"Summoning the merchant's daughter, Shu Ji'er, for an audience."
"Your humble subject, Shu Ji'er, pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years."
"Ten thousand years. Ten thousand. Ten thousand years."
"Rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Shu Ji'er, we heard from Li Nian that you have a grand, wonderful proposal for us. We are quite curious what grand proposal a mere merchant's daughter could have."
"To answer Your Majesty, my father wishes to donate the Shu family's entire fortune to the state treasury, to ease Your Majesty's burdens and contribute our modest effort to our great Xia."
"Oh. It is indeed rare for Shu Anjin to show such loyalty. However, there is no loyalty in this world without a reason. Speak. What does your Shu family want?"
"Your humble subject dares not ask for rewards. Your humble subject has only one request, which is also to beg for a way for my Shu family to survive. The crown prince's favor should have been my blessing, but I know my background is humble, and I am unworthy of His Highness. More importantly, the Shu family has been in business for generations. The money we earned belongs to Your Majesty and to the people of the world. I would never dare, because of my marriage alone, let it become the private property of the Eastern Palace."
"What a sharp tongue, girl. I understand what you mean. You want me to make the decision for you?"
"Please make the decision for your humble subject, Your Majesty, and show the Shu family a way forward."
"I cannot disappoint the merchants of the world either. How about this? I permit you to hold a public husband recruitment event for yourself in the capital. Whether the candidate is of noble birth or a common citizen, as long as his character and talents are acceptable, you may choose him yourself. Whomever you choose, I shall bestow a marriage upon you. As for your Shu family's assets, I do not want a single coin. They shall all be your dowry. I would like to see who will be so fortunate as to marry the wealthiest bride in our great Xia dynasty."
"Thank you for your immense grace, Your Majesty. Your humble subject has one more presumptuous request."
"Speak."
"Your Majesty, the husband your humble subject seeks need not be of noble birth, nor highly accomplished. I only request one thing. He must marry into the Shu family."
Marry in. Those words, to any man present, were a humiliating disgrace. It meant having one's dignity crushed underfoot, especially for those self-righteous nobles and scholars.
"Imperial Father, I believe this woman of the Shu family is being utterly preposterous. To marry in goes against social order and relations. Moreover, it is an insult to our royal family and the scholars of the world. As a mere merchant's daughter, she dares make such an outrageous request. She should be punished."
"The crown prince is absolutely right. This woman is misleading the public with evil words and showing contempt for the court. Your Majesty, please punish her severely."
I did not look at them. Here, the emperor is the only one who can decide my life or death.
"Your Majesty, this lowly subject is not ungrateful, nor do I dare insult the scholars and nobles of the world. The reason I make this request is truly out of helplessness. As everyone knows, my Shu family has been in business for generations. That we have what we have today is thanks to generations of painstaking effort, culminating in a set of business methods. These methods have never been shared with outsiders, and only those of the Shu family bloodline can truly master them. My father is willing to dedicate our vast wealth to the country, and I too would hesitate at no sacrifice. But this immense family estate, and the businesses spread across the land, needs someone to manage and run them in order to continuously generate wealth for the national treasury. If I marry out, the succession of these business methods will be broken. Within ten years, the Shu family's vast wealth will become nothing but stagnant water, gradually depleted to nothing. This is surely not what Your Majesty wishes to see. Nor is it the original intent behind my family's donation. Therefore, this lowly subject begs Your Majesty's gracious permission to recruit a husband to marry into the Shu family, allowing him to learn the Shu family's business methods and inherit the family estate. Only in this way can we ensure that the Shu family's businesses continue to flourish and tirelessly serve Your Majesty and our great Xia."
I had packaged a seemingly selfish and insolent request into a thoughtful consideration for the nation and its people. The core idea was simple. If the Shu family's money is to continuously serve the country, it must be managed by someone from the Shu family. Marrying out would mean cutting off the source of wealth. To keep the funds flowing, I must be allowed to take a live-in husband.
They couldn't refute it, because every single word I said made perfect sense. Moreover, every word aligned with the emperor's interests. Who would dare suggest making less money for the national treasury?
"Good. What a wonderful way to share the nation's burdens. What a sharp tongue. Shu Ji'er, we approve. We shall issue an imperial decree today, to publicly recruit a husband for the Shu family in the entire capital. No. In the entire world. A public recruitment, regardless of background, regardless of the past. As long as he catches your eye, Shu Ji'er, any man can be selected, and for the final choice we shall personally officiate your marriage. We also want everyone in the world to see what kind of young talent could have the good fortune to marry into the wealthiest family of our great Xia."
The emperor not only completely cut off the crown prince's hopes, but also turned this recruitment into a grand event of national attention. A grand show he personally directed, to warn the crown prince and balance the court. And I, Shu Ji'er, was the most eye-catching protagonist in this grand show.
I knew that from the moment I walked out of this grand hall, my name would spread to every corner of great Xia. My Shu family would become the center of the storm. Countless opportunities and dangers would follow one after another.
"Your humble subject, Shu Ji'er, thanks Your Majesty for your divine grace. Long live our emperor. Long live, long live."
"Long live, Your Highness the Crown Prince." I bowed to him on the steps as we filed out. Don't be in a hurry. This game of chess has only just begun for us.
By the time I reached the palace gate my hands were unsteady, and it wasn't fear. It was exhaustion. Dealing with the emperor and the crown prince in the Golden Hall, every step was like walking on thin ice. The mental energy it consumed was more exhausting than negotiating ten major business deals.
"Miss, are you all right?"
"Uncle Fu, I'm fine. Let's go home."
I knew that in less than half an hour, everything that happened in the Golden Hall would spread throughout the capital at an astonishing speed. By then, I, Shu Ji'er, a mere merchant's daughter, would become the focus of everyone's gossip.