Outside the Meridian Gate.
All the ministers gathered together and it was time before the court meeting.
Fang Zheng arrived early and stood outside the Meridian Gate yawning.
Suddenly, he saw Jiang Liang not far away, looking at him with a bright smile.
Jiang Liang smiled in return, looking confident of victory.
But as soon as the smile appeared, it disappeared again.
I saw a few old men riding bicycles side by side not far away, and they even rang the bicycle bells when they arrived.
"Ding-ling-ling!"
After the car bell rang, several old men slowed down and stopped the car skillfully.
Touch the ground with your left foot, lift your hind leg, and get off the car!
The movements are very familiar!
Then he slowly pushed the bicycle to the base of the wall outside the Meridian Gate.
There was a row of bicycles parked there early in the morning...the scene looked a bit discordant.
After putting the bicycle away, Zheng Qiao slowly walked towards Fang Zhengyi, bowed and said with a smile: "Master Fang, you came so early today."
Fang Zheng smiled and said, "Today is not an ordinary day. I have to ask you all to witness the bet between me and the Ministry of Industry."
He was no longer surprised by such scenes.
Newspapers have often promoted the health benefits of cycling.
These old guys couldn't control themselves and ran to buy them.
Not only did I buy it, I also had a lot of fun riding it!
On the one hand, it is for health preservation, and on the other hand, it is probably to enjoy the feeling of running like the wind.
Zheng Qiao thought for a moment and said, "Oh! I forgot that your bicycle is indeed a good thing. Are you sure you can win?"
Fang Zhengyi shrugged and said, "We don't know what the situation is with the Ministry of Industry yet. It's hard to say whether we can win or not."
"I heard that you also bought the Yuguang porcelain from the Ministry of Industry?"
Zheng Qiao said calmly: "Hey~! I have never favored anyone. Since I bought a bicycle, of course I have to buy Yuguang porcelain."
Fang Zheng curled his lips and said, "How much is a bicycle? How much is Yuguang porcelain? How can they be compared?"
"Isn't this considered partiality? I called you my second uncle in vain!"
Who the hell is your second uncle? You come to trouble me again!
Zheng Qiao's face turned dark and he left.
Soon, he began to come to the court for an audience.
Emperor Jing sat on the dragon throne and looked at Fang Zhengyi with a serious expression.
He had gone through so much trouble in the past two months, but the capital city had not let him overturn it.
Just a bicycle caused a stir in the whole capital!
News about bicycles is always included in the reports received every day.
Even he couldn't resist the curiosity and bought one to try out in the back garden.
The experience is quite good!
On the other hand, there was almost no movement at the Ministry of Industry.
He was also very curious about what the result would be.
When the ritual chatter was over, Emperor Jing immediately said, "Let's not talk about anything else today."
"The two-month period for the bet between the Ministry of Industry and Fang Qing has come to an end. Do you two have any conclusion yet?"
The ministers looked at him sideways, and Jiang Liang was slightly excited: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works has the results. I ordered people to count them last night. Please have a look, Your Majesty!"
After saying this, he took out a letter from his sleeve and asked the eunuch to hand it over.
Emperor Jing opened the letter, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Oh?! There are actually as much as 36,500 taels?"
Jiang Liang smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the Yuguang porcelain produced by the Ministry of Industry is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and of excellent quality."
"Its ornamental value far exceeds that of other porcelains on the market and it is highly sought after by wealthy families. In less than a month, its reputation has spread far and wide."
"So in addition to those in the capital, there are families outside the capital who have sent people to buy it."
"This is the amount of 36,000 taels, and all the profits have gone to the national treasury."
The ministers exchanged messages with their eyes. Some were surprised, some were excited, and many had 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 asked, "Fang Qing, what about yours?"
Thirty-six thousand taels...
Fang Zhengyi's mouth curved slightly, "I am also ready. Your Majesty, please have a look."
Another letter was presented to him, and Emperor Jing couldn't wait to unfold it and read it.
All the ministers raised their heads, their eyes full of anticipation.
Bicycles are very popular! Wouldn’t they be sold at a sky-high price?
After taking a look, his expression suddenly changed: "Only more than 7,000 taels?"
The capital was in an uproar, and many people had already determined that Fang Zhengyi would win.
Some people have even opened the betting market privately.
And now you've given me this? Are you trying to fool me with seven thousand taels?
At least you can get 30,000 taels to compete with them!
Jiang Liang and other heads of the Ministry of Works immediately showed ecstasy in their eyes.
He looked at Fang Zhengyi proudly.
Fang Zhengyi took out a piece of letter from his sleeve without any hurry and said calmly, "Your Majesty, I have another one here for your inspection."
"Present it." Emperor Jing said.
As Emperor Jing slowly unfolded the letter, the ministers looked at him curiously.
Another set of new data appeared before his eyes, and Emperor Jing's eyes suddenly froze.
"One hundred and twenty thousand... eight thousand nine hundred taels?"
The ministers were horrified!
Isn't that 130,000 taels? Let's play!
He wouldn't come up with a false number, would he?
No matter how well a bicycle sells, some people think it can only be sold for tens of thousands of taels of silver.
But isn't this more than 100,000 taels of yours just bragging?
"Your Majesty, that's right." Fang Zheng said.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Jiang Liang suddenly stood up.
He also sent people to the market to do a rough count, and found that although the city was very busy, people riding bicycles could often be seen.
But if the amount sold was as much as 130,000 taels, wouldn't there be people riding bicycles everywhere?
It is impossible to sell such a high quantity anyway.
Emperor Jing looked solemn: "Fang Qing, what do these two pieces of news mean?"
Fang Zhengyi said calmly: "Your Majesty, the price of the first batch is the total price of the spot sale, and the price of the second batch is the total price of the reservation."
"The more than 120,000 taels are actually people who have paid but haven't received the goods yet. In fact, the number of people who want to buy bicycles in the entire capital has reached more than 200,000!"
"I am an incompetent official. I have mobilized countless people in Taoyuan County and have only been able to produce more than 10,000 vehicles in two months. However, these 10,000 vehicles are still not enough to sell."
More than 200,000 people want to buy bicycles?
The ministers were in an uproar, their eyes filled with shock.
I have never heard of an object that would be sought after by hundreds of thousands of people in just two months!
This is not like buying salt or rice!
Emperor Jing was also shocked!
I knew bicycles were popular, but I never expected that more than 200,000 people would be willing to spend real money to support them. This is a bit too exaggerated!
Jiang Liang couldn't believe his ears and immediately argued, "Impossible! No matter how popular this thing is, it is not a necessity for life. How can more than 200,000 people be willing to pay for it!"
Emperor Jing carefully read the information on the paper again and again, and said in disbelief: "There are really more than 200,000 people? I can't believe it either. How did you do it?"
Fang Zhengyi concentrated and calmed down: "Your Majesty, there are only four words: the people's will!"
......
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