He Shao stood before the palace gates and couldn’t help but straighten his chest. His waist had been bent for far too many years. No matter what vitality merchants had injected into this vast empire, on this glorious land, merchants remained a group without any status. They either suffered bullying, exploitation, or humiliation. At banquets of the meritorious nobles, they were objects of amusement—if tails were attached to their buttocks, they could rival monkeys.

Wanmin Palace! This palace built with funds pooled by merchants had already stood in Chang’an for fifteen years. These fifteen years were also the fifteen years in which the merchant class had achieved rapid development.

Now, whether in the northern snowfields, the western deserts, the southern jungles, or the eastern seas, the shadows of merchants were everywhere. Half of this empire’s annual income came from merchants’ contributions. The reason this empire could defeat all its enemies included merchants’ dedication.

Why, after we’ve paid heavy taxes, must we still cater to the nobles? Why must merchants retreat three houses whenever nobles set foot in any domain? Why, when your Zhangsun family wanted to play with hot air balloons, must I, He Shao, only be able to run to the desert to eat sand?

I am an earl of the empire—I also have the right to ascend the hall and face the sovereign!

He Shao’s courage didn’t come from the earl’s attire on his body, but from the chief stewards of the hundred trades behind him. Thirteen of them had come, and now including himself, there were exactly fourteen people—all people with official positions. Although they had no real power, this time they must make their voices heard. The court was going to reformulate the “Commercial Laws”—how could there be no merchant participation? If a group of non-merchants were allowed to establish behavioral standards for merchants, this would be the greatest injustice under heaven!

Li Chengqian stood at the very front of the entire queue. Looking back at those somewhat tragic merchant officials, he secretly smiled. In the kaleidoscope-like rotating court, today’s main characters would actually be a group of merchants!

Zhangsun Wuji didn’t need to queue—this was the Emperor’s preferential treatment toward him. He only needed to wait on the steps of Wanmin Hall. A warm sedan chair completely separated him from other court officials. As the first person in the Lingyan Pavilion, he had this qualification.

A eunuch’s shrill voice rang out in the imperial palace. After the Censorate Imperial Secretary organized the ranks once more, two mighty columns of people entered the Imperial City. Outside the Imperial City, fourteen nanmu wood coffins were arranged in neat rows. One of them appeared especially large—this was what He Shao had prepared for himself…

“Since ancient times, there has never been bloodless reform. Now we’ve reached the critical juncture of life and death. If matters don’t go smoothly, let the bloodshed begin with us!”

Having floated and sunk in the commercial sea for many years, He Shao deeply knew that without demands there would be no response, without struggle there could be no victory. The He family had already transformed from an initially wealthy merchant into a prosperous merchant. Such financial and military power could easily change the power distribution of a nation in other countries, even the succession of imperial power. But in the Great Tang, he remained as humble as an ant.

Government-backed merchants were his greatest enemies. He had already achieved the pinnacle of what an ordinary merchant could reach. Now, he didn’t lack money—the only thing he lacked was control over his own destiny!

“Private property is sacred and inviolable!” This was a term he had learned from Yun Ye’s mouth years ago. Back then he had treated this phrase as the most ridiculous joke. After many years of comprehension, He Shao finally recognized the importance of this phrase!

To ensure he wouldn’t become a fat pig that could be slaughtered at any time—at this moment, He Shao didn’t value his own life so highly. A branch of the He family’s descendants had already gone to a distant island. As long as the incense fire didn’t extinguish, he didn’t mind gambling with his own life.

Zhangsun Wuji stood on the first level of the red steps. His turbid eyes coldly glanced at He Shao. He Shao immediately felt as if a poisonous snake was slowly climbing up from his back. He struggled to control himself from trembling and looked toward the military officers’ side. Unfortunately, he didn’t see Yun Ye. He sighed quietly to himself—at this time, Yun Ye was probably still floating on the Han River. At the fastest, he would only have reached the Qinling Mountains. And he himself no longer had the ability to delay the formulation of the “Commercial Laws.”

He Shao’s lowered hands pinched his thighs, wanting pain to distract his attention. The Emperor was about to emerge—he must make himself persist until the moment he saw the Emperor.

For this opportunity, the hundred trades had paid an extremely high price to obtain this audience. They absolutely couldn’t botch it. No matter what, he must speak his will in the court hall. Even if he died the moment he left the palace gates, it would be worth it.

“Who permitted merchants to come to this hall of state?”

Zhangsun Wuji didn’t ask anyone else but asked Crown Prince Li Chengqian standing in front of him! Without the support of Li Chengqian, the first among all officials, He Shao and the others fundamentally had no qualification to attend court.

“The Son of Heaven listening to the voices of all people is originally natural law. Now that the merchants have sincerity and willingness for an audience, this prince is merely conducting affairs according to protocol.”

Zhangsun Wuji sighed and said, “Sixty thousand gold coins can allow fourteen merchants to come to the court hall. If there were one hundred thousand gold coins, I wonder whether Your Highness the Crown Prince would permit them to enter court as officials? A perfectly good court hall has now been made to reek of copper. The face of the Great Tang Empire is ultimately worth only sixty thousand gold coins. Your Highness the Crown Prince has abandoned the root for the branch.”

“Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants were originally the four classes of people. This prince doesn’t see any superiority or inferiority. If we speak of reeking copper filling the sky, this Wanmin Palace was built with merchant donations. Tang rulers and subjects have deliberated here for fifteen years, yet I haven’t seen anyone contaminated by the stench of copper.”

Li Chengqian now managed the Inner Court and had different views about merchants. He even considered these people the mainstay of the empire. The meritorious nobles had been divided by Yun Ye and Zhangsun Wuji into two distinct factions like the Jing and Wei rivers. The imperial clan, however, was firmly grasped in his father the Emperor’s hands. As Crown Prince, the only ones he could win over were these merchants abandoned by others—these people with powerful capabilities but without corresponding status.

These years, Li Chengqian’s vision had become much more far-reaching. He no longer naively believed as before that he could gain absolute respect just by having righteousness. In fact, if Yun Ye, who stood in a neutral position, hadn’t stepped forward, the pressure he as Crown Prince would face would be unimaginably great.

“Hehe, the Crown Prince has finally gained a few parts of an heir apparent’s dignity. As for whether merchants can dominate this revision of the ‘Commercial Laws,’ that depends on His Majesty’s will.”

After finishing his words, Zhangsun Wuji held his tablet and stood in his position with closed eyes, resting his spirit. Only his flushed complexion proved his state of mind was not peaceful.

Li Er emerged. Whenever sunlight illuminated the throne, he would punctually sit on it. Grasping this bright earth simultaneously with the sun was a habit Li Er had added in recent years, to the point where the Bureau of Astronomy always had to calculate the exact time of sunrise. For this, the Bureau of Astronomy and Yushan Academy jointly formed a small academy specifically researching sunrise times throughout the four seasons. The one qualified to serve as director of this academy was the academy’s distinguished scholar Zhao Yanling.

Embedding the Koh-i-Noor diamond in the crown was one of Li Er’s perverse pleasures. His head radiated brilliance. Under the sun’s illumination, the Koh-i-Noor was like a cluster of bright flames. Whoever looked at the Emperor needed to squint their eyes. Otherwise, looking too long would make the eyes become red and swollen. Li Er called this the majesty of an emperor.

“The court assembly begins! All officials perform the great ceremony of audience!” A eunuch stretched his voice and shouted loudly.

Bowing to the Emperor at the Grand Court Assembly was something that had never changed in the Great Tang. In the entire great hall, only a scant three to five people from the Lingyan Pavilion needed only to cup their fists in salute. Everyone else had to kneel—Li Chengqian couldn’t avoid this custom either.

After Li Er said “Rise,” the court hall fell into deathly silence. If Zhangsun Wuji didn’t speak, others couldn’t.

After a while, Zhangsun Wuji stepped forward from his rank to memorialize: “Your Majesty, General Cheng Chumo and Grand Master of Splendid Happiness with Silver Seal and Blue Ribbon Yuchi Baolin jointly recommend Commander of the Imperial Guard Yulin Corps Yun Shou to succeed as Governor of Yuezhou. The memorial is here—please review it, Your Majesty.”

Li Er didn’t feel strange about this matter—there really was nothing to be surprised about. The position of Yuezhou Governor was a national policy he had established in his early years to disperse the meritorious nobles’ power in Chang’an. The effect was very good. Now with civil and military separated, having someone from the Yun family serve as Yuezhou Governor was no problem.

“I don’t recall that Yuezhou Governor Cui Xiu has done anything improper. What is the reason for this replacement?”

“Cui Xiu has served in Yuezhou for many years, diligent and frugal, with much good reputation in his tenure. We all believe this person should be promoted to Chang’an. I believe the position of Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary would be sufficient to reward his merit!”

Hearing Zhangsun Wuji’s words, Li Er smiled, opened the memorial, annotated it with red pen, and had a eunuch take it to Zhangsun Wuji. This matter was thus settled.

After finishing the memorial, Li Er looked up and saw the corpulent He Shao. He was momentarily stunned—among the second-rank officials, He Shao’s physique was overly conspicuous. It was impossible not to see him.

“He Shao?” Li Er asked.

Already tense to the extreme, He Shao heard the Emperor calling his name. He walked to the center in two or three steps, fell to his knees with a thud, and kowtowed like pounding garlic as he answered, “It is this humble subject! It is this humble subject!”

Everyone looked at He Shao with contempt. Kneeling to the Emperor at the Grand Court Assembly was required by the statutes, but during memorializing, how had he become a kowtowing worm? This truly lost ministerial propriety.

“Your standing in the court hall is actually a rare thing. Not busy making your silver anymore?” Li Er asked He Shao in a teasing tone. In his view, He Shao coming to Wanmin Palace was just to satisfy his craving for attending court. He didn’t believe this profit-seeking person could have any important business.

“Your Majesty, show mercy and give us merchants a way to live! I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and give us merchants a way to live!” When the moment came, He Shao’s courage actually grew larger! While kowtowing, he loudly spoke the phrase he had long wanted to say!