May 2nd.
After a full day of fermentation and spread, the news that the Military School nobles of White Tiger City and the wealthy merchants of Azure Dragon City and Xuanwu City were using the *Tianjing Gazette* to paste their doors for good fortune and warding off evil finally reached the ears of the citizens of Vermillion Bird City.
These citizens were primarily households with members working in various government offices. Their monthly income was already more generous than those around them, and they often had access to "upper-level" news. Now that they heard they could attract fortune and repel evil for a mere five coins, who wouldn't be willing?
In a small residential courtyard in Vermillion Bird City:
"Wife, when you go to buy the newspaper later, get a few hundred copies."
"We only need one copy for our house, don't we? Can pasting more of them bring more fortune or ward off more evil?"
"A woman's vision is short-sighted! This *Tianjing Gazette* has the power to attract fortune and repel evil. Yesterday, no one with a keen eye knew about it, but after today, I fear the paper will be hard to come by. By then, with hundreds in our hands, we can sell them to the neighbors for five extra coins, and they’ll even thank us!"
"You really are a shrewd one, dear!"
...
Chapter 193