Volume 1: The Merchant Son-in-law Chapter 60: Discussing Business While Seated

  In the following days, the little girl came several more times.

  Xiao Fan seemed to have completely forgotten that he had been scratched by the little girl. Every time she stood outside the door of Zui Xian Lou, shivering and peeking inside, Xiao Fan would ask Dogzi to hand over the food that had already been prepared for her. The food was very sumptuous, sometimes it was meat pies, sometimes it was whole steamed chicken, and sometimes even some rare green vegetables in this winter season. ——The little girl was too small, too weak, she needed all kinds of nutrition.

  Xiao Fan was very careful in front of her, facing her as if holding a fragile crystal, afraid that the slightest sudden movement would scare her away.

  Others found Xiao Fan's attitude towards the beggar girl very strange. In these times, there were indeed many beggars, and it was not wrong for Xiao Zhang to show kindness. However, Xiao Fan showed an unusual enthusiasm for this little beggar girl, which left people perplexed.

  Xiao Fan didn't explain to anyone, he just felt that he should do so, can't say why, maybe he saw his past self in the little girl, on that rainy night, he was alone, crouching in the grass by the side of the road, holding a knife, planning to rob, the night was cold, his heart even colder, who would be willing to do such a dangerous and illegal thing if not driven to desperation?

  Xiao Fan can be certain that if the little girl hadn't met him, she would have also ended up on a similar path.

  Xiao Fan is not a philanthropist, nor is he a softie. There are too many people in this world who deserve sympathy, and Xiao Fan doesn't have the ability to take care of them one by one. However, he just can't bear to see a young girl who hasn't even reached adulthood yet walk down a path of no return.

  Xiao Fan's kindness was rewarded, and the little girl gradually became less guarded around him. Every time she took food from Xiao Fan's hands, she would give him a glance of gratitude. Her eyes no longer flashed with ferocity, although they were still dull, but compared to when they first met, there was more vitality in them.

  One day, when the little girl took over the food, she didn't turn around and run as usual, but stood still looking at Xiao Fan.

  "What's wrong?" Xiao Fan asked with a warm smile.

  The little girl didn't say a word, and from the thin collar of her clothes, she pulled out a green plant. She plucked off a few leaves with a couple of quick movements and stuffed them into Xiao Fan's hand.

  Xiao Fan stared at her in confusion, unable to understand what she meant.

  The little girl seemed unaccustomed to communicating with people, she pointed at Xiao Fang's hand that had been scratched by her before and said incoherently: "Purple bead grass...chew it up, apply it on the wound, stop bleeding."

  Xiao Fan's wounded hand had long since scabbed over, but she still gave him hemostatic herbs, and when he looked down, there were even a few drops of morning dew on the herbs. It seemed that she had personally gone to pick them. The little girl used this special way to express her apology to him.

  Xiao Fan smiled, with a warm feeling spreading in his heart. Meeting the little girl's expectant gaze, Xiao Fan carefully tucked the herbs into his bosom and said with a smile: "I'll apply it later, thank you."

  The little girl heard this and also showed a smile, then quickly hid it and returned to being indifferent. That fleeting smile was like a shooting star, disappearing in an instant without a trace, but like the spring breeze melting snow, it left a deep impression on Xiao Fang's heart.

  The little girl walked away again, holding the food that Xiao Fan gave her, and went somewhere to eat.

  The cold wind howled, blowing past the entrance of the Drunken Immortal Building. Xiao Feng couldn't help but shiver at the thought of the little girl's thin clothes. He couldn't help but worry about her a bit, thinking that he should get her some thicker and warmer clothes. On such a cold night, who knows where she would be sleeping...

  "I heard you're the son-in-law of a merchant family?"

  Today, Zhu Yunfeng rushed into the Drunken Immortal Building and asked abruptly, his expression somewhat flustered.

  Xiao Fan nodded and said, "Let me correct you, I am the 'not yet married' son-in-law of a merchant family. In theory, I am still single, and my worth is not ordinary..."

  "Are you really a merchant's son-in-law?" Zhu Yunfeng's eyes widened, and he stomped his foot in anger, saying: "How can you be the son-in-law of a merchant family?"

  Xiao Fan emphasized again: "It's the 'not yet married' merchant son-in-law... Ah, Your Highness, who I am a son-in-law to has nothing to do with you, right?"

  "What does it have to do with me? I was just about to recommend you for an official position. According to the laws of our dynasty, merchants are not allowed to hold office. If you're really a merchant's son-in-law, then forget about becoming an official in this lifetime..."

  "...What did you just say? You're not married yet?"

  Xiao Fan nodded calmly and serenely.

  Zhu Yun thought for a moment, then beamed with joy: "It's great that we didn't get married! If we hadn't gotten married, it wouldn't count as a merchant marriage. That's wonderful! As long as you haven't entered the merchant register, I can speak up for you in front of the Emperor... You quickly go and cancel that unreliable engagement, and don't be a shopkeeper anymore. Pack your things and follow me to the capital. Come, help Xiao Gongzi pack his belongings..."

  "Yes!" The embroidered guards behind Zhu Yunwen responded in unison.

  Xiao Fang paused for a moment, then shouted loudly: "Wait!"

  Xiao Fan turned around and looked at Zhu Yunwen, saying: "Crown Prince, what do you mean by this?"

  Zhu Yunwen smiled and said, "You quickly go and withdraw the engagement with that merchant's family. Follow me to the capital, and I will ask my imperial grandfather for an official position for you. Then I can see you every day, and you can accompany me in conversation every day. Isn't this good? In the future, you can assist me well, let me be a good emperor, and you can be a famous minister who brings glory to our ancestors. Isn't this much better than being a merchant's son-in-law?"

  Xiao Fan widened his eyes and said: "Your Highness, let's not talk about whether or not to be an official for now. As a merchant's son-in-law, I don't think it's beneath me, do you?"

  Zhu Yunwen curled his lip and said: "Merchants are a lowly occupation, not even comparable to peddlers or runners, how can you not consider it self-deprecating?"

  Xiao Fan was unhappy upon hearing this. It didn't matter what others thought, but the person in front of him was the future Emperor of Da Ming, and his thoughts could influence the course of events in the world. If he looked down on merchants like this, wouldn't they be pitied?

  Although Xiao Fan had little good impression of Chen Siliu, this cunning merchant and father-in-law, objectively speaking, Chen Siliu was just a legitimate businessman pursuing his interests. Moreover, he had supported himself for four years, so Zhu Yunwen's evaluation of merchants was somewhat unfair to Chen Siliu.

  Xiao Fan decided to change the views of this Ta Sun Gong, to put it bluntly, this has a great impact on the merchants of the world, and even on the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

  Please order Zhu Yunwen to withdraw the embroidered clothes and personal army, Xiao Fan organized his words in his heart, then slowly said: "Your Highness Ta Sun, I think your idea is greatly mistaken!"

  Zhu Yunwen was taken aback, and said in confusion: "Is my idea greatly mistaken? Could it be that you are reluctant to part with the young lady from the merchant's family and do not want to break off the engagement? Haha, a man has no worries about finding a wife. After you become an official, I will help you find a matchmaker, and arrange for one of the daughters from a prominent ministerial family to marry you. What kind of woman do you like? Just tell me..."

  Xiao Fanxi said: "Thank you, Your Highness. The common people like long legs and big chests... Ah! No, Crown Prince Taishun, that's not what the commoner meant to say!"

  "What exactly do you want to say?"

  "The common people think that Your Highness's intention of promoting commerce is actually a great mistake!"

  "What's this? How can you say that?"

  Xiao Fan asked back: "Your Highness, what impression do you have of merchants in your heart?"

  "Merchants, a bunch of people who forget righteousness for the sake of profit! They don't engage in production, they reap without sowing, and they make a profit by buying low and selling high. They have no sense of country or family, their whole body reeks of copper and market tricks, all they know is to greedily seek profit to enrich themselves. Among the hundred industries in the world, merchants are the most despicable!"

  Xiao Fan shook his head silently, the ancients were deeply influenced by Confucianism and had a great misunderstanding of merchants. Zhu Yunwen's way of thinking was probably the typical representative of all ancient people. If you want to change their minds, it's probably not an easy task.

  For the ignorant ancient people, Xiao Fan decided to be more patient, as explaining things was his strong point.

  "Your Highness, look at the merchants. In simpler terms, they are businesspeople. What are businesspeople? They are people who buy and sell goods, taking a profit from the difference in price. This behavior is not inherently wrong. As the saying goes, 'every profession has its rules.' With minimal cost, they pursue maximum profit - this is the rule of merchants. It's true that they prioritize profits, but to say they forget about righteousness, where does that come from?"

  Zhu Yunhe smiled and said, "I didn't blindly say that merchants are greedy and forget righteousness. Have you heard of Shen Wansan, the richest man in the Great Ming Dynasty? He was a merchant by origin. When my imperial grandfather led the heavenly army to contend for the world with Zhang Shicheng, he recruited grain and supplies everywhere. My imperial grandfather respected him as a wealthy merchant and scholar, and humbly made friends with him. But Shen Wansan was cunning and deceitful, openly donating grain and supplies to my imperial grandfather while secretly colluding with Zhang Shicheng and providing financial support to his army. He tried to please both sides without offending either one. Isn't this a case of forgetting righteousness?"

  Xiao Fan sighed and said, "Shen Wansan is actually just a wealthy commoner with no power or influence. He has no choice but to provide financial support to both sides of the war. You have tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides, while he only has silver at home. Can he not be afraid? Does he dare not give money? You can't expect all the people in the world to be loyal and die for you. In fact, most people are afraid of death. Whoever has the sharpest blade will make them surrender. What does this have to do with being ungrateful?"

  Zhu Yunhe still didn't care, and laughed: "These words are wrong! Mencius said: 'Life is what I desire, righteousness is also what I desire. If the two cannot be obtained together, then one must give up life to take righteousness.' Since you fear death, that means you have forgotten about righteousness..."

  "Mencius was right, but he idealized human nature. Or rather, this is his personal ideal. From ancient times to the present, over a thousand years, there have been countless dynasties rising and falling. If we follow your logic, whenever an emperor loses power, all the people in the country should follow him to death, right? But in reality, everyone lives on just fine, except for a few loyal ministers of the old dynasty who truly sacrifice themselves for their lord. This standard is too high, something that others cannot achieve, so why do you expect a merchant to be able to do it?"

  "But...merchants don't engage in production, yet they can gain huge profits, this can't be true, right?"

  "They didn't steal or rob, they made money with their skills, and the business was based on mutual consent, what's wrong with that?"

  "This is getting something for nothing! Like a parasite of the state, sucking the people's blood to fatten oneself!"

  Facing the stubborn Zhu Yunfeng, Xiao Fan's patience was gradually exhausted.

  Relying on his last bit of patience, Xiao Fan made an effort to calm down and said: "This isn't about sucking the blood of the common people or merchants seeking profit at the expense of others. They are taking a huge risk themselves in order to get a return..."

  "Haha, what risk can they have? They buy everything at a low price and sell it out of town at a high price. Clearly, they are speculators..."

  Xiao Fan was furious.

  "Slap!" The familiar force of Hua Shan once again heavily slapped onto Zhu Yun's forehead.

  "Unlucky kid, no matter how you say it, they won't believe you. What feud do the businessmen have with you? Have they offended you in any way? You just can't get along with them?"

  Zhu Yun opened his eyes wide, subconsciously covering the back of his head which had been slapped red, staring blankly at Xiao Fan who was throwing a tantrum.

  After a while, Zhu Yun's dark and shiny eyes slowly filled with sparkling tears, his two eyes gradually turned red, the corners of his mouth drooped, as if he was about to cry out loud.

  Xiao Fan came to himself, frightened and trembling all over, hastily kowtowing on the ground with a thud, stammering: "Your Highness, this humble commoner has lost his composure... I deserve ten thousand deaths, ten thousand deaths!"

  Zhu Yunwen's lips trembled and his expression was infinitely humiliated.

  "You hit me again..." Zhu Yunwen tearfully accused.

  "Grassroots... grassroots, this is love's depth, blame's severity..." Xiao Fan's tone was heavy with sorrow.

  "Is there anything that can't be said nicely? Why must you resort to violence..." Tears welled up in Zhu Yunwen's eyes, finally falling and streaming down his face to his chin.

  "I'm compassionate, universally saving all sentient beings, yet I also can't help but let out a lion's roar when the time is right. If those below still don't enlighten quickly, this humble commoner will anxiously follow the Buddha's example and give them a loud wake-up call..."

  "You hit me and still have the nerve to reason with me..." Zhu Yunwen burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably as she accused Xiao Fan of his atrocities.

  "Grassroots... ten thousand deaths, ten thousand deaths!" Xiao Fan knelt down and shouted loudly.

  “…………”

  Time passed like incense, and Zhu Yunwen's emotions calmed down.

  "Alright, tell me carefully, why merchants are not just a bunch of people who forget their integrity in pursuit of profit."

  Xiao Fang was about to speak when Zhu Yunwen opened his mouth again.

  "Hey, talk it out, no hitting allowed......" Zhu Yunwen emphasized repeatedly with a lingering fear.

  Xiao Fan Zan said: "As it is said that a benevolent person has no enemies, Your Highness's heart is kind and gentle, opposing violence, truly the wise ruler of my Great Ming's future..."

  Zhu Yunwen's face still had tear stains, and upon hearing this, he sniffled and said in a huff: "You'd better not brag about it, I'm against you using violence on me..."

  “…………”

  "Your Highness, think about it, we don't farm the land or raise silkworms. The clothes we wear every day and the grain we eat, where do they come from?"

  "Of course it's from the crops and livestock raised by farmers."

  "How did they end up in our hands after being grown and raised by farmers?"

  "It was bought with silver."

  Xiao Fan laughed and said, "If there were no merchants in the world, I'd like to ask Your Highness, where would you go to buy things with your silver? Would you personally run to the fields and buy from farmers?"

  Zhu Yunwen's eyes widened, but he couldn't say a word. A thoughtful expression gradually appeared in his eyes.

  "Your Highness, merchants are indeed driven by profit, but this world cannot do without them. The people's clothing, food, shelter, and transportation all rely on the merchants. Merchants travel north and south, transporting goods, connecting the people, so that we can live in the south and eat northern wheat, or live in the north and eat southern rice. This exchange of goods is all thanks to the efforts of the merchants."

  "Moreover, merchants do not engage in production and gain without labor. Your Excellency should know that when a merchant transports a cart of goods, he must first invest his family's property. This cart of goods is transported from south to north, the journey is long and arduous, not to mention the risk of the goods not selling. If no one buys his goods, then all his previous efforts will be in vain, and his family property will also be lost. Every time a merchant does business, he relies on his experience and experience to take risks. Without stealing or robbing, they make money solely through their accumulated experience and vision as merchants. Where does the saying 'gain without labor' come from? The Grand Historian said: 'The world is full of people rushing about for profit, the world is full of people scrambling for profit.' Everyone in the world is busy with fame and fortune, why do you alone despise merchants?"

  Zhu Yunwen's expression became increasingly solemn, and the deep thinking color in his eyes grew thicker.

  Goodbye.

  "Xiao Fan, why did you want to tell me these things?"

  Xiao Fan smiled and said: "I just want to speak a fair word for the merchants of the world. It doesn't matter how others look down on merchants, Your Highness is the future ruler of the great Ming dynasty, your thoughts are all related to the livelihoods of the people, I, a humble subject, cannot bear to see you having biased views towards merchants and losing your benevolent heart. A wise ruler loves his people like his children, and merchants are also your subjects."

  Xiao Fan finished speaking, and Zhu Yunwen remained silent for a long time, without saying a word.

  "Xiao Fan, your words indeed make some sense. I...I need to go back and think carefully about what you said..."

  Zhu Yunhe got up and walked out.

  "Come on, let's return to the capital." Zhu Yunwen was deep in thought with a solemn expression.

  The Jin Yiwei guards standing at the gate led their horses to welcome Zhu Yunwen onto the imperial carriage.

  Xiao Fan's face was filled with smiles, the merchant's status issue, it seems to have caught the attention of this Ta Sun Gong Zai. So, the merchant's status may be improved in the future, and the fate of the merchants may not be so humble after all. All of this is due to today's conversation with Ta Sun, quietly changing history.

  Butterfly, I am a beautiful butterfly...

  The next day, a memorial named "On the righteousness and profit of merchants" quietly appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's dragon desk. The person who signed at the end of the memorial was none other than the current crown prince, Zhu Yunwen.

  The whole court was in an uproar.