Chang’an City had already undergone some changes this year. The city’s commercial hours were restricted by the curfew to a mere three hours. Setting up a stall on Vermillion Bird Avenue would get you thrown in jail along with your goods by the city patrol officials. Just buying a bottle of vinegar required crossing half of Chang’an City, leaving children waiting at home to eat wonton in an unbearable situation.

People of Guanzhong didn’t like doing business, especially looking down on merchants. Though the profits were abundant, it disgraced one’s ancestors. He Shao didn’t care. His ancestors were beggars by origin, so naturally he didn’t care about disgrace or not. In the main hall of his home hung the ancestral instruction: “Heaven is great, earth is great, but eating is the greatest.” For the sake of eating, despite bearing a noble title, he didn’t care about his reputation and insisted on making his business flourish magnificently.

In every ward market, he bought a small piece of land, preparing to open a general store. From needles and thread to fresh vegetables, they had everything. Even if your family needed the latest lightweight cart that a single horse could pull around everywhere, the general store would supply it.

Of the one hundred and eight ward markets, he built a total of eighty shops. This counted as one of the foremost major businesses in Chang’an City, except that there were many shareholders. Li Chengqian had also tossed in two hundred strings of cash and taken half a share. Facts proved that his decision was always wise. The two hundred strings of cash returned to his hands in the third month. This general store called Pianyi Fang made him look at it with new eyes. It wasn’t about the two hundred strings of cash—it was because the general store always had large amounts of copper cash, and continuously so.

No one suffered losses in this arrangement. Li Chengqian specially dispatched an inner attendant to examine the entire process of the general store from beginning to end. Farming families provided fresh vegetables, as well as chickens, ducks, geese, eggs, pork, and some large-mouthed catfish without many bones. All were under contract. Farming families settled accounts with the shops once a month. The prices were fair, with no bullying of farmers occurring. This also conformed to merchant rules, and the farmers accepted it.

The cart companies ceaselessly delivered goods to every shop in Chang’an City, then the shops sold the goods to the residents of the ward markets at prices that were only ninety percent of the East and West Markets, without requiring a long journey. The ward residents also benefited.

The inner attendant watched with his own eyes as the empty general store was filled with goods in one morning. During this process, the general store didn’t spend a single wen. Those craftsmen families competed to deliver goods to the shop, and some even gave gifts.

On the last day of the month’s end, in the main hall of the general headquarters on the newly constructed waterway of Xinghua Ward, crowds surged. Twelve accountants lined up in a row, according to the types of goods, paying money to each supplier’s family. Cartloads of copper cash were transported over, golden and gleaming, piled under the bright sun. New hemp cloth bags filled with copper cash were used to pay according to receipts, bustling with activity.

The county government’s tax official sat to one side. One-fifteenth tax—everyone who finished receiving money came to the tax official here to complete their taxes. The tax official dared not collect more. The guards dispatched by the Crown Prince gripped their sword handles standing to the side.

Merchants had never liked paying taxes as much as they did now. One-fifteenth tax—simple. I sold wooden stools for three strings of cash, two hundred wen in tax—here you go! My family’s shop also sold two strings worth—should I pay it all together?

The tax official’s face grew increasingly dark. The money in the bamboo basket beside him grew more and more. Finally, the tax official was about to cry. If things continued this way, how would all the tax officials of Great Tang survive?

Standing in the crowd were two old men. One had a dark complexion, like a farmer. The other had a thin face, occasionally stroking the beard on his chin like a teacher.

“Brother Xuancheng, if everyone paid taxes with copper cash like this, no longer having those rent, labor service, and goods levies, having Great Tang recreate the prosperity of the Wenjing era wouldn’t be difficult. What a pity—there’s only one Pianyi Fang. If there were more, that would be good.”

“Brother Xuanling, what I value isn’t the amount of tax paid, but rather the color on the tax official’s face. The common people are honestly paying their taxes. He only needs to issue completion certificates, and tax collection is going so smoothly. He should be happy, so why does he have an expression as if his parents died? I feel that clarifying this reason would also make clear the fundamental reason why Great Tang’s commercial taxes are severely insufficient.”

He Shao bent over with an ingratiating smile and said: “When it concerns golden gleaming copper cash, anyone would want to grab a handful. Now at Pianyi Fang, the common people pay taxes clearly and plainly. They can’t make the slightest trick, so it would be strange if they didn’t cry.”

Wei Zheng greatly disliked He Shao’s mercantile air. He flicked his sleeve and snorted without speaking. Fang Xuanling smiled and said: “Since you’ve seen through the clues, Brother Xuancheng’s thunderous methods will presumably make them never forget for their entire lives.”

The inner attendant recognized the two of them but dared not call them out, only stepping forward to pay respects. Wei Zheng asked: “Since you’ve been following and watching the process these days, have you discovered any improper matters?”

“In response to Attendant Wei’s words, this humble one has observed every link over these days. All have receipts that can be checked. No improprieties were discovered. It’s just strange—County Baron He only purchased shops, and many were even rented. The shops were completely empty. It was these small merchants themselves who moved goods inside. Pianyi Fang’s managers even picked and chose, not wanting goods that were even slightly inferior. This humble one finds it strange—they don’t have a single item of goods and haven’t spent a single wen, yet they can make great fortunes and bring benefits to everyone. What’s going on here?”

Fang Xuanling turned back to look at He Shao, waiting for him to explain. He Shao laughed evasively: “Some small tricks not worthy of elegant halls—speaking of them before you two would truly disgrace my ancestors. Please give this humble one a chance to preserve face.”

Since the person was unwilling to speak, they couldn’t force him. He Shao’s Pianyi Fang had no improper aspects whatsoever. Those small merchants and farming families voluntarily collected payment after one month. The government couldn’t forcibly compel them to conduct transactions with immediate payment and delivery, could they?

This was the principle of a supermarket. Yun Ye had explained it to He Shao, though he only understood the surface. He only knew to build some markets and let others come sell things. This was a supplement to Chang’an’s currently extremely lacking commercial venues.

With He Shao’s cunning merchant potential, he wouldn’t give up until he thoroughly understood this supermarket concept.

Li Er had firmly placed the hat of Heavenly Khan on his own head. All nations under heaven were his subjects. After burning offerings to heaven and earth, the eleven native kings of Lingnan who violated heaven’s will and harbored rebellious intentions were beheaded and exposed in the marketplace, causing those foreign tribes whose hearts still harbored some luck and who only put on a show to obtain large rewards to be extremely alarmed.

In early May of the fourth year of Zhenguan, an important figure arrived in Chang’an. The entire city of Chang’an sprinkled clean water on the streets and laid down yellow earth on the roads. Even the Xinghua Ward construction site, which had already reached the final construction period these days, stopped work for one day. This was the display for the emperor’s formal procession. It had been quite some years since they’d done this. The emperor always said laboring the people and wasting resources just for him alone wasn’t what a good emperor should do, yet now he made a great display of it and even issued an order that lanterns and decorations could be hung at night, and the curfew would be delayed by two hours. This couldn’t help but cause the citizens of Chang’an to discuss among themselves, not knowing why this was so.

Fortunately, they weren’t confused for long. News came from the palace that the Grand Administrator of Gaozhou, Supreme Pillar of State, Duke of Wu Feng Ang was entering the capital for an audience. Fang Xuanling led the hundred officials to welcome Feng Ang thirty li outside the city. After that, the emperor walked out of the palace on foot to welcome at the palace gates this grandson of the historically renowned Lady Xian, who had made outstanding contributions to the great unification of the nation.

Yun Ye also believed that whatever courtesy the Feng Ang family received was not excessive. During the late Sui period, this brave and skilled general had already controlled two thousand li of land, exceeding Zhao Tuo of the Han period. Someone advised him to take advantage of the opportunity when Li Tang’s foothold was not yet stable to follow Zhao Tuo’s example and establish himself as King of Baiyue, but this extremely wise general sternly refused.

“My family has resided in Nanyue for five generations. As a major official of the Lingnan frontier, there is only my surname. I have children and wealth. There are not many whose lives are as wealthy and noble as mine. What I constantly worry about is how to not be unworthy of the achievements established by my ancestors. How dare I presumptuously proclaim myself king!”

In the first year of Zhenguan, Feng Ang had once refused to come to court. Needless to say, he was disgusted by what Li Er had done. The angry and embarrassed Li Er prepared to dispatch armored troops from Jiangling to punish him but was dissuaded by Wei Zheng.

Facts proved that Wei Zheng was right. Feng Ang hadn’t rebelled even during the best time for rebellion—how could he possibly start rebelling only after the realm was at peace? To put the petty-minded Li Er’s heart at ease, his eldest son Feng Zhidai entered court to serve the emperor and was now at the academy.

This fellow, after discovering the antimalarial medicine qinghao, obtained a reward of two strings of cash. He swaggered about at the academy lavishly spending it, requesting Master Li Gang to compose a memorial text for his ancestor Lady Xian, and asking Sun Simiao to examine his father’s health. The first two very consciously only charged half price. Only Yun Ye, who was invited to be the chef, ruthlessly fleeced him for one string of cash.

Grandmother had long heard of Feng Ang’s reputation, not because of his military achievements but because he had thirty sons. Now, the old lady spent every day with nothing to do but stare at Xinyue’s belly. Seeing Xinyue’s light steps and nimble movements, she would sigh—why was there no movement?

Even planting radishes required waiting enough time before they could sprout. Grandmother was eager for grandchildren. Under Yun Ye’s influence, Xinyue had long grown accustomed to such matters. Moreover, she had always been healthy, and Master Sun also said that offspring was only a matter of time and there was no need to rush. So she put her mind at ease and fully took over the authority of the Yun family’s inner courtyard, leaving Grandmother alone in her melancholy.

Feng Ang’s menu was difficult to determine. Zhidai said his father had a coarse palate—he ate everything and dared to eat anything, quite possessing the bearing of later Lingnan people.

Crabs were indispensable, but the current method of eating them really made one unable to compliment it. Marinated with sugar into a sticky mess, a whole plate was served up. Zhangsun Chong even proudly asked: “You’ve never eaten this before, right?” Seeing Yun Ye’s mocking gaze, he could only awkwardly withdraw his show-off attempt.

One meal and you’d never forget it forever. Nothing else—just eating sugar. They didn’t taste any of the crab’s fresh flavor at all; might as well have just eaten sugar.

Steamed crab, paired with ginger vinegar and rice wine was sufficient. Under Zhidai’s strong demands, red-braised pork couldn’t be missing, meatballs couldn’t be missing, sweet and sour spare ribs couldn’t be missing, and beggar’s chicken—at least two of those should come. His father had a large appetite—one dou of rice per meal.

The rest was fine, but the bullshit about one dou of rice per meal infuriated Yun Ye. He grabbed Zhidai and demanded he explain clearly—how big was his father’s stomach? One dou of rice? Two jin of rice would be enough for his father to eat! He most hated when they used these descriptive terms—not only were they inaccurate, but sometimes they would cause misunderstandings.