The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

February 8th, Luoyang City.

The spring chill lingered, the snow began to melt, and the thin ice on the Luo River shimmered dazzlingly in the afternoon sun.

The locust trees lining both sides of Zhuque Avenue had not yet sprouted buds, their bare branches piercing the gray-blue sky, but the crowds on the street were already much denser than in winter. Caravans were pouring in from the direction of the South Market, the sound of camel bells mingling with the shouts of the drivers.

The newsboy's shrill voice pierced the noise:
"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale! Extra edition of the Imperial Times! People from Southern Yin Continent have arrived! The Li family has opened up new land, fertile fields stretching for thousands of miles, gold and silver everywhere!"

"Luoyang Xinbao – Seven Years of News Finally Returns! Exclusive Reveal of the Secrets of the Li Tang Dynasty's Overseas Founding!"

"Details about Nan Yinzhou are on today's front page of the Beijing Morning Post! Buy now while supplies last, only 3,000 copies printed!"

Newsboys waved newspapers still warm from the ink as they weaved through the crowd. The clinking of coins falling into purses filled the air. Newspapers were eagerly unfolded, the literate read aloud, and the illiterate craned their necks to listen. Teahouses and taverns along the street were almost instantly packed, and everyone was talking about the same topic.

Nanyinzhou.

The news came back from Dengzhou Port.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, a weathered ocean-going sailing ship slowly docked. The hull was battered and the sails were patched up, but the flag flying at the top of the mast was neither the empire's sun, moon, and stars flag nor the flag of any vassal state, but an indigo flag embroidered with a golden dragon.

The twenty-odd people who disembarked were dressed in rags, with dark skin, looking like a group of refugees who had been adrift at sea for three years. But when the leader produced the travel document, the official from the Dengzhou Maritime Trade Office was so shocked that he slid off his chair.

That was a copy of the "Expansion Order" issued by the Empire to the Li family in the twenty-fourth year of the establishment of the dynasty. The original had been submitted to the Ministry of Revenue for filing, but the official seal on the copy was absolutely genuine and there was no possibility of it being forged.

The message was sent directly to Luoyang by express courier. Ten days later, after joint verification by the Imperial City Guard and the Xuanwei Envoy's Office, it was confirmed that the visitor was indeed a member of the Li clan, and the leader was Li Chongyi, the son of Li Tai, the fourth son of Li Shimin. When he sailed east with the fleet, he was only fifteen years old, and now he was a strong and vigorous twenty-two-year-old youth.

On the first day of the second month, the imperial court officially notified the Council of State Affairs, authorizing official gazettes and specially licensed private newspapers to publish the relevant news. For the next three days, public opinion throughout Luoyang, no, throughout the entire empire, was in an uproar.

Excerpt from the front page of The Imperial Times:

[Reported by this newspaper] In the first month of the thirty-first year of the reign of Emperor Ding of the Ming Dynasty, the Li family, who had been developing the southern Yinzhou region, finally returned with a detailed report after seven years of arduous pioneering work. The Li family reported that they had set sail from Qingdao in the autumn of the twenty-fourth year of the reign of Emperor Ding of the Ming Dynasty, crossed the Pacific Ocean, and after eight months of hardship, arrived at the east coast of the southern Yinzhou region the following summer, a place they named "Xinluo".

When Li's army first arrived, only 3,700 men remained. After seven years of development, including reclaiming wasteland, building cities, training troops, and pacifying the local inhabitants, they now control a 500-li (approximately 250 km) east-west and 300-li (approximately 150 km) north-south coastal plain. They have built three cities: the first is "Zhenhai City," which serves as the political and military center; the second is "Xingnong Fort," which serves as a granary for military farms; and the third is "Xin'an Town," which serves as a trading post for the local inhabitants.

According to Li's report, the fertility of the land in Nanyinzhou far exceeds expectations. The crops grown there are of special, superior varieties, yielding ten times the millet and wheat of the Central Plains. Li has already obtained a large quantity of these superior seeds, which he is now bringing back as tribute to the imperial court.

Another report states: Inland in Nanyinzhou, there is a great river called "Yinhe" (Silver River), with a vast basin and numerous gold, silver, and copper mines along its banks. The Li family has discovered more than ten mineral veins in seven years, but only two or three have been mined. Among the first batch of tributes presented to the court were three thousand catties of natural gold nuggets and fifty thousand catties of silver ingots, all obtained by the locals using primitive tools, with astonishing purity.

Exclusive interview with Luoyang Xinbao:
Yesterday, after much effort, our reporter finally obtained permission to conduct an exclusive interview with Li Chongyi, the envoy of the Li family returning home, at the post station.

The reporter asked: "Seven years of silence have led everyone to believe that the Li family perished in the storms or in the wilderness. May I ask, young master, how did you manage to survive?"
Li Chongyi replied: Not only did the world think so, but we ourselves also thought we wouldn't survive. During those eight months of crossing the ocean, nearly a third of us died. Storms, septicemia, freshwater shortages... those who survived were truly resilient. When we arrived, many people knelt on the beach and wept, saying that they would finally not have to die in the sea.

Q: I've heard that the local indigenous people are fierce, and there are rumors of cannibalism. Is this true?
A: Yes, there are cannibalistic tribes, but not all of them. When we arrived, two tribes were at war. My ancestor acted decisively, leading over a hundred elite troops in a surprise attack on one side's rear, rescuing the son of the other chieftain. Afterwards, that tribe allied with my Li clan and helped me build my city. In seven years, we have more than twenty tribes of natives who are friendly with my Li clan, with a population of no less than thirty thousand. Those who were hostile have either been wiped out or fled inland.

Q: Do the Li family still regard the empire as the legitimate dynasty over there?
A: My heart is as clear as day. Before my departure, my ancestor said that the Li family's survival to this day is entirely due to Your Majesty's grace. Although Nan Yinzhou is far away, it will forever be a vassal state of the empire, paying tribute every year without any disloyalty. The tribute I am bringing this time includes not only gold and silver ingots, but also Nan Yinzhou's specialty rubber and other items, all of which I have never seen before.

In-depth analysis by Beijing Morning Post:
News from Nan Yinzhou sent shockwaves throughout the nation. Since the founding of our dynasty, we have issued several decrees for expansion, resulting in hundreds of thousands of immigrants migrating to our coastal regions. Yet, within seven years, the Li family has truly become the first to rise from nothing in this vast wilderness, controlling a thousand miles of land and gathering tens of thousands of people.

The vastness of the overseas world far exceeds our imagination. The Southern Continent is reportedly several times larger than the Central Plains. Currently, its inhabitants are scattered and its civilization is still undeveloped, truly a new world waiting for us, the sons and daughters of China, to explore.

One might ask: The Li family is a descendant of the previous dynasty. If the empire allows them to grow too powerful, isn't that like raising a tiger to cause trouble?

The reply was: This is mere worry. The Li family is thousands of miles away, separated from the Central Plains by vast oceans. Even if they harbored ulterior motives, they would be powerless to do anything. Moreover, their offering of superior mineral resources demonstrates their submissive nature. Your Majesty, in your wisdom, has long understood: rather than allowing Southern Yinzhou to remain a barren land, it is better to let Chinese civilization take root and flourish. If the Li family succeeds, they will become a protective bulwark for our dynasty overseas. What is there to fear?

The Li family, with only a few hundred clansmen and thousands of slaves, accomplished this great feat in just seven years. If our dynasty's wealthy merchants and powerful families, with proper organization and abundant capital, were to lead tens of thousands of people there, what would become of them? Would the gold and silver mines of Southern Yin Continent simply stand by and watch the natives pan for them with primitive tools? Would the superior breeds, ten times that of the Central Plains, be exclusively monopolized by the Li family?

This newspaper has learned that the Ministry of Revenue and the Bureau of Overseas Expansion are in urgent discussions and may introduce a new round of preferential regulations for overseas development, providing comprehensive support in terms of land, taxation, and loans to those who intend to develop the South China Sea and the islands of Southeast Asia. Those with ambition should prepare as soon as possible!
The printed words in the newspaper, like countless pebbles thrown into an originally calm lake, stirred up ripples.

The ripples first spread not to the bustling markets and neighborhoods of Luoyang, but to the south of the city, where the empire's newly emerging merchant magnates resided. Their mansions, though grand, were never allowed to be built near the imperial city; their children, though living in luxury, were forever separated from the formal students of the Imperial Academy and the Military Academy by an invisible wall.

The Luoyang villa of the Shen family of Guangling was located in Luxinfang, south of the city. The residence occupied three courtyards, with lush flowers and trees. Although it could not compare to the mansions of imperial relatives, it was still considered top-class among merchants. At this moment, the atmosphere in the main hall was solemn.

Shen Shiyuan sat upright in the main seat, holding a copy of the "Beijing Morning Post" in his hand, his face ashen. Opposite him sat his eldest son, Shen Wentao, who had just arrived from Yangzhou, along with several of the Shen family's managers and accountants stationed in Luoyang.

"Father,"

Shen Wentao, in his early thirties with a fair complexion, was the most outstanding member of the Shen family in this generation. He was proficient in mathematics and law, and had also studied the classics diligently. He had taken the imperial examinations twice, but failed both times. He said, "Could this newspaper... have been deliberately leaked by the imperial court?"

Shen Shiyuan looked up at him: "What do you mean?"

Shen Wentao carefully considered his words: "I have read the newspapers for the past three days repeatedly. Although the content is detailed, upon closer examination, the word 'guidance' is evident throughout. It is indeed not easy for the Li family to achieve their goals in seven years, but the newspapers deliberately exaggerate the gold and silver mines and the tenfold increase in the quality of the seeds, while glossing over the deaths of three thousand people from disease, cannibalism by the indigenous people, and the eight months of perilous sea voyages. This..."

He paused for a moment: "This is just empty promises to us merchants."

Shen Shiyuan did not respond immediately, but slowly folded the newspaper and placed it on the rosewood table beside him.

A moment of silence fell over the hall.

An old shopkeeper said cautiously, "Master, I don't think this is all just empty talk. When I was young, I traveled to Southeast Asia and saw those islands. They were deserted, but you could dig up treasure buried by pirates under the coconut trees. If Nan Yinzhou is really fertile and full of gold and silver... then it is a real piece of meat."

Shen Wentao frowned: "It's a piece of fat meat, but it's separated by thousands of miles of ocean. The Li family sent more than 5,000 people, but less than 4,000 survived, and more than 1,000 died of disease. We merchants have been living a life of ease for decades, who can endure that kind of hardship?"

“We don’t need to go ourselves,” Shen Shiyuan suddenly said.

Everyone looked at him. Shen Shiyuan slowly said, "The newspapers made it very clear—with proper organization and abundant capital, we can lead tens of thousands of people there. We provide the money, the ships, the tools, and the organization to recruit those destitute refugees, those poor people who want to take a gamble, and even... those foreigners who will never rise in the empire. We'll be the owners, and they'll do the dirty work. We'll take the lion's share of the profits, and they'll get a smaller share. That's what merchants do."

Shen Wentao's eyes lit up, then dimmed again: "But Father, we've had no news for seven years. Who knows what kind of influence the Li family has gained over there? What if they have ulterior motives? If our people go there, wouldn't it be like throwing good money after bad?"

Shen Shiyuan did not answer, but picked up another newspaper on the table, turned to a certain page, and pointed it out to his son.

It was an inconspicuous announcement in a corner of the Imperial Times:
[Announcement from the Ministry of Revenue's Takukai Division]

In the twenty-fourth year of the Dingding reign, the imperial court issued a decree to the Li family to expand their territory. This decree was issued in accordance with the law and was legal and valid. The Li family reported back and presented tribute, which was accepted by the imperial court.

Rumors have recently circulated that Nan Yinzhou is the private property of the Li family, and outsiders are forbidden from interfering. This Ministry and the Expansion Division hereby clarify: Nan Yinzhou is unclaimed land. Our dynasty initiated its expansion, and it is naturally meant to be shared by all our subjects. The land controlled by the Li family was acquired through seven years of hard work, which the court acknowledges. However, this land is vast and boundless, rich in gold and silver, and fertile for thousands of miles; it cannot be monopolized by the Li family alone. All our subjects who aspire to overseas expansion may, in accordance with the law, apply for a development order to travel to any part of Nan Yinzhou outside the Li family's sphere of influence, to expand territory, and to establish their own achievements.

The specific regulations are being drafted and will be announced soon.

After reading it, Shen Wentao gasped in shock.

"Father, this is..."

Shen Shiyuan's lips curved into a slight smile, but there was no smile in that smile, only unfathomable thoughts.

"This means: the Li family eats meat, and you can drink soup. Even... if you are capable enough, you can eat meat too."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the remaining snow in the courtyard that had not yet melted.

“That night in Taiyuan, Huo Yuanzheng asked us if there was any point in continuing down this path. I didn’t have an answer then. But now…”

He turned around and his gaze swept over every member of the Shen family present.

"Now, the imperial court has given us an answer."

“Here, we will always be ‘merchants,’ always ‘appointed to positions with caution,’ and always be trampled underfoot by those orphans from the Yuying Academy and military men who rise through the ranks. For three generations, five generations, ten generations, as long as the empire does not perish, this mark will never be washed away.”

"But over there..."

"There are no merchant registrations, no noble families, no academies of learning over there. There are only knives, blood, land, and fists. Whoever has the strongest fist stands firm; whoever is the boldest gets rich quickly."

"Back then, the Li family led more than 5,000 people there, and within seven years they controlled a thousand miles of land. If our Shen family were to exert all its strength, how many people could we organize? Five thousand? Ten thousand? In three to five years, what will our Shen family be over there? Will we be marquises who have expanded our territory by a hundred miles, or just withered bones that have been slain?"

Shen Wentao was terrified, yet he also vaguely felt that every word his father said was echoing in his mind.

"But Father... what if the court changes its mind in the future, and punishes the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families as it did to the other families..."

"will not."

Shen Shiyuan looked out the window, his voice becoming distant:

“The five clans and seven powerful families have been entrenched in the Central Plains for a thousand years, with their disciples and former officials spread throughout the court and the countryside. They are the ones who are vying with Your Majesty for the throne, so they must be uprooted.”

"And we..."

"What are we? We're just accountants who make money for the empire. If we leave, the empire will have thousands of other accountants. But if we succeed there, we'll be the empire's bulwark, the meritorious officials who guard the empire's overseas borders. His Majesty will not only not punish us, but will also grant us official positions and promises, and reserve a place for our children in Luoyang—even if it's just an honorary title, it will still bring glory to our ancestors."

"This is... the real opportunity to 'turn one's business status around'."

…………

The same topic was being discussed repeatedly in different residences south of Luoyang at the same time.

In the villa of the Wei family in Xiangyang, Wei Zhengrong and several of his nephews and nieces were pointing at a map of Nan Yinzhou.

"This place, Zhenhai City, is the Li family's stronghold. Let's stay away from them and not touch it."

Wei Zhengrong's thick fingers traced a long distance south on the map, stopping at a blank area.

"The newspaper says that Nan Yinzhou spans tens of thousands of miles from north to south. The Li family only occupies a small part of the east coast. Let's head south, inland, and look for gold and silver mines that they haven't discovered."

"The Wei family started out by collecting scrap metal, my father made his fortune by sailing, and I've tripled the size of our fleet in my lifetime. But what's the use? No matter how much money we get, those ingrates in the Ministry of War still look down on us. I've had enough!"

"Go to Nan Yinzhou! I'm not going to be a merchant in the empire, I'm going to be a local tyrant!"

In the study of the Zhuo family in Chengdu, Zhuo Yuanfan sat with several old partners who were experts in the medicinal herb business. He didn't talk about gold or silver mines, but just kept looking at the descriptions of crops in the newspaper.

"The yield is ten times that of millet and wheat from the Central Plains. But that's not the key point. The key point is that these crops are drought-resistant, can tolerate poor soil, and are not picky about the land. If we can successfully cultivate them in Sichuan..."

An old fellow hesitated and asked, "Master, will the imperial court allow us to plant it?"

Zhuo Yuanfan sneered: "The newspaper clearly states in black and white, 'The superior seeds obtained are tribute to the imperial court.' Since they are tribute, they belong to the imperial court. Surely the imperial court's possessions cannot be monopolized by the Li family?"

"Our Zhuo family has been cultivating and selling medicinal herbs for generations, dealing with the land for three generations. But here, we're forever merchants; we can't buy land, we can't take the imperial examinations, and even our descendants face immense difficulties if they want to become medical officials. But over there..."

"Over there, we cultivated the land ourselves, we planted the seeds ourselves, the imperial court has no say in this! The grain we grow can be sold to those who go to pan for gold, used to brew wine, or fed to livestock. The Zhuo family will not be local tyrants, but landowners!" (End of Chapter)