Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Inside the warm pavilion, the floor heating was blazing.

Emperor Jing continued to review memorials.

Since returning to the capital yesterday and privately meeting with several officials, the memorials had been arriving at the palace like snowflakes.

The main content of these was urging the allocation of funds for the flood.

Emperor Jing shook his head repeatedly, marking them one by one.

The court's allocation was certain to be made, but the time was not yet right. As the emperor, he couldn't just make empty promises.

He couldn't very well say that he had found a magical artifact called 'Boundless Merit,' capable of reversing fate.

If he failed, the historians would not know how to record it, and he would probably become a laughingstock...

After all, even he had never seen this 'Boundless Merit,' and he felt uncertain about it.

For him, Fang Zheng's method was like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood; seizing this glimmer of hope was better than post-disaster remedies.

Fang Zheng was a capable official who could create miracles, and he was willing to take a gamble!

He rejected all the memorials requesting funds, and Emperor Jing let out a long sigh.

Then, he became worried again. Tomorrow, the officials would probably seek an explanation from him, and he would have to endure such days for a few more.

As he was pondering, a small eunuch suddenly ran in from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience."

"Let him in!"

Seeing the Crown Prince arrive, a smile couldn't help but appear on Emperor Jing's face, and he asked: "How did you feel walking around the capital today?"

Li Yuanzhao looked confident and said: "I have a general understanding."

"Oh? Where did you go today?" Seeing his appearance, a bad feeling inexplicably rose in Emperor Jing's heart.

"I only went to the outer city today and hurriedly returned, but one can see the whole leopard through a single spot. Seeing too much is meaningless!"

Emperor Jing's expression darkened.

The Crown Prince was getting carried away. He had only seen the outer city and ran to him with such certainty.

Saying something like 'one can see the whole leopard through a single spot.' However, considering his young age, Emperor Jing suppressed his displeasure and maintained a kind expression.

"Then tell me what you saw!"

Li Yuanzhao took a deep breath and said: "Then I will speak, but if I don't speak well, Father, you must not blame me!"

"Speak freely! I won't blame you for anything you say today."

"Forgive my bluntness, but the situation in the capital is even worse than I imagined!"

"Oh?"

Emperor Jing adjusted his sitting posture and began to listen seriously.

"Starting with the streets, the layout of the houses is mixed and disorderly, and the houses are built crookedly! It is clear that there is a lack of planning!"

"As a result, the lives of the people are inconvenient, and illegal activities are more likely to breed in dark corners. In my opinion, the imperial court should uniformly plan and build neat and uniform houses, and then sell them to the people!"

"The imperial court can obtain silver, and the people can obtain better houses!"

Emperor Jing closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, tapping the table occasionally with his fingers, a slight smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, not bad, continue!"

Hearing Emperor Jing's encouragement, Li Yuanzhao gradually became more confident.

"Also, the sanitation of the streets, sewage flowing everywhere, garbage all over the ground. This place should emulate Peach Blossom Village, re-pave the ground, set up sanitation officials, and prohibit the people from dumping garbage."

"At the same time, underground pipes should be built, preferably to transfer all the dirty water and garbage away!"

Emperor Jing opened his eyes and looked directly at Li Yuanzhao, saying: "Do you know how to build the pipes? Where should the dirty water and garbage be transferred to?"

Li Yuanzhao waved his hand confidently: "The pipes can be built near Jiangling Port, and the garbage can be thrown directly into the sea!"

"How long are the pipes? How much silver will it cost, and how many laborers will be conscripted?"

"If you encounter high mountains or valleys along the way, how will you continue to build the pipes?"

"After the pipes are built, how will the sewage be transferred away?"

Emperor Jing threw out a series of questions.

Li Yuanzhao was a little embarrassed, standing in place and unable to speak, then suddenly a flash of inspiration.

He said confidently: "These are all not problems for me to consider! If this task is given to me, I will let Fang Zheng handle it!"

"The so-called specialization of skills, what I need to learn is the art of emperors! These trivial matters are not considered for now; grasping the big picture is the right way!"

Heh, trivial matters? This uneducated beast!

Emperor Jing said expressionlessly: "Okay, then skip this item and go straight to the main point!"

Seeing that his father was rendered "speechless" by him, Li Yuanzhao immediately became energetic: "Okay! Then I will go straight to the main point!"

"Today, I went to a commoner's house to take a look. That house cannot be called a house at all, but rather a dilapidated shack."

"At that time, they were cooking a meal in the house, which was a pot of fish soup, which looked unappetizing, and this kind of soup was actually specially cooked for the sick."

"I also asked them for their usual food. I don't know if Father has ever eaten it, it is a porridge made of something called yellow millet."

"I also tasted two mouthfuls, and that sour and bitter taste still makes me nauseous when I think about it."

As he spoke, Li Yuanzhao really recalled the previous moment, eating the unpalatable porridge in the dim room, passing day after day in this way.

Li Yuanzhao's heart also clenched, and he said with a heavy face: "The lives of the people of our Great Jing are too hard; they actually live by eating this kind of thing... I felt really uncomfortable when I saw it."

"I also had some insights because of this matter..."

"Wait!"

Emperor Jing suddenly sat up straight and said seriously: "Did you really eat that yellow millet porridge?"

Hearing that he was being questioned, Li Yuanzhao immediately became indignant: "Really! Eunuch Guo can testify!"

"Summon Guo Banban!"

Guo Tianyang trotted all the way into the warm pavilion, and Emperor Jing asked as soon as he opened his mouth: "The Crown Prince went to a commoner's house today and tasted the commoner's food; is there such a thing?"

Guo Tianyang was uneasy, fearing that the emperor would know that the Crown Prince had vomited after eating, but after taking a look at Li Yuanzhao's expression, he felt relieved, so he replied: "Returning to Your Majesty! There is indeed such a thing. At that time, the Crown Prince felt pity after eating and gave the family ten taels of silver."

Unexpectedly... unexpectedly!

Emperor Jing suddenly felt a burst of ecstasy in his heart.

Although the Crown Prince is not ambitious, uneducated, does not work with his limbs, does not know the five grains, is ignorant, illiterate, heartless...

But he actually has a benevolent heart for the people!

And look, he even has some insights!

If he is not good in other aspects, he can work hard and study more, and he will catch up sooner or later, but as the Son of Heaven, having a heart that cares for the people is the greatest difficulty.

Originally, Emperor Jing was still full of worries about the Crown Prince's future, but now it seems to be turning in a good direction...

Emperor Jing originally wanted to keep a straight face so that the Crown Prince would not be complacent, but the more he thought about it, the happier he became, so he simply laughed out loud: "Hahahaha! Good, this is my auspicious son!"

"Yuanzhao, you can take the initiative to contact the people, understand the suffering of the people, and be anxious about what the people are anxious about. This trip was not in vain... I am very pleased...."

"Come, tell me about your insights!"

Guo Tianyang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that it had nothing to do with him.

Li Yuanzhao received Emperor Jing's high praise, and his heart was also filled with joy. He said happily: "That's right! My insights are the most important, and the way to strengthen the country and enrich the people lies within them!"

An ominous premonition surged into Emperor Jing's heart again, but now that he was in high spirits, he couldn't bear to interrupt, so he signaled Li Yuanzhao to continue.

"The masters in the palace once taught me that the reason why the people live in hardship is because they do not understand governance and do not read the classics! But do the people of Peach Blossom Village read any classics?"

"I don't think so. The books in Peach Blossom Village are neither classics nor poems, but why are the people of Peach Blossom Village able to live a prosperous life?"

"It can be seen that the problem lies in literacy! Vernacular is easy to understand, and it is convenient and worry-free for the people of Peach Blossom Village to learn, so many people can read books. Isn't being able to read considered having education!"

"In my opinion..."

It's that damn vernacular again! Ever since reading that indescribable 'Golden Medal Magistrate,' the Crown Prince has been harboring evil intentions!

The joy in Emperor Jing's heart was dispelled a lot, and he said faintly: "That's enough, let's stop here today."

"Wait a minute! I still have a lot to say!"

Li Yuanzhao became more and more excited as he spoke, feeling that his theory was incredibly brilliant, as if not finishing it would be a great waste.

"In my opinion, the imperial court should vigorously promote vernacular writing! In this way, educating the whole country, the future can be expected! Poverty will also disappear!"

"Under the feet of the dignified Son of Heaven, the lives of the people are like pigs and dogs, eating stale porridge, living in humble rooms, it can be seen that education is weak, and the national policy has problems, if...."

Li Yuanzhao spoke ecstatically, gradually starting to gesticulate, completely unaware of Emperor Jing's increasingly dark face.

Guo Tianyang's face turned green when he heard it. Saying that the lives of the people in the capital are worse than pigs and dogs is not slapping his own father's face! Is the Crown Prince dizzy?

"If I become the emperor, I will definitely let the people of the world..."

"Get out!"

"There are still some things I haven't finished saying."

"Get out!!!!!!"