Gongs and drums rang out the whole way. Before leaving the city, the procession made three or four circuits through Chaoge, ensuring everyone knew about it.
Those who had no idea what was happening saw such a grand funeral procession and thought the Marquis of the West had died!
In Chaoge, only Zi Yan, Chong Houhu, Ji Chang, Bi Gan, and Mei Bo qualified for a burial on this scale. Even a royal like Jizi was not entitled to such ceremonial honors!
Despite the funeral music, nothing could hide the heartfelt smiles on the faces of Chaoge's people.
Among them were quite a few remarks that caused Zi Shou profound heartache.
"His Majesty is truly wise! Buying charcoal at such a high price-we'll have money for more clothes to get through winter!"
"Daoist Zhao and Daoist Xiao are honest men, too. All the copper coins they pay us with are full weight!"
"I heard His Majesty melted down ritual vessels to mint the new coins."
"Ritual vessels? Aren't those worth more than copper coins? His Majesty actually..."
"With all this money, I can't help feeling a little uneasy..."
Ah, a stab straight through the heart.
Zi Shou did not quite understand it either. He kept feeling as though someone was fanning the flames. These remarks spread throughout Chaoge in an instant, greatly boosting the court's prestige.
A hundred coins per jin-and burning charcoal was hardly difficult. To the common people, the time and effort they put in did not count as costs at all. This was practically a fortune made without investing a penny!
Zi Shou wore a solemn expression. He was running out of time.
The people's reaction had been entirely predictable, but it was no great problem. The nobles carried greater weight. As long as he could make