The sun gradually went down, twilight gathered, and the sky and earth were dark. All the wind lanterns in the inn yard were lit, and the yard was suddenly as bright as day. Soon after, people peeking out at the inn door appeared. The servants at the door were prepared.
, after questioning, they were invited into the courtyard, sat down at the table, and served tea.
The few people who came first were restless and didn't know what they were going to face. But soon after, they were surprised to find that groups of people arrived one after another, and they were all people from neighboring villages, and they basically interacted with each other.
We all know each other.
"Old Huangtou? Old Horsetou? Why are you... why are you here too? Could it be..."
"Hey, Zhang Laoliu, you are here too. It seems...hehehe, are we here for the same thing?"
"Oh, hahaha."
After being surprised, he started to laugh tacitly. In fact, he already knew in his heart that not only he had got the news, but also other villagers. As time went by, more and more people came, and the yard became more and more crowded.
It became more and more lively. At first, everyone was hiding it and refused to say anything openly, but later they simply started talking.
"Are they really the two marquises from the Zhang family who came from the capital? I heard they are relatives of the emperor, and they are the brother-in-law of the current emperor."
"It should be true. Look at the carriage in the yard. The entourage is dressed in an elegant manner. It should be right. Now, if the two uncles really come to buy land, the Zhou family will not be able to help themselves."
"Hey, don't be happy too early. The world is as dark as crows. It may not be a good thing for uncle Guo to come. They are all together, maybe they are all colluding. I think there is some kind of trap here."
"Yes, they are all the same, what else can be done? In the end, they are not the same."
Zhang Yanling and Zhang Heling were sitting in the lobby of the inn, listening to the people around them talking about each other. Zhang Heling frowned and said, "These mud-legged people have really bad mouths."
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Brother, don't be angry. Although they talk all over the place, they actually still have a glimmer of hope in their hearts. Otherwise, they wouldn't come. Besides, they are forced to sell their property and are not allowed to talk.
Do you want to complain?"
Zhang Heling said with a smile: "You have really changed as a person now. If someone had made irresponsible remarks in front of you before, I'm afraid you would have rushed out and slapped them in the face."
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "It's almost time, brother, let's go out to meet them."
Zhang Heling nodded, stood up, and the two brothers walked towards the door. When the two stood on the steps, the people who were spitting and talking stopped. They felt it from the Zhang brothers' clothes and momentum.
Under the pressure of the superiors, I realized that the big shot was coming.
"Isn't that... the young man who went to our village today?" someone whispered.
"It's him, and he also went to our village. Could it be that he is..."
Zhang Yanling stepped forward with a smile, cupped his hands, and said loudly: "Fellow folks, I didn't expect you all to come here. I am Zhang Yanling, and this is my brother Shouning Hou. My two brothers came to Baodi from the capital.
I’m disturbing all the folks.”
Zhang Heling coughed and cupped his hands with a straight face.
The people were in a daze. Huang Si stood at the foot of the steps and shouted loudly: "Are you all stupid? Do you still understand etiquette? These two are relatives of the Ming Dynasty, the natal brothers of the current empress, and two members of the Zhang family.
Mr. Hou, why don’t you show your courtesy?”
"Oh! Two great uncles! That's amazing." The people hurriedly stood up and left their seats. Some people's knees became weak and they knelt down and began to kowtow. Although they said it lively, when the real superior was in front of them.
At that time, many people naturally felt fearful and could not control their knees.
"Okay, okay, folks, there is no need to be polite. Everyone, please get up and sit down." Zhang Yanling smiled and waved her hand, walked down the steps, and reached out to help a commoner who was kneeling on the ground.
"Fellow folks, you are right. I am the young man who went to your village in the afternoon. The reason why I did not tell you my true identity is because I don't want the news to reach the ears of the Zhou family and let them know who I am.
I also came to Baodi. I’m also here to buy property, and I don’t want to cause unnecessary problems.” Zhang Yanling said with a smile.
"Are you really the queen's brother? Are you really the marquis from the capital, here to buy land?" A commoner felt unconvinced.
Before Zhang Yanling could answer, other people said: "Pretending to be a relative of the emperor is a capital crime. Who dares to do so? Are you tired of living?"
Zhang Yanling chuckled and said: "Yes, it's guaranteed to be replaced if it's fake. We brought the imperial certificate. This thing can't be fake. Brother, show them the certificate."
Zhang Heling frowned and said, "These people actually doubt our identity."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "They don't know us, so it's reasonable to be suspicious."
Zhang Heling took out a bright roll of neatly folded yellow silk from his arms. It was the imperial certificate given by the emperor. The so-called imperial certificate is the document when conferring a title, something like a letter of appointment. This thing
The best proof is that in the Ming Dynasty, all titles and rewards from earl and above were given with coupons. For those below earl, ordinary documents were given.
Zhang Yanling showed his imperial certificate and Zhang Heling's order to the people. The people actually couldn't see the reason, but they believed it when they saw the red jade seal. The literate people naturally saw it.
With the names of Zhang Yanling and Zhang Heling on it, any doubts were quickly dispelled.
"Fellow folks, let's get straight to the point and don't talk nonsense. My brother and I came to your land today just to buy the land in your hands. I know that the Zhou family of Qingyun Hou came to discuss the purchase of land a few days ago.
. But he is him, and we are us. He can buy your land, and so can our brothers. The land is yours, and you can sell it to whomever you want in the end. This is like doing business, our brothers and
The Zhou family each does its own thing, whether you want to sell to the Zhang family or the Zhou family, we respect your ideas and will never force you to make a decision." Zhang Yanling said solemnly.
The people were silent.
Zhang Yanling said: "Fellow folks, I know that if I ask you to sell your land, it will cost you your life. But now you are in a situation where you may have to sell your land to tide over the difficulties. I heard that the Zhou family has suppressed prices severely. Don't worry.
I, the Zhang family brothers, are not the kind of people who rub salt into your wounds. We will give you a fair and reasonable price, and we will attach some favorable conditions to you. In other words, our brothers are not here to take your land or take away your
I’m here to help you with your livelihood.”
Zhang Heling listened and thought to himself: I was touched by what my brother said. He was obviously here to buy their land, but when he said this, it seemed like he was here to show mercy. When did this mouth become so eloquent?
?
"I know you must be scornful in your heart, thinking that I am hypocritical when I say this. But in fact, it is exactly the same. The Zhou family has paid a very low price to acquire your land, and you must be unwilling to do so. However, when it comes to his regulations,
At the end of the day, you will eventually have to sell it to him. At the price of more than two taels of silver per acre, I am taking advantage of you, eating your flesh and drinking your blood. But my price is absolutely fair.
, the conditions are definitely favorable to you. To put it bluntly, I am here to save people, not to kill." Zhang Yanling continued.
"After talking for a long time, what price did the Marquis offer? Can you tell me directly?" a commoner whispered.
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "My price is twice as high as that of the Zhou family. The Zhou family pays two for two, and I will give you four for four. Are you satisfied?"
"Oh, four-two-four. This is great." Someone exclaimed with a smile. With the Zhou family's two-two for comparison, the price of four-two-four suddenly doubled, why not
Delightful.
"Our land is all good farmland, and the market price is more than ten taels per mu. If we give you four taels per mu, it's still far from enough. What's there to be happy about?" Someone immediately began to pour cold water on the land.
"What nonsense are you talking about? The top-grade farmland in the capital city only costs ten taels. How can it be worth more than ten taels here? Is there any money growing in the fields?" Zhang Heling yelled.
The people were so frightened that they immediately shut up.