amaotonovel Chapter 306 Shuntian Prefecture Assistant
Chapter 306 Shuntian Prefecture Assistant
Shun'an 18th year
After the start of spring, construction on the residential building quickly resumed, and it was completed in just over half a month.
For a time, all the officials who were paying attention to this project were waiting for the Ministry of Revenue to notify them of the purchase conditions or requirements.
Since this was intended for officials who lacked the funds to buy houses in the capital, it was impossible to hold an auction; otherwise, it would have violated the original intention.
But the Ministry of Revenue put in so much effort, first by working with the Ministry of Works to draw up blueprints and submit them to the Cabinet, and then by sending the Vice Minister of Revenue to be in charge of the project. With so much manpower and resources, it was certainly not something that could be done for charity.
It's simply a matter of how much money to make.
Therefore, after the residential building was completed, Zhou Shiyue convened several officials to discuss the pricing issue, and Wen Zongji, as the planner, was naturally among them.
Regarding this project, Feng Yunchen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, said, "My lord, you haven't seen the residential building yet. It's beautifully decorated, with beds, tables, chairs, and other simple furniture already arranged. Once you buy a house, you can move in with your family on the same day. If we build such a nice residential building and price it too low, it will be difficult to price the houses we build later."
With the ten million taels of silver that Wen Zongji borrowed interest-free from Huitong Money Shop, the Ministry of Revenue has already purchased several plots of land and is currently drawing up blueprints. Construction will begin once the building plan is finalized.
Feng Yunchen's words made sense. The auction that sold the ten courtyards in Xiyuan was just an exception. Not only could they hold auctions to sell houses every time, but they were not fools.
They can only set their own prices and then wait for others to come and buy them.
The question then becomes how to price it.
They all know what the housing prices are like in Beijing, but residential buildings certainly can't be priced according to ordinary prices. Otherwise, people would just buy those detached houses with courtyards, why would they come to an apartment building and live on the same floor as a group of people?
Zhou Shiyue nodded, then looked at the others: "What do you think?"
"Our first priority is to recoup our initial investment, and then we can increase our investment by a few percentage points."
"A fraction of that is far too little; it needs to be at least doubled."
Upon hearing this, Wen Zongji thought to himself that the Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the nation's finances, but he hadn't expected the officials here to be so "naive".
Real estate has always been a highly profitable business. What does "highly profitable" mean?
How can you call it a windfall if you don't make three to five times your initial investment?
Wen Zongji stated bluntly, "Gentlemen, the price of residential buildings should at least triple!"
The office fell silent after he said that.
Feng Yunchen glanced at Wen Zongji again. He was in favor of setting a high price, but he didn't dare to set it at three times the original price.
Wen Zongji explained, "As Lord Feng just said, our residential buildings are ready for immediate occupancy. Furthermore, our Ministry of Revenue can send dedicated servants to manage the miscellaneous items in the residential buildings, including cleaning up garbage and emptying chamber pots, etc."
Feng Yunchen interrupted, "Wait, the imperial court also has people specifically for handling garbage."
The capital city is home to millions of people. If the garbage is not properly disposed of, the city would probably become uninhabitable.
The imperial court established the Street Office, which was specifically for handling garbage.
Wen Zongji said, "The imperial court does have a street office, but the street office doesn't handle garbage every day. They only collect garbage at a fixed time each month, and they won't wait for you if you miss the deadline. But our janitors are specifically there to serve the residents of the apartment building."
"Even if there are any problems with the house that require repairs or replacements, the handymen will help them solve the problem. Of course, they will have to pay for it, but it will be much more convenient for them than if they go to other people."
"To sum it up in one sentence, once they buy our house, we will take care of all their problems."
"With such thoughtful and considerate service, isn't it worth three times the price? And even at three times the price, it's still cheaper than the normal price. If they don't have enough money, they can get a loan from the Ministry of Revenue. I think if they just think about it for a moment, they'll know what to choose."
The cabinet officials in the office were persuaded by Wen Zongji.
Zhou Shiyue realized a problem: "But we don't have that many handymen."
The miscellaneous servants in the Ministry of Revenue all served the officials who were in charge of the topic, and the personnel were arranged perfectly.
Wen Zongdao said, "Then let's recruit some people to show that, in any case, compared to the profits that the Ministry of Revenue can obtain, the monthly allowance for miscellaneous servants is not worth mentioning at all."
"That's true."
"However, they need to be properly trained. Their job is to serve as officials in residential buildings, and they need to understand their responsibilities and the proper attitude."
Feng Yunchen asked doubtfully, "Those living in the residential buildings are all officials, while the servants are just ordinary people. Would they dare to be rude?"
Wen Zongji said, "They certainly wouldn't dare to do that to officials. But we also need to build other houses, and then we can't just sell them to officials. Will they still maintain a good attitude towards ordinary people?"
Feng Yunchen understood: "I will arrange this matter and make sure they understand their position and the proper attitude."
Zhou Shiyue smiled and said, "Then I'll leave it to you."
Someone asked, "Should we use the newspapers to spread this news?"
Wen Zongji shook his head: "The newspapers probably can't explain it that clearly. We need to hold a sales event to specifically introduce the advantages of our residential buildings and answer any questions we may have."
"A sales event?"
"Similar to an auction, it's like answering questions from potential buyers before the house is officially sold, helping them better understand the advantages and disadvantages of the house before deciding whether to buy it."
The others suddenly realized, "Then this auction needs someone who is approachable and has good speaking skills."
Wen Zongji said, "The person who presided over the auction before was quite good."
Feng Yunchen said, "I'll make the arrangements."
Wen Zongji was only responsible for making suggestions; Feng Yunchen was in charge of the matter.
After finalizing the tasks to be completed before the sale of the residential building, everyone else left the office, leaving only Wen Zongji behind.
Zhou Shiyue said, "You have only been in the Ministry of Revenue for a year, and you have solved the problem of the empty treasury. Now everything is going well. You have made great contributions. I have already reported your achievements. I believe the Emperor and the Grand Secretaries will reward you for your merits."
Wen Zongji cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Your Excellency."
"You deserve all of this."
In principle, officials in the Great Chu were evaluated every three years, and those who performed well in the evaluation were likely to be promoted, but this was generally the case for local officials.
The capital city is teeming with powerful and wealthy people, and being right under the emperor's nose, it's commonplace for someone with merit to be promoted several ranks in quick succession.
As long as the cabinet approves the application and Emperor Shun'an has no objections, there will be no problem with Wen Zongji's promotion.
Given Wen Zongji's status, the least likely party to obstruct him is the cabinet.
If the Crown Prince's cabinet were to block Wen Zongji's promotion review without a legitimate reason, they would be living too comfortably.
Indeed, this was the case. The cabinet received Zhou Shiyue's report on Wen Zongji's achievements, circulated it through one by one, and after confirming that there was no exaggeration, they unanimously agreed that Wen Zongji should be promoted.
As for how many levels to upgrade?
The group looked at the Crown Prince, but he did not speak.
Zuo Weifeng stroked his beard and said, "His Majesty has always appointed people based on their talents. Wen Zongji has solved the problem of the empty treasury, which is a great achievement. He should be rewarded generously."
"The Ministry of Revenue has no shortage of vice ministers, and Wen Zongji's attacks are not enough to warrant a promotion of four ranks. If he is to be promoted, he can only be transferred out of the Ministry of Revenue."
"I remember that the Vice Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture retired some time ago."
Upon hearing this, the others frowned.
They had just been considering official positions of the fourth rank.
The Assistant Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture is a fourth-rank official!
But the Crown Prince was sitting right next to him, and everyone knew that he admired and valued Wen Zongji.
For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent.
The Crown Prince raised his eyes and glanced at the crowd: "The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture? It's a good opportunity to let Wen Zongji understand the people's livelihood. If you want to stand up for the people, you must first understand their needs."
Upon hearing this, they knew that the Crown Prince favored Wen Zongji for the position of Assistant Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.
Others couldn't help but turn their attention to Grand Secretary Wu Yangeng.
Wu Yangeng chuckled and said, "The Crown Prince is right."
With just one sentence, he agreed with the Crown Prince's words.