“My love, your piety has moved the Father, and your generosity has provided me with food and clothing. Look, I have come before you, led by the Holy Messenger!” The actor playing the 'deceased husband' walked up to Barbara, who played the 'peasant woman,' and said loudly with open arms.
Some audience members who had seen the play before began to whisper among themselves, because they did not remember this scene.
Jin Yunque, the troupe leader, stood to the side of the stage, a handkerchief between her teeth, her hands gripping the fabric tightly, large drops of sweat rolling down her cheeks to the ground.
Barbara stared at her "deceased husband" without reacting.
The actor playing the "deceased husband" panicked. He frantically winked at Barbara, thinking she had forgotten her lines, and whispered a reminder: "The next line is... Thank God for bringing you back to me."
The commander covered his face with his hands, unable to bear looking any longer, and growled desperately, "Oh God! Barbara, for God's sake!"
Barbara moved.
She first went to her "current husband" and looked at the young and handsome actor with a dazed gaze; then she walked to her "deceased husband" and looked at the middle-aged man with a complicated expression.
Finally, she secretly pulled the "Vagabond Saint" to the front of the stage, and in front of all the audience, she took out a money bag and stuffed it into his arms, winking and saying, "Holy messenger! Here are ten silver moons. Please take my dead husband back to heaven!"
The unexpected twist drew roars of laughter from the audience.
Barbara's impromptu rewrite of the final scene perfectly captured the essence of a devout yet worldly peasant woman. Instead of following the troupe leader's script, she used a humorous interlude to propel the play to a new climax, thus upholding artistic dignity while avoiding religious conflict.
The leader of the Golden Lark troupe, his legs still trembling, walked onto the stage, his back drenched in sweat. As he took his bow with the troupe members, he couldn't help but glance at the second-floor terrace.
Will His Majesty be angered?
Does Your Highness feel offended?
With these questions in mind, the troupe leader, who had finally endured the performance and was wiping away sweat with a cloth, announced that the highlight of the evening was officially beginning.
Twenty large crates were carried up, and as the lids were lifted one by one, the audience was speechless with astonishment at the sight before them.
Silver Moon! Twenty large chests were filled with Silver Moon!
The monk, carrying a thick stack of ledgers, walked onto the stage and began to loudly read out the data compiled by the "Twilight West Mutual Aid Society".
“Invest 200 silver moons in ‘Gospel Flower Society’, realize and pay out a profit of 355 silver moons, and realize assets of 925 silver moons.”
"Invested in 'Rainbow Trout Fishing Ground' for 116 silver months, realized and paid out profits of 73 silver months, and realized assets of 243 silver months."
...
As the monks read through one ledger after another, those who had purchased the sacred bones from the "Twilight Cooperative" realized that their money had been invested in hundreds of shops in Twilight City.
The half-hour reading clearly outlined the development of the "Twilight West Mutual Aid Society." In less than two years since its establishment, the society's initial capital of 1,000 silver moons has grown to 5,766 silver moons. His Majesty then contributed 234 silver moons from his own sacred treasury, bringing the total to 6,000 silver moons, which were then distributed to all holders of sacred bones in one go.
The initial investment has increased sixfold in less than two years. If you add the regular dividends, the total return is almost tenfold!
With the help of the guards, a group of monks divided the silver moons into cloth bags according to the number of holy bones registered by each person, and then handed them to the people below the stage. After confirming that the money was correct, the recipients pressed their fingerprints to sign for receipt.
After all the silver moons had been distributed, someone asked, "Does returning the principal to us mean that the 'Twilight West Mutual Aid Society' is going to disband?"
Brother Joe replied, “You could say that, but you also can’t. His Majesty distributed the assets of the ‘Muxi Mutual Aid Society’ to you proportionally in the hope of returning the financial control of this money to its rightful owner. Two years ago, Muxi Town was in dire need of rebuilding, and His Majesty hoped to unite everyone’s strength to build our home and become wealthy together. But now, His Majesty wants to focus more on the management of the kingdom, and it will be difficult to take care of the operation of the mutual aid society.”
This explanation is reasonable. After all, Todd's identity has changed drastically, and it would be inappropriate for him to go through the trouble of the mutual aid society.
Someone then asked, "So what did you mean by 'it can be said to be, but it isn't'?"
Brother Joe picked up a book with a line clearly written in Common on the cover—'The Charter of the Twilight Royal Bank'.
"The Twilight Royal Bank?" A sharp-eyed person in the crowd raised the question.
Monk Joe nodded and said, "Although His Majesty has ordered the dissolution of the 'Muxi Mutual Aid Society,' he plans to establish a 'Muxi Royal Bank' in Muxi City."
“I’ve heard of banks; it seems there are similar institutions in the Southern Empire.”
Brother Joe explained, “That’s right. The Royal Bank will employ professional scholars and monks to manage the wealth and conduct lending. You can deposit your money in the bank, and you will be allowed to withdraw it at any time. Moreover, you will receive one percent of the total deposit amount in interest for each full month.”
Some people questioned, "Isn't 1% interest per month, or 12% per year, a bit too little?"
Brother Joe smiled and said, “Banks and mutual aid societies are different. In terms of the use of funds, the former is only responsible for managing deposits, while the latter will use the money to invest in shops and properties. In terms of management, bank money can be withdrawn at any time, while money in mutual aid societies can only be obtained after the assets are liquidated. In terms of risk, money deposited in banks will not lose money, while investments in mutual aid societies may result in the loss of everything.”
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