bayedsolid Chapter 286 How to Spend a Huge Sum of Money
Chapter 286 How to Spend a Huge Sum of Money
Although there were no relatives of either side to witness it.
However, after the divorce agreement was submitted to the authorities for filing.
Lu Qingyao successfully divorced Jiang Yunze.
He also sold the house and received a huge sum of money.
For this day.
In order to have leverage for divorce.
She had been preparing for four years.
If this had happened when the Lu family was in trouble, she wouldn't have dared to even think about it.
As for the Jiang family's house, my father traded it with a colleague more than ten years ago in exchange for another house, just to be closer to the Lu family.
How could she not know her parents' good intentions?
It was just so that she would have the opportunity to sneak home from time to time, and so that her parents could visit her.
It is considered disrespectful for a married woman to frequently return to her parents' home.
But if you sneak back without anyone noticing, no one will gossip.
To spare Jiang Yunze's pitiful pride, she specifically chose this smaller house.
It didn't cost a lot of money, just a few thousand taels for the courtyard layout and furniture purchase.
Even after more than ten years, this house should not be worth more than 25,000 taels.
A rough calculation showed that he still made a profit of six or seven thousand taels.
Jiang Yunze and Qi Caiwei are probably aware of this as well.
Holding a box of not-too-heavy silver notes, Jiang Ziyan asked, "Mother, why were Father and Madam Qi willing to pay such a high price for this house? Logically, they should have known it was above market value."
Before we came, my mother had said she didn't want the house anymore, and that she would sell it if they were willing to pay a high price.
That's the kind of magnanimity my mother has.
Annoyances and such are irrelevant; only a fool wouldn't make money when there's opportunity.
Lu Qingyao looked at her son and said, "Your father and Qi Shi are willing to be the suckers because they are reluctant to move. He has been an official for so many years. If they were to move, they would definitely move to a better location and a bigger house. There is no reason why they would move to a worse place."
"With their current financial resources, they can afford to spend a few thousand more taels, but they don't have the ability to move to a bigger house. Moving out and buying a new house might not be as good as that. They are also very concerned about their reputation, so they naturally can't afford to lose face."
"Another reason is that Qi Caiwei is eager to become the head of the household and wants the accounts we have, so she is willing to spend more money to buy them."
Jiang Ziyan nodded, understanding.
Mother, you've taken advantage of their shortcomings.
It's unbelievable, really. There's probably no other son in the world who longs for his parents to divorce like he does.
His biological father was pretending to be ignorant even though he knew the truth.
The more I know about him, the more I understand him, the more disappointed I become in him.
The Qi family almost abducted and killed his wife and children on the way, but even though he knew it, he pretended not to hear it.
I don't know whether to call him cold-blooded and ruthless or cowardly and afraid of trouble.
With a father like this, how can one not feel heartbroken?
But he didn't care anymore.
Having my mother, my brothers and sisters, my aunts, and my maternal grandfather's family is enough.
That saved us from all those messy grudges and entanglements.
But what he couldn't tolerate the most was that they actually had the idea of taking his sister away.
Father wanted his sister back because of his pride.
Qi Caiwei wanted her sister back simply to get revenge on her mother.
He had just noticed that Xiao Zishu had bruises all over her back and elbows.
Aunt Tao seems to be a thoughtful person who loves her children.
Therefore, there is only one possibility...
If my sister falls into their hands...
Just thinking about it makes his heart ache.
No one is allowed to lay a finger on my sister, not even my father.
After much deliberation, Jiang Ziyan felt that the matter of Minister Qi's cheating in the imperial examinations needed to be addressed more thoroughly.
I heard from Aunt Xiuxiu that Prince Jing has a lot of evidence, including witnesses.
She should have paid him a visit to thank him for sending people to protect her along the way, but her mother said that her status as the descendant of a disgraced official was sensitive.
Now she's divorced again.
If those with ulterior motives were to find out about their friendship, it could lead to unnecessary gossip and trouble.
So he only asked Liuyun to take the thank-you gift back with him.
During their time in the capital, apart from visiting the Mu family, they hadn't had much contact with anyone else.
Even the letter that the teacher's wife asked her to deliver was secretly handed to the gatekeeper of the Cui residence before the mother left.
Jiang Ziyan stroked his younger sister's scallion-like face and said with a smile, "Miaomiao, how about your second brother takes you to the teahouse that Cheng An gave you to listen to storytelling tomorrow?"
“Okay, then let’s invite Brother Cheng’an to come along.” Jiang Miaomiao nodded.
Seeing his second brother's ambiguous expression and the smile playing on his lips.
She had a feeling that her brother was up to something.
Lu Qingyao looked at her son.
She knew what the boy was up to the moment he twitched his tail.
But it's not possible now.
The capital is not like Jiangzhou; there are so many people watching. This kind of thing is not suitable for a child like him to do.
She pinched her daughter's little cheek. "Miaomiao, Mom has nothing to do tomorrow, so I can go with you."
"Okay." With Mother by my side, it's naturally good.
Jiang Ziyan: ...
There's really nothing that can be hidden from Mother.
Forget it, I won't go.
He bit his lip and whispered, "Mother, I just remembered that my sister hasn't finished her homework yet. I'll supervise her calligraphy practice tomorrow, but I won't go."
Jiang Miaomiao: ……
This second brother keeps coming up with new ideas to tease her.
She didn't want to spend all day reciting texts, like an old monk chanting sutras.
The little girl pouted, moved closer to her mother, kept her distance from her second brother, and even gave him a disdainful look.
That little guy is hilarious.
Jiang Ziyan burst into laughter.
Feeling a little guilty, I touched my little sister's scallion flower, but she slapped it away.
So she changed the subject, "Mother, tell your sister what's in the capital. It's her first time here, and she'll find everything new and exciting."
"it is good……"
Lu Qingyao began to speak eloquently.
It tells you where the most prosperous place in the capital is, where the biggest restaurant in the capital is, which restaurant has the best food and drinks, and the food stalls in the capital are also very abundant.
It discusses how people in the capital celebrate holidays and festivals, and how this differs from the customs of Jiangzhou.
What should one pay attention to when living in Beijing?
Finally, I gave them one last piece of advice.
The capital city is too big and too dangerous. Miaomiao is a child and should not go out alone.
You might accidentally run into a womanizer.
……
Jiang Miaomiao: ……
I really want to grow up quickly.
The little girl sat cross-legged on the cushion, propping her chin up and tilting her head to listen attentively.
Although she was a time traveler, her understanding of life in the capital and her knowledge of the city was similar to that of her current age.
They are still in the childhood stage.
Just like you studying hard for many years in modern times, getting into high school or university, or having a higher degree and reading more books.
Even after arriving here, I am still practically illiterate.
They still need to be reworked.
Not to mention getting the top score in the imperial examination; it's like a thousand soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge – harder than climbing to heaven.
Even though she's lived more than twenty years longer, she's still a complete novice here.
Moreover, the capital city is not as carefree as Jiangzhou. There are its own rules here, and powerful figures everywhere you look who are not to be trifled with.
To live and work in peace and contentment in a place, you need to understand its rules and even its laws.
Otherwise, you might accidentally lose your head without even realizing it.
Just like.
In some dynasties, eating carp was forbidden; doing so would result in being punished with beatings.
In some dynasties, wearing strange or unusual clothes on the street could result in arrest.
In some dynasties, the hierarchy was very strict when it came to buying houses. Ordinary people's houses could not have colored tiles, and there were restrictions on the height of the steps and the number of courtyards.
Violations will be punished.
Another example is street racing.
Oh no, it's horse racing.
In ancient times, ordinary people were also not allowed to ride horses in the market.
If someone causes an accident, the offender will be punished with whipping, and in serious cases, they may even be exiled to do hard labor.
So these days, whenever Mother has free time, she chats with them endlessly.
The little girl also pricked up her ears and listened attentively.
Lu Qingyao was quite surprised to find that her little girl had become very well-behaved since coming to the capital.
She listened quietly to everyone else chatting and gossiping.
I don't know if she can understand it.
He just seemed very focused.
After finishing her sentence, her mother felt thirsty and asked Aunt Xiuxiu to go buy some food and drinks.
Miao Miao's gaze fell on the box containing the silver notes, and then on her mother's clothes and jewelry.
Thinking that her mother was now a wealthy woman, she was still so low-key.
They had never even been to Yipinju in the capital, leaving everything to Manager Jin.
Just as I was wondering, Aunt Xiuxiu came back in a panic.
As soon as he got into the carriage, he told the coachman to drive it away quickly.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Lu Qingyao was about to lift the curtain to take a look when Xiuxiu stopped her, "Sister, hurry home and pack your luggage, don't stay here."
What could possibly make my aunt so nervous?
Jiang Miaomiao felt nervous too.
Once the carriage started moving, Aunt Xiuxiu said, "Sister, Jiang Yunze and Qi Caiwei are trying to harm you. They are two despicable and shameless people..."
“You’ve only been divorced for a short time, and the whole capital is already buzzing with the news that you’re the daughter of a disgraced official. Although your crime doesn’t reach the level of a married woman, you’re now divorced and should be punished along with the Lu family. I’m afraid that some court officials will bring this up at tomorrow’s morning court session. I’m worried…”
They were worried that Emperor Xuan would not be able to withstand the pressure.
He sent the Lu family father and son to the north secretly, intending for them to guard the border and then catch the rebels off guard.
They will definitely not exonerate the Lu family now.
Lu Qingyao said helplessly, "I can only spend money to avoid disaster. It seems that the money I just got is about to be spent again."
She had anticipated this situation, but she hadn't expected the public and court officials to react so strongly.
They wouldn't even spare a young woman like her.
I felt somewhat sorry for my father and brothers.
"Sister, what should we do now?" Xiuxiu was still at a loss in the face of this situation. "How about we run away?"
She had already thought it through: if things didn't work out, she would take her older sister and the children and hide away until the Lu family's injustice was redressed.
But with families to support, including the elderly, women, and children, it can be quite difficult. It could really push people to the point where they have no other options.
At once……
They found a bandit's den, raided it, changed their names, and hid inside.
Lu Qingyao had no idea that Xiuxiu had already planned an escape route for her.
It means to become an outlaw.
She pondered for a moment and asked, "Xiuxiu, how much is a shi (a unit of dry measure) of millet in the capital these days?"
"It is currently the autumn harvest season, and the price of millet should be low. However, this year's harvest is poor, and there has been a mutiny. The imperial court is collecting grain, and the price of millet has now risen to five hundred cash per shi."
At this time last year, my sister only harvested 300 coins per bushel of millet.
However, my sister has been continuously stockpiling food every year for the past few years.
Both rice and millet are stored.
They are harvested and stored every autumn, and sold in spring and summer.
Millet can be stored for up to nine years without spoiling, making it much easier to store than rice.
So every year, my sister would transport the high-quality rice from the south to the north to sell, and she would also stockpile a lot of millet.
Nowadays, most of the grain requisitioned for military purposes is millet.
Meanwhile, the price of millet is also rising.
Xiuxiu grabbed Lu Qingyao's arm, "Sister, we should make a fortune this year, but we're facing a huge disaster, why are you still thinking about making money?"
Lu Qingyao smiled and said, "No rush, no rush. Let me ask you, how many bushels of millet do we have in the warehouse that we can use right now?"
"Five hundred thousand shi (a unit of dry measure)."
Xiuxiu couldn't even count how much she would earn this year, even counting on her fingers.
But they should be able to make a fortune.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Even if they hid in the mountain stronghold, they would still need money, and they couldn't possibly rob people like real bandits.
Lu Qingyao: "Xiuxiu, go and transfer 200,000 shi of millet to the Ministry of Revenue."
Hube?
"Why send it to the Ministry of Revenue?" Xiuxiu asked, puzzled.
Lu Qingyao thought for a moment, then picked up the silver notes she had just received and handed them to Xiuxiu, "Add another 30,000 taels and send them back to Jiangzhou along with these silver notes. Tell Manager Jin that we can stockpile more grain this year."
"Mother, you...you don't mean to send those 200,000 shi of millet to the Ministry of Revenue to feed the army, do you?" As soon as Jiang Ziyan heard about the Ministry of Revenue, this thought popped into his head.
"What? Donate it?" Xiuxiu's eyes widened.
It wasn't easy for my sister to earn this money.
Those hands were calloused from using the abacus.
Without saying a word, Jiang Ziyan took the small abacus that his mother always carried with her.
They started dialing with a crackling sound.
I did the math.
"The purchase of 500,000 shi of millet cost approximately 150,000 taels of silver."
"The cost of 200,000 shi of millet is around 60,000 taels."
"After the donation, there will be 300,000 shi left."
“If these 300,000 shi were sold at today’s market price, they would be worth at least 150,000 liang.”
Jiang Ziyan said happily, "Mother, you've made a good deal. If you can use this millet to silence the gossips of the people and the court officials, it's worth it. Besides, this military ration is for the soldiers. Only when they are well-fed can they win the battle, and only then can Godfather and Grandfather return as soon as possible."
"After listening to Yan'er's analysis, it really is a good idea." Although Xiuxiu didn't understand Jiang Ziyan's mutterings, she suddenly realized it.
"Mom, you're so amazing!" Jiang Miaomiao admired her mother even more.
If she remembered correctly, her mother started stockpiling grain after the bamboo shoot business in Taoxi Village started to improve.
She had already started planning ahead back then.
Could it be that Mother had foreseen this...?
Her aunt had the same question: "Sister, how did you come up with the idea of stockpiling food so early?"
Lu Qingyao felt a little embarrassed looking at her children and Xiuxiu.
He smiled and said, "I grew up on the frontier. It's not like the capital. Food shortages are the norm there. When there's no war, we're self-sufficient. I know the difficulties our soldiers face. When I went to Jiangzhou and saw those vast fields of fertile land, I instinctively wanted to stockpile more food."
Jiang Miaomiao: ……
Uh! Did she misunderstand?