Chapter 92

"Sir, this is the document for the transfer of the contract. The name on it has already been changed to Bu Fan's. If both of you sign and seal it, the document will take effect, and from then on, the Tianwai Tian Inn will belong to Young Hero Bu Fan!"

In the government office, the clerk in charge of commercial affairs handed the revised contract to Bu Fan and Mr. Zhao, and said with a smile.

At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He knew about the Tianwai Tian Inn, which could be considered one of the top inns in Hangzhou. It was once a favorite among officials and nobles, but now it was about to change hands.

The clerk naturally understood the inside story and couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

"Young Hero Bu, if there's nothing else, let's sign and seal the document!" Mr. Zhao looked at Bu Fan, glanced at the contract in his hand, took a deep breath, and said solemnly.

"Mr. Zhao, please wait a moment. Bu Fan has something to attend to and will go to see the Prefect. I'll be back soon!" Bu Fan then changed his tone and said.

"Well... alright, I'll wait for you here, Young Hero Bu!" Mr. Zhao finally said helplessly.

After bowing to the two of them, Bu Fan turned and walked out.

"Brother Zhao, why are you doing this..." As soon as Bu Fan left, the clerk couldn't help but say to Mr. Zhao.

...

In the main hall, the Prefect of Hangzhou looked at Bu Fan in confusion, not understanding why this young man had returned so quickly after just leaving.

"Young Master Bu, is there something you need to discuss?" The Prefect looked at Bu Fan and asked solemnly.

"Indeed, there is something I would like to discuss with the Prefect. May I know if it's convenient for you?" Bu Fan said seriously.

"Speak, what is it?" Ji Xuan picked up his teacup and took a sip of hot tea. This time, it wasn't to dismiss a guest, but because he was truly thirsty.

"Do you know about the Tianwai Tian Inn?"

"Tianwai Tian?" The Prefect frowned slightly, as if the owner of Tianwai Tian had just come to complain, but he had sent him away.

"Go on, what do you want to say?" Ji Xuan's expression turned serious, and he gently put down the teacup, asking calmly.

"Does the Prefect think, if Tianwai Tian were to be sold, what would be a reasonable price?" Bu Fan then asked again.

Ji Xuan pondered for a moment, estimated in his mind, and then said solemnly, "I don't know the exact price, but I've heard that it cost ten thousand taels to build. Moreover, its location and business are excellent. If it were to be sold, the price could easily double!"

"Why are you asking this?" Ji Xuan asked in surprise after finishing his words, looking at Bu Fan.

"Because I want to use the Tianwai Tian Inn to do business with the Prefect!" Bu Fan said softly.

"Ridiculous, I am not a merchant. What business do you want to do with me?" Ji Xuan's face turned cold, and he said coldly.

"Of course, not with you personally. I mean with the Hangzhou Prefecture! Don't misunderstand this point!" Bu Fan shook his head and said softly.

"I will use the Tianwai Tian Inn as collateral to borrow twenty thousand taels of silver from the Hangzhou Prefecture. The loan will be for one year, with a monthly interest of two hundred taels. If I fail to repay the loan on time, the Tianwai Tian Inn will belong to the Hangzhou Prefecture, and you can resell it or operate it for profit. What do you think of this deal, Prefect?"

Bu Fan said solemnly to Ji Xuan, and his words were like a thunderclap, causing Ji Xuan to be greatly startled.

When did ordinary people start doing business with the government? This was unheard of!

However, what Bu Fan said made some sense. The quality of the Tianwai Tian Inn was evident, and its market value was at least twenty thousand taels. If sold at a fair price, twenty thousand taels would be a discount.

Moreover, if Bu Fan repaid the loan on time, the Hangzhou Prefecture would earn two thousand four hundred taels in interest over a year, in addition to the principal of twenty thousand taels.

This money would be directly under the control of the Hangzhou Prefecture and would not need to be remitted. In other words, the支配权 would be in the Prefect's hands.

Don't underestimate two thousand taels of silver. Although the Hangzhou Prefecture collected hundreds of thousands of taels in taxes each year, most of it had to be remitted.

After accounting for various expenses and other expenditures, the remaining silver in the Prefecture's treasury each year was only a few thousand taels.

"Five hundred taels, a monthly interest of five hundred taels, and I will do this deal with you!" Ji Xuan thought for a moment and then said solemnly.

Hearing this, Bu Fan's face showed a knowing smile. Success!

In fact, in his previous life, this was a very simple financial operation. The most obvious example was real estate companies.

Real estate companies would acquire land and then use it as collateral to borrow from banks. For large projects worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, the actual investment was minimal, and most of the funds came from the state. They would build houses and then sell them to repay the loans.

In this world, the same principle applied, as it was entirely beneficial for the Prefecture with no downside!

However, there was a prerequisite for this, which was the personal philosophy of the Prefect. If he were a traditional scholar, it would be difficult to reach such an agreement. However, after talking with Ji Xuan earlier, Bu Fan felt he wasn't that kind of rigid person, so he proposed this plan.

"Alright, then please instruct someone to disburse the funds. I still need to go and sign the contract with Mr. Zhao!" Bu Fan said with a smile to Ji Xuan.

"What? You haven't even bought the inn yet? What are you...?" Ji Xuan wasn't a fool and quickly realized that Bu Fan was playing a middleman, using an empty hand to get a wolf!

"Actually, I should thank the Prefect. Without your help, I wouldn't have had the chance to buy the Tianwai Tian!" Bu Fan said with a smile.

Ji Xuan stared at Bu Fan's face for a while, then sighed and said calmly, "I know what you mean. You think I, as the Prefect, don't handle things, right? Since you managed to buy the Tianwai Tian, I assume you've dealt with Old Man Yue San. Fine, I'll explain the situation to you."

"Actually, all these matters are caused by you, the Transcendent Beings! According to the imperial decree, the number of reincarnated Transcendent Beings will increase significantly. Large numbers of reincarnated beings will appear in major cities, so the court has issued a mountain-sealing order, requiring major sects to seal their mountains and not wander in the world."

"Besides the mountain-sealing order, there is also a civilian-clearing order. In simple terms, it means clearing out important places in major cities, such as inns, guesthouses, and brothels, to make room for you, the Transcendent Beings!"

"However, the court cannot openly clear these people out, nor do they have a reason to do so. Therefore, the local prefectures are in a state of non-interference. As long as no one rebels, they allow lower-level forces to act freely. When the time is right, they will clear them out all at once!"

"Then, these properties will be nationalized and later sold to us, the Transcendent Beings, right?" Bu Fan interjected.

Clearly, this was the system's preparation before fully opening the game, clearing out the original residents of important areas to make way for the players!