Tianliangyuan

Chapter 180 A windfall

Zhu Zi successfully brought the items back, but Xu Zhaozhao didn't plan to retrieve them right away.

She learned from the flowers in Cheng Yuan's room that this fortune was too great for her to handle at present.

However, if she didn't take the items out soon, she worried that things might get complicated.

She has many people at her disposal, but for such a confidential matter, it would be best to send a trusted confidant.

Alternatively, you could try to erase their memories yourself, which would be more troublesome.

After thinking it over, Xu Zhaozhao wondered why they had to do it secretly.

It would be better to go openly and decisively.

There is a house for sale in Yongpingfang. It has been listed for several months but has not yet been sold.

After Xu Zhaozhao had Zhu Zi find out the details, she asked him to lead the way so she could personally see the house.

Of course, it wasn't just her; Wang Ruolan went along with it too.

The reasons are readily available: Madam Xu wants to prepare a dowry for her daughter, how reasonable is that?

The broker took out the key and opened the door.

"Greetings, esteemed guests. This place originally belonged to an official's family. I heard that the family later committed a crime, so the house was confiscated. Later, it was released by the Ministry of Revenue and ended up in the hands of Lord Liu. However, Lord Liu's family has had considerable expenses in the past two years, so he is thinking of selling the house."

No one noticed that when Mai Dong passed by the broker, he casually took the bunch of keys hanging from his waist.

As they approached the front hall, the bunch of keys returned to the broker.

Everything happened so naturally and quietly.

The group entered the deserted courtyard, where desolation was everywhere they looked.

"I don't know how long this house has been empty, Mother. Are you sure it's still habitable here?"

Before Wang Ruolan could speak, the broker hurriedly explained, "Miss, don't worry. This courtyard only needs a few servants to clean it. To be honest, this house is too big. I'm just trying to make a living. I probably can't afford to hire a few helpers with the money I earn at the end of the month, so it's been left to lie fallow."

However, you gentlemen are different. I can tell at a glance that you are all wealthy and noble people. A few servants are nothing to you. Please follow me. The reason this courtyard is so expensive is not only because of its large size, but also because there is a waterside pavilion here.

These distinguished guests thought to themselves, "If only we could enjoy the cool breeze in this waterside pavilion during the sweltering summer days, accompanied by delicious treats like iced fruit!"

Wang Ruolan laughed and said, "You certainly know how to talk!"

Xu Zhaozhao pursed her lips slightly, and then followed along to look around.

"I see this place is all empty, and some of the windows are even broken. You actually plan to sell this kind of house for a thousand strings of cash? Haha, I don't think it's worth it."

After Xu Zhaozhao finished speaking, she looked at Wang Ruolan and said, "Mother, in my opinion, we should go and see those normal houses where people live, places with people around. We'll feel more at ease living there."

Upon hearing this, the broker realized that the deal was going to fall through again, and he gritted his teeth and stamped his foot.

"Don't be in such a hurry, Miss. Let's take another look. We can also discuss the price!"

"What's there to discuss? A thousand strings of cash for such a dilapidated courtyard? If we really buy it, the repairs and cleaning alone will probably cost a hundred strings of cash or more. It's really not worth it."

The broker gave a wry smile. "Sigh, would you like to take another look?"

The broker is suffering!

When he first put the sign up, he felt that the price wouldn't be good for selling. He tried to persuade the owner many times, but the owner wouldn't listen and insisted on selling it for 1,000 strings of cash.

The man was so angry he wanted to curse!

Is this guy desperate for money?

The courtyard is in such a dilapidated state now, and the original owner didn't even bother to send someone to repair it. All they did was ask for exorbitant prices. They were incredibly stupid!

In fact, the broker had previously arranged for his relatives to come and clean the yard, making it spotless and tidy.

However, the buyer hesitated upon hearing the price.

A thousand strings of cash!

That's equivalent to a thousand taels of silver. How could you just take that out so easily?

Xu Zhaozhao linked arms with Wang Ruolan and walked slowly. She looked around the house and the surrounding area very carefully, and occasionally she would touch the walls or pillars herself.

But soon, the mother and daughter lost interest, and the group left.

After locking the door, the broker sighed again, saying that he was afraid the house would not be sold again this year.

No one ever complains about having too much money.

Especially for military families, the expenses of supporting their personal guards are enormous.

Xu Zhaozhao went to the Marquis's study in the afternoon. The two discussed things in the study for about half an hour. When Xu Zhaozhao finally came out, she had a happy look on her face.

As for Xu Han, he was still wondering if there really was such a large fortune.

That evening, Xu Han visited his daughter at Ziyuan Garden. The father and daughter shared a cup of tea. When Xu Han left, he had a strangely shaped jade pendant in his sleeve pocket.

Xu Han felt it was inappropriate for him to personally take charge, so he simply called over his eldest and second sons.

Why not call him the third son?

Because the third son is not good at martial arts, calling on him for this kind of thing would only be a hindrance.

The two sons personally went out to meet them, and Uncle Zhong arranged for a carriage to be waiting outside the door. To avoid attracting attention, the horses' hooves were wrapped in thick cotton cloth.

Xu Junfeng entered the study his sister had mentioned first, and then went straight to the east room, where he found a hidden compartment on the couch.

After the hidden compartment was opened, Xu Junfeng held up a tinderbox and saw a groove on the wall. He reached out and Xu Junan handed him a strangely shaped jade pendant.

Because the light was too dim, Xu Junfeng tried several times before finally embedding the jade pendant completely into the wall.

Then they heard a noise, and the two of them stood directly in front of the bed. They saw that the wooden planks on the bed had moved outward by about two feet, revealing a secret passage inside.

To be on the safe side, Xu Junan lit a torch first and then threw it down.

They heard very ordinary sounds, and taking advantage of the torch descending, they were able to see the situation below clearly.

When the two brothers entered the secret passage and saw the neatly stacked boxes, they felt that the Xu family had struck it rich!

They really made a fortune!

This place not only contains dozens of boxes of copper coins, but also two boxes of gold, five boxes of silver, and numerous antiques, calligraphy and paintings, jade, gemstones, and other items.

This is indeed a considerable fortune!

The two brothers immediately got to work. They didn't dare ask anyone else to do this kind of thing. The two brothers took turns carrying the load upstairs, and then Uncle Zhong and Xu Junting took turns driving the carriage to transport it to the Xu residence.

Wow, that's quite a windfall!

The four of them worked until late into the night and finally managed to get all the boxes home.

That's not all; the next step is to destroy the evidence.