Chapter 10: A Small Test of One's Skills

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  After some probing and guessing, Wang Qifang finally figured out the current era and her geographical location.

  The Great Zhou was neither the Great Zhou of Empress Wu Zetian, nor the Later Zhou of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was a dynasty that had never appeared in history before. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, for some unknown reason, whether by human design or heavenly fate, the wise Empress Longsun did not die young but lived healthily into old age until her son ascended to the throne. The one who ascended to the throne was not the weak-willed Li Zhi, but rather Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

  Why didn't Li Chengqian rebel? The reason is very simple. It was the role of Empress Changsun that played a part. Under her care like a kind mother, Li Chengqian did not have any sense of crisis and did not think about rebelling. As for Li Tai, he also followed his mother's hint and honestly became a comfortable Prince of Xiang, living a life of wealth and honor with Li Zhi until their grandchildren were all grown up.

  After Li Chengqian ascended the throne, the Tang Dynasty prospered for nearly a hundred years. Until more than 120 years ago, there was a disaster of eunuchs intervening in politics and imperial relatives monopolizing power, and the Li Tang's rivers and mountains were usurped by imperial relatives.

  It's also a coincidence that the surname of the powerful and manipulative in-law is Wu.

  "Haha, what's this? Has history taken a detour and then turned back on itself?"

  Wang Qifang listened to Qian Niang's story and secretly smiled in her heart.

  However, this was just her joke, and the fact is not so. In the previous life, Queen Zhen took over the Li Tang River and established the Zhou Dynasty, which existed for only a few decades. And in this life, after Wu's family replaced the Great Tang, it has been prosperous for more than 100 years. Moreover, with the current momentum, it can continue to prosper for several decades to come.

  "... Duke Li assisted the Great Ancestor in establishing the prosperous era of the Great Zhou, making great contributions, but he left the hereditary title of king bestowed upon him by the Great Ancestor to his son and took his disciples and followers to leave the imperial court, establishing the Confucian Business Association..."

  Qian Niang originally just wanted to simply talk about the local customs and people, but somehow, after a round of rambling on, she started telling Wang Qifang about history again. As she spoke, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart, previously she had always envied those young ladies from big families who were so well-educated and lived such comfortable lives, but today, looking at it, it turned out that living in a big family wasn't all smooth sailing either. Not to mention other things, just the knowledge and learning of these people was even shallower than hers, a person from a small family, it could be said to be ignorant.

  Alas, at noon she was still thinking about how the dignified young mistress couldn't subdue a small concubine. Now, after chatting with Qifang, she finally understood that as an ignorant woman like herself, how could she be worthy of being the daughter-in-law of the prestigious Zhao family?!

  "Confucian merchants? Scholars engaging in commerce?"

  Wang Qifang didn't fail to notice the surprise and sympathy in Qian Niang's eyes, but she was more eager to know about the current situation. And since there was no one else around her except for Feng Dashi, she had to continue asking questions at the risk of being seen through.

  "Yes, this Confucian merchant association is different from other merchants. Any merchant recognized by the Confucian merchant association can continue to take imperial examinations. Take the current president Zhao for example, he is still a fourth-rank official in the imperial court!"

  "Old man Zhao? Isn't that..."

  Wang Qifang's mind flashed a vague name, but she couldn't think of what it was, so she pretended to be clear and said half of it, expecting Qiangniang to help her fill in the answer.

  "That's right, it's your father-in-law, Old Master Zhao of the Zhao family from Beijing!"

  Bingo! The probe was successful again. Wang Qifang's little man in her heart excitedly raised two fingers after hearing Qiangniang's affirmative answer.

  "Does that mean in our big Zhou, the status of merchants will be higher?"

  Wang Qifang's history isn't great, but she has also heard people say that during the Tang Dynasty, due to the influence of Western Regions and Hu people, the discrimination against merchants was not as severe as it was during the Song Dynasty. The Great Zhou was also transformed from the Li Tang, and many institutions and cultures were inherited from the Tang, so the social atmosphere should be similar, right?

  Wang Qifang thought of this and continued to talk in a roundabout way.

  "Well, it's not entirely like that," Qiangniang thought of her own family's experiences and shook her head somewhat gloomily. "Ordinary merchants are still the lowest of the low, only by joining the Confucian Merchant Association can they be considered to have a status recognized by the imperial court. Of course, successful merchants still have more status than ordinary commoners."

  Is that so? Wang Qifang's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she asked somewhat casually, "Doesn't the Confucian Merchant Association, which certifies merchants, have a great deal of power?"

  If it's as Qian Niang said, the Confucian Merchant Association can instantly transform an ordinary merchant into a socially prominent Confucian merchant. It's easy to imagine the status of the Confucian Merchant Association among merchants nationwide - it's simply as sacred and unparalleled as Confucius is to scholars.

  With such a huge status, if she offends the Zhao family, will there be any place for her, Wang Qifang, to stand in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty?

  "It's not entirely true, because every time the Confucian Merchant Association openly recruits new members, the imperial court will also send someone to intervene," Qiangniang said, her face showing obvious disappointment, perhaps thinking of her own painful past. She no longer had the enthusiasm she had when she first started telling the story, and somewhat absent-mindedly said: "However, the Confucian Merchant Association still holds two-thirds of the decision-making power, so in the eyes of merchants all over the world, the Zhao family is like an invisible 'emperor'."

  "Oh, I see," Wang Qifang murmured, about to continue asking about the Zhao family's affairs, when she raised her eyes and saw Xiangniang's somewhat dazed expression. She hastily said, "Oh dear, look at me, I was so caught up in listening to Aunt Feng's story that I forgot about the time and delayed your meal. Why don't you have something to eat here?"

  "Oh, it's already so late," Qiangniang also felt a bit out of place and immediately took over the conversation, pretending to glance outside the window, where it was already pitch black. She quickly got up to bid farewell: "I have to hurry back home, my family is still waiting for me to serve them. Little sister, you go ahead and eat, if there's anything lacking in the house, just tell Aunt Feng, don't be polite!"

  "Hey, thanks Aunt Feng!"

  Wang Qifang smiled slightly and politely sent Qiangniang out of the house. She stood at the gate, watching her leave.

  Back in the house, Qifang picked up the cool and refreshing meal, eating absent-mindedly while her mind was racing. After Feng Dajie's explanation, she could draw the following conclusions: Firstly, this place is similar to the Great Tang Dynasty, where women do not bind their feet and are not completely trampled underfoot by men, still having a certain degree of freedom and human rights; Secondly, the Zhao family is an existence second only to the imperial family, unless absolutely necessary, it is absolutely impossible to offend them.

  But how can I leave here with a clear conscience without offending the Zhao family?

  Wang Qifang thought of this problem, and the food in her mouth also became somewhat hard to swallow.

  "Alas, never mind, I'd better take care of my body first," thanks to the tempering of her past life, Wang Qifang's outlook on life was still quite positive. If there was something she couldn't solve at present, she would first do what she could with her hands and prepare for that "difficult thing".

  But for now, the most important things are to take care of my body and make money!

  Thinking of this, Wang Qifang's body came with energy, and she swallowed the cold food in two or three mouths. Then she went back to the space, moved the sewing machine, scraps of cloth and beads from the warehouse to the living room, took out a roll of lace trim, and prepared to make something small to try the water first. If you can earn some silver coins, that would be even better.

  But what to do?!

  Wang Qifang stood in front of a sofa piled high with colorful cotton fabrics and beads, deep in thought...

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