You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 34 Taking advantage of the situation
Before they knew it, the day for the auction of Fang's residence arrived.

Early in the morning, the gates of the mansion were wide open.

Fang Chengxu ordered people to set up tables, chairs, benches, fragrant tea, and fruits in the courtyard.

The place was bustling with visitors.

The women should stay away, keeping their doors closed in their rooms, to avoid being disturbed by guests who might wander around and inspect the house.

Liang Jiang naturally wanted to stay at the mansion amidst this excitement and see who would ultimately win the Fang family's favor. Besides, she had prepared a small gift for the Fang family as a token of her respect.

Aunt Yu hurried back from the front. Liang Jiang was fiddling with several jars and bamboo baskets, making a rustling sound inside, and it was unclear what kind of living creatures were inside.

"Miss, guess who's here?"

"Who is it?" Liang Jiang asked casually. "It can't be someone from the Tong family again, can it?"

Aunt Yu shook her head: "It's Young Master Lu. He's in the front yard. He said he's taken a liking to the Fang residence."

What's this guy doing here? He bought this house but has no use for it. Is he just here to cause trouble?
After all, Lu Xingzhan is currently acting under the banner of the City Lord of Fucheng, and everyone in Fucheng knows how wealthy and powerful the City Lord is. Anyone else trying to snatch a house that the City Lord has his eye on would have to think twice before acting.

Fang Chengxu was probably still feeling smug, thinking he had a big customer.

Are there many people here today?

"There are quite a few people here, but from what I can tell, most of them are just here to watch the show. Not many of them have the means or are genuinely interested in buying the house."

Liang Jiang covered the bamboo basket in front of her: "Then these treasures will probably be useless today."

He went back into the house, picked up a pen, quickly wrote a few lines, and handed them to Aunt Yu: "Think of a way to secretly give this note to Lu Xingzhan."

Aunt Yu glanced at it and saw that what her young mistress had inscribed on it was the total cost of building the Fang family's old house, as well as the money needed to be invested in the courtyard that urgently needed repair.

This is designed to get Young Master Lu to desperately drive down the price. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." With Lu Xingzhan's sharp tongue getting involved, the Fang family can forget about getting a high price.

Yu Ma did as she was told.

Not long after, Fang Chengxu sent someone in advance to inform the women of the inner quarters to leave. He led his men into the inner quarters in a grand procession, toured around to check the situation inside, and then went to the front yard to begin the auction.

Liang Jiang stood behind the screen wall and heard Fang Chengxu directly state his expected price of eight thousand taels of silver.

A flurry of discussion immediately broke out among the crowd, and then everyone turned to look at Lu Xingzhan, waiting for him to speak.

Lu Xingzhan was determined to win today. He showed great interest while touring the mansion, asking all sorts of questions, and even planning where his future wife and children would live.

At this moment, she remained calm and composed, slowly playing with the cup in her hand with her delicate fingers, without saying a word.

Finally, someone spoke first. Fang Chengxu raised a question: "Your house was indeed one of the best in Fucheng back then, and it was also a general's residence. But after all, it is quite old, and eight thousand taels of silver is a bit too high."

Once the first person speaks up, many others will naturally chime in.

Many raised questions.

"That's right. Many places need to be repaired. I just did a rough estimate, and the repairs alone will cost one or two thousand taels of silver."

Eight thousand taels of silver is enough for me to buy a new plot of land and hire top craftsmen to build a new house according to my own preferences.

“I had a feng shui master look at the feng shui of this house beforehand, and it doesn’t seem to be very auspicious for descendants, so I’m a bit hesitant.”

“That’s true. Look, ever since the Fang family moved in, they’ve been going downhill. It’s only been a few years, and they’ve already squandered their fortune. I’d think twice even if you gave me two thousand taels.”

……

The crowd erupted in discussion, which infuriated Old Mrs. Fang, who had been secretly watching from the side. She turned ashen-faced and wished she could rush out and hurl insults at everyone.

"That's utter nonsense! These people aren't here to buy the house at all; they're just bandits trying to take advantage of the chaos!"

Liang Jiang chuckled inwardly, but remained outwardly composed. She had also realized that the people making the most noise were clearly shills hired by Lu Xingzhan to try and lower the price.

In this light, I realize I'm much kinder than this guy when it comes to getting things done.

Fang Chengxu hadn't expected to suffer a setback right from the start, and his face turned quite grim. He kept glancing at Lu Xingzhan, hoping that the wealthy man would be more willing to offer a price.

Lu Xingzhan became increasingly calm and composed.

Fang Chengxu awkwardly said, "Although praise and criticism are the buyer's opinions, what you all said is a bit too extreme."

My grandfather spent eight thousand taels of silver to build this house, and it was on his own land.

Nowadays, silver is becoming increasingly worthless. Rice that cost one tael of silver back then now costs at least 1,500 coins.

Based on this calculation, after deducting depreciation, my house is worth at least ten thousand taels of silver.

"But I heard that when you built this house, it only cost less than five thousand taels of silver. Take the purlins for example, you actually used pine wood to save money. This kind of wood is not durable and is prone to dampness and mold. The later repairs will be a huge project."

Others chimed in, all offering insightful and expert opinions that left Fang Chengxu speechless.

It was clear that there wasn't even anyone willing to offer a price, and even if there were, they were mostly just there to stir up trouble.

The clan members despised the Fang family's behavior of selling off their ancestral property, abandoning their spouses, and currying favor with the powerful. Not only did no one speak up for them, but some even kicked them when they were down.

Fang Chengxu had no experience with this kind of thing and was momentarily flustered.

He said with utmost sincerity, "My Fang family has indeed encountered difficulties, which is why we have reluctantly sold our ancestral property. Yet everyone is belittling this house to the point of worthlessness. Are you perhaps here to cause trouble on purpose? If anyone is sincere, please name a price."

Someone offered two thousand taels of silver, which made Old Madam Fang so angry that she almost vomited blood.

Everyone turned their attention to Lu Xingzhan.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Lu Xingzhan finally put down the gleaming teacup in his hand and held up four fingers to Fang Chengxu.

Fang Chengxu stammered, "Four thousand taels? City Lord, are you joking?"

Lu Xingzhan said lazily, "A mansion of three thousand feet is nothing more than a bed of three feet. I am all alone. Such a large house would cost money to repair and require many servants to manage. It is not really a big deal."

Therefore, whether or not this price is acceptable depends on your own circumstances, Mr. Fang. Of course, if someone is wealthy and willing to offer a higher price, I have no objection.”

Everyone humbly declined, saying, "In terms of wealth, who in the entire city of Fucheng dares to compare with you? Only your good fortune can hold this house in place."

"That's right, we are not blessed enough to dare to steal someone's love."

Fang Chengxu's heart sank.

With the mansion that the city lord of Fucheng has his eye on, who in the entire city would dare to snatch it from his jaws?

I'm afraid no one will offer a high price today.

Grandma Fang, who was behind her, was even more furious and could no longer hold back. She stormed out in a huff.

"Are you trying to take advantage of my misfortune? A mansion this big would fetch at least double the price in the capital. Whoever buys it would be getting a great deal. Not only are you ungrateful, but you're also belittling it. We're not selling. Go find a cheaper place to buy it."

Lu Xingzhan stood up unhurriedly: "We have money, why would we worry about not being able to buy a satisfactory house? Farewell!"

As soon as he stood up, everyone else also left their seats: "That's right, your Fang family is in such a hurry for money that you're begging us to buy it. Do you think it's a rare commodity?"

In an instant, a burst of light dissipated.

Liang Jiang, who was behind the screen wall, almost burst out laughing.

The Fang family had hoped to get a high price so that, in addition to marrying Tong Zhao'er, they could also buy a small house. However, Lu Xingzhan ruined their plans, and they were left with no choice but to suffer this loss in silence.

(End of this chapter)