Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Outside the Zhenfu Department, dozens of imposing Embroidered Uniform Guards stood in formation on both sides.

From afar, Fang Zheng saw a dozen people crowding around a sedan approaching. Eunuchs accompanied them on the left and right. He stepped forward and greeted them proactively.

Seeing this, the eunuch accompanying the carriage immediately informed the person inside.

Emperor Jing took the initiative to lift the curtain of the sedan and stepped out.

Fang Zheng bowed and said, “Your subject greets Your Majesty.”

Emperor Jing waved his hand: “No need for formalities. I came out for a stroll on a whim. Let's go inside and talk.”

Inside the office, Fang Zheng's desk was already half-filled with stacks of documents, with a few scattered reports in between.

Emperor Jing walked around with his hands behind his back and said in surprise, “The Jin Yi Wei has so many official documents?”

Good heavens, the memorials in the palace don't even amount to this many!

Fang Zheng smiled and said, “Your subject is ashamed. Recently, there have been too many extra matters on hand, so the less urgent tasks within the Jin Yi Wei have accumulated somewhat.”

Having said that, he picked up a few reports from the desk and handed them to Emperor Jing, “Your subject also needs to manage Dongjiao University, and I need to check on the Exchange and Jingxing Bank from time to time.”

Emperor Jing nodded deeply, noncommittal.

These things were all created by Fang Zheng single-handedly. Although there was no formal official position given to him, it was clear that things wouldn't work without him.

Emperor Jing patted Fang Zheng's shoulder twice with relief: “Zheng Yi, you used to be lazy in your younger years, but now you are becoming more and more diligent.”

“My motto is to dedicate myself wholeheartedly!”

“Hahaha, there is no need to work so hard. The local areas sent me two high-quality ginsengs, which I found very beneficial.” Emperor Jing said, looking at Guo Tianyang, “Send a portion to Zheng Yi tomorrow. Don't let him ruin his health.”

Tsk tsk tsk, this father-in-law! How considerate.

Fang Zheng was overjoyed: “Thank you, Your Majesty, your subject is in good health. I usually drink some Horny Goat Weed and Cistanche, which are very nourishing, so I'm in good health! Since Your Majesty finds it beneficial, and there are only two, please keep them for yourself. Your subject is afraid of overdoing it.”

Emperor Jing smiled, then sat down: “You sit too. Today is just a casual chat, no official business.”

“I recently heard that the restaurant opened by the Crown Prince is very popular. This is a good thing. I should be happy, but as the Crown Prince, such behavior is somewhat frivolous. You know a lot about this matter, and I want to hear your opinion first.”

Fang Zheng's eyes rolled, understanding dawning on him.

So, he came for the Crown Prince.

“Why doesn't Your Majesty summon the Crown Prince in person? Moreover, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is in the restaurant today. You can go to the scene yourself to see how things are.”

Emperor Jing shook his head, then sighed softly: “It's rare for him to do something well, and I don't want to disturb him. Besides, I really want to go and see for myself, but I heard that there are many people outside the restaurant, and everyone is stopping me. If the court officials find out, they will nag me for a few days, which is very annoying.”

Fang Zheng pondered: “Then I wonder, does Your Majesty support it or not?”

Emperor Jing hesitated: “I don't know. I agreed when you said that the Crown Prince was preparing to personally get involved in the factory, understand the rules, and solve problems.”

“But just opening a small restaurant... Although business matters have similarities, the two are ultimately worlds apart, and I feel it is inappropriate.”

Fang Zheng smiled slightly: “Your Majesty, as the saying goes, governing a large country is like cooking a small dish. Factories and restaurants may seem worlds apart, but the core is the same, which is learning how to manage.”

“In your subject's opinion, it is most appropriate for His Highness to open a restaurant. I wonder if Your Majesty knows anything about football?”

Emperor Jing nodded: “I know, there is a football craze in the capital... and something called basketball.”

“That's right, then Your Majesty should also know that the most popular teams in the capital are actually being cultivated by the princes in the capital.”

Football has been popular in the capital for quite some time. As one of the most popular sports that has been verified by later generations.

It is undoubtedly popular in Da Jing, and the people who are deeply involved are a group of princes who were demoted and raised in the capital in their early years, and who are idle enough to fart.

They have money and leisure, and the impulse to do great things cannot be vented, so it naturally turns into competitive sports.

These people organize teams and play PK every day, having a great time. The most important thing is that it is exceptionally clean!

There are very few black whistles and insider trading... after all, everyone is a prince.

Making money is just for fun, winning or losing is the most important thing!

Fang Zheng spoke eloquently: “In terms of understanding football, the princes far surpass ordinary people. According to common understanding, if you want to improve the team's skills, you must practice repeatedly on a real field, just like studying.”

“But according to your subject's understanding, many teams under the princes do not train in this way, but choose to form groups of several people to perform skills in small venues. Although small venues cannot be compared with formal fields, they have a huge advantage.”

“Because the venue is small, players need to quickly move around within the venue, and have more opportunities to receive the ball, so the speed of practicing skills and accumulating experience is faster, which can be said to be twice the result with half the effort. When it comes to the actual game, there are often eye-catching performances.”

Emperor Jing listened intently, nodding in agreement from time to time.

“His Highness's opening of a restaurant is just like training football. Catering and factories sound like two completely different industries, but the core has many similarities, such as managing personnel, following production standards to ensure quality, improving production efficiency and cost control... and even catering has more complex problems facing the common people.”

“From this point of view, your subject believes that Your Majesty should not oppose the Crown Prince.”

Emperor Jing frowned: “What standards are there for cooking?”

Fang Zheng smiled: “Your Majesty should still not understand enough. The restaurant opened by His Highness can be called a factory in the restaurant industry. Every piece of meat and every pancake must be as standard as producing train parts, and even the taste must be exactly the same. In order to achieve this goal, there is not even a real cook in the restaurant now.”

“What, there are no cooks in the restaurant?” Emperor Jing was dumbfounded.

What kind of restaurant is that?!