The Status of Merchants

Back in the study, An Ziran picked up his brush as if nothing had happened and continued copying the Ouyang-style calligraphy from the copybook. The steward had said this style was relatively basic; once he mastered it, the rest would be easy.

When Steward Su entered, he happened to see An Ziran writing. His expression was so calm that no one could have guessed he had just torn all pretenses apart with his uncle and aunt in the main hall. A complicated look appeared on Steward Su's face.

He had witnessed the young master's changes over the past few days.

To be honest, he had never expected the young master to change so thoroughly after a serious illness. Perhaps, as people said, some only came to their senses after losing the family members they could rely on. It could be considered a rebirth through adversity.

Steward Su sighed, yet also felt gratified. He had watched An Ziran grow up. He had not particularly liked the old An Ziran, who had been far too unambitious and squandered money without restraint. If the An Family had been handed over to him, it would surely have been ruined. Thus, Steward Su was immensely relieved that the young master had truly grown up this time.

But when he recalled what had happened in the main hall, worry rose in him again. His brows furrowed deeply, and he wore an expression as though he wanted to speak but hesitated. It was impossible for An Ziran not to notice.

At last, he stopped writing and looked calmly at Steward Su.

"Steward, if you have something to say, say it."

Steward Su did not stand on ceremony. He had been holding it in for too long. "Young Master, this old servant may only be a servant, but there are some things I must say. What you did in the main hall today, offending the master and his wife, was truly unwise."

After spending some time with Steward Su, An Ziran had gained some understanding of his character. He knew Steward Su was not someone who failed to distinguish right from wrong. There had to be a reason for his words, so he asked, "Why?"

Seeing that he was willing to listen, Steward Su could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. A trace of amusement flashed through his eyes as well. The young master really had changed greatly. If this had been in the past, let alone being as mild-mannered as he was now, he would have flown into a rage already. The only regret was that he was still far too fat.

"Young Master, the master holds scholarly credentials. He is different from us. If he truly intends to make trouble for the An Family, the magistrate of Anyuan County will certainly take his side," Steward Su said.

An Ziran raised a brow and finally set down his brush. "Even if Uncle holds scholarly credentials, he should only be a xiucai, shouldn't he? What can a xiucai really accomplish? And why would the magistrate help him?"

Steward Su was not surprised by his words. The young master had previously known only how to eat, drink, and play, and knew little of such matters. It happened to fill in the gaps in An Ziran's "vague memories."

"Young Master, Da Ya is a country that values scholarly credentials, so many people take pride in earning them. As long as one possesses scholarly credentials, one can gain respect and status. Merchants, however, hold a very low status in Da Ya, and many people look down on them. Some wealthy merchants go to every length to rid themselves of their merchant status, even marrying their children to scholars with credentials or arranging marriages with noble young ladies. Thus, although the master is only a xiucai, his status is higher than that of a merchant."

An Ziran had not expected Da Ya's national conditions to be like this.

Scholars were valued, while merchants were despised. Could scholars create wealth for Da Ya?

Knowledge was indeed important, but merchants were the ones who truly drove Da Ya's economy. Without merchants working hard to create wealth, Da Ya's tax revenues would not be so high.

An Ziran could not understand what kind of mindset Da Ya's emperor had possessed to issue such laws. Meanwhile, Steward Su was still explaining the consequences of offending An Changde.

"However, Young Master, the person you need to be wary of is not the master, but his wife, Madam Wu."

"Why is that?" An Ziran asked in surprise.

Steward Su said worriedly, "Madam Wu's older sister is the second concubine of the Yong Prefecture prefect. Though she is only a concubine, this old servant has heard that Jiang Prefect favors her greatly. If Madam Wu has her sister whisper in Jiang Prefect's ear, this old servant fears they may make a move against the An Family."

A prefect was far more powerful than a county magistrate. Tripping up the An Family would be effortless for him.

The An Family was currently at its weakest and most vulnerable, with even An Changde eyeing it from the side. If the Yong Prefecture prefect truly had designs on them, how could the An Family resist?

An Ziran frowned. He was still unfamiliar with the An Family's businesses, and there was a reason commoners did not contend with officials.

"Steward, find me someone reliable and have him watch Uncle's family. If Uncle or Aunt makes any unusual moves, we can respond at any time."

If word got out that they were spying on his own uncle, people would surely criticize them. Steward Su felt it was not quite appropriate, but there was no other way at present. He said nothing further and gave the order the next day.

However, neither of them had expected An Changde to act so quickly.

They were caught completely off guard.