Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 337 The Great Beauty of Real Estate in the Northwest
Under Yuan Jie's "coercion and enticement," Zhang Dai finally "reluctantly" accepted the plan, agreeing to take the dozen or so acres of land in a corner of Li Lingwen's old residence that he had previously chosen. In return, his debt to the Yuan family would be wiped clean, and he would not be allowed to cause trouble with it again.

They had no real friendship and were quite antagonistic towards each other. To ensure that Zhang Dai would not go back on his word, Yuan Jie also signed a guarantee with Zhang Dai, detailing the transaction in detail.

Since the transfer of ownership of the residential land required going to the Jingzhao Prefecture for formalities, Zhang Dai did not return the IOU for the time being. Instead, he suggested going to Pingkangfang to take a look and finalize the matter.

Yuan Jie also felt that he had gained a considerable advantage by resolving the matter in this way. Although his family still needed to pay a portion of the land tax to the Jingzhao Prefecture on behalf of Zhang Dai, his father was the Prefect of Jingzhao, so there was naturally a lot of room for maneuver in this matter. It was better than giving Zhang Dai 50,000 strings of cash.

So he was worried that Zhang Dai might change his mind again, and seeing that there was still some time before it got dark, he nodded in agreement.

Remembering Li Linfu's smug look, Zhang Dai immediately ordered his family to bring tools and materials, preparing to use a fence to divide his own residence today, to see if that guy still had any temper!

Since returning to the capital, Li Linfu has not yet received a new official position and is relatively idle. In addition, he attaches great importance to the relocation to Pingkangfang. Therefore, after taking over Li Lingwen's old residence, he spends almost every day in Pingkangfang supervising the labor.

Of course, he also had other thoughts, but he couldn't help but feel quite regretful that he hadn't seen Madam Pei, Wu, leave the house all day.

Although they did not see Lady Wu, by evening, Lady Wu's eldest nephew rode into the neighborhood and went straight to the construction site, craning his neck to look around, completely unaware that he looked repulsive.

Li Linfu was originally measuring and planning the location of his new central hall on the construction site. Because Li Lingwen did not die a good death, he felt that there were also significant problems with the feng shui of the house. Therefore, he wanted to make some adjustments and changes. For this purpose, he even specially invited the feng shui master and high monk Futu Hong from Chang'an City to take a look and plan the layout of the new house.

When Li Linfu heard from the servants of the overseer that Zhang Dai had come to cause trouble again, he was naturally very displeased. He immediately strode over there, and after passing a section of collapsed courtyard wall, he not only saw Zhang Dai, but also Yuan Jie with him. He immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

Yuan Jie was unaware that Zhang Dai had also wanted to purchase a corner of this house, but Li Linfu knew. When he asked Yuan Jie for help, he deliberately concealed this fact. Now that the two parties have come together, it is definitely not a good sign.

So as he walked towards this place, he began to think quickly. When he got closer, he first nodded slightly to Yuan Jie, and then pointed at Zhang Dai with an angry expression and asked, "Zhang brat, you tried to stop me from working before, what evil scheme are you plotting now?"

Zhang Dai was taken aback by the rebuke. After glancing at Yuan Jie beside him, he realized that Li Linfu was trying to frame him as the victim to shirk his responsibility for not reporting Yuan Jie's knowledge of the matter.

However, although he was quick to think about it, it was to no avail unless he could come up with tens of thousands of strings of cash to settle things with the Yuan family. So he completely ignored the matter and simply gave Yuan Jie a look, letting them communicate properly on their own first.

Yuan Jie felt somewhat embarrassed, but thinking of the tens of thousands of guan in debt, he still braced himself and rode inside. He gestured for Li Linfu to go a little further into the house before approaching him and whispering, "Things have taken a few more turns. Shi Lang, you need to be prepared..."

"Is it Zhang Liu who's up to his tricks and bothering you? He came to intimidate me before, and I managed to get rid of him, but now he's bothering you. This guy is relentless and truly hateful!"

Upon hearing this, Li Linfu immediately said angrily.

Yuan Jie just wanted to end this matter quickly and didn't want to argue with Li Linfu in detail. She simply said in a deep voice, "I had no choice but to do this, and I hope you can understand. You asked me about buying this house a few days ago, and I immediately took care of it for you. But now that I think about it, there are still some issues."

This residence is built according to the rites of a duke. Although you, Shilang, are listed in the imperial clan, your official rank is not prominent. If you were to reside here rashly, it might cause controversy. Just then, Zhang Liu came to me, wanting to acquire a corner of this residence. If the two of you reside here together, even if there are objections, you can share the burden…”

"Absolutely not! That scoundrel is cunning and wicked. If he were to live next to me, how could I possibly sleep peacefully!"

Upon hearing this, Li Linfu's expression immediately changed, and he shook his head in refusal. He then looked at Yuan Jie and said in a deep voice, "Yuan Jiu, what's troubling you? Is there some leverage this brat has over you? If you're in trouble, tell me quickly and we'll solve it together. Don't even think about seeking peace with this kid! My experience is a lesson from the past. This kid may look handsome, but his heart is like a snake. You must not fall for his tricks!"

Hearing Li Linfu say that, Yuan Jie was naturally a little unhappy. I helped you so much before, and now you're turning the tables and trying to put me on the spot. Isn't that a bit too much?
"There's not much trouble. If you, Li Shi, can come up with 60,000 strings of cash right now, you can help me settle this matter. Zhang Liu won't be able to get even an inch of land here!"

His expression turned slightly cold, and he spoke in a deep voice.

"Sixty thousand strings of cash? Where would I get that much... Jiulang, don't you know my family's situation? We've been exiled to the south of the mountains for several years, with no progress in our endeavors. We've only been able to support our family thanks to my late father's legacy. This time, we're relying on my cousin's financial assistance to buy property here." Upon hearing this, Li Linfu's face immediately showed difficulty, but he looked at Yuan Jie with suspicion and said, "Jiulang, how could you owe Zhang Liu so much money? You can't handle this matter on your own. You should quickly inform Lord Yuan to avoid causing even greater mistakes!"

“I am aware of this matter as well, and there is no need for you, Li Shi, to trouble yourself to teach me how to handle it. This house covers an area of ​​over a hundred acres, and my family does not even have such a spacious house. Even if we divide a dozen acres to Zhang Dai, it will not make your house cramped and unable to expand.”

Yuan Jie pointed to the spacious courtyard and said in a somewhat unfriendly tone, "I know that Li Shi, you have just returned from your exile and do not have much money to spend. Allocating a dozen or so acres of land will save some of the cost of building the house and reduce your burden."

"Well, alright. This mansion was originally obtained with your help, Jiulang. What's a little sacrifice for you? I'm just worried about you, Jiulang, that you might be tricked by that scoundrel Zhang Liu. But since Lord Yuan also knows about this, I naturally have no objection."

Despite his deep reluctance, Li Linfu dared not argue or fall out with Yuan Jie directly, and could only suppress his anger and say...

Although his family is listed in the clan register, he doesn't have many truly prominent and powerful relatives and friends. The Yuan family is the one he can rely on the most right now.

His cousin, General Li Zhaodao, even planned to arrange for him to serve under Prince Xin'an in Longyou and Hexi, but Li Linfu refused! He had just returned to the capital after years of hardship in the poor and remote Junzhou in Shannan, and he had no desire to continue suffering in the cold and harsh Hexi region.

Moreover, with the current situation of personnel in the court being chaotic, and Yuwen Rong's power and influence being at their zenith and about to be appointed prime minister, he certainly couldn't afford to offend him. He could only hope that after Yuwen Rong became prime minister, all of them could rise to prominence along with him, and then he could deal with Zhang Dai at his leisure!
Yuan Jie had already done his job with Li Linfu when he beckoned Zhang Dai over. In front of the two of them, he clearly demarcated the boundaries and areas of their respective residential land to avoid any future disputes.

Zhang Dai strolled over, looking around at the courtyard that Li Linfu's servants had cleared out after demolishing the old houses. When he got closer, he said with displeasure, "Which blind fool demolished all the halls and courtyard walls here? When we were valuing it, the price included all the materials and labor for the houses, pavilions, halls, courtyard walls, etc. But now all that's left is this empty land. How do you calculate this? We need a refund!"

In an attempt to provoke Zhang Dai, Li Linfu first ordered his servants to demolish the courtyard buildings in the northwest corner, making this area the quietest at the moment.

He was already barely containing his anger, but upon hearing this, he couldn't hold back any longer. He glared at them and shouted angrily, "No money or silk, just a pile of junk. If you want it, have your servants carry it back yourself!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai sneered, said no more, and turned to leave.

"Li Shi, shut up!"

Seeing that things had taken another turn for the worse, Yuan Jie was naturally very agitated. Ignoring his friendship with Li Linfu, he glared at him and scolded him. Then he quickly chased after Zhang Dai, saying, "Zhang Liu, Liu Lang, please wait! Everything can be discussed, it can be discussed. Don't let your anger ruin things!"

Li Linfu stood at a distance, his face ashen. Seeing Yuan Jie's anxious expression, he knew that if he didn't speak up, he would surely incur Yuan Jie's resentment. So he quickly caught up with her and shouted, "It was wrong of me to demolish this building. But the materials I collected are all old and unusable. I... I'm willing to compensate with ten large beams. The price of those materials is enough to cover the scrap materials on the ground!"

Hearing their enthusiastic entreaties, Zhang Dai finally stopped and, under Yuan Jie's supervision, demarcated the boundaries of the two families' residences. Zhang Dai then instructed his family to dig pits, drive stakes, and build a fence along these boundaries.

Li Linfu returned to his residence in a foul mood. The high monk Futu Hong, having already surveyed the entire estate, approached him and said, "This old residence of Li Songgong is indeed a beautiful house that brings prosperity to the family, especially since the northwest location is auspicious for gathering energy. The only drawback is that the energy dissipates in the southeast, weakening the family's fortune. The main hall of Li Songgong is located in the southeast of the house, which is why the energy is dissipated and the fortune declines. When building a house, Shilang, you must especially remember to place the main hall in the northwest!"

These words only made things worse. Upon hearing this, Li Linfu looked at the area enclosed by the fence in the northwest of the mansion, and his face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Standing on his own property, Zhang Dai saw Li Linfu standing with a monk and his heart tightened. He quickly walked to the boundary between the two houses and shouted to Li Linfu, "Although we are neighbors, I know that you, Genu, have ill intentions. After the house is built, I will invite Buddhist and Taoist masters from the capital to conduct a thorough investigation. If I find any signs of using magic to harm people, I will not let you go!"

"You are going too far!"

Upon hearing this, Li Linfu stomped his foot and roared angrily.

(End of this chapter)