Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Outside the Meridian Gate.

The assembled officials gathered, marking the time before the morning court session.

Fang Zheng arrived early, standing outside the Meridian Gate, yawning.

Suddenly, he noticed Jiang Liang in the distance looking at him, displaying a brilliant smile.

Jiang Liang smiled back in response, appearing confident of victory.

However, the smile had barely appeared before it vanished.

In the distance, several old men rode bicycles side by side, ringing their bells as they approached.

"Ding-a-ling!"

As the bell sounds faded, the old men skillfully slowed down and stopped.

Left foot down, a flick of the leg, dismount!

Their movements were incredibly practiced!

Then, they slowly pushed their bicycles to the base of the wall outside the Meridian Gate.

A row of bicycles was already parked there... the scene looked somewhat incongruous.

After settling his bicycle, Zheng Qiao slowly walked towards Fang Zheng, cupping his hands in greeting with a smile: "Lord Fang, you're here so early today."

Fang Zheng smiled: "Today is special. I need everyone to witness my wager with the Ministry of Works."

He was already accustomed to such scenes.

The newspapers had heavily promoted the health benefits of cycling.

These old men couldn't resist and went to buy their own.

Not only did they buy them, but they also enjoyed riding them!

On one hand, it was for health, and on the other, it was probably to enjoy the feeling of swiftness like the wind.

Zheng Qiao thought for a moment and said, "Oh! This old man had forgotten. Your bicycle is indeed a good thing. Are you confident you can win?"

Fang Zheng shrugged: "The situation at the Ministry of Works is still unknown. It's really hard to say whether I can win or not."

"I heard you also bought the Ministry of Works' Jade Light Porcelain?"

Zheng Qiao said blandly: "Alas~! This old man has never favored anyone. Since I bought a bicycle, of course, I also have to buy Jade Light Porcelain."

Fang Zheng curled his lip: "How much does a bicycle cost, and how much does Jade Light Porcelain cost? Can they compare?"

"You don't call that favoritism? I even call you Second Uncle!"

Who the hell is your Second Uncle! Here to bring disaster to this old man again!

Zheng Qiao's face darkened, and he walked away.

Before long, the court audience began.

Emperor Jing sat on the dragon throne, looking at Fang Zheng with a solemn expression.

The things he had stirred up in the past two months had nearly turned the capital upside down.

A mere bicycle had caused an uproar throughout the entire capital!

Almost every daily report mentioned the bicycle.

Even he couldn't resist his curiosity and had obtained one to try out in the back garden.

The experience was quite good!

In contrast, the Ministry of Works had been relatively quiet.

He was also very curious about what the final result would be.

After the ritualistic small talk ended, Emperor Jing immediately said: "Let's not talk about anything else today."

"The wager between the Ministry of Works and Qing Fang, the two-month period has ended. Do you two have results now?"

The officials exchanged glances, Jiang Liang was slightly excited: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works has results. I ordered people to compile the statistics early last night. Please review them, Your Majesty!"

With that, he took out a letter from his sleeve, which a eunuch passed up.

Emperor Jing opened the letter, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Oh?! It's as much as thirty-six thousand five hundred taels?"

Jiang Liang smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, the Jade Light Porcelain produced by the Ministry of Works is labor-intensive and time-consuming, but its quality is excellent."

"Its ornamental value far exceeds that of porcelain on the market, and it is highly sought after by wealthy families. In less than a month, its reputation has spread far and wide."

"Therefore, in addition to the capital, even families outside the capital have sent people to purchase it."

"This is how we were able to reach such a large sum of thirty-six thousand taels. The benefits from this have all gone to the national treasury."

The officials exchanged information with their eyes, some surprised, some excited, and many with a hint of disappointment in their eyes.

Emperor Jing looked at the letter in his hand again and nodded with satisfaction.

Then he looked at Fang Zheng and said: "Qing Fang, what about yours?"

More than thirty-six thousand taels...

The corners of Fang Zheng's mouth curled into a smile: "I have also prepared it, please review it, Your Majesty."

Another letter was presented, and Emperor Jing eagerly unfolded it to read.

The officials also raised their heads, their eyes full of anticipation.

The bicycle is so popular! Wouldn't it sell for a sky-high price?

After one look, his face suddenly changed: "Only more than seven thousand taels?"

The capital was in an uproar, and many people had already determined that Fang Zheng would win.

Some had even secretly opened betting pools.

But now you're giving me this? Seven thousand taels to fool a ghost?

At least you should get thirty thousand taels to compete with them!

Jiang Liang and the other officials of the Ministry of Works immediately showed wild joy in their eyes.

They looked at Fang Zheng triumphantly.

Fang Zheng didn't panic and took out another letter from his sleeve, saying calmly: "Your Majesty, I have another one here for your review."

"Present it," Emperor Jing said.

As Emperor Jing slowly unfolded the letter, the curious gazes of the officials turned to him.

Another set of brand new data was revealed before their eyes, and Emperor Jing's eyes suddenly became dull.

"One hundred and twenty thousand... eight thousand nine hundred taels?"

The officials were shocked!

Isn't that almost one hundred and thirty thousand taels? Are you kidding me!

Could he have fabricated a false number?

No matter how well the bicycle sells, according to some people's thinking, it would only sell for tens of thousands of taels of silver.

But this more than one hundred thousand taels is just bragging to the sky, isn't it?

"Yes, Your Majesty," Fang Zheng said.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Jiang Liang stood up abruptly.

He had also sent people to the market to roughly count, and although the city was very lively, and people riding bicycles could often be seen.

But if it had sold for more than one hundred and thirty thousand taels, wouldn't there be people riding bicycles everywhere?

There's no way it could have sold that much.

Emperor Jing's expression was solemn: "Qing Fang, what do these two figures mean?"

Fang Zheng said calmly: "Your Majesty, the first price is the total price of the goods sold in stock, and the second price is the total price of the pre-orders."

"That more than one hundred and twenty thousand taels is actually the amount paid by the people who have not yet received the goods. In fact, the number of people who want to buy bicycles in the entire capital has reached more than two hundred thousand!"

"This humble servant, with the full power of Peach Blossom County, summoned countless people, and in two months, we could only produce more than ten thousand vehicles, but these more than ten thousand vehicles still couldn't meet the demand."

More than two hundred thousand people want to buy bicycles?

The officials buzzed with excitement, their eyes full of shock.

They had never heard of anything that would be sought after by hundreds of thousands of people in two months!

This isn't buying salt or rice!

Emperor Jing was also shocked!

He knew that bicycles were popular, but he never expected that more than two hundred thousand people would be willing to spend real money to support them. This was a bit too exaggerated!

Jiang Liang couldn't believe his ears and immediately retorted: "Impossible! Even if this thing is popular, it is not a necessity of life. How could more than two hundred thousand people be willing to pay to buy it!"

Emperor Jing carefully looked at the information on the paper again, and said incredulously: "There are really more than two hundred thousand people? I can hardly believe it. How did you do it?"

Fang Zheng concentrated and calmed his mind: "Your Majesty, it's just four words, the will of the people!"

......