Merchants aren't fools; only out of desperation would they give their daughters away cheaply and part with more than half of their wealth. Because they have endured so much unfair treatment, they hope, more than anyone, that their offspring can make something of themselves and achieve a modest official rank to restore dignity to their family name.
Mo Yan's words made Xiao Ruiyuan's eyes light up. He turned and looked at his cousin, indeed seeing a look of great approval on his cousin's face, clearly agreeing with this method.
In the past, when the national treasury was depleted, the Court had considered targeting those wealthy merchants. Even if the merchants were reluctant, they dared not defy and could only present silver and grain with both hands. However, as soon as they turned around, they would inflate prices, offsetting all their losses at the common people's expense, which caused public outrage to seethe and complaints to abound.