Li Ming was the youngest of the merchants. His family had already transferred most of their wealth and family members to the State of Wei, but his parents and some relatives who had deep feelings for their homeland remained in the State of Tang.
Li Ming knew in his heart that it was not the time for him to return to his past, but after listening to what Cui Yuan and others had just said, Li Ming couldn't help but feel a little sad. Could it be that businessmen like him were really not worthy of the trust of those in power?
Li Ming asked, "Are you uncles making the situation sound too serious?"
Hearing Li Ming's question, Cui Yuan and others looked at Li Ming as if he were a fool.
Old Man Zhao sighed and said, "Xiao Li, you are still too young. The rulers of any country are deeply wary of and look down on businessmen. In fact, this cannot be said to be entirely the fault of these rulers. Businessmen are a group that is above all profit. No country dares to trust its own businessmen too much.
Let alone us merchants who earned a great deal of wealth in Wei and moved most of our families there, the current situation was destined when we came to Wei to earn a great deal of profit and at the same time moved our family wealth and relatives there.”
Old Man Zhao's words made Cui Yuan and others silent, because they all knew the reason behind it. Only Li Ming did not understand the deep meaning of it because he did not have much experience.
Li Ming asked, "Please, Mr. Zhao, explain this to me in detail."
Old Man Zhao saw that everyone was on the same boat now, and wanted to prevent Li Ming, a young man, from making impulsive and unwise moves that would implicate them. So Old Man Zhao began to patiently explain to Li Ming.
"When Brother Li was in Tang Country, did your family pay tribute to the local officials?"
Although Li Ming had little experience, he knew that filial piety was essential for survival in Tang State. With the exception of Wei State, where officials were forbidden from accepting filial piety, merchants from other countries who wanted to gain a foothold in this country had to cultivate good relations with the local dignitaries and officials. Otherwise, any wealth a merchant had would be taken away by those officials and dignitaries through various means.
Li Ming replied, "When our Li family was in Tang State, we always gave some treasures and money to the local officials as a tribute. Otherwise, our Li family would not have been able to accumulate wealth to the level it is today."
Old Man Zhao continued to inquire, "So, what is the ratio of your filial piety to your wealth?"
Li Ming thought about it and said, "Before our Li family came to Wei to do business, we basically gave half of our profits to the local dignitaries and officials in our previous country. This way, they could not only guarantee our safety, but also ensure that the court would not impose too much tax on us.
However, after our family established itself in the State of Wei, we bought various new items such as paper from the State of Wei and sold them back in our own country, earning much more profit than before. However, the tributes we gave to the local dignitaries were still given according to the previous standards.
After all, although the State of Wei has guaranteed the safety of our merchants and ensured that we merchants would not be oppressed by officials in the State of Wei, the taxes on merchants in the State of Wei are higher than those in other countries. Moreover, as long as we pay taxes on time, our children can also attend the schools established by the Wei court. This also requires a lot of money to support. Therefore, our family only pays tribute to those officials and dignitaries according to our previous income and has not increased it.
However, our Li family still has very good relationships with the officials in Tang State, so I believe our Li family's foundation in Tang State is still solid. Even if we do business in Wei State, we can still use these relationships to maintain a certain influence in Tang State. Even if our Li family does not stay in Wei State, returning to Tang State should not be a big problem.
Li Ming had barely finished speaking when Cui Yuan and the others burst into laughter. Wang An laughed and said, "Brother Li, you're truly too naive. You think things are simple. If you truly return to Tang State with your family and the wealth you earned from Wei State, I guarantee that within a month, your family will face catastrophic destruction."
Li Ming was puzzled as to why Cui Yuan and the others were so certain that their Li family would be doomed if they returned to Tang State. After all, Li Ming still did not understand the darkness in the officialdom.
Seeing Li Ming's puzzled expression, Old Man Zhao sighed and said, "Little Brother Li, if you were an official of your country Tang and a wealthy family suddenly appeared in the area under your jurisdiction, and this family had earned a lot of wealth from other countries, what would you do?"
Li Ming replied, "If I were an official of Tang State, I would certainly be very happy. After all, a wealthy family has appeared in the area under my jurisdiction. This way, I can not only collect more taxes, but also boost local economic development. At that time, as long as I do a good job of convincing this family to invest and build in the area under my jurisdiction, I can also gain more political achievements and praise. Isn't it a win-win situation?"
Old Man Zhao and others did not expect Li Ming to say this, and they did not expect that Wei Guo’s new ideas would have such a great influence on a young man like Li Ming.
Old Man Zhao patted Li Ming's shoulder and said gently, "I think the kind of officials you are talking about can only appear in a wise monarch and a clear court like the Wei Kingdom. It is impossible for such officials to appear in any country we live in. After all, the royal families in those countries are greedy people. Under their rule, those officials with excellent qualities have no chance to become officials at all.
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