For the next two days, Fang Er lived a life of pure enjoyment.
He exercised.
Then, while enjoying mung bean ice, he received a massage from Xiao Qing.
"Young master, Brother Zhu Zi is back."
One morning, as Fang Er was sitting in the courtyard to cool off, he saw Gou Zi leading Zhu Zi towards him.
"Zhu Zi, how did it go? Have you found a suitable estate?"
Fang Er looked at him expectantly and asked.
"Reporting to young master, in Yunmen Township of Wannian County, there is an estate about thirty li from here, which can be reached in half an hour by horse. A landlord in that estate has committed a crime, and the authorities are about to confiscate his property these next two days. According to custom, confiscated official property can be sold. I believe we can purchase it."
Zhu Zi stood aside and reported the information he had gathered.
"How much wealth is needed? How much land is there?"
Fang Er was very interested.
"I've inquired that eighty percent of the land in that estate belongs to that landlord. Additionally, he owns land in neighboring estates, totaling no less than a thousand mu," Zhu Zi said.
"Prepare the horses, let's go take a look."
Fang Er got up and walked towards the exit, with Xiao Qing following him.
Zhu Zi led the way, while Gou Zi hurried to the front courtyard to prepare the horses.
The four of them rode their horses towards Yunmen Township outside the city.
Fang Er's horsemanship was poor, so he didn't ride very fast.
Zhu Zi and Gou Zi rode in front and behind, with Fang Er and Xiao Qing in the middle.
Bai Xue was still young and couldn't ride. The horse was obtained from Steward Zhang and was temporarily being kept at his place. Once the matter of the estate was settled, it could be moved to their own estate to be kept.
Half an hour later.
A dilapidated estate appeared before Fang Er's eyes.
Several naked children were playing in the woods outside the estate.
A small river flowed beside the estate, and several women were washing clothes by the riverbank.
Smoke from cooking fires rose from within the estate.
Zhu Zi dismounted, handed his horse to Gou Zi, and then took Fang Er's horse, slowly entering the estate.
"Young master, this landlord's surname is Ma. I heard he was a merchant trading ironware towards the grasslands. The court discovered this, and thus he was sentenced to have his family and property confiscated. That is the Ma landlord's residence ahead."
Zhu Zi led the horse and pointed to an exquisite residence not far away.
Although the residence was not large, it stood out in this estate.
The estate was mostly filled with thatched huts and adobe houses, but this residence had blue brick courtyard walls. From outside the courtyard, one could see the tall houses within. The main gate was open, and two bailiffs were coming out with sealing tapes, seemingly preparing to affix them to the gate.
"Two constables, my young master wishes to purchase some land here. May we come in and have a look?"
Zhu Zi took out a string of copper coins from his embrace and slipped them into the hands of a bailiff.
The bailiff subtly weighed the copper coins in his hand, then smiled and said, "No problem, no problem. You may come in and look, but please do not damage anything inside, otherwise it will be difficult for us to account for it."
"Constables, rest assured, we would never dare to move anything recklessly."
Zhu Zi cupped his hands towards the bailiff, then helped Fang Er dismount. The two bailiffs reopened the main gate. "This young master, please."
"Thank you both."
Fang Er raised his hand and stepped into the courtyard.
This was a four-courtyard residence, facing south, quite standard in its layout, but the internal structure was eye-catching.
After entering the main gate, there was a gatehouse, followed by a screen wall. After绕ing around from one side, one reached the front courtyard. Further inside, three paths diverged, leading to the inner courtyard, the east courtyard, and the west courtyard.
The two side courtyards were further divided into two smaller courtyards. According to regulations, these were places for concubines or guests to stay.
The layout of the inner courtyard was similar to Fang's residence, with several side rooms on both sides, followed by six main rooms.
Passing through the courtyard gate on the side of the main rooms led to the back courtyard, a complete row of houses, more than ten rooms in total, all for servants, kitchens, and woodsheds.
Every courtyard in the entire residence had some greenery planted, including flowers and fruit trees. It was midsummer, and some apples and pears had already begun to bear fruit, looking very pleasing. The main courtyard was very large, covering over an acre of land, with a small pond dug within. Flowers and plants were planted along the pond's edge, and fish could be seen swimming in the water. Fang Er instantly fell in love with the place.
"Facing the sea, with spring blossoms all around!"
Although it was just a small pond, it still had a certain charm, didn't it?
"Not bad, not bad, Zhu Zi, in your opinion, how much silver would it take to buy this landlord Ma's land?"
Fang Er sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, looking at the pond and asking.
"Reporting to young master, this area is not far from Chang'an, so the land price is slightly higher. I've inquired these past few days, and it's about five taels of silver per mu. The land alone would be around five thousand taels. Coupled with this residence, it's estimated that it might not be secured for less than six to seven thousand taels."
Zhu Zi calculated slightly and gave his estimated figure.
Six to seven thousand taels. Fang Er couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.
He didn't have that much money on him at the moment. It seemed he would have to delve into his system again.
Fang Er opened his storage space, contemplating what items he could take out to exchange for money.
The mirrors were gone; the butler had taken them all to Jiangnan.
"Hmm?"
Fang Er's gaze fell upon the qipao he had given Xiao Qing last time.
"Got it!"
"Zhu Zi, let's go to the Wannian County Yamen. Let your young master take this place without spending a single coin!"
Fang Er slapped the stone table and stood up.
"Young master? Without spending money? How is that possible?"
Xiao Qing looked at Fang Er in disbelief and asked.
After this tour, she honestly liked this place very much.
Zhu Zi also found it hard to believe. He had already said that with the residence and land, it would cost at least six to seven thousand taels. How could it be possible without spending a single coin?
However, seeing Fang Er's demeanor, he didn't know how to express his doubts.
He could only suppress his confusion and, upon leaving, mount his horse and lead the way towards Chang'an City.
Chang'an City was governed by two counties.
With Zhuque Avenue in front of the Imperial Palace as the dividing line, the fifty-four wards and the West Market to the west were under the jurisdiction of Chang'an County. The fifty-four wards and the East Market to the east were under the jurisdiction of Wannian County. Coincidentally, Fang Er's residence in Chang'an was to the west of the East Market. Passing the East Market led to Xuanyang Ward, and the Wannian County Yamen was located within Xuanyang Ward.
Therefore, the four of them meandered their way back into Chang'an City.
Upon arriving at the yamen's entrance, Zhu Zi again used copper coins to pave the way. After explaining their purpose, the bailiffs, upon hearing that someone wished to purchase confiscated land, quickly ran into the yamen to report.
It should be said that confiscated assets were not allowed to be privately traded. However, in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, the national treasury was empty. Taxes alone were basically insufficient. Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, styled himself as a benevolent ruler and was unwilling to increase taxes. With insufficient funds, lower-ranking officials privately sold confiscated land, and court ministers turned a blind eye to such matters.