Judge of the Song Dynasty

The lone fish caught by the net did not bring much surprise to Zhang Fei, but rather a lot of anxiety.

Times were now different.

Just a few days ago, he was still hoping for those wealthy businessmen to come to him. He even spent money to book a room at the teahouse.

That was what he had longed for.

But now, even though Zhang Fei had cultivated a reputation, no one dared to approach him.

Wow!

The officials of the imperial government united together to deal with you.

You are really amazing!

We’ll keep our distance!

His reputation actually brought about negative effects. Now the only support he had was that woman who argued with him every day.

Really ironic.

Not bad!

This was indeed an opportunity.

But the question was whether he could seize it or not.

In the circumstances, this was obviously very difficult.

Moreover, Little Ma’s father knew that contacting him would cause trouble for himself but was still willing to meet him.

He must have a very serious reason for doing so.

All of this made Zhang Fei deeply uneasy.

But.

He still had to meet him.

The reason was simple, Zhang Fei had no choice now.

Therefore, what Zhang Fei was considering now was not whether to meet or not, but how to prepare and make good use of opportunities.

There is a saying in military strategy, know yourself and know your enemy, and you can win a hundred battles.

He felt that first of all, he needed to understand what the Ma family does, and who the head of the Ma family is. Currently, his impression of the Ma family was only that young man with a fair face, Ma Xiaoyi, and that his family is involved in the lending business.

Early the next day, Zhang Fei took Li Si to the one of the largest markets in Bianjing.

Because it was close to the docks, with goods coming and going frequently, this place was a hub for traders, also known as brokers. They would purchase goods to sell them at a higher price and were typically located in the docks. At the same time, there were many pawnshops also located here. The area had a high flow of currency, one such location being the Ma family’s pawnshop.

Additionally, the people here were extremely busy, with no time to watch people fight lawsuits. Hence, as they walked on the street, no one recognized Zhang Fei.

Instead of going directly to the pawnshop, Zhang Fei chose to sit down at a nearby food stall.

The stall owner was a woman in her thirties.

“Madam, four steamed buns, two bowls of porridge. Thank you.”

“Please wait a moment, it will be ready soon.”

Soon, four hot steamed buns and two bowls of porridge were served on the table.

Zhang Fei paid and then asked, “Madam, do you know which way the Ma family pawnshop is?”

“Go this way, turn left at the next intersection, and walk fifty steps. You’ll reach the Ma family pawnshop.” The woman pointed forward.

Zhang Fei nodded, “Thank you.”

But he secretly glanced at the woman.

The woman was about to turn around and leave, but suddenly turned back and asked, “Why do you two want to go to the Ma family pawnshop?”

Zhang Fei pretended to hesitate, “Um, we want to borrow some money.”

The woman instantly looked like her suspicions had been confirmed and asked again, “Why do you want to borrow money?”

Zhang Fei, slightly surprised by the woman’s reaction, glanced at her and replied, “I need some cash for my business.”

Upon hearing this, the woman’s expression turned strange.

Zhang Fei, paying close attention, asked, “What’s wrong?”

Before the woman could speak, a peddler sitting nearby suddenly turned around and said, “Young man, if you need cash for your business, I advise you not to borrow from the Ma family.”

Zhang Fei, curious, asked, “Why?”

The peddler said, “The head of the Ma family, Ma Tianhao, was once a military instructor in the Imperial Guards. After getting into trouble, he was expelled from the Imperial Guards and even spent two years in prison. After coming out, he started this pawnshop business. He is known for being generous. The interest rates he charges vary from person to person, but it’s considered the fairest in Bianjing.”

“Is that so?” Zhang Fei smiled, “It seems I have chosen the right place.”

“I’m not finished.” The peddler continued, “Although he charges fair interest, if you can’t repay, his methods of debt collection are notorious for being ruthless. It is said that the Ma family’s accounts have never recorded bad debts. While everyone outwardly calls him Fourth Brother, secretly they refer to him as the Dour Enforcer. Doing business is risky. If you can’t repay the loan, you’ll be in big trouble. So, I suggest you look elsewhere.”

The woman nodded in agreement, “This gentleman is right. If you’re not sure you can repay, don’t go to the Ma family. The Dour Enforcer is not someone to mess with.”

Zhang Fei nodded, “Okay, I’ll reconsider. Thank you.”

Just as he was about to express his gratitude, an intoxicated old man across from him suddenly said, “But I have also heard that some people who borrow money from the Ma family not only get interest-free loans but also get an extended grace period.”

“Is that so?” Zhang Fei asked, “Why is that?”

The old man chuckled, “No one really knows. Maybe the Dour Enforcer just likes them.”

“Is that so?”

Zhang Fei touched his own face and said with a smile, “I think my face should catch the eye of the Dour Enforcer.”

The peddler joked, “Young man, although you’re handsome, the Dour Enforcer isn’t a woman. Maybe he dislikes handsome young men like you. You’d have a better chance asking this Madam here.”

“Haha!”

The nearby customers all laughed.

The woman’s face turned red, and she shouted, “Go on, finish your meal, and leave quickly. Always making fun of me—this is really unreasonable.”

Zhang Fei didn’t mind and self-deprecatingly said, “Seems like my looks aren’t good enough.”

“Hahahaha!” Another round of laughter followed.

These people continued discussing the Dour Enforcer until more customers arrived, gradually diverting the topic.

Seeing that it was about time, Zhang Fei and Li Si got up and left.

“Brother San, maybe we shouldn’t go to the Ma family,” Li Si hesitantly suggested.

Zhang Fei asked, “Why?”

Li Si explained, “He’s nicknamed the Dour Enforcer. He’s probably not someone easy to deal with.”

He was, after all, from a village and hadn’t seen much of the world. So, he felt timid about everything.

Zhang Fei coughed, “Actually, um, I’m not that easy to deal with either.”

Li Si looked at Zhang Fei, “But I think you’re quite a nice guy, Brother San.”

Zhang Fei sighed, “That’s because Lady Xu’s radiance is too dazzling, overshadowing all my shortcomings. But let’s not go today.”

He hadn’t planned to go, as the other party had rescheduled their meeting for tomorrow night, indicating they were aware of potential trouble. Going to their doorstep without warning wouldn’t be wise.

Before they could take a few more steps, Li Si suddenly stopped and said, “Oh right! Brother San, weren’t you looking to rent a house?”

Zhang Fei was surprised; he was currently in no mood for such matters. He asked, “Why bring this up all of a sudden?”

Li Si hurriedly explained, “I inquired earlier, and the biggest realtor in the capital is the Chen family realtor.”

As he spoke, he pointed across the street.

Zhang Fei glanced in that direction and saw a shop on the opposite side of the street, with a door that was two or three times larger than the neighboring shops, bearing a sign with the character for “house”.

He didn’t say whether he would go or not. He just stared blankly at the shop, lost in thought.

At that moment, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy approached, “Gentlemen, looking to rent a house?”

The boy had a sharp eye, not willing to forgo any business opportunity even though they were across the street. A worthy salesman. Zhang Fei nodded and asked, “Any good recommendations?”

Hearing Zhang Fei’s accent indicating he was not a local, the boy openly scrutinized Zhang Fei before saying, “If you want to rent a private house, it will be quite expensive, at least several strings of coins. Renting a public house, on the other hand, is very cheap.”

Li Si anxiously asked, “How much?”

The boy replied, “The cheapest public house rents for one hundred and seventy coins a month.”

Li Si exclaimed, “So expensive?”

The boy snorted, “If you find that expensive, you might as well sleep on the streets!”

This was a monopolistic business, no wonder they were so bold! Zhang Fei smiled and said, “But from what I know, you can only rent public houses through the government’s Shophouse and Residence Office, right?”

Since being ridiculed by Xu Zhiqian, he had diligently studied the empire’s property laws. Due to the incredibly advanced commercial culture of the Northern Song Dynasty, the population of Bianjing had grown rapidly, and houses were in short supply. Commoners were forced to sleep on the streets, impacting the city’s appearance. Consequently, the imperial government decided to build public housing, specifically for ordinary people and at affordable prices.

For this purpose, the government established a dedicated administrative unit called the Shophouse and Residence Office, responsible for renting and maintaining public properties.

The young boy chuckled twice, “Do you think you can just go there and rent a house?”

Zhang Fei asked, “Can’t I?”

“You’re quite optimistic.” The boy snorted, “Even the runners of that governmental office are still waiting; it’s not your turn yet.”

Zhang Fei asked again, “So, you can help me rent one?”

The boy smiled.

Zhang Fei immediately understood.

He was sure that this realtor business had dealings with the Shophouse and Residence Office. After all, the Storehouse and Residence Office was a governmental office, and they couldn’t arbitrarily set prices to members of the public; the imperial court had the final say.

But if they cooperated with a realtor’s business, the profits would be substantial.

For example, they could lease the property to the realtor first, and then the realtor could increase the price when renting it out, thereby profiting both the realtor and the Shophouse and Residence Office.

Currently, the publicly disclosed annual income of the Shophouse and Residence Office was around 150,000 strings of coins, so the profit was self-evident!

“Cough, cough!”

Suddenly, two coughs were heard.

The young boy turned around and saw a man around fifty walking over. He quickly called out, “Uncle.”

The old man walked over, waving his hand, “You don’t need to worry about this. Go and attend to your other tasks.”

“Oh? Alright.”

The boy looked curiously at Zhang Fei, then left. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novęlfire.net

The old man turned to Zhang Fei and bowed, “This humble one is the owner of this realtor’s business. I am Chen Maoqian. May I ask for your distinguished name?”

“I am Zhang Fei. You can call me Zhang San.” Zhang Fei immediately returned the gesture with a bow.

Chen Maoqian’s expression changed slightly, and he gestured towards the inner room, saying, “Please, come inside.”

“Thank you.”

Chen Maoqian led Zhang Fei into the inner room. After they both took a seat, someone brought in tea.

Once the servant withdrew, Chen Maoqian smiled and said, “The person just now is my nephew. I had tasked him with greeting guests at the door, but he unexpectedly took matters into his own hands and spoke nonsense. I’ll give him a good talking to later. I hope you won’t judge us based on his behavior.”

It seems I still have some influence here! Zhang Fei chuckled, “You’re being too harsh, sir. I just came to look for a house.”