Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Neglect would damage the imperial prestige.

Emperor Jing's heart tightened, but he quickly regained his composure, looking at Xu Wenshu and comforting him, "You worry too much, my minister."

"Fang Zheng Yi is using my name to open banks outside. How could no one be interested? I don't believe that no commoners are willing to trust me."

Xu Wenshu sighed, "Your Majesty's reputation is naturally paramount. It is conceivable that as long as Your Majesty is involved, there will surely be a response, but the responders will definitely not be commoners."

"Commoners are short-sighted, penny-pinching, and full of apprehension towards everything. Although their lives have improved somewhat now, they have all come from impoverished days. It is impossible for them to deposit their silver into someone else's hands based on a few words from outsiders. The Tianxia Qianzhuang has been open for so many years, but how many commoners would deposit their silver into the Qianzhuang? It can be said to be very few."

"When the new bank opens in the future, it will be next to the most popular exchange in the capital, while the bank entrance will be deserted. Comparing the two, rumors will surely spread among the people, perhaps even saying that Your Majesty wants to collect the people's wealth but cannot succeed."

Emperor Jing's face gradually turned unsightly.

Xu Wenshu said bitterly, "That's nothing. Let's assume this bank opens and the facade is considered prosperous, but has Your Majesty thought about it? A bank will always have countless problems."

"Especially in the current situation, the flow of silver in the world is so fast, and the growth of wealth is so huge, which is rare in the world. Once a problem occurs, it will be a huge difficulty that predecessors have never seen before, and the court has no experience in dealing with it. If things are exposed from a large-scale bank that is related to Your Majesty, and countless people's wealth is damaged, then it will undoubtedly have a double impact on the court."

"In all things in the world, stability comes first, and it is absolutely impossible to act without complete certainty. To say something treasonous, in my eyes, the new bank is completely unnecessary. Now, before it is established, Your Majesty should withdraw the order as soon as possible."

Emperor Jing's face flushed red.

Xu Wenshu's words made him feel ashamed and his face burning.

He initially agreed to Fang Zheng Yi mostly for the sake of fame and did not think so much.

Now it seems that what Xu Wenshu said does make sense. If something happens to the bank and affects him, then it will not be a trivial matter.

But then he thought again that what Fang Zheng Yi said at the beginning also made sense, that the bank is different from ordinary Qianzhuang but has its uses.

Weighing the two, Emperor Jing felt embarrassed and troubled at the same time.

After a moment, he said, "This matter... cannot be withdrawn. My mind is made up."

Xu Wenshu was surprised and said, "Does Your Majesty think that what I said is wrong?"

"You have your reasons, and Fang Zheng Yi also has his reasons. Now that it has already started, how can there be any reason to give up halfway? I don't want to call a halt. Let's wait until there is a result before discussing it."

Emperor Jing said helplessly.

Call a halt? He wanted to call a halt!

But the matter has already reached your Ministry of Revenue's ears, and it is estimated that many people in the court know about it, but only the Ministry of Revenue is too closely related to money and grain to resist jumping out.

The matter has been done halfway, and to say not to do it, what would the people below think?

As for the problems Xu Wenshu said, those are all things that haven't happened...

"Your Majesty, it's still time to call a halt now. It will be troublesome to deal with it later," Xu Wenshu advised.

Emperor Jing said with a wooden face, "I am relieved with Fang Zheng Yi handling matters."

Xu Wenshu persisted, "Your Majesty, Marquis Jianye is indeed capable, but he is not a god! Running a Qianzhuang is not like building a train. Throwing ore into the furnace can produce it. It needs to be honed bit by bit over time. It is absolutely impossible to achieve it overnight...."

The more he spoke, the more unsure Emperor Jing felt, and finally, he became angry out of embarrassment and said, "My mind is made up on this matter. You may return first. If you are worried, then go find Fang Zheng Yi and the two of you discuss what is right and wrong before coming to me."

......

In a flash, it was the day of the bank's opening.

The bank next to the exchange looked extremely mysterious.

In the past, restaurants or other shops would cover their signs.

But this bank was extraordinary, the whole was wrapped in red cloth, covering it tightly.

The bank had been completed two days ago. Those who knew the inside story knew that it was a Qianzhuang, while the ignorant commoners stopped to watch.

And today, a large group of people gathered at the bank entrance.

Each of them was wealthy.

Liu Zhongshun stood at the bank entrance, frequently cupping his hands to show his goodwill.

Fang Zheng Yi hid in the dark and observed. The people who came to participate in the opening ceremony today were all pre-selected customers.

However, these customers were really not helpful. The plan and the reality were ultimately very different.

Everyone verbally agreed to deposit money, but in the end, they only took out ten or eight thousand taels of silver. No one dared to invest heavily, and he couldn't force these people.

But this was also reasonable. Fortunately, he had multiple preparations.

Today's opening was just an appetizer, the main course was later, and the commoners were the main focus.

Not far from him, Xu Wenshu was also standing in the back of the crowd in plain clothes.

Since the last audience with Emperor Jing, he had no intention of looking for Fang Zheng Yi.

His Majesty's mind was made up, and further persuasion would be impudent of him.

Moreover, this matter was initiated by Fang Zheng Yi, and His Majesty was unwilling to give up, so Fang Zheng Yi would naturally not let go.

For the present plan, he could only observe the situation on the spot, and then let Emperor Jing change his mind.

Otherwise, if this Qianzhuang is really set up, it will inevitably add trouble to the Ministry of Revenue.

There are already enough troubles!

After waiting for a long time, the invited guests had gathered, and many onlookers had joined the team.

Seeing that the street was about to be blocked, Fang Zheng Yi quickly gestured to Liu Zhongshun below.

Liu Zhongshun immediately perked up and raised his hands high, saying, "Everyone, the auspicious time has arrived! Thank you all for attending the opening ceremony of Jingxing Bank. You have waited for a long time. Let's not talk too much and start immediately!"

Then, with a drop of his hands, the two servants beside him immediately lit the firecrackers at hand.

In a burst of crackling sounds, Liu Zhongshun forcefully pulled the red cloth.

The giant red cloth slowly fell.

As the true face of the bank was revealed in front of everyone, the originally dense and noisy conversations on the street came to an abrupt end!

Even Xu Wenshu, who was knowledgeable, showed a look of astonishment, staring blankly at the incredible building in front of him.

What kind of house is this!

How much manpower and white crystal from Taoyuan County would it take to achieve such an effect?

The building in front of him was adjacent to the exchange. Although it was not high, the architectural style was extremely special.

The square house, with two floors, used huge glass windows to replace the previous wooden windows.

The whole was cast with reinforced concrete, and the outside was covered with silver paint over a large area.

In the middle of the second floor and the first floor were four huge blue characters 【Jingxing Qianzhuang】!