Make money, make money, make money! The important things bear repeating three times.
In an era when women couldn’t study or become officials, Yang Yier loved nothing more than making money!
At ten years old, she had no money at all, so she ran errands for a trading caravan between Han Chinese county towns and Miao villages to earn a little. After two or three years of running back and forth, she had finally saved up a bit.
With some capital in hand, she started running her own trade routes. She tried this and that, learned from one mistake after another, then another, then another, and finally got wise after being burned enough times: she chose to trade in medicinal herbs.
She bought from the Miao villages and sold to the townspeople or passing caravans. Gradually, she built her own caravan, then acquired her own herb growers, medicinal fields, processing workshops, and shops...
Yang Yier’s business grew bigger and bigger. As the money rolling in each day kept increasing, she was practically laughing herself awake in her dreams!
But just then, she suddenly realized she kept running into the same person: Lin Zhao, the newly appointed county magistrate.
What was going on? After much pondering, Yang Yier finally understood: he was hinting (no, making it perfectly clear!) that she should pay him off! Once she figured it out, she didn’t hesitate for a second and immediately got to work! Money mattered, of course, but when you’re living under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head. A bribe was a bribe!
Lin Zhao, merely carrying out his official duties: “Very good. Do you know how the law says an official of the imperial court should punish someone for bribery?”
