Royal Gold Magistrate

To some extent, the excessive exploitation of resources had become an old habit of Fang Zheng’s.

Whether it was people or materials, when Taoyuan County was poor and destitute, he utilized everything he could.

It was the same with these reporters. Although the initial funding for the newspaper came from Fang Zheng’s own pocket,

Now that it was running normally, it still hadn’t turned a profit and was even slightly in the red.

Even with the addition of advertisements, it was unclear how effective they would be or how much money they could earn.

Fang Zheng couldn’t possibly continue to increase his investment in the short term.

The money in hand was limited after all, and spending more in one place meant less for other, potentially more valuable areas.

If it couldn’t generate profits, then they’d have to tighten their belts and wait for the opportunity to grow.

If it couldn’t grow, it would only mean that the time for newspapers hadn’t yet come.

Being naturally eliminated by the market would be understandable.

The current task was to make these people work their hardest!

Use every ounce of effort to make the newspaper self-sustaining.

Once it proved it could develop sustainably, Fang Zheng could then increase investment without hesitation.

As the first batch of reporters, their status and income levels would naturally rise with the tide.

Even if it didn’t work out, Fang Zheng would find ways to arrange future paths for the reporters.

After their talk, Fang Zheng looked out the window and saw it was getting late.

He stood up and said, “Brothers, stop eating! Even if you’re not full, stop now!”

“Tonight, I’m taking you out to have a good time!!”

………….

Fang Zheng led the group of reporters and others from the boat in a grand procession towards the Fenghua Club.

At this time, the street where Fenghua Club was located was decorated with lanterns and streamers, creating a festive atmosphere.

Li Yuanzhao and the others couldn’t help but be entranced by the sight.

From the capital all the way down to Jianjiang, they had passed through many villages and towns, and seen many local “specialties”.

So Li Yuanzhao had a deep understanding of poverty.

But seeing this scene, everyone felt a deep sense of dissonance.

The people on the street looked malnourished, yet the street itself seemed to be celebrating some festival.

As he watched, Li Yuanzhao couldn’t help but feel angry. He whispered to Fang Zheng, “Old Fang! What are you doing? Isn’t this a waste of money?”

Fang Zheng smiled slightly, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. This subject has made arrangements. When we get there, just follow along and enjoy the meal.”

He had already arranged for Xie Xian, Wu Sheng, and others to make preparations at Fenghua Club.

He hadn’t personally inspected it, but he received daily reports from Xie Xian.

Because Xie Xian had excellent connections in the city, the title of Fenghua Club’s owner was directly given to him.

At this moment, the main doors of Fenghua Club were tightly shut, with the sign covered by a large red cloth.

Xie Xian, all smiles, was chatting with the wealthy merchants gathered at the entrance.

Seeing Fang Zheng approaching with his group, he hurriedly came forward to bow, saying loudly, “Lord Fang has arrived! This humble citizen, Xie Xian, pays respects to Lord Fang! Please forgive my lack of a proper welcome!”

The many wealthy merchants present were startled to hear it was Fang Zheng, and they too quickly knelt to pay their respects.

“Greetings, Lord Fang!”

Fang Zheng, beaming, raised his hand and said, “Everyone!”

“This official and Manager Xie are close friends. Today, I was specially invited to attend the opening ceremony of Fenghua Club.”

“Everyone present today is a friend! Inside Fenghua Club, there are no distinctions of status. Please, everyone, rise quickly!”

People began to slowly stand up, but many still looked at Fang Zheng with evasive glances.

Seeing this, Fang Zheng immediately said loudly, “This official is truly ashamed to appear in this state upon first arriving in Jianjiang!”

“But please rest assured, I, Fang Zheng, have always been kind to others and fond of charity.”

“This time in Jianjiang, my main task was to investigate corrupt officials. Now that matter has been completely resolved.”

“This official is of limited talent and learning. Until a new prefect is appointed, I may have to govern by non-action.”

Hearing him speak like this, the tension in the hearts of the wealthy merchants eased a bit.

They began to flatter him, saying, “It’s truly Jianjiang’s blessing, the people’s blessing, to have Upright Official Fang come to Jianjiang!”

“Lord Fang is truly a model official!”

A barrage of flattery came flying over, and Fang Zheng was quite pleased.

He smiled and said, “Good! Then let’s continue. Please proceed, Manager Xie!”

Manager Xie? Xie Xian savored the sound, feeling a bit unaccustomed to it.

“Very well! Now we’ll begin the ribbon-cutting ceremony. May I invite Lord Fang to cut the ribbon for Fenghua Club!”

As soon as he finished speaking, beautiful women in revealing clothes came forward from both sides, carrying red silk.

Fang Zheng, not bothering to dawdle, cut the ribbon directly.

At the same time, the red cloth covering the sign was pulled down, revealing four large characters: “Fenghua Club”.

Everyone was puzzled by the meaning, whispering and discussing among themselves.

Xie Xian didn’t explain, but directly pushed open the main doors and said to Fang Zheng, “Lord Fang, please enter first!”

Fang Zheng lifted his official robe and strode into the building, with everyone else slowly following behind him.

Upon entering, they were greeted by a spacious hall. In front of them was a huge stage set in a large pool, with koi fish swimming about.

On the stage were musicians and dancers, while on the second and third-floor corridors, musicians stood with various instruments.

The railings on each floor were ornately carved and painted, with many places even gilded.

The most eye-catching feature was two Roman columns standing starkly behind the stage, looking quite out of place.

The corners and edges were filled with discordant elements.

Fang Zheng’s face couldn’t help but fall!

What the hell is this? It’s completely different from what I had in mind! It’s neither one thing nor the other!

And why are there so many people playing instruments on the second and third floors? Are they afraid people will hear clearly? I should have come to take a look myself!

I even drew the blueprints for you, and this is what you come up with!?

However, the guests’ reactions were still acceptable. Although it was strange, it clearly caught their eye.

Many people expressed their admiration.

The number of people present wasn’t large, with the wealthy merchants and the group Fang Zheng brought, including Li Yuanzhao and Zhang Biao, totaling only a few dozen.

This was because Fenghua Club operated on a members-only, invitation-only basis, not accepting walk-in customers except for specific guests.

After everyone was seated, Xie Xian said loudly, “Since Lord Fang is present today, why don’t we invite him to say a few words!”

Fang Zheng stood up and walked to the stage, smiling as he said, “Today, Manager Xie has graciously invited us!”

“This official didn’t bring any gifts, which is truly shameful.”

“Tonight, all consumption will be covered by this official! Everyone, please eat and enjoy yourselves to the fullest!”

“Furthermore! This official has brought a special person to introduce to everyone.”

As he finished speaking, he pointed to Huang Shengrong below the stage.

Huang Shengrong closed his eyes and bowed his head, standing up to chant a Buddhist phrase to the crowd.

“This is Master Huijue, who has come from afar after studying Buddhism in Tianzhu!!”

The crowd looked at each other in confusion. Tianzhu? Where’s that? They’d never heard of it, but it sounded impressive.

“This official has always been devoted to Buddhism. This time, in order to bring down the great corrupt official Liu Xun, I faced many dangers! Thanks to Master Huijue’s chanting of sutras and blessings, empowering me with the Buddha’s teachings, I was able to turn danger into safety many times!”

The crowd looked at Huang Shengrong with curiosity. They saw him calmly take out a small porcelain bottle from his chest, dip his finger in to touch something, and then touch it to his forehead.

His expression immediately changed.

It became serene… profound…