Chapter 244: Being Flexible in Dealing with People

Chapter 244: The Northern Song Dynasty Official

Get a charity, deposit the land into it, and then you don't have to pay taxes.

This sounds like a scam! If it were that simple, would you still be needed?

Chen Maoqian and Ma Tianhao both stared at Zhang Fei blankly.

It's like saying, do you think we look like pigs?

Zhang Fei patiently explained: "Once this land is donated, it will no longer belong to you two."

Ah! This is not a scam, this is a robbery!

Chen and Ma's expressions remained unchanged as they continued to stare at Zhang Fei blankly.

Do we look like pigs to you?

...

...

Zhang Fei felt guilty when they looked at him, and pretended to be calm, "But this is not a one-time deal. It's a long-term deal. We need to donate some money every year. Then we need to manage these lands and hire people to take care of them. We need to pay them. You can arrange your sons and grandsons to manage them."

"I thought it was some clever trick."

Ma Tianhao snorted, "Isn't this just changing the left hand to the right hand? Will the court allow us to do this?"

Zhang Fei asked: "Why does the court oppose your charity?"

Ma Tianhao said: "What kind of charity is this?"

“This is real charity.”

Zhang Fei said: "First, as I just said, once the land is donated, it no longer belongs to you, and no one can move the money in it at will;

Secondly, we will make all our accounts public, including how much land we own, how much money we donate each year, and to whom. If this isn’t charity, then what is it?”

Chen Maoqian frowned and asked, "You mean, we can't touch the money in there casually?"

Zhang Fei shook his head: "Of course not."

Chen Maoqian shook his head: "Then we'd rather pay taxes."

They thought it was a fake donation, but as they listened, they realized it was a real donation.

Ma Tianhao was also very dissatisfied, and said: "We spend hundreds of coins every year to get such an idea, it's really not worth it!"

Are a few hundred strings of cash a lot? Damn! Zhang Fei chuckled twice: "Everything has its pros and cons. It's impossible for you to take all the benefits. Those officials are not good-for-nothings."

Chen Maoqian said: "But your idea is of no benefit to us."

Zhang Fei said: "There are three benefits. First, it can avoid the existing tax collection system. The so-called transfer, loss, and depreciation are all invalid. In this way, I can better use judicial means to protect your property."

The two of them frowned and looked hesitant when they heard this.

Although no one wants to pay taxes, this is human nature.

But based on the law, most people took the risk of not paying the tax, also because the imperial court was a piece of crap. There were various calculations, and it was nominally one dou, but in reality it was definitely more than one dou. The key point was that there was no fixed number.

Should we pay twice as much or several times as much?

No one knows this.

The unknown is the scariest thing.

Anyway, there is only one principle: the imperial court cannot suffer losses.

Take the issue of tax transfer, for example. People were required to pay their taxes to a place hundreds of miles away, and they might even have to cross a bridge and pay more taxes. Who could bear this?

It would be fine if the weather was good, but once the imperial court had to go to war or encountered any problem, these miscellaneous taxes would start to rise.

Not to mention the common people, even the landlords are afraid.

Therefore, collecting taxes now is a battle of wits and courage between the two sides.

In this case, there is little room for judicial intervention because both sides have violated the law.

The previous lawsuit can illustrate this problem. Both parties are blaming each other. If the other party had not falsified the accounts, they would never have lost so badly. The most they would have to pay the tax on the land with the white deed, and a fine would be unlikely.

To obtain judicial protection, first of all, it must be legal, but the problem is that there are problems with the court system. This problem cannot be solved in a short time, and the only way is to avoid this system first.

Zhang Fei continued, "Although the amount of money donated each year is not less than the tax paid, and is even more, otherwise the court would not agree to it, but everyone knows the amount and will not act recklessly.

Secondly, the initiative is in your hands, whether it is building water conservancy projects, donating to the poor, or donating to colleges, all of these are feasible. Some good deeds can indirectly benefit your business.

Third, it is a question of profit. As I said before, you can arrange for your descendants to take charge of the affairs and receive compensation from them. At the same time, in order to maintain the charity, the money can be used for business and you can continue to make money. "

Chen Maoqian asked: "Continuously making money?"

Zhang Fei said: "The amount of money donated each year is limited, so what should we do with the remaining money? We can use it to do business."

Ma Tianhao asked: "Can I use it as a loan?"

Zhang Fei blinked and said, "Of course it's possible if it's legal. Usury is definitely not allowed because the accounts must be made public."

After hearing this, Ma Tianhao suddenly lost interest.

Chen Maoqian asked: "Can it be used to buy and sell houses?"

Zhang Fei said: "Of course."

Chen Maoqian said: "The profit from buying and selling houses."

Zhang Fei said: "It will all go to charity."

"......?"

The two were speechless for a while.

After all this time, this money has nothing to do with us!

Zhang Fei said: "You two, the more you earn, the more rewards you will get. Of course, it can't be too outrageous, and the money you donate will definitely be more. But this also has an advantage, that is, it will be difficult for your descendants to squander it all in the future."

Ma Tianhao nodded: "This is indeed a benefit."

Chen Maoqian couldn't help but glance at Ma Tianhao. The fierce and fierce look of Ma Xiaoyi flashed in his mind, and he expressed his understanding.

Zhang Fei added: "Besides that, there is another benefit, which is that we can pool the land of several wealthy businessmen together, which will bring us a lot of wealth. You two are both businessmen, so you should know that the more wealth you have, the more money you can make. It just so happens that I have a good deal here."

"What business?"

Chen and Ma said in unison.

Zhang Fei said: "Printing."

“......!”

The two of them immediately lost interest.

One of them lends money and the other sells houses.

You talk to them about printing.

It would be a miracle if I were interested.

Zhang Fei sighed and said, "Don't be like that, you two. In the short term, it is definitely not as good as your business, but in the long term, it is definitely more profitable than your business."

"Yeah?"

Ma Tianhao looked disdainful and said, "How many books do you have to sell to catch up with the interest I pay."

Zhang Fei snorted, "My books can be sold in Jiangnan, but can you sell your house in the capital to Jiangzhou? Besides, I'm not asking you to sell books."

Chen Maoqian asked: "Then what do you want us to do?"

Zhang Fei said: "Sell printing plates."

"Printing plates?"

"right."

Zhang Fei nodded and said, "You all know that printing plates and printing are now integrated, but I plan to separate the two. Printers will buy printing plates and print."

"What's the point?" Ma Tianhao asked puzzledly.

Zhang Fei asked, "Have you ever heard of movable type printing?"

Both of them nodded.

Zhang Fei said: "Movable type printing is a process of making movable characters one by one. Now that we have mature technology, I plan to open a workshop to specialize in producing this type of movable characters and sell them one by one."

His original plan was to break the scholar-official monopoly on public opinion through printing technology, but now the situation has changed, because the emperor is ready to take action personally, so there are more ways to play.

But the expenses there were horrible, and he could not afford it alone. It was not easy to fight a lawsuit. He thought of throwing away the movable type production and just printing it himself, which would be much easier.

Ma Tianhao shook his head and said, "Whether it's movable type or carved plates, how much money can you make from it?"

Zhang Fei really wanted to beat this guy to death. After all, it was really hard to find a buyer who could lend money in this world. He said, "You can't make much money just by printing books and articles, but if you print tabloids, you won't have to worry about selling the movable type. Tabloids are generally sold every day, but you can't make enough plates."

To be honest, I have been using it to read books and keep up with the latest updates. It has many reading voices and can be used on Android or Apple. 】

"Tabloid?"

Ma Tianhao said: "This is under the control of the court."

Zhang Fei said: "I have my own way. It won't be long before tabloids become popular. I will throw all the money I earn into them. If I can't make money, why should I do these things?"

Chen Maoqian said: "If we can make money, we can cooperate with you now, there is no need to do charity."

"certainly."

Zhang Fei nodded: "What I mean is, if you happen to want to set up this charity, why not use the charity to cooperate with me, so that we can cooperate with each other. If you don't want to, you can also cooperate with me directly."

Chen Maoqian and Ma Tianhao still seemed very hesitant.

Although the risk to the imperial court was avoided, the price was not small.

People nowadays cherish land as if it were their life!

Donate this...

Just at this moment, Li Si suddenly walked in, "Third brother, the Grand Secretary Sima is here."

After hearing this, Chen Maoqian and Ma Tianhao immediately stood up and said goodbye.

They still need to think seriously about this charity.

Of course Zhang Fei wouldn't force them.

"I meet the Grand Secretary Sima."

As soon as they arrived at the front yard, they saw Sima Guang coming, and Chen and Ma hurriedly bowed.

"Um."

Sima Guang nodded.

Zhang Fei said, "Sima Daxueshi, please come in."

After entering the hall, the old man Sima Guang felt embarrassed, "I hope I didn't disturb you."

The ancients really had the concept of "impudent visit".

The scholars and officials would post messages first.

Zhang Fei smiled and said, "No! They just came to consult me ​​about something."

Sima Guang stroked his beard and said, "Is it about tax evasion?"

Zhang Fei said awkwardly, "It's about the back payment of taxes."

Sima Guang laughed, "So what advice did you give them?"

That's right! I was planning to go to his house to trick him, but now he's here on his own initiative, so I might as well accept it. Zhang Fei suddenly had an idea and said, "Hide the wealth for the people."

“Hide the wealth among the people?”

Sima Guang was stunned for a moment, "You told these two businessmen to share the wealth with the people?"

Zhang Fei nodded.

Sima Guang was very curious, "Can you tell me about it and let me open my eyes?"

"Grand Scholar Sima is joking."

Zhang Fei chuckled and said, "It's not that they don't want to pay that little tax, but Sima Daxueshi also knows that there is no fixed amount of tax. Sometimes it's high, sometimes... very high."

Sima Guang said nothing.

Zhang Fei said: "This is what they are mainly worried about. After all, these wealthy businessmen have no relatives in the court and lack a sense of security. I suggest that they donate all their land to charity to avoid this."

Sima Guang was confused. "Doing charity to avoid it?"

This sounds like missing the forest for the trees!

Zhang Fei nodded and then explained the charity organization.

Sima Guang's eyes flashed when he heard this. "Your charity is somewhat similar to Xiangguo Temple, but yours is more standardized. You have to publish accounts and state the amount of donations each year. But if you do this, what will happen to the court's income?"

Zhang Fei laughed and said, "I thought if I didn't do this, the court wouldn't be able to collect the money."

Sima Guang said: "Your lawsuit has frightened them. Who would dare to evade taxes?"

"It would be great if I had this ability." Zhang Fei chuckled and said, "Maybe I won't dare to do it this year, but I may not dare to do it next year. After all, there is not just one reason that leads to this situation. There are many factors involved."

Sima Guang nodded slightly and said: "You are much smarter than Wang Jiefu, who always can't figure out this problem."

Zhang Fei said hurriedly: "How could Grand Secretary Wang not understand? He understands it too well, so he wants to do his best to change it. If there is a problem, we can't just leave it alone."

Sima Guang said: "Since you firmly believe that he can change, then why do you still do this charity? As long as Wang Jiefu can make everyone pay taxes legally and the court can collect taxes legally, then their worries will not be a big deal."

Zhang Fei smiled foolishly.

With so many tax-exempt households and so many privileged classes, and the system in place, Zhang Fei didn't think Wang Anshi could do it. As long as there was a loophole that was not plugged, the loophole would gradually become bigger.

He always suggested that the emperor start with commercial taxes and leave this side alone for the time being.

Sima Guang added: "Your idea is actually not bad. As long as they are really willing to donate money to assist the court, they can help the court very well. When I was an official in a local government, I encountered a flood. Although both were relief efforts, the cost of relief provided by the court and relief provided by the gentry was more than ten times higher."

Given the system of the Song Dynasty, the loss from fully implementing a policy would be extremely high.

Sima Guang's insistence on sharing wealth with the people was not just talk. He also made judgments based on his own experience. He knew that when the imperial court allocated a sum of money, how much would be left at the local level? If the local gentry contributed the same amount of money, they could achieve ten times the effect.

It is worthwhile to treat them well in normal times in exchange for their support.

But problems also exist. A moral gentry can indeed help a lot, but an immoral gentry will make things very bad, and may even be the source of chaos. This case also reflects this problem.

Sima Guang was certainly aware of this.

Zhang Fei's charity organization seems to be able to solve the problem here. The previous practice of distributing wealth among the people was not legally binding and relied entirely on self-consciousness, but this charity is legally binding.

"Did they agree?" Sima Guang asked again.

Zhang Fei said: "They said they need to think about it."

Sima Guang asked again: "Do you think they will agree?"

Zhang Fei shook his head and said, "I don't know about that."

Sima Guang didn't think they would agree, so he said, "If they do, come talk to me again."

Even if you don't tell me, I will still come to you. I will have to find Wang Anshi about this matter. He will kill me, and then I will have to let you fight Wang Anshi. Zhang Fei nodded casually: "Okay." Then he asked: "Why did the Grand Secretary Sima come to my humble home?"

He couldn't show it, he had already made a plan.

Sima Guang said: "Regarding the issue of the tenancy agreement, your majesty has handed the matter over to the Court of Judicial Review. I would like to ask you what you think about it."

Zhang Fei said: "This is very simple, the land tax can be collected anywhere."

Sima Guang said: "I know this, but I am very worried that there will be problems in execution."

He can take care of the three mu of land in Bianliang, but what about outside Bianliang?

He was very worried that the landlords would take the opportunity to dismiss the tenants and create trouble for the government, so he did not plan to only stipulate that the land tax should be levied locally, but also stipulated that the landlords could not take the opportunity to dismiss the tenants.

How to legislate is worth discussing.

The Song Dynasty attached great importance to legislation. You have to explain clearly what the basis for establishing this law is, in what situations it is applicable and in what situations it is not applicable.

This requires careful consideration.

Sima Guang was famous for his slow work and meticulous approach. If the emperor had not forced him to complete everything within half a year, he probably would not have been so eager to come to Zhang Fei to discuss the matter.

“This isn’t me…!”

Zhang Fei wanted to say that this was not something he was good at, but suddenly an idea occurred to him and he said, "The current judicial reform is still under preparation, and the Sima Daxueshi can only control a limited amount. If we want to ensure that there are no problems in the execution, there is only one way."

Sima Guang asked hurriedly: "What trick?"

"publicity."

Zhang Fei said: "As long as the publicity is in place, it can make up for the shortcomings in the administration."