Jiang Qianniang was also secretly looking at Ren Yaoqi. Compared to the last time they met, Ren Yaoqi's appearance was even more outstanding. Although she was not as dazzlingly beautiful as her sister Ren Yaohua, she had a kind of charm that made people unable to take their eyes off her, and her temperament was particularly outstanding.
Jiang Qianniang was ostensibly visiting a friend, but everyone present knew that Ren Yaoqi and Jiang Qianniang didn't have much of a personal relationship, and Ren Yaoqi could have ignored their sudden request for a meeting. However, no one mentioned this.
After discussing the specialties she had brought from Shunzhou, Jiang Qianniang apologized, "It's a bit rude of us to come here uninvited today. I hope the young lady won't blame us."
Ren Yaoqi raised his eyes and smiled slightly, but did not respond, waiting for Jiang Qianniang to continue.
Jiang Qianniang pondered for a moment, glanced at Jiang Shi, and then sighed, "Our Jiang family has opened an academy in Shunzhou since our great-grandfather established his rule there. Speaking of the Jiang Family Academy, while it can't be compared with the Yunyang Academy, it has benefited the area and has gained some fame."
Ren Yaoqi nodded: "Jiang Family Academy is indeed one of the best academies in Yanbei."
Jiang Qianniang smiled bitterly and shook her head: "Yes, but this is only superficial glory. The first ancestral precept of our Jiang family is that all descendants of the Jiang family are not allowed to engage in business. However, the clan land and most of the clan property of the Jiang family are only passed on to the eldest son of the eldest house. The rest of the Jiang family can only rely on the few acres of thin land allocated to them or rely on the support of the clan to survive." This is why the eldest and second houses of the Jiang family fought each other to the death.
Ren Yaoqi heard all of this, but she listened without saying anything.
Jiang Qianniang continued, "But the Jiang family has at least four or five hundred members, and most of them are scholars who can barely lift a finger and don't engage in daily production. If they relied solely on the rent from their few acres of land, most would have starved to death. So, the Jiang family came up with a compromise: they bought a large piece of land in the city and built two streets of shops, intending to rent them out for profit. This way, they weren't considered engaged in business, and they could support more Jiang family members."
At this point, Jiang Qianniang sighed. "This was originally a good thing, but unfortunately, it encountered some setbacks. My father bought the land for the shops at a relatively low price, but now there are some problems with the land deed. It turns out that the land there was jointly owned by three brothers. The two older brothers sold their share without the younger brother's knowledge. And recently, the younger brother, desperate for money, sold his own share again. Seeing that all the shops were almost completed, we found out that one-third of the land belonged to someone else. My father has been worried about this matter recently."
It's no wonder Jiang Qianniang's father was anxious. He had been able to successfully oust his uncle and take over the position of clan leader because many clan members saw the benefits. He had persuaded his grandfather to buy this piece of land to build a shopping street. Now that the land had become problematic, the interests of some clan members would be harmed, potentially destabilizing his position as clan leader.
"Can't we find the other buyer and buy back the land?" Ren Yaoqi asked. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) This chapter has been read (please click on the next chapter to continue reading!)
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