Lu Buwei, year of birth unknown, died in 235 BC. Lu Buwei's name has almost become a household name. He was the richest businessman at that time. He fully demonstrated the ancient proverb that "everything in the world is for profit, and the world is bustling for profit".
Regarding Lu Buwei's ancestral home, there are many different opinions in history, and there is almost no conclusion. The more reliable one is that he was from Puyang (today's Puyang, Henan Province) of Wei State. There is also a theory that Lu Buwei was from Zhao State. Due to limited historical materials, it is difficult to verify. The only thing that can be confirmed is that Lu Buwei is not from Qin. "Historical Records" records Lu Buwei's business activities: "Selling cheap and selling expensive." There is a similar record in "Warring States Policy". After a little analysis, one can deduce that his wealth was most likely accumulated by dealing in luxury goods. When he was dealing in pearl and jade products in Yangzhai (now Yuzhou, Henan), Lu Buwei was well versed in the business method of buying at low prices and selling at high prices, and soon accumulated a fortune of thousands of gold. This laid a solid economic foundation for his future success.
This year, Lu Buwei arrived in Handan, bringing enough money to prepare for a big deal. By chance, Lu Buwei actually met Ying Yiren, the grandson of the current monarch of Qin.
In the 40th year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin's reign (267 BC), Prince Yingmou died in the State of Wei. He was later transported back to the State of Qin and held a state funeral. His mausoleum is in Zhiyang. Two years later, King Qin Zhaoxiang made his second son An Guojun the prince.
Lord An Guo had a very beloved concubine, Mrs. Huayang, who was his wife. Unfortunately, she had no son. Therefore, once An Guojun came to the throne, the prince could only be selected from his more than 20 sons. As for Ying Yiren (also called Zi Chu, born in 281 BC and died in 247 BC), because his mother Xia Ji was not favored, he was not taken seriously in the Qin State. The position of prince must be related to He has no chance. Later, as a hostage of Qin State, he was sent to Handan of Zhao State.
At that time, the situation among the countries was very tense. After the Qin State took control of the military since Bai Qi, it regarded the Zhao State as its biggest enemy. The victory was established in the battle of Changping, and later the army came to Handan. From this we can know that life in Handan was not easy for foreigners. At that time, everyone in Zhao State despised foreigners, and he himself did not have enough money, so he could only live a life of poverty.
Almost everyone believed that not only would it be difficult for Ying Yiren to return to Qin, but he would also most likely die in a foreign land, let alone inherit the rule of the King of Qin. It wasn't until Lu Buwei arrived that he truly discovered the value of Ying Yiren. In Lu Buwei's eyes, Ying Yiren is the most valuable commodity. It may be worthless now, but as long as he manages it properly, his value will definitely increase sharply in the future, and he can make a lot of profit.
In fact, before coming to Zhao Kingdom, Lu Buwei did not know Ying Yiren. Lu Buwei was impressed by Ying Yiren's different temperament as soon as he saw him. After inquiring, I found out that he was Qin's hostage.
Seeing such a good opportunity, Lu Buwei asked his father three questions. First, Lu Buwei asked his father, how many times the profit could be made from farming? His father replied ten times; then Lu Buwei asked again, what if it was selling jewelry and jade pendants? His father replied that it was even higher, at least a hundred times. Finally, Lu Buwei asked boldly, what if he supported a person and became the monarch of a country? His father took a breath and replied, "Ten million times, even incalculable."
After some questions and answers, Lu Buwei finally made up his mind to manage Ying Yiren well.
So, Lu Buwei went to visit Ying Yiren on a clear and sunny morning. As soon as they met, Lu Buwei was overjoyed and said happily: "As long as you rely on me, you will be able to make your family bigger." When Ying Yiren heard what he said, he smiled and said, "You want to make my family bigger." ? But according to me, you need to expand your family first." Lu Buwei knew that this was just a joke from Ying Yiren, so he did not make it true, but further elaborated to Ying Yiren: "Sir, you don't understand this. Although my family needs to be prosperous, I don't need you to achieve all of this."
Speaking of this, Ying Yiren immediately understood what Lu Buwei was thinking. Anyway, he had nothing to rely on at this moment. As the relationship between Qin and Zhao gradually became tense, he was likely to encounter unexpected events. He has also heard of Lu Buwei's famous name: he is good at doing business and has great wealth. Ying Yiren thought that he could use it for his own purposes.
Just listen to Lu Buwei say: "Now that the monarch of Qin is old, Lord An has become the heir to the monarch of Qin. As we all know, Mrs. Huayang is the most favored concubine of Lord An. However, although she has the power to choose the next prince, But he has no heirs of his own. The current situation is very clear: the young master has more than 20 brothers, and the young master is ranked in the middle. He is not favored by the King of Qin and has been left as a hostage in the vassal states for a long time. Even if the King of Qin dies, Lord An Guo succeeds to the throne. , out of reach of the whip, what can the young master do to compete with An Guojun's sons for the crown prince position?"
When Ying Yiren heard this, Lu Buwei's words made sense. Did he just stay in Handan, Zhao Kingdom, in obscurity? Or one day, when the Qin army presses the border, Zhao Jun will kill him without hesitation. Naturally, Ying Yiren would not be willing to remain anonymous like this, so he asked Lu Buwei: "Sir, what you said is good, but what can be done to save the current crisis?"
At this moment, Lu Buwei finally got excited. He knew that Ying Yiren's product had finally become his exclusive brand. With his own strength and Ying Yiren's potential, this business had unlimited prospects. Lu Buwei said happily: "The young master is now in a critical situation, impoverished, and living as a guest in Zhao State. He has nothing valuable to offer to his elders and make friends with guests. To change this situation, we must rely on a man with financial strength and Someone who does not pose any threat to you. I happen to have a lot of money in my family, and I am willing to use it all to help the young master. As long as I take this money to go to Qin to lobby and serve Lord An and Mrs. Huayang well, then the future crown prince will be very good. The young master is the best."
After hearing this, Ying Yiren was overjoyed and promised Lu Buwei that once he sat on the throne of the prince or even became the king of Qin in the future, he would be willing to share all the power of Qin with Lu Buwei. Undoubtedly, this kind of promise is very tempting, and it is also the answer that Lu Buwei wants most. Only this kind of business with huge profits is worthy of losing his fortune or even risking his life to gamble.
Lu Buwei divided the one thousand gold in his family into two parts, each part was five hundred gold, which were used to make friends with guests and buy rare toys. In order to ensure the accuracy of this investment and minimize the risk of investment, Lu Buwei even went to Qin in person and first visited Mrs. Huayang's sister. Through her, Lu Buwei met Mrs. Huayang smoothly. He dedicated the most precious items brought from the State of Zhao to Mrs. Huayang.
You can imagine a scene like this. Mrs. Huayang, a female prostitute, naturally beamed when she saw so many strange things placed in front of her. She was even more affectionate towards Lu Buwei and assured him that he would not be rewarded for any merit. As long as he is in need and within his own ability, he will definitely live up to his hopes.
Lu Buwei was secretly happy when he saw that after his operation, the middleman finally took the bait. As long as the middleman can become interested in the "commodity" and promise to help Lu Buwei sell his "commodity", then he will definitely be able to successfully sell his rare item and sell it at a very high price.
Of course, first Lu Buwei must give a brief introduction to the performance of this "commodity": Ying Yiren is extremely talented and talented. Even in difficult situations, he can successfully make friends with many guests. All capable people in the world are If you are willing to associate with him, his reputation as a courteous and virtuous corporal can already be compared with that of Duke Xinling of Wei. After listening to Lu Buwei's narration, Mrs. Huayang sent someone to secretly inquire and found that what Lu Buwei said was true. Even some famous people in the Qin State were willing to join Ying Yiren. This shows that this "commodity" is indeed of excellent quality. .
Secondly, Lu Buwei tried his best to brag about how important Madam Huayang was to Ying Yiren: Madam in Ying Yiren's eyes was as high as the sky, and no one in the world had a higher status than Madam. Although Ying Yiren is in Handan, his heart is in Qin. He misses his wife and the prince day by day, but he cannot see your faces as he wishes, so he can only wash his face with tears. After listening to Lu Buwei's emotional statement, Mrs. Huayang couldn't help but feel pity for Ying Yiren. Finally, in order to get Mrs. Huayang to completely put her wealth on this commodity, Lu Buwei persuaded Mrs. Huayang from the perspective of her immediate interests: Only by buying this "commodity" can she maintain her prosperity and wealth forever.
In order to achieve better results, Lu Buwei implemented indirect tactics and did not directly tell Mrs. Huayang these pros and cons. Instead, he bribed his sister and asked her to convey it on her behalf: "The concubines around the monarch rarely rely on others." Those who can only serve the monarch because according to convention, the harem is not allowed to interfere with the government. Most people rely on their youth and beauty to please the monarch to achieve glory and wealth. However, there is one person in this category The disadvantage is that once she gets old and her beauty fades, the monarch will inevitably abandon her and find a new love, and her favor will decrease accordingly. Now that the wife is by the prince's side, relying on her youth and beauty, she has gathered thousands of favors, and she is naturally prosperous. . But the lady has no son, and it is still unknown how long this glorious life can last. To preserve her position and make it last long, she can only make friends with a promising prince who is filial to herself and the prince as soon as possible and establish him as his heir. Treat him like your own son and support him. No matter whether the wife's husband is alive or dead, the wife's status can be preserved. Even once the heir becomes the king, the wife's status will also rise. It can be said to be a good thing that kills two birds with one stone."
"Nowadays, the virtuous talents of Ying Yiren are spread among the streets of Xianyang. It's a pity that he himself is not very prominent among the princes. If he follows the order, he cannot be established as the heir. His biological mother is not favored. , Ying Yiren can only entrust everything to his wife. As long as she supports him, he will not worry about losing her favor in the future, and he will have peace of mind for the rest of his life. "
Seeing what her sister said, Mrs. Huayang finally made up her mind and began to support Ying Yiren intensively.
