Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

“Tsk, Old Fang, I just came in from outside, and it’s really like you said. Today’s newspapers are selling like crazy. What’s so good about this mushy stuff? So many people actually like it. I saw a lot of scholars joining in the fun.”

Li Yuanzhao walked into the newspaper office with a puzzled look on his face, holding a newspaper.

He had previously mocked Fang Zheng for writing such mushy content when he interviewed the Bei Rong delegation.

Writing such mushy things would simply lower the newspaper's prestige, but he didn't expect it to sell out!

The newspaper readers were enthusiastically discussing it for the sake of the common people.

Truly baffling behavior...

Fang Zheng crossed his legs, munched on an apple, and threw another apple to Li Yuanzhao with a smile when he saw him return.

“What did I tell you? The common people just love that stuff!”

Li Yuanzhao sat across from Fang Zheng and said with a look of disdain, “Didn’t you say that the newspaper office can’t write fake news? What’s the difference between this and fabricating things? Besides, this kind of stuff has no value at all!”

Fang Zheng shook his head and said, “How can it be fake news? Isn’t the life in the capital much better than those small countries? We’re just helping them say what’s in their hearts!”

“Moreover, this kind of news actually has value. Not only is it good for the newspaper's sales, but at least the people feel more spirited after reading it! More confident! And their horizons are broadened!”

“Tch! What a joke! Which of my Great Jing’s people doesn’t love their country? Do they need to read this? They’re just looking at this news for novelty. I don’t think it’s necessary to always do this kind of news.” Li Yuanzhao said disdainfully, “This isn’t called confidence, it’s called inferiority! Calm and composed, not elated by external gains, nor saddened by personal losses, that’s what deserves to be called confidence!”

“When this prince leads the army and defeats the Wutu in one fell swoop! Then my Great Jing people won’t need to read this stuff, and they’ll still be confident!”

You lead the army?

Fang Zheng glanced at him.

Forget it, he has a bit of the aura of a Wala student...

“What His Highness says is good, but they are ordinary people, so don’t demand too much of them.”

“Right now, their wallets are empty, so where does confidence come from? We can’t help them make money quickly, and we can’t fight a war either.”

“Then, instead of improving themselves, they should belittle others!”

“Besides, this is called the wealth code! If the people like to read it, we’ll give it to them every day. Won’t the newspaper sales increase rapidly?”

Li Yuanzhao thought for a moment, looked at the apple core in his hand, and said, “Seems to make some sense. Give me another apple.”

“There aren’t any.”

“Hey, this prince wants to eat winter melon. Are there any on the market? Have someone buy some?”

“There aren’t any on the market, but there are still some in the Taoyuan County greenhouses. If Your Highness wants to eat them, I’ll have someone send some over tomorrow.”

“Greenhouse?” A look of confusion appeared on Li Yuanzhao’s face. “Why does that sound familiar?”

“It’s planting crops in a house in the winter, using a stove to heat it up, so that the crops can also grow in the winter. It’s just that the technology is not yet mature. I remember mentioning the greenhouse to Your Highness before. Has Your Highness forgotten?”

In fact, greenhouses had already begun to be tested in Taoyuan County. Emperor Jing accidentally saw someone buying winter melon to eat the first time he went to Taoyuan County.

It’s just that it hasn’t been vigorously promoted because it’s not economically worthwhile. It can only be used to grow some off-season vegetables and fruits for personal consumption.

Li Yuanzhao pinched his chin: “Oh, I seem to have an impression. Then wouldn’t that mean that farmers can also farm in the winter?”

I thank you on behalf of the farmers!

Fang Zheng smiled insincerely.

“The yield of greenhouses is not high, it’s difficult to control, and the cost is extremely high. You can only grow some vegetables and fruits with high value.”

“Moreover, the winter melons grown are not very tasty, not sweet. Otherwise, I would have sent them to Your Highness last year.”

“Wouldn’t they be sweet if you sprinkled some salt on them?”

Hearing him mention salt, Fang Zheng suddenly froze.

Salt ah... According to the time, Xie Xian and the others should have returned to Jianjiang. I wonder what the situation is there.

It will take another month or so to receive a reply.

If we continue to investigate south, the communication of information back and forth will be too troublesome...

“Old Fang! Old Fang, did you hear what I said?”

“Ah? What did Your Highness say?” Fang Zheng came back to his senses and saw Li Yuanzhao looking at him with an excited expression.

“I said, why don’t you take these good things from Taoyuan County outside to sell for money?”

“This prince will help you take them to the palace to sell! Sell a melon for ten or twenty taels, and say it’s a health-preserving melon!”

“A melon that can grow in winter, that obviously has magical effects, wouldn’t that make a fortune?”

Seeing his excited look, Fang Zheng's expression was a little strange.

How did the Crown Prince become like this?

It looks like he's about to transform into an unscrupulous profiteer! Like a salesman who specializes in deceiving old men into buying health products.

Did Liu Jin teach him? That dead eunuch actually led the Crown Prince astray!

I have to talk about this properly when His Majesty asks about it later...

“Forget it, Your Highness, it’s just a broken melon, you can eat it or not, you can’t make much money, there’s no need!”

“This prince thinks...”

“You fucking be honest, don’t move!!”

Li Yuanzhao was about to speak when a shout came from the door.

Then the door was pushed open.

Two young men walked in, supporting a dirty old man. The moment they saw Fang Zheng, joy surged on their faces.

“Oh! Master, we’ve finally found you. We went to your house just now and couldn’t find you!”

Fang Zheng took a look. These two people were from Taoyuan County, and he quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Who is this person?”

The two men immediately looked at each other: “Master, don’t you recognize him?”

“This person was found in the mountains by our county’s monkey-catching team. He’s been muttering and scolding. We listened carefully and it seems like he’s scolding you.”

“After reporting to Master Ao Chen, he said to bring him to see you and ask if he’s an important enemy!”

The old man’s hair was disheveled, his white hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his expression, and he was still chanting something in his mouth.

“You won’t die a good death... you’ll go to the eighteenth level of hell...”

Fang Zheng frowned: “Pull his hair back.”

Who is this person? I have no impression of offending such a person, crazy and rambling.

After his hair was pulled back, the old man seemed to be stimulated when he saw Fang Zheng, and shouted, “Bold dog demon! I can tell at a glance that you are not human! Why don’t you quickly reveal your true form!”

Dog demon?

Li Yuanzhao covered his mouth on the side, chuckling.

Fang Zheng's face quickly darkened, and he carefully looked at the old man.

After recognizing him for a long time, his expression gradually changed.

Isn't this Abbot Hongcheng of Fuyun Temple? Why is he like this? And he ran to the mountains of Taoyuan County!

Could it be that he heard that I was in Taoyuan County and ran to take revenge...

Sin, sin!

“Abbot Hongcheng?” Fang Zheng asked cautiously.

Hongcheng was still cursing incessantly, but suddenly stopped when he heard someone call his name.

Unbearable memories instantly flooded his mind.

Two lines of turbid tears plowed two gullies on his face...

“Fang Zheng, I f*ck your * \u0026% ￥ \u0026 @ 34%....”

“.........”

Seeing that he couldn't stop, Fang Zheng quickly stuffed the apple core in his hand into Abbot Hongcheng's mouth.

Hongcheng immediately devoured it...

Seeing his miserable state, Fang Zheng also felt pity.

This monk really has no feud with him, yet he was hurt so deeply.

After sighing, he pointed at Hongcheng and instructed the two young men from Taoyuan County: “Remember, this is my distinguished guest, who has lost his mind. Go back to the county and find someone to settle him down.”

“Tell Ao Chen to help him find two doctors to diagnose him, and give him a place to live. Go back.”

The two men responded and turned to leave, supporting Abbot Hongcheng.

Looking at Hongcheng's back, Fang Zheng sighed: “Your Highness, this is the consequence of not learning Buddhism properly.”

Li Yuanzhao said with a serious expression, “Well, let’s promote it in the newspaper.”

.......