Qing Yao

Chapter 253 Lord Zhao, please take good care of yourself.
Did they secretly take over Jiangning Confucian Temple and then sell it?
Zhao An's first thought was that Lord Fu was just trying to take this opportunity to embezzle the court's assets.

Jiangning Confucian Temple was the Imperial College of the Ming Dynasty and later the Chaotian Palace (Huijing Museum). The place has a history of over a thousand years and covers a huge area. It can be said to be the first cultural holy site in Southeast China.

If I were to sell it, how much would it cost?
Good heavens, the bolder the person, the greater the harvest!

When Jiangsu Governor Fu Song sold schools in Suzhou, it was relatively fair that the highest bidder won; anyone with money could bid. But in Jiangning, the provincial governor was directly manipulating things behind the scenes.

Zhao An was very surprised. He thought his thinking was already quite advanced, but he didn't expect that the provincial governor was even more advanced than him.

A private sale means a low price for the property, followed by a high price after all the formalities are completed. Zhao An didn't even dare to imagine how much profit could be made in that process.

It was very exciting and thrilling.

That feeling came over him instantly, causing his body to lean forward uncontrollably, as if the governor sitting opposite him was the factory manager, and he was the accountant listening to the factory manager's instructions.

"What does Lord Zhao think?"

Fu Chang looked at the lucky guy in front of him with a smile. Just over half a year ago, he was just a mere ninth-rank official.

News from the capital indicated that this young man had connections with both Heshen and Fu Chang'an. The prefectural school he had previously organized in Yangzhou had caught Heshen's eye, so although he was appointed as the grain commissioner of Anhui, he had not relinquished his position as the supervisor of education in Jiangsu. And to sell the school, the head of the school officials had to give their approval.

At present, Jiangsu does not have an educational commissioner. In terms of system, the temporarily appointed supervisory commissioner is the head of Jiangsu's education sector. In other words, as long as Zhao An, who also serves as the Jiangsu educational commissioner, agrees, the provincial governor's office can immediately ask a third party to evaluate the economic value of the Jiangning Academy and then initiate the sale.

On the other hand, without the approval of the academic officials, the governor of Suzhou might not dare to submit a memorial to the imperial court.

After all, the schools in each prefecture were not under the jurisdiction of local officials.

Therefore, Fu Chang guessed that Zhao An had probably long ago colluded with the governor of Suzhou to sell the academy for profit. If that was the case, then if Suzhou could be sold, why couldn't Jiangning be sold?

Good things shouldn't all go to Fu Song alone.

"This"

Although what Lord Fu thought was exactly what Zhao An wanted, he still hesitated and asked doubtfully, "I wonder how much silver this Jiangning Academy can be sold for?"

Zhao An wasn't too clear about the market price of real estate, especially luxury mansions and gardens. He only heard that the Xiaolinglong Mountain Villa in Yangzhou was purchased by the Ma brothers, salt merchants, for two million taels of silver. Afterwards, they spent no less than two million taels of silver to renovate it. All kinds of rare and precious stones inside were priceless, which made the Xiaolinglong Mountain Villa the most expensive mansion in the Liangjiang area.

After the Ma brothers passed away, they sold the mansion to another wealthy businessman, Wang Xuejiang, but the transaction price is unknown to outsiders.

Rumors suggest it could be around five million taels.

Five million taels of silver is a lot of money; converted to modern currency, it would be worth hundreds of millions.

Buying a garden for so much money is definitely a good deal.

In later generations, there were wealthy people in Suzhou who spent a billion yuan to buy villas in the suburbs.

Villas and gardens are two different concepts.

If those gardens in Jiangnan that have become protected cultural relics were actually put up for sale, they would probably cost tens of billions of yuan. Not to mention the wealthy in China, even the wealthy in foreign countries would fly over overnight to snatch them up.

Gardens are a symbol of status.

The gardens of Jiangnan are far more impressive than the dilapidated courtyard houses in the hutongs of Beijing.

The two are not even products of the same level.

The rumored price of the Xiaolinglong Mountain Villa is around five million taels of silver. Zhao An estimates it to be close to that. At this time, Yangzhou is the world's largest metropolis. If the Qing Dynasty had a rich list, at least thirty of the top one hundred would be from Yangzhou.

Housing prices in major international cities are already high, and with the addition of wealthy people and rising prices, a transaction price of five million taels is highly likely.

There were plenty of people who could afford it, after all, there were more than just one or two salt merchants with savings of tens of millions of taels.

Although Jiangning is the former capital of the Ming Dynasty and has a strong cultural heritage, its economy cannot compare with Yangzhou. In particular, the best parts of the city, the imperial city, are enclosed by the Manchu city, which makes housing prices in Jiangning lower than in Yangzhou, and consequently, the luxury housing market is also much worse than in Yangzhou.

But it won't go very low.

Zhao An is now eager to know how much silver he can make by selling Chaotian Palace, and whether it is worth it for him to collude with Fu Chang, the governor of Jiangning, to embezzle the court's valuable assets.

Fu Chang had clearly done his research on the real estate market, and he smiled as he asked Zhao An, "Does Lord Zhao of Suiyuan know about this place?"

"Suiyuan?"

Zhao An shook his head, indicating that he did not know. In his memory, the four famous gardens in Jiangnan were Zhan Garden in Nanjing, Lingering Garden and Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou, and Jichang Garden in Wuxi.

I really have no idea what this Suiyuan is.

It's no wonder he didn't know, because the famous gardens he knew in his previous life were all preserved intact. In fact, many gardens that were even more famous than those four were destroyed in the war.

Suiyuan Garden is one of them.

Seeing that Zhao An was unaware of Suiyuan, Fuchang was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but ask, "You should know Cao Yin, the textile commissioner of Jiangnan during the reign of Emperor Shengzu, right?"

Zhao An nodded quickly. "Cao Xueqin's family, I know, they're very famous."

Fu Chang chuckled and said that Sui Garden used to be the garden of the Cao family. Before his death, Fucha Mingyi, a relative by marriage of the Cao family, told his family that Sui Garden was actually the Grand View Garden in the book "The Story of the Stone".

The garden that made Granny Liu's eyes dazzled!

"After the Cao family's downfall, this garden fell into the hands of Sui Hede, who succeeded him as the Imperial Textile Commissioner of Jiangning. Sui Hede renamed it Sui Garden. However, not long after, Sui Hede was also investigated and his property was confiscated, and the garden fell into disrepair. In the thirteenth year of Qianlong's reign, Yuan Mei purchased the garden for three hundred taels of silver and renamed it Sui Garden. Yuan Mei was also buried in this garden after his death."

According to Fu Chang, after Yuan Mei's death, his descendants continued to manage Suiyuan Garden. Because of Suiyuan Garden's widespread fame, many people came to visit and admire its scenery. Due to the large number of visitors, the threshold of Suiyuan Garden was worn out and had to be replaced once or twice a year.

"Whenever officials from the Liangjiang region, including the provincial examination supervisors, generals, commanders-in-chief, governors, governors, officials, and circuit intendants, came to Nanjing, they would visit Suiyuan Garden. In years when there was a provincial examination, there would be 10,000 to 20,000 candidates, and tens of thousands more people would accompany them to the examination or trade. All in all, in years when there was a provincial examination, there would be around 100,000 people visiting Suiyuan Garden. Even in years without a provincial examination, there would still be as many as 50,000 to 60,000."

As he spoke, Fu Chang smiled and picked up his teacup. “The descendants of the Yuan family are quite shrewd. They charge every visitor to the garden a copper coin, ranging from tens to ten coins. They also set up banquets in the garden for officials and wealthy merchants to entertain their guests. In a year, they can make tens of thousands of taels of silver just from this garden. So, Lord Zhao, how much silver do you think the Yuan family would need to sell Sui Garden?”

Zhao An considered it carefully for a moment, then said uncertainly, "If the Yuan family earns tens of thousands of taels of silver every year, it would probably cost one or two million taels to buy this Suiyuan Garden?"

This figure is calculated based on the Yuan family's income over thirty years.

This is also the buyout calculation method commonly used in later generations, which is to multiply the annual income by twenty or thirty years.

"About this number."

Fu Chang's advisors' research into the market price showed little difference from Zhao An's estimate.

Zhao An suddenly clicked his tongue in amazement: "If Suiyuan Garden is so valuable, how come Yuan Mei only bought it for three hundred taels!"

"Not surprisingly."

Fu Chang explained that the garden was considered unlucky by officials and wealthy merchants because both of its previous owners had met with misfortune. As a result, no one dared to take over the garden, which the Cao family had spent over 800,000 taels to renovate and which had hosted the Holy Ancestor, and its value plummeted.

But even if the price drops further, it certainly won't be something you can buy for 300 taels; the land alone would cost tens of thousands of taels.

There was no other special reason; it was simply that when Yuan Mei purchased the garden for three hundred taels of silver, he was serving as the magistrate of Jiangning County. The implication is that this transaction was originally the result of a clandestine deal.

Clearly, it was Yuan Mei, the county magistrate, who abused his position to embezzle the Sui Garden, which belonged to the imperial court.

“Yuan Mei was merely a county magistrate. How could such a treacherous act of swallowing an elephant go unexposed? He has been dead for many years, yet his descendants enjoy this garden and earn tens of thousands of taels of silver annually. Why has no one exposed this?”

Zhao An was well aware of how ruthless a county magistrate could be in embezzling government assets, but he couldn't understand why Yuan Mei, who had been dead for so long, hadn't been exposed for this blatant embezzlement of the government's valuable assets.

Fu Chang's expression was a bit strange, and then he asked Zhao An, "I heard that Lord Zhao has a very close relationship with Minister He in the capital?"

"This"

Zhao An didn't know what to say, only saying that Heshen was a benefactor in Zhao Youlu's life, and that was all he said.

Fu Chang, of course, wouldn't pry into the details. He chuckled lightly and said, "If you say that Minister He is Lord Zhao's benefactor, then Yuan Mei is Minister He's benefactor."

"Oh?"

Zhao An listened attentively to what was to come.

"When He Zhongtang was studying at the Xian'an Palace School, his teacher Wu Shenglan was on good terms with Yuan Mei. Wu Shenglan praised He Zhongtang’s outstanding talent to Yuan Mei on many occasions. Yuan Mei went to the Palace School to observe him and found that He Zhongtang answered questions fluently. Yuan Mei was very pleased with him and praised him in public, saying that He Zhongtang would surely become a great man in the future. Yuan Mei also wrote a poem for He Zhongtang, which made He Zhongtang famous in the capital."

What Fu Chang was talking about was no secret; everyone in Beijing knew about it. Moreover, Wu Shenglan, who was once Heshen's teacher, had now become Heshen's student, showing no shame whatsoever.

Wu Shenglan is currently serving as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, while his elder brother, Wu Shengqin, is serving as the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

Both brothers were members of Heshen's faction.

Yuan Mei and the Wu brothers were both leading figures in the Qing Dynasty literary world, and like Qian Qianyi of the late Ming Dynasty, they were considered literary masters.

If it were solely because of this relationship, the Yuan family might not have been able to keep Suiyuan.

There is an even deeper relationship.

"The wife of Minister He, Lady Feng, is the granddaughter of Yinglian, an important minister in the court. After this marriage, Minister He's career progressed smoothly, and he rose to prominence in no time. Does Lord Zhao know who acted as matchmaker for Minister He in this marriage?"

Zhao An pondered for a moment and said, "Could it be that Yuan Mei as well?"

"Given He Zhongtang's current power, who would dare to covet the Yuan family's Suiyuan Garden?"

Fu Chang smiled but remained silent.

Zhao An remained silent. If what Fu Chang said was true, then Heshen did not rise to prominence through clever responses to the emperor. It was clearly the literary giants Yuan Mei and Wu Shenglan who paved the way for Heshen. He relied more on public opinion in the literary world and the influence of his wife's family to successfully catch the old master's eye, and from there, his rise was unstoppable.

Even without the saying "those in charge cannot shirk their responsibilities," Heshen would still have succeeded.

There's nothing we can do; their backing and influence are undeniable.

Moreover, Heshen was indeed handsome and talented.

While reflecting on this, my attention naturally returned to the main point: how much could Chaotian Palace actually sell for?

Fu Chang readily gave the market price that his advisors had already researched, saying, "Jiangning Academy was formerly the site of the Imperial Academy of the Ming Dynasty. If it were sold outside, it could fetch at least three million taels of silver."

Three million taels?

Zhao An was stunned, wondering if he had misheard. The Suiyuan Garden, which was in a relatively remote location, could sell for two or three million taels of silver, but the Chaotian Palace could only sell for three million taels of silver.

He blurted out, "Which shell company did Master Fu hire to do the valuation?"

"Hmm? Lord Zhao, what do you mean by this shell company?"

Fu Chang was completely confused.

"Uh"

Zhao An realized he had made a mistake and quickly changed the subject, asking why Suiyuan could sell for two or three million taels of silver, while Chaotian Palace could only sell for three million taels.

It should be understood that the two are not even in the same league.

If Suiyuan can be sold for three million taels, the price of Chaotian Palace should at least double, and six million taels would be more appropriate.

You should know that this is the essence of Southeast China's cultural heritage, and you could even say that there is a dragon vein in it.

If it were actually put up for sale, wouldn't rich people be scrambling to buy it?
How could your old garden, belonging to the Cao family, a mere servant of bondservant status, compare to this!

"Lord Zhao, you may not know this, but although the Jiangning Academy is built against the mountain and is magnificent, making it a good place in Jiangning City, it is, after all, the former site of the Imperial Academy of the Ming Dynasty, and its influence is quite great. Therefore, even if it is for sale, I'm afraid there will not be many people interested. Hence, the price is actually lower than that of Suiyuan."

Fuchang meant that Suiyuan was a purely commercial economy, where buyers and sellers could trade if they felt it was a good deal, but Chaotian Palace was different; if it were to be sold, political factors would have to be taken into account.

Although literary inquisitions have almost disappeared in recent years, who dares to say that buying back the former Ming Imperial Academy as a mansion wouldn't lead to accusations of harboring lingering loyalty to the Ming dynasty? That's why they're spending so much money to buy it.

The price is cheap, so perhaps wealthy people can take a gamble.

If the price is too high, even those who are interested in buying will have to think twice about the consequences.

It could easily become a case of having a market but no price.

In addition, most of the buildings in Chaotian Palace are not scenic spots; they are simply located in a good area. Therefore, it is inferior to Suiyuan Garden, which has more than 20 scenic spots.

If it's actually bought, it will definitely need to be renovated, which will undoubtedly increase the buyer's burden.

If the Chaotian Palace were to be renovated into a garden, it would probably cost at least two or three million taels of silver.

In conclusion, Fu Chang believed that the appraised value of three million taels was relatively appropriate.

That made some sense. Zhao An pondered for a moment, then asked, "Does Lord Fu mean that you and I should privately contribute three million taels to buy the Jiangning Academy?"

The point was to say that he simply couldn't come up with 1.5 million taels.

Unexpectedly, Fuchang shook his head and said, "No, it's you and me each contributing 500,000 taels to buy this academy."

Zhao An was stunned: Wasn't the market price supposed to be three million taels? How come it's now one million taels?

"Three million taels is the price others paid; if you and I were to buy it, it would only cost one million taels."

Fu Chang smiled slightly, "As long as Lord Zhao agrees, I will handle the rest. I will also pay the 500,000 taels on Lord Zhao's behalf. Once a buyer is found, I will keep my word and split all the profits with Lord Zhao."

After saying that, he added meaningfully, "As for things in the capital, I would appreciate it if Lord Zhao would put some thought into it, lest a good thing turn into a bad thing."

(End of this chapter)