bookrebus Chapter 234 12 Bought
Chapter 234 12 Bought
When Director Xie walked into the office, the atmosphere was about to explode. His entry broke the excitement of several people.
The chief clerk first bowed and greeted the others, then asked, "Sir, what is the purpose of your calling me here?"
Magistrate Cao said, "Thank you, Lord! It's the Princess of Anping who wants to inquire about something. You've been here for a long time, so you should know."
Xie Zhubo clasped his fists to Zheng Sisi and said, "Excuse me, what does Princess Anping want to know?"
Zheng Sisi was annoyed by his constant bowing. The Third Prince noticed her discomfort and said to Xie Zhubo, "Xie Zhubo, you don't have to be so polite. Please sit here."
Xie Zhubo thanked the Third Prince and sat down beside him.
Zheng Sisi didn't want to see him bow again, so she said first: "Thank you, Master. I want to ask you if the lotus pond next to Yao Village has an owner now."
Xie Zhubo was stunned: "Well, the lotus pond originally belonged to a wealthy businessman. He bought a farm and dug the fertile land into a pond, in which he planted lotus flowers for his own enjoyment. Later, they wanted to move to another state, and the farm was sold, but the buyer said that the lotus pond was of no use and refused to buy it.
When the rich businessman left, he didn’t sell it, mainly because it was planted with lotus flowers and it was not suitable for raising fish, so no one wanted it. Before he left, he mortgaged the lotus pond to the county government with ten taels of silver as tax money. The county government was just a bunch of rough men, and there were no scholars, so they just left the lotus pond empty.”
Xie Zhubo paused for a moment and asked, "The county lady wants the lotus pond."
Zheng Sisi nodded: "Well, I've taken a fancy to the lotus in the lotus pond. I wonder how much silver the county government wants to sell it for!"
Chief Secretary Xie looked at Magistrate Cao, meaning to ask him to set a price.
Magistrate Cao laughed and said, "I don't know if the lotus pond still belongs to the county government. If the county lady needs it, I can sell it to her for ten taels of silver."
What County Magistrate Cao meant was not to make money.
Zheng Sisi smiled and said, "County Magistrate Cao, are you sure it's ten taels of silver? Don't regret it later!"
Magistrate Cao said: "No, I won't regret it!"
Magistrate Cao spoke straightforwardly now, but when he later found out that Zheng Sisi was digging lotus roots, he regretted it so much that his intestines turned green. This is a story for later.
Zheng Sisi didn't want to take advantage of him, so she said, "How about this, I'll pay you 100 taels and you can sell the lotus pond to me."
Magistrate Cao said, "Is it too much to buy one hundred taels?"
Zheng Sisi said generously: "Not much, not much. If you think it's too much, just think of it as me improving the food for the county government, haha!"
Several people kept thanking Zheng Sisi. The third prince sat beside them but smiled and said nothing. He thought to himself that it was not time for County Magistrate Cao and his people to regret.
Xie Zhubo was quick and efficient and earned a hundred taels of silver. Within a few minutes, he handed the land deed with a red seal to Zheng Sisi, and Zheng Sisi also handed a silver note of a hundred taels of silver to Xie Zhubo.
After taking the lotus pond into her possession, Zheng Sisi politely invited everyone to dinner at the restaurant before leaving.
When Magistrate Cao and Lawyer He heard that they were going to have a dinner, they agreed and went to the restaurant with Chief Clerk Xie as they were reminiscing about the delicious food from last night.
In the carriage, the Third Prince looked at Zheng Sisi's cunning little fox look and said with a smile: "Do you think County Magistrate Cao will regret selling the lotus pond to you for 100 taels today?"
Zheng Sisi didn't care whether Magistrate Cao regretted it or not. She said, "It's written in black and white. I still have the red deed in my hand. Even if he regrets it, it's useless. Can he take it back from me? Am I easy to talk to?"
The Third Prince chuckled and shook his head: "Yes, you didn't treat him unfairly. You even gave him an extra ninety taels."
Zheng Sisi said arrogantly: "Yes, who told me to be kind-hearted?"
After saying this, she also laughed. This can't be blamed on her. If it fell into the hands of others, it would just be a waste lotus pond. It was Zheng Sisi who had the ability to turn waste into treasure, which no one else could compare to.