Chapter 118: Of One Lineage and Kinship

Li Dejiang, of the Taiyuan Li clan, was rumored to be of the same lineage as Li Shimin. Relying on this reputation, he had forcefully elbowed his way into the ranks of the great aristocratic families. However, the various Guanlong clans remained wary of him to varying degrees. Especially now, with relations between him and Li Shimin strained to the breaking point, the Li family had become an outlier among the nobility.

"If you have any suggestions, speak up! There is no need to stammer," someone chided.

"Very well," Li Dejiang said. "In my opinion... dealing with Li Zhi's Capital Chamber of Commerce is neither simple nor easy, and it is highly likely to backfire on us. Why not look at it from a different angle? If merchants from various regions chose to cooperate with us instead of Li Zhi, the Capital Chamber of Commerce would be nothing more than an empty shell. What would there be to fear then?"

"You make it sound simple, but how do you propose to stop the merchants from working with Li Zhi?" Wei Tai asked.

"It is quite simple!" Li Dejiang laid out his plan. "We offer sufficient incentives. With profit at stake, how could they possibly refuse to cooperate?"

Liu Lin asked, "And what kind of incentives are you proposing?"

"Whatever the merchants desire most, that is what we give them! We tailor our approach to each individual, uniting all the merchants to jointly boycott the Capital Chamber of Commerce!"

Li Dejiang’s words made the others wary. For as long as they could remember, merchants had been the ones begging and pleading for the favor of the aristocratic families, terrified of missing out on the scraps. Since when did noble families have to compromise with merchants and concede profits? Where would the prestige of the nobility be then? Once such a habit was formed, would it even be possible to conduct business in the future?

"You speak so easily because it isn't your own back that hurts. Since the Li family doesn't have much business and wouldn't be sacrificing much in terms of profit, you're just goading us into giving ours up so the Li family can reap the rewards for nothing!"

"What rewards am I reaping? Am I not considering the interests of everyone here?"

"You know very well who you are actually considering!"

...

As they spoke, an argument broke out, with everyone aiming their hostility at Li Dejiang.

"You are all still blinded by prejudice! Very well... I shall not participate in this matter. Do as you see fit. Just send someone to inform me of your decision, and I will be sure to cooperate!"

Li Dejiang stood up and swept out of the room. His departure did not affect the progress of the meeting, for in the eyes of the others, Li Dejiang was not one of them; he was not a Guanlong aristocrat in the true sense. His leaving was of no consequence.

"Let us continue," Liu Lin said. "There are actually many ways to suppress the Capital Chamber of Commerce, but every single one of them comes with a price!"

"As the saying goes, if you don't risk the child, you won't catch the wolf!"

"Big brother, just tell us what to do!" Wei Tai said impatiently. "We will all listen to you..."

The families present all looked to the Liu clan as their leader. In truth, there were few in the entire Guanlong Group whose strength could rival the Liu family. One word from Liu Lin carried more weight than ten thousand from Li Dejiang.

"The way to suppress the Capital Chamber of Commerce is..." Liu Lin laid out his pre-conceived strategy for everyone to hear. It was immediately met with thunderous applause.

"Excellent, excellent! Big brother, if you had such a brilliant plan, why didn't you say so sooner instead of asking us for advice?" Wei Tai exclaimed.

"Does everyone agree?"

"Agreed! Agreed!" the crowd shouted in unison.

This took Liu Lin by surprise. The strategy he had proposed required each family to contribute one million in currency as startup capital. He had assumed that such a massive investment would be met with opposition. Yet, not a single person had objected.

Why was this? Liu Lin pondered it briefly. It was likely because the Capital Chamber of Commerce had been too prominent lately, posing a serious threat to the interests of the great families. Furthermore, because the plan came from him—rather than the untrustworthy Li Dejiang—it carried more weight. Compared to the alternative, they naturally chose to trust him. That was fine; it saved him the trouble of further persuasion.

...

Capital Chamber of Commerce.

Since the opening of the Wanjinhao Club, no merchants had come to cause trouble, as they had all been invited to Wanjinhao. There, they could eat and sleep for free, enjoy the company of beautiful women daily, and indulge in gambling, singing, and dancing—whatever they desired. Even the gambling was rigged so that they almost never lost. In such a paradise, who would ever want to leave? As for the tasks assigned to them by the aristocratic families, they had long since forgotten.

"A golden nest, a bed of silk—truly a wonderful place to keep people!" Li Zhi had been monitoring the club. Upon learning that no one wished to leave and that they were all indulging themselves, he no longer felt any concern.

"Ten million... it's money well spent!" Li Zhi gritted his teeth.

"It's not just the merchants; other wealthy young masters in the capital have also gone there. These people don't pay either; they eat and play whatever they want. Isn't this going a bit too far?" Lou Yi reported upon his return.

"One must be broad-minded; don't haggle over small change! Let them eat and drink their fill—how much could they possibly consume? A few tens of thousands in fine food and drink is enough to keep them satisfied, isn't it?"

"His Highness is absolutely right! Once we survive this period, we shall make them cough it all up with interest!" Luo Tong seemed to see through Li Zhi's intentions.

Indeed. Li Zhi’s favors were not so easily taken. Whatever they consumed now, they would pay back in full later.

"Heh heh... Luo Tong, you're getting quite familiar with my methods, aren't you?"

"Of course. Based on my understanding of you, you never suffer a loss!" Luo Tong replied with a knowing look.

Ten million scattered to the winds just to let merchants stay for a few days? Absolutely not! Once the merchants left, the establishment would surely transition into a high-end venue, gradually recovering the costs. Everyone who had taken advantage of his hospitality had been registered. Not one of them would escape. In the future, when they returned to spend money—or perhaps gamble—they would certainly lose everything they had.

"Is Your Highness in? Little Highness..." A voice that sounded neither male nor female drifted from the doorway.

Li Zhi looked up. "Oh, it's you, Eunuch. Is there something you need?"

"The Emperor has an oral decree summoning you to the palace!"

"Understood. You go ahead; I will be there shortly." Li Zhi went inside to change his clothes, brought four Gold-Blade Guards, and boarded a carriage for the palace.

In the Imperial Study, Li Shimin was still worrying about how to deal with the aristocratic families. Just last night, reports from officials across various regions had arrived in the capital almost simultaneously. Li Shimin had spent the night reviewing them and discovered a series of grave problems.

First, the price of grain in various regions had tripled. The rent for commoners farming land owned by the aristocratic families had doubled, while the wages for workers laboring for those same families had been halved. Such phenomena were countless.

In short, the common people could no longer afford to eat. But that was not the most pressing issue. The most critical problem was that the grain tax the noble families had promised to pay the imperial court had not arrived—not a single bushel. Over a million bushels had been delayed indefinitely. In other words, the imperial army would soon be unable to eat either.

A nation without grain faced dire consequences. Li Shimin had to handle this with extreme caution, listening to the advice of his ministers to resolve the immediate crisis, including consulting Li Zhi. He had always felt that Li Zhi was precocious and could always produce unexpected results. Perhaps, just perhaps, he really had a solution.