Brother Liang said, even businessmen have their principles.

The following day at noon.

After having breakfast, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai headed to the library as usual.

Liang Shanbo turned his head and asked Zhu Yingtai, "What book are you reading today, my dear sister?"

Zhu Yingtai thought for a moment and said, "The Records of the Grand Historian."

Liang Shanbo asked with a smile, "Why?"

Zhu Yingtai stopped, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Because Brother Liang has been reading the *Records of the Grand Historian* for a month and has memorized the entire book. If I encounter anything I don't understand while reading it, I can always ask Brother Liang for help. Wouldn't that be twice as effective with half the effort?"

Liang Shanbo smiled and nodded: "Alright, then my good brother, you shall read the Records of the Grand Historian. If there is anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."

Zhu Yingtai was pleased to see that he agreed so readily and asked, "Brother Liang, which chapter of the *Records of the Grand Historian* do you like the most?"

After a moment's thought, Liang Shanbo said, "I like the 'Biographies of Merchants' in the last volume the most."

Zhu Yingtai's eyes widened slightly, her tone tinged with surprise: "The Biographies of Merchants? That's about doing business."

In her understanding, scholars who read the *Records of the Grand Historian* preferred either the heroic and tragic tales of Xiang Yu, the strategic brilliance of Liu Hou, or the chivalrous courage of the Assassins. The Biographies of Merchants, on the other hand, were merely biographies written by Sima Qian for merchants, and were the least significant part of the entire *Records of the Grand Historian*.

Brother Liang, is this your favorite piece?

Seeing her surprised expression, Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "It's not just about doing business. In the opening of the 'Biographies of Merchants,' Sima Qian quoted Laozi: 'In the ultimate state of good governance, neighboring countries are within sight of each other, the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard between them, and the people are content with their food, pleased with their clothes, at peace with their customs, and happy with their work, and they do not visit each other until they die of old age.' He then said that if this is the only way to make a living, then in recent times, it is no different from closing the eyes and ears of the people."

Sima Qian disagreed with Lao Tzu's view. He believed that the world is bustling with activity, all driven by profit, and this is natural and unstoppable. What those in power should do is not to prohibit trade, but to go with the flow: "The best follow it, the next best guide it for profit, the next best teach it, the next best regulate it, and the worst contend with it."

"The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for profit." Sima Qian's words reveal the essence of human nature. But he didn't just say that people are driven by profit; he also said that pursuing profit is not a bad thing, as long as it is acquired ethically and used righteously.

Merchants transport goods from the south to the north and vice versa. Oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, while those grown north of it are bitter oranges. But without merchants, the people of the Huai River wouldn't be able to enjoy the dates from the north, and the people of the north wouldn't be able to enjoy the oranges from the Huai River. Merchants enable people everywhere to access good things from afar, allow farmers to sell their surplus grain, and enable weavers to afford silk thread. This is the 'Way'.

Sima Qian, in his "Biographies of Merchants," recounted how Fan Li amassed a fortune three times and then distributed it; how Zigong traveled with a chariot drawn by four horses and a long procession of riders, and how rulers everywhere treated him with the utmost respect; and how Bai Gui was optimistic about changing times, buying what others sold and selling what others bought. These people were not petty profit-driven individuals, but rather wise, insightful, and visionary businessmen.

Their profits weren't stolen from others; they earned them through their own abilities. They made money and then generously shared it with others—this embodies the principle of "acquiring wealth through proper means and using it righteously."

Zhu Yingtai stared at him blankly.

From a young age, she was taught that "a gentleman understands righteousness, while a petty person understands profit." In her mind, merchants were at the bottom of the social hierarchy, even less honorable than farmers. They pursued profit, buying low and selling high, and were seen by scholars as people who "did not engage in production but specialized in exploitation," and were therefore looked down upon.

But Brother Liang said that there is also a code of conduct for businessmen.

She had never read these words of Brother Liang in any classic text, nor had she ever heard them from any gentleman.

She couldn't help but ask, "Brother Liang, where did you get these ideas from?"

Liang Shanbo was taken aback.

He cannot speak of his past life's insights, nor can he utter the term "market economy," nor can he mention Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations," nor can he discuss the various concepts of modern commercial society.

He could only attribute it all to one thing: "I figured it out myself."

"I figured it out myself." Zhu Yingtai repeated softly, then smiled. "Brother Liang always manages to figure things out that others can't. Alright, today I'll read 'The Biographies of Merchants.' After I finish this chapter, I'll start from the beginning."

Liang Shanbo smiled and nodded.

……

……

More than ten days later.

Time flies.

That afternoon, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were reading in the library as usual.

Previously, Zhu Yingtai had finished reading the "Biographies of Merchants" in the Records of the Grand Historian, and then began reading from the beginning of the "Annals of the Five Emperors". She read slowly, carefully pondering each chapter, and when she encountered something she didn't understand, she would wait until she returned to the schoolhouse to ask Liang Shanbo for help.

Today she read the "Book of Rivers and Canals".

The "Treatise on Rivers and Canals" is one of the eight books in the "Records of the Grand Historian," dedicated to recording the construction and maintenance of water conservancy projects throughout history. Sima Qian begins with Yu the Great's flood control efforts and continues to the breach at Huzi during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, and the excavation of the Grand Canal. The book is filled with technical terms such as ditches, embankments, and sluice gates, making it quite dry.

However, Zhu Yingtai still read it carefully and pondered it deeply.

Her gaze fell on a passage in the "Book of Rivers and Canals".

"...Therefore, the emperor, having already taken control of Wanli Sha, returned to the riverbank to oversee the breach, sinking a white horse and a jade disc into the river, and ordering all officials, from the general down, to carry firewood to fill the breach. At that time, Dongjun was burning grass, so firewood was scarce, and bamboo from Qiyuan was used as anchors..."

This describes Emperor Wu of Han personally going to the breach at Huzi to offer sacrifices to the river god with a white horse and a jade disc, and ordering his officials to carry firewood to fill the river. Because there was not enough firewood, they cut down bamboo from Qiyuan and made bamboo stakes to block the breach.

Sima Qian wrote this passage with concise writing, yet he vividly portrayed Emperor Wu of Han's great talent and strategic vision, as well as the arduous and perilous journey of river management.

Zhu Yingtai encountered a problem and wrote it down in her notebook, intending to ask Brother Liang for advice.

After an hour of reading, the two left the library and returned to their dormitories.

Zhu Yingtai sat down on the wooden couch, took out a piece of paper, and looked at Liang Shanbo: "Brother Liang, I read the Book of Rivers and Canals today, and there is a part that I don't quite understand. I would like to ask you for your guidance."

Liang Shanbo sat down on the wooden couch opposite her and nodded: "Please speak, my dear brother."

Zhu Yingtai looked down at the notes on the paper and said, "When Sima Qian wrote about Emperor Wu of Han dealing with the breach at Huzi, he said, 'He sank a white horse and a jade disc into the river,' and also, 'He ordered all officials, from generals down, to carry firewood to fill the breach.' When I read this, I had two questions."

She held up one finger: "Firstly, I understand that sinking a white horse and a jade disc into the river is a sacrifice to the river god. But why use a white horse? Why use a jade disc? What's the significance of this?"

She held up her second finger: "Secondly, Sima Qian said, 'At that time, the eastern prefecture was burning grass, so firewood was scarce, and bamboo from the Qi Garden was used as stakes.' What are these 'bamboo stakes'? Why were bamboo stakes used when firewood was scarce?"

After asking the question, she looked up at Liang Shanbo, her eyes full of expectation.

Liang Shanbo secretly admired him.

This Zhu Yingtai was truly meticulous in her reading. Ordinary people, when reading the *Book of Rivers and Canals*, would mostly skim over the details of sacrifices and river management, without delving into them. But she was able to identify problems within it, and she always asked crucial questions.