Seeing the slightly greedy look in Jing Zhe's eyes, Madam Feng was filled with shame, anger, and resentment. How dare he say that others couldn't resist? Didn't you resist very well just now?
Thinking of this, Madam Feng was so angry that her teeth itched. If it weren't for the fact that Prefect Xu was there, she would have said it to his face.
"President Jing makes it sound so easy. Do you think all men in the world are as upright as President Jing?"
Madam Feng was furious. Although she dared not say it outright, she was still capable of making veiled criticisms. When she spoke of "uprightness," she emphasized her words. Although Prefect Xu heard it, he did not understand its meaning. Only Jing Zhe and Madam Feng, the two parties involved, understood.
Of course, Qingqiu, who was eavesdropping next door, could understand as well.
"..."
Jing Zhe looked embarrassed and could only chuckle.
Madam Feng continued, "In the eyes of Master Feng, the Feng Family Restaurant is far more important than me. The reason he still keeps me busy handling the restaurant's affairs is because he believes that I am Mu Bai's biological mother and would never have any ulterior motives!"
"If I suddenly give the restaurant away, do you think Master Feng can handle it, President Jing? Not only will he divorce me, but he'll also take the Feng family restaurant back!"
At this moment, Magistrate Xu chimed in, "That's not all. This matter is interconnected. Master Feng will definitely inquire why I became a witness. Once he investigates thoroughly, my relationship with Xiao'e will likely be exposed! So, even if Chief Jing doesn't reveal our affair, Master Feng will already know everything, and our fate will be even worse than if Chief Jing had spoken out!"
After saying this, Magistrate Xu looked at Jing Zhe and said with a wry smile, "Does Chief Jing understand now? It's not that we don't want to agree, but that we simply can't agree! In fact, even if we sell to Chief Jing, we're taking a huge risk! We'll have to explain to Master Feng that Chief Jing is relying on his official position, and we have no choice but to sell!"
"..."
After listening, Jing Zhe also felt that what they said made some sense.
The Feng Family Restaurant can be considered the Feng family's main economic pillar at present; it's practically a cash cow.
Master Feng only had one "son," Feng Mubai, so naturally he wanted to leave the best things to him, which was the Feng Family Restaurant.
The reason why Feng Mubai was able to compose poems every day without worrying about money and livelihood was because of the Feng Family Restaurant. Therefore, the Feng Family Restaurant was the mainstay of the Feng family. How could the wealthy Feng agree to sell the lifeblood of the Feng family?
If Jing Zhe had approached Master Feng from the beginning to discuss the sale of the Feng Family Restaurant, it would most likely have fallen through. This was information Jing Zhe received from Lin Changjun, which is why he went to see Madam Feng first.
Buying the Feng Family Restaurant from Madam Feng now is tantamount to acting first and informing her later. Even if Master Feng is angry, there's nothing he can do or explain away...
After some analysis, Jing Zhe felt that buying the Feng Family Restaurant seemed to be the only option.
In the end, he had no choice but to compromise.
"Alright, let's change this agreement. I'll buy the Feng Family Restaurant!"
"..."
Madam Feng and Prefect Xu exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief. If Jing Zhe had insisted and the negotiations had broken down, their fate would have been even worse.
Therefore, for them, this result is the best possible outcome among the worst.
...
Now that we've decided to do business, the next key point is price.
"Ten thousand taels of silver!"
"Ten thousand taels?"
Upon hearing Magistrate Xu announce the price, Jing Zhe practically roared, "Why don't you just rob us?"
"Is ten thousand taels a lot?"
Magistrate Xu looked at Madam Feng.
Madam Feng shook her head, her face calm: "Not much."
Seeing Jing Zhe nearly lose his temper, Madam Feng was extremely excited!
"President Jing, are you new to Jiangling and not yet fully aware of the size of Feng Family Restaurant and its status in Jiangling?"
At this moment, Magistrate Xu said, "In that case, let Madam Feng introduce it to you, so that President Jing can understand that buying the Feng Family Restaurant for ten thousand taels of silver is not a loss at all!"
Madam Feng immediately chimed in, "Our Feng Family Restaurant is the largest restaurant in Jiangling City. No one in Jiangling City doesn't know about the Feng Family Restaurant!"
"Feng Family Restaurant is not only a restaurant, but also an inn. On weekdays, all kinds of poetry gatherings in the city, big and small, are held at Feng Family Restaurant whenever there is rain or snow. The restaurant earns nearly a hundred taels of silver a day. Do the math and see how much that adds up to in a year. So ten thousand taels of silver is not much at all. You can break even in a year at most!"
After speaking, Madam Feng glanced at Jing Zhe with a smug look on her face.
Jing Zhe scoffed at her words.
She said that when business was good, she could earn nearly a hundred taels a day. Jing Zhe believed her, but that was cash flow, not profit. After deducting labor, monthly wages and various costs, there was not much profit left. In addition, business was not booming every day. How could she possibly earn ten thousand taels a year?
If one can earn more than 10,000 taels a year, then these two people will definitely ask for more than 10,000 taels, so this is a bit of an exorbitant demand.
However, after thinking about it, Jing Zhe agreed.
"At first I thought it was a bit much, but after hearing Madam Feng's explanation, I think ten thousand taels really isn't much!"
Magistrate Xu and Madam Feng exchanged another glance and smiled knowingly. Magistrate Xu immediately laughed and said, "As expected of Chief Jing, you understand this kind of thing so quickly!"
He then said, "The property deed is right here. As long as President Jing agrees, we'll exchange the money for the land deed, and I'll take President Jing back to the yamen to get the seal stamped. Then, the Feng Family Restaurant will belong to President Jing!"
Magistrate Xu had already made up his mind. Although the Feng Family Restaurant was run by his old lover, Madam Feng, the wealthy Master Feng would personally check the accounts every month. He knew all the expenses of the restaurant and how much silver it earned each month.
Let alone Magistrate Xu himself, it would be extremely difficult for Madam Feng to make any money on her own. To put it nicely, Madam Feng, who owns the deed to the Feng Family Restaurant, is the person in charge; to put it bluntly, she is just a high-level manager hired by Master Feng.
So, wouldn't it be better if he could sell this restaurant at a high price and then make a fortune from it?
Therefore, Magistrate Xu was very much in favor of selling the Feng Family Restaurant to Jing Zhe, especially the price of 10,000 taels. After receiving the money, he kept 5,000 taels and split it equally with Madam Feng. Then he went back and told Master Feng that Jing Zhe was bullying them by taking advantage of his official position, and only offered 5,000 taels!
Feng Mubai had just been severely defeated by Jing Zhe, and in addition, Feng Da Yuanwai's former mentor, Bai Taifu, was Jing Zhe's old rival. Feng Da Yuanwai had always had a very bad impression of Jing Zhe, so he should be convinced of this. With this in-and-out approach, they would have an extra five thousand taels of silver in their pocket. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
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