Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 246 Money is worthless in the face of power!
The first day of the first month of the 387th year of the Han Dynasty, the eighth year of the Guanghe era.

The first rays of the New Year's sun leaped out of the clouds, generously painting the vast fields in the southern suburbs of Luoyang, pouring its golden light upon the majestic Shouchan Platform.

The southern suburbs, which were originally a royal forbidden area and off-limits to outsiders, were opened to the public today as an exception. Many scholars, students of the Imperial Academy, commoners, and even some merchants with official backgrounds and close cooperation with the court from all over the country were allowed to enter.

Because today is the day His Highness the Crown Prince accepted the abdication of the Emperor and ascended the throne!
Guo Jia, whose hair was tied up with a blue belt, was accompanied by a young man who was also dressed in the uniform of a student of the Imperial Academy but with a crown and hat, and two other children. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He raised his hand and pushed through the crowd of onlookers in front of him. He looked at Sun Jian, who was inspecting the area on horseback, stood on tiptoe, waved his arms in the distance, and shouted, "General Sun! General Sun!"

Sun Jian, holding a riding whip and with his thick eyebrows slightly furrowed, finished explaining the key points of the patrol to Cao Ren, Duan Wei, and Wen Chou, the three guerrilla captains. Then he heard a familiar shout. He turned his head and his tiger-like eyes swept around, only to catch a glimpse of a slovenly fellow waving at him with a grin.

With a slight squeeze of his legs against the horse's belly, the chestnut-colored Akhal-Teke horse trotted to the edge of the crowd. Sun Jian raised his hand, signaling his fully armed guerrilla soldiers to remove the long halberds blocking their way and let the group of little guys in.

Ten-year-old Sun Ce pushed through the crowd to the front. Looking at Sun Jian, who was wearing armor and riding a tall horse with great majesty, his young face turned red, and the light of admiration in his eyes almost overflowed. He clenched his fists and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Father!"

Sun Jian dismounted with a somewhat helpless expression, a complex look swirling in his eyes. He slapped Sun Ce's head hard with his broad hand, making the boy stagger half a step, but he still stubbornly held his head high.

Sun Jian both loved and hated his son, Sun Ce.

What he loves is that this little guy has the same temperament as him and is quite talented in martial arts. At the age of ten, he can already ride a pony back and forth. He is also quite gifted in spear and archery. The Sun family should not decline in the future if it is passed down to this eldest son.

But what's annoying is that this kid is just too much like him, too much of a troublemaker!
A ten-year-old child is at the age when people and dogs hate and reject them!
A while ago, when His Highness the Crown Prince went out of the city to welcome Huangfu Song, Dong Zhuo and others, this kid dared to openly shout "He can be replaced" in the crowd. As a result, as soon as the crowd dispersed, he was caught by the Embroidered-Robed Envoy hiding in the crowd, who put a sack over his head!

However, after learning the whole story, His Highness the Crown Prince did not hold it against the boy. After Sun Ce demonstrated his martial arts skills, he praised him and even had the stable manager of Chang Le select a foal and a one-stone bow that His Highness the Crown Prince had once used from the Imperial Horse Garden, encouraging Sun Ce to practice riding and archery and serve the Han Dynasty like his father in the future.

Relieved, Sun Jian pulled Sun Ce to bow to the Crown Prince to express his gratitude for the reward, and then immediately returned home. He ordered the gates of his mansion to be closed, and then hung Sun Ce from the roof beam and whipped him more than a dozen times.

What, you think just because you're from Jiangdong you can become the Hegemon-King of Western Chu?
Sun Jian was furious. How could someone so casually utter words that could lead to the confiscation of property and the extermination of an entire clan?

You're saying you want to replace those meritorious officials?
If someone slanders you or His Highness the Crown Prince misunderstands that you want to replace him, then Sun Wentai will have died before his career was even halfway done... No, the entire Sun family of Wu County can prepare to be wiped out.

Zhou Yu, who was almost inseparable from Sun Ce, bowed and said with a slight smile on his handsome face, "Nephew greets Uncle!"

"Hehe, General Sun!" Guo Jia smiled and gave a casual bow, pointing to another young man in the uniform of a student at the Imperial Academy beside him, "This is Sun Qian, courtesy name Gongyou, the newly accepted disciple of Duke Kangcheng. He is twenty-one years old this year and is also studying at the Imperial Academy."

"Sun Qian, a student of the Imperial Academy, pays his respects to the General of the Guerrilla Army!"

Looking at Sun Qian bowing to him, Sun Jian couldn't help but admire that he was indeed Zheng Xuan's disciple. His manners were impeccable and perfect, and even if one wanted to find fault, one probably couldn't find any flaws.

Sun Jian, who was just about to tell Sun Ce to go home to avoid trouble, nodded. He thought it wouldn't be good to embarrass the little guy in front of Sun Ce's friends, especially with these people watching.

Although Guo Jia was unrestrained, he knew his limits. Zhou Yu was humble and courteous. As for Sun Qian, since he was Zheng Xuan's personal disciple, he was probably not a reckless person and shouldn't cause any trouble for Sun Ce.

Sun Jian reached out and ruffled Sun Ce's upturned hair. His rough hand lingered on the boy's head for a long time before he finally patted his shoulder and said, "Since you're here, don't cause your old man any trouble. There can't be any mistakes in today's ceremony, or I'll hang you from the rafters and whip you to death when I get home tonight. Your mother and aunt won't be able to persuade you!"

Guo Jia rubbed his hands together, a sly glint in his eyes, and said with a grin, "General Sun, could you find us a good spot? His Highness's abdication ceremony is a first in history. If we can't find a good spot, we'll regret it for the rest of our lives!"

Despite the abdication of Yao, Shun, and Yu, and the precedents of pre-Qin rulers such as King Kuai of Yan, neither the former, the sovereigns of the world, nor the latter, the rulers of the vassal states, could compare to the most esteemed father and son in the unified Han Empire.

What makes Yao, Shun, and Yu worthy of respect is their wise governance and selfless virtue in abdicating the throne, but their territories, in terms of both land area and population, are far inferior to those of the Han Empire.

As for a fool like King Kuai of Yan who harmed the country and its people, he is even less qualified to be compared with him.

Moreover, today's abdication ceremony is a transfer of power between a biological father and son.

His Majesty the Emperor abdicated to His Highness the Crown Prince, who was the eldest son of the legitimate wife. Since ancient times, there has been no more legitimate way to obtain the throne than this, which is in perfect accordance with the Zhou rites in the eyes of the scholars!

As for the viewing location, there was actually a special spot for the students of the Imperial Academy to watch the ceremony, but it was not the best place to watch.

Sun Jian glanced at Guo Jia and pointed to a less crowded spot, saying, "Go ahead, there are many members of the imperial family and sons of important officials there. Don't cause any trouble for me."

That place was reserved for the sons of imperial relatives and high-ranking officials residing in the capital to attend the ceremony. Among them were Liu Dan, the second son of Liu Yan, the third son Liu Mao, and the youngest son Liu Zhang; Lu Fu, the eldest son of Lu Zhi, who had not yet gone to Liaodong to take up his post, and Lu Fan, the second son; Liu Qi, the son of Liu Biao, who was appointed as the Chancellor of Zhongshan last month; and Cao Ang, the eldest son of Cao Cao, the Governor of Qingzhou and General Who Pacifies Bandits, and his nephew Cao Xiu.

But actually, given their status, there wouldn't be any problem for them to go directly there.

Sun Ce was the eldest son of Zhou Yu, a general with a salary of 2,000 piculs and 1,200 households, and the Marquis of Xihu Township. Zhou Yu's father, Zhou Yi, was a Grand Master of the Palace with a salary of 2,000 piculs. Several of his deceased grandfathers, as well as his living uncles and aunts, were also important officials in the court, so they could naturally go directly there.

Guo Jia was the cousin of Guo Hong, the Commandant of the Capital Region, and the younger cousin of Guo Tu, the Chief Justice of the Court of Justice. He was a talented member of the Guo family of Yingchuan. With the help of these two, why couldn't he enter the palace?

However, Guo Jia seemed to dislike receiving special treatment from Guo Hong and Guo Tu. But even so, it did not prevent Guo Jia from entering the palace. The Crown Prince's favor towards Guo Jia was the envy of many, even allowing Guo Jia to enter and leave the palace and access the Eastern Pavilion to read the imperial library.

The name card given to Guo Jia by the Crown Prince for studying military strategy at Hongdu Gate and simultaneously enrolling in the Imperial Academy was never taken back. It served as a permit for entering and leaving the palace. All the camps of the central army had a deep impression of this young man, and he could enter even without showing his name card.

Guo Jia was probably worried that Sun Qian wouldn't be able to get in, since he was just a student at the Imperial Academy. Although Zheng Xuan was a confidant of the Crown Prince, he was only willing to be the Chief of Ceremonies and therefore wasn't among the important officials. He couldn't inform Zheng Xuan, who was busy organizing the abdication ceremony and had no time to rest, and he certainly couldn't ask His Highness the Crown Prince, who was the main character today. Perhaps that's why he came to find him on the way.

Watching Guo Jia and the others leave, Sun Jian mounted his horse, only to see Sun Ce turn around and make a face at him. Sun Jian glared at him and pretended to whip him, which startled Sun Ce, who quickly turned and trotted away.

Sun Jian shook his head and continued his inspection, too lazy to ponder the cause and effect, and he had no interest in getting involved in the affairs of a group of children.

Among the crowd, a young man, also 21 years old, followed beside his father, watching Guo Jia and others pass through the central army's soldiers' blockade and enter the vicinity of the abdication platform. The envy in his eyes was almost tangible.

Mi Zhu watched as the boys entered the best viewing area with the permission of the central army soldiers, his hands clenched into fists, trembling, hidden in his sleeves.

Is this what power is?

No, this is merely an appendage of power, something they can only dream of but never attain.

I... also want to taste the wonders of power!
After a long silence, Mi Zhu seemed to have made up his mind and said, "Father, I will hand over the family business to Zifang in the future. I have decided to enter the Imperial Academy."

Mi Ping's aged hand trembled as he touched his son's shoulder. It was worth it for him to have volunteered to donate 5000 million coins for the Crown Prince's abdication ceremony in exchange for the right to witness the ceremony.

No matter how successful a merchant becomes, he's nothing more than a hen laying eggs for a ruined county magistrate or a prefect who wipes out an entire family.

If he hadn't provided 6 shi of salt and 100 million shi of grain free of charge during the court's suppression of the rebellion, spending hundreds of millions of coins to support the court, he probably wouldn't have been qualified to donate that 5000 million coins.

However, his eldest son, Mi Zhu, whom he had raised since childhood, never seemed to grasp the essence of commerce and was unwilling to abandon the business acumen he had learned over the years.

He could understand it. Anyone who was raised from childhood to learn how to manage a business and accumulate wealth for their family would find it hard to accept when suddenly their family donated 70% of their wealth to the imperial court in exchange for his qualification to study at the Imperial Academy and learn the Five Classics, which they had never studied in detail before.

The Mi family of Donghai was a merchant family that outsourced salt production and sales to the imperial court. Through generations of management by the Mi family of Donghai, the cost of one shi (a unit of dry measure) of salt was reduced from fifty coins to thirty coins, and 300 salt stoves could produce 30 shi per month at full capacity!
According to the family records of the Mi clan of Donghai, after Emperor Xiaowu established a state monopoly on salt and iron, the lowest official price set by the imperial court for salt was during the reign of Emperor Xiaoxuan, which was 100 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure). (Note 1)

At that time, the imperial court would collect the prepared salt from them for 50 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure). During the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Later Han Dynasty, the price of salt was 120 coins per shi. Considering the transportation costs, the imperial court granted the right to sell salt in the Xuzhou area to the Mi family of Donghai, requiring them to pay 70 coins per shi of salt to the imperial court after selling the salt.

That is, the Mi family of Donghai earns a net profit of 20 coins per month, and 200 million coins per year.

However, the two million coins of profit had to be subject to a 5% commercial tax. This was because they were salt merchants outsourced by the imperial court, and therefore were exempt from the 10% commercial tax.

In addition, there is a 6% share of the total assets, and the responsibility to support the family members and the skilled salt workers employed by the family, who are exempt from corvée labor each year, which is 300 coins per person.

Of course, they could also secretly sell more salt than the amount permitted by the imperial court, and then make some false accounts to cover it up, or secretly sell salt at a price of more than 120 coins per stone. Then the merchant families who coveted the salt trade and the local prefects and magistrates would be overjoyed.

As long as the news is confirmed to be true, no solid evidence is needed to slaughter the entire Mi clan of Donghai and kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Anyway, there are countless merchant families who want to be the laying hens, producing and selling salt for the imperial court. They can also get some chicken meat along the way, so why not?

Since the Later Han Dynasty, the price of salt has generally remained at 200 coins or less. However, during the reign of the Ten Attendants, the price of salt was raised to 800 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure). It was not until the Crown Prince became regent that the price of salt was reduced back to 180 coins per shi, and the common people could afford salt again.

This is why the humble merchant family of Donghai Mi was so moved by the Crown Prince's benevolence that they voluntarily gave up their profits to provide the court with 6 shi of salt and 100 million shi of grain free of charge. This is such a worthy deed to be recorded in history to praise the Crown Prince. Otherwise, what qualifications would the mere Donghai Mi family have to catch His Highness's eye?
Fortunately, this time Mi Zhu witnessed the splendor of Luoyang, this heavenly palace, and finally understood the beauty and weight of power.

Money is worthless in the face of power!
(4107 words)
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PS: I've recovered a bit today and even received several boxes of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), so I'm in a pretty good mood. Therefore, I'm adding a short update of 2,100 words. I implore you readers to shower me with monthly tickets in recognition of this extra update!

Note 1: Recently, while consulting the "Treatise on Food and Commodities" and "Treatise on Commerce" in various historical books, I suddenly discovered a problem.

During the Zhenguan era, the lowest price for one shi (a unit of dry measure) of salt was 100 coins, and the lowest price for grain during the Zhenguan era was 4 coins for one dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice, which is equivalent to 40 coins for one shi of rice. The value of one shi of salt could buy 2.5 shi of rice.

Although the currencies were different, the purchasing power of the currencies and the prices of salt and grain were exactly the same during the reigns of Emperor Zhaozong and Emperor Xuanzong. However, during the reigns of Emperor Zhaozong and Emperor Xuanzong, the state monopolized salt and iron, and the state macro-control of salt trade did not result in a loss of profits. Instead, it prevented salt merchants from arbitrarily raising prices and allowed them to make a lot of money and collect high commercial taxes.

During the Zhenguan period, the policy of the Sui Dynasty was completely open, allowing the people to freely mine, produce and sell salt. The price of salt was greatly reduced by supply exceeding demand and by not levying commercial taxes on salt. However, whenever there was a slight disaster or political turmoil, the price of salt would skyrocket.

It wasn't until the An Lushan Rebellion that Fifth Qi and Liu Yan implemented the "Salt Monopoly Law" and "On-site Monopoly" to reduce the high price of salt (1100 coins per shi) and raise funds for the army. This government monopolized the salt industry and set prices, which brought down the price of salt once again.

(End of this chapter)