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Thirty years after establishing the dynasty, in the depths of winter.

Taiyuan.

The north wind swirled up snowflakes, sweeping across the remaining walls and streets of the ancient city of Jinyang.

This place, once the birthplace of the Tang Dynasty, is now an important hub on the northern trade routes of the empire. The city walls have been repaired, but they are far less grand than those of Luoyang and Chang'an; the streets are bustling, but they lack the dignified air of the heart of power.

In the west of the city, there was an ordinary-looking three-courtyard house with no plaque at the entrance, only two plain white lanterns swaying in the wind. The guards were all in plain clothes, vigilantly scanning the streets and alleys in the twilight.

Deep within the courtyard, the underground heating was burning brightly, providing warmth like spring. Inside the secret room, eight people sat around, all in their forties or fifties, dressed in luxurious yet understated attire, their jade pendants at their waists and thumb rings on their fingers all precious items.

The silence has lasted for a long time.

Finally, the man sitting at the east end put down his teacup and let out a very soft sigh.

"Gentlemen,"

His voice was deep and carried a Jiangnan accent: "With the end of the year approaching, it is truly unavoidable that I have invited you all to this bitterly cold place."

This man's surname was Shen, given name Shiyuan, he was about fifty years old, with a fair complexion and three long strands of beard. He was the head of the "Guangling Shen Clan".

The Shen family started with silk and controlled half of the textile industry in Jiangnan. Their businesses were spread throughout the southeast and even extended to Southeast Asia and Japan.

"Brother Shiyuan, you flatter me."

The person opposite him spoke, his voice booming like a bell, with thick hair and beard; he was Wei Zhengrong, born into the "Xiangyang Wei Clan".

The Wei family controlled the iron smelting and shipping industries in Hubei and Hunan provinces. Seventy percent of the scrap iron from the state-run mines was transported through the Wei family's fleet, and their relationships were extremely complex.

"Over the years, which family hasn't been holding their breath? It's just..."

He paused, then looked around at everyone: "Where can we vent this anger?"

Another silence followed.

Outside the secret chamber, the faint sound of a night watchman's clapper could be heard. Inside, the eight leaders, each lost in their own thoughts, exchanged glances before looking away.

These eight families were all newly wealthy after the establishment of the dynasty.

Their rise to power is a reflection of the empire's policies over the past thirty years: "emphasizing expansion, suppressing old clans, collecting commercial taxes, and controlling resources." Each family seized a particular opportunity—whether it was maritime trade, mining, or military supplies—to accumulate wealth at an astonishing pace, yet without exception, they were firmly kept outside the core of power.

The Shen family of Guangling were originally weavers in Suzhou Prefecture. Ten years after the founding of the dynasty, the imperial court relaxed restrictions on the private silk weaving industry in Jiangnan, but implemented a strict "license system." Shen Houfu, an ancestor of the Shen family, staked all his family property and signed a long-term supply contract with the government-run weaving bureau, becoming one of the first private weavers to obtain an "official license."

Over the next twenty years, the Shen family gradually acquired smaller businesses, improved their looms, and even imported high-quality dyes from Southeast Asia. Their "Yunjin" and "Songjin" brocades were comparable to the best produced by the government. Today, the Shen family owns more than 5,000 looms and employs over 10,000 workers. They hold 40% of the private share of the three major textile industries in Jiangnan. However, none of the Shen family members have served as officials in the imperial court for the past thirty years. The highest-ranking member only served as the tax commissioner of Hangzhou Prefecture, a ninth-rank official, and was transferred to a sinecure after three years.

The ancestors of the Wei family of Xiangyang were refugees at the end of the Sui Dynasty. In the early years of the founding of the dynasty, they made a living by collecting scrap iron along the Han River. In the eighth year of the founding of the dynasty, the court carried out a major renovation of the Xiangyang shipyard. Wei Laoshuan, the ancestor of the Wei family, was conscripted into the government-run shipyard because of his excellent skills in repairing old ships.

Later, the imperial court relaxed some shipping permits, and Wei Zhengrong, the son of Wei Laoshuan, seized the opportunity to rise to prominence, specializing in the transportation of iron materials from the Han River to the Yangtze River. At that time, the empire was undertaking a major infrastructure construction project in the "civilized areas," and the demand for iron materials surged. The Wei family's fleet grew from three barges to more than three hundred ships, monopolizing 70% of the civilian transportation share from the iron mines of Huguang to the ironworks of Jiangzhe. However, the highest rank Wei family members who joined the army was only a battalion commander in the Xiangyang city defense camp, a seventh-rank official, and they repeatedly failed the military examinations; civil officials were all commoners.

Chengdu Zhuo's mainly deals in Shu brocade and Sichuan medicine.

The Zhuo family were traditional medicine merchants in Sichuan. Fifteen years after the founding of the dynasty, the "Gewu Tiangong Academy" improved the gunpowder formula, requiring large quantities of sulfur and saltpeter from Sichuan. Zhuo Bingkun, the patriarch of the Zhuo family, with his keen business sense, used his family fortune to secure a special license for government procurement, becoming the designated supplier of sulfur and saltpeter in western Sichuan. Simultaneously, the Zhuo family reached a medicinal herb supply agreement with the Anxi Protectorate, exporting Sichuan's Coptis chinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong, and Fritillaria cirrhosa to the Western Regions, even accompanying caravans into the former Persian lands. Today, the Zhuo family owns half of Sichuan's medicinal herb fields, and their caravans travel year-round along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway and the Western Regions. However, the highest official position held by a member of the Zhuo family is that of a medical officer in Chengdu Prefecture, a rank of eighth grade.

The Liang family of Guangzhou was a maritime trading magnate. Their ancestor, Liang Guangda, was originally a dockworker in Guangzhou. Five years after the establishment of the dynasty, the empire organized its first official fleet to sail south to "explore the seas," and needed to recruit guides who knew the sea routes and were willing to risk their lives. Liang Guangda risked his life, sailing with the fleet to Southeast Asia, and returned with a ship full of spices and exotic animals after surviving many close calls.

For the next twenty years, the Liang family repeatedly participated in the empire's "maritime expansion" operations, assisting in surveying sea routes, suppressing pirates, and establishing trading posts. In the twenty-third year of the reign, Liang Hongsheng, the third generation of the Liang family, was granted the honorary title of "Deputy Lieutenant of the Pacification of the Seas," a sixth-rank official position, by the empire for presenting detailed nautical charts of the Strait of Malacca. This was the highest honor the Liang family had ever received, but it was the limit.

The Huo family of Taiyuan were originally grain merchants in the north. The Huo family ancestors were small landowners. In the early years of the founding of the dynasty, there was a severe drought in the north. The court promoted the "migration to the border areas". Huo Mancang, the ancestor of the Huo family, sold his property, recruited refugees, and reclaimed 3,000 mu of wasteland in Yunzhou.

For the next twenty years, the Huo family, acting as "official land reclamation agents," assisted the Ministry of Revenue in managing one million mu of farmland outside Yanmen Pass, handling over 500,000 shi of official grain annually. The Huo family had extremely strict rules: their descendants were forbidden from engaging in commerce (farming was not considered commerce), and were required to focus solely on the imperial examinations. Over thirty years, they produced eight successful candidates in the provincial examinations (juren) and three successful candidates in the metropolitan examinations (jinshi). The highest-ranking official reached the position of Director of the Shandong Provincial Department of Revenue, a sixth-rank official. However, after only three years in office, he was impeached by the Censorate for "unclear accounts," dismissed from office, and returned to his hometown, never to be reappointed. After this, no other member of the Huo family was able to pass the metropolitan examinations.

The Qin family of Jiangling primarily dealt in timber and construction. Their ancestor, Qin Sanmu, was originally a lumberjack in the old forests of Jingnan. Ten years after the founding of the dynasty, the imperial court undertook a massive construction project, expanding Luoyang, repairing the Pagoda for Sacrificing to Heaven, and building new palaces in the four capitals, requiring a vast quantity of massive timbers. Qin Sanmu ventured deep into the undeveloped primeval forests of Jingnan, discovering vast resources of Phoebe zhennan and Ironwood, which he then presented to the Ministry of Works.

Afterwards, the Qin family undertook government-mandated logging and construction for generations. The Qin family's craftsmanship can be found in the southern market of Luoyang, the wharf of Jinling New City, and some government offices in Suyab City, Anxi. However, the highest official position held by a member of the Qin family was that of Deputy Director of the Construction Department of the Ministry of Works, a rank of eighth grade.

The Sun family of Qingzhou were originally wealthy salt merchants. Their ancestor, Sun Chengzong, was merely a salt-making householder at the beginning of the dynasty. At that time, the empire reformed its salt administration, abolishing the hereditary system of salt-making households and adopting a "government-collected, merchant-transported, merchant-sold" model. Sun Chengzong purchased the first batch of salt permits and risked transporting Bohai sea salt to the salt-deficient Kaihua region of Liaodong. At that time, Liaodong experienced a surge in immigration, causing salt prices to skyrocket, and the Sun family became incredibly wealthy. Afterwards, the Sun family monopolized the sea salt supply in Liaodong, the Korean Peninsula, and even the islands of the East China Sea, owning a fleet of over a hundred private salt ships. However, the Sun family's ancestral precept was to never get involved in the imperial court; clan members only engaged in commerce, never seeking official positions, becoming incredibly wealthy without any official rank. The Ma family of Liangzhou mainly engaged in trade with the Western Regions and the supply of warhorses. Ma Dewang was originally a horse trader from Longyou. Twenty years after the establishment of the dynasty, the empire launched a western expedition, requiring a large number of warhorses. With keen insight, Ma Dewang ventured deep into the Mongolian steppe to acquire fine horses from the remnants of the Turkic tribes, which he then resold to the border troops. This not only alleviated the army's urgent needs but also provided intelligence for the empire to divide the Mongolian forces. Subsequently, the Ma family used Liangzhou as their base, with trade routes extending west to Suyab, south to Tibet, and north to the Golden Mountains, specializing in warhorses, camels, furs, and jade. Many members of the Ma family were skilled in martial arts, repeatedly passing the military examinations. The highest-ranking official reached the position of Garrison Commander of Liangzhou, a sixth-rank official. However, after three years in office, he was transferred to a sinecure by the Imperial City Guard on the grounds of "close ties with foreign tribes," and died in depression.

Eight families, eight paths to wealth. Without exception, they were all "economic heroes" who made great contributions to the empire's expansion and wealth accumulation. However, none of their descendants, let alone ministers or vice ministers, even held the rank of fourth-grade or higher official positions with real power.

Shen Shiyuan spoke slowly, his tone low:

"In the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Ding, when my father risked accepting a government order for textile production, he said: 'Today we serve the country as merchants, and within three generations, our descendants will surely be able to study and enter officialdom, sharing the prosperity of the nation.'"

He paused, then smiled bitterly and said, "Now, thirty years have passed. The sons of my Shen family can recite the classics and policy essays fluently, and are no less skilled in riding, archery, and martial arts. However, in the imperial examinations, despite their excellent writing, they have repeatedly failed. I imagine that your families are no exception."

Wei Zhengrong snorted coldly: "It's not just the imperial examinations. When the sons of my Wei family join the army, they kill bandits and escort military supplies. Their merits are clearly recorded in the merit book. But when it comes to rewarding merits, for the same amount of merit, their promotion is always three steps slower than those officers from poor families. Do you really think we don't know that the Ministry of Personnel's Military Selection Department and the Ministry of War's Personnel Department mark us 'merchant's sons' with small red ink when we are being considered: 'This family has been engaged in commerce for three generations. They are qualified for the first rank, but will be given a real position with caution.'"

Liang Hongju, the head of the Liang family and the younger brother of Liang Hongsheng, who had been granted the title of Deputy Lieutenant of Jinghai, spoke up at this moment, his voice bitter:

"Be cautious in appointing people to substantive positions... That's too polite. Among the Liang family members, there are those who are proficient in the naval affairs of Southeast Asia, those who are skilled in navigating large ships across thousands of miles of waves, and those who know more than a dozen foreign languages. Yet, when the Guangzhou Navy recruits people skilled in maritime affairs, they would rather hire those military students from the prefectural academy who only know how to talk about military strategy than hire members of the Liang family. Why? Simply because we are 'merchants.' This mark of merchant status is harder to wash off than a tattoo on one's face."

Zhuo Yuanfan, with a white beard, stroked his beard and said:
"My Zhuo family has been supplying military supplies and medicines for generations. The battle reports of the Western Regions Protectorate clearly state that 'Zhuo family medicines have saved countless wounded and sick.' Yet, when His Majesty rewards those who have made meritorious contributions to Anxi, General Xue is promoted to the second rank, all his generals are promoted and rewarded, and even the army veterinarian received a silver medal for 'loyalty and diligence.' My Zhuo family members run a pharmacy in Suyab City to treat the local soldiers and civilians, but they can't even get a ninth-rank medical officer title."

Huo Yuanzheng, the head of the Huo family of Taiyuan, was the only one among the eight families to have achieved a degree in the imperial examinations—a Juren (successful candidate in the provincial examination) in the eighteenth year of the Dingding era. He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking:

"I, Huo family, deeply sympathize with your difficulties. My uncle, a sixth-rank official, was a dutiful and honest clerk. Why was he dismissed from office? Others say it's because the accounts were unclear, but those accounts were clearly made at the behest of the Minister of Revenue. After it was done, the Minister was promoted to Vice Minister, while my uncle was pushed out to take the blame. Of the three generations of successful candidates in the imperial examinations in the Huo family, he was the most learned and the most upright. Now, his career in officialdom is over."

He raised his head, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of the crowd:

"I have been puzzled for a long time. My Huo family has been cultivating land for the empire for thirty years, handling millions of bushels of grain and fodder, and has never embezzled a single penny. Our children have studied the classics diligently and dare not overstep the bounds of propriety in their words and deeds. Compared to those old families of the previous dynasty, which one of them did not rise to power through the privileges of their ancestors? Our generation is the one who truly earns a living through our own abilities. So why were the five surnames and seven clans uprooted and exiled overseas, while we, the 'newly rich,' cannot even touch their former positions?"

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent.

yeah why?
The five surnames and seven prominent families have long since vanished like smoke.

In the first year of the Dingding reign, most of the Li clan of Longxi were exterminated after the fall of the Tang dynasty. In the tenth year, the Cui clan of Boling and the Lu clan of Fanyang were investigated and punished by the Imperial City Guard for secretly colluding with the remnants of the previous dynasty. The main culprit was beheaded, and all the clan members were exiled to Southeast Asia. In the eighteenth year, the Wang clan of Taiyuan was involved in a cheating case in the imperial examinations. Although the evidence was questionable, the imperial edict ordered the entire clan, young and old, to board ships and be sent to the New World. By the twenty-fifth year, the last group of the Zheng clan of Xingyang also set sail eastward from Qingdao Port under the "escort" of the government.

The once-powerful clan, which had been prominent for a thousand years, now has only a few surviving descendants, who are probably struggling to survive in the rainforests of Nan Yinzhou, along with twenty members of Qin Qiong's family, under the leadership of Li Erlang.

However, the positions in the imperial court, local power, and important official posts they vacated did not fall into the hands of Shen, Wei, Liang, Zhuo, Huo, Qin, Sun, and Ma, who were "economic heroes" who made great contributions to the new dynasty.

Who will it fall into?
In the secret chamber, Qin Guanghou, the head of the Qin family of Jiangling, was nearly sixty years old. Coming from a family of builders, he was known for his calm and collected nature. He slowly said:
"Have you all ever counted the origins of all the high-ranking officials of the second rank and above in the court today?"

Everyone fell silent. How could any of them not investigate this matter?
The two prime ministers of the Council of State Affairs are a member of the Yi clan and a veteran official who rose from humble beginnings and served the emperor for thirty years. Among the six ministers, three were former officials from the emperor's former residence, two were martial arts practitioners who joined the emperor in his early years, and one was a technical bureaucrat promoted from the Institute of Natural Crafts. The nine ministers, the grand governors of the various governorates, the ambassadors of the Xuanwei Envoy, the commander of the Imperial City Guard... are either members of the Yi clan, or members of the old guard who helped the emperor conquer the country, or they are pure "humble" individuals who rose from the lowest ranks of border service and have no connection with the old aristocratic families or the new merchants.

Xiangyang Wei Zhengrong's voice was deep:
“I’ve investigated. Half of the officials below the rank of Director in the Personnel Selection Department and the Performance Evaluation Department of the Ministry of Personnel come from the ‘Academy for Cultivating Talents’—an institution personally established by His Majesty to raise orphans. They are instilled with loyalty to the emperor from a young age, have no relatives or friends, and are loyal only to His Majesty. The Military Selection Department and the Military Personnel Department of the Ministry of War, any slightly lucrative positions are all held by the sons of meritorious border troops. The Revenue Department and the Finance Department of the Ministry of Revenue, which seem to be the offices that we merchants must deal with, are actually staffed by technical clerks who have been promoted from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Maritime Trade Office. They only recognize the law and do not show favoritism.”

Huo Yuanzheng from Taiyuan chimed in, his tone bitter:

"The censors of the Censorate and the supervising secretaries of the Six Ministries—these people hold low positions but wield great power. They report on matters based on hearsay, making them the most feared by all officials. Yet, after more than twenty years of research by my Huo family, we have found absolutely no trace of the backgrounds of these censors. Some were recommended by local authorities as 'filial and upright officials,' some were transferred from civilian positions in the border armies, and some… I can't even find any records of them before they entered officialdom. It's as if they sprang from a crack in a rock, their mouths speaking the tone of imperial envoys who are monitoring all officials on behalf of His Majesty."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "What's more, it's rumored that many of them have close ties with the Imperial City Guard. There are even rumors that some censors were originally from the Imperial City Guard's outer offices, and after completing special missions, they 'laundered' their identities and entered the field of public opinion."

The temperature in the sealed room seemed to drop several degrees. The Imperial City Guard—these three words were a taboo subject that no one dared to touch.

Ma Yongsheng, the head of the Ma family in Liangzhou and the eldest grandson of Ma Dewang, had dealt with the northern nomadic tribes for generations. He was known for his straightforward nature and, at this moment, could no longer tolerate the situation.

"Back then, my Ma family risked our lives to penetrate deep into the remnants of the Turkic tribes during the empire's western expedition, buying horses and delivering intelligence. How many of our clansmen died? The Turks offered bounties on heads, and my uncle's head was worth a thousand gold pieces! Which of our families didn't serve the empire with their blood and sweat? But what about now?"

"That man in Luoyang... does he really distrust us that much? We only want our children to enter officialdom and bring honor to our ancestors, not to rebel! Those orphans from the Yuying Academy, without fathers or mothers, are naturally loyal only to His Majesty. But what about us merchants with families, businesses, children, and livelihoods? Are we supposed to be treated like thieves forever?"

"Yongsheng, be careful what you say!"

Shen Shiyuan whispered a warning to stop him.

Ma Yongsheng's chest heaved, but he ultimately didn't say anything more.

Silence. (End of Chapter)