After Young Master Dou intimidated that person, he pointed to the villagers present and said, "And all of you, listen carefully to this Young Master. Queue up properly to enter the bank. Anyone who dares to cause trouble or fight over it will end up like that fool just now."

Qin San Lang also stepped out and shouted to the villagers, "I am here under orders to maintain order at the bank. Everyone must behave peacefully, orderly, and carry your bamboo cards and household registration to enter the bank. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be arrested and heavily punished at the government office!"

One controlled the situation by making an example, while the other used the threat of punishment, making the villagers fearful, and those hidden in the crowd who were looking for opportunities to stir up trouble were also frightened.

Seeing them calm down, Young Master Dou was very pleased. Ha, if only they had been this obedient earlier. They wouldn’t have needed him to slaughter a chicken with a knife to get them in line. What was the point?

"Number one bamboo card, show your card and household registration to enter the bank!" With a shout from Young Master Dou, the bank officially opened: "Manager Dou, you have overseen a bank before, it’s in your hands now. Don’t make any mistakes, otherwise, we’re both dead!"

"Yes, Young Master, rest assured, I understand." Manager Dou’s team had been transferred directly from the bank in Hushan Prefecture by Young Master Dou, riding fast for three days and starting to get familiar with the new bank’s lending affairs after just one night’s rest.

"Shopkeeper, I have the number one bamboo card, and I’m from the Zhang family in Willow Leaf Lane, West City. Here’s my household registration." Zhang Gui was rather smart. While others were still kneeling at the government gate begging Lord County Magistrate to address the tax issue, he was already camping at the new bank’s entrance, naturally obtaining the first number bamboo card.

"Master Yu, verify the household registration; Wenzi, prepare the contract, remember to clarify the interest terms; Ah Wu, prepare the silver." Manager Dou arranged everything efficiently.

From now on, lending will proceed in this order: first verify the household registration, then sign the contract, and finally disburse the silver.

"Number two bamboo card, come in!" A servant from the Dou family was standing at the bank entrance, calling out numbers one by one.

Initially, the process was a bit slow, making Young Master Dou so anxious that his back was soaked with sweat.

But after an hour, the pace quickened, allowing three groups of people to enter at once, finally allowing Young Master Dou to breathe a sigh of relief, as he ran back and forth worriedly, just fearing something would go wrong.

Fortunately, there were no evildoers daring to cause trouble in broad daylight.

...

County Magistrate Zheng was also pacing back and forth anxiously in the government office, occasionally asking, "Steward, there’s been no trouble at the Dou Ou Bank, right?"

"No, rest assured, Sir." Steward Zheng thought to himself, truly Sir, how many times have you asked, I’m answering until my throat is dry, truly nothing’s happened: "Company Commander Qin has killed river bandits before, and there are shadow guards from the Dou and Ouyang families there. Even if fierce bandits wanted to raid the bank, they would be driven off. You can feel at ease."

County Magistrate Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "It’s not that I don’t want to rest assured, it’s that I dare not. Now, the government offices and noble families from all the prefectures are watching our Tianfu County. It’s fine if they succeed with what they’re doing, but if they fail, even I, as the county magistrate, will be punished!"

As the county magistrate, he bears responsibility for allowing the existence of such a new bank in the county, so he was too afraid to even visit it, fearing that if Young Master Dou and his people failed, it would implicate him and harm the Zheng family.

Steward Zheng was also very afraid, yet comforted County Magistrate Zheng: "Sir, compared to being executed for failing to collect taxes, the bank’s matter is still better, with Master Ouyang backing us, we don’t need to be too scared."

County Magistrate Zheng was not reassured after hearing this and continued walking back and forth, fearing a Government Official would come to report that the bank was out of money, the villagers were rioting, or the bank was robbed or set ablaze.

But heaven showed mercy, County Magistrate Zheng worried for an entire day, and by nearly dusk, no news of trouble from the bank had come, finally providing some peace of mind.

However, County Magistrate Zheng’s relief came too early, as daytime is nothing; the real danger comes at night.

At nightfall, Qin San Lang arrived at the appointed hour and had Young Master Dou come out to personally address the villagers still waiting outside the bank: "Everyone with numbers beyond one thousand five hundred must leave with Dou Zhi. I’ve prepared accommodations for you, though without beds, they’re a place to rest. Don’t cause a fuss about not leaving—any household that dares to stay will not get any silver loans!"

Young Master Dou held their very lifelines, making the villagers too scared to cause trouble.

Dou Zhi stated, "So far, we’ve only processed up to the eight hundred and thirty-third number, even if you beyond one thousand five hundred stay up all night queuing, it won’t be your turn tonight. Instead, come with me to the separate yard to rest, there are also two large pancakes to eat."

"Two large pancakes? There’s even food? Are they wheat pancakes?" The villagers had been waiting all day, most only brought one meal of dry rations, and were already starving and dizzy.

Dou Zhi: "No, they’re Gu Family’s golden bean pancakes, which sell better than wheat pancakes and are a famous snack in Tianfu County, eagerly bought by wealthy families."

Recently, the Young Master spent over one hundred thousand taels of silver, bleeding from the heart indeed, and became rather stingy, unwilling to give villagers wheat pancakes for free.

But Dou Zhi knew how to speak, and with those words, the villagers were happy, nodding in agreement: "Alright, alright, we’ll go with you, but we’re really starving."

"Hurry up and go." Young Master Dou was exasperated; why is it that he lends money to farmers, yet also has to provide meals? As a cunning merchant, doing such deeds simply insults the ancestors of the Dou Family!

But the Young Marquis said that there might be an assault at night, and they couldn’t allow too many villagers to wait here, most had to be moved away.

As to why they didn’t drive everyone away, it was because the bank had long stated that they would process loan matters for the villagers through the night. If they stopped, those night assailants would smell something amiss and be hesitant to attack.

The Young Marquis said that those who couldn’t bear to see the new bank open would surely cause trouble, so rather than waiting idly, it’s better to lure the enemy, settling it all at once.

Young Master Dou naturally agreed and thought: indeed, the Young Marquis is clever and competent, admirable!

With a flurry of noise, the villagers all stood up and followed Dou Zhi along with a group of Dou family servants.

...

As night fell, the bank continued to handle loan matters for villagers orderly in the front room, while secretly deploying many people in the back courtyard.

You Ping and others, the Ouyang family’s shadow guards, the Dou family’s shadow guards, and the personnel Young Master Dou himself supported, were all lying low in the dark.

Yet no one came to raid through the night until nearly dawn, when a group firing pine oil rockets made their attack from afar.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Rockets landed across various parts of the bank, some hitting the ground, others striking the wooden parts of the buildings, igniting doors, pillars, and windows with the pine oil rockets.

"Fire, fire, everyone come put out the fire!" the people in the bank shouted loudly and beat gongs to alert everyone to help extinguish the fire.

The attackers outside, thinking the bank was in chaos, aimed to sneak in amidst the disorder to burn the villagers’ loan contracts.

Although the silver in the vault couldn’t be moved in a short time, by burning the loan contracts, the Dou and Ouyang families would suffer total loss!

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