Сhарtеr OneDuring thе Yоngхi еrа, the Zhao fаmilу held pоwer. Aftеr thе turmоil оf thе Fivе Dynastiеs and Ten Kingdoms, the реaсe оf thе раst twentу tо thirtу уеars fеlt espeсiаlly рrecious. Whеther the rulеrs were wisе оr сараblе, the cоmmоn pеорle did nоt truly undеrstаnd; the will of hеаven wаs unpredictаble, and who dаrеd tо critiсize it? Unless onе wаs willing tо risk their оwn hеаd, it wаs bеttеr to еаt morе and sрeak lеss! At lеаst, sinсe thе fоunding оf thе Great Song, lifе inside the border had bеen relativеly pеaсеful. Evеn though there were jackals to the north and tigers to the west, those were matters for the military. Ordinary people only needed to remain steadfast amid change and strive to promote social prosperity!
If you asked who the current emperor was, commoners who paid little attention to current affairs might mistakenly think it was Liu Jiyuan, or even more exaggeratedly, answer Li Yu, depending on where they were from. After all, dynastic changes could happen at any time. Yesterday, one might have claimed to be a subject of the Northern Han, but today, they inexplicably became a citizen of the Great Song. Who knew if a new Great King might emerge tomorrow? However, if you inquired about who the wealthiest person was today, any passerby in the six northern provinces would resolutely tell you—it was the Shi brothers of Proud Dragon Fortress. In the south, the answer was different! The great magnate of the south, and the only one who could rival Proud Dragon Fortress, was the owner of Brocade and Embroidery Trading House—Jun Chengliu.
Proud Dragon Fortress amassed its wealth through ranches and mining, while the Jun family in Jiangnan prospered by trading in jewelry and fabrics.
The renowned "Brocade Weaving Workshop" and "Golden Weaving Workshop" in Jiangnan gathered the finest embroiderers and master tailors in the land, earning the Jun family immense wealth beyond measure each year. Even the current emperor and his ministers insisted on having their garments tailored exclusively by these two workshops. From this, one could see just how successful the Jun family’s clothing businesses were! As for their jewelry, its fame stemmed not only from the Jun family’s recruitment of the best jade and gold craftsmen, whose artistry was beyond reproach, but also from Jun Chengliu’s unwavering integrity and honesty over the past twenty years. Although the Jun family monopolized these lucrative industries, they never took advantage to inflate prices. Any jewelry or adornments sold by "Brocade and Embroidery Jewelry Store" were always priced fairly.
Jun Chengliu’s rise to become the wealthiest man in Jiangnan was no accident. Most commendably, despite living a life of luxury, he never forgot to spread kindness. Every autumn and winter, he generously distributed grain to the poor. He was especially lenient toward his tenant farmers; when natural disasters struck, he not only waived their rents but also generously provided aid to help them through difficult times. Although the current situation had finally stabilized, the devastation left by the wars twenty to thirty years earlier had not yet fully healed. Jun Chengliu understood this deeply, which was why he always treated others with generosity, earning him even greater respect. In Jiangnan, especially in the Suzhou and Hangzhou regions, everyone called him the "Old Bodhisattva." Prominent figures and wealthy merchants considered it an honor to visit the Jun household, and even high-ranking officials and nobles were willing to befriend him.If Jun Chengliu had any regret, it was that his vast family business had no heir to inherit it! Jun Chengliu had three beautiful daughters, each possessing sharp business acumen, but he had no sons.
Five years ago, Jun Chengliu gradually began shifting the focus of the business to his eldest daughter; but on the surface, it still appeared as if he were in charge. This was an era that severely favored sons over daughters, emphasizing that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent. Compelled by the times, no matter how great a woman's talent or ability, it was still not recognized. Jun Chengliu's regret was that he had to find a man to become his daughter's husband, rather than being able to directly pass the family business to his daughter. His eldest daughter, Qiluo, had displayed her clever and meticulous business talent from a young age. At the time, Jun Chengliu eagerly hired a tutor to teach her to read and write, only to find the tutor looking at him as if he were a monster, deeply offended, and storming off in anger. It was then that Jun Chengliu suddenly realized that this era could not tolerate the survival of intelligent women. If he were to hand over the business to his daughter in the future, he feared that clients would sever ties with the Jun family. Later, he secretly disguised his daughter as a boy to finally hire a tutor; outsiders even believed that the boyish Qiluo was his illegitimate son.
Now, the twenty-year-old eldest daughter, Jun Qiluo, possessed a dual identity: one as the eldest daughter of the Jun family, and the other as the Jun family's shameful illegitimate son, Jun Feifan. And that Jun Feifan had already led merchant caravans on four trips along the Silk Road, three to Korea, and one overseas to Japan; bringing back many precious fabrics and jewelry, further spreading the fame of the Jun family's fabrics abroad.
Faced with this situation, Jun Chengliu could only smile bitterly! Many friends in the business world hinted that he could "legitimize" his illegitimate son, deeply convinced that "Jun Feifan," despite his lowly origins, was more than capable of becoming the Jun family's heir. Some even bluntly said that the shrewd and decisive young man surpassed even his father's business skills! At just twenty years old, his brilliance was already dazzling; in another ten years, he would undoubtedly become the unrivaled business tycoon of Jiangnan.
If they ever discovered that the Jun Feifan they praised so highly was actually a woman, what would they think?
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