Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Fang Zheng was already feeling bored at the entrance of the Imperial Study.

He wanted to chat with the guards at the door, but they ignored him.

After an unknown amount of time, Emperor Jing slowly walked over, with Guo Tianyang following behind.

He sized up Fang Zheng, didn't say anything, and went straight into the room.

Guo Tianyang whispered, "Come in."

Fang Zheng followed him obediently into the Imperial Study.

Unfortunately, this time there was no seat for him.

Emperor Jing still didn't speak, just buried himself in some official documents.

Fang Zheng stood there, vaguely feeling like he was being punished in the teacher's office.

He was sleepy...

"Fang Zheng, I am demoting you to Tongpan of Jianjiang today. Do you have any resentment in your heart?" Emperor Jing asked slowly, still looking down.

"Your subject has no resentment in his heart, but your subject is not convinced," Fang Zheng answered honestly.

"The officials are not concerned about disaster relief. Your subject is just trying to give them a push, so that many people can be saved from becoming starving corpses."

"Your subject is not wrong."

Emperor Jing suddenly stood up, furious, and said, "Fang Zheng! You are presumptuous! Where do you place the laws of the court by doing this!"

"If everyone does as you do, what will become of the face of the royal family and the court!"

Fang Zheng said calmly, "Your Majesty, in your subject's opinion, the lives of the people are more important than the face of the officials."

"Courting death! You dare to talk back! Guards!"

"Your Majesty, please wait!" Fang Zheng said, taking a stack of silver notes from his arms.

"Your Majesty, this is the profit from the top scorer tickets in Banshan Workshop recently, plus taxes and other miscellaneous income, totaling twenty-three thousand and twenty-three taels."

Emperor Jing looked at the silver notes and suddenly calmed down.

He sneered, "What? Could it be that you still want to bribe me!?"

"Your subject dares not!"

Then Fang Zheng took out a piece of paper from his arms: "This is the amount of grain your subject has raised from the people, a total of three hundred and forty-four shi, all donated by ordinary people for the disaster area. This is just the grain donated in less than half a day."

"What do you mean? Could it be that you want to impress me with these and make me change my mind?"

"Have you finished? If you've finished, I'm going to call someone."

Fang Zheng shook his head, then took out a third item.

It was a small booklet, which he presented with both hands.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the newspaper industry consumes a huge amount of paper, and only costs five wen per sheet. In the past, it would have been impossible to issue it."

"However, your subject ordered people to research the paper-making industry and invented a new paper-making method that can increase production fivefold, greatly reducing the price of paper."

"It's just that I have been busy with the Crown Prince's Daily recently and haven't had the opportunity to present it to Your Majesty. Now that I am about to travel far away, I will offer it to Your Majesty together."

"Also, I just wanted to explain some important matters in Banshan Workshop clearly, and have no other intentions. Please don't overthink it, Your Majesty."

After saying that, Fang Zheng stood upright!

Today, he handed in a shield. Let's see what the result is.

Emperor Jing stared blankly at the booklet on the table.

Paper making... five times the output... the price of paper has been greatly reduced. These words kept swirling in his mind.

It took a long time for him to recover, and he coughed twice awkwardly.

"I was indeed a little loud just now. Give him a seat!"

Fang Zheng almost laughed out loud. It was real, so damn real!

Then Fang Zheng hurriedly sat down, he was really tired from standing for so long.

Emperor Jing picked up the booklet and kept flipping through it. Guo Tianyang looked at Fang Zheng enviously behind him.

He's really good! He coaxed His Majesty into submission, but I can't learn this trick!

After Emperor Jing finished reading the booklet, he couldn't help but sigh.

"This method is excellent. If we had this kind of paper-making method earlier, wouldn't the talented people of my Great Jing be several times more numerous?"

"Fang Qing! This is a great achievement! Speak, what reward do you want?"

Fang Zheng thought for a while: "Your Majesty, your subject doesn't want to go to Jianjiang, just let me stay in the capital. Your Majesty can let your subject do anything."

"Then you enter the palace."

Guo Tianyang immediately felt horrified, and stared at Emperor Jing with wide eyes.

Your Majesty! Do you not want me anymore?

Besides being younger than me, where is this kid better than me!

Then he glared fiercely at Fang Zheng.

Fang Zheng, you dare to openly imitate me!

Damn it! I'm a dog if I ever talk to you again!

Fang Zheng smiled sheepishly: "Your Majesty is really joking...."

Emperor Jing's expression became serious again: "You were the one who joked with me first! I told the court officials that you were going to Jianjiang, and you turned around and told me that you didn't want to go. If I, with my golden mouth and jade words, changed it in less than a day, how would the world view me?"

"Change it!"

"Then it's up to Your Majesty to arrange," Fang Zheng said.

Seeing Fang Zheng's attitude, Emperor Jing said earnestly: "Don't hold any grudges about today's events. You and the Crown Prince dared to not discuss such a big matter with me."

"Demotion is already a light punishment, otherwise, if I didn't care, you would have suffered!"

Fang Zheng retorted: "If I told Your Majesty, would Your Majesty let your subject do it?"

Emperor Jing was silent for a while, and then replied: "Of course some things can be done, but they shouldn't be done so hastily! I think I know you pretty well! Why did you act so rudely this time without considering the consequences!"

Fang Zheng's expression gradually became serious, and he looked at Emperor Jing with a complex expression, and suddenly sighed: "Alas... Your Majesty, I used to be a person who went hungry."

"At that time, in Taoyuan County, there was no response to calling for help, and many people died of starvation under my rule. I knelt everywhere to ask people from other places, but I didn't get much food."

"At that time, I was thinking, why isn't there an official who can come out and save the people from fire and water and give the people a bite to eat?"

"Unfortunately... there was no such person, and the people of Taoyuan County died more and more."

A bitter smile appeared on the corner of Fang Zheng's mouth: "Now I have become the official I used to see, knowing that people are suffering, can I live in the capital peacefully without doing anything? No!"

Recalling the days when he first arrived in Taoyuan County, Fang Zheng was really saddened.

Behind Emperor Jing, Guo Tianyang's face visibly darkened.

Fang Zheng, you dare to blatantly imitate me!

Damn it! I'm a dog if I ever talk to you again!

"What's more, this matter is not my wish alone. The Crown Prince is also kind-hearted, racking his brains to find all kinds of ways to raise food and save people!"

"In order to fulfill the wishes of the Crown Prince and your subject, there is no regret or fear in your subject's heart."

"Therefore, I acted rashly and inappropriately, I hope Your Majesty will punish me!"

Emperor Jing's heart couldn't help but be touched, but he didn't show it on his face at all.

He just said lightly: "I know, be careful on your trip to Jianjiang."

Fang Zheng was dumbfounded. Did he just try to be sentimental for nothing? In the end, he still has to go?

Then he asked: "Isn't Your Majesty afraid that I will cause trouble again when I get to Jianjiang and embarrass the court?"

A smile finally reappeared on Emperor Jing's face: "Whether face is important or human life is important, it all depends on you, Fang Qing."

...............