"Mr. Li is joking. This house is indeed very well designed, but it has been lived in for ten years. If I were to move in, I would inevitably have to do some renovations. Ten thousand taels is too high." Qu Qingxi shook her head.
"Besides, my business isn't very big right now, and I don't have that much cash on hand." Boss Li was in a hurry to leave, so he naturally needed to settle the accounts before leaving and wouldn't agree to extend credit.
Seeing that the person in front of him was interested in buying, Mr. Li thought for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. Bai, seeing that you are a man of principle, I also hope to hand over this house to someone who can take good care of it. How about nine thousand taels of silver?"
"I can raise eight thousand taels of silver within two days." Qu Qingxi estimated in her mind that eight thousand taels was just right for this house.
"Boss Bai, you really are a businessman. How about this, we compromise and make it eight thousand five hundred taels of silver?" Boss Li smiled, still somewhat unwilling. Eight thousand taels was his bottom line, and if possible, he would naturally want to sell it for more.
He basically lost seven thousand taels of silver in this business deal. After paying off his debts, he still needed to pay off the servants in his mansion and settle his family, which would require another sum of money.
"Mr. Li, to be honest, I can only offer a maximum of eight thousand taels of silver. If you feel it's not suitable, you can wait for someone else. Perhaps, in the end, I'm not destined to be with this place."
Qu Qingxi chuckled softly, then stood up and looked at Chen Shuyan, who had been quiet for most of the day.
"Didn't you say there were a few more houses? Let's go take a look."
Shen Shuyan looked at Boss Li, then at Qu Qingxi. Qu Qingxi didn't need the five hundred taels of silver, so why did she refuse it?
Besides, besides this house, there's only one other house left. Where else could there be many?
Shen Shuyan immediately realized that this was probably Qu Qingxi's doing, but he didn't say anything. All he had to do was cooperate with Qu Qingxi.
The two stood up and walked outside. After taking only two steps, they heard Boss Li behind them say, "Boss Bai, please wait. Eight thousand taels it is."
Qu Qingxi smiled smugly, then glanced at Chen Shuyan. The moment she turned away, her smile vanished, replaced by a troubled expression. "Mr. Li, have you thought this through? After all, you built this house yourself."
"Sigh, I've thought it through, but I'll make it clear beforehand: the eight thousand taels of silver must be prepared within two days." Boss Li sighed. Fortunately, it didn't exceed his bottom line, otherwise he really wouldn't want to sell.
"By the way, the maids and servants in this house are all of good character, hardworking, and not gossipy. Boss Bai, you can keep them if you need them."
But don't worry, I'll settle their monthly payments before I leave, so it won't cause you any trouble.
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Li, but no need. I have enough maids, servants, and housekeepers on my side, so I don't need any more manpower," Qu Qingxi politely declined.
She wasn't familiar with the boss, Mr. Li, nor did she know who the maids and servants were. She didn't feel comfortable leaving them behind; if something happened later, she wouldn't even be able to find her enemies.
"Alright, I'll be waiting for you at the government office at the beginning of the day tomorrow. I'll bring the land deed, and I hope you'll bring the banknotes as well."
“Okay, I’ll be waiting there tomorrow.” Qu Qingxi stood up and laughed heartily.
He then took out a silver note from his pocket. "Boss Li, here is five hundred taels of silver as a deposit."
"Mr. Bai is so generous, then I'll accept it." Mr. Li also stood up and bowed to Qu Qingxi.
On the way, Shen Shuyan looked at Qu Qingxi with a puzzled expression, "Is that all? Isn't there still one we haven't visited yet?"
"This house is just what I wanted, I'll take it."
"Are we going to the next place?" Shen Shuyan asked.
"I'm not going." Since we've already bought it, we'll just skip the rest. The other place is a bit out of the way, and we can't do any business there. It'll just sit idle anyway.
It would be better to use this money to buy a few shops on the street, and then do some business to make some money.
"Go back now?"
"Go back." Qu Qingxi nodded.
The two returned to the Treasure Pavilion, sat down to rest for a while, and Qu Qingxi took the initiative to order Guiyunlou to send over some food.
Looking at the table almost completely covered, Shen Shuyan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Such a lavish spread, are you thanking me?"
"Yes, thanks to you, otherwise I really don't know when I would have found a suitable place." Qu Qingxi nodded.
"Why did you suddenly decide to buy a house?"
Qu Qingxi is the Princess Consort of Nanqing. Moreover, according to his information, He Liufeng treats Qu Qingxi very well, and the palace lacks nothing. Why would Qu Qingxi think of buying a house outside?
"I just bought it on a whim," Qu Qingxi said without offering further explanation.
The people here all believe that a woman should obey her husband after marriage, so how could a married woman buy a house outside? Qu Qingxi didn't want to explain too much; her thinking was ultimately different from theirs.
Others might see this as unnecessary, but in my own eyes, these things are simply my safety net and fallback plan.
"By the way, besides this Treasure Pavilion, you must have other influence in the capital, right? It's impossible that all the people you've placed in other residences came from the Treasure Pavilion, is it?"
"Of course there are. Treasure Pavilion simply sells jewelry and accessories. The recently popular Qinglan Pavilion is my territory." Shen Shuyan did not hide anything.
“No, it should be said that it is the power of the two of us,” Shen Shuyan added. “You are the head of Qinglan Pavilion, and the token is the jade thumb ring on your hand. When you have time, I will take you to see it.”
Qinglan Pavilion? Qu Qingxi had heard of this name before.
Qingdai had previously told her that a new force had suddenly emerged in the capital during that period. They hadn't paid much attention to it at first, but after Qingyun Pavilion was destroyed by the court for assassinating the crown prince, they were taken seriously.
Qinglan Pavilion directly replaced Qingyun Pavilion, and its strength and status were close to those of Cuiwei Pavilion.
Qinglan Pavilion also deals in intelligence and assassination, essentially competing with Cuiwei Pavilion for business.
However, Cuiwei Pavilion has a long-standing foundation and will not be easily overtaken. Although there is no open conflict between the two forces, they are still competing in secret and neither side looks down on the other.
"I am the Pavilion Master? Why?" Qu Qingxi looked at Shen Shuyan in confusion. Qinglan Pavilion was established by Shen Shuyan. Shouldn't he be the Pavilion Master himself?
“Originally, I came to the capital to help you, and Qinglan Pavilion was also built for you, so of course you are the Pavilion Master. However, I am not at a disadvantage either; I am the Deputy Pavilion Master,” Shen Shuyan said matter-of-factly.
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