“Mulang, why have you not gone to receive your punishment yet?” Jin Feng asked with a sidelong glance. “Are you perhaps afraid?”
“When have I, Qing Mulang, ever been afraid?” Qing Mulang replied. “Have these past few days not been spent helping you run around everywhere conducting surveys?”
When the Ninth Princess came to help, Qing Mulang naturally tagged along to join the excitement.
However, with her sister the provincial governor present, many things became much more convenient.
“Rest assured, people will definitely come tomorrow,” Jin Feng said confidently.
“Sir, have you thought of a solution?” the Ninth Princess asked curiously.
“The reason no one is coming now is that everyone still does not know I have opened a money house, so I need to place an advertisement to let them know.”
“Advertisement? What does that mean?”
“To announce it widely,” Jin Feng said. “I want everyone in the city to know that the Jinchuan Money House has opened!”
“How does sir plan to announce it widely?” The Ninth Princess grew even more curious.
Dakang had no internet, nor mobile phones. When the government wished to convey a policy, it had to post notices in high-traffic places such as city gates or vegetable markets.
Yet there were always some common folk who neither left the city nor bought vegetables.
Thus, government policies often took many days to reach every citizen’s ears.
Jin Feng claimed that by tomorrow the entire city would know about the opening of the Jinchuan Money House. It was already afternoon, and the Ninth Princess truly could not imagine how he would achieve this.
Jin Feng did not answer, merely giving a mysterious smile. “You will know once it gets dark.”
“Dark?” The Ninth Princess paused for a moment, then suddenly understood.
But Qing Mulang remained completely bewildered. “Wuyang, what riddle are you two playing at?”
“You will know once it gets dark!” the Ninth Princess and Jin Feng exchanged a glance and replied with a smile.
No matter how much Qing Mulang pressed them, neither would say more.
They waited until nightfall, when fireworks began rising all over the city, before Qing Mulang finally realised.
At that moment, the entire city’s residents were drawn by the explosive sounds overhead. They rushed out of their homes and looked up at the sky.
“Good heavens, what is this thing? It is so bright!”
“It flashes like lightning and thunders too. Could it be the Thunder King descending to the mortal world?”
“I heard that Master Jin of the Zhenyuan Escort Bureau obtained a divine artefact from the Thunder King. It glows and roars like thunder. Could this be it?”
“Yes, that is it. I saw it at Damangpo, but back then we could only hear the sound. There was no light.”
“Why would the Thunder King wield his divine artefact in the city? Are there enemies here too?”
“It should not be. I have not heard any commotion.”
“Looking at the location, there is one at Xingyuanzhai. Let us go and see.”
“Will it be dangerous?”
“We will be careful. If there is danger, we will hurry back!”
“That is fine. Let us go and look!”
Fireworks were something Dakang had never seen before. Although Jin Feng had used them previously at Damangpo, the common folk who attended the funeral for the fallen soldiers and civilians were, after all, only a minority.
For most residents of Xichuan city, this was their first time seeing them.
Even those who had witnessed them at the funeral had only heard the bangs. In broad daylight, the colours were invisible.
The gorgeous fireworks blooming in the city created an extremely shocking effect.
Many residents, with some trepidation, cautiously approached the nearest launch site.
Only upon reaching the site did they discover there was no danger at all. Escort masters were simply holding loudhailers and shouting, “Master Jin of the Zhenyuan Escort Bureau has opened the Jinchuan Money House. Handling fees as low as ten percent!”
“Master Jin has opened a money house?”
“What is a handling fee?”
“It should mean the transaction fee, I suppose.”
“I hear money houses make all their profit from transaction fees. If Master Jin only charges ten percent, will he not lose everything?”
“Master Jin is so clever. He certainly will not lose money.”
“Money houses only do business with the wealthy. Why are you worrying needlessly?”
“Exactly. Even if Master Jin charged no fees at all, do you have money to deposit?”
“Young brother, is this truly the divine artefact the Thunder King gave to Master Jin?”
The common folk had not yet solved their basic needs for food and clothing, so they had little interest in money houses.
They were far more curious about the still-smoking firework boxes placed in front of the escort masters.
“Yes, this is the Thunder King’s divine artefact.”
The lead escort master smiled and said, “Hurry and call people over. In the time it takes one incense stick to burn, we will launch another!”
“Young brother, wait for me. I will go call people right now!”
Many residents turned and ran upon hearing this.
As they ran, they shouted, “Everyone come quickly and see! The people from Zhenyuan Escort Bureau are going to wield the Thunder King’s divine artefact again!”
The residents had already been attracted by the earlier fireworks but had feared danger and dared not approach.
Now hearing there were no enemies, they all poured out of their homes and ran towards the nearest launch site.
The escort masters kept their word. After one incense stick’s time, they immediately lit a new firework.
Whoosh! Bang!
With a sharp whistling sound, a bright streak of light shot into the sky.
Reaching more than ten metres high, it exploded with a bang, blooming into vibrant purple and red lights.
“Wow! The Thunder King’s divine artefact is amazing. No wonder it could defeat the cavalry!”
“Young brother, launch another one! Another one!”
The residents watched in great excitement and begged the escort masters to launch more.
The same scene unfolded at every launch site.
That night, almost every resident in the city spent the time looking up at the fireworks.
The news that the Jinchuan Money House had opened, with handling fees as low as ten percent, spread throughout the city.
Although ordinary folk would hardly ever deposit money there, Jin Feng’s goal had been achieved.
Merchants valued intelligence most highly. Any merchant of substance who did not send someone to inquire about such major news would be unusual.
These were precisely his target customers.
As long as they received the news, Jin Feng was not worried they would remain unmoved.
Facts proved that Jin Feng’s guess was correct.
The capital was Dakang’s wealthiest city, while Xichuan city was the wealthiest in Chuanshu.
It had the greatest number of rich merchants in the entire region.
Moreover, many merchants had businesses in other areas and frequently needed to use banknotes.
Every time they exchanged banknotes, it represented a huge expense for them.
Hearing that the Jinchuan Money House’s handling fees could be as low as ten percent, many merchants with storage needs were tempted.
Early the next morning, a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the Jinchuan Money House, which had been deserted for three days.
There were merchants attracted by the ultra-low fees, peers who had hurried over to gather information, and of course even more common folk who had come to watch the excitement.
Jin Feng had originally prepared a meeting room, intending to properly introduce the services of the Jinchuan Money House.
But far too many people arrived. The meeting room he had prepared could not hold them all, so he had to welcome everyone into the courtyard.
Jin Feng temporarily had people build a wooden platform in the courtyard.
Clang, clang, clang!
Da Liu struck the gong several times, and the scene finally quietened down.
Jin Feng raised the loudhailer and was just about to speak when he heard a commoner shout, “Master Jin, was what you launched yesterday truly the Thunder King’s divine artefact?”
“We will talk about that matter later. Today we discuss the money house,” Jin Feng replied with a smile.
Seeing that Jin Feng was unwilling to answer, the common folk all showed disappointment.
“Master Jin, does your Jinchuan Money House really charge only ten percent handling fees?”
A pot-bellied merchant spoke up and asked.
