Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 351 - 334: Strategize before Emergence!

Chapter 351: Chapter 334: Strategize before Emergence!

Leaving the Government Office of the Magistrate of Metropolitan Prefecture, Zhang San suddenly received a message from Cui Jiu.

Finding a deserted spot, he discovered that he was being informed there would be a new contact person from the Heavenly Punishment Sect reaching out to him.

At the same time, this individual would also be the new head of the Heavenly Punishment Sect in the Capital.

After all, the original head had been almost certainly identified by the Sect as having defected, so Zhang San had handed over their names.

Having memorized the secret signal for their meeting, Cui Jiu told Zhang San that the contact person would find a way to reach him and advised Zhang San not to seek out the contact person proactively.

Zhang San guessed that the Heavenly Punishment Sect likely faced serious issues in the Capital, which was why they were being so cautious.

But if they didn’t come to him, there was no rush to concern himself with the matters of the Heavenly Punishment Sect.

Zhang San arranged to meet with Shang Bufa, Shen Bao, and Shen Zhongdian to start inquiring about purchasing property.

"Brother San wants to buy a house? That’ll cost a pretty penny in the Capital!" Though Shen Bao was known for his extravagant spending, he wasn’t clueless about money. On the contrary, he had a very clear idea of what things were worth.

Shang Bufa also cautioned, "There are indeed cheaper places in the Capital, but those are in the south of the city, and traveling from there to the north isn’t very convenient. So going cheap isn’t great, but not going cheap is incredibly expensive."

Shen Zhongdian curiously asked, "Brother San wants to buy a house in the Capital, so you must be planning to settle down. Have you thought about how many people will be living there, how big the residence needs to be, and what facilities you’ll need?"

After listening to everyone’s questions, Zhang San shared his thoughts.

"I know it’s expensive, so I’m thinking about who can pay to help me buy it. But if I’m buying, I’ll do it right and get a large house. Not just for me, but for my friends at the Town Martial Office. Plus, I’ll need some extra guest rooms for when you guys come over for drinks in the evening and want to stay the night if you’ve had too much."

Upon hearing this, Shen Bao chuckled, whispered, "Zhang San, how about this? When the time comes, you save a room for me. I won’t live there, but in the evenings when I go out drinking and enjoying myself, if my grandfather asks, you can just say I stayed at your place."

Zhang San paused for a moment, then laughed, "We’re brothers, of course you can."

Shen Bao was overjoyed.

"But you’ll have to pay for that room yourself."

Shen Bao couldn’t help but remember his uncle’s advice before he left home, realizing there might be some truth to it.

"Speaking of which, I suddenly remember that when Shen Wen was the Magistrate of Metropolitan Prefecture, he dealt with some confusing cases in the archives. One of them involved Shen Wen taking money from a wealthy outsider and selling him a residence where the entire family had died under mysterious circumstances."

Zhang San couldn’t help but be curious, asking, "The whole family died? Isn’t that a haunted house? Who would dare live there?"

Shang Bufa shook his head, "Through the ages, where hasn’t someone died? Besides, there were some mysteries about that case, and I originally planned to keep investigating. Minister Shen told me that if I didn’t have anything else to do, I should clean his room instead, saying that with Shen Wen’s house searched and possessions confiscated, it was pointless to pursue those old cases now. Instead, we should wait until we need achievements in the future to clear things up. What do you say to that..."

Zhang San, of course, knew Shang Bufa to be a person who could not tolerate injustice, and naturally felt that since there were still cases left unresolved, they needed to be addressed.

But in Zhang San’s view, if it were up to him, his choice would likely be the same as Shen Wei’s.

One could later use the backlog of cases left by Shen Wen as an excuse, and some might even implicate other officials in the Capital. These weren’t just cases, they were strategies!

However, someone like Shang Bufa, who loved the law and was true to his heart, was indeed rare.

So Zhang San did not share his thoughts with Shang Bufa.

"Zhang San, if you don’t mind that it might be a haunted house, I can take you to see it right now. How about that?"

"Great! But before we go there, take me to another place first."

Everyone curiously asked, "Brother San, where are you going?"

"To the Ministry of Punishment’s prison. I’d like to visit it. Besides, since I’m from the Town Martial Office, I can just say I’m investigating the Floating Corpse Case, so I should be able to take a look, right?"

Shang Bufa thought for a moment and then nodded, saying, "Alright, that shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll take care of it. But... wasn’t the reason you wanted us to come out to go see a house? Why are we going to the Ministry of Punishment’s prison first?"

Zhang San chuckled and explained, "This is what’s called ’absorbing misfortune before inviting fortune’! First, you soak up some bad luck, so that wherever you go afterward, you won’t pick up any more misfortune, only good fortune!"

Although no one really understood his logic, seeing as Zhang San wanted to visit the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, they all tagged along.

After all, it was Shang Bufa who had brought them, so nobody stopped them.

After Zhang San entered the prison, he seemed to be just looking around, but Shen Zhongdian noticed that Zhang San was covertly using techniques, as if he were summoning something.

When Zhang San finished his tour and came out, Shen Zhongdian asked, "Brother San, what were you tinkering with just now?"

Zhang San laughed and said, "Nothing much. I just felt that everywhere in the Capital seemed pretty clean, and the Ministry of Punishment’s prison seemed like the only place that could have some ’dirt’, so I took the liberty of helping them clean up a little by taking some ’dirt’ out."

Although Shen Zhongdian still had no idea what the ’dirt’ Zhang San took out was, he could be certain that the foreign merchant who had colluded with Shen Wen to seize someone else’s residence was in for some bad luck!

The house was located in the northwest of Daxing City in Jin City Fang.

Upon entering Jin City Fang, Zhang San and the others arrived at the mansion’s main gate.

"Are we really just going to knock on the door and ask if they’ll sell the house?" Shen Zhongdian had never bought a house before, but he felt it was quite abrupt to just go over and inquire if someone was willing to sell their home while they were still living in it.

Zhang San smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need to go in, I’ll just take a look from the outside."

As he spoke, Zhang San cast Feng Chengying, allowing it to rise upwards, and after a moment, he retracted it back into his palm.

Based on the scenes recorded by Feng Chengying, Zhang San and the others could easily see what the residence looked like.

It was indeed very spacious, and it was evident that the foreign merchant who moved in had renovated and tidied up quite nicely, although some parts looked a bit too ostentatious. Overall, it was still very good.

At least, Zhang San was really satisfied.

"Shen Bao, do me a favor, when you later..."

After Zhang San whispered a few words into Shen Bao’s ear, Shen Bao went to the main entrance and started knocking.

The gatekeeper, seeing someone come up with business, called the steward who happened to be passing by.

"Young master, may I know what brings you to Jin Mansion?"

"I’m interested in your house, is it for sale?"

The steward frowned and sized up Shen Bao. He didn’t seem like a thug based on his attire, but why did he come across like he was here to stir up trouble?

"Sorry, it’s not for sale."

"Sell it to me for cheap! If you don’t, misfortune will befall your house!"

Upon hearing these words, the steward got angry and shouted at Shen Bao, "Get lost!"

Shen Bao snorted coldly, spat at the entrance to Jin Mansion, and quickly ran away.

When Shen Bao returned, both Shang Bufa and Shen Zhongdian were completely confused.

"So what now? Brother San, what do you plan to do?"

Zhang San chuckled and said, "Nothing for now. Let’s go, we’ll talk about it tomorrow! Let’s find a tavern nearby and have a few drinks first!"