Chapter 349: Conditions

On the way, he saw the Wei family guards moving around, but they were all focused on the direction the "assassin" had fled. He seized the opportunity to slip into the dim courtyard.

The moment he entered, he felt an eerie chill. There were very few lights here; compared to the brightly lit areas of the Wei manor, this place seemed secluded and inexplicably dark.

Furthermore, there were no servants, no maids, and no guards in the courtyard. Not a single person was there.

The feeling upon entering was like visiting a haunted house at an amusement park; it exuded an atmosphere that warned outsiders to stay away.

Zu'an composed himself. He knew time was pressing, and it was best to find what he needed quickly.

He not only needed to find the gold plaque for Pei Mianman, but he also had to find the box Old Mi wanted.

Although Old Mi had said there was no need to look for it for now, Zu'an still wanted to know what was inside.

Of course, under normal circumstances, weighing the immense risks, he would have suppressed his curiosity. But today, the opportunity was too rare. Pei Mianman had helped him divert the guards, and it would be a great pity not to find it.

The layout of rooms in noble families in this world was largely similar. Having become familiar with the Chu manor's rooms, Zu'an quickly located the study in the courtyard.

He quickly surveyed the study, especially the bottles and jars on the bookshelves, trying to twist each one. After all, he had watched so many TV shows where mechanisms were often hidden there.

Unfortunately, he tried everything, but there were no hidden mechanisms in the study.

So he decided to search the bedroom. Soon after bypassing the study, he arrived at the bedroom behind it.

The moment he entered the room, Zu'an frowned. He instinctively fanned the air in front of his nose. "What is that smell?" he muttered.

A strange odor permeated the room. He could tell it was the scent of expensive incense, which should not have been unpleasant.

But mixed with the incense was an inescapable smell of urine. The combination of the two odors was simply awful!

It wasn't exactly fragrant, nor was it purely foul. It was a nauseating smell that was hard to describe.

"What is the Wei family doing? Can't they even prepare a clean and tidy room?" Zu'an grumbled. Despite his complaints, he did not stop his search.

His gaze swept across the entire bedroom like lightning, then he went straight to the bed.

He lifted the bedding and lightly tapped on the bed frame with his fingers.

As expected, a hollow sound soon emanated from a spot under the bed board.

"Sigh, these people are so uncreative when it comes to hiding things," Zu'an couldn't help but complain. These hiding spots had been used countless times in TV shows; he didn't expect people in this world to hide things the same way.

He quickly found a secret compartment. Upon opening it, he saw a box inside. It was indeed the box Old Mi had mentioned earlier; its appearance and the intricate patterns on it were identical.

He hastily took out the box Old Mi had given him from his pocket and put it back in the original spot. This way, even if someone returned, they wouldn't immediately realize the item had been switched.

He was very curious about what was inside the box and instinctively wanted to open it. Unfortunately, the box was intricately designed, and a shimmer of light flashed on its surface, indicating some kind of protective enchantment.

With time running short, he dared not examine it carefully now. After quickly tucking it into his robe, he began searching for the gold plaque Pei Mianman needed.

Unfortunately, he searched every possible spot in the room but found no trace of the gold plaque.

Seeing that approximately an incense stick's time had passed, and hearing footsteps approaching from not far away,

He dared not stay any longer and quickly retreated.

"I wonder if Big Manman managed to escape that guy's clutches," Zu'an worried. So he ran to a side room in the courtyard and knocked over an oil lamp. Soon, flames and thick smoke began to rise.

He took advantage of the chaos to return to his own room.

"Fire! Fire!"

Soon after, clamor spread throughout the Wei manor. Servants rushed with buckets of water to extinguish the fire.

Zu'an, pretending as if nothing had happened, ran out. He even feigned concern, pulling aside several passing servants and asking, "What happened? What's going on?"

His expression was so genuine he could have vied for an Oscar for Best Actor.

Immediately after, he rushed towards the Wei family study with a worried look, just as Qin Wanru was emerging.

"Madam, are you alright?" Zu'an asked with concern.

"I'm fine," Qin Wanru replied, looking at the chaotic Wei manor with a hint of confusion.

Someone had already run to inform the family head, Wei Dabao. His expression changed slightly after hearing the news. He then cupped his hands to Qin Wanru and said, "I sincerely apologize, Madam Chu. Some domestic matters have caused you to witness such a spectacle."

"Master Wei, you're too kind," Qin Wanru replied. "Since you have matters to attend to, we won't disturb you further and will take our leave now."

Wei Dabao nodded. "What needed to be said has already been discussed with Madam. Please consider it carefully upon your return. Our Wei family is genuinely sincere."

Qin Wanru smiled slightly and nodded at him. Then she left with Zu'an.

After leaving, Qin Wanru boarded her carriage, while Zu'an rode his horse alongside it.

He couldn't suppress his curiosity. He leaned closer to the carriage and asked, "Madam, how did the talks with the Wei family go?"

Qin Wanru slightly lifted a corner of the curtain. Her expression showed no discernible emotion. "Come inside the carriage," she said.

The guards nearby exchanged glances. It seemed Madam was growing increasingly fond of their son-in-law. In the future, they should be careful not to offend him again.

Meanwhile, some guards who had participated in the bet with Cheng Shoubing looked dejected. It seemed they were truly going to lose this bet.

Zu'an was somewhat flattered to hear her invitation. After all, for as long as they had known each other, she was either angry with him or on her way to being angry with him.

Such a pleasant invitation was indeed rare.

Upon entering the carriage, he was immediately greeted by a refreshing fragrance. The intensity of this scent was distinctly different from Chu Chuyan's, clearly being Qin Wanru's personal fragrance.

Zu'an recalled the smell he had encountered earlier in that courtyard. It was supposed to be expensive incense, yet it smelled nauseating no matter how he perceived it. This current scent, however, was much more refreshing.

Seeing him subtly twitch his nose, Qin Wanru slightly frowned. This fellow was truly lacking in etiquette.

However, as a woman, having her fragrance appreciated by a man, it was difficult to truly get angry.

She huffed, bringing him back to attention. "Before Chuyan left, she repeatedly told me to trust you. Although I still don't understand why she trusts you so much, I believe Chuyan would not speak without reason."

"You were the intermediary for the Wei family matter, so there's no need to hide what was discussed with you."

Zu'an felt a warmth in his heart. He hadn't expected his wife Chuyan to consider him so thoughtfully. So he respectfully said, "Thank you, Madam."

Qin Wanru then continued, "The Wei family offered to provide us with a loan at an interest rate of 8.8%."

Zu'an keenly grasped the key point. "How much can they lend?" he asked.

"Unlimited," Qin Wanru replied.

"Unlimited?" Zu'an was stunned.

"That's right. They can provide as much as we need." There was a hint of shock in Qin Wanru's voice, clearly indicating her astonishment at the Wei family's financial power.

"Do they own a mine or something?!" Zu'an listened, dumbfounded.

"I suppose they must be proxies for some high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital," Qin Wanru analyzed.

"If that's true, this interest rate is quite generous," Zu'an commented.

An 8.8% interest rate was considered low, even in his past life. While the bank's prime rate was only around 6%, very few people could actually secure loans at that rate; it usually required strong connections. Most businesses would be grateful to get a loan at 12%.

Moreover, the Chu family needed to borrow an astronomical sum this time.

Therefore, from every perspective, the Wei family's terms were extremely favorable.

Qin Wanru sighed. "If only it were that simple. But they require our Chu family's salt fields as collateral. I'm afraid this is their scheme to seize our salt fields."