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It was the summer tax collection season of the second year of the Longqing reign, and Beijing was shrouded in sweltering heat.

Inside the Ministry of Revenue, the sound of abacuses echoed, and the air was filled with the unique scent of ink mixed with copper rust.

Minister Liu Tiqian was buried in the mountain of yellow and fish-scale registers, his brow furrowed.

Years of warfare, the stipends of princes, and the salaries of officials—all these were like bottomless pits, leaving the Grand Minister of Finance, who was in charge of the nation's finances, constantly feeling strapped for cash.

"My lord! My lord!" A clerk from the Zhejiang Provincial Administration Commission practically stumbled in, carrying a newly arrived summary of summer taxes from Southern Zhili. His voice was shrill with excitement. "A strange thing! An absolutely strange thing! Commercial taxes in Yingtian Prefecture... have skyrocketed!"

Liu Tiqian frowned, took the ledger, and scolded, "What's the panic! What kind of behavior is this! How much can commercial taxes increase? Could it be that some salt merchant has..."

His words came to an abrupt halt, his gaze fixed intently on the numbers in the "Yingtian Prefecture" column of the ledger.

That was an astonishing figure that far exceeded the same period in previous years, and even surpassed the total for the entire year in some years!
"This... how much is this?" Liu Tiqian's voice trembled slightly as he pointed to the number and asked.

"Your Excellency, it is 458,000 taels! Just for the summer tax season!" The official was so excited that his face turned red. "Last year, the total commercial tax revenue of Yingtian Prefecture was only a little over 300,000 taels! I have checked it three times and there is absolutely no mistake!"

“Four hundred and fifty thousand taels… for one quarter?” Liu Tiqian muttered to himself, then suddenly stood up. “Quick! Get all the tax details from Yingtian Prefecture for the past six months, especially the draft receipts for market tax, stall tax, and transaction fees! Immediately!”

"Yes! Sir."

……

The next morning, in the East Warm Pavilion of Qianqing Palace.

Despite the ice basin, the room was still somewhat stuffy.

When Emperor Longqing, Zhu Zaiji, looked at the report presented by the Ministry of Revenue, he showed the same astonished expression as Liu Tiqian had at first.

"Minister Liu, is there an error in the calculation of the commercial tax in Yingtian Prefecture?" Emperor Longqing handed the memorial to Feng Bao beside him, his tone full of disbelief.

“Your Majesty,” Liu Tiqian bowed and said, “I also had doubts at first, but I have ordered people to check all the drafts and vouchers overnight. The source of the tax revenue is clear. It was all truthfully delivered by the tax offices of Nanjing, Suzhou, Songjiang, Yangzhou and other prefectures and counties. There is absolutely no falsification. Moreover… according to the memorial attached by Yingtian Governor Su Ning, this is due to ‘active commerce and trade and a prosperous market’.”

"Trade is booming?" The Longqing Emperor pondered for a moment. "I remember at this time last year, Jiangnan reported that the market was somewhat sluggish. How come it has become so 'busy' after Su Ning's visit?"

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng, the Second Grand Secretary, slowly spoke up: "Your Majesty, I have heard that Governor Su is vigorously supporting a business called 'Da Ming Supply and Marketing Cooperative' in Jiangnan. This business has a unique business model, with a full range of goods and low prices, attracting people to flock to it. Its branches have already opened in all the prefectures of Jiangnan. Perhaps... the surge in tax revenue is related to this."

"How could a single business pay such a huge tax?" Emperor Longqing was even more puzzled.

Wang Bengu, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, immediately stepped forward. He had long been at odds with Xu Jie's faction, and his tone was skeptical: "Your Majesty, something unusual must be going on! A single business has swept through Jiangnan in just one year, paying taxes comparable to the salt tax of an entire province. This is illogical. I suspect that there may be collusion between officials and merchants, false tax reporting to curry favor with Your Majesty, or the use of some extraordinary means to exploit the common people in order to amass such wealth?"

Liu Tiqian added, "What Lord Wang said is also what I was worried about. According to my subordinates, the clerks at the 'Great Ming Supply and Marketing Cooperative' behave in an unusually disciplined manner. They are incredibly fast at calculating accounts and never make a mistake. Their management is so strict that it's unheard of. Their boss, Zhou Zhengjie, is a cousin of Governor Su..."

The meaning was clear even though the words were not fully spoken...

This is very likely a case of Suning abusing its power to facilitate market monopolies for its relatives. The so-called huge tax revenue is nothing more than a trick of transferring money from one hand to the other, or the result of exhausting resources.

The warm pavilion was silent for a moment, with only the faint sound of ice melting in the ice basin.

The Longqing Emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the imperial desk, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

……

Just as the matter was being debated in the court and the Longqing Emperor was beginning to have doubts, a secret memorial from Su Ning, the governor of Yingtian, was urgently delivered to the emperor by the Office of Transmission.

In his secret memorial, Suning did not offer much self-defense, but instead, with a calm and almost accounting-like tone, detailed the operating model of the "Daming Supply and Marketing Cooperative" and its contribution to tax revenue growth:

"Upon investigation, I found that the 'Da Ming Supply and Marketing Cooperative' has more than fifty branches, serving tens of thousands of customers daily. These small acts contribute to a huge volume of transactions, and the cooperative pays taxes in accordance with the law, resulting in a substantial base."

"All transactions of this business are recorded in the ledgers prepared by me in accordance with the method of the 'Clear Accounts Office'. The entries are clear, the amounts are accurate, and there is no concealment or omission. Therefore, the tax office can collect the full amount."

"The business requires a large amount of goods, which boosts the livelihoods of farmers, artisans, and shipping laborers in the surrounding area. The related trade is active and contributes a lot of tax revenue."

"The rice and grains they sold from Southeast Asia were cheap and of good quality, which made it difficult for unscrupulous merchants to hoard and speculate. Market prices were stable, and people had surplus money to buy other things, which indirectly expanded the overall commercial tax base."

“My cousin Zhou Zhengjie is merely managing the business on my behalf. The profits from the ‘Da Ming Supply and Marketing Cooperative’ have been used solely to maintain operations, pay for goods, and legally belong to the owner; I have not taken a single penny. All taxes have been paid in full according to the ‘Da Ming Hui Dian’ (Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty). The Ministry of Revenue may send personnel to audit the accounts and conduct inventory checks at any time. If there is any discrepancy, I will gladly accept the punishment for deceiving the Emperor!”

Finally, Su Ning wrote: "I am not in Jiangnan for personal gain, but to explore a new path of 'when the people are rich, the national tax revenue will be sufficient.' The 'Great Ming Supply and Marketing Cooperative' may be a pilot project. If this method is feasible, it can be promoted and expanded, which may alleviate the financial difficulties of our Great Ming Dynasty by a small margin."

After reading the secret memorial, the Longqing Emperor remained silent for a long time.

He then handed the secret report to Feng Bao, indicating that he should also take a look.

After carefully reading through the documents, Feng Bao said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, although Governor Su used relatives in his actions, the accounts are clear, the tax revenue has actually entered the treasury, and it can also stabilize prices and facilitate people's livelihood... It seems that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."

Emperor Longqing walked to the window, gazing at the layers of golden glazed tiles of the Forbidden City, weighing his options in his mind.

He recalled Su Ning's competence in the accounting department, his "naive" style of delivering the bribes in their original boxes, and then compared it with the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver that had actually been deposited into the treasury...

“Feng Bao,”

"The servant is here."

"Issue an edict to the Ministry of Revenue," the Longqing Emperor said slowly. "Now that the matter of the soaring tax revenue in Yingtian Prefecture has been verified, it shall be deposited into the treasury according to regulations. Also, issue an edict to commend Su Ning, the governor of Yingtian, saying that he... 'has managed finances effectively and benefited the people's livelihood.'"

"Yes."

……

The emperor's decree of commendation, when it reached Nanjing, was like a reassuring pill.

Those forces that had been secretly plotting against the rise of the "Daming Supply and Marketing Cooperative" immediately fell silent.

Even the emperor commended it, so who would dare to say that this was "competing with the people for profit"?
After receiving the explicit imperial edict, Liu Tiqian, the Minister of Revenue, had many questions, but he could only suppress his doubts.

Looking at the huge amount of tax in the ledger, he gave a bitter smile: "This Su Ning always manages to do something outrageous... I hope his 'new path' can truly solve the financial difficulties of our Great Ming Dynasty, just as he says."

In Jiangnan, when Su Ning received the imperial decree of commendation, he simply expressed his gratitude calmly.

He knew that he had passed the first hurdle.

Emperor Longqing and the court, considering the tangible tax revenue involved, tacitly approved his "experiment."

He stood on the third floor of the Nanjing headquarters of the "Daming Supply and Marketing Cooperative," looking down at the endless stream of people and the orderly checkout counters, where the AI ​​robots were still working tirelessly.

He knew that this was not just the success of a supply and marketing cooperative, but also a signal...

As long as it brings tangible benefits to the empire, some "unconventional" things can be tolerated or even encouraged.

His business empire has finally found a delicate yet stable foothold within the empire's power structure. And now, he intends to use this foothold to trigger even more profound and far-reaching changes.

The wealth of Jiangnan will be gathered through various clandestine channels, becoming a powerful driving force for him to propel the wheels of history.

……

The imperial edict issued by the Longqing Emperor praising the "skillful management of finances that benefited the people" was like a sword of Damocles hanging over the business community in Jiangnan.

It not only quelled the controversy, but also sent a clear signal...

The emperor tacitly approved of, and even welcomed, the existence and development of the "Ming Dynasty Supply and Marketing Cooperative".

Suning astutely seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and a larger-scale business expansion was quietly launched under his strategic planning.

Nanjing, the study of the governor's office.

Night had fallen, and the candlelight cast the shadows of Su Ning and Zhou Zhengjie onto the wall.

“Cousin, the time has come.” Su Ning pointed to the hanging map of the Ming Dynasty, first touching Nanjing, then decisively moving north to Beijing, and then across the vast Jiangbei region. “His Majesty’s reward is the best protection. We must strike while the iron is hot and replicate the ‘Ming Supply and Marketing Cooperative’ model in the capital and in Jiangbei!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengjie was both excited and somewhat apprehensive: "Anbang, the capital is a treacherous place, with princes, nobles, and various government departments deeply entrenched, far more complex than Jiangnan. While Jiangbei is not as wealthy as Jiangnan, its people are known for their fierce spirit, and gangs are rampant along the Grand Canal. I'm afraid..."

“Precisely because the waters are deep, we must stir them up!” Su Ning’s gaze sharpened. “The capital is the most prosperous region in the land, teeming with high-ranking officials and nobles, and possessing immense spending power. Establishing a foothold there would have symbolic significance and actual profits far exceeding those of Jiangnan. As for Jiangbei…”

He traced the canal with his finger, saying, "It is the throat of the canal, connecting the north and the south. Setting up a point here can not only generate profits, but also complement our maritime trade and canal transport layout, thus consolidating our logistics network."

He paused, his tone carrying an undeniable decisiveness: "The Jiangnan model has succeeded, proving the competitiveness of the 'supply and marketing cooperatives.' Now, with the emperor's tacit approval, if we don't expand now, when will we? Are we going to wait for others to imitate us and seize the initiative?"

"okay, I get it."

Under Suning's overall coordination, a grand expansion project spanning both the north and south has begun.

The expansion into Beijing was personally led by Zhou Zhengjie, adhering to the principles of "low profile, precision, and leveraging existing resources."

The site selection avoided the western and northern parts of the city, where powerful figures congregate and land prices are high, and also avoided the noisy outer city.

Zhou Zhengjie eventually acquired a spacious courtyard in Dongcheng, a relatively populous area with many low- to mid-level officials residing there. The location was convenient yet not too conspicuous.

The start-up capital came entirely from the profits accumulated over the years by the "Sinking Fish and Falling Goose" rouge shop. The accounts were clear and traceable, and had nothing to do with the governor's salary in Suning, thus eliminating any pretext for "collusion between officials and merchants".

Zhou Zhengjie did not publicize his relationship with Su Ning, but instead cleverly managed the Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Military Command through the collateral branches of Xu Jie's family and the connections he had accumulated over the years while running a rouge shop in the capital.

It was neither ostentatious nor unprominent, yet it ensured that no one would dare to cause trouble after the business opened.

The core goods were naturally provided by the industrial space and transported by canal boats under the name of "novel goods from the South".

Fresh grains and oils are sourced partly from the Jiangnan region and partly from the Beijing-Tianjin area.

The store's core management personnel and cashiers are, of course, a new generation of AI robots that are more sophisticatedly disguised. They were brought to Beijing under the guise of "guests who have returned from Southeast Asia".

Meanwhile, the expansion of Jiangbei was more rapid and direct.

Suning, based in Nanjing, remotely controlled the project, dispatching capable personnel to simultaneously launch branch construction in major cities such as Yangzhou, Huai'an, Jining, and Linqing along the Grand Canal, a golden waterway.

They completely copied the successful experience of Jiangnan, unifying branding, management, and supply.

By utilizing the initially established canal transport logistics network, a stable supply of goods can be ensured.

In Jiangbei, Suning's official influence played an even greater role.

Officials in various regions all knew that the "Da Ming Supply and Marketing Cooperative" had a close relationship with Governor Su, and since the emperor had just commended it, they all provided conveniences, with procedures going smoothly, and local thugs and ruffians fled at the mere sight of it.

The Jiangbei branch focused more on selling inexpensive Nanyang rice, basic fabrics, salt, ironware, and other daily necessities, which quickly won the favor of ordinary citizens and canal porters, and established a firm foothold.

……

Several months later, the "Daming Supply and Marketing Cooperative" quietly opened in the eastern part of the capital.

It lacked the bustling atmosphere of Jiangnan, where everyone flocked to the store, but on opening day, the store was still packed with people.

The people of Beijing showed great curiosity and enthusiasm for these novel, transparent shops with a wide variety of goods, especially those featuring many "novelties from the south".

Some well-informed low-ranking officials and servants of noble families also came upon hearing the news.

They were amazed by the quality of the goods in the store and the exquisitely crafted crystal mirror, and even more so by the meticulous service of the staff and their incredibly accurate accounting.

"This shop... is interesting."

"I heard that the owner behind this is from the south, and he has connections everywhere."

"Who cares? As long as the product is good and the price is reasonable, that's all that matters!"

Although the successful opening of the Beijing store did not cause widespread discussion in the imperial court, it was like a seed that was quietly planted in the heart of the empire.

With the first store in Beijing operating smoothly and other stores along the Grand Canal in Jiangbei opening for business, the commercial landscape of "Daming Supply and Marketing Cooperative" has achieved a qualitative leap.

Centered on Nanjing, extending north to the capital, south to the Jiangnan region, west along the Yangtze River, and east to the sea, a commercial circulation network connecting the north and south, relying on canals, sea routes, and official roads, had already taken shape.

Looking at the latest accounts, Zhou Zhengjie was overwhelmed with excitement: "Anbang is a success! The north and south routes are all under our control!"

Su Ning stood with his hands behind his back, his expression more solemn than ever: "Cousin, this is just the skeleton being built. The larger the network, the bigger the target, and the more risks there will be in the future. The watchful eyes of the imperial court, the jealousy of our peers, and the backlash from local forces will not stop."

He paused, then continued, "What we need to do is make this network more robust and more in-depth. Next, we need to establish our own information transmission channels, integrate the canal transport and maritime trade more deeply, and even gradually expand our financial business."

Zhou Zhengjie took a deep breath and realized that his cousin's ambitions went far beyond simply opening a shop and making money.

This "Great Ming Supply and Marketing Cooperative," which spans two capitals and thirteen provinces, may not only be seen by my cousin as a commercial empire, but also as a vast network capable of drawing resources, transmitting information, and even influencing national policies.

Outside the window, the moon is high in the sky.

Suning knows that his business reach has extended to a wider world, but this grand strategy has only just entered its middle stage.

The future competition will be even more thrilling.

...(End of chapter)