Chapter 86: Daylight Robbery
“Ma Tianhao, have you finished reading?”
Chen Maoqian, seeing Ma Tianhao reading the document twice but still unwilling to let go, couldn’t help but speak up.
“Huh?”
Ma Tianhao suddenly woke up, glanced at Chen Maoqian, and then looked at Zhang Fei, who was sitting on the main seat drinking hot wine with Xu Zhiqian, whispering to each other. “Good lad, he indeed has some skills. We didn’t spend this money in vain.”
As he spoke, he even waved his arm, appearing extremely excited.
Zhang Fei smiled and said, “You should be glad that you cooperated with me when I was helpless. If it were now, the price might be even higher.”
Ma Tianhao chuckled and didn’t respond to that.
“Give it to me!”
Chen Maoqian couldn’t restrain himself any longer, immediately stepped forward and snatched the document.
Fan Yong, who was usually more steady, also got up and walked over, full of curiosity. At a glance, they realized that what Zhang Fei gave them was not just a cooperation agreement, but even included clauses that set up a business model, including administrative structure, profit sharing, division of responsibilities, and how to operate.
Playing the real estate game alone was difficult, and currently there was a lack of a multi-person cooperation business model. After all, everyone ran their own a family business. Even if they cooperated, it was limited to a single transaction.
Therefore, for businessmen like Fan Yong and Chen Maoqian, this was undoubtedly a treasure trove. Not only could real estate transactions be organized in this way, but even their own businesses could be run like this.
“Mogul Chen!”
Zhang Fei suddenly shouted.
Chen Maoqian looked up at him.
Zhang Fei teased, “Next time, don’t bother coming. I don’t welcome you here.”
Xu Zhiqian smiled and pursed her lips, feeling embarrassed for Chen Maoqian.
But as a realtor, Chen Maoqian had thick skin. He quickly put on a smiley face and said, “Oh! Brother San! Don’t take my foolish words seriously. I was just joking earlier. If we didn’t really want to cooperate with you, we wouldn’t have come so early. We have brought enough not only to pay you but we have also brought you gifts!”
Fan Yong also nodded repeatedly and praised, “Brother San, this contract is worth a fortune. We really made a big bargain!”
This kind of joint venture model could solve many problems for them and promote more cooperation.
The capitalists could happily play together.
Ma Tianhao laughed, “Today I learned that contracts can be drafted like this.”
As he spoke, he teased Fan Li again, “Fan Li, you should learn a bit! If you had these skills, this lad wouldn’t have had a chance to get back in the game.”
He couldn’t outmatch Zhang Fei so he could only chide Zhang Fei’s minion to regain face.
Fan Li nodded with a wry smile.
Zhang Fei didn’t bother to argue with them and proactively changed the subject, “By the way, how’s your recent business?”
The three looked at each other and sighed simultaneously.
Zhang Fei asked, “Is it not good?”
Chen Maoqian sighed, “Not that it’s not good, but too good.”
Zhang Fei was puzzled, “Why sigh if it’s good?”
“We have no more houses!”
Chen Maoqian sighed, “There are only so many houses in Bianjing. We are not lacking buyers, but lacking sellers!”
Fan Yong said, “It’s a pity we don’t have land. If we could build houses, that would be great!”
Chen Maoqian clicked his tongue, “The imperial court has land, but it’s all used to build public rental houses. What money can you make from public rental houses?”
After the emergence of real estate loans, being intermediaries could no longer satisfy their appetites. Naturally, they wanted to be real estate developers themselves.
In simple terms, they had made quite a bit of money, but making further progress proved to be difficult.
Actually, the government itself had considered this idea before!
It can be seen that the pursuit of benefits is the driving force behind all progress.
Xu Zhiqian immediately gave them a disdainful look.
Truly a group of unscrupulous merchants.
Zhang Fei pondered for a moment and said, “You guys are thinking too simplistically. You are lucky that you don’t have land. If you did, you’d end up losing big time.”
Ma Tianhao asked, “What do you mean by that, Brother San?”
Zhang Fei said, “Currently, the main buyers of houses are government officials, but the exact number of officials is not difficult to find out. Once a large number of houses are built, they will quickly saturate the market. The profit margin will be minimal, and with more houses being built, house prices will inevitably decrease, possibly even leading to losses.”
Ma Tianhao then asked, “In your opinion, Brother San, how can we take this business to the next level?”
“It’s not impossible.”
Zhang Fei said, “Property can be built, but not residential property.”
Fan Yong asked curiously, “If not residential property, then what?”
“Workshops.”
” Workshops?”
“Yes!”
Zhang Fei nodded and said, “If you want to make money selling houses, you can’t rely solely on government officials. You need to tap into new segments of customers. Minor merchants are obviously high-quality potential customers. Therefore, we should first build workshops to provide minor merchants with a platform to create wealth. When they have money, they will buy houses.”
Commoners and peasants were not even considered to be part of the market.
The three businessmen were greatly disappointed.
Chen Maoqian said, “We can’t even manage our own business, how can we help others get rich? This isn’t something we should be doing!”
“That’s not true!”
Zhang Fei smiled and said, “Nowadays, you rely on real estate loans and get a hefty interest payment every month. But now that houses are limited, your money may not be fully loaned out on housing loans alone. Why not lend money to those merchants, while also buying land in neighboring counties to build workshops? On one hand, lend money to those merchants, and on the other hand, build workshops to sell to them. Then establish a residential center around the workshops. Even if it’s for rent, you can still make a lot of money.”
Ma Tianhao pondered for a moment and shook his head, “Lending money to those small merchants carries too much risk.”
“I don’t deny that. I’m just offering a suggestion.”
Zhang Fei shrugged slightly. He was just making a suggestion. If this venture was a guaranteed profit, then he wouldn’t have needed to consider selling houses. After all, he went into real estate loans because that was a sure win. He added, “By the way, starting next year, our bookstore will be launching a new service that you guys will definitely be interested in.”
“What service?” Ma Tianhao asked curiously.
“Tax auditing services,” Zhang Fei said.
“Tax auditing?”
Everyone looked at Zhang Fei with curiosity.
Even Xu Zhiqian and Fan Li were unaware of this, only Sima Guang knew about it.
“That’s right!”
Zhang Fei said, “Our bookstore will undertake the business of tax calculation. As everyone knows, the taxation system in our dynasty is extremely complex, unprecedented in history. However, most people are not clear about the specifics of tax laws. If they encounter some corrupt officials, they may end up paying a lot more in taxes.
But we, at our bookstore, will calculate a very accurate amount based on the account books you provide, and we will provide legal guarantees. In other words, if the government wants to increase your taxes, we will help you sue the government.”
Fan Li’s face turned pale as he listened, “Brother San, this matter…”
This was very sensitive!
This was basically taking a stand against the government.
It was too scary.
Zhang Fei interrupted him, “There’s no need for further discussion. We are upholding the law openly and aboveboard. What’s there to be afraid of?”
“Exactly!”
Xu Zhiqian said excitedly, “I support this.”
She had always believed that to help more people, one had to enter the court as an official. The things done by a notary or pen-in-cap were extremely limited. Therefore, she had always believed that Zhang Fei should become an official.
But now it seemed that even without becoming an official, one could still help many people.
If the bookstore calculated taxes for ordinary people, those corrupt officials wouldn’t dare to act recklessly.
But except for her, no one else was excited about this. Fan Yong, Ma Tianhao, and Chen Maoqian looked at each other, their expressions complicated.
Zhang Fei glanced at him, then pretended to whisper to Fan Li, “Don’t worry. If we can help calculate taxes for the people, we can do so for the government as well. Some people overpay taxes, but there are also others who evade taxes. Maybe the imperial court will even appreciate us.”
Fan Li nodded awkwardly but then quickly regained his senses. “Does the imperial court really need us to handle those cases of tax evasion?”
Zhang Fei clicked his tongue. “They might not need us now, but after we start doing this, it could be a different story. If the people trust the taxes we calculate, then the imperial court might come to us. It’s simple reasoning. If we are the ones calculating the taxes, the people will trust that is the correct amount to pay. But if government officials are the ones who do the calculations, even if their calculations are correct, the people will be suspicious. Why would the imperial court risk being misunderstood by the people by calculating taxes themselves, especially when it’s not much money involved?”
Fan Li was shocked.
Can the game really be played like this?
Taxation affected everyone, and the profits involved were unimaginable. With small profits and high turnover, one could make a fortune. After working as a notary for so many years, he finally realized that notaries could still make money like this!
But could this really go smoothly?
However, Xu Zhiqian was excited, clenching her fists secretly in admiration.
Currently, most of the common people’s suffering came from taxes and compulsory corvée labor.
In the meantime Fan Yong, Ma Tianhao, Chen Maoqian looked at Zhang Fei in silence.
If this could really succeed…
Then, without a doubt, pen-in-caps would surpass them realtors and become the top rogues in the market.
Fan Yong managed to force out a smile. “Brother San, this plan is truly ingenious. I dare not speak for other industries, but speaking for the restaurant business, the complexity of taxation is truly astonishing. If your esteemed establishment offers such a service, then the White Crystal Inn will be the first to support it.”
Ma Tianhao also nodded. “The business of my pawnshop is becoming increasingly complicated. If we’re not careful, we may be accused of tax evasion. That would truly not be worth it. If you calculate our taxes for us, it can indeed save us a lot of trouble.”
This was a cruel plan! If what Zhang Fei said became reality, then not seeking his tax services would give rise to suspicions of tax evasion.
This was basically daylight robbery!
But Chen Maoqian remained silent with conflicted thoughts.
Realtors operate in a very shady way!
If this came to pass, a lot of hidden income will be exposed!
After a while, Chen Maoqian said, “This service must be expensive, right?”
“It won’t be very expensive; it’ll be quite reasonable. After all, it’s different from the contracts I draft. It doesn’t require any special skills. Many people in our bookstore can do it.”
“But ordinary people still wouldn’t have enough money to afford the service,” Xu Zhiqian said.
“We will charge a commission based on the amount of taxation. Ordinary people only have a few acres of land, and it’s easy to calculate their tax liability even with our eyes closed. So, it won’t cost much,” Zhang Fei said.
“How much?” Xu Zhiqian asked.
This woman is really meticulous, a good candidate for a lawyer. Zhang Fei clicked his tongue, “That has to be calculated. If it’s too expensive, people might as well pay more taxes. Let’s not rush.”
With that, seeing Chen Maoqian still hesitating, he added, “Of course, we are not tax inspectors. We will calculate taxes based on the numbers you provide. If there are any issues with the accounts you provide, it’s not our concern.”
Chen Maoqian immediately changed his tune, “If the price is reasonable, we would definitely be willing to seek services from your esteemed establishment.”