287: Chapter 287 Zhao Fusu Wants Patriotic Businessmen!

"I didn't expect the leader of the Shang family to be a woman."

Zhao Fusu said.

"This humble woman also didn't expect His Majesty the Head of State to be so young."

Shang Ziling's voice was as clear and pleasant as a mountain spring.

"I heard that you have sought an audience with me many times?"

Zhao Fusu looked at Shang Ziling.

He invited Shang Ziling to sit by the tea table.

Zhao Fusu brewed tea and poured a cup for Shang Ziling.

Shang Ziling quickly responded with the tea-tapping etiquette.

She pressed the five fingers of her right hand together, clenched them into a fist with the palm facing down, and lightly tapped the tabletop three times with her knuckles.

This gesture carried a profound meaning: the five fingers represented the 'five bodies'—the hands, knees, and head—and the three light taps symbolized prostrating oneself on the ground in a triple-bow ritual. It was Shang Ziling's expression of the highest respect and gratitude toward Zhao Fusu.

Zhao Fusu watched all this in silence.

This Shang Ziling truly lived up to her role as the leader of the Shang family; she was quite knowledgeable.

"His Majesty the Head of State, I wish to obtain the first-hand supply of goods from your hands."

Shang Ziling grew bold and stated her intention for having sought to meet Li Chunfeng all this time.

"Why should I agree to that?"

Zhao Fusu said in a flat tone.

Facing Zhao Fusu's questioning, Shang Ziling instead smiled and said, "This humble woman originally had no confidence that His Majesty the Head of State would agree to my request."

Over this past year, Shang Ziling had sought many ways to have the nobles introduce her to Zhao Fusu.

But what was the reason they all failed?

Wasn't it simply because these nobles controlled Zhao Fusu's first-hand supply?

To seize profits, they would often hike up the prices before selling to the Shang family.

They knew very well that Shang Ziling didn't want to be held by the throat and sought to bypass them.

As such, how could they possibly be willing to introduce Shang Ziling?

"What, do you have confidence now?"

Zhao Fusu looked at Shang Ziling's face, which carried an exotic flair.

She didn't look like the people of Qin, but more like someone from Central Asia, with deep-set eyes, a high bridge of the nose, well-defined features, and even purple pupils.

In an era without colored contact lenses, these eyes of hers were completely natural.

Even before he transmigrated, when he scrolled through TikTok every day, he had never seen anyone with purple eyes unless they were wearing colored contacts.

This also made Zhao Fusu curious about Shang Ziling's background.

"It is His Majesty the Head of State who gives me confidence."

Shang Ziling said to Zhao Fusu with a charming smile.

"How so?"

Zhao Fusu asked again.

Shang Ziling said unhurriedly, "His Majesty the Head of State must have important matters for my Shang family to attend to. Since my Shang family is to work for His Majesty, why should we not have the first-hand supply of goods?"

"Mhm!"

Zhao Fusu nodded.

It was no wonder Shang Ziling had become the leader of the Shang family as a woman; her IQ and EQ were both top-tier, and he preferred speaking with intelligent people.

Therefore, Zhao Fusu didn't beat around the bush.

He said, "Business has no borders, but merchants have a nationality. Do you understand the meaning of this sentence?"

Zhao Fusu picked up a cup of tea and drank it.

His eyes were fixed on Shang Ziling, watching the changes in her expression.

"Business has no borders, but merchants have a nationality..."

Shang Ziling murmured the phrase to herself.

The essence of commercial activity is the pursuit of profit maximization; to achieve this goal, merchants seek the most optimal way to allocate resources.

Commercial activity is also an important channel for the dissemination of technology and experience.

The borderless nature of business promotes economic ties and interdependence between countries.

However, as citizens or legal entities of a specific country, merchants are inevitably bound and protected by their own country's laws.

A merchant's nationality also means they bear a certain responsibility toward their own society. Successful merchants often give back to society in various ways, supporting their country's education, culture, charity, and other endeavors.

Furthermore, when the country faces difficulties or is in need, merchants will also demonstrate patriotic sentiment and actively contribute their strength to the nation.

In international business activities, merchants also play the role of cultural ambassadors; their words and deeds, as well as their business conduct, affect the outside world's perception of their home country's culture and national image.

Merchants with good business ethics and cultural literacy can showcase their country's excellent culture and positive image on the international stage, promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding between different nations.

What Zhao Fusu wanted to tell Shang Ziling was that he wanted patriotic merchants, not unscrupulous ones—especially those who only loved money and not their motherland.