Great Kang was still an agricultural society. Its attitude towards commerce went far beyond mere lack of importance.
It was outright contempt.
From the emperor down to the lowest officials, almost everyone looked down on merchants.
The status of merchants was only slightly better than that of household slaves, brothel girls, or actors, all considered base occupations.
In the same dispute taken to court, if both plaintiff and defendant were ordinary common people, the official might handle it fairly.
But if one party was a merchant, the presiding official would ruthlessly extort them.
Of course, the super-merchants with powerful backers were exceptions.
Yet even those great merchants, in the eyes of the capital’s noble families, had a status little different from household slaves. They could be beaten or scolded at will.
In short, merchants had extremely low status, and commerce was extremely backward.
Many places still retained primitive barter as a means of transaction.
This backwardness meant there were vast blank markets waiting for Jin Feng to exploit.
It was truly a mountain of gold. Even casual digging would be enough for him to live comfortably for a lifetime.
But even without opening a money house, his current wealth would suffice for a lifetime of extravagance.
Jin Feng wanted to open a money house not merely to make money.
Any modern person knew the importance of banks.
Whoever controlled the banks controlled the economic lifeline of the country.
That was Jin Feng’s true goal.
He was not very familiar with the financial industry, but no matter how unfamiliar, he still knew the basic operations and profit methods of banks.
He could start with a money house and gradually explore from there.
Post-war Xichuan city had regained its bustle. The streets were thronged with streams of people.
But when they saw the black banners and mounted team of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency, the common people automatically moved aside to the roadside.
There was no fear on their faces, only curiosity and admiration.
The mounted team stopped smoothly at the entrance of the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce.
“Sir!”
The female shopkeeper led a large group of clerks in bowing to Jin Feng.
Jin Feng waved his hand and asked, “Where is Mancang?”
Zhou Youda needed to build a textile factory near Xichuan, which required a large number of spinning wheels and looms.
Transporting them all the way from Xihe Bay would be far too costly. After much thought, Jin Feng decided to have Mancang bring people over to manufacture them on site.
“Mr Mancang is still unloading goods in the warehouse at the back courtyard.” The female shopkeeper replied.
Mancang’s status in Xihe Bay had grown higher and higher. Everyone had begun calling him “sir”.
At first, Mancang felt extremely embarrassed and would blush shyly every time.
But as more and more people called him that, he gradually grew accustomed to it.
“Very well. Take me to see him. The rest of you carry on with your work.” Jin Feng said.
Since arriving in Xichuan, he had been busy with all sorts of matters and did not even know where the chamber’s back courtyard warehouse was.
“Yes!” The female shopkeeper quickly led the way.
In the back courtyard, Mancang was directing the unloading. Seeing Jin Feng, he trotted over excitedly and called out, “Sir!”
“Sir!”
Mancang’s group of female apprentices also bowed together.
Behind the female apprentices stood the management personnel sent by Tang Dongdong.
Originally, Tang Dongdong had planned to come in person to persuade Jin Feng to abandon the idea of opening a textile factory in Xichuan city.
But in the end, she decided against it.
She knew full well that Jin Feng was not the impulsive type who made decisions on a whim. Since he had made this choice, there must be a reason.
Moreover, since the news had already reached Xihe Bay, it meant Jin Feng had decided.
If she came to oppose it now, it would be equivalent to slapping him in the face.
The spinning wheels and looms had been made by Jin Feng himself. Tang Dongdong could say nothing about how he handled them.
Having thought it through, Tang Dongdong ultimately did not come, but she sent a management team instead. They were ostensibly to help manage things here, but in reality to prevent the spinning wheels and looms from leaking out.
Jin Feng guessed Tang Dongdong’s intentions but did not point them out, nor did he object.
For him, the spinning wheels and looms were merely a starting step. Even if they spread now, the impact on him would not be great.
But he knew that for Tang Dongdong, the textile factory was everything, which was why she was so cautious.
He was building a textile factory in Xichuan without consulting her, which was already somewhat disrespectful. If he then opposed her sending people to manage it, that would be truly unjustifiable.
Moreover, preventing leaks would ultimately benefit Jin Feng himself. He had no reason to object.
Jin Feng gestured for the others to continue their work, then took Mancang with him, following the female shopkeeper towards a nearby small courtyard.
For the coming period, Jin Feng would be staying at the chamber.
“Mancang, how has Xihe Bay been lately?” Jin Feng asked as they walked.
“When you first left with the men, the village was a bit anxious. Later, when everyone heard that you and Her Highness had won a great victory, their enthusiasm became even greater than before.”
Mancang said, “In recent times, four factory buildings have been completed one after another, and two more should finish in the next few days. The village changes every day now. When you return next time, sir, you’ll definitely be amazed.”
“That’s good.” Jin Feng nodded with a smile.
Seeing Xihe Bay improve more and more was exactly what he hoped for.
“There have been no major events in the village, but something happened in Guangyuan.” Mancang said.
“What was it?” Jin Feng stopped in his tracks.
“Factory Director Tang had originally planned to move against the Zhou family around the New Year, but when she heard that you had used the cloth from the Xichuan warehouse to exchange for horses, she acted early.” Mancang replied.
The Tang family had been ruined by the Zhou family. Both Tang Dongdong and Tang Xiaobei hated the Zhou family deeply.
However, after the tempering of recent days, Tang Dongdong had become much more patient than before.
Once she had the capability, she did not seek revenge immediately but quietly built up strength.
She would not strike lightly. When she did, it would send the Zhou family into an abyss from which they could never recover.
But Jin Feng’s actions here had disrupted her plans.
“How is it progressing?”
Jin Feng stepped over the threshold and continued walking.
Back then, the Zhou family had seemed a colossal threat to him. Now, he had dared to kill Xue Henglu outright. The Zhou family no longer commanded much of his attention.
“With our jacquard looms, our weaving output far exceeds the Zhou family’s. Naturally, they are no match for us.” Mancang answered with a smile.
The greatest costs in traditional textile workshops, aside from materials, were labour.
Xihe Bay’s textile factory used more advanced spinning wheels and looms, along with assembly-line operations. Efficiency had increased many times over.
For the same bolt of cloth, labour costs were less than a tenth of those in traditional workshops.
This was even with Jin Feng paying the female workers high wages.
If he were ruthless and exploited them, the factory’s profits could absolutely double.
Beyond that, Jin Feng had also created the jacquard loom.
Before, in Great Kang, women spun materials like mulberry and hemp into yarn balls, then wove the threads into cloth.
The coarse cloth produced this way was single-coloured and could have no patterns.
The looms Jin Feng made included jacquard functions. The cloth produced was not only better quality but also featured twill and some simple patterns.
This was absolutely revolutionary in Great Kang.
At the time, Tang Dongdong had been so excited she jumped straight up.
But she did not immediately release this patterned coarse cloth. Outward shipments remained traditional coarse cloth.
Everything was in preparation for dealing with the Zhou family.
With such thorough preparation, Jin Feng had no worry that Tang Dongdong would suffer a loss.
He asked casually, “Has the Zhou family fallen?”
He expected an affirmative answer, but instead saw Mancang shake his head.
“No…”
