What Lu Chen expected was not wrong, or perhaps this was the inevitability of capital.
After leaving the restaurant that night, most of the businessmen did not go home directly, but gathered in groups of three or four.
Among them, the people around Sun Guangjin were the most numerous. When they all came to his home, Sun Guangjin ordered people to make tea, prepare some preserved fruits, and also brought some sobering soup.
After drinking a bowl of hangover soup, Sun Guangjin felt much better. He twisted a piece of preserved fruit in his hand and said, "Everyone, tell me, what do you think about what happened today?"
Everyone below was silent, as if they had no desire to express their thoughts.
Seeing that no one spoke, Sun Guangjin smiled and said, "What's wrong? Weren't you all quite talkative at the table back then? Why are you all silent now? Well, since you don't want to speak first, then I'll take advantage of my seniority and say a few words first."
"You should have noticed that Lu Chen came here mainly for our maritime trade."
"We've been engaged in maritime trade for so many years, and everyone knows how much money we've made. It's not surprising that the imperial court is finally planning to take action against us."
"Actually, I personally have no objection to paying taxes. As citizens of the Great Qi Dynasty, it's our duty to pay some taxes to support the country."
"The most important thing is that maritime trade used to be done in secret. I felt uneasy if I didn't pay taxes, fearing that if I made a mistake one day, my property would be raided."
"But now the imperial court is planning to renegotiate the taxes on maritime trade. From now on, as long as we pay the taxes honestly, the remaining income will be completely legal. We won't have to hide it anymore."
"Mr. Sun, that's indeed the truth, and we all understand it, but asking for 50% of our gross profit is too much."
Someone looked up and said this, and the people below immediately followed suit.
It was obvious that the knife was indeed quite cruel. Many people felt like it was a stab in their aorta.
Sun Guangjin sipped his tea slowly. After everyone quieted down, he said, "Yes, I also think that a 50% profit margin is too much. If we agree to it, wouldn't that be like working for the court?"
"So this ratio is definitely not acceptable. It needs to be changed, and it needs to be drastically changed. I think a 10% gross profit margin is appropriate. What do you think?"
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment after hearing this. After a long while, someone finally spoke up, "Old Sun, it's not up to us to decide on this matter. We naturally think a 10% gross profit is excellent, but will Lu Chen, that ruthless person, agree to this?"
"Haha, so what if he doesn't agree? He's just a national teacher, not the emperor of Da Qi. Besides, even if he's the emperor of Da Qi, he can't do things his own way."
"You've all made so much money over the years, don't you have one or two friends in the court? Don't you have one or two down-and-out scholars who have accepted your support and happened to become officials?"
"As long as we all work together and use the resources at our disposal, someone in the court will naturally speak for us. To put it bluntly, the court wants to make some money from us, not kill us outright."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement again. It seemed that they also understood the principle of sustainable development.
However, someone else raised a new point of view: "But Lu Chen came here just to determine the commercial tax. I don't think he will agree, and there will be more trouble."
Upon hearing this, Sun Guangjin's face immediately showed a trace of disdain. He said, "What national teacher? He's just a brat. Others make him out to be a god, but I don't think he's anything special. At least when it comes to the two matters of commercial taxation and the expansion of Quanzhou City, he's made a lot of stupid decisions."
"Hmm? What do you mean, Elder Sun? Could it be that you've already figured out a way to deal with this? What's your plan?"
Everyone looked at Sun Guangjin with curiosity, wanting to hear what he had to say.
"Commercial taxes are the product of negotiations and compromises between the two sides. Why does he think he has the final say in Quanzhou?"
"If we want to negotiate with him, we have to make him understand that our status is actually equal. We can't let him have that condescending mentality anymore, so we must dampen his arrogance. Or we can just drive him away and replace him with someone, preferably someone close to us. That way, we'll have more room for maneuver!"
"Mr. Sun, you have a very insightful opinion. I wonder what you plan to do specifically?"
Sun Guangjin put a piece of preserved fruit in his mouth. As he was old, he didn't have many teeth, so he could only taste it.
After savoring the food for a while, he slowly said, "It's actually quite simple. Lu Chen wants to expand Quanzhou City and acquire land, so let's do something about it."
"Since he's acting like he's wealthy, let's see how much money he actually has. A 20% premium is nothing. If he's really capable, he'd offer double the price."
"Everyone, this is a great opportunity for us to make money. Block the news, then go talk to those peasants down there and buy their houses."
"Once we have the houses and land in Quanzhou City, we will have the final say on how much we want to pay."
"Old Sun, that's a really good idea. Why not make it even bigger? He wants to expand Quanzhou City, right? Why don't we just take over all the land around Quanzhou City?"
"Everyone, will there be any problems if we suddenly start buying land in such a high-profile manner? Besides, do you have sufficient funds?"
"You don't really want to buy the land honestly, do you? Lu Chen is a sucker. Do we have to do the same as him and pay a premium to buy the land from those peasants?"
"I don't even need to spend any money. I just need to spread the word that the court plans to re-measure the land and impose heavy taxes. Then, I'm afraid those peasants will rush to register their land in our name."
"That's a good idea. I'm just afraid that if they hear about the price hike and the land purchase, they might come after us."
"What can they come to us with? The contract is already signed in black and white. Even if they go to the government to sue us, we are in the right!"
"Then what are you waiting for? Let's act quickly. It's a pity. It would be better if Lu Chen harvested all the fields."
There is no wall that is impenetrable. Although this group of people suppressed the news very well at first, as time went by, everyone gradually realized that something was wrong. The prices of houses in Quanzhou City on the market have begun to soar!
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