Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 336 To contend with me is like an egg striking a rock.

Yuan Jie was also intimidated by Zhang Daiwei for a moment, and quickly lowered his head to start calculating with the ledger. However, since these were mostly tens of thousands of figures with interest added up, he couldn't count them all at once. Only the numbers that far exceeded his expectations made him a little dizzy.

Seeing this, Zhang Dai didn't urge him. He even thoughtfully had his family bring over counting rods and other calculating tools to help Yuan Jie with his calculations. However, judging from his clumsy handling, he probably wasn't very proficient at it.

Even if Yuan Jie was a shrewd sleuth, Zhang Dai wasn't afraid of him checking the accounts. His side business was running a bank, so he naturally had an accountant at home, ensuring the accounts were accurate. Moreover, he didn't need to manipulate anything; in fact, the interest rates he used were quite low.

After all, we don't expect to make a living by lending money, and we're not close enough to waive the interest for you, so we'll calculate it based on the normal market interest rate, which is the final result.

"This is too much, too much! How can the interest be so high? The principal was only 30,000 strings of cash, and the interest is already..."

Yuan Jie spent a long time calculating but still couldn't figure it out. He could clearly see the shockingly large figures, and he shook his head repeatedly, muttering to himself.

Even a young master from a wealthy family complained about the high interest rates, demonstrating that the usury of the Tang Dynasty was indeed notoriously exorbitant. However, this wasn't Zhang Dai's fault; he even showed some leniency. After all, the loan agreement was stamped and endorsed by the Ministry of Justice, and if calculated according to the official interest rate, it would inevitably be even higher.

"No, no, we only had a written agreement at the time, but it didn't specify how much interest would be paid. Zhang Liu, you arbitrarily increased the interest without informing my family. Naturally, my family shouldn't have to bear such a large amount of extra interest!"

Despite his father's repeated admonitions last night, telling him to consider this a loss to avoid further trouble and not to get entangled with Zhang Dai, Yuan Jie still couldn't accept the figure that far exceeded his expectations.

Before leaving home in the morning, he had already taken stock of all the light goods and cash in the house, and had managed to come up with a little over 20,000 strings of cash. He planned to first arrange a time and place with Zhang Dai, and then borrow some money from relatives and friends so that he could quickly settle the matter.

But now he discovered that the cash he had scraped together from all his belongings wasn't even enough to pay the interest, let alone the principal of 30,000 strings of cash, which was naturally unacceptable to him.

Seeing that he was starting to act shamelessly again, Zhang Dai was too lazy to argue with him anymore. Instead, he sneered and asked, "Am I not curious why I haven't mentioned this matter for years, but suddenly I'm coming to your house now?"

"Indeed, indeed! Why didn't you settle this matter back then, but waited until years later, after accumulating a huge amount of profits, to launch your attack? What kind of conspiracy are you plotting!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jie looked at Zhang Dai with a face full of confusion and anger and demanded an answer.

"Money is nothing but dirt to me. Last year, I gave far more to the disaster victims along the river than this amount, and I am even less willing to make enemies in the world because of it. Last year, I asked your brother to write this IOU, firstly because I hated him for condoning the officials of the prefecture to harass my disaster relief efforts, and secondly to serve as a reference for criminal cases in Bianzhou at that time."

Zhang Dai held up the IOU on the table and sneered at Yuan Jie: "A mere piece of paper, how could it be worth tens of thousands of strings of cash? I never intended to ask your family for the money I owed. The reason I did this is for you to ask yourselves. Why did you provoke me when there are millions of people in Chang'an City?"

"What nonsense are you spouting! When did my family ever offend you?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jie immediately frowned and said...

Seeing his blank expression, Zhang Dai searched on the table again, then threw the receipt for the deposit from the Jingzhao Prefecture that the broker had given him earlier to remind him. He then said angrily, "You still dare to say you haven't offended me? The other day, through the broker's introduction, I went to Pingkang Ward to buy a corner of Li Songgong's vacant house to build a new villa for the two palaces to visit each other."

The deposit had already been paid, but the very next day your family returned it, giving the mansion entirely to Li Linfu. You and your brother are deeply in love; dare you claim ignorance of this? When you ruined my business that day, did you ever imagine you'd face this trouble? Today, I'll teach you a lesson: don't think you can bully me just because I'm young!"

"This...this...I do know about Genu Property, and I even reported it to the Jingzhao Prefecture on his behalf. However, Zhang Liu, you were also involved in this matter, and this deposit-based transaction, which I truly knew nothing about. Who did you work for? I really have no idea!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jie was immediately bewildered and taken aback.

Zhang Dai didn't doubt that the guy was pretending not to know; he might genuinely not know.

After all, he didn't use any connections to buy the land; he went directly to a real estate agent in the city. And those agents were all shrewd and would likely not reveal their identity as buyers before the deal was finalized, so as to profit from both sides.

This broker might have some connection with a subordinate official of the Jingzhao Prefecture, but Yuan Jie is the son of the Jingzhao Prefect. Since he has spoken, there will naturally be no problem. Even if it has already been sold, let alone just paid a deposit, it still needs to be taken back! But Yuan Jie doesn't know, but Li Linfu definitely does. Moreover, when he went to Pingkang Ward yesterday, this guy clearly wanted to ridicule him and make things difficult for him.

Even if Yuan Jie didn't know, you people who used back channels to get things done squeezed out my legitimate procedures, and you still have the nerve to complain? We're going to teach you a lesson for using back channels!
"Whether you know it or not is none of my business. I will not give up on this matter if I fail to purchase the property! I have clearly stated the principal and interest to you. If you cannot repay the debt within the month, I will not discuss this matter with you again in my private residence!"

Zhang Dai looked at Yuan Jie again and said coldly, he had already given a clear hint, whether Yuan Jie would follow the path or not depended on her own comprehension.

"Wait, wait! This matter is still open to discussion! I truly didn't know that you, Zhang Liu, also had your eye on the former residence of the Duke of Song, let alone that you had already paid a deposit. It was originally a misunderstanding, but now that we know, we should resolve it with sincerity. How can we let momentary anger escalate the enmity!"

When one's own interests are about to be harmed, anyone will become reasonable. Yuan Jie then said to Zhang Dai with a sincere expression, "This is not a big deal. Besides, I see that what you want to buy, Zhang Liu and Lang, is only a corner of that mansion."

If you tell me honestly, I won't be so heartless as to refuse outright. This property was originally entrusted to the Prefect of the Capital for sale by the provincial government, and a fee is charged to whoever sells it. Zhang Liulang, you're willing to spend over 30,000 strings of cash for this, which shows you truly love this house. I can still help you make this happen!

It wasn't that he had forgotten his father's instructions from the previous night, but the debt he faced today far exceeded what he had previously understood. Moreover, he heard that Zhang Dai's purpose wasn't anything significant; he was simply venting his frustration after failing to buy a house.

If his family had to spend over 50,000 strings of cash just for this reason, Yuan Jie would naturally find it unacceptable, and might even harbor resentment and indignation for the rest of his life!
Moreover, he saw that the deposit receipt stated that Zhang Dai only needed to purchase a dozen acres of residential land, but the price reached more than 30,000 strings of cash. Li Linfu, on the other hand, paid less than that amount to acquire the entire mansion. Although there were still more than 100,000 strings of cash to be paid in installments over the years, the price difference between the two parties was still enormous.

Seeing that Yuan Jie had indeed taken the bait, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly. These scions of powerful families were used to taking shortcuts and finding ways to get things done; it was truly difficult to get them to stick to the rules. Having gotten used to Feng Ling Yue Ying, who would be willing to grind and farm relentlessly?
“Times have changed. Back then, I loved this place because I coveted its prime location. Now, Li Linfu has built property here, making me no match for this villain, which makes me restless. As long as I can collect your principal and interest of over 50,000 strings of cash, where in the capital region can't I buy property?”

To prevent Yuan Jie from becoming suspicious and losing contact, Zhang Dai played a game of cat and mouse, indicating that his mind had changed.

“I know perfectly well which wards in the capital still have vacant houses, and I also understand why you, Zhang Liu, want to buy property in Pingkang Ward. Firstly, this ward is located between the two palaces, making it very convenient to travel east and west. As for the second point…”

Yuan Jie wasn't led by the nose by Zhang Dai; he had his own ideas. He looked at Zhang Dai and said in a deep voice, "The second point is that Pingkang Ward is located south of Zhuque Gate Hengjie Street, and many of the wards north of the street are inhabited by officers from the Northern Gate. Your feud with the Northern Gate is known throughout the land. Although there are hundreds of wards in the capital, apart from Pingkang Ward and a few others, I'm afraid the rest are not suitable for you to settle down and buy property!"

"Don't try to intimidate me with nonsense! Even though I have a bad relationship with Beimen, I am now a close attendant, and those generals of Beimen wouldn't dare to mess with me easily!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai immediately looked embarrassed and annoyed, glared at her, and snorted coldly, perfectly portraying his bluster and cowardice.

Yuan Jie, however, felt he had grasped Zhang Dai's Achilles' heel, and his expression regained some composure: "These noble neighborhoods don't usually have vacant houses. Even if they do, they must be entrusted to the Jingzhao Prefecture for sale. If you, Zhang Liu, insist on forcibly demanding this 50,000 strings of cash to buy property, I'm afraid you'll find it difficult to spend it all within the capital region!"

"Now I'll teach you a way to have the best of both worlds. That deal from the other day can still go on. I'll personally speak to Li Linfu on your behalf, and he won't cause you any more trouble or seek revenge. What do you think? Fighting me here in the capital is like throwing an egg against a rock."

After a moment, Zhang Dai finally backed down and said, "I can accept the land, but I will not pay any more money to the Jingzhao Prefecture. Your family will pay the land fee on my behalf, and the remaining money must still be returned to me!"

"We don't have any extra money, but we can add a few acres of residential land!"

Seeing Zhang Dai back down, Yuan Jie's demeanor immediately became more composed: "Your brother has built a grand mansion on a vast plot of land. Aren't you envious? Only when your residences are comparable can you two compete in luxury!"

Zhang Dai's goal was to inflate the price of the mansion, not to get more money or land. He had already exceeded his expectations by acquiring the land for free. Upon hearing this, he shook his head and said, "Are you trying to incite me to show off my wealth and overstep the bounds and commit a crime? I don't need the remaining money, but you need to leave me another IOU so I can ask for it again if I cause trouble in the future!"

"That's impossible. There's no extra money, and no IOU. Moreover, the land you received was valued at the principal and interest combined, and a written agreement is required as proof. After this, all debts between us will be settled, and we should not pursue this matter any further!"

Yuan Jie had completely grasped the rhythm, and upon hearing this, she spoke without any politeness.

(End of this chapter)