The most romantic little emperor

Zhu Yongkang's throat was smoking from talking so much. He picked up the tea on the table, drank it all, and continued to talk: "This world is waiting for us to change! It will be changed by me, by you, and by all of us present here! This is the real reason why you all gathered here!"

"This is also the reason why I chose to do business instead of being a young master of the Duke's Mansion, risking being beaten by my father."

"Moreover, I have never felt that businessmen are inferior to others, because I have a dream to change the value of material itself and to improve and change the status of businessmen."

"I want to lead by example and redefine the nobility of the entire world. I want to let those officials in the court and the aristocratic families who claim to be nobles see that we businessmen are no worse than them. We can also change the world. We can also be nobles."

"Give some applause if you understand!"

Zhu Yongkang raised the auction hammer high and slammed it down. The crisp sound of the hammer, like the verdict of fate, echoed in the spacious conference hall.

Immediately, thunderous applause swept in like a tide, each applause contained passion and respect, they intertwined together to form an unstoppable force, as if to overturn the roof of this magnificent hall.

In the end, everyone present stood up from their seats, with strange lights flashing in their eyes.

Zhu Yongkang's words were full of gems, striking deep into their hearts and making them all feel the shock and resonance from the bottom of their hearts.

Because since ancient times, all dynasties have followed the class stratification of "scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans", dividing people into different levels.

Those high-ranking officials who hold a high opinion of themselves feel that they are superior to others and that the important task of governing the country and the world belongs to them. It is an innate sense of mission and superiority.

The status of merchants always seemed inferior in the eyes of the literati. Even the farmers who worked diligently on the land were nobler than them in the eyes of the literati.

Even though they have a huge fortune, they still cannot get recognition from the upper class, let alone integrate into it.

In the eyes of the world, they are often labeled as "money-grubbing and dishonest businessmen", as if wealth has become the original sin, and all their kindness and contributions to the country as a whole are ignored.

But now Zhu Yongkang's words gave them a great sense of identity and classified them as among the nobles who could change the world.

Let them realize that what they carry is not just the accumulation of wealth, but also an important force to promote social progress and national prosperity.

Looking at the guests in the audience who were clapping so excitedly that their palms turned red and painful but they still refused to let go, Zhu Yongkang felt very satisfied.

In the private room on the second floor, Dong Sicheng gently waved the feather fan in his hand, with a playful look in his eyes, and teased Zhu Gui beside him: "Old Zhu, Yongkang's words are quite rebellious! If some of the censors in the court heard it, I'm afraid it would be reported to the court, and it would inevitably cause a verbal dispute."

Zhu Gui laughed and waved his hands, saying, "Old Dong, you worry too much. My son is just a mouthpiece. How can he be so bold as to speak nonsense without authorization? In my opinion, if it weren't for the instruction of His Majesty, would he dare to speak nonsense here?"

Xie An intervened in the conversation between the two at the right time and laughed out loud, "That's right. Perhaps this is a brilliant move by your majesty who has made a long-term plan."

"Your Majesty once said that between heaven and earth, all beings are equal, regardless of high or low status. He emphasized that although merchants do not engage in production, they have created huge wealth with extraordinary wisdom and unremitting efforts. They not only pay a large amount of taxes to the country, but also solve the livelihood problems of countless people in difficult situations and without support, and promote the progress of the country."

“Your Majesty believes that only by fundamentally recognizing and improving the status of businessmen can their unlimited potential be stimulated and the country’s economy be more prosperous.”

Shi Minghan also echoed, "That's right. His Majesty once said that commercial prosperity is the cornerstone of a country's prosperity. He predicted that in the years to come, businessmen will not only be creators of wealth, but will also be an indispensable force in the country's development blueprint and play an important role. Let us, the officials, protect them well."

As Xie An and Shi Minghan finished this meaningful conversation, the room was suddenly shrouded in a solemn and profound atmosphere, and everyone fell into deep thought.

At this time, in another elegant private room not far away, the lights were dim, reflecting Qin Yun's face full of joy.

He lowered his voice and excitedly said to Qin Hao beside him: "Brother, it seems that you brought me and my second brother to the right place tonight. We can encounter such a unique and interesting thing. This is much more interesting than visiting a brothel."

"Eighth Brother, what are you thinking about? Everything can be linked to brothels. You don't feel ashamed, but your second brother and I do." Qin Hao smiled and teased softly.

Qin Feng's brows flashed with deep thought. He gently stroked the rim of the cup and suddenly asked, "Royal brother, what Brother Zhu said just now was probably instructed by you, right? Are you trying to take this opportunity to improve the status of merchants?"

"This is undoubtedly contrary to the traditional policy of governing the country by emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce. I am afraid it will cause quite a stir in the court, and criticism from the ministers will be hard to avoid."

Qin Hao shook his head slightly, and did not answer him directly. Instead, he asked in a thought-provoking tone: "Second brother, have you ever thought about why the peasants and common people rebelled in all dynasties? What is the real root cause?"

Qin Feng thought for a moment and replied in a deep voice: "It is because the court is incompetent and tyrannical that the officials force the people to rebel, so the people have no choice but to rebel."

Qin Hao smiled faintly when he heard this. That smile seemed to contain wisdom that was as clear as a fire in the world: "What you said, my second brother, only touched the tip of the iceberg."

"The underlying reason is that people's livelihood is difficult, they can't get enough food, their survival is cut off, and facing the shadow of death, they have no choice but to fight for their lives and seek a glimmer of hope."

"Just imagine, if all people in the world have enough food to eat and live and work in peace, who would be willing to abandon their homes and careers and risk death to rebel?"

"So, now comes the core question. What should the court do to ensure that the people have food to eat?"

Qin Yun couldn't help but interrupt when he heard this, with a somewhat straightforward and puzzled tone: "Give them land and appropriately reduce some taxes, isn't that enough?"