Sounds of discontent echoed ceaselessly, with some individuals even charging forward, surrounding the money house and demanding in cold tones.
"Refund our money, refund our money!"
The silver had already been delivered to the Chu King's mansion. Old Master Zhou, like a skilled cook with no ingredients, was helpless, and furthermore, who would dare ask Ye Feng for the money he held?
Pressing his hands down in a hurry, Old Master Zhou feigned composure and said earnestly, "Please don't believe such rumors. The money house has plenty of funds."
"Then exchange the silver for us, and we'll believe you!"
"Exactly. Besides our silver, we won't leave today. If you can't give us the silver, we'll smash the shop!"
"Brothers, let's move!"
Old Master Ma and Old Master Shi, listening from not far away, smiled faintly. "Let's see what else he can do this time."
"He," Old Master Ma said coldly, "what else can he do? He's at his wit's end. Perhaps this time he'll have to grovel to the Chu King!"
"The Chu King chose such a good-for-nothing to balance the two of us? He's dreaming!" Old Master Shi said resentfully. "If he had chosen you or me back then, would this have happened!"
They had all forgotten that Old Master Zhou's predicament was entirely due to their own machinations.
"I don't think he'll learn unless I teach him a lesson about what they call 'the King of Hell's eyes'!" Old Master Ma clenched his fists and said coldly. "It's time to let the Chu King know that Liangzhou City cannot function without the two of us."
"Brother-in-law, you're absolutely right," Old Master Shi chimed in. "Shall we add fuel to the fire and ensure he has no chance to recover!"
"Naturally, if you don't kill a snake, you risk being bitten!" Old Master Ma replied, his brows furrowing. "Go and tell your men to hurry. Don't let him delay. If you have a chance, mix in the counterfeit banknotes we prepared!"
"Yes, Old Master." Old Master Shi hurriedly agreed and rushed out of the main hall.
There were generally only a few types of anti-counterfeiting marks on banknotes: first, writing down text on one or two sheets; second, using impressions; third, using serial numbers. Only when all three matched could the banknote be used.
This led to a consequence: while issuing them might be smooth, problems arose during redemption, requiring the stub to be found to determine if the banknote was genuine or fake.
This meant that with so many people trying to redeem banknotes simultaneously, they would not have time to check each one. Realizing this, Old Master Shi no longer hesitated, and everyone moved out.
In an instant, the crowd around the money house grew. Sweat dripped heavily from Old Master Zhou's forehead. It wasn't just his money that was running low; almost all the money houses were facing similar problems.
Zhou Yang watched as waves of people surged into the establishment. The stub in his hand almost sparked. He hurriedly said, "Please wait, everyone, one by one!"
The clerks scurried about, their feet barely touching the ground. Old Master Zhou could only try his best to maintain order. If the money ran out, the common people might actually smash his newly opened money house.
"Don't rush, don't rush, we have enough money, more than enough!" Old Master Zhou kept reminding them. "Whether you come tomorrow or today, our money house will have money, always!"
Old Master Zhou's calm demeanor finally had some effect, and the crowd slowed down. Suddenly, a shop assistant rushed over to Old Master Zhou and whispered in his ear, "Master, I'm afraid we're running out of money. You need to think of a way!"
Old Master Zhou's face instantly darkened, but then a smile flashed across it. He spread his hands and said confidently, "Haven't we just received a large shipment of cash? Everyone can rest assured!"
"Since there's so much money, we're not in a hurry!" a person in line said, taking out some banknotes. "Just redeem this one for me, and I'll leave the rest. I'm not in a hurry."
"Yes, yes, yes, money in the money house earns interest. Holding it in your hand is just dead capital!" Old Master Zhou wiped the sweat from his brow and said slowly.
"Interest? What interest?" a commoner seized on the key word and asked eagerly.
This was actually an idea proposed by Ye Feng. Old Master Zhou hadn't explained it clearly at first, intending to keep it all for himself. Later, he realized that the interest could largely stabilize the populace, so he spoke up.
Old Master Zhou smacked his head as if suddenly enlightened. "For ten taels of silver, depositing it in the money house for a year earns one string of coins. Of course, the longer you deposit it, the more silver you can get."
"Look at this old man's memory, I forgot such an important matter. I deserve a beating, a real beating!" Old Master Zhou said with a smile. "But rest assured, everyone, if you deposit now, you'll still get interest. Our money house has always been honest."
"Brother, should we deposit our money now?" someone asked hesitantly, looking at the shining silver.
"Are you stupid? Of course, we should deposit it! If we save enough, the interest alone will be enough for us to live on!"
The person who had asked the question received a hard slap on the head. In an instant, the crowd surged towards the counter again, hastily depositing their silver.
Zhou Yang watched Old Master Zhou's maneuver and swallowed.
This move was a stroke of genius. Not only were the commoners depositing money like crazy, but he himself also wished he could deposit his private savings.
Of course, Old Master Zhou was unaware of these thoughts.
"What are you thinking about? Hurry up and get to work!" Old Master Zhou lightly tapped the table in front of Zhou Yang. "Do you think the money will deposit itself?"
"Alright, Father, I'll do it right away!" Zhou Yang picked up his brush and wrote furiously. "Father, don't worry, I will handle this matter properly."
After not hearing a response for a while, Zhou Yang looked up and saw Old Master Zhou outside, basking lazily in the sun with his eyes half-closed.
"Fortunately, I planned well, or else I would have been overthrown today!" Old Master Zhou thought gleefully. "Indeed, handing over such a large fortune to that brat won't work. I need to manage it for two more years!"
"The Chu King's choice of me is truly insightful." As his gaze fell upon the businesses of Old Master Ma and Old Master Shi opposite him, Old Master Zhou's eyes gleamed. "You two wait, I will make you pay the price one day!"
"Father, bad news, come quickly!" Old Master Zhou heard Zhou Yang shouting and quickly suppressed his thoughts, leaning on his cane and walking into the money house. He said slowly, "What happened that made you shout like this? At worst, I'm here to hold the fort!"
Zhou Yang pointed at a person, his face filled with fear. "Father, it's him! His banknote is fake! What... what should we do!"
Seeing the commoner being restrained by guards on either side, the abacus beads in Old Master Zhou's hand clicked coldly. "Coming here to deceive and get free meals, don't you know whose territory this is!"
The man, with his hands on his hips, cursed regardless. "Brothers, look! They gave you banknotes yesterday, and today they refuse to honor them. You still dare to deposit money? He just wants to covet your property!"
"You want his interest, and he wants all of our brothers' money," the limping man shouted. "If we can't keep our money, how will our families survive!"
The crowd looked at the banknotes in their hands with some hesitation. Old Master Zhou and Zhou Yang clearly noticed this subtle reaction. Zhou Yang pointed at the crowd and angrily cursed, "You're spouting nonsense! These banknotes are definitely not ours."
The limping man knew perfectly well they weren't the Zhou family's banknotes, but he intended to frame the Zhou family, so he couldn't admit it directly. His expression changed dramatically. "Brothers, look! With this, how can we possibly deposit money? Let's quickly get our silver out!"
Just as the commoners were about to surge forward, Old Master Zhou slapped Zhou Yang across the face. "What nonsense are you spouting? We see each other every day."
"Father, that banknote is clearly fake!" Zhou Yang covered his face and said hurriedly. "If they want us to redeem it, we'll lose money!"
Old Master Zhou's face was grim. This kind of situation was the most difficult to handle. If they redeemed this person's banknote, then if others also had fake ones, they would naturally expect to be redeemed. However, if they refused, a major incident would occur today.
Realizing this, Old Master Zhou gritted his teeth and made a decision. "What exactly happened? What's wrong with that banknote?"
"Father, that banknote doesn't match anything. It's definitely fake. We absolutely cannot redeem it for him!" Zhou Yang quickly exclaimed. "If we redeem it, how will we explain ourselves!"
Old Master Zhou secretly pondered that with such a major incident, Ye Feng would not remain indifferent. It was simply a test of his own abilities.
"Everyone, everyone, take out your banknotes and let's see how many cannot be redeemed!" Old Master Zhou made a decisive move. If it was only one or two, he could swallow his anger. If it was more, he couldn't blame Old Master Zhou for being ruthless!
He didn't know until he checked, and then he was shocked. Almost everyone had one or two counterfeit banknotes. This was a blatant targeting, and it could not be tolerated!
"Good, it seems someone wants to target our Zhou family." Old Master Zhou glanced at the limping man. Since he had already revealed himself, he couldn't be blamed for making an example of him.
"Where did these banknotes come from? Everyone knows. Our Zhou family is not willing to swallow our anger. Please give us some advice on how to deal with this!" Old Master Zhou said coldly. "I'll listen to your ideas first."
"Since it's a banknote, it can be redeemed. Old Master, redeem the banknote, and we'll all be happy. Otherwise, hmph!" the limping man said coldly. "Don't blame us for going to the Chu King and accusing your Zhou family of fraud and coercion!"
"Alright," Old Master Zhou's gaze was sharp. "This old man also has the same intention. Let's go together and see how the Chu King gives his orders!"
"Let's go!" Old Master Zhou's veins bulged as he roared angrily. "Are we waiting for the Chu King to personally invite us!"
"Besides, I heard the Chu King has the Imperial Guard under his command. Aren't you afraid they can't investigate the truth and bring justice to both sides!"