Chapter 1928: A Change of Approach

After the banquet, Kangning personally saw the guests off, even helping the drunken Zhao Xian into the carriage with his own hands, giving the servants and driver careful instructions, and standing there watching the carriage recede into the distance until it disappeared from view before the gathering was formally concluded.

If it had been Duke Lu himself, that would be one thing, but for merely Zhao Xian to receive such treatment—given Kangning's current reputation, it was indeed somewhat beneath him. However, Kangning did not care about such things; he simply felt that today's meeting had been greatly beneficial.

Compared to Zhao Xian, his sources of information were perhaps not narrow, but key intelligence was somewhat lacking, especially regarding movements and trends at the upper levels of the court.

In the past, exchanging words with all sorts of people had indeed yielded much useful information, yet encounters as "candid" and "forthright" as Zhao Xian's were still extremely rare.

And today's meeting, for Kangning, was greatly beneficial—at the very least, Zhao Xian had given him a major wake-up call. After so many years of "setbacks," Kangning had actually come to understand some things: the Great Han of today was a social system built over decades under Emperor Liu's leadership, a system in which every aspect had seen considerable development and progress, yet the various rules and restrictions were also extremely clear.

In commercial operations, Kangning had maneuvered with great skill, achieving enormous success—one could even say he had climbed to the pinnacle of that field. But on the other hand, that was all. When he wanted to break through this domain and complete a transformation of his life and career, the obstacles and resistance that had not been obvious before came one after another.

All under heaven bustle about for profit; money can, in many ways and to a great extent, influence power, even manipulate it. In the Great Han, power certainly rested above money, but there were always exceptions, unavoidable ones—such as Kangning.

However, in the Great Han of today, if you wanted to bring such unspoken rules into the open, that was challenging the rules, breaking the rules—something despised by people and unacceptable to universal values. Strictly speaking, those who recklessly challenge the rules ultimately face Emperor Liu, and Emperor Liu hated most those who broke the rules, especially rules he himself had established.

To be sure, Emperor Liu himself would from time to time do things that contradicted his own words and actions, but after all, he was the Emperor; using the standards for restraining ministers to restrain the Emperor was, to a certain extent, making things difficult for him. Leading by example also depended on the Emperor's mood—and besides, this was Emperor Liu!

Back when the matter of the Jiangxi Administrative Assistant appointment was being considered, before a final decision was reached, there had been a not-too-vehement debate within the court. A few held that Kangning was different from ordinary merchants—he had pledged his loyalty in a time of crisis and rendered great service to the court, so giving him an official post was justifiable, a reward for his merits, and a comfort to the hearts of all righteous and aspiring people under heaven.

One could well imagine what Emperor Liu's attitude and reaction would be to such arguments. Setting aside other factors, the four words "selling offices and peddling titles" alone were enough to enrage him. Yet some people had not a shred of sensitivity, no correct awareness whatsoever, and instead spoke grandly, laying out a whole "line of reasoning" with great confidence.

In Emperor Liu's view, Kangning might differ somewhat from ordinary merchants and had rendered some service to the court, but the court had also given ample recompense. To reap rich profits in commerce and still be unsatisfied, seeking gains in officialdom as well—that was insatiable greed.

Although Emperor Liu had always encouraged industry and commerce, in his heart of hearts he detested it; he merely had no choice but to make use of its strengths and endure its shortcomings.

When Emperor Liu held such an attitude, the subsequent development of events was hardly surprising. The officials who had voiced such opinions were successively demoted or dismissed, and even Zhong Mo stepped down from Jiangxi not long after. Though he was once transferred to the capital to serve as a department head, he soon faced the end of his political career, was forced into retirement, and finally died in depression.

And from that time on, Kangning no longer enjoyed the smooth sailing of the previous thirty years. All kinds of troubles came thick and fast—not fatal, but endlessly vexing, even causing him deep anxiety.

When Kangning realized that, given the current political ecology and environment, breaking through was exceedingly difficult, and that Emperor Liu was the biggest obstacle in his path, it was especially despairing.

With Kangning's intelligence, he naturally understood the value of biding his time, keeping a low profile, and avoiding disaster. But precisely because he was so intelligent, his heart burned with extreme unwillingness. In his view, if one could go from officialdom to commerce, one could naturally go from commerce to officialdom. Though the court had explicit rules forbidding serving officials from engaging in trade, Kangning could see perfectly well how things actually worked—on his own Kang family ships rode quite a few "honored guests."

Look at the whole Great Han—how many powerful figures first became officials and earned titles, then went into business for profit? He was merely reversing the order; why should there be so many prejudices and restrictions?

Collusion between officials and merchants, conversion between official and merchant—that was the norm, that was reasonable, that was how it should be...

Kangning was a typical case: after accumulating a certain amount of wealth and gaining a certain social status, he wanted to seek political standing commensurate with his riches—but that was precisely something Emperor Liu could not accept.

After suffering setbacks in seeking official appointment, Kangning did not collapse. He had even once entertained a bold idea: what if, more directly, he donated a portion of his family fortune—could that buy him an official post, or even a noble title?

Compared to the furtive approach in Jiangxi, this idea was far more direct. Of course, to achieve such a goal, one first had to watch the timing, second needed someone to arrange it, and finally the money could not be too little. Kangning's initial budget was one million strings of cash...

This fanciful idea—Kangning had actually made preparations and taken action to carry it out, only to be dissuaded in the end by a friend: an old Daoist, a priest he had funded and whose words he trusted. The man was said to have once listened to Patriarch Chen Tuan's lectures at Mount Hua, making him a half "outer disciple."

After hearing Kangning's idea of offering wealth to enter officialdom, the old Daoist said little, only offering a cryptic warning: "The majesty of Heaven is hard to fathom. This move will not bring fortune—it will only invite disaster!"

Then the old Daoist drifted away back to his mountain to enjoy his blessings, while Kangning sank into calm reflection. Perhaps out of trust, perhaps out of wariness of danger, he ultimately gave up the idea.

It was fortunate that Kangning heeded the advice; otherwise, even his million in family wealth would have turned to dust. Emperor Liu's regard for titles and ranks was something ordinary people could hardly comprehend—he viewed them almost as the very legitimacy and foundation of his rule. Trying to trade a few stinking coins for office and title was nothing but seeking death.

Moreover, even if Emperor Liu said nothing, the nobles of the Great Han would rise up in united opposition and attack. For a portion of the military meritorious nobles, even ministers like Wei Renpu and Xue Juzheng, who had been enfeoffed for civil governance, were looked down upon and repeatedly criticized—let alone a mere merchant.

If spending a bit of money could buy a noble title, wouldn't the nobles be in an uproar? Wouldn't people's hearts be thrown into chaos? If Kangning had truly done such a thing, in Emperor Liu's eyes it would perhaps have been a provocation and an insult—how could there have been a good outcome?

Over the past few years, Kangning had been constantly scheming and pondering how to break through this difficult problem that had plagued him for years, to the point of obsessing over it.

Until today's meeting, Zhao Xian's words finally inspired him—he could completely change his approach. The old Emperor's authority was unassailable and difficult to resist, but he could set his sights further ahead. Any rule or system, as long as one was willing to invest enough, could eventually be pried open.

If he couldn't do it, there were still his sons, and his grandsons. Money might not be of much use to Emperor Liu, but to others, it was a different story.

In the carriage on the way home, only two thoughts occupied Kangning's mind: first, to send someone to investigate the whereabouts of the imperial grandson Liu Wenhuang, to see if there was an opportunity to curry favor and ingratiate himself; second, that he should visit Chancellor Zhao Kuangyi, the Earl of Guangyang, more often.