"The mountain is already abandoned," Gu Qiao drank some water, "but those houses are still in fairly good condition. I also asked some of the nearby villagers, and they said mountain bandits have not appeared again. However, the land on the mountain is deserted, it’s quite a pity."
While they were speaking, Nangong Xun also returned; he had gone to the County Governor’s Office in Sishui County.
"There’s a notice at the Governor’s Office saying that the Dongtou Mountain area will be sold, but no one has bought it so far."
Yang Ruxin looked at Gu Qingheng, "Can it be sold?"
"Yes, just like those manors. If someone takes over, then the surrounding villagers can lease the land, otherwise, it will just remain abandoned," Gu Qingheng nodded. "The mountain is not like those primitive forests; people have been active on it for some time, so it’s truly a shame for it to be left to waste."
"Why don’t the surrounding residents cultivate it?"
"Land is limited and it belongs to the Imperial Court. With so many people, who do you give it to and who do you not? If anyone could cultivate it freely, it would definitely cause conflicts."
Understanding dawned on Yang Ruxin, who then looked at Nangong Xun, "How much silver?"
"It’s said to be twenty thousand taels, but this price should be negotiable."
"No wonder no one wants it; the asking price is not cheap," Yang Ruxin frowned.
"The people at the County Governor’s Office said that Dongtou Mountain is quite large, surrounded by many fruit trees. There are plenty of fertile farmlands around the foothills, particularly those with rich black soil. Also, the back mountain has a spring, making irrigation convenient. If someone takes it over, the future yields would not be small, so even if you negotiate, the price won’t drop by much."
"Qingheng, shall we go take a look later?" Yang Ruxin now had an understanding.
"You want to buy it?" Gu Qingheng raised his brows slightly.
"Yes," Yang Ruxin nodded, "It’s way too far from our village to Beijing. If we establish a base here, it will be much more convenient, especially being close to the canal, which will make travel north or south easy."
"Alright," Gu Qingheng nodded.
After the meal, the elders took the youngsters back to the boat to rest, while Yang Ruxin and Gu Qingheng first took a tour around Dongtou Mountain. Although there were indeed fruit trees and fields, most of the terrain was quite steep, and there wasn’t much that could be used.
With an understanding in mind, the two of them headed directly to Sishui County.
Dongping Town is very close to the county town, just over ten miles away.
Tang Ye is from Kaifeng Prefecture. His parents and brother are genuine farmers, and he has been excellent in his studies since childhood. He later passed the imperial examination to bee a successful candidate, but with no money or connections, he never received any good appointments, usually serving as a County Magistrate’s clerk. This was the first time he’d officially been appointed and became a local magistrate.
Of course, he was grateful to Gu Qingheng. Without that occasional encounter and his remendation, Tang Ye probably wouldn’t know when he’d get a break, especially since it’s incredibly hard to move up without connections in the court, as there are many people with talent and ability.
Therefore, when learning that Gu Qingheng and his madam were visiting, he eagerly came out to personally wele them: "General Gu, Madam, please e in."
"Master Tang, sorry to bother you," Gu Qingheng smiled slightly.
"Not at all," Tang Ye shook his head, "without General Gu, there wouldn’t be Tang Ye. It’s wonderful that you could e."
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