Duanmu Jing

That day, after the master and disciple parted ways, the master returned to Fancheng. It was already dusk, and the setting sun had dyed the sky a golden red, like a spilled palette, vibrant and colorful.

She chose not to walk the bustling Tianjie, but instead opted for a more secluded and less noticeable alley, quietly entering the Tongxiang Inn.

This small alley was the Duanmu family's private passage into the Tongxiang Inn, unknown to most.

The Duanmu family had been merchants for generations, adhering to an ancestral business tradition: minimizing interference in the daily affairs of their shops, workshops, taverns, and other businesses.

The Duanmu family had branches in various states, each with a general manager, respectfully addressed as "Zongshi," responsible for all daily transactions and operations.

The young lady's master, outwardly known as a "healer" traveling the world, practicing medicine and saving lives, was, in fact, the Duanmu family's "Zongshi" abroad, managing the family's business dealings.

The Duanmu family's patriarch would typically only review accounts and make decisions at the end of each month and year, or during major seasonal festivals, when they would inspect the properties in various locations, listen to reports, and assess the business situation.

This seemingly loose, even somewhat laissez-faire, management strategy unexpectedly allowed the Duanmu family's business scale to rapidly expand within three generations, without a single instance of betrayal or embezzlement, a miracle in the business world.

Duanmu Jing, who rose from merchant to prime minister, was once asked about his secrets to success in business. He simply replied, "The way of commerce is no different from the art of governing a state, both in delegating authority, employing the virtuous, the wise in planning, the brave in decision-making, the benevolent in giving and taking, and the strong in upholding principles."

When asked about his strategies for governing a state, Duanmu Jing gave a similarly concise answer: "The policies of governing a state are the same as the principles of doing business. Taking what others abandon, and giving what others desire, one can remain invincible."

It was during Duanmu Jing's thirty-year tenure as the head of the Duanmu family that it rose to become one of the six great merchants of the Warring States period, its immense wealth and far-reaching influence awe-inspiring.

Countless merchants had offered exorbitant sums, begging him to impart his secrets to success, but Duanmu Jing always declared with a contemptuous air, "For a merchant, if their wisdom is insufficient to adapt to changes, their courage insufficient to make timely decisions, their benevolence insufficient to discern between taking and giving, and their strength insufficient to uphold principles, even if they want to learn my methods, I will never impart them."

However, for his only daughter, Duanmu Jing never taught any business sense.

The young lady once asked him in confusion, "If I don't understand the ways of a merchant, won't the wealth you've accumulated in your lifetime be lost? Don't you regret it?"

Duanmu Jing laughed heartily and said magnanimously, "The sun rises and sets, the moon waxes and wanes, such is the way of nature. Heaven granted me a daughter, but not a son, perhaps fearing that I, Duanmu Jing, would amass all the wealth in the world. What do I have to regret? My daughter is intelligent and well-read, traveling the world is enough, why should she be tainted by the vulgarity of commerce?"

It was Duanmu Jing's extraordinary and open-minded nature that deeply influenced his daughter, nurturing her growth and shaping her disregard for wealth and emphasis on reputation.

Yet, surprisingly, the Duanmu family's fortunes did not decline after Duanmu Jing's death. While the pace of growth and expansion slowed, it maintained a steady upward trend. Behind this, naturally, was the silent support of the Duanmu family's "Zongshi."

The name Duanmu Clan was once thunderous in the state of Wei. Its vast estates and numerous properties were like stars dotting the night sky, covering every inch of the city of Anyi. However, since Duanmu Jing ascended to the position of Prime Minister of Wei, this once prosperous scene receded like the tide. The past glory, like a lake evaporated under the scorching sun, dried up bit by bit at a visible rate. Eight years passed in the blink of an eye. The once high-spirited, influential Prime Minister was now in his twilight years, his life like a flickering candle. On his sickbed, he used his last strength to summon his only daughter, Duanmu Rong, to his side. His cracked lips moved slightly, his voice weak yet full of endless love: "Xue'er, the past glory of the Duanmu Clan is like fleeting clouds, scattered like the wind. Today, what I can leave you is only the hunting manor in the Shuishui River Valley, and this small courtyard in the city. Will you... resent me for this?"

Duanmu Rong heard this, gently shook her head, and a tranquil and gentle smile bloomed on her lips, dispelling the worry between her father's brows: "Father has worked tirelessly for the country all his life, exhausting his energy and thoughts. To you, money is nothing but a fleeting reputation, a transient footprint. You personally erasing these external traces has instead removed a heavy shackle from my shoulders. How can I be like those short-sighted worldly people, bickering over these worldly possessions?" Her words were gentle and firm, every sentence revealing her understanding and respect for her father.

Duanmu Jing heard this, a trace of relief flashed in his cloudy eyes, which then turned into a long sigh, containing endless emotion and deep worry for the future: "Silly child, what you said is certainly reasonable, but this is only one aspect of the reason. My deeper intention is to keep you away from the endless disturbances and storms brought by money, so that you can truly do what you truly love for the rest of your life." He paused and continued: "Those manors and fields, some I have donated to the official government, to be used as military funds, and the other part has been distributed to the ten branch families of the Duanmu Clan. After I pass away, no one will come to compete with you for the family property, and you can live in peace, how wonderful is that?"

After saying these words, he gestured slightly, with some difficulty, for Duanmu Rong to retrieve a small bronze box from an iron cabinet beside the bed. The box looked several years older than her.

Duanmu Rong opened the bronze box as instructed, and saw neatly arranged stacks of thick documents inside. Each document was carefully tied with silk thread, appearing particularly solemn. These documents were all donation certificates from the official government, as well as property division contracts signed by the ten clan heads of the Duanmu Clan, each contract bearing a bright red official seal and clan seal.

Duanmu Jing, with his wrinkled hand, gently caressed the edge of one of the documents, his cloudy gaze fixed on them. "Xue'er, these are the last proofs I leave for you. You must keep them safe, perhaps they will be useful in the future." His voice became even lower, as if he was giving his last words.

Duanmu Rong's eyes instantly turned red, and crystal tears swirled in her eyes, but she held back the tears, forcing a smile and closing the bronze box in her hand, softly saying: "Father, I understand, money is ultimately fleeting, you can't bring it with you in life, and you can't take it away in death, it's not worth mentioning..."

"That's not quite right, you must not so easily regard money as nothing." Duanmu Jing gently shook his head, interrupting Duanmu Rong's words, his tone carrying a hint of seriousness and admonition. "Money itself contains great power, it can make a person, and it can easily destroy them completely. The properties that I have not yet disposed of, only Tongxiang Inn remains, as well as several secret businesses secretly run in the states of Chu, Qin, Zhao, Qi, and others. Apart from Tongxiang Inn, the properties in other states are all carried out secretly, and even few within the Duanmu Clan know of their existence." His gaze became deep and distant, as if recalling the past. "One day, when you truly no longer need these forces as support, and can fully control your own life, they can truly be called worldly possessions." With his last strength, he raised his withered finger and pointed with difficulty to the position of his chest, weakly saying, "Rong'er, come, and untie the clothes here."

Duanmu Rong, seeing this, knew that her father must have something important to tell her, so she obediently stepped forward, smiled slightly, and said with a hint of banter: "The world praises you, Father, for your unparalleled calculations, and now it seems to be true. You're even calculating me at this old age, could there be some hidden secret plan to impart to me?"

Duanmu Jing heard this, and a rare trace of relief appeared on his face. He looked at his daughter lovingly and said softly: "Xue'er is my precious daughter, so naturally I have to plan a perfect strategy for you to ensure your lifelong peace and happiness. Hurry, untie it."