Chapter 1927: Guidance

Luoyang had three great markets, each with its own character, and the North Market's greatest distinction was that it lacked any "vulgarity"—it was high-class, with few down-and-out types and little noise or chaos. After all, its primary purpose was to serve the capital's "high society."

Within Luoyang, apart from the Imperial City, the most prestigious places were clearly the wards laid out along the Luo River outside the Imperial City's south gate—those were where the top-ranking nobles had their mansions, simply because they were closest to the Imperial City's main gate.

Beyond that, the place where the powerful gathered was the North City—nearly half of the upper-tier nobles and officials had their residences there, and besides the noble, there was also the rich.

Against this backdrop, compared to the South Market and West Market where common folk crowded together, the North Market naturally appeared more upscale—even some of the palace's daily purchasing was done at the North Market.

Likewise, the class divisions were sharper, the gap between noble and base more pronounced, and beneath the bustling surface, that suffocating sense of confinement silently enveloped everyone. But like a besieged city, those outside were always scheming, squeezing their heads to get in...

Though he held no official post whatsoever, as one of the realm's great merchants and Luoyang's wealthiest man, Kang Ning was still qualified to live in the North City—and in the core bustling district, no less, as a neighbor to the powerful, surrounded by aristocratic aura.

In recent years, having set aside the family business, Kang Ning devoted what little energy remained to courting the powerful. Since he could not change his status, he could only actively align himself with them, building his own moat and umbrella of protection.

At the same time, money was, most of the time, enormously useful—on this point, Kang Ning had ample confidence and awareness. So what if they were nobles? When wealth accumulated to a certain level, it was enough to pry them open, even to command them. These years of lavishing money (lending money) had already shown conspicuous results.

At this hour, the Eight Directions Tower was in its prime hours for receiving guests, with a heavy flow of customers, most of them finely dressed, drawn by the tower's famed delicacies.

In the deepest chamber on the third floor—the most lavishly decorated, the most exquisitely appointed private room—Kang Ning was receiving a guest. As one of his flagship establishments, the Eight Directions Tower was also where Kang Ning most often conducted his social affairs. By comparison, whether the "Kang Residence" in the city or the "Kang Estate" outside it, both were rarely used—the furnishings inside that exceeded his rank were, in the end, simply too many...

The guest Kang Ning was receiving was an old man with hair just as white as his own, his face furrowed with wrinkles, yet vigorous and radiant, dressed in an exquisite brocade robe that exuded an air of understated luxury.

The old man was no noble either—though if one spoke of connections, he could claim some. He was Zhao Xian, another famous great merchant of the capital. Unlike Kang Ning, who had "started from nothing" and struggled his way up, Zhao Xian's path in commerce had been far smoother, with richer resources at his disposal, bearing the nature of a front man—after all, he had been a retainer of the late Duke of Lu, Zhao Kuangzan.

And thanks to Emperor Liu's special care for the "Yan fief" in his early years, Zhao Kuangzan, after entering court, had indeed seized the opportunity to amass a considerable fortune—among the meritorious nobles, if one spoke of wealth, none could surpass him.

With Zhao Kuangzan's overt and covert support, Zhao Xian—a martial man of slave origins—had, in less than thirty years, transformed himself into one of the Great Han's foremost commercial magnates. And in terms of security and stability, he was clearly not comparable to Kang Ning.

In the final analysis, Kang Ning's greatest shortcoming was his lack of a solid, reliable political patron. Even if he was a guest of honor among the powerful, those relationships were not dependable—there were even those who hid daggers behind smiles, scheming after his family property.

Kang Ning had made no small number of efforts over the years, but a man's luck would not always hold, would not always run smooth. In the early years, Wang Zhang had been one—unfortunately, he fell too quickly, his power's shelf life too short, and Wang Zhang's political influence was utterly destroyed by the wanton misdeeds of his grandson Zhang Jin, with Kang Ning suffering some collateral damage behind the scenes as well.

The one most dependable should have been the Kang clan itself—Kang Yanze, though only a Count of Hechuan, was still a proper military meritorious noble. However, the grudges of years past ran too deep; they had even fought over family property. After decades, the rift had long since become irreparable—not quite viewing each other as mortal enemies, but at the very least loathing the sight of one another, and when trouble arose, they would even trip each other up...

Therefore, by comparison, Zhao Xian's origins might have been even humbler—he was merely a servant boy Zhao Yanshou had picked up from a pile of corpses—but backed by the Duke of Lu's mansion (formerly the Prince of Dongping's mansion), his days were far more comfortable, and his risks far smaller.

Both being great merchants, their businesses had little conflict—indeed, there was even considerable cooperation between them. Add to that Kang Ning's fawning attentiveness, and their relationship was naturally not poor. Whenever Kang Ning extended an invitation, so long as he had the time, Zhao Xian would do him the honor of attending in person.

Both men were approaching seventy, yet both could still drink and eat meat with gusto. The atmosphere was most congenial, and their topics of conversation never strayed from the capital's great affairs and the court "secrets" that concerned them—pure business matters, by contrast, were discussed less.

When the wine had brought them to a slight buzz, Zhao Xian took a sip of tea to rinse his mouth and asked casually: "Your house's merchant caravan has shipped another batch of military supplies to Anxi—by my reckoning, it should be about time for them to return to the capital, shouldn't it?"

Hearing Zhao Xian bring this up, a flicker of thought passed through Kang Ning's aged eyes. He smiled faintly and replied: "Brother Zhao truly has ears in all directions! They are on the return journey, but reaching the capital will still take some time.

This business these days has no profit to speak of—Anxi is simply too far, thousands of li away, and with fighting going on, the tasks assigned by the Ministry of War cannot be refused. Fortunately, so long as we deliver the weapons to Suiye and can bring back some local products from there, we just barely avoid a loss..."

Seeing Kang Ning going on about the military supply transport business, Zhao Xian could not help but smile. He actually knew something of Kang Ning's situation, and finding him agreeable enough, spoke in a tone of gentle reminder, unhurriedly:

"The court has dispatched no fewer than a dozen supply transport columns to Anxi. Does Brother Kang know which one is the most special among them?"

At the question, Kang Ning was slightly surprised. He knit his brows in thought, then suddenly his expression shifted slightly: "Could Brother Zhao be referring to..."

The words were not spoken aloud, but Kang Ning's hand pointed westward—in that direction lay both the Imperial City and the Eastern Palace. Meeting Kang Ning's gaze, Zhao Xian said softly: "Brother has spent these years courting the houses of the powerful—such a scion of the imperial bloodline is right before your eyes, within reach. How could you have overlooked him?"

Previously, the imperial grandson Liu Wenhuan, by Emperor Liu's oral decree, had personally escorted a shipment of weapons to Anxi, and to this day had still not returned to the capital. And Liu Wenhuan was someone whom a person of Kang Ning's station could never possibly hope to come into contact with under ordinary circumstances.

But Zhao Xian had, in a single phrase, awakened the dreamer, seemingly pointing out a clear path...

Though his mind was already turning over schemes, his face betrayed nothing. Raising his cup toward Zhao Xian in a gesture, Kang Ning very naturally changed the subject: "Of late, the talk in the capital about enfeoffment has been all the rage. On this matter, I must beg Brother Zhao's generous instruction."

At this, Zhao Xian raised his old brows and said to Kang Ning in a tone of surprise: "Brother has been operating overseas for many years, cultivating and expanding widely—how could I possibly presume to instruct you? It is I who should be seeking your guidance. With your cultivation in the South Seas, perhaps you too could come to possess a fief of your own?"

"Brother Zhao jests!" Kang Ning immediately shook his head and sighed: "I have also studied the policies on enfeoffment—that is a privilege for the nobility. What qualification could a merchant like me have? Even if my ventures succeed, in the end I might only become the wedding dress for someone else..."

"I see it differently!" Zhao Xian maintained his unhurried manner: "In His Majesty's edict, there is no explicit stipulation that only meritorious nobles are qualified to receive overseas territories. On the contrary, the right of the enfeoffed kings to further enfeoff is clearly and unambiguously stated.

So long as the situation in the South Seas becomes clear and the enfeoffed kingdoms are established, Brother need only bring along your lands, people, and followers to attach yourself. Even if you cannot become a lord of territory, as a direct subject of an enfeoffed king, your chances would still be quite good.

At the very worst, you could beg a title from the powerful, hang your name on it, and at the same time protect your lands and property. With the connections Brother Kang has cultivated over these years, that should not be difficult to accomplish either..."