Soon, news spread that Kang Maode and others were preparing to become disciples of the Han scholars.
Upon learning that all that was needed to become an apprentice was to prepare the necessary gifts, those families who were at odds with Commodus and his son also began to make preparations for their young members.
After all, the etiquette and culture of the Han Dynasty, which has been passed down for thousands of years, is the true etiquette of the nobility.
If the sons of Roman emperors held such high esteem, these people naturally didn't want to fall behind and wanted to learn how to be true nobles.
It had nothing to do with political struggles; it was all because of their damned aristocratic status that forced them to undergo education.
Unlike these nobles, the lesser nobles and merchants in Rome were more interested in the goods brought by the Han merchants.
The person in charge of leading the group of merchants was a manager from the Royal Trading Company named Zhen Li, who was also a member of the Zhen family.
The Zhen family, who had long since pledged allegiance to Liu Hong, were like the Mi family of Xuzhou and had always been supported by Liu Hong.
Over the years, the Zhen and Mi families have become representatives of merchants in the Han Dynasty and hold a very high position in the royal trading companies.
Today, the Royal Trading Company is a community of interests comprised of royalty, bureaucrats, gentry, merchants, and workshop owners.
When Liu Hong first established the Royal Trading Company, he never intended to make much money from it.
His fundamental goal was to bind all social classes of the Han Dynasty to this chariot of interests, and then push them to carry out colonial plunder of overseas countries.
In this way, they can not only transfer their exploitation of ordinary people at home to foreign countries, but also improve the lives of ordinary people at home through this plunder.
In Liu Hong's mind, there was never anything wrong with plundering other countries' resources to support his own people.
A nation's strength is not solely determined by its military power; the satisfaction and living standards of its people are also important factors in measuring a nation's strength.
This was Liu Hong's greatest wish before he ascended the throne: only when the entire country could benefit from foreign trade and colonial plunder could the country continue to develop and accumulate enough resources to withstand all risks.
In the square of Rome, under Zhen Li's organization, the Han merchants neatly arranged the goods they had brought together.
When Chu Qian came to Rome, he only instructed his men to unload 20% of the cargo from the fleet. What he was selling this time was only one percent of that 20%.
Although Rome had the capacity to absorb all the goods and make all the Han merchants rich, Chu Qian had no intention of doing so.
After all, only by letting people in all the Roman provinces see the benefits of Han Dynasty goods can they all become eager for them.
Long before entering Rome, Chu Qian had discussed with all the merchants that in order to maximize the interests of the Han Dynasty here, it was necessary to establish a large commercial network in all the provinces of Rome, rather than simply selling goods to the Romans at high prices.
This approach not only allows them to control the Roman economy, but over time, it can also form an organization similar to the powerful clans of the Han Dynasty, thereby gaining influence over Roman politics.
"Friends, is this all you have?"
In the square, a middle-aged nobleman, nearing forty, approached Zhen Li with a friendly expression.
This man was named Cverla, the current patriarch of the Romavelic family and also a senator.
"Of course not. These are just the goods we are preparing to sell today. The bulk of the goods are still on their way."
"oh?"
Kveira's expression shifted: "Then can you sell me all the remaining goods?"
Zhen Li smiled and said, "Of course, as long as you can afford it!"
Kveira said solemnly, "That's no problem, but I need some time to raise the money!"
Zhen Li smiled and said, "Then you'd better hurry. After all, you've seen how popular our products are. If you can't raise enough money in a short time, we'll have to sell them to someone else!"
"Okay, I'll do it as soon as possible!"
Kveira nodded, took a deep look at the goods of the burly men, and then turned and left.
After Kevera left, the members of the surrounding small families also gathered around, waving the gold coins in their hands and starting to buy the goods in large quantities.
Of course, many more nobles rushed back home to discuss with their families the matter of taking over all of the Han's goods.
These families were all very shrewd; they knew this was an opportunity to demonstrate their strength to the Han merchants.
If this cooperation is successful, then Yari will gain priority in trade and further monopolize the sale of Han goods in Rome.
The benefits involved are self-evident.
Thus, a new storm arose in Rome, and families seeking the right to trade with Han merchants began to contact each other and raise funds.
Even some merchants from other provinces formed their own alliances and repeatedly approached Zhen Li, attempting to seek a stable partnership.
Inside the palace, Marcus Aurelius was fully aware of everything that was happening in Rome.
But he didn't think it was a bad thing; on the contrary, he was very excited about it.
Because he also followed Commodus's advice and signed an official cooperation agreement with the Great Han.
In addition to the formation of a joint fleet, this agreement also included an important provision: that the two countries' governments would jointly fund the establishment of a joint-venture chamber of commerce to set up officially managed workshops and shops in various cities of Rome.
Compared to the private collaborations among merchants, the profits brought by these officially operated shops were simply unimaginable.
Marcus Aurelius could have used this agreement to win over some families to his side.
...
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was February 1st of the ninth year of Jianning.
Under Chu Qian's instructions, all the goods brought by Zhen Li and the others were eventually sold to Ke Wei La and his group.
Just as the nobles who had failed to obtain trading rights were feeling frustrated, Marcus Aurelius suddenly made public the agreement he had signed with the Han Dynasty.
Many families immediately set their sights on the chamber of commerce jointly established by the Han Dynasty and Rome.
In a short time, countless families, large and small, tried to communicate with Marcus Aurelius through various means, and many even expressed their willingness to join him, just to get a share of the profits in this joint venture chamber of commerce.
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