Chen's face darkened slightly.The more he talked, the more outlandish it became.There's a top-tier veteran martial artist in the East, and that's not good news.It seemed that Li Chen wasn't pleased,...Chapter 1267 Donation

One sentence, for the sake of money, brought about the first literary inquisition in the history of the Qin Empire's founding.

It was because of this sentence that Shen Wansan, whose family had contributed immensely to the country, was exterminated, his entire clan destroyed, and his wealth confiscated. The legendary figure of the business world became a taboo subject, a story no one dared to speak.

And at this very moment, Su Jinpa used Shen Wansan's words to tell the wealthy men, and the meaning was profound.

Some found it naive, just taking the words at face value and, coupled with the previous flattery of the merchant, thought that this was an incredibly friendly gesture from the Crown Princess.

And those who can sit here are mostly centenarian turtles, each one's root can't be pulled out even by an eyelash, they are all hollow. So they all understood the warning behind Su Jinpa's words: think carefully, someone like Shen Wansan was ransacked and exterminated, you have even less right to resist or room to maneuver.

At this point, someone from the wealthy side had to respond to the Crown Princess's words.

This person, of course, must be Nangong Shuzhong.

"Your Majesty's words have touched our hearts deeply. We, as merchants, have always been labeled as greedy and profit-driven scoundrels, but with Your Majesty's reassurance, we feel content even in death."

Su Jinpa calmly said, "What this palace has said is merely the truth."

"His Highness has mentioned several times that he intends to propose at court to no longer forcibly restrict merchants from hiring servants, maids, or wearing silk, and to grant them the same treatment as ordinary people."

As soon as these words were spoken, the wealthy patrons behind Nangong Shouchong all became excited.

Although they each had dozens or even hundreds of servants at home, and loved to wear silk as they pleased, those ordinary peasant farmers wouldn't dare to fart in front of them. Even some local officials were friends with them, getting along like brothers.

All of the above, any one truly investigated, would be a crime.

And now nobody would really bother with these rules.

But if the imperial court proactively abolished these edicts, the significance would be extremely profound.

This means the court acknowledged the status of merchants.

This signifies that they are no longer considered inferior, but rather, in terms of law and justice, they now enjoy the same national treatment as ordinary citizens.

This will be great news that will make all merchants in the Qin Empire overjoyed.

While others were laughing, Nangong Shouchong couldn't bring himself to smile.

His true identity was not purely that of a businessman, so he did not care much about how businessmen were treated.

What he cared about more was Su Jinping and the Li Chen behind Su Jinping, his true intentions.

After a moment's thought, Nangong Shouchong quickly pondered countermeasures in his mind.

Now that Su Jinpa has offered such a huge benefit, there must inevitably be a return on the investment.

And the benefit is for all merchants, but the reward is destined to be reaped only by them.

Instead of letting Su Jinping speak first, Nangong Shouchong felt it was better to take a slight risk and seize the initiative.

Having made up his mind, Nangong Shouchong no longer hesitated. He immediately stood up and bowed, saying: "To Your Highness, the Crown Princess, your compassion towards us is truly a blessing for all merchants in the world. We merchants have nothing special to offer except a little wealth. I, as a commoner, am willing to donate one hundred thousand taels of silver to support the court."

After Nangong Shuzhong finished speaking, the other wealthy families couldn't help but curse inwardly that Old Man Nangong was indeed not a gentleman. Such a good opportunity to flatter was actually not shared with them.

A throng of wealthy donors, eager to contribute, were none the wiser about the perilous night that lay ahead.Chapter 1556: Negotiation