Chapter 34: Chen Ping Offers a Strategy (Request for Continued Reading)
Page 1 of 3
Faced with Elder Ye’s reprimand, Chen Ping replied in a clear voice, “Teacher, you misunderstand. I would never dare urge the county magistrate to oppress the common people.”
How could he fail to understand the meaning hidden in Elder Ye’s words? The old man was clearly defending him.
Outside, all the officials were racking their brains over the repair of the roads.
Road repairs were meant to benefit the people and improve their living conditions. How could the cost be imposed upon them?
Merchants were people too. Forcing them to shoulder levies would be putting the cart before the horse.
“My idea is to have those wealthy merchants voluntarily contribute money and provisions to fund the repair of the county’s roads.”
At this, Elder Ye rolled his eyes dramatically, showing no approval of the proposal. Even County Magistrate Wang, who was ordinarily deep in thought and troubled by a hundred concerns, could not help letting out a derisive laugh.
With a sweep of his blue robe and a flourish of his sleeves, County Magistrate Wang said contemptuously, “What a wild fantasy! No—this is even more unrealistic than a wild fantasy!”
“Merchants are profit-seeking men, the basest and most despicable of people, concerned with nothing but gain. That has been the settled judgment of Confucian scholars throughout the ages, and even of the sages of antiquity.”
“Trying to win merchants over and persuade them to devote themselves to public works for the people—to donate money and take the initiative to repair roads—would be no better than trying to reform the monkeys in the mountains. The monkeys might at least help carry a few logs.”
Perhaps because he was so anxious, County Magistrate Wang made no attempt to conceal his contempt for merchants.
Elder Ye held no great prejudice against merchants, but his silence had already made his position clear.
Only Chen Ping’s small face twitched violently.
He was finally beginning to understand just how deeply the scholars of this world despised merchants.
No wonder He Qingxuan felt inferior simply because he was the son of a merchant.
Though these two men were kind and affable elders in Chen Ping’s presence, both had been trained as scholars. The pride in their bones was bound to create a certain distance between them and merchants; and as an official, County Magistrate Wang naturally held that prejudice even more strongly.
With storm clouds gathering, the most urgent task was to unite every force that could be united and overcome the crisis together.
As a man who possessed memories from his previous life, Chen Ping naturally did not share such prejudice.
Yet sometimes prejudice could also be turned to one’s advantage. If used properly, it would be more than enough to make up for the shortfall in funds.
Chen Ping stopped keeping them in suspense and went straight to the heart of the matter. “Merchants do pursue profit; that much is true. And that is precisely what we intend to use.”
“For wealthy households and prominent merchants, reputation is often the greatest profit of all. Such a benefit may even be worth paying an astronomical price to obtain.”
“My teacher will not deny that, will you?”
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Elder Ye gave a slight nod, deep in thought. He had more or less followed Chen Ping’s line of reasoning.
Perhaps this really could solve the urgent problem before them.
County Magistrate Wang had naturally considered the many consequences of such a course of action, and the risks they would face were by no means insignificant.
Most wealthy merchants harbored their own hidden agendas.
Once he became entangled with them, no matter how noble the arrangement appeared on the surface, no matter how properly official business was conducted, outsiders would still see only that the county magistrate had dealings with them.
Many cases of collusion between officials and merchants had begun in precisely this way.
County Magistrate Wang was still weighing the benefits and drawbacks, repeatedly considering whether the risk was worth taking.
Elder Ye, however, got there first and exposed the danger outright.
In a solemn voice, he said, “Are you not afraid that those merchants will use this matter as a pretext and gradually ensnare the county magistrate in their web?”
“Collusion between officials and merchants is not merely a matter of profit. The lessons recorded in the histories were written in blood!”
Once Elder Ye had pointed it out, County Magistrate Wang’s face stiffened. Shame soon appeared between his brows.
Indeed, this was not an opening that could be allowed.
Otherwise, the principles he had guarded for so many years would eventually be breached completely, and the caution he had maintained throughout decades might be ruined in a single stroke.
Chen Ping admired Elder Ye’s thoroughness, but he still shook his head and said with a smile, “Teacher, you have forgotten the most important point.”
“We are doing this only in Yongshun County. We are not summoning wealthy merchants from across the realm.”
“Given the wealth and influence of Yongshun County’s merchants, what could they dare to do? What could they possibly accomplish?”
At that, the worry on Elder Ye’s and County Magistrate Wang’s faces faded by more than half.
They had indeed been overthinking the matter.
They had focused only on the subtle teachings of the sages and the blood-soaked lessons of history, forgetting that Yongshun County itself was merely a small pond, incapable of stirring up any great waves.
Those so-called merchants were, at most, men who had opened a few more shops in the county seat and various towns, with storefronts more splendid than those of their rivals. As for influence, the most they could do was claim an extra two jars of Xinfeng wine whenever the government opened a cask for official banquets. They were hardly a force to be reckoned with.
County Magistrate Wang grew curious about Chen Ping’s plan and asked expectantly, “Even if I am willing, what could I offer in exchange for their money and provisions? How can I grant them the reputation they seek?”
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
“We cannot simply offer a few empty words of praise and then take up a brush to write them some flattering lines, can we?”
“Those merchants are no fools. Every one of them is sharper than a monkey.”
County Magistrate Wang was, after all, a man who had passed the provincial examinations. The fact that he had thought of honoring them with calligraphy already showed considerable ingenuity.
In this world, very few merchants could obtain handwritten praise from the highest local official.
According to the traditional views of scholars, they were naturally unwilling to associate with merchants reeking of copper and coin.
Even when circumstances made contact unavoidable, they would keep as far away as possible—let alone write inscriptions or compose poems for them.
Chen Ping smiled. “Apart from writing books and establishing a reputation through learning, the fastest way to become famous is to have a monument erected and one’s deeds recorded for posterity.”
“Why not have a stone tablet several feet wide erected beside the road for every merchant whose contribution reaches a certain amount?”
“Then, according to the size of their donations, engrave their names and the sums they contributed upon it, beginning from the right and proceeding to the left.”
The moment Chen Ping finished speaking, County Magistrate Wang’s brows lifted. He had clearly grasped the brilliance of the scheme.
Merchants would provide the funds, while the authorities would erect monuments to honor them. In terms of both conduct and public sentiment, there was nothing objectionable about it.
The corners of County Magistrate Wang’s mouth curled upward as he said with a smile, “In that case, every merchant in the county will scramble to have his name carved upon the monument—and, even more importantly, to rank near the top. They will surely compete with one another and donate of their own accord!”
“Throughout history, how many emperors, kings, generals, and ministers have been unable to resist using their power to erect monuments and record their deeds for posterity? What they sought was nothing more than to have their names remembered for ten thousand generations.”
“How could those merchants possibly resist such temptation?”
By this point, County Magistrate Wang had decided that the plan was viable.
With only a few words, Chen Ping had relieved the county magistrate’s most urgent predicament.
County Magistrate Wang immediately bowed respectfully to Elder Ye and Chen Ping, saying, “A great kindness needs no thanks,” before rising at once and returning to the county office.
After County Magistrate Wang left the storeroom, Elder Ye remained silent for a long while. At last, he murmured anxiously, “Whether this plan will bring hidden troubles in the end depends on luck.”
The reasoning behind those words, however, was something he could not bring himself to explain to Chen Ping.
Page 3 of 3