“If there’s anything important going on in the Business Association, you must let me know!” Ye Ge once again hugged Nan Feng.
“Okay!”
Nan Feng went to a meeting the following afternoon.
The governor, however, only made a brief appearance. He was a very thin elderly man with a long beard and white hair. Nan Feng thought he didn’t look as good as Song Cheng. The governor asked everyone present at the meeting to introduce themselves.
All those called for the meeting were top traders from a variety of industries. Nan Feng was invited because she now owned Plant Beauty Hall.
After everyone introduced themselves, the governor said a sentence which made Nan Feng think he must be senile, because he rambled on: “The benevolent rise by their wealth, while the heartless grow wealthy by exploiting others. In the old days, there were men like Fan Li who repeatedly amassed and dispersed fortunes.”
Nan Feng was utterly lost.
After the governor finished speaking, he explained in plain language: “These words mean that as merchants, you’re not just here to make money. You must understand the principle of ’take from the people, use for the people’. The environment you operate in was created by the court. When the court needs you, you should also do your best. In order to improve your business acumen, you should study more.”
Was he suggesting that merchants should study more about culture?
After saying this, the governor left.
The chairman of the meeting then took over the proceedings.
The chairman of the Provincial City Business Association was a man in his forties named Wan Hui. He was also elected. He was the owner of the largest bank in the provincial city, and seemed quite steady.
Chairman Wan didn’t say much, but just reiterated the governor’s point: “Fellow merchants, whether we are rivals or aligned, please pay attention. Rumors are spreading that merchants don’t recognize big characters and are ruthless in their pursuit of wealth, guilty of dishonest business practices. We must first enhance our cultural knowledge. I will distribute paper and pens to everyone present. You’re required to write down the first few passages of ’The Great Learning of the Book of Rites’. Those who can’t write it must e to the Association every day to study for an hour until you can.”
Nan Feng was stunned.
’The Great Learning of the Book of Rites’? What the hell?
Did ancient merchants really have such a lowly status that they had to know all this just to do business?
Many of the merchants present also seemed unsure, scratching their heads and tugging their ears, unable to write anything for some time.
A few people wrote out the full text sporadically. Some wrote half but couldn’t recall the rest. Some, like Nan Feng, didn’t write a single character.
The man next to her, from a family of swordsmiths, didn’t write because he didn’t know how. He started chatting with Nan Feng: “Lady, you don’t seem like an uneducated person, you’re dressed so finely and you look very smart. Not like us rough swordsmiths who start working at the age of five.”
“Five years old? Aren’t you afraid of getting burnt?” Nan Feng asked.
“It’s not that easy to get burnt. We have protective measures. At that age, they’re only there to watch and learn.”
“So, are your shop’s swords selling well? Is there high demand? Are they usually bought by wandering martial artists, or are they custom made for the government?” Nan Feng began to probe into someone else’s business.
Typical merchant.
“A little bit of both, by those in the Jianghu and by officials. There are more official orders though, they mainly want broadswords and flat-bladed knives for killing enemies.”
“That must be quite profitable, right?”
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