Old Man Wei knew Meng Yaxing and asked him to wait a moment at the reception desk at the entrance while he went to inform him.
"Sister Fang, go and bring the person in."
Mu Yi'an was surprised that Meng Yaxing arrived just as she was thinking about the estate.
Sister Fang led Meng Yaxing into the reception room, which was a place Mu Yi'an used to receive Steward Li and other visitors.
"Meng Yaxing, thank you for making this trip. Is there any progress on Zhuangzi?"
"Mrs. Jiang guessed right, there really is such an estate that meets your requirements."
Meng Yaxing took a breath and decided to give it a try; at worst, he would be scolded by Mrs. Jiang.
"What's going on? Tell me about it."
Mu Yi'an also noticed Meng Yaxing's unnatural behavior. Could there be something wrong with this estate?
"Zhuangzi lived near Bailu Academy, less than three miles away."
The village has 500 mu of paddy fields, 600 mu of dry land, 300 mu of woodland, and 200 mu of wasteland. There are five wells and two ponds, one 30 mu and the other 25 mu.
At the very center of the estate stood a courtyard house with an attached side courtyard, two granaries, and a number of cattle and horses.
Meng Yaxing wiped his sweat. "Is he getting old? Is his memory failing him? He's having trouble remembering even this little bit."
"This estate is quite nice, it meets all my requirements. But why would they sell such a good estate?"
While Mu Yi'an was pleased, he raised a question: such a manor could not possibly be ownerless.
“Mrs. Jiang, this is exactly what I’m struggling with.”
Meng Yaxing picked up his teacup, took a sip, and thought about how best to put it.
Mu Yi'an also took a sip of tea, not in a hurry to ask further questions, waiting for him to speak.
"The original owner of this estate was an official who later committed a crime and his property was confiscated."
This estate was bought by a wealthy merchant from the prefectural city at that time.
This was originally a good thing; such a estate is a rare find. The wealthy merchant bought it at a high price, but his joy was short-lived—then trouble struck.
Meng Yaxing paused for a moment, glanced at Mu Yi'an, and then continued.
"The son of a wealthy merchant lost money at a gambling den and mortgaged the estate."
When the wealthy merchant found out, he gritted his teeth, gave his son a beating, and reluctantly redeemed the estate.
When his business rivals found out about this, they spread it around. The wealthy businessman didn't want his son's reputation to be ruined, especially since he wasn't even married yet.
He then spread rumors that his son gambled because the village was cursed, and this curse had implicated his son.
"Cursed?"
Mu Yi'an was surprised. She knew that witchcraft was forbidden in ancient times, so this excuse was rather harsh.
"Isn't it true that the former owner of the manor was just raided? This matter has been brought up again, and many people feel that the manor is unlucky."
The wealthy merchant originally intended to use this claim to clear his son's name, but he didn't expect the news to spread so quickly. Within a few days, half the city knew that the manor was cursed and considered unlucky.
The news spread like wildfire, with some waiting to see the joke, while others were left speechless.
For the wealthy merchant, this estate was a hot potato.
He said he wouldn't sell; he'd already said it. The village was considered unlucky, which is why his son went gambling.
"Selling is an option, but those who can afford it are also a little afraid of being cursed. It's true, after all, two families have already suffered losses."
Although Meng Yaxing knew in his heart that there was nothing wrong with Zhuangzi, he still wouldn't buy it even if he had the money, so he felt uncomfortable.
"Meng Yaxing, is there really nothing wrong with this estate?"
"Of course, no problem. If you don't believe me, you can ask Wei Fu. The original owner of this estate was his predecessor."
To prove that there was nothing wrong with the estate, Meng Ya brought up Wei Fudu.
"What a coincidence, there's this connection!"
This was something Mu Yi'an hadn't expected. In that case, she could ask the Wei family.
However, she still needed to have Butler Li investigate the matter to find out what exactly was going on.
"Meng Yaxing, how much is this estate priced now?"
Mu Yi'an wanted to see how much the price was. If it was cheaper, and the estate had no other problems besides being rumored to be unlucky, he would buy it.
"Madam Jiang, the best paddy fields near the city cost twelve taels of silver per mu, dry fields cost eight taels of silver per mu, woodlands cost four taels of silver per mu, and wasteland cost two taels of silver per mu."
Excluding the courtyard, the well, and other furnishings, this estate would cost around 30,000 taels of silver.
Meng Yaxing was telling the truth; the wealthy merchant had acquired the estate for 35,000 taels of silver.
"I didn't ask about the previous price, I asked about the current price. Times have changed, and in any case, most people will be wary of such rumors, whether they are true or false."
You agree, right, Meng Yaxing?
Although Mu Yi'an is not a businessman, he still understands basic business dealings.
"That's right, that's right, Madam is right. This estate is now asking for 20,000 taels. If you are sincere about buying it, I can talk to them about it for you."
Entrusted by a wealthy merchant, Meng Yaxing really wanted to sell the estate and make a profit.
“Meng Yaxing, I need to discuss this matter with my master. It’s such a large sum of money, and there’s that rumor. I need to think about it.”
"That's right, that's right. It's at least 20,000 taels of silver, not just 100 or 200 taels. We need to think about it carefully."
Meng Yaxing also knew that this matter couldn't be accomplished in one go. Right now, there were very few people in the entire prefecture who could afford to buy this estate.
"Mengya, three days. I will give you my answer in three days. If someone beats me to it, then it means that I am not destined to have it."
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