The Ming Commercial Empire

I’m so poor, all I have left is money!, Lin Tao’s saying

Those who harm others without benefiting themselves are the lowest kind of merchants. Those who harm others to benefit themselves are middling merchants. Those who benefit both themselves and others are the best kind. Those who benefit the nation and its people are the greatest merchants of all!

Lin Tao unexpectedly arrives in the Ming Dynasty during the Zhengde era and becomes the son of a merchant. Using his business acumen, he builds a fortune, becomes the richest man in the world, serves the nation and its people, and creates a legendary business empire.

The Ming Dynasty coincides with the West’s great age of exploration. Vasco da Gama has reached India, Magellan has reached the Philippines, and the Western powers have extended their reach into the East.

What changes will Lin Tao’s arrival bring to history?

Will the world-famous sprouts of capitalism in the Ming Dynasty grow into true capitalism? Will the great maritime enterprise begun by Zheng He continue? Who will become the new masters of the Americas? Will there still be “rice” country monkeys?