfect?” Huang Lao Er turned his head. “If the Jin family hadn’t fallen, our family wouldn’t have had a chance.”
"I was just saying it offhand," Old Huang said, touching his nose. "Actually, I wish they were in even worse shape."
"Coincidentally, so am I..."
When the back door opened again, a middle-aged man in a brown silk robe walked over. "You want to talk business?"
After speaking, he scrutinized everyone, as if to see if they could afford it.
Although it was subtle, it made people very uncomfortable.
Jiang Nuan seemed oblivious to anything, and handed over a purse with a smile, "We're from town. We heard the Jin family wants to sell their estate and shops, so we came to take a look. Thank you for your help, Steward."
The steward subtly squeezed the purse, immediately deducing that it contained silver notes, and then became delighted. "Easy, what would you like to buy? A estate, a shop, or antiques?"
"A village or a shop will do, it doesn't matter. I heard the Jin family has a village near the county town. We country folk just want something closer to the county town. We don't know the market price, but steward, can you give us an estimate? We'll reward you handsomely after it's done."
Jiang Nuan emphasized the words "thank you profusely" with extra force.
The implication was blatant; any normal person could understand it.
After hesitating for a while, the butler gritted his teeth and said, "That estate not far from the county town, it's officially 250 mu, but it's actually 280 mu. The houses on the mountain were also built at a high price. If you really want it..."
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