Fu Shanhe

Chapter 32 The Art of Splitting Money
Nancheng Qianhu Suo.

Marquis Wuyang came in person, and the eunuchs from the East Depot who came to take over showed great enthusiasm and did not make any mistakes throughout the process.

After sending the people from the East Factory away, the deal was completed, and all that remained was to divide the profits among themselves.

"Commander-in-chief, here are 5,000 taels of gold and 250,000 taels of silver, and the rest are in kind.

The main reason was that the time limit at the East Factory was too tight and everyone had no time to cash out.

The jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings are too complicated, and I did not dare to accept them due to my limited knowledge. I only accepted some real estate in Beijing and surrounding fields.

People in Beijing are in a panic now, and it would be difficult to sell these real estate at a good price.

The government needs to operate and cannot be without cash.

Otherwise, you can take these gifts at a loss!"

As he spoke, Li Mu handed over a thick stack of house deeds and land deeds.

After taking a quick look at it, a smile appeared on Marquis Wuyang's serious face.

Giving gifts in official circles requires skill. Everyone likes silver, but land and real estate in Beijing are even more valuable.

Under normal circumstances, people would not sell their properties unless something unexpected happened.

Those civil servants were willing to sell these industries, not only because they really lacked funds, but also because they wanted to reduce risks.

Taking out too much cash at one time would be too conspicuous.

Although there is a middleman as a barrier, no one can guarantee that the middleman is reliable.

In order to prove that one's family assets have been emptied, mixing into some core industries is undoubtedly a good choice.

Since it is used to offset assets, a discount is inevitable.

The huge sum of five hundred thousand taels was not something that Marquis Wuyang could afford alone.

In addition to deducting a portion of the operating expenses and sharing the profits with officials within the yamen, the bulk of the money still had to be given to the emperor or the empress dowager.

Everyone has taken the money, so no one will use this money to make trouble in the future.

In this regard, Marquis Wuyang and Li Mu could only earn a passing sum of money.

The opportunity to dispose of assets is an additional benefit.

"You are right, the government cannot operate without funds.

It’s not easy for everyone, and we must not treat our subordinates unfairly.

Never mind, I'll just take a small loss and keep these properties.

But I can't solve these problems by myself.

Since you don’t have a mansion in the capital, you might as well buy one at the original price.

If I buy a few more shops and farms, I can settle down in Beijing!"

As he spoke, Marquis Wuyang took out a few land deeds from the land deeds and placed them in Li Mu's hand.

"Thank you for your care!"

Li Mu said with pretended delight.

Everything went as expected, and it turned out that he made the right bet.

Everyone wants high-quality assets, but these things are too eye-catching.

Putting it under one's own name openly is telling the outside world that the corrupt official is here.

Experienced officials would rather collect large amounts of cash and put it in the warehouse than touch these visible items.

If it was really purchased, it was obtained through legal channels and there is nothing wrong with it.

The cautious Li Mu naturally absorbed everyone's excellent experience.

The things were handed over to Marquis Wuyang, which not only diverted the trouble but also pleased the boss.

The returns are immediate, and buying assets at a low price is nothing. The key is to "settle down and make a living in Beijing."

It is equivalent to explicitly stating that he has been accepted as his younger brother.

Although there are sons of nobles in the Five Cities Military Department who do not agree with Marquis Wuyang, those who dare to do so are direct descendants of dukes and marquises and do not need to look at the faces of their superiors.

Distant relatives like Li Mu, who are known as the sons of noble families, are not so tough.

Maybe Marquis Wuyang cannot allow them to be promoted, but he can definitely prevent them from getting promoted.

The once-in-three-years imperial examination will begin in a few months.

Although the Ministry of Personnel and the Imperial Censorate were responsible, the commander, Marquis Wuyang, also had a great say in it. The results of the imperial examination would directly affect the future promotion of officials.

"Okay, remember to pay the discounted price and send the money to Wucheng Bingmasi within three days.

I have other matters to attend to at the yamen, so I won't stay here any longer!"

It can be seen that Marquis Wuyang is really busy. In addition to the South City Thousand Households Office, there are four other Thousand Households Offices waiting for him to collect money.

……

The bulk of the money has gone out, and what remains is the internal distribution of interests.

Only after completing this step did Li Mu gain a firm foothold in the government.

No one can refuse a boss who leads everyone to make money and is willing to share the money.

Glancing at the expectant crowd, Li Mu smiled and said, "This time we have such a rich harvest, which is inseparable from everyone's efforts.

We are all brothers here today, so I won’t say any more polite words.

The East Factory’s share has already been given, and all the money that should be taken from the higher-ups has also been spent.

How much referral fee you can get depends on your own ability, and no one should be jealous.

For safety reasons, I did not record this amount.

The money has been settled to you. How you launder the money is your own business.

No matter who asks me about it in the future, I will not admit it. I hope you will forget about it and just pretend that the money never existed.

This is the public account of Qianhu Suo. The total amount of gold and silver is equivalent to about 300,000 taels of silver, of which 100,000 taels need to be reserved for the daily expenses of the yamen in case of emergency.

How should the remaining 200,000 taels be divided? Everyone, please share your opinions!"

As soon as the words fell, everyone's eyes suddenly became hot.

Even though those present were all children of noble families and had seen the world, two hundred thousand taels was still an astronomical figure for them.

If it weren't for the sudden windfall, such a huge sum of money would never appear in the account of Nancheng Qianhu Suo.

"Master Qianhu, this amount of money is too conspicuous. If we distribute it directly as usual, it will definitely attract attention.

Although there is a clear path forward, it would still be a big trouble if a young official were to bring the matter to the court.

I think it would be better to give everyone an extra month's salary first, and then increase some night shift allowances and daily expenses, and slowly digest the money."

As soon as Deputy Captain Yuan Yangming made the proposal, Captain Sun next to him became anxious.

"Sir Yuan, according to your idea, everyone in the government office has to participate in the distribution. Then all of us will work in vain?"

As a government office in charge of public security in a large area, the Nancheng Qianhu Suo was naturally seriously overstaffed. In addition to the registered officers and soldiers, there were also a large number of temporary workers serving corvée labor.

Two hundred thousand taels is indeed a huge sum of money, but with thousands of people sharing the profits, there will not be much money left in the hands of anyone.

Captain Sun had just been separated from his family and had bought a lot of things. This was the time when he needed money the most.

Because he was not familiar with the civil servants, he did not gain much from the intermediary business.

If we don’t gain anything now, the days ahead will be difficult.

"Master Sun, please calm down. I don't mean that. It's just that at this time, my Five Cities Army is indeed very conspicuous.

Those civil servants whose interests have been damaged will certainly not be willing to cut off their flesh.

Even though we have the East Factory at the forefront, our high-profile distribution of money will still make these people hate us.

Career is the most important thing! "

After Yuan Yangming finished speaking, everyone immediately split into two camps and started arguing on the spot.

"quiet!
Lord Yuan is right. At a time like this, it is definitely better to be cautious.

We can first determine how much each person should get, and then find appropriate reasons based on the actual situation and slowly distribute it to everyone.

If anyone needs money urgently, they can first borrow from the Qianhu Suo Yamen.

The amount must be lower than your share, and you must pay a symbolic interest to avoid future audits and trouble.

Don’t forget, this is the year of the imperial examination! "

Li Mu warned immediately.

Throwing the allocation issue to everyone may seem like soliciting opinions, but it is actually more of a screening process.

Officials who can restrain their greed may not necessarily be reused; but officials who cannot restrain their greed will definitely not be reused.

(End of this chapter)