Jin Shanyao stared blankly at Su Wenqian, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked, "Do you know the King of Hell?"
"What do you mean? Are you threatening me?"
"No, no..."
Jin Shanyao quickly waved her hand, saying, "Don't humans all fear King of Hell? She wanted to bring up a powerful figure to be her backer."
The book says that to deal with the government, you need a powerful backer. Lord Su's reaction is so strong, could it be that he has already met the King of Hell?
After much deliberation, Jin Shanyao spoke again, "Do you know what my relationship is with King of Hell?"
" The Jin Shanyao..." Su Wenqian jumped up in anger, "What do you mean?"
Jin Shanyao dumbfounded. Wasn't her meaning obvious? She had already mentioned someone, so why wasn't Su Wenqian getting it? The powerful ministers in storybooks all understood immediately.
She felt that Su Wenqian was somewhat similar to herself; neither of them was particularly bright.
"I'd like to ask, for the sake of the King of King of Hell, could you offer a discount on Hat Mountain?"
" Jin Shanyao, don't give me that King of Hell nonsense. I've never been afraid of anyone in my life."
Jin Shanyao shouted, "Oh no! Su Wenqian has a grudge against the King of Hell!"
She immediately softened her tone, "Okay, okay, let's not talk about the King of Hell anymore, calm down."
Do you know the Judge? He's the one who can change your Book of Life and Death and control your lifespan...
Jin Shanyao picked up a pen and made a scribbling motion on the paper, "Whoosh... you're off to report to the Underworld."
Su Wenqian's chest heaved with anger. " Jin Shanyao, stop threatening me with death! Tell me what you really want!"
Jin Shanyao her head, thinking to herself, "Why is he getting more and more agitated? I might as well get straight to the point."
" Lord Su, I'd like to offer you a discount. You know how difficult it is for me to raise two children on my own. If I can't calculate this and that, how will I survive?"
Su Wenqian placed his hands on the table, took a deep breath, and said, "Five taels of silver per mu."
Jin Shanyao smiled brightly; she knew that calling someone a friend would work. From now on, whenever she encountered a difficult situation, she would first ask, "Do you know the King of Hell and the Judge of the Underworld?"
Surprisingly, those two shady characters were quite effective.
Jin Shanyao bought Hat Mountain for eight thousand taels of silver, without exempting her from any taxes. After the land deed was signed, Su Wenqian saw Jin Shanyao sitting still and a bad premonition welled up in his heart.
My mother is not at home today.
"Oh, I'm not looking for her. I wanted to ask Madam Su if she knew which brokerage firm in the city was trustworthy."
Madam Su, who had been overlooked, was suddenly called out and was taken aback at first, "Does Broker Wu have more resources at his disposal?"
Jin Shanyao smiled, stood up to thank him, and left the government office with the two children.
"Go back now, no need to see me off."
Madam Su's lips twitched, thinking to herself, "I won't feel at ease if I don't watch you leave!"
Leaving the government office, Meng Anci silent the whole way. He was his aunt's son and couldn't let her down. She said she knew the King of Hell, so she knew the King of Hell.
Using one's power to bully others and striking at the heart of the matter, Lord Su, though a high-ranking official, is not afraid of the powerful and wealthy, but fears death itself. This is the best strategy to win people's hearts.
Meng Anzhi thought that if a capable person claimed to know the King of Hell, people would believe them. It seemed that she had to start with herself.
Wu Brokerage.
The three of them, one adult and two children, held the crispy mountain of pastries, staring dumbfounded at Broker Wu. He talked on and on, his words flowing like a river, claiming that there was no bad shop in the prefectural city.
With the Jin Shanyao, there was no way to even get a word in edgewise, let alone negotiate a price.
Meng Anci, his face grim, tapped the table, drawing Broker Wu's attention. He mimicked his aunt's sinister tone and asked, "Do you know the King of Hell?"
Meng Anci's words stunned everyone in the room. Jin Shanyao hadn't expected him to bring up business, so she remained silent and listened quietly.
Seeing Broker Wu's flustered expression, Meng Anci smiled and said, "I was just joking. However, we were indeed recommended by Madam Su Broker Wu, and we hope that you can recommend a few good shops."
He tried to imitate Su Wenqian, wanting to pick up his teacup and appear profound, but since he was holding a mountain of crispy pastries, he had no choice but to use a bamboo stick to scoop out a piece and stuff it into his mouth.
The sweet taste was anything but serious. Meng Anci's eyes narrowed slightly. A man... should never eat sweets on important occasions.
Broker Wu's expression instantly changed. He glanced reproachfully at Jin Shanyao, "What a mess this is. You should have said you knew Madam Su earlier." He turned around and pulled out a new booklet from under the desk.
"These shops are quite valuable. Since Madam Su recommended them, I won't hold back. There are three in total; you can choose whichever you like."
Jin Shanyao was pleased with Meng Anci's growth, nodded, took the booklet, and put it aside. "Let's go check out the shop first."
"Alright..." Broker Wu replied with a smile. The three shops were quite far apart. The first shop faced south and was spacious and bright.
The Jin Shanyao across the roof beams of the house, sensing an unusual smell inside. It used its Spiritual Power to communicate with the surrounding vegetation, thoroughly investigating the shop.
It turns out that a plague broke out here many years ago, which ruined the shop's fortune, which is why it kept changing hands and selling its wares.
Seeing that Jin Shanyao silent, Broker Wu tactfully led them to the second shop.
The shop is located at a street corner with high foot traffic.
He laughed, "This is prime location. You saw it yourself; there's absolutely nothing for sale around here."
Jin Shanyao around, lightly tapping the wall with her fingers. "This wall is cold in winter and hot in summer. The plants living here suffer terribly. It's clear that the energy here is incompatible and not suitable for long-term residence."
Broker Wu thought to himself, "Are you crazy? Who buys a shop based on the quality of the surrounding plants?" But given Madam Su's status, he could only bow and smile.
"Miss Jin, there's another shop you'd like to look at?"
"Let's go..."
Broker Wu responded and led the way, "That house is the best. There's nothing wrong with it, from the shop to the courtyard. The house is repaired every year. There's no need to renovate it at all. You can move in directly."
Most importantly, the host family member is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in this year's examinations, which is auspicious, and many people are eyeing the family business.
At this point, he glanced at Jin Shanyao's expression and continued, "It's just that... the master is not easy to talk to."
When Meng Anci heard that his master was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) of this year, he couldn't help but feel a little curious.
As they talked, they arrived at their destination. Broker Wu opened the shop door, and sunlight flooded the entire room. The beams, doors, and windows were all intact, without even a single wormhole, which showed how much the owner cherished the property.
In the center of the backyard stands a ginkgo tree, which is lush and tall, and must be at least two hundred years old. Suddenly, it felt a warm Spiritual Power sweep over its entire body.
Broker Wu laughed and said, "Planting trees in the courtyard brings in wealth, which is a good omen. And look at this bluestone floor, and this stable and well, they are all the best."
I've been to this house before; both the main house and the side rooms are exceptionally well-insulated in winter.
The Jin Shanyao Spiritual Power, swept across the entire shop, finally attaching itself to the root of a ginkgo tree. It revealed that the tree had been planted by a young boy, accompanying him from childhood to old age, watching him marry, have children, and pass away.
He watched over his son and grandson, and while the surrounding scenery changed, this tree remained untouched. It wasn't until his great-grandson, a boy, passed the imperial examination and moved to the capital that he was forced to put the shop up for sale.
The owner's only requirement was that the tree not be cut down, which deterred many potential buyers.
No one wants to be controlled by their former master because of a single tree.