Chapter 352 Disagreement between the two sides
The Ji family building is a large square-shaped, three-story pavilion with four eaves and a pointed roof.
"The whole building?" asked Young Master Gu.
Young Master Ji nodded proudly. Such a magnificent building belonged to their Ji family.
His father told him that the Ji family invested 50,000 to 60,000 taels of silver in this building, in addition to many expensive supplies.
At first, he thought it was too expensive. In Chang'an, this amount could buy a nice mansion.
But now that he saw the actual building, standing out on the southern commercial street, he felt it was worth it.
"What a magnificent style." Young Master Gu exclaimed.
Ji Dashao deeply agreed.
After staying in Houcheng for a few days, the two found that the outer city of Houcheng was well built, neatly planned, simple and elegant, and very pleasing to the eye.
Later they heard that the outline of the entire outer city of Houcheng was designed by a master from Suzhou who was hired by the Liaodong Chamber of Commerce at a high price.
Young Master Gu looked around and found that in the entire Western Suburbs Industrial Park, the most eye-catching buildings were the Ji’s Commercial Building and the Liaodong Chamber of Commerce Building.
Apart from these two buildings, if we were to say that the only buildings that could compare with them in the entire outer city's four districts were the Houcheng County Magistrate's Mansion and the Liaodong Academy.
The Houcheng County Magistrate's Mansion covers a large area, and the main buildings include the main hall, the second hall, the third hall, the Great Immortal Temple, the kitchen yard, the backyard of the government office, cells, etc.
The entire county magistrate's mansion adopts a five-room and seven-frame design. The eaves of the lobby are designed as a curved eaves, and the main buildings are connected by gutter rafters.
The overall look is simple and low-key yet solemn and elegant.
The newly built Liaodong Academy also occupies a large area, but its architecture pays more attention to the scholarly atmosphere.
Looking at the commercial building engraved with the Ji family emblem, Young Master Gu couldn't help but sigh in his heart. It seemed that the Ji family's trade route in Liaodong County had been opened up.
Ji Daxiu is worthy of being the richest man in the South. His business acumen and business vision are as good as ever.
When they met Wu Ren later, Young Master Gu asked tentatively, "Manager Wu, could you please ask the government if our Gu family can build a commercial building in Houcheng that has the same family characteristics as the Ji family?"
At this time, Young Master Ji was standing aside, seemingly not caring, but in fact he was listening intently.
Wu Ren glanced at Young Master Ji, pondered for a moment, and said, "I can't answer you immediately, wait for my news."
He knew that Young Master Gu was testing this now, and would later demand the same treatment as Ji Shi.
But he knew his master's attitude towards Ji Wuyin, which was definitely not comparable to that of the current Gu family.
In his master's words, Ji Wuyin was the first to risk real money and gamble with them. They won and ate the big meat, so Ji should be the first to eat the soup, right? Making the right choice should be rewarded.
Young Master Gu nodded and said with a smile, "I wonder if Shopkeeper Wu could tell me how likely this is?"
"I believe that Young Master Gu also knows that the outline of the entire outer city of Houcheng was designed by a master from Suzhou. It is difficult to change the design now." Wu Ren continued to practice Tai Chi.
"Manager Wu, we are not outsiders, can't you give us a definite answer?" Young Master Gu joked with a hint of dissatisfaction.
Seeing that he was determined to know the answer, Wu Ren also said bluntly, "Of course it's possible. According to my estimation, the Gu family wants to build a commercial building with family characteristics like the Ji family in Houcheng. It's not very feasible. If it is a little smaller, it won't be a big problem."
"Thank you, Manager Wu, for your honesty. I understand." Young Master Gu still smiled, but it was obvious that the smile on his face was a little forced.
Wu Ren's heart sank slightly, knowing that Gu Er was dissatisfied.
Forget it. Master said, a bird in the hand is worth a thousand in the bush. Liaodong Commandery and the Ji family have a harmonious relationship. While the Gu family was once the most prominent family in the South, they've never collaborated before. So, isn't it normal for Liaodong Commandery to favor one over the other?
Wu Ren's words made Young Master Ji very happy.
Wu Ren treated them to dinner before leaving. After he left, he went directly to the county magistrate's office.
Young Master Ji and Young Master Gu returned to the house where they were temporarily staying.
Young Master Gu arrived at his courtyard first. Young Master Ji nodded at him and was about to move on when he was stopped by him. "Brother Ji, it's still early. Come in and have some tea?"
Young Master Ji agreed, as he also wanted to know what he was up to.
Young Master Gu poured him a cup of tea and said, "Brother Ji, we have been in Houcheng for a few days. Isn't it time to go back?"
Young Master Ji was surprised. Before he left, his father gave him a lot of money and asked him to invest in any good projects he saw during his stay in Houcheng. So far, he has not spent half of the money.
He didn't believe that Young Master Gu hadn't told Gu Er to do so and let him watch and invest a little.
"Have you finished everything Young Master Gu asked you to do?" asked Young Master Ji.
Young Master Gu knew what he meant, so he said bluntly, "Liaodong County borders the Xianbei grasslands, and Houcheng is even closer to the Xianbei grasslands. It's actually not an ideal area for investment."
Young Master Ji agreed with this point.
Young Master Gu perked up and continued, "Furthermore, Houcheng, on behalf of Dali, only signed a three-year peace agreement with the Xianbei royal court. What will happen after three years? No one knows what will happen in three years. If we invest too much money, we will always feel uneasy."
"You worry too much." Young Master Ji disagreed with this. "If you were talking about other border towns, I would agree with you. But this is Houcheng, it's different."
Young Master Ji did not elaborate on what was different.
Before heading north, his father told him a little about Mrs. Qin Liu, and he learned that there was such a powerful figure in charge of Liaodong County.
The Lu father and daughter put so much effort into the construction and invested much more money than them. How could they be sure of coping with the situation three years later?
Young Master Gu disagreed. "What's the difference? Few can resist the Xianbei cavalry. I don't know what countermeasures Hou Cheng has, but after careful consideration, I feel that there is little hope."
Young Master Ji gave him a strange look. "You're just a businessman. You wouldn't want the government to share their plans and responses for three years from now with you, would you?" He was being too rude.
"Haha, Second Young Master Gu, I think you should think more about what Young Master Gu told you, and don't make decisions on your own." For Young Master Gu's sake, he gave him some advice.
Young Master Ji felt that there was no need to stay any longer, so he offered to leave.
After returning to their courtyard, the trusted steward shook his head and said, "Young Master Gu was careless in sending Second Young Master Gu to Liaodong County."
Young Master Ji snorted lightly, "Ignore him. Gu Er is so used to being praised in the South that he thinks Liaodong County is the South!"
Gu Er had no idea that whether the Gu family invested money in Liaodong County or not was not a big deal.
To be honest, Liaodong County is not big. It already has the Liaodong Chamber of Commerce, and with the addition of their Ji family, they can completely revitalize the local economy.
At this time, Wu Ren was standing in front of Lu Songli.
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