Chapter 307: The Troublesome Chamber of Commerce

After waiting in the backyard for over half an hour, Ma Chun rushed over to report that You Qinxang had already left.
Not daring to delay, Lin Dong immediately asked a few elders from the Gu Huan Sect who were still in Qiufeng City to help secretly follow and escort her. Only after finishing this did he heave a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Ma Chun licked his lips and cautiously asked, “Boss, Miss You doesn’t seem to be in good health…”
“Have you arranged everything for the branches in Qingfeng City?” Lin Dong countered.
“Everything’s arranged,” Ma Chun nodded quickly.
“And the plans for setting up factories?” Lin Dong asked, glancing at him.
“O-Everything’s arranged,” Ma Chun realized something was off and understood that his curiosity had gone too far.
Lin Dong said calmly, “Have you also arranged for those other large restaurants to close down before the Chamber of Commerce announces its decision?”
“Boss, I know I was wrong…” Ma Chun was at his wits’ end. He believed that if he said everything was arranged, the boss would immediately bring up selling treasures worth over three million taels of silver, promoting Lin Ji Inn’s pastries, and purchasing spirit materials and beasts of the third or fourth rank… In short, the boss wouldn’t stop until he asked about everything that hadn’t been arranged.
“By the way, what do you think are my attractive qualities?” Lin Dong asked abruptly.
Ma Chun was momentarily stunned before forcing a smile. “The boss is brave, handsome, and possesses extraordinary charisma. You’re strategic, powerful, and composed… Throughout the Great Han Nation, people like Fu Zizhou aren’t even worthy of lifting your shoes. If the boss isn’t considered the top young talent, then all the young people in the Great Han Nation are nothing but scum.”
Lin Dong was speechless. It sounded flattering, but in reality, it was like saying nothing at all. If he were really that great, he wouldn’t get such little attention on the streets.
“Boss, how can we possibly guess what a girl is thinking?” Ma Chun chuckled. “Miss You is beautiful, has a pleasant personality, and has the Xingli Sect backing her. If the boss can convince her to become the second wife of Lin Ji Inn, combined with the strength of the Gu Huan Sect and Li Jiancheng’s connections, then within Qiufeng Prefecture, no one will dare to mess with us.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll mention it to Yun Lan later,” Lin Dong smiled. Ma Chun’s words were pretty much nonsense, but they helped him see things clearly. If Yun Lan, with her status and strength, could fall for him—though part of it was due to growing feelings over time—it wasn’t so strange that You Qinxang liked him for no apparent reason.

Worrying about why You Qinxang likes him is simply unnecessary trouble. With his completely different temperament, he has no appeal to ordinary girls; it’s even possible that a noblewoman might fall in love at first sight.

Ma Chun was shocked and said, “Talking to Miss Yun directly might not be a good idea. No matter how generous Miss Yun is, she’s not yet married to the shop owner. If he brings up such a thing now, she definitely won’t agree.”

“It doesn’t matter. After all, it was you who brought it up,” Lin Dong said nonchalantly. “If Yun Lan wants to punish someone, it will be you.”

Ma Chun’s legs turned weak, and he almost fell to the ground. His face turned as green as a bitter gourd. “Shop owner, I truly realize my mistake. You are completely devoted to Miss Yun—considered the most faithful man in the history of the Great Han Kingdom. You would never be swayed into doing anything that would betray her.”

“It’s good that you understand. I hope you won’t spread rumors about Miss You,” Lin Dong said with a smile.

Ma Chun hurriedly shook his head.

Having given the warnings, Lin Dong waved his hand and said, “That’s enough. Go back to your work! I’m heading back to Qingfeng City first.”

“Have a safe journey, shop owner,” Ma Chun said hurriedly as he saw him off.

Back in Qingfeng City, Lin Dong summoned Liu Hua and Wu Guang, and the carriage set off again. The seventh branch, the eighth branch, the ninth branch… In total, including the time wasted traveling to Qingmei Mountain, it took three months before Lin’s Inn’s branches covered every county in Qiufeng Prefecture.

With the crisp autumn air and falling leaves, Lin Dong found an excuse to send Liu Hua and Wu Guang back to Qiufeng City alone. Then, he and Yun Lan, along with Cheng Bao who had been tied up for over a month, used the transportation portal to reach the main branch in Qiufeng City.

More than ten days earlier, the results of the guild negotiations had already been decided, and the outcome was beyond everyone’s expectations.

Although the guilds in various counties and cities were established independently and nearly a hundred regulations related to them remained unchanged, those that did change were all earth-shattering.

For merchants in the Great Han Kingdom, among the major changes, the most impactful was undoubtedly the decision-making power of the guilds being handed over to merchants from all regions. Whether they were industry giants or ordinary merchants, their control over prices was no different.

This news was like a devastating disaster for the wealthy and ultra-wealthy, but it was excellent news for small merchants.

The second major impact was that all the funds for chamber of commerce operations were allocated uniformly by the imperial court. Moreover, these funds did not pass through the local government offices in various counties and prefectures but were sent directly to the chambers of commerce in the capital. From there, they were distributed in batches to the county-level chambers, which then sent them to the prefecture-level chambers, and finally to the county-level chambers. Due to the numerous layers of administration, it could take up to a year for funds to reach even the most remote counties in the Great Han Empire. As a result, the amount allocated at once was sufficient for three years of expenses.

Additionally, the escort of these funds was entrusted to the military department, completely severing any connection between them and local government offices. Being unrelated to local authorities meant that chambers of commerce could ignore them entirely and operate as independent entities.

Like the previous point, this news was bad news for the wealthy and ultra-wealthy families, but good news for small merchants. Together, these two factors were like a giant axe that shattered the dreams that the wealthy families had cherished for half a year. Even Emperor Qianwei wouldn’t dare to do such a thing without offering any benefits. After all, when combined, these wealthy families could exert as much destructive power as a popular uprising, perhaps even more. Although the Tianwei Pavilion could suppress such uprisings, doing so would surely severely weaken the Great Han Empire’s strength.

The benefits offered by Emperor Qianwei were privileges comparable to those of renowned scholars and warriors. In the Great Han Empire, merchants held a very low status. Although wealthy families, thanks to their wealth, ranked just below officials, they were still considered inferior in the eyes of scholars and warriors, even lower than ordinary people.

Along with the regulations for chambers of commerce, another law was introduced allowing merchants to purchase honorary titles such as county merchant, prefecture merchant, county-level renowned merchant, and prefecture-level renowned merchant. Unlike in the past, when one would spend 100–180 taels of silver to obtain the title of “yuanwai,” which only gave a slightly better title with no real benefits, these honorary titles came with substantial privileges. A county merchant had to pay 1,000 taels of silver per year, exempting them from kneeling before county officials and their subordinates, lifting the ban on their descendants serving in government, and reducing all penalties except for crimes like treason. A prefecture merchant paid 10,000 taels per year, while a county-level renowned merchant paid 100,000 taels per year, with corresponding increases in privileges. As long as they were willing to spend millions of taels of silver annually to support the imperial court, the privileges of a prefecture-level renowned merchant were on par with those of renowned scholars and warriors.

Although the amounts required were somewhat high, they were an irresistible temptation for many wealthy families. For example, Lin Dong, despite being a warrior, decided to purchase the title of county-level renowned merchant, which required an annual donation of 100,000 taels of silver, after studying the privileges associated with such titles.

In comparison, the privileges of warriors far exceed those of county merchants, yet the business-related advantages of county merchants are beyond the reach of warriors. Spending 100,000 taels of silver per year to acquire a residence or estate slightly smaller in size than the county government office was entirely worthwhile for Lin Dong. With just a little extra money to have bamboo poles installed on the roofs of both the residence and the government office, Lin’s Inn could easily build four or five stories high. Moreover, county merchants enjoyed certain tax reductions and other privileges. If not for financial constraints, Lin Dong would definitely have acquired the title of a prominent merchant.

There was no rule prohibiting warriors from also holding the status of merchants, which meant Lin Dong could even beat officials openly without facing anything but heavy fines as consequences. Though these privileges might seem insignificant, they held great deterrent power over officials, ensuring that Lin’s Inn’s business would not suffer from government pressure.

By benefiting small merchants while appeasing larger businesses, and by curbing collusion between officials and merchants, coupled with the fact that although guilds had considerable autonomy, their operating costs were under the control of the imperial court, Lin Dong had witnessed Emperor Qianwei’s tactics. Although he couldn’t determine whether the existence of guilds would ultimately be more beneficial or harmful to the Great Han Nation, he was certain it was a good thing in the short term.

Of course, this “good thing” applied only to ordinary people and small merchants. With guilds in the hands of small merchants, prices of various goods would undoubtedly remain moderate, rather than seeing sudden sharp drops in prices as large merchants tried to boost sales, only to raise prices further despite public resentment after crushing smaller competitors.

Additionally, allowing small merchants’ goods to circulate across counties not only increased their income but also promoted local specialties. Both directly benefited small merchants and indirectly benefited ordinary people—there were only advantages, no disadvantages.

While small merchants and ordinary people benefited, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for the larger businesses that operated legitimately. After all, as living standards improved, purchasing power would increase. Large merchants might earn less in the short term but could benefit in the long run. However, for those who relied on collusion with officials, it was another story—they made their money by exploiting and oppressing ordinary people and small merchants, rather than through legitimate profits and business practices.

The development of Lin Ji Inn was not built on exploiting the common people, but it also didn’t rely solely on normal profits. Otherwise, Lin Ji Inn wouldn’t have been able to grow from a small inn into a giant in such a short time. High profits were the key to its rapid expansion. What troubled Lin Dong was that once a merchants’ association was established, the owners of small restaurants and taverns would demand lower profits. This possibility was quite high. The customers of large restaurants were all from wealthy families, so lowering profits wouldn’t have much impact on these small establishments that served ordinary customers. On the contrary, large restaurants relied on their decorations, top chefs, and other advantages—all of which required substantial investment. If profits dropped, their physical strength might remain, but their soft assets like luxurious decorations would have to be reduced. As a result, some of those wealthy customers who favored large restaurants might turn to smaller ones. With Lin Ji Inn’s strength, it wasn’t afraid of failing to attract wealthy customers, but with lower profits, it would be difficult to raise enough funds for rapid expansion. Another issue was accommodation. Lin Ji Inn used low prices to attract customers, willing to make only a tiny profit per room as long as it remained profitable. If accommodation prices were fixed, the inn’s appeal would drop significantly. It could be said that, just like those corrupt merchants accustomed to colluding with officials, Lin Dong was extremely annoyed by the idea of a merchants’ association. The problem was that no matter how annoyed he was, there was nothing he could do. All the officials, civil and military, had suffered heavy losses and had no power to resist. Even if Lin Dong and the wealthy families united, if Emperor Qian Wei was determined to establish himself as a wise ruler, he might even use the Tian Wei Pavilion’s forces to suppress them completely and start over. Although this could cause severe upheaval throughout the Great Han Empire, it might also usher in a new era. The only thing Lin Dong could do was rack his brains to minimize the impact of the merchants’ association on the inn. In the backyard, as Lin Dong was deep in thought, Ma Chun rushed back again. “Owner, big news! Lord Li sent someone to inform us that Fu Tongshan has been promoted to Deputy Minister of Personnel. As for the new prefect, the Ministry of Personnel hasn’t appointed anyone yet; Lord Li is temporarily handling government affairs.” Lin Dong’s already furrowed brows deepened even more, causing Yun Lan, who was watching, to feel great concern.

Although the importance of the government offices to merchants would decline significantly after the establishment of the chamber of commerce, they would still have a considerable impact on matters such as taxation and public order. Initially, according to Lin Dong’s estimate, Fu Tongshan, having followed Emperor Qianwei to victory, would surely rise rapidly and regain his position at the top of the court within a year or two. The new prefect would likely be Li Jiancheng, who was currently serving as an assistant prefect.

Unexpectedly, he had guessed the beginning but not the end. Although Fu Tongshan was only promoted to vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, it was only due to the fact that a fifth-rank prefect position couldn’t be mentioned too soon; a promotion every three to five months was almost certain. After all, Emperor Qianwei couldn’t possibly alienate his meritorious subjects.

Yet, it wasn’t Li Jiancheng who succeeded to the position.

Logically, whether in terms of qualifications or because Li Jiancheng’s faction, the Outer Idle Party, was among the first to support Emperor Qianwei, he should have been the obvious choice for the new prefect.

Could it be…

Lin Dong suddenly raised his head and asked, “How much time is left for the performance assessment?”

“About one and a half months,” Ma Chun replied. “It usually takes half a month to a month after the imperial examinations end.”

Lin Dong scratched his head, beginning to understand.

The reason Li Jiancheng hadn’t been promoted to prefect of Qiufeng Prefecture was likely related to the recent upheaval involving the princes. Even if Emperor Qianwei felt he didn’t have many years left to live, to ensure stability in the Great Han State after his death, the heir had to be chosen from these princes. But since they dared to defy Emperor Qianwei, whether through the emperor’s authority and political tactics or as a father’s anger and dissatisfaction, he had to discipline them.

The best way to discipline them was undoubtedly to put pressure on them.

For the princes, the greatest pressure came from having too many brothers. According to the rules of the Great Han State, once princes reached the age of sixteen and passed the assessments, they would serve as generals in wartime or as local officials in peacetime.

Lin Dong was almost certain that all the prefect positions vacated recently due to illness, accidents, or other emergencies in the Great Han State would remain vacant for now, so as to reserve positions for the newly adult princes.

“Ma Chun, can you find out how many princes have reached adulthood this year?” Lin Dong asked.

“Does the boss think that since Lord Li didn’t take over as prefect, the court plans to appoint a prince instead?” Ma Chun was surprised.

“It depends on how many newly adult princes there are,” Lin Dong replied calmly.

Ma Chun smiled bitterly. “In a place like Autumn Wind City, it’s probably hard to find out such things. Sending someone to the capital might work, but it would take months to go and back. The princes also go through assessments just like the imperial exams, so by the time they arrive in the capital, the news will likely have already spread.”
Lin Dong had no choice but to wait. If a prince were really sent here, things would get interesting.
Not to mention anything else, just the rapid development and various advantages of the inn would greatly increase the chances of it attracting the royal family’s attention. Moreover, the princes sent would, apart from seeking political achievements, mostly try to build their own power bases, and money is absolutely essential for that.
To get money, they would naturally turn to wealthy families. Given Lin’s Inn’s status in Autumn Wind City, it was almost certain that such a prince would take an interest in it and try to force him to give away a significant share through threats or inducements.
For anyone else, establishing a connection with a prince and giving up a share in exchange for his support in ascending to power would be a highly worthwhile deal. Even if they didn’t reach the highest positions, being granted the title of prince would still bring considerable benefits in the future. In short, although this seemingly irresistible deal might result in losses, it could also bring great future gains.
For Lin Dong, however, it was a different story. He would never give away shares of Lin’s Inn to anyone. Not to mention several percent, even one percent, he believed, would be worth more than all the gold and silver in the world in the future.
This meant he would inevitably end up at odds with the prince. No matter how he calculated it, it was a loss with no gains.
Fortunately, although many princes would be sent this year, with the imperial court’s allies losing power, many prefects would also be removed from their positions, so the chances of a prince being assigned to Autumn Wind City were low.
There was nothing he could do but wait for the outcome.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Dong ordered, “Find a way to talk to Li Jiancheng. Ask if he can help us get in touch with his acquaintances in the capital through the postal stations. If he can provide us with information about the time of the merchant association meeting and the new prefect of Autumn Wind City, I’ll give him a spiritual sword of rank four or higher.”
“Hmm, shall I go see him now?” Ma Chun asked.
“Go! Bring the spiritual sword first, and bring a few more!” Lin Dong instructed. “If Li Jiancheng thinks it’s not enough, give him all of them.”
“Okay!” Although Ma Chun didn’t believe Li Jiancheng would refuse a spiritual sword of rank four, he didn’t say much and headed straight to his room.
“There’s still time to wait.”
Lin Dong smiled bitterly and stretched. The merchant association was already a headache, and now it seemed Autumn Wind City might even get a prince…