But now that Xing Yue has gotten involved, things are completely different.
If Xing Yuezhen goes back and tells General Xing about this, and it gets to the Emperor, her father will be in deep trouble.
No matter how much her father loved her, she wouldn't escape a beating.
Xing Yue glanced at Su Ruojin and nodded slightly, her eyes calm and undisturbed, showing neither arrogance nor contempt.
Su Ruojin nodded in return. Regardless of Xing Yue's motives, her speaking up at this moment meant that she was on Su Ruojin's side.
Su Ruojin looked at Jia Yingying and sighed, "I never expected that the daughter of the Minister of Revenue would not know that the foundation of a country's finances comes from taxes. Not only is Miss Jia's life inseparable from the merchants of Yunqi, but so are all of us here."
Without merchants, how could Miss Jia eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day, and how could you wear this Persian brocade outfit today? Do you think these things just appear out of thin air every time Miss Jia opens her eyes?
Merchants earn their money through their skills and, according to custom, pay taxes to build every street, building, and defensive wall in Yunqi. Miss Jia, what have you done for Yunqi? Why should they be treated with such contempt by you?
After Su Ruojin said these words, the room fell into an eerie silence.
Zhao Jingning suddenly raised her head, stared at Su Ruojin with wide eyes, and felt her eyes well up with tears and her nose sting.
Although she was the legitimate daughter of the Zhao family, she was still looked down upon because of her merchant background. Even though the Zhao family could be called the richest family in Yunqi, she was still looked down upon.
So when she rejected the Third Prince's marriage proposal, countless people criticized her for being arrogant and ignorant.
For a merchant's daughter to become a prince's concubine is already an incredible stroke of luck, yet she still dares to refuse.
From then on, no one dared to propose marriage to the Zhao family again.
Fortunately, Zhao Jingning didn't care about marriage. At worst, she would stay with her grandfather and work with her elder brother to make the Zhao family prosperous. It wouldn't be a bad thing if she never married.
But now that her cousin had said such a thing, Zhao Jingning felt all the resentment that had been suppressed in her heart vanish.
Yes, without these merchants, where would all the goods sold on the streets of Yuncheng come from?
Every year, the Zhao family pays taxes amounting to tens of millions of taels of silver. Why should they be treated as inferior to others?
Xing Yue's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she carefully examined this "Miss Zhao," her eyes showing more appreciation.
"Just because...just because merchants are considered lowly people." Jia Yingying was speechless for a moment, unable to think of a rebuttal, and could only express her truest thoughts.
It's not Jia Yingying's fault. In Yunqi, and even in the entire Nine Provinces, among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants had the lowest social status. As the daughter of a high-ranking official, she looked down on merchants. This was a deeply ingrained belief of hers since childhood, so how could she possibly change her mind in a short time?
"Well said!" a man's voice rang out.
A carriage stopped, and Yun Gan got off.
The noble ladies hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
When Jia Yingying saw the eldest prince, her face instantly flushed red.
She fell in love with the Crown Prince the moment she saw him at the poetry gathering last year.
She had overheard her father telling her mother in private that the emperor was in poor health and that the eldest prince was the most likely person to ascend to the throne.
Once she becomes the Crown Prince's woman, and he ascends the throne, she will become the most honored woman in Yunqi.
Now that the eldest prince has publicly praised her for "speaking well," he is publicly supporting her.
Thinking of this, Jia Yingying glanced at Su Ruojin smugly.
When the time comes, she will definitely make this Miss Zhao know that merchants are despicable people!
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