Prince Fu’s Banquet, Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce ( Part 3 )

The guests finished their tea, and Mu Linfeng followed suit, finishing his cup. Only then did Zhu Yousong smile and say, "Everyone here is a famous merchant in our Ming Dynasty. As a junior in your presence, I still have much to learn from all of you."

The others responded one after another, "No, no. We dare not, we dare not!"

Zhu Yousong stood up, and the others followed suit. He said, "Our Ming Dynasty is currently facing internal and external troubles. We have the Manchu barbarians in the north and the rebels causing chaos in the west. His Majesty is restless and has put in much effort. However, due to the eunuchs' control of the court, our country has become weak on the inside and strong on the outside. The finances are also in dire straits, which is why we are borrowing from all of you. The money you have contributed will be recorded by the court. When we suppress the rebels and exterminate the Manchu dogs in the future, the court will reward each of you according to your achievements. And the money owed to you will also be repaid with interest."

Upon hearing this, Mu Linfeng stood up and said, "My lord, what you are saying is all well and good, but when the Manchu dogs enter the pass or the rebels come to kill, where will we stand? Even if we have plenty of wealth, we may not be able to protect our families and ourselves!"

Zhu Yousong looked at Mu Linfeng and gradually relaxed his expression, for he knew that Mu Linfeng was a clever man who could understand his meaning.

Mu Linfeng continued, "My ancestors, the Mu family, followed the founding emperor to conquer the north and south, drive out the Mongol barbarians, and establish the glorious era of our Han people. Today, as a descendant of the Mu family, if I were to ignore this crisis, how could I face my ancestors? I will donate 5,000 taels of silver."

Before the others could react, Zhu Yousong clapped his hands and said, "Excellent! Master Mu is truly worthy of being a descendant of the Mu family. He is a pillar of our Ming Dynasty. On behalf of the court, I thank you, Prince Mu!"

Mu Linfeng smiled and said, "I have only contributed a small amount, the 5,000 taels of silver is just a drop in the ocean. I am just leading by example. The good people of the Ming Dynasty are mostly sitting below us. I hope all the distinguished members of the merchant association can open their purses wide. It will be a blessing for the Ming Dynasty!"

Kong Wu said, "Although I am just a guard of the Feng family, Mu Brother is right. When the country is in trouble, it is everyone's duty to help. I will donate my savings for the past six months, which should be more than 300 taels of silver..."

Mu Linfeng expressed his gratitude to Kong Wu, and his action was well-received by Zhu Youzong. Mu Linfeng continued, "My elder brother, as a guard, only earns a few dozen taels of silver a month, while all of you are commercial giants with millions of assets..."

At this point, Mr. Feng, who was standing behind Kong Wu, stood up and said, "Mu Gongzi, there is no need to say more. The Feng family will donate 100,000 taels of silver!"

Zhu Youzong stood up and applauded, saying, "Well said! Mr. Feng, as the president of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, is a blessing for the Jiangnan business community, and even for the people of the world. On behalf of the court, I first thank Mr. Feng." He then turned to the merchants present and said, "Mr. Mu is indeed a model for the business community. I wonder how much the other bosses will donate?"

The others had always looked up to Mr. Feng, and after Zhu Youzong's banquet, they all followed Mr. Feng's lead. After all, this was for the court, and although it was nominal, the donations would still be confiscated. They had to donate, and how much to donate was the only question. If they donated too much, they would lose money, but if they donated too little, they would risk offending Zhu Youzong and the court, and would likely encounter trouble in the future. It was better to spend money to avoid trouble.

These people had been waiting and watching all along, not because they didn't want to donate, but because they were waiting for someone to take the lead. Now that Mr. Feng had donated 100,000 taels of silver, they all had a reference point in their hearts. First of all, Mr. Feng was the richest man in Jiangnan, and if he had donated 100,000 taels of silver, no one would donate more than him. The rest was just a matter of quickly calculating the comparison between their own business and Feng's business in their minds, and figuring out how much they should donate. These arithmetic problems were child's play for these people who had been in business for years.

In no time, all the merchants started to announce their donation amounts, ranging from a large sum of 80,000 taels of silver to a small amount of just over 10,000 taels. They signed their names and agreed to donate that amount. If the imperial court came to collect, those who had it would have to pay, and even those who didn't have it would have to pay.

Mu Linfeng walked over to Zhu Yousong and congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, congratulations, Young Prince has done a great service for the imperial court with just a few words. It is truly a blessing for the Ming Dynasty. The title of Little Fuwang is well deserved. I believe that when the Emperor hears of this, he will greatly appreciate it."

Zhu Yousong smiled and said, "No, no. It's all thanks to Brother Mu's help. After we're done eating and drinking, let's go to Qinglong Pool for a bath in the afternoon and then have a gentle time at Chunxiang Tower in the evening. I'll pay for the whole thing."

Mu Linfeng quickly declined, saying, "How could that be? I've been in Jinling City for so long and haven't had a chance to pay you a visit yet. Let me make it up to you by covering the expenses for this meal. Young Prince, please don't compete with me. Next time, I'll be the host."

Zhu Yousong smiled and said, "Brother Mu, please don't be so polite. Even without your presence, I couldn't have escaped this. The Jiangnan merchants have made such a great contribution to the imperial court, so of course, I have to represent the court in thanking everyone. However, Brother Mu did help me today, so if you need anything in the future, don't hesitate to come to me."

Mu Linfeng thought to himself, "I've been waiting for this moment!" But he said, "Serving the court is half of my duty, and I wouldn't dare to take credit for it, Young Prince."

After exchanging some pleasantries with Zhu Yousong, he invited everyone to take their seats for the banquet.

The servants of Yipin Tower led the crowd into the back hall, which was more than twice the size of the front hall. The entire back hall was filled with thirty to forty tables of food and drink. After everyone had sat down, not a single person was absent. It seemed that Zhu Yousong still had some face in the Jiangnan region, and at least had some deterrence power in the business community.

The happiest person at the banquet was naturally Zhu Yousong, who frequently toasted everyone. Other merchants tried to curry favor with the powerful, and they all went up to Zhu Yousong to pay their respects and offer toasts. Mu Linfeng was happy to receive their attention and used this opportunity to make friends with more businessmen. With such an abundance of people from various industries in Jiangnan present, there were tycoons in the department store industry like Boss Feng, as well as bank managers, jewelry store owners, pawn shop giants, and even casino tycoons...all kinds of celebrities were present, making this scene a rare sight in Jinling City.

Although business associations hold annual meetings, many people are absent due to busy schedules. Moreover, many meetings are held for the interests of various parties. Every time a meeting is held, someone will argue passionately for their own benefit, resulting in red faces and shouting matches. This kind of gathering where businessmen from all walks of life come together to drink and chat harmoniously is still rare.