The atmosphere in the main hall was somewhat solemn.
Pang Yukun and Niu Ben’s gazes moved with Xiao Ming’s figure.
After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Ming said, “I understand your thoughts, but the court situation is ever-changing, and we should seize the opportunity to act.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Pang Yukun and Niu Ben were overjoyed. This sentence was enough to excite them, because it meant Xiao Ming indirectly acknowledged some future possibility.
Seeing their excitement, Xiao Ming couldn’t help but shake his head. He said, “One must be strong to strike iron. I don’t want you to put too much energy into this matter, but rather to gradually make the enfeoffed state stronger, understand?”
Pang Yukun and Niu Ben both nodded upon hearing this.
After discussing this matter, Pang Yukun remembered something and said, “Your Highness, just now I passed through the East Market and found many common people depositing silver at the Qingzhou Bank. Among them, I also saw Zhu Wuliu, which shows that the propaganda is effective.”
“Zhu Wuliu? Isn’t that Zhu Sansi’s younger brother?” Niu Ben asked with interest.
Xiao Ming nodded, “That’s right, it’s Zhu Sansi’s younger brother. Now that Zhu Sansi is in charge of the Ryukyu garrison, and Zhu Wuliu is also actively responding to the government office, this family is a model for the enfeoffed state and should be strongly supported.”
“Indeed, Zhu family village outside Qingzhou city is the most supportive of Your Highness. I believe that Zhu family village should be strongly supported to set an example for the enfeoffed state. What do you think?” Pang Yukun said with a smile.
Xiao Ming nodded. He was currently promoting the development of private capital, which would revitalize the economy of the enfeoffed state. After all, the more prosperous the commerce, the more commercial taxes there would be.
“Since that’s the case, let’s go to Qingzhou to take a look, and also talk to the people of Zhu family village about this matter.” The haze in Xiao Ming’s heart dissipated somewhat; scheming was very tiring.
Comparatively, he still preferred to slowly build his own enfeoffed territory.
Having decided on this, the three headed to the East Market. When they arrived, the villagers of Zhu family village had not yet finished their transactions, and those who had already finished had not left, but were waiting for their fellow villagers.
Xiao Ming’s arrival immediately attracted the attention of the villagers, and Zhu Wuliu was pushed to the front by the villagers.
“Your… Your Highness!”
Zhu Wuliu stammered, still very nervous when he saw Xiao Ming.
Xiao Ming smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “I am very happy that you can come to Qingzhou Bank to deposit silver. It shows that you trust me very much.”
“Your Highness wholeheartedly acts for us common people. Whom else would we trust if not Your Highness? Besides, if it weren’t for Your Highness, we wouldn’t have been able to contract the roads in the city,” Zhu Wuliu scratched his head and chuckled foolishly.
“Since that’s the case, I have another way to earn silver. Are you willing to continue?”
“A new way?” Zhu Wuliu’s eyes lit up. He had been thinking about using his three hundred taels of silver for something else, so he said, “Of course we are willing. As long as Your Highness gives us a chance, we will not disappoint Your Highness.”
The other villagers of Zhu family village also echoed, once life becomes prosperous, who would be willing to return to hardship? They all wanted to earn more silver.
“Good, I have a white sugar production process that can be handed over to you. If you wish, you can go back to the village and build a white sugar workshop. The specific process can be learned in the industrial district, how about that?”
“White sugar?” The villagers looked at each other, none of them knowing what Xiao Ming was talking about.
Seeing their confused expressions, Xiao Ming immediately understood. He said, “How about this, six days from now, you go to the Qingzhou workshop, and I will have the craftsmen waiting for you.”
Zhu Wuliu smiled shyly, bowed ninety degrees, and loudly said, “Yes.”
At this time, the bank’s operations were basically finished. Zhu Wuliu and the young people from the village playfully went back to the village.
Seeing the villagers of Zhu family village leave, Xiao Ming and Pang Yukun entered Qingzhou Bank. The common people’s deposits were the best way to understand the current livelihood of the enfeoffed state. He asked the bank manager, “How much silver did they deposit in total this time?”
“Reporting to Your Highness, this time, three hundred households from Zhu family village came, depositing a total of two thousand taels of silver. Among them, Zhu Wuliu’s deposit was the most, a total of three hundred and fifty-three taels, and the others were around five taels each.”
Pang Yukun immediately felt proud. In his opinion, the common people of the enfeoffed state had indeed become much richer in the past two years. Five taels of silver was simply unimaginable in the past.
“Your Highness, even one Zhu family village is like this. If all the common people in the entire enfeoffed state come to deposit silver, this is indeed a considerable amount. This official finally understands the importance of Qingzhou Bank now,” Pang Yukun said with a smile.
Xiao Ming was equally satisfied. He said, “Continue to promote it during this period. We need to let every common person understand what a bank is. Only then can the bank play its true role.”
As the two were talking, another common person wanted to enter the bank to inquire about depositing silver, but upon seeing Xiao Ming and Pang Yukun, the common person immediately ran away. Helpless, the two had no choice but to return, so as not to affect the bank’s official duties.
And in the following days, Xiao Ming continued to use various methods to promote Qingzhou Bank.
With hot air balloons, painted characters on village walls, and newspapers, the continuous promotion of Qingzhou Bank gradually made it known to the common people, and more and more common people came to the bank to deposit silver.
At the same time, the production of white sugar did not stop. As expected, after seven days, the first batch of white sugar was produced in the workshop.
“Is this white sugar? It’s really white, like snow.” Zhu Wuliu, as promised, brought three young men to the industrial district. When a batch of white sugar was refined, he exclaimed in surprise.
Xiao Ming also felt a surge of emotion as he picked up a handful of fine white sugar like sand. It had been two years, and he finally saw white sugar almost identical to modern times.
With this, he could produce more food items.
“Your Highness, this is rock candy.” Before Xiao Ming could react, the craftsman brought out a basket of rock candy the size of peanuts.
This rock candy was something he had taught these craftsmen to make. It was very simple, just melting and recrystallizing white sugar to form rock candy.
He took a piece of rock candy and put it in his mouth. Immediately, a sweet sensation arose in his mouth. This feeling was very enjoyable, truly refreshing and sweet.
“Gulp.” Looking at Xiao Ming’s enjoying expression, Zhu Wuliu swallowed hard. The freshly refined sugar had a rich sugary aroma; it was too tempting.
Hearing this sound, Xiao Ming smiled knowingly, “Don’t be shy, you try it too.”
“Aye.” Zhu Wuliu responded and eagerly picked up a piece of rock candy from the basket and put it in his mouth.
As it dissolved in their saliva, the rock candy began to melt. Zhu Wuliu and the three young men’s eyes widened, and the four of them exclaimed in unison, “So sweet!”