I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1005 Spreading Eyes and Ears Widely, Planting Claws and Teeth Deep

The difficulty of overcoming the final obstacle and the ambition for immortality are twins that coexist.

The difficulty of overcoming adversity is not limited to monarchs; it also applies to officials. Wang Jian, the nephew of Wang Chonggu, Wang Zhuan, Zhang Juzheng's top henchman, and Ling Yunyi's betrayal by his own clan all faced similar difficulties in overcoming adversity.

The reason why Zhang Juzheng was so eager to hand over the Quanchu Guild Hall to Shen Shixing, and even went so far as to purge his own faction, was based on this concern. He wanted to get these things done while he still had the energy, rather than leaving them to Shen Shixing, who would come later.

Shen Shixing couldn't handle it either.

While the Ming Dynasty mocked Felipe for getting old and starting to act recklessly, this calamity would also fall fairly upon the emperor and ministers of the Ming Dynasty. No one could escape it.

As people age, their physical strength declines and their energy wanes. Those below them then begin to harbor all sorts of ulterior motives, leading to mutual distrust and a spiral of escalation. As a result, overcoming the final hurdle becomes an intractable problem.

The Taoist priest wanted to use the transcendent power of cultivating immortality to intimidate the court officials and ambitious individuals. Obviously, he failed, as most people did not believe that the Taoist priest could really become an immortal.

The Imperial Guard acted very quickly; within nine days of the imperial examination, they had thoroughly investigated all the issues before and after.

"The problem now is that Vice Minister Ling has resigned out of shame and recommended you, Junior Minister of the Imperial Clan, to be his successor," Shen Shixing said with a furrowed brow.

The investigation by the Imperial Guards has not yet been fully disclosed and is currently still within the Imperial Guards' office; His Majesty has not yet handed it over to the relevant authorities.

Ling Yunyi had no choice but to resign. If he didn't, His Majesty wouldn't be able to handle the case openly. No matter what, His Majesty had to give Ling Yunyi face. Only if Ling Yunyi resigned could the case continue to move forward. However, his resignation would once again disrupt the stable situation in the court.

Zhang Juzheng's faction was powerful and deeply entrenched, leaving the court officials speechless. The Ming Dynasty's supervisory and corrective forces were ineffective against Zhang Juzheng's faction. If Ling Yunyi, this ruthless star, were to leave, Zhang Juzheng would turn his blade inward and might even be attacked. Therefore, the court needed Ling Yunyi to remain in power.

This then becomes a matter of trade-offs.

The meticulous planning of a treacherous minister over several years is no match for the quick wit of a fool. Look at this fool's clever idea, which has put Ling Yunyi and Zhang Juzheng on the stage, unable to move.

"Me, become the second-in-command?" Gao Qiyu pointed to himself, chuckled, and shook his head, saying, "If I were to actually perform on stage, I'd be acting opposite you, Shen Shixing."

Gao Qiyu didn't think he could compete with Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng's lifelong rivals were Gao Gong, Wang Chonggu, and Ling Yunyi. Gao Qiyu didn't think he could play a role in restraining Zhang's faction.

First of all, Gao Qiyu did not have the strength of three thousand guest soldiers.

"So, let's wait for His Majesty, the Master, and the Second Grand Secretary to come up with a solution before we discuss anything further." Shen Shixing told Gao Qiyu all the inside information.

Gao Qiyu was fortunate to have found Shen Shixing; otherwise, even if he had asked others, they would not have been able to tell him the truth, because His Majesty had not made it public, and only a few wise men were qualified to know this information.

Shen Shixing and Gao Qiyu discussed for a while, but they couldn't come up with a solution. They both felt that the final outcome would probably be to cover it up. At least until Zhang Juzheng finished his large-scale internal purge, His Majesty would allow Ling Yunyi to retire, and only then could the Wanli 20th year Ren Chen imperial examination fraud case continue to move forward.

"A merchant came to the capital and came to me seeking redress, but I did not see him." After Shen Shixing finished discussing the imperial examination fraud case with Gao Qiyu, he brought up another matter: Sun Kehong had come to the capital with his son to plead guilty.

With Wang Zhuan gone, His Majesty has no intention of implicating others. After more than a decade of corruption amounting to less than 30,000 taels of silver a year, the court is not so idle as to impose such a system.

However, the fact that the emperor did not pursue the matter does not mean that Sun Kehong, the head of the Songjiang Ocean Merchants Association, could pretend that nothing had happened.

Even a scrap of paper falling from the imperial court is like a mountain pressing down on a merchant like Sun Kehong.

Sun Kehong found the Quanchu Guild Hall, only to find that it had been taken over by a different person. Upon seeing that it was his old acquaintance Shen Shixing, he immediately sent a visiting card, but the card seemed to have sunk without a trace, and there was no further news.

Shen Shixing said with some helplessness, "It's inconvenient for me to see him. A few days ago, I was reprimanded by His Majesty because of the banquet at the Quan Chu Guild Hall. If I see him now, it would be like walking into the cannon's mouth. But if I don't see him, no one in the capital will see him. Right now, he's like an ant on a hot pan, anxiously running around in circles."

Unfortunately, Shen Shixing was unavailable. He was hosting a lavish banquet during the New Year and was dealt a blow by Gao Qiyu, from which he has yet to recover.

Sun Kehong was widely regarded as a lackey of Zhang Xueliang's faction because Shen Shixing was the governor of Songjiang, and Sun Kehong had close ties with him.

Sun Kehong's matter is really not a big deal. If only someone could pass a word to Tonghe Palace, or even just mention it to His Majesty, His Majesty would know and the matter would be over. But even the wealthy Sun family could not do that.

"You mean you want me to pass on a message? I won't." Gao Qiyu understood Shen Shixing's request and immediately said, "They're all profit-driven people; I don't want to have anything to do with them."

“Sun Kehong also has the Suzhou-Songjiang merchant group behind him, so I will definitely not meet him.”

Gao Qiyu was already being very polite; as a scholar-official, he didn't have a friendly attitude towards these merchants.

Merchants are driven by profit and often resort to any means necessary. Gao Qiyu was very familiar with the triangular trade, so this discrimination cannot be blamed on him. In those days, this was the general attitude of the literati.

Gao Qiyu especially avoided these wealthy merchants and tycoons who had business guilds behind them like the plague.

"Anyway, this matter exists. Whether you see it or not is up to you." Shen Shixing shook his head and said, "The forms and energy are constantly changing and evolving. The merchants of Songjiang Prefecture are becoming completely different. One day, Young Master Zongbo will have to face them. There's no way to avoid it."

Shen Shixing went to Songjiang to serve as governor, and the merchants were undergoing a frightening transformation under the stimulation of the commodity economy.

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details." Gao Qiyu asked Shen Shixing with a solemn expression why he said that. The transformation of form and energy means that their appearance and essence are undergoing a dramatic change, so dramatic that the court has no choice but to face it.

Shen Shixing thought for a moment before recounting what he had seen.

"All things under the frosty sky compete freely. Songjiang Prefecture has completed the transformation of its commodity economy, with both good and bad aspects. It has been at the forefront of the Ming Dynasty, and even its merchants have followed suit."

"In the beginning, the market was in a state of free competition. At that time, everything was thriving. Merchants held silver and even participated in the production of workshops themselves."

In the first stage of free competition, consumers can buy all kinds of high-quality and low-priced goods and even appreciate the beauty of life. In order to maintain the market's high demand and compete for market share, workshop owners have to give up some of their profits to the market and artisans.

This stage is the most exciting time, and both the imperial court and the people warmly welcome this competition.

But free competition soon enters the second stage: an endless price war. This price war squeezes the price of goods to the edge of cost. Workshops try their best but can't make money and instead lose money. For ordinary people, the direct experience is that there are endless, dazzling products, and they are cheap.

This endless price war is a frenzied farce before the market completely collapses, but at this point, no one can stop it.

"Costs are getting higher and higher because we need to give craftsmen enough concessions in order to motivate them. With generous rewards, craftsmen often disregard production rules and start to increase production. Meanwhile, prices in the market are pushing each other down, and profits are getting thinner and thinner."

"Young Master, what do you think will happen in this situation?" Shen Shixing asked, taking a sip of tea.

Gao Qiyu frowned and said, "Squeezed between high costs and meager profits, and with prices getting lower and lower, the market is ruthless. The larger the scale, the higher the ability to withstand risks. Small and medium-sized workshops will slowly disappear because they cannot afford this kind of risk."

Shen Shixing nodded, sighed, and said, "That's right. We watched as tall buildings were built and grand banquets were held, only for the buildings to collapse. I've personally witnessed a building collapse once."

Shen Shixing was referring to the cotton textile business. In the early days of the Ming Dynasty's opening of the sea trade, a large number of cotton textile workshops sprang up in Songjiang Prefecture like mushrooms after rain, and everything was so vibrant. However, just ten years later, the price of cotton cloth began to decline continuously, and at its lowest point, the price was even lower than the cost price.

Many small and medium-sized workshops collapsed in the tide of this price frenzy, while the largest and most resilient workshops had the last laugh.

The imperial court hoped that higher production efficiency, more improvements in production techniques, and lower costs would lead to victory in free competition.

But in reality, the side that exploits its employees more ruthlessly, treats people less humanely, offers lower prices, and has more capital ultimately wins the free competition.

Sun Kehong is the victor; he appears to have won, but he is merely a survivor.

Shen Shixing looked at Gao Qiyu and said seriously, "Mergers in the business world are more brutal and ruthless than land mergers. If it weren't for the sudden arrival of the Pan-Pacific Business Alliance, which gave these small and medium-sized workshops a breather and some hope, and made their land, craftsmen, and tools more valuable, their exit would have been even more bleak."

"The establishment of the Pan-Pacific Business Alliance will benefit millions of families."

The Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance was not a farce to please the emperor or satisfy his imperial ambitions, but rather a real, albeit somewhat shaky, market that had a profound impact on the Ming Dynasty. Even Gao Qiyu himself did not realize the significance of this.

"I only wanted to become the Minister of Rites." After thinking it over, Gao Qiyu still refused to take credit. His idea was simple: to make progress.

Gao Qiyu asked with some doubt: "If the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance is not established, small and medium-sized workshops will go bankrupt; if it is established, they will still withdraw from the market. Wouldn't the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance have been established in vain?"

In the blink of an eye, Gao Qiyu did not become arrogant or complacent. Instead, he felt a deep sense of worry, fearing that he might have done something wrong in his pursuit of advancement.

Shen Shixing shook his head and said, "Because the upcoming surge will be too much for these small workshop owners to handle. The iron horses are coming. One Shengping No. 9 iron horse is equivalent to three hundred weavers working day and night."

"Iron horses are very expensive, costing twenty silver coins per horse. The business opportunities brought by the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance only allow small and medium-sized workshops to fetch a good price in this wave of mergers and acquisitions. They no longer have the resources to make larger-scale investments."

"Faced with even more powerful large workshops and merchant guilds, they have no choice but to surrender. If they surrender now, they can still get a good price. If they resist to the bitter end, they will lose everything."

Higher production efficiency makes it easier for these well-capitalized workshops to win, because they can continue to invest, improve efficiency, reduce costs, lower prices, force the weaker ones out of the market, and squeeze everyone out of the cotton spinning industry.

"Isn't this just land annexation?" Gao Qiyu was slightly bewildered. He even scratched his head somewhat in a daze. What happened in land annexation seemed to be happening again in the cotton textile industry, although the process was more complicated, and the imperial court was still powerless to do anything about it.

"Therefore, the merchant groups that are forming in the Ming Dynasty, these wealthy merchants and magnates, are gradually replacing the local gentry and even powerful and influential people. The cotton textile industry in Songjiang Prefecture has gradually become a monopoly. One day, the Junior Minister will have to deal with them, instead of avoiding them like this." Shen Shixing stopped here.

The first stage was free competition, the second stage was an endless price war, and in the third stage, small and medium-sized workshops gradually exited the market. A behemoth relying on merchant guilds had already taken shape.

Songjiang Mansion is currently in its fourth stage. This behemoth has begun to emerge, demonstrating its terrifying, almost omnipotent influence on the market.

Gao Qiyu had never served as governor of Songjiang Prefecture. Shen Shixing stopped there, as Gao Qiyu couldn't truly empathize with what Shen Shixing was saying. This behemoth, which had barely survived the brutal price war, practically controlled the entire market. Almost all cotton markets were under its control—this was market concentration.

This behemoth exhibited several characteristics:
First, it is not subject to human will. Even Sun Kehong is a slave to this will, not its master. The court is also hesitant to act rashly, as destroying this behemoth would be tantamount to destroying the industry and the livelihoods of the artisans.
Second: It does not tolerate provocation. It does not allow the existence of the same creature in this market. It will show its cruelty to any newcomers or small and medium-sized workshops. It does not allow newcomers to appear, nor does it allow small and medium-sized workshops to survive.

Third: It will expand without limit, annex and devour small and medium-sized workshops, expand its scale without limit, and enslave more people to resist possible crises - strangulation from the imperial court.

Fourth: Its fundamental nature is profit-seeking. Once it occupies the market, it will not provide a market with high-quality and low-priced goods, but will price everything. Specifically, it will supply goods with extremely high prices but poor quality.

When Shen Shixing was in Songjiang Prefecture, he was unable to see all the characteristics of this behemoth. He only saw these four characteristics because at that time, this behemoth was still underwater in the Ming Dynasty.

Even large, well-funded workshops have not yet achieved final victory. There are still a large number of small workshops and even small workshops run by individual farmers. Furthermore, due to the establishment of the Pan-Pacific Business Alliance, the previously completed market concentration is also becoming more fragmented.

At this point, this behemoth should have used its overwhelming scale and cost advantages to launch a comprehensive merger of these small and medium-sized workshops. Suddenly, the Pan-Pacific Business Alliance arrived, causing this behemoth to dive underwater again and wait for the right opportunity.

It had only completed market concentration and controlled the vast majority of cotton textile outlets, but had not yet completed production concentration (mergers) or capital concentration (merchant guilds). This behemoth had not yet revealed its full extent.

Even though he had only seen a glimpse of it, Shen Shixing was still very wary of this behemoth.

Shen Shixing had a sense of déjà vu about this behemoth. He always felt that this thing was not new, and it had a kind of familiarity that made him feel like he was in another world. After Shen Shixing returned to the capital, he realized that this familiarity was not fake. It had appeared before, and it was even larger.

As early as the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties, government-run wineries already existed.

People in the Ming Dynasty were like that; when they were confused, they always hoped to find answers in history, and Shen Shixing actually found them.

The state-run wineries of the Song Dynasty had a profound influence. Anyone who wanted to brew wine had to buy yeast from the official wineries. These small shops that bought yeast from the wineries were called "foot shops." Foot shops sold wine but not stir-fried dishes; they mostly sold braised dishes and cold meals, while the official wineries provided hot dishes and stir-fries.

The painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" distinguishes between main shops and foot shops.

The state-run wine industry in the Song Dynasty had developed to the point where it was no longer subject to the government's decrees. All the vested interests did their best to prevent any changes to the system, and the Song courts of both the Northern and Southern Dynasties were powerless to stop this behemoth.

Because this behemoth, in its final development, was no longer just a tavern. It included grain merchants, brewing shops and inns, prostitutes selling wine, gambling dens operating around the tavern, and so on. A single move could affect the whole system. In the end, this behemoth disappeared into the long river of history with the fall of the Song Dynasty and the sinking of China.

Now, with the rapid development of the commodity economy in Songjiang Prefecture, this behemoth is slowly emerging again.

Not only cotton spinning, timber, tung oil, shipbuilding, grain and oil, but also other industries are developing in this direction.

Gao Qiyu returned home and rested for a while. He found Sun Kehong in the visiting card and invited him to meet. Sun Kehong originally planned to host a banquet at Taibai Tower, but Gao Qiyu called Sun Kehong to his residence instead of Taibai Tower.

"There's no need for a banquet. I'll leave the others to Minister Shen's introduction." After Sun Kehong greeted him, Gao Qiyu gestured for him to sit down and talk. Gao Qiyu wasn't too arrogant; instead, he chatted with Sun Kehong about cotton spinning.

Shen Shixing is a kind and gentle man, but his abilities are undeniable. Gao Qiyu is naturally also wary of the things that make Shen Shixing so fearful.

"The matter of Wang Zhuan is something that you, sir, are doing during the purge of the party. It has nothing to do with Mr. Sun. Mr. Sun need not worry too much. I will also mention this matter when I go to the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace to meet with the Emperor tomorrow." Gao Qiyu gave a clear reply.

Sun Kehong, whose temples were already gray, sighed and said, "To be honest, I came to the capital with the mindset of either succeeding or dying for my country. If I don't get protection, I might really lose control of the Songjiang Ocean Trading Company."

"I am a ruthless person by nature, and with the Emperor's favor, these wealthy merchants dare not do anything to me. But once I lose the Emperor's favor, I'm afraid I will be torn to pieces once I leave the capital."

Sun Kehong was genuinely frightened this time. Once the emperor withdrew his favor, he and his family would be completely finished. Even without His Majesty's personal intervention, the merchant guild would become even more ruthless and predatory.

"His Majesty hasn't stripped you of your ninth-rank merchant position, so there's no need to worry," Gao Qiyu said with a smile. He also had a new understanding of the behemoth that Shen Shixing had mentioned. This thing really needed His Majesty to keep it in check.

In the present day, there is truly no government office in the entire Ming Dynasty that can control this thing.

It was imperative to stay in Songjiang Prefecture.

After Sun Kehong left, Gao Qiyu went to Tonghe Palace to meet the emperor. He waited in Xihua Hall because His Majesty was meeting with Xu Chengchu, the anti-corruption censor of the Ming Dynasty's Anti-Corruption Bureau. His Majesty's furious voice came from the Imperial Study to Xihua Hall, which startled Gao Qiyu.

"133 million taels of silver! He, a mere prefect of Cizhou in Zhangde Prefecture, embezzled a full 133 million taels in just seven years! That's four Wang Zhuan's!" Zhu Yijun stood in front of the imperial desk, pacing back and forth. Wang Zhuan had amassed more than 300,000 taels of silver in a dozen years, while this prefect of Cixian, Chen Lizhen, had amassed 133 million taels in just seven years—enough to fill two imperial mausoleums of the late emperors and still have some left over!

Xu Chengchu said in a low voice, "There are coalfields in Cizhou. He collected money from these landowners, which is why he collected so much money."

The source of corruption is very simple: coal, firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. Of the seven necessities of life, firewood comes first.

Since the development of mining technology in the Ming Dynasty, coal has been mined everywhere, replacing firewood. In the past, people cut down entire mountains bare for firewood. Now, coal is durable, burns steadily, and is not expensive.

The money that Chen Lizhen, the prefect of Cixian County, amassed all came from the coalfield. He did not accept bribes; instead, he had his younger brother personally manage the coalfield.

Coal mining inevitably leads to accidents, but Chen Lizhen covered them up. In just seven years, more than a thousand people died in the mine. Finally, the truth could no longer be concealed and was discovered by the imperial inspector.

However, Chen Lizhen was a member of Zhang Juzheng's faction. Although he was not a direct subordinate, the imperial inspector dared not report him and kept suppressing the matter. This time, when Zhang Juzheng launched a large-scale purge of his faction, the imperial inspector saw that Zhang Juzheng had even purged Wang Zhuan and knew that Zhang Juzheng was serious. So he impeached Chen Lizhen.

"He even started a coal gang! Does he deserve to be an official of the court?!" Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial in his hand, and was furious.

Besides the coalfields, the biggest source of this 133 million taels of silver came from the coal gangs in the city. In those days, bandits outside the city and local bullies inside the city all had the blood of ordinary people on their hands.

As the prefect, Chen Lizhen was the local official in Cizhou, a benevolent and upright official. He personally supported the coal gangs, causing chaos and unrest in his jurisdiction.

"Send him to the capital for rigorous interrogation. Send a decree to Henan to strictly supervise this case. All his accomplices must be rounded up to restore peace to the people!" Zhu Yijun issued a stern decree. This was 133 million taels of silver, no small sum.

Xu Chengchu hesitated for a moment and said, "I have discovered that Zhangde Prefecture in Henan is not entirely clean either. There is a suspicion that this 133 million taels of silver may have been used to balance accounts."

As a seasoned official with extensive experience in fighting corruption, even with coalfields and coal gangs, a prefect in seven years could only earn a maximum of 500,000 taels of silver. This enormous sum of 133 million taels of silver seems too much like a simple accounting.

As he handled more and more cases, he gradually developed a sense of how much a county magistrate had embezzled and how many scapegoats he had taken the blame for, and he could guess roughly just by looking at the numbers.

It was all Chen Lizhen's doing, it's all his fault! How could he have such great ability to do so many things?
Xu Chengchu had been fighting corruption alongside Hai Rui for many years. He believed that the higher one's official rank, the greater one's power, and that it was all Chen Lizhen's doing. Xu Chengchu thought it was impossible.

Clearly, such a large number of prefects are probably taking the blame for the entire Zhangde Prefecture.

However, if the investigation continues, it might lead back to Zhang Juzheng. Therefore, Xu Chengchu needs to ask His Majesty for a decision: whether to continue the investigation or stop here to prevent further impact.

The fight against corruption should not be so intense that it makes everyone an enemy; it should be a continuous effort. The Anti-Corruption Division's responsibility is to strictly curb the scale of corruption and ensure the efficient operation of the bureaucracy.

Corruption is rampant, and administrative efficiency is zero, but it is not allowed at all, so many things cannot be accomplished.

"Minister Xu, please supervise this case carefully. If it crosses the line, then deal with it together." Zhu Yijun understood why Xu Chengchu had come. He had drawn a line: if it crossed the line, then investigate and deal with it together; if it didn't cross the line, then there was no need to pursue it too much.

Fifty thousand taels of silver is the threshold that triggers the Anti-Corruption Bureau's anti-corruption efforts; any more and you'll be in for a chat with the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

After Xu Chengchu took his leave, Gao Qiyu went to see His Majesty the Emperor.

Zhu Yijun had Feng Bao recount the entire story of Ling Yunyi's calligraphy scroll. Although Gao Qiyu had already learned some details from Shen Shixing, Feng Bao provided even more information.

This includes how the steward of the Ling family was bribed, and how the Ling family of Taicang deleted Ling Yunyi's family tree and then turned around to lick his boots.

For the sake of a Jinshi degree, the Ling family of Taicang spent a full 70,000 taels of silver, but Steward Ling only took 200 taels. The real money was taken by Ling Yunyi's youngest son, which is the difficult part of this matter.

Ling Yunyi couldn't explain it at all, so he could only retire and live in seclusion.

Ling Yunyi's son sold his father's life's glory for 70,000 taels of silver.

This made Gao Qiyu somewhat emotional. Back then, Yan Song was considered invincible, but Yan Shifan's extortion of bribes from the Prince Yu's mansion ruined everything.

"This case will be shelved for a year. Vice Minister Ling will retire next year, and he has already recommended you for the position. You should be prepared." Zhu Yijun did not hide the fact that Ling Yunyi had recommended him. Too many people were eyeing the position of Vice Minister.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Gao Qiyu didn't feel much about this position of second assistant minister. He was already very satisfied with being the Minister of Rites, but no one would complain about having a higher rank.

"Your Majesty, Sun Kehong came to the capital because of the Wang Zhuan case, and he even inquired about my situation. I felt it necessary to meet with him, so I asked him about his difficulties." Gao Qiyu reported on the imperial examination and then mentioned Sun Kehong's arrival in the capital.

"Tell me in detail," Zhu Yijun asked. Gao Qiyu disliked merchants, so since he had met them, he must have some ulterior motive.

Gao Qiyu bowed his head and said, “Observing the changes in the wealthy merchants, at first, there were hundreds of boats racing and the business was thriving; then, they competed fiercely and the profits were as thin as paper; finally, the majority were ruined and the giants monopolized the market. This trend of mergers and acquisitions is even more brutal than that of land.”

"Such a behemoth holds the lifeline of the market and manipulates the livelihoods of all trades. Its power is hard to contain and its desires are insatiable. If the court does not take action soon, and allows it to become deeply entrenched, it may become too powerful to control."

"I believe that we must take precautions. We should either establish clear rules to restrain its actions, or open up new trade routes to divide its power. Furthermore, we must spread our spies widely and plant our claws in the commercial ports of various provinces. We must not allow such a behemoth to remain outside the sight of the court and let its ambitions grow, eventually becoming a major threat."

Gao Qiyu was willing to meet Sun Kehong because he wanted to spread his spies and plant his own henchmen, and not allow this guy to destroy the commodity economy of the Ming Dynasty.

The key issue is that people are not the masters of this thing, but its slaves.

(End of this chapter)