Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Inside the inn, Emperor Jing sat upright at the desk, intently reading the booklet that Fang Zheng had given him earlier.

The contents detailed the entire process and specifics of listing the Grand Jing Railway, including the detailed discussions he'd had with the Ministry of Revenue.

Fang Zheng, on the other hand, sat quietly to the side, silently calculating in his mind.

Raising funds for major national projects on the exchange didn't require lengthy court debates; in reality, it only needed His Majesty's approval to finalize.

After all, many officials were already trading stocks, indicating the popularity of this financial game.

Given the current development trend, the larger families stood to gain the most, with little chance of losing money.

The only influencing factor was the potential impact on social stability among the common people, which he feared the Emperor might not agree to.

Emperor Jing was an enlightened man, and although Fang Zheng was confident, he couldn't claim to be one hundred percent certain.

Therefore, he had gathered a large number of Peach Blossom County residents to buy stocks in advance, so that if Emperor Jing rejected the plan, he could find a way to compensate them in the future.

If a large number of shares were sold to ordinary, uncontrolled retail investors, it would be difficult to resolve any issues.

Making money was secondary to him.

After reading, Emperor Jing looked up and sighed, "Good, good. This method can be described as wildly imaginative. Who came up with it?"

It's done?

"This is the wisdom of the people," Fang Zheng replied, delighted. "Does Your Majesty think this method is feasible? Do you have any objections to listing the Grand Jing Railway?"

Emperor Jing first shook his head, then nodded, and walked towards the window.

"Even I find it difficult to remain unaffected by the madness of the people... I don't know if this is good or bad in the long run."

Was that a yes or a no?

Fang Zheng moved closer to him, listening intently.

He heard Emperor Jing say softly, "But the benefits are also obvious. As this booklet says, the influx of large amounts of private funds into the railway can greatly accelerate its construction. Our Grand Jing shipyards can also be listed, raising funds to build ships, which can also alleviate the urgent needs of the national treasury."

Emperor Jing paused, then turned his gaze to Fang Zheng, "I am old... and I hope to see the Grand Jing Railway spread throughout the country in my lifetime, as an explanation to future generations. Therefore... let's give it a try."

Hearing Emperor Jing's words, Fang Zheng should have been happy, but he felt a strange sense of sadness.

The first time he met Emperor Jing, he was a strong and robust man, but in recent years, his temples had turned gray.

He was no longer a young man in his twenties... his hormone levels were seriously declining...

The atmosphere in the room was a bit heavy. Fang Zheng turned around, picked up a stock certificate from the table, showed it to Emperor Jing, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, this stock has quadrupled today! That's four million taels!"

Emperor Jing's eyes immediately lit up.

Four million taels! The Imperial Treasury was exploding! Who knows how much it will rise tomorrow.

Emperor Jing walked forward, pulled him to the table to sit down, and said happily, "Come, come! Tell me more about this stock market...."

.......

The next day, the exchange opened.

The people of Peach Blossom County who had not bought stocks the day before were already lined up at the entrance.

As for Emperor Jing and Fang Zheng, they had already taken their seats in the private room.

Both of them had dark circles under their eyes.

Emperor Jing was so excited that he hadn't slept all night.

Fang Zheng wanted to sleep, but he was forced to chat all night....

When the doors of the exchange opened wide, the crowd immediately rushed in.

No one was looking at the trading board anymore; everyone rushed to the trading counter at the first opportunity.

In front of the counter, Peach Blossom County once again took the lead....

Within a few minutes, the exchange had fully recovered to the hustle and bustle of the previous day.

Shouts of cursing and wailing rose and fell everywhere...

Before long, the four tael price tag for the Grand Jing Railway on the trading board was taken down.

Four taels and three qian!

The crowd in the hall was full of anxiety, roaring.

Just as the exchange was in a state of panic, another surprising scene suddenly appeared.

While the Grand Jing Railway was soaring, other stocks began to fall.

An unprecedented green tag was posted....

The shareholders who were originally queuing to buy Grand Jing Railway stocks were shocked to see this.

"Why is the Yangjin Iron Mine falling?! Why is it falling!"

"Nanzhuang Silk is also falling...."

"Don't be afraid! This is a technical adjustment! Don't be afraid, everyone!"

Emperor Jing turned his head and asked, "Why have so many stocks suddenly fallen for no reason?"

Fang Zheng said, "Everyone is rushing to buy Grand Jing Railway stocks. Other stocks are affected, and with no trading volume, they will naturally fall. It will be fine once this frenzy passes."

Emperor Jing nodded, relieved.

Although he hadn't bought any, a fall was never a good thing!

After a moment of commotion, the old shareholders below also reacted and were too lazy to look at the unlucky green tag, concentrating on queuing up.

The stock price of the Grand Jing Railway continued to rise.

As noon approached, the people of Peach Blossom County had finally bought almost enough, and other retail investors officially entered the market.

The shouts of rising prices in the exchange surged like a tide, almost breaking through the roof!

The expressions on everyone's faces were not looking at stocks, but seemed to be worshipping a saint!

The first miracle story of Grand Jing was unfolding at this moment.

Emperor Jing was even more excited, clenching his teeth, staring intently at the trading board with red eyes!

Five taels! Six taels! Six taels and one qian!

The crowd was completely crazy. Even Fang Zheng, who was used to seeing big scenes, was dizzy and shouted hysterically.

He wasn't concerned about how much the stock market rose, but about how much money he had in his hands!

He didn't know exactly how much, but it was definitely enough to rival a country! Absolutely enough to rival a country!

All of his money was extremely dispersed. In name, the personal wealth he possessed was not much, but on the other hand, the entire Peach Blossom County could be regarded as his private property.

All the people in the county, and even their property, as long as he wanted to use it, they would definitely beg him to use it.

He was one hundred percent sure that he had achieved another achievement in his life that countless people could only dream of at this moment.

The richest man in the world!

In the future, any Xiaobi, Xiaoba, or Xiaoluo would have to line up behind him!

"I bought it!! I'm rich!!!!" A retail investor knelt down and shouted with tears of joy.

Fang Zheng and Emperor Jing cheered together above.

......

As the sky gradually darkened, the closing gong sounded again.

The stock price of the Grand Jing Railway was fixed at an astonishing eight taels and three qian. According to the upward trend, it should slow down significantly tomorrow.

However, most people had already received a share of the pie and left contentedly.

A small number of people who hadn't bought any beat their chests, stamped their feet, squatted on the ground with disheveled hair, and sobbed.

Emperor Jing slumped in his chair, holding the stock certificate that Fang Zheng had given him, stunned for a long time.

Eight million three hundred thousand taels!

I, who possess the world, have now successfully become a multi-millionaire, counting the other savings in the Imperial Treasury?

Fang Zheng said in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty, are we returning to the palace or staying another night?"

Emperor Jing came back to his senses, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes happily, "Return to the palace!"

After sighing in his heart, he got up and went downstairs first.

Just as Fang Zheng was about to follow, Xu Wenshu walked out from behind the screen.

"Holy crap! Lord Xu, what's wrong with you?"

Fang Zheng was startled. Xu Wenshu's clothes were disheveled, his eyes were red, and he looked as if he had aged ten years. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he had suffered some inhuman torture.

"It's nothing..." Xu Wenshu opened his mouth, his voice as hoarse as if he had swallowed charcoal, "Lord Fang, how many stocks did you buy?"

"I didn't buy any. I just gave His Majesty one million shares. Wasn't that agreed upon in advance? How many did you buy?"

A gratified smile appeared on Xu Wenshu's face, and his eyes sparkled with brilliance, "I didn't buy any either... How is His Majesty?"

"The mission is accomplished! We can slowly discuss it at the court when we get back...."