Of course, mutual benefit is certain.
The Yangtze River Chamber of Commerce is also quite powerful. It has various ports along the Yangtze River, such as Yichang, Jingzhou, Yueyang, Wuhan, Jiujiang, Anqing, Zhenjiang, Suzhou, Yangzhou, etc., covering more than a dozen provinces, and has broad trade prospects.
Through the Yangtze River, porcelain from Jiangxi, Shu brocade from Sichuan, Xiang embroidery from Hunan, etc. can all be transported to Shanghai and loaded onto Shanghai ships for export trade, which greatly reduces transportation costs.
Therefore, the Yangtze River Chamber of Commerce can also make great profits by cooperating with the General Chamber of Maritime Commerce.
But the Yangtze River Chamber of Commerce’s biggest goal at the moment is not to make money, but to obtain civil nobility so that it can be on an equal footing with other chambers of commerce.
It was not for the purpose of being competitive, but to gain the official recognition of the court and the endorsement and support of the emperor.
The title of Righteous Merchant was held by the Maritime Merchants Association, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, but not by the Yangtze River Chamber of Commerce. No matter how you looked at it, they all felt inferior, and in the emperor's eyes, they didn't hold enough weight.
In fact, the emperor had no intention of favoring one over the other, and he also remembered the contributions of the Yangtze River Chamber of Commerce.
However, if the title of Yishang is to be given, it must be legitimate. Once the merits have accumulated to a certain level, he will automatically grant it without the Yangtze River Chamber of Commerce having to fight for it.
As the actions to respond to major disasters become more and more significant, the role of the Yangtze River Chamber of Commerce becomes more prominent, and it is not difficult to accumulate merits and contributions.
"Whatever your Majesty asks us to do, we will do our best. Your Majesty is wise and we see it all." Li Dan gestured to Sun Weida to have some tea, speaking earnestly like a veteran.
Sun Weida naturally would not say any complaints. He nodded in agreement repeatedly, bowed to the north, and praised the emperor's wisdom and bravery.
Li Dan pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "The immigration and development of Mekong Province is a good opportunity. Has President Sun recruited some people to try it out?"
Li Dan's adopted son, Li Guozhu, was appointed county magistrate because of his ability to recruit immigrants and pass the imperial examination. Although only a seventh-rank official, it was a position of real power, higher than the honorary civilian title.
Sun Weida smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "I got the news too late. I wasn't as well-informed as Brother Li. By the time I wanted to take action, the court had already canceled the policy."
Li Dan nodded slightly, expressing his understanding. When the imperial court introduced this policy, it hadn't been made public, and the fact that the maritime merchants were aware of it was a gesture of care from the emperor.
Perhaps due to resistance in the court, this policy was quickly cancelled. It can be said that Li Guozhu got a great advantage, while Sun Weida and others missed this good opportunity.
The emperor was able to quickly rescind his decision because he felt that his ministers' advice was reasonable and that he had acted too hastily.
Despite the disaster, the domestic situation is generally stable. It's not a critical moment, but granting official positions simply by recruiting people is indeed inappropriate.
The relaxation of the conditions for transferring officials to government positions, and its nationwide implementation, naturally affected the scholars who entered the government through the imperial examination system the most. Now that there was a policy of recruiting people to grant official positions, the resistance was naturally even greater.
Since abolishing the imperial examination system could not be accomplished in a short period of time, the emperor considered it a long-term task and goal. Before that, appropriate compromises to calm people's hearts were necessary.
Anyway, the imperial examination is held every three years and not many officials are admitted, but some talents can still be recruited from it.
Moreover, most of the preferential policies for students had been cut. On the one hand, this reduced the burden on the court, but on the other hand, it forced many scholars to turn from civil servants to officials in order to make a living.
The emperor's ultimate goal was to realize the civil service recruitment and appointment system of later generations, so that scholars could start from practical work and from the grassroots.
Obviously, people of Li Dan and Sun Weida's level would not understand the emperor's far-reaching considerations. Not only them, but most people did not know that the emperor's ultimate goal was to abolish the system of selecting officials that had been passed down for thousands of years.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
