Chapter 14: On Commerce

  (Thanks for Leng Binglan's evaluation vote)

  Yue Yun took a few steps forward, gazing at Zhang Zetong, the historical figure he admired. Suppressing his inner excitement, he smiled and asked: "Mr. Zhang, what do you think is the purpose of reading books for scholars?"

  Zhang Zetian was slightly surprised, and he wondered why Yue Yun asked this question. However, he still replied: "The Master said: The people are the most important, the altar of the land and grain is next, and the ruler is light. Our wish as scholars who read books is to learn a skill, serve the court, protect the altar of the land and grain, and plan for the welfare of the people! This time we go to Lin'an to petition, it is also for the welfare of the people in the Central Plains."

  Yue Yun saw that he had already hooked his words, so he immediately asked along the lines: "Then according to Mr. Zhang's view, how should the common people live in order to be happy?"

  "It is of course to wear suitable clothes, live in a suitable house, have fewer worries when young, have a good ending when old, have many friends and family gathered together, no worries about food and clothing, living a happy and contented life. Such a carefree and worry-free life is happiness!" Zhang Zetian didn't even think about it, he just blurted it out in one breath.

  Yue Yun sighed that this Hanlin scholar who had passed the imperial examination and was a great painter was not simple at all. He spoke so many idioms in one breath, if he hadn't thought of what to say beforehand, it would be hard to convince him otherwise.

  He thumbs up and praises: "What Mr. Zhang said is absolutely right, and Yue Yun deeply agrees. However, how can we make the people worry-free about food and clothing, live and work in peace? Does Mr. Zhang have any good methods?"

  "This...". Zhang Zetong suddenly became tongue-tied. Let him talk about the grand principles in those poetry books, and he would naturally speak fluently, with every sentence making sense, but if you really asked him to come up with a concrete solution, he would be completely at a loss.

  Yue Yun saw the situation and was deeply determined in her heart. It seemed that scholars of this era were all like Zhang Zetian, good at empty talk but unable to accomplish anything practical. No wonder there was a proverb in later generations: "Scholars rebel, ten years without success."

  Yue Yun took a slow step forward and said in a measured tone, "In Yue Yun's opinion, to make the people live and work in peace and contentment, we must start with benevolence. As for the imperial court, it should implement benevolent policies, encourage production, and reduce taxes; as for us military generals, we should train elite troops, defend against external enemies, and ensure the safety of our citizens. And as for scholars, they should promote propriety and righteousness, spread the teachings of benevolence, and let the people receive the education of Confucianism!"

  Yu Yun's words made all the literati present, including Zhang Zetian, nod in agreement.

  "But what happened earlier was only on the surface, and the real substance has not been touched upon yet!" Yue Yun's words took a turn: "The people regard food as heaven, and the common folk are most concerned with eating their fill, wearing warm clothes, and living comfortably. However, all of this is closely tied to the merchants."

  Yue Yun's words, however, caused several scholars to furrow their brows, and even Wang Tong looked puzzled. A middle-aged scholar asked: "Young Master Yue, for the common people to eat their fill, they naturally need to grow more grain, which is a matter for farmers. As for wearing clothes, it requires tailors to make them, and building houses is the work of masons. What does this have to do with merchants?"

  Yue Yun smiled and said, "If farmers want a good harvest, they must have oxen, farm tools, and fertilizer; if tailors want to make warm clothes, they need cotton yarn, silk, scissors, rulers, and thread. To build houses, you need wood, river sand, bricks, tiles... Can farmers, tailors, and masons produce all these things by themselves? No, it's necessary for merchants to transport them!"

  Zhang Zetong immediately retorted, "I know that merchants have made some contributions to the transportation of goods, but their business methods are to buy cheap and sell dear, seeking profit. The Master said, 'The gentleman is concerned with righteousness, the small man is concerned with profit.' Although I dare not say that all merchants are profit-seeking petty men, whenever there is a disaster or famine, many merchants hoard grain for speculation, accumulating wealth without regard for the starving people, allowing them to die of hunger. Therefore, throughout history, rulers have restricted and controlled merchants, not allowing them to develop freely. If merchants are not restricted, they will surely throw the country into chaos!"

  Yue Yun remained calm and continued to ask with a smile: "If that's the case, then why did the Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties, which restricted merchants, all perish due to internal strife, while our dynasty, which encourages trade, has never had internal strife, and the people's standard of living is also the highest in history?"

  Yue Yun's words, however, left Zhang Zetian speechless. As a well-read man of history books, he naturally knew that in the past, most dynasties had perished due to political corruption, leading to the people's suffering and eventual rebellion. Only the Song Dynasty was an exception, where although the people couldn't say they were all well-fed and clothed, it was still much better than previous dynasties. But when it came to attributing this to the imperial court's encouragement of commerce with fewer restrictions, he found it hard to accept.

  The middle-aged businessman who was arguing with Zhang Zetong immediately said with deep feeling: "We businessmen, although we are not directly engaged in production, but the goods that Mr. Yue Yun mentioned, from the place of surplus to the place of shortage, on the way, labor and fatigue, the exploitation and taxes they suffer are not to be mentioned, and they are often robbed by thieves... The hardships and hardships we suffer are no less than those farmers and craftsmen!"

  "What is a benevolent person? One who brings happiness to the people, allows them to live in peace and prosperity, and makes their lives rich and fulfilling. This is what it means to be benevolent! I know that many scholars look down on merchants, thinking they are only interested in profit. But profit and righteousness are not mutually exclusive. Just as there is a greater good and a lesser good, so too is there a greater profit and a lesser profit. The lesser profit is the petty gain of unscrupulous merchants, while the greater profit is what benefits all people under heaven. Why did my family's army march north? It was to rescue the people from the ravages of the Jin bandits and protect their interests. And why does the imperial court now encourage overseas trade? Because it brings in a large amount of tax revenue, which can be used to build waterworks, roads, and resettle refugees, ultimately making life better for the people of Song."

  After a pause, he continued: "The court's move, although also for profit, is after all a great benefit! It is the great benefit of benefiting the country and the people. I do not deny that there are some unscrupulous merchants who hoard and speculate, harming the people. But in every industry, there are good people and bad people. For more than ten years since the Jurchen invasion, many traitors among our literati and military leaders have defected to the enemy. So it is not surprising that there are also unscrupulous merchants among them. However, I think that as long as they are legitimate businessmen who operate honestly and lawfully, they are all respectable and virtuous people. What they do is for the sake of the people of the world, and we military leaders and literati should not discriminate against them in any way!"

  Yue Yun's words were so shocking to everyone that not only the scholars were stunned, but even the merchants had never thought that their business was also for the benefit of the people. This is what a benevolent person does. However, his reasoning was completely based on Confucian theory. Logically speaking, it was flawless. Some scholars were stunned for a while before they began to reflect, wondering if they hadn't studied Confucianism deeply enough and didn't understand it as profoundly as Yue Yun, a military officer.

  At this time, these businessmen remembered the hardships they had endured in their decades of business and felt a deep sense of sorrow. Especially in such chaotic times, the risks they took were not just about being exploited, but also about losing their lives. Thinking about the difficulties, several merchants even burst into tears.

  The middle-aged businessman who had just argued with Zhang Zetong walked up to Yue Yun, knelt down and bowed: "Yue Dage's noble words make me truly admire and ashamed as a merchant. From now on, if Yue Dage has any orders, as long as we can do it, we will definitely not shirk!"

  Yue Yun heard and hastily thanked him, but immediately was shocked: "You are Zhu Que?"

  The merchant was taken aback and hastily replied: "My name is indeed Zhu Que, and I am currently in the ironware business. How? Has Young Master Yue heard of me?"

  Yue Yun was shocked at this time: Zhu Que? Wasn't he the maternal grandfather of the famous Neo-Confucian master Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty? It is said that his original hometown was Henan, and later moved to Huizhou for business, and was a famous rich man in the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty, known as Zhu Bancheng.

  If it wasn't for the fact that I happened to have read an introduction about Zhu Xi, I probably would have missed out on such a great person. Getting to know such a successful businessman, or rather, someone who will become a successful businessman in the future, is also very beneficial for myself!

  "Brother, don't you have a grandson named Zhu Xi?" Yue Yun asked impatiently.

  "This... I indeed have a grandson named Zhu Xi, who is only ten years old now. Hehe, he is a famous child prodigy in Jianzhou, able to recite the Analects and Book of Songs at the age of three, with a photographic memory. I didn't expect that Young Master Yue has also heard of him." A look of surprise suddenly appeared in Zhu Zhen's eyes.

  Oh? It seems that Zhu Xi was quite famous even when he was young! No wonder he's such a great master of Neo-Confucianism. Although his philosophical ideas may not be necessarily adopted, this guy seems to have some talent for education and propaganda, otherwise his views on Neo-Confucianism wouldn't have been so widely spread.

  Yue Yun smiled and said, "Hehe, I'd like to meet your great-grandson when I have time. Brother Zhu's high opinion of me just now makes me blush! So I'll thank you first, Brother Zhu. Maybe next time I'll really need to rely on you..."

  Zhu busied himself with a bow: "I dare not! If the young master has any needs, Zhu will certainly do his best to serve the young master!"

  At this time, Zhang Zedu had already discussed with those literati and was waiting for Yue Yun and Zhu Que to finish their conversation. Then, he stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said: "Young Master Yue is highly talented, and I truly admire him. Although I am not talented, I have always remembered the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and filial piety. Throughout my life, apart from reading books and painting, I have always had the people at heart, hoping that our Great Song Dynasty's commoners would be free from worries about food and clothing, live in peace and prosperity, and enjoy a fulfilling life. Originally, during the Jingkang period, I could have retreated south with the army, but I wanted to stay behind to teach those Jurchen barbarians with the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. However, these foreign people did not heed my words at all, continuing to burn, kill, loot, poison the commoners, and commit all sorts of evil deeds. This time, hearing Young Master Yue's lofty words, I have regained confidence in our Great Song Dynasty. On this trip to Lin'an, I will definitely do my best, not disappointing the people's high expectations!"

  Yue Yun was originally a bit strange, this Zhang Zhe who had been a Hanlin scholar in the Huizong era, why didn't he follow Zhao Gou to Lin'an. It turned out that he still wanted to enlighten the Jurchens, which is really too naive. The Jurchens didn't kill him with one knife, it's already his good fortune.

  However, since Yue Yun wanted to entrust others to risk their lives for him, he naturally had to put on a show. He immediately bowed and said: "Sir, you are truly righteous! I really admire you, and on behalf of the people of Zhongyuan, I thank you, sir!"

  Zhang Zetong how dare receive Yue Yun's great courtesy, repeatedly said he did not dare.

  Yue Yun and those scholars and merchants exchanged pleasantries for a while before pulling Wang Tong aside to ask, "Wen Qing, I'm leaving on a long journey tomorrow. Is there anything troubling you? Let's think of a solution together."

  Wang Tong was now deeply impressed with Yue Yun, never expecting that his master would be a martial general who could even persuade Zhang Zetian, whom he had been unable to deal with. He nodded immediately and said: "Thanks to the young master's resolution of the conflict between the literati and the merchants, there is no longer any problem. As the young master requested earlier, most of the literati I have selected are skilled painters, such as Mr. Zhang who served in the Hanlin Painting Academy during the previous emperor's reign. The previous emperor also praised his paintings!"

  Yue Yun smiled slightly after hearing this, thinking that this trip had not only allowed him to meet a legendary figure from history, but also to gather information about another legendary figure's whereabouts, which was a small gain. He then reviewed his plan with Wang Tong once again, confirming there were no loopholes before returning to the military camp.

  Finally got this thing settled, hopefully Wang Tong will have a smooth journey from now on and won't run into any more trouble. Tomorrow I'll be leaving for Chu Zhou, it's been so many days since I crossed over to this world, but this is the first time I'm leaving Zhu Xian Town, at least I can finally get out and clear my head.

  Yue Yun thought for a while, then climbed onto the bed and gradually fell asleep.