A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 290: Cheap Businessman
A red light rose, and swords fell to the ground.

The dense hooves of iron hooves pounded on the cobblestones with a loud cracking sound.

The lanterns hanging on both sides of the street were left behind by the galloping horses, their iron hooves splattering sparks as they pounded the cobblestones.

The renowned Shangshangfang was surrounded.

People in Guanzhong often say that the Qin and Han dynasties share the same origin. The capital city of Chang'an, built by the Han court, followed the ancient system of Xianyang in its overall layout, only on a much larger scale, with slight modifications to the smaller details.

The entire city of Chang'an was divided into two areas: the "city" and the "outer city".

"City" refers to the area where the emperor's palace and government offices are concentrated, surrounded by city walls, and is commonly known as a small city or royal city.

The area outside the city walls was called "Guo," a region where people, merchants, and workshops were concentrated.

Since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the area of ​​"Guo" was much larger than that of "Cheng", hence the saying "a city of three li, an Guo of seven li".

As for how big it is, there is no fixed rule; it depends on the city's development goals and the potential population that will move in.

When the Qin Dynasty unified the country, the scale of the city walls and outer walls of Xianyang surpassed that of its rivals, the capitals of Wei (Daliang) and Qi (Linzi), and even the capital of the Zhou Dynasty, Luoyang, which had existed for eight hundred years, making it the largest capital city in the world.

With the founding of the Han Dynasty, Chang'an, as the capital, naturally replaced Xianyang and surpassed the scale of all previous capitals.

In any capital city, grandeur lies in the "city" itself, and wealth and prosperity lie in the "outer city" (or "outer city"). However, what truly attracts merchants and the general public is the "outer city" area.

Craftsmen, all trades, merchants, shops, goods, artifacts, and the civilization of the Chinese people are mostly reflected in the "Guo," with the prosperity of the market in the "Guo" being the most influential.

When commerce and travel are unimpeded, logistics are unimpeded; when logistics are unimpeded, goods and wealth are plentiful; when logistics are smooth, materials are abundant; and when materials are abundant, the national treasury is full of money and taxes.

For more than five hundred years during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, commerce was like an all-pervasive stream, not only infiltrating and undermining the ancient foundation of ritual and governance, but also facilitating the flow of wealth across the land, bringing many benefits to the government and the common people.

Merchants and artisans freely merged, and merchants were no longer just traveling merchants selling finished goods. They directly became workshop owners who manufactured various items. In this way, they not only gained more wealth, but also greatly increased their influence and formed brands.

Qin was a simple and honest country, and its people had always been indifferent to merchants. However, under the overwhelming circumstances, it had no choice but to open its doors to the six states of Shandong and lower its tax rates in order to attract merchants and their goods from the six states to the west in large quantities, thus providing a material foundation for reform and strengthening the country.

Until the Qin Dynasty unified the country and the capital city of Xianyang was fully completed, half of the "Guo" district was a commercial district, named Shangshangfang – which revered merchants as virtuous scholars.

The pitiful official-merchant system of the Zhou Dynasty has long been replaced by thriving private merchants.

Fan Li, Zigong, Bai Gui, Yidun, Lü Buwei... the power of merchants greatly increased, making commerce one of the two major economic pillars of China, alongside agriculture.

These wealthy merchants not only dominated the economic world but also wielded considerable influence in politics.

He may amass great wealth, yet he will not help the nation in its time of need.

Those who have connections with kings and nobles wield power that surpasses that of officials.

Even during the chaos of the late Qin Dynasty and the Chu-Han Contention, when the social economy was in ruins and food was extremely scarce, merchants took the opportunity to hoard and speculate, manipulating prices, leading to "a stone of rice costing ten thousand coins and a horse costing a hundred gold pieces," resulting in the tragic situation of "people eating each other."

Therefore, after Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang pacified the country, he immediately promulgated the national policy of "emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce". Through the "Decree of Degrading Merchants", he stipulated that merchants "must not wear silk or ride in carriages", "heavy taxes will be imposed on them to humiliate them", and merchants and their descendants were prohibited from holding official positions.

At the same time, it prohibited merchants from acquiring "famous fields" to protect farmers, prevent land consolidation, and prevent the displacement of farmers from causing social unrest.

At the legal level, agriculture is recognized as the "fundamental occupation" and commerce as the "secondary occupation," guiding people's hearts and efforts back to the land.

By restricting the economic and social status of merchants, ensuring the priority of agriculture, and striving to achieve "people having regular property and the country having a foundation."

However, the power of money far exceeded Emperor Gao's imagination. "The more expensive the merchants became, the less the people valued them," and merchants gradually gained access to the inner workings of society.

Furthermore, they won the emperor's favor and, as merchants, entered the emperor's court openly. During His Majesty's reign, Dongguo Xianyang and Kong Jin openly served as central officials despite being merchants.

Although Sang Hongyang tried to conceal his true nature, he remained true to his essence as a Luoyang merchant. Had it not been for the Crown Prince's intervention, the three merchants would have almost orchestrated an economic reform for the Han Dynasty. Later, when the court implemented the "National Estate" system, the Zhuo family of Linqiong, the Kong family of Nanyang, and the Dongguo family of Linzi all responded by surrendering all their family wealth to become part of the Han Dynasty's national estate.

The Sang family in Luoyang remained silent throughout.

Shangshangfang, with its inns, workshops, taverns... the five-mile-long street is lined with shops, and the goods are extremely abundant.

In Chang'an, and indeed throughout the entire Han Dynasty, Shangshangfang was truly a city that never slept. Its carriages and horses flowed like a river, people in brocade robes shuttled back and forth, and it was prosperous and extravagant, with bright lights and wine, just like a heavenly marketplace.

This seems out of place in the simple and unpretentious world of the Han people.

Night was falling, and dawn was breaking in the east.

The market in Shangshangfang gradually quieted down, and the number of people became sparse.

The army that suddenly stormed into the streets woke up the sleeping people ahead of time.

Sang Family Inn was the old shop opened by the Sang family of Luoyang in Chang'an. It was also the most elegant place in Chang'an. Especially after Sang Hongyang won the emperor's favor, countless merchants flocked there, seeking ways to sell official positions.

The sound of iron hooves startled the people in the ancient inn. The innkeeper came out and said, "May I ask, General, would you like some wine? Tea? Gambling? Chess? Whatever you require, the Sang family is willing to..."

A flash of sword light flashed.

The shopkeeper's head immediately flew off!
The headless body paused for a moment before collapsing with a thud, while the head, which had rolled to the ground, still wore a smile on its face.

The peace of Shangshangfang was completely shattered.

Having been observing His Majesty, the Grain-Searching Commandant Sang Hongyang suppressed his fear and stepped forward as calmly as possible. "General Gongsun, why did you kill him?"

"I knew you'd be here!"

Gongsun Ao sneered from horseback and, without waiting for Sang Hongyang's reply, said, "Take it!"

"Gongsun Ao, how dare you?" Sang Hongyang instinctively stepped back and shouted.

The two guards were completely unaffected and pounced on him, capturing him.

"Arresting government officials without cause..."

“Isn’t it a crime to harbor an assassin who tried to assassinate His Majesty?” Gongsun Ao interrupted.

Sang Hongyang stubbornly raised his head, incredulously asking, "Me? Protecting an assassin?"

"Yes!"

"Where's the evidence?"

"Isn't it right here in your old shop?"

Gongsun Ao noticed the gatekeepers rushing out of the Sang family's old residence, as well as the private soldiers, assassins, wandering knights, and thieves rushing out from shops in all directions, and laughed, "Oh, they're already out!"

"Kill them all!"

The order was given.

A fierce battle cry suddenly erupted, and blood splattered everywhere after the flashes of blades.

Shangshangfang was a scene of carnage!
(End of this chapter)