Gu Shengchao came to the capital for the first time and followed many brothers from Longhu Village to a mansion at night, where he met Liao Weikang, the east envoy of King Wu's Palace.
Yuchi Yao was kidnapped by Zheng Kaifeng, the Western Heavenly King of King Wu Palace, and was also imprisoned in this mansion.
This mansion was originally the property of the Ministry of Punishment, but the Ministry of Punishment took refuge with Wen Zhe, the chief eunuch at that time. Wen Zhe and the Minister of Punishment both died in the Battle of Luoxian Lake, so the mansion was temporarily without an owner and was managed by the imperial court.
During the funeral of the Supreme Emperor, Wu Wangdian attempted to rebel. Gu Shengchao had made great contributions, so he was rewarded with this mansion and a hundred taels of gold for his settlement.
Gu Shengchao led Wan Ruo and Liu Ximei to check. They entered through the main entrance and walked around. The courtyards were connected to each other. It was clear that there was no way forward. After turning around the alley, there was another bright house.
There are six courtyards in total. In fact, each courtyard has at least four entrances, and is connected to the adjacent courtyards through the moon gate, like a maze.
As they walked, they realized that they had been here just now. Even Gu Shengchao had been here many times before, and they were still confused.
Dong E sighed with emotion: "Oh my God, such a big courtyard, oh no, it should be a mansion. Is it just a different room to sleep in every night? How long can it take to live in it all in the year of the monkey?"
Liu Ximei shook her head and said, "This place is too big and empty. It's a bit scary for just the few of us to live here. I think it's more appropriate to go back to my yard."
"Come on, this is a gift from the emperor. It would be a pity to leave it empty! At worst, hire more old ladies and bodyguards to come over, it will definitely be lively." Gu Shengchao gave a suggestion.
Wan Ruo nodded and said, "I think this place is quite good. It faces the street to the west. Someone has opened it to build a shop. But for some reason it has become deserted. We can try to run some things to sell."
"I agree." Zhu Zhenyu, who was following behind, said, "Although we have enough food and clothing, it's not good to just sit back and have nothing. It's not a bad idea to try to start a small business."
Lu Jin was about to speak, but thinking of his embarrassing situation, he held it back.
Wu Jun hugged Gu Zhenzhen and said, "I think we should try selling some melons or dried fruits first. Coconuts are produced in our Four Kings Valley. If we can also sell them here, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds?"
"It makes sense." Gu Shengchao finally made the decision: "That's it. The west side will be remodeled like a chamber of commerce, and the east side will be where we live. All the unused houses in the back will be demolished and turned into a garden that will be pleasing to the eye every day. By the way, Leave an open space as a training ground."
"Okay." Wanruo also agreed.
Just do it. Gu Shengchao searched for a mason in the capital. After asking several people, none of them were suitable. Either there were few people and they didn't dare to take on the job, or the construction period was too long. Gu Shengchao and the others couldn't wait that long.
Wandering around the capital that day, Gu Shengchao discovered that a newly opened shop had the four characters "Wabang Chamber of Commerce" written on the plaque above the door.
Out of curiosity, Gu Shengchao strolled in.
Since it was newly opened, there was an endless stream of customers coming to consult and negotiate. Gu Shengchao was walking while admiring the portraits of house styles posted on the wall when he suddenly felt someone approaching quickly behind him.
Gu Shengchao was immediately alert. Since he didn't know whether it was an enemy or a friend, he turned sideways and observed the movement with the corner of his eye.
The man who walked quickly showed no hostility. He walked closer and bowed his hands in salute, saying, "Sorry to bother you, may I ask if this is related to the Double Sword Sect?"
Gu Shengchao turned his head and couldn't help but be happy. It turned out that this person was Cui Sansheng who happened to be sitting at the same table at the Fanzhou Heroes Association.
The leader of the Wa Gang.
"Brother Cui, I didn't expect to see you here." Gu Shengchao was very pleased.
Cui Sansan was also excited: "From the side, I looked like Brother Gu, but it turns out it's really you. Why, do you need us to build a new house?"
"That's true." The two of them came to a secluded place, and the ancient sage explained his needs in detail.
Cui Sansanzi said: "You came here to find us. Let's go and take a look at the scene now."
The ancient sage was overjoyed, and Cui Sanshi led the two of them there again.
Several people walked through the entire mansion, and one of them made marks on the paper with pen and ink from time to time.
"Brother Cui, how long does it take?
Can it be completed? "Gu Shengchao asked.
Cui Sansan said firmly: "If Brother Gu is anxious and waiting to use it, half a month will be enough, but the price will be a little higher."
"No problem. Brother Cui, please calculate how much silver is needed?" Gu Shengchao asked.
The few people remained silent, covering themselves with their sleeves in front of Gu Shengchao, gesturing to each other, and soon they figured it out.
Cui Sansan said unhurriedly: "The backyard was demolished to make a garden, and the west side was converted into a shop. The east side was just renovated. The work and materials cost Lu Bailiang. Because I have to pay part of the cost in advance, Brother Gu will pay first. Five hundred taels of silver, and we can hand over the rest after the completion and acceptance."
"No problem." Gu Shengchao readily agreed and immediately led a few people back to Liu Ximei's place.
The gold rewarded by the emperor was converted into five hundred taels of silver and was given to Cui Sanshi. He saw the golden gold in his eyes and said, "Brother Gu, don't worry, our Wa Gang is professional in this and we guarantee to deliver it on time."
"Wait a minute." Wan Ruo stopped them when he saw Cui Sansheng was about to leave with his money bag.
Cui Sansan asked puzzledly: "Does this lady have any other requests?"
"Of course. My brother is settling the accounts. If you take the gold, you have to write down a deed as proof." Wan Ruo held a few pieces of paper between his fingers, rubbed it gently, and then floated it steadily to the table in front of Cui Sansan. Up there, neatly arranged.
This skill made Cui Sansan dare not take it lightly.
"Yes, yes." He didn't dare to neglect, took the pen and ink handed over by Yuchi Yao, sat on the chair and wrote down two deeds carefully.
Dong E found the sealing pad, Cui Sanshi and Gu Shengchao signed and pressed their fingerprints respectively, and Cui Sanshi and more than three dozen people left.
"Sister is still thoughtful, if we were almost deceived." Liu Ximei said with shame.
Wan Ruo waved his hand and said: "The other party is not stupid either. He will definitely inquire about Sheng Chao's origins behind his back. The possibility of deceiving us is extremely low. It's just that it is easier to restrain them with the contract."
Gu Shengchao's shoulder injury has long since recovered. He avoided the hardship of going to court every day to recuperate, and concentrated on supervising the construction progress of the tile gang.
The emperor let Gu Shengchao's behavior go unchecked, and the other ministers didn't say much, so they left him alone.
On the third day of construction, Gu Shengchao was sitting under a tree enjoying the shade, watching the tile gang working, when Yuchi Yao ran over alone.
"Sister Yuchi, are you okay?" Gu Shengchao stood up and wiped the dust off his butt.
Yuchi Yao looked at the house under construction and said hesitantly: "Well, the house where I was once imprisoned, can Brother Gu demolish it? I feel panicked every time I see it."
That's what it was for.
Gu Shengchao said cheerfully: "According to the plan, that house was originally going to be demolished because it was to be converted into a shop and renovated into a large warehouse. Sister Yuchi, don't worry."
"Then thank you, Brother Gu." Yuchi Yao jumped away.
After running a short distance, she felt embarrassed to return and handed Gu Shengchao a small water bag: "My mother asked me to give it to you. Remember to go back on time to eat."
"No problem." Gu Shengchao agreed, and Yuchi Yao ran away happily.
Gu Shengchao opened the water bag and took a sip. It was warm water with honey added. No need to ask, it must have been blended by Yuchi Yao.
Liu Ximei's favorite drink is honey water, and Yuchi Yao helps her make it.
Thinking of Yuchi Yao's neglect of him at the beginning, refusing to even give him a glass of water, and now being able to hand-deliver the honey water she mixed, but in this regard, Gu Shengchao also felt that it was sweeter than honey.
"Master Gu has come early." Gu Shengchao was thinking wildly when someone came up and saluted.
The ancient sage watched intently and quickly returned the greeting: "This is Brother Cui. Please sit down quickly." "
The bluestone slab under the tree can accommodate several people sitting side by side.
Cui Sansheng said humbly, "I don't dare to sit down, sir."
Gu Shengchao suddenly realized: "What did Brother Cui just call me?"
"Sir, how can we be allowed to be so presumptuous in front of Master Gu, the Minister of War?" Cui Sansheng said politely.
Gu Shengchao shook his head: "You must have inquired about my identity behind my back, right?
? "
Cui Sancheng said in fear: "I don't dare. Who can afford such a big mansion except for the rich and powerful? I happened to hear some rumors and guessed a few things."
"Why are you and I so polite?" Gu Shengchao forced Cui Sanshi to sit down next to him.
Cui Sanshi was a little embarrassed. He sat sideways and said uneasily: "Well, we made a mistake in calculating the wages that day. We calculated an excess of three hundred taels. I am here to refund the excess fees today."
He took out the money bag and placed it next to Gu Shengchao.
The money bag was still the money bag from that day, and Gu Shengchao looked familiar.
"I stay here every day. You guys from the Wagang clan are really working hard. Besides, I also asked many companies beforehand. Your price is appropriate and not overpriced." Gu Shengchao pushed the money bag over.
Cui Sanshi looked at the money bag like a snake and scorpion, stood up and said: "Master Gu is making fun of us. How dare we ask you for money when you move to a new house? We should send you a congratulatory gift. We can't accept this."
Gu Shengchao picked up the money bag and stuffed it into Cui Sansheng's arms and patted his shoulder: "Take it. If you don't accept it, I will kick you out now and find another one to continue the construction."
"No, let's just do it." Cui Sanshi said in panic: "I'm going to tell you today that our Wabang learned that this is your official residence, so we started construction overnight to ensure that it is completed ahead of schedule."
Gu Shengchao was also speechless. Knowing that staying here would increase the burden on them, he had no choice but to say goodbye and leave.
Seven days later, Cui Sanshi came to invite them in person, saying that it was completed and inviting them to come over for inspection.
Everyone went over to check, and found that the dilapidated house had been completely renovated. The windows with carved cornices and carved corners in the courtyard looked upscale, the back garden was full of flowers and flowers, and the martial arts training ground was so smooth that I couldn't help but practice a few sets of palm skills.
Finally, we come to the shop. The shop facing the street is bright and clean, and the warehouse at the back is spacious and tall, making it convenient for goods to enter and exit.
The residential areas, shops and back gardens are all in their own way without interfering with each other, and are perfectly connected through the unique moon door.
Everyone was full of praise after seeing it.
Dong E said excitedly: "Great, we will pick out the furniture tomorrow and move it over as soon as possible."
Cui Sansheng smiled and said: "No need to bother you, the furniture is all ready. I just don't know if you like it or not."
Yuchi Yao didn't believe it, so she took Dong E's hand and ran to check.
Just now, they just took a quick look outside. When they walked into the house, all kinds of furniture were placed in each room, and even the bedding was ready, ready to move in at any time.
The ancient sage was overjoyed, and hurriedly gave him the remaining one hundred taels of silver, and asked him how much the furniture cost.
Cui Sanshi refused to accept it at first, unable to resist Gu Shengchao's soft-spoken words. In the end, he only accepted the money for building a house, saying that the furniture was used as a gift for their housewarming.
(Remember to bookmark it for next time reading!)
