Chapter 5 Where are the women!
Yan family private residence.

It was not until dark that the merchants who were called to the Yan family walked out of the mansion with red faces.

Similarly, Yan Shaoting's face was radiant and he looked full of energy.

Yan Hu, however, had a sad face, thinking that he would be dead for accompanying the eldest young master in his mischief this time, and that he would be dead when the Grand Lord and the Little Grand Lord returned from the palace.

In front of the house.

Yan Shaoting clasped his hands together and said, "Everyone, please take care. When I have some free time during the first month of the lunar year, I will treat everyone to a drink outside Chongwenmen."

Among the nine gates of the capital, Chongwen Gate is where the customs is located. The Chongwen Iron Turtle is even more famous in Kyoto. All the fine wines shipped from Zhuozhou, Hebei and other places must enter the inner city through Chongwen Gate.

There are many restaurants inside and outside the city gate with signs of Nanlu Shaojiu, and this is the reason.

The merchants who had been in a daze and worried for half a day finally returned with a full load and all of them accepted the orders with a smile.

Yan Hu looked at his eldest master chatting and laughing happily with this group of profiteers, but he felt more and more uneasy.

Only after the merchants left did Yan Shaoting turn around and return home with satisfaction.

Just from this trip today, I have gained a great harvest.

Nowadays, the average price of ordinary private houses and shops in Beijing is about five taels per room.

The Yan family had 1,500 private houses in Beijing. Naturally, they were all in good locations and good houses, but they were generally priced at ten taels of silver each.

If we sell all of them today, we will get more than 15,000 taels of silver.

Real estate is just small money.

The real big money, however, comes from calligraphy and paintings, furniture, ready-made clothes, silk fabrics, gold and silver utensils, etc.

For example, the cloth stored in the Yan family was naturally not ordinary cloth, but all of the best material, and the lowest price was six taels of silver per piece.

And woven materials such as gold weaving, gold lifting, and embroidery are worth dozens of taels of silver per piece.

For cloth alone, the price was negotiated today to be five hundred thousand taels.

In addition, there were gold and silver utensils, also worth more than 100,000 taels.

Finally, there are beds such as the mother-of-pearl lacquered eight-part bed, the carved and inlaid marble bed, the lacquered and carved eight-step medium bed, the gold-painted rattan carved summer bed, etc., which total more than 500 pieces and are priced at 100,000 taels.

The total amount of miscellaneous items sold was about 200,000 taels.

Among all these things, private houses and shops are the least valuable.

All in all, the total amount sold was one million taels of silver.

In addition, Yan Shaoting knew that the Yan family had hidden another two million taels of silver in the cellar in the back garden of their mansion in Beijing.

All in all, there are now three million taels of silver in front of him.

But these are not all the Yan family’s assets.

As for the calligraphy, paintings and ancient books collected by the Yan family, Yan Shaoting did not sell any of them today.

Not to mention that these things can be presented to Jiajing in exchange for some tangible benefits later, just based on their value in future generations, they must be protected.

On the contrary, the Yan family did not have much land under their name. Some of the land they owned was located in their hometown in Jiangxi, but it was only about 10,000 acres.

It's not even a fraction of what a certain family in Songjiang Prefecture earns.

The entire Yan family's assets combined are only about four or five million taels.

Thinking of the fact that when the eunuch Liu Jin's property was raided during the Zhengde reign, his assets worth tens of millions of taels of silver were seized, Yan Shaoting couldn't help but sigh.

"Leading a team is really expensive!"

The Yan family must have embezzled more than the current property, but apart from the calligraphy and paintings and treasures, most of the gold and silver items were used by the Yan family to bribe the officials below.

Returning to the front mansion, Yan Shaoting was full of confidence as he looked at the main hall which had been emptied except for a few tables, chairs and benches.

Yan Hu, however, let out a wail.

"Master, I'm afraid we are doomed this time!"

Several servants huddled in a corner. Although they didn't say anything, their faces and eyes looked equally ugly.

Yan Shaoting didn't care about that.

Yan Song and Yan Shifan are not at home, Yan Song's wife has died, and he is the eldest in the Yan family now.

Yan Shaoting held the account book of the Yan family's sale today in his hand and looked at Yan Hu: "Walk around the city tomorrow. If you meet any foreign merchants from the Olob country, bring them to your house."

Yan Hu said with a bitter face: "Master, why are you looking for foreign merchants? Are you going to sell our things to the country of Oloba?"

Dead, dead.

It's over. Yan Hu could already imagine how angry the elder and the younger elder would be when they came back tomorrow and saw the empty house of the Yan family.

Yan Shaoting glared and said, "Are you the young master or am I the young master?"

Yan Hu pursed his lips and said, "Of course you are the young master."

"Then what's the problem?" Yan Shaoting felt that he really needed to change a permanent attendant.

Yan Hu, who had not yet realized that he was facing a career crisis, could only nod helplessly: "Young Master is the most important, I dare not ask any more questions."

Yan Shaoting hummed: "Then go to bed."

Yan Hu immediately put on a flattering smile and said, "Master, do you want me to ask the fourth young lady to wait on you and have a rest?"

The fourth girl here does not refer to one person.

Instead, they were the four maids from the Yan family, Xichun, Nianxia, ​​Lianqiu and Fudong, who had always served Yan Shaoting.

Yan Shaoting glared.

The Yan family will be finished in a few years, and this guy actually asked me to call the maid to serve him and let him rest.

Are you such a person?
"Let Xichun serve outside."

Yan Shaoting left after saying a few words.

……

The next day.

Outside the Daming Gate.

A man with a well-mannered manner, fair complexion and a gloomy expression, supported a tall and thin old man who was hunched over and trembling as he walked, and came to a carriage.

The coachman standing in front of the carriage moved the wooden steps and waited cautiously by the side, bowing his head.

"Master, young master, please go slower."

Yan Shifan was wearing a red robe and looked a little haggard. He helped his old father Yan Song get into the carriage. Then he listened to what the coachman said and then got into the carriage.

Yan Song got into the carriage and sat back drowsily.

After Yan Shifan came in, Yan Song slightly opened his eyes and asked, "What happened outside the palace yesterday?"

Yan Shifan sat down and said, "What else could it be? It's just Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng's gang, instigating people to sue our Yan family!"

Yan Song's lips moved for a long time before he continued, "It has not snowed this winter. Your Majesty has been fasting and praying in Yuxi Palace. The court cannot be in chaos at this time."

Yan Shifan hummed and nodded: "If you agree to this and arrest all the troublemakers, there will definitely be no chaos."

In the carriage, Yan Shifan shouted angrily.

Yan Song seemed to be asleep, swaying gently with the carriage.

After a while, he spoke again: "Nonsense!"

Yan Shifan laughed and said, "The ones making trouble are Zhou Yunyi, the director of the Imperial Observatory! Yesterday, Zhou Yunyi sued the court in front of the Meridian Gate for excessive spending, rampant corruption among officials, and the people of the world are living in misery.

But don't worry, Zhou Yunyi had his legs broken by Shao Ting and his men yesterday and was thrown out of the palace.

I wonder who dares to make trouble next. If they do, they will have to think about how many legs they have!"

When Yan Song heard this, he did not open his eyes, but his expression changed slightly.

The father and son had been discussing matters in the cabinet and reconciling accounts between departments last night. They had not had a good night's sleep and were now taking a nap.

Wait for the carriage to drive into Yan's mansion.

Not long after.

The angry roar of Yan Shifan, a junior cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty, rang out in Yan's mansion, scaring passers-by outside so much that they hurriedly fled away.

"Damn!"

"Where are my wives?"

..............................

PS：2024年4月29日20:29:18贴一下京城房价，免得还有不了解的以为我乱说，给严家的房屋定的一间十两，已经算是高的了。

According to the name of Zhang, Daxing County, Shuntian Prefecture, the house tax of Fu Shangzhi was purchased for 33 taels of silver, 2 coins and 6 cents and 4 cents.
The person who signed the deed of selling the house, Fu Shangzhi, and his widowed mother, Zhang, have no money to use. They have a dilapidated house left by their late father. They are selling two rooms on the north side of the door, two rooms on the second floor, and one room on the north wing, a total of five rooms, large and small. The doors, windows, walls and walls are connected by earth and wood. It is located in the Linxiaodifang, the second sign and ten shops of Zhengdongfang, Nancheng. Now, with the help of the official agent, they are willing to sell it to Zhang and live in it forever. After three conversations, the current value is 33 taels of silver. The silver will be collected by the public on the same day, and there will be no shortage. After the sale, if there are any relatives competing for it, the seller and his son will take care of it. The two families are willing and neither will regret it. If anyone regrets first, he will be fined 10 stones of rice for public use. This deed of selling is signed forever.

According to the name of the county in Daxing, Shuntian Prefecture, the price of 23 taels and 5 coins was used to buy the house tax silver of Fu Shangzhi, 2 coins and 6 cents.

The person who signed the deed of selling the house, Fu Shangzhi, and his widowed mother Zhang, have no money to use. They have a broken tile house left by their late father. They are selling three storeys in front, two main rooms in the second sign and eight shop, one room in the south, which is a side room, and two floors in the second sign and ten shop. There are five rooms in total, and the doors, windows, walls and walls are connected by earth and wood. It is located in the second sign and eight shop in the Zhengdongfang of the South City, and the Linxiaodifang of the ten shop is the general. Now, with the help of Li Long, the official housekeeper, we are willing to sell it to Fei and live in it forever. The price is 32 taels and 5 coins of silver at the agreed time. The silver will be collected by the public on the same day, and there will be no shortage. After the sale, if there are any relatives competing for it, the seller and his mother will take care of it. Neither family is allowed to regret it. If anyone regrets it first, he will be fined 10 stones of rice for public use. This deed of selling is signed forever.

(End of this chapter)