Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

From gold, silver, jade, antiques and curios to silk, satin, jewelry and furniture, to houses and shops...

Chen Guangrui sat there, watching boxes of things being carried in, counted, and carried away. Gradually, even the vases and paintings in the hall were all gone, and he was almost exhausted. Even so, compared with the records on the dowry list, after deducting Wen Jiao's own expenses, there was still a big deficit. A lot of silver and silk were spent, not counting the things from the old lady and Li Aman, and some gold and jade toys were lost - except for the ones Chen Guangrui gave away when he went out to socialize, the rest were taken away by Li Xiaoman - in short, including the gold and silver jewelry that Li Xiaoman took away, the total amount of money owed by Chen Guangrui was about 600 strings of cash.

Chen Guangrui married Yin Wenjiao right after he won the top spot in the imperial examination. A few months later, he drowned and died. He was taken in by the Dragon King of Hongjiang. After he came back to life, he served as an official for less than half a year. He spent so much money in such a short period of time, which was already a waste of money. What's more, he also kept a concubine who took away the family property and ran away.

Yin Yuan's expression was as if he had just watched a big play, and he said in a playful tone: "Master Chen's life is really wonderful."

Chen Guangrui's face turned red, white, blue, and purple, just like a paint shop.

Wen Jiao smiled lightly: "The Chen family's style is unique. Fortunately, you and I won't have to see it again in three days." She adjusted her earrings and said slowly, "I almost forgot that the house where the Chen family lives now was also given to me by my parents. At that time, my family and I hurried back to Chang'an, and the house we rented temporarily was cramped. My parents were afraid that I would not be able to live there, so they gave me this house. Because it was given later, it was not included in the dowry, and the deed was placed at the bottom of my makeup box. Brother Yuan, when do you think it is appropriate to take it back?"

Yin Yuan was very tolerant: "The Chen family has many elders and children, so we have to let him vacate the house slowly. Why not just take over the house in three days?"

Three days? With such a large family, moving alone would take more than three days. Besides, where could he find a similar house to rent in such a short time? Buy? Even if he had money, he might not be able to buy such a magnificent house, and he didn't have any money at the moment!

Chen Guangrui's face turned pale, and he clutched the hem of his clothes tightly. His gentle and gentle exterior finally cracked: "Yin Wenjiao, killing people is just a nod!"

Yin Yuan was waiting for this moment. He immediately slammed the table and stood up, shouting louder than he did: "Chen Guangrui, you dare not leave?"

"Brother Yuan, please keep your voice down. Grand Secretary Chen is very strict. If you yell like this in public, he might report you later." Wen Jiao frowned and covered her chest as if she was frightened, pretending to hold her heart. "However, Grand Secretary Chen's words are too harsh. I can't bear them. According to the laws of this dynasty, those who default on their debts will be flogged. You have always been generous. Since you don't want to move out, I think you want to buy this house at the price?"

Chen Guangrui couldn't even pay off his debts, so how could he afford this mansion? He breathed hard like a bellows, his face purple from holding his breath for a long time, and he said "OK" three times in a row: "The Chen family will move out in three days."

"Good! You are worthy of being the Grand Secretary Chen, you have the character of a scholar!" Yin Yuan was also teased by Wen Jiao, and immediately applauded, "Then, let's discuss how to make up for the loss of 600 strings of cash? After all, Grand Secretary Chen is delicate and tender, I don't think he can bear the punishment for not paying back his debts."

Chen Guangrui exhaled slowly, and with a try-it attitude, he spoke out the plan he had been thinking about all night: "I have fifty acres of land in the western suburbs of the city. It is very fertile and worth about two thousand five hundred strings of cash. In addition to making up for the deficit, the remaining money can be given to your sister as a dowry for her future remarriage."

Su Xin recalled: "The original owner of the fifty acres of land committed a crime, and his family was in a hurry to sell it, so they lowered the price to 20 strings of cash per acre."

Originally, the Chen family was a simple family. Even if they lived lavishly, they would not have spent 400 guan in just a few months with Chen Guangrui's salary. It was because Chen Guangrui saw that the land was really cheap and was eager to buy it, and he withdrew 1,000 guan from the account in one go, which led to such a large deficit. Fifty acres of land may seem a little small at first glance, but in fact it is enough for a family of eight to eat and use for a lifetime. Asking Chen Guangrui to give these fifty acres of beautiful land to Wen Jiao intact is no different from cutting off a large piece of his heart. Seeing his face like a dead man at this time, Su Xin felt very relieved. Thinking to herself: I have said it before, what is the difference between a man who does not care about the affection between husband and wife and a dead man? The lady should have stood up and taught him a lesson.

However, Wen Jiao was not prepared to let Chen Guangrui fool her so easily. She immediately covered her mouth and smiled, revealing a pair of cold eyes: "When I bought it, it was only one thousand strings of cash, but it increased by more than two times when I settled the account. Although Chen Daxueshi is a Confucian, this merchant who raises the price is very skilled."

Yin Yuan also disdainfully said, "It's just 50 acres of land, not even a piece of land, and it's outside the city's west suburbs, too far from our farm. It's not worth it to have one family member take care of it, and we have to travel a long way to collect the debts if we rent it out. It's so troublesome, who would want yours?"

When wealth accumulates to a certain level, it is not only the value that matters, but also the ease of management. Even in the past, considering only the distance, the land that Chen Guangrui mentioned was not within the scope of consideration for the expansion of the farms under the Yin family's name. Moreover, the Yin family of Chen County, a family of the Yin family, has produced counselors since the Eastern Han Dynasty, and has been prominent for generations since the Wei and Jin Dynasties. With more than 400 years of accumulation, how could they give up revenge for their daughter just because of the compensation of a few dozen acres of land? If it gets out, it will make other families laugh for decades.

"Besides, when my sister was at home, the money she spent on rouge alone was one hundred strings of cash a year. Grand Secretary Chen, even if your land is counted as two thousand five hundred strings of cash, after deducting the deficit you owe, there will be less than two thousand strings of cash left in total. You want to use this to compensate for my sister's three years of food and clothing expenses? Who are you trying to embarrass?" Yin Yuan said with a dark face.

These two siblings are in cahoots, they really want to kill him! Chen Guangrui said angrily: "Why don't you file a petition at the government office and have me locked up and caned!"

Yin Yuan was quick to follow suit and immediately prepared to leave: "Since Grand Secretary Chen is determined to do this, why not do it this way!"

He had asked his servant to write the petition a long time ago, and he was now holding it in his arms, worrying that he would not have the chance to take it out.

"Wait, you absolutely can't do that!" A trembling old voice came. Wen Jiao raised her eyes and saw Chen Guangrui's mother, Mrs. Zhang, walking into the hall with big strides, leaning on a wisteria cane with one hand and supported by Li Aman with the other.