Imperial Treasure

Chapter 654 - 425: Zhiyuan Duke’s Mansion

But this person was indeed determined, intent on taking root in Capital City, naturally opting for this feng shui treasure land to be neighbors with these families and tycoons of extraordinary heritage, hence today’s ordeal...

Didn’t expect to be this lucky today...

After greetings, Deputy Director Zhao, the shrewd one, immediately asked, "Is the gentleman accompanying Miss Su also here to view the courtyard houses?"

Having been in Capital City for a long time, one’s greatest skill becomes not underestimating people lightly. So what if they are young? The last thing to overlook in Capital City are the young folks; you never know if one might be a Crown Prince or wealthy to the Nth degree, where spending tens of millions on a property isn’t unusual.

Su Zimu didn’t answer directly, but asked, "Are there still a few more? Have they all been reserved?"

"Twelve left, eight smaller ones have three units reserved, and four bigger ones haven’t been touched..."

When Deputy Director Zhao mentioned big, they must surely be at least 5,000 square meters in size, priced at a minimum of one billion. Adding everything up, the sum would be exceedingly high. Not everyone is like Sui Yi, dealing in resource trading with abundant cash flow, where billions come and go commonly. Just ask those in virtual industries... mobilizing funds can be excruciating, claiming to have assets worth billions, yet extracting a few billion is no easy feat.

The businessman and Deputy Director Zhao, seizing the opportunity, quickly led Sui Yi and the company to look at the houses...

Sui Yi wasn’t too concerned with size, mainly whether she liked it or not, until she saw a very large banyan tree.

That banyan tree was indeed large and ancient, lush and sprawling, situated in the left corner inside the front entrance of the courtyard house, casting a vivid green shade.

"What about that one?"

Deputy Director Zhao and the businessman’s hearts skipped a beat. Damn, this girl has her sights on the largest one?

"That one, ah, is the best, with an area of 7,300 square meters..."

He hadn’t finished speaking when Su Zimu smiled, "The best? I think it looks like the one in the most severe state of decay. If not for that, how could it still be unsold until now?"

Alright, Deputy Director Zhao, unfazed by being undercut, shook his head with a chuckle and said, "But it has its reputation, you see. This was the residence of an hereditary Duke of the Qing Dynasty, bestowed by Emperor Kangxi himself, known as Zhiyuan Duke’s Mansion. Honestly, if not for the poor state of preservation inside, no matter the price, there would be takers..."

Sui Yi had already pushed open The Gate, which was also decaying, dropping rotten wood dust at a touch. Entering, she saw that apart from the wall bricks, most of the courtyard’s structure was wooden. Without maintenance, the decay was severe—looking at the pillars, some even had wormholes, with carvings still visible on them...

The degree of wood rot was at least 50%.

The wall paintings and other cultural features were similarly deteriorated, and even the brick structure seemed unstable, as if it were on the verge of collapse.

"What a pity," Sui Yi and Su Zimu shared a sigh. Culture engrained in such an illustrious residence’s architecture was extremely precious, yet it had come to this due to years of neglect...

Leaving behind only a vast area and a rapidly decaying Duke’s Mansion.

"If you want to restore it, the money spent could be about the same as the purchase price..." the businessman shook his head, "At least two hundred million, and the difficulty of the restoration would be immense. No ordinary construction team would take on such a job."

This was the crux of the matter; most visitors left resignedly. They didn’t lack money—throwing down two hundred million wouldn’t be impossible for them if they were really determined. But they feared they couldn’t handle the project, causing a big fuss and facing insurmountable obstacles.

Deputy Director Zhao, never one to undermine his own pitch, countered, "It’s not necessarily so. Find a professor from an ancient architecture university to redraw the blueprints for Zhiyuan Duke’s Mansion, then hire a construction crew... If it’s successfully rebuilt, then..."

The businessman scoffed with a smirk. Are you kidding me?

Even the usually magnanimous Su Zimu didn’t want to engage, considering the proposition too far-fetched. Professors of ancient architecture were rare commodities—it wasn’t even a question of whether they could be persuaded; for a residence this large, merely drawing the plans would be no small feat. Besides, one would need understanding of ancient architecture, literature, and modern architectural principles...

Otherwise, did you really think one could transform an ancient Qing Dynasty house into something livable by modern standards?

Yet it couldn’t be some monstrous hybrid; otherwise, it’d be better to randomly construct a Square Residence in the countryside.

Every step is wrought with difficulties...

Lots of money, not to mention the need for connections and influence...