Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

A flicker of surprise flashed in Zhang Shi's eyes, but he quickly composed himself.

He looked at Chen Hong sternly and said, "Have you looked carefully? This is no small matter! Our trade agreement with the Northern Rong does include iron ore, but there are strict restrictions to prevent the Northern Rong from becoming too powerful! If Fang Zheng-yi is really colluding with the Northern Rong, then he is betraying the country!"

Chen Hong lowered his head and hurriedly flipped through the pages several times, his face full of hesitation as he said, "There's no mistake! There definitely can't be a mistake!"

Zhang Shi breathed a sigh of relief and slowly put his hands behind his back: "I didn't expect... this person to be so greedy! Fortunately, we discovered it early, otherwise, who knows what kind of disaster it would have caused in the future!"

Chen Hong shook his head, put down the booklet in his hand, and reorganized the box.

He looked at Zhang Shi with a serious expression and said, "Lord Zhang, I think it would be too hasty to draw conclusions on this matter now."

"Looking at the account book just now, Paba is meticulous, how could he easily miss so many items?"

"Moreover, there is also Wutu's edict and his personal belongings among them. Perhaps it's a trap, what if it's an attempt to sow discord?"

Zhang Shi nodded: "Not bad, what you said makes sense."

"But... were the goods checked by Paba himself when the delegation left?"

"No, they were checked by other people. Paba was talking to someone in the courtyard at the time."

As Zhang Shi spoke, he began to pace around the room. Just as he was about to speak, there was a sudden knock on the door.

The voice of a minor official came from outside the door: "Lord Chen! People from the Northern Rong delegation have arrived! They've come to retrieve some things they left behind!"

"Invite them in!" After saying that, Chen Hong and the other person pushed open the door and walked out.

When they reached the courtyard, a member of the Northern Rong delegation was anxiously waiting in place.

Seeing Chen Hong, he immediately said loudly, "Lord Chen, our delegation has left some goods behind and has come to retrieve them."

The two carefully watched the expression of the Northern Rong envoy.

He seemed truly anxious, covered in sweat... his nervousness was evident.

Chen Hong and Zhang Shi exchanged a glance, then looked at the envoy and said, "Where are they? How could you be so careless? Let's go take a look."

The envoy bowed again and quickly ran towards the guest house, the two of them following closely behind.

Returning to the dim hut, the envoy suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Chen Hong with a smile, "Thank you, Lord Chen, it's just these things."

Chen Hong observed his expression and said with a smile, "Hey! You're welcome. It's also the Honglu Temple's dereliction of duty. We should have checked and notified you earlier. Have you prepared carriages and horses for your return? If not, this official will send someone to help you prepare."

"Thank you, Lord! We've prepared them!"

After another round of commotion, all the goods were finally transported away.

Chen Hong and Zhang Shi stood outside the courtyard, watching the delegation's carriages and horses depart.

"I see... this matter doesn't seem like a pretense. In any case, we should report to His Majesty as soon as possible."

"That's right... this matter is of great importance. Lord Chen, how about I report this to His Majesty on your behalf? I wouldn't want to trouble you."

Chen Hong stared at Zhang Shi, constantly weighing things in his mind.

It looks like he wants to take revenge on Fang Zheng-yi! What if you add fuel to the fire in your memorial? Then I'll have to be dragged in as a witness.

No good deed will come of it, and I'll only cause trouble for myself. No way! I can't let him get involved!

"There's no need! Since this matter happened in the Honglu Temple, I think it's more appropriate for this subordinate to report to His Majesty."

Not cooperating? Zhang Shi frowned slowly.

"The delegation was able to leave a whole room of goods behind. Is it because the layout of the guest house is too poor? I noticed that the lighting in the room was really bad just now."

"It seems a bit disrespectful to use it to receive foreign delegations. Even for storing goods, we should strive for perfection."

"?!"

Chen Hong's eyes darted around, and he complained, "Yes! Our Honglu Temple has been in disrepair for years, so we can only treat foreign guests with disrespect."

"But there's nothing we can do about it! After all, the national treasury is tight..."

"Even if we're suffering! We can't let the foreign guests suffer!" Zhang Shi said loudly: "Otherwise, where will Great Jing's reputation be? Next year, next spring, the Ministry of Revenue will allocate 100,000 taels of silver to the Honglu Temple to renovate it. What do you think?"

Chen Hong nodded repeatedly, overjoyed in his heart: "Good! Very good! Then this subordinate will thank Lord Zhang!"

"The Northern Rong delegation just left, and this subordinate still needs to sort out the official documents below, so I'm really too busy."

"As for Fang Zheng-yi's matter... I'll have to trouble Lord Zhang to report it to His Majesty on behalf of this subordinate."

"This is my duty, you don't have to be polite." Zhang Shi smiled slightly: "Then you can be busy, I'll be leaving."

"Hey, walk slowly, this subordinate will see you off..."

.........

Inside the Wu Royal Mansion.

Zhang Shi sat on the chair with a calm expression, sipping a mouthful of tea.

"Your Royal Highness, that's basically how things are. I wonder what Your Royal Highness thinks?"

The Prince of Wu sat in the main seat, tapping his fan, and slowly opened his mouth after a long time: "This Prince thinks... perhaps there's a trick in it."

Zhang Shi looked at the Prince of Wu and asked: "What makes you say that?"

"Sixty thousand taels... that's too little." The Prince of Wu smiled contemptuously.

Paba's methods are okay, but he's too short-sighted.

Sixty thousand taels? This Prince presented hundreds of thousands of taels in front of Fang Zheng-yi, and he didn't even blink an eye!

Sixty thousand taels in benefits, who does he think he's looking down on?

"But... the profits from iron ore and ironware are far more than that! Perhaps Fang Zheng-yi is looking at future benefits?" Zhang Shi asked back.

The Prince of Wu nodded: "Not bad... what you said also makes sense, but the risk involved in this kind of thing is too great. There are many ways to make money, and Fang Zheng-yi is already rich enough. What reason does he have to take this kind of risk?"

"In my opinion, it's just Paba's attempt to sow discord."

Zhang Shi nodded slightly: "Your Royal Highness is wise. Then should I report this matter to His Majesty? Fang Zheng-yi's favor with the Emperor is increasing day by day. It would be better for Your Royal Highness to suppress him rather than try to win him over."

The Prince of Wu was silent for a moment: "This Prince also has this intention. There have been rumors circulating among the people recently that the textile factory is run by the Fifth Princess. Have you ever heard of it?"

"I've heard of it, but in reality, Fang Zheng-yi is behind it. This subordinate doesn't understand why this matter is linked to the Princess."

The Prince of Wu sneered: "Fang Zheng-yi once treated the Princess, and after the textile factory was established, he entered the palace late at night many times. This Prince suspects that the two of them have a secret affair!"

"This matter... His Majesty must know, but he hasn't stopped it. He should have tacitly approved it. If His Majesty bestows a marriage, then it will be troublesome to win him over later."

Does His Majesty want to betroth the Princess to Fang Zheng-yi?

Zhang Shi looked shocked, but what shocked him even more was not this matter.

"Does Your Royal Highness still have people planted in the palace?"

The Prince of Wu waved his hand: "Just a eunuch, an old acquaintance, not very useful."

Zhang Shi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, the Prince of Wu sneered and said, "What? Regretting following this Prince? It doesn't matter if you regret it. Feel free to go and tell His Majesty, but don't forget where your Zhang family's two million taels of silver come from every year..."

Zhang Shi swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and said: "This subordinate does not regret it, but this subordinate wants to know, does Your Royal Highness want to..."

The Prince of Wu shook his head and said: "It's not time yet, it's still far from it! His Majesty's hand is clenched very tightly... Silver alone is far from enough."

"Don't worry, this Prince won't do anything without absolute certainty."

Zhang Shi's heart, which was hanging in the air, dropped a notch: "In the past two days, His Majesty has sent people to the Ministry of Revenue to check the account books of salt affairs in various places, but everything is normal, there will be no problems."

"Hmm, I know."

"Then... impeaching Fang Zheng-yi..."

The Prince of Wu suddenly smiled contemptuously: "This Prince doesn't believe it, do you think His Majesty will believe it?"

"Wanting to suppress Fang Zheng-yi with just this is far from enough. Handle this matter yourself, this Prince won't get involved!"

"However, you can go and ask Old Yan..."