Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Shen Yi was flattered and about to reply when the others in the carriage also stepped down.

Fang Zheng glanced over and saw the two beautiful sisters standing side by side.

Still the familiar faces, Tifa... and her sickly sister.

However, there was a strange black man beside them, whom he couldn't recognize for a moment.

Lai Gou'er nervously walked up to Fang Zheng and said, "Greetings, Lord Fang."

Fang Zheng frowned and scrutinized him, looking carefully for a few moments, before tentatively asking, "You... are you Lai Gou'er?"

Lai Gou'er raised his head, a smile appearing on his face.

He thought Big Brother had forgotten about him!

It seemed he still remembered him.

He didn't have any other extravagant hopes. The man was in a high position of power, while he was just an ordinary commoner. It was good enough that he remembered him.

"Yes, I am Lai Gou'er. It's good that Lord Fang still remembers me."

Fang Zheng chuckled and slapped Lai Gou'er's shoulder hard. "You dog thing! Call me Big Brother!"

A familiar feeling surged into Lai Gou'er's heart. He felt a momentary shortness of breath, then excitedly shouted, "Big Brother!"

"Tsk tsk, it's been so long, and you've grown so strong! Good! It's good to see progress!" Fang Zheng said with emotion, then asked, "What about Xinzhu? Did you win her over?"

Lai Gou'er's heart tightened, and he said falteringly, "No, no... She... she married a servant of the Chu family and is pregnant. She couldn't come."

"Alas, everyone has their own aspirations. Gou'er, don't be disappointed. There are plenty of women in the world." Fang Zheng quickly comforted him.

Lai Gou'er curled his lip, as if he was about to cry, and loudly retorted, "She must have known that I like married women, that's why she married! I'll work out and get stronger, and her man will definitely die before me!"

"......"

Fang Zheng was silent... Everyone around him was silent.

This was truly the most profound love in Great Jing!

After a long while, Fang Zheng coughed awkwardly twice. "Good! I'm proud of you! But don't be a simp anymore..."

"Big Brother, it's true love, not simping," Lai Gou'er quickly reminded him.

"......"

"Ahem, let me introduce you. This is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Lai Gou'er looked at Li Yuanzhao and trembled all over, quickly bowing.

Then, he stood beside Fang Zheng, fidgeting and becoming much more restrained.

Li Yuanzhao was already stunned.

What kind of people were these around Lao Fang? It seemed like none of them were normal.

No... he had to go back to the palace and look in the mirror.

Chu Qinghan and Chu Youyi, seeing that they had finished their greetings, gracefully walked over.

They gave a small curtsy and said softly, "Greetings, Lord Fang."

Fang Zheng smiled and said, "Miss, it's been a long time. Why did you two come too? The journey must have been tiring, and you must have suffered a lot, right?"

Chu Qinghan shook her head and took out a ledger from her arms. "I wouldn't dare. Please, Lord, just call me Qinghan. I came specifically to bring the shipbuilding ledger to you in person for verification."

"As for Youyi, she wanted to come to the capital to broaden her horizons."

Chu Youyi pursed her lips and nodded repeatedly.

Fang Zheng saw that her face was pale and her cheeks were slightly sunken, and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Could it be that he had caused her to still be losing weight...?

"Youyi, are you sick?"

Chu Youyi timidly shook her head, her right hand still tugging on Chu Qinghan's sleeve.

Chu Qinghan said, "She got seasick on the way and hasn't eaten properly for a long time. She should be fine after a month or two of rest."

Fang Zheng nodded seriously and said to Chu Youyi, "You've suffered on this journey. If I had known, I would have sent a carriage to pick you up."

Chu Youyi said falteringly, "It's okay, it's a good opportunity to lose weight..."

"......"

Li Yuanzhao quietly retreated behind the crowd, suspiciously staring at Fang Zheng and the Chu sisters.

"Ahem, where are those foreigners? Bring them over for me to see!" Fang Zheng quickly changed the subject.

Lai Gou'er immediately ran to the second carriage and dragged four foreigners out of the carriage.

Their hands and feet were tied, and their eyes were covered.

Lai Gou'er uncovered their eyes. The four looked at the unfamiliar scenery around them and immediately panicked, constantly making noises.

"Shut up! If you make any more noise, I'll feed you to the fish!" Lai Gou'er said fiercely.

Having been scolded a lot on the way, the foreigners immediately closed their mouths.

Fang Zheng stepped forward and sized up the four. These four... didn't seem to have anything in common. Their hair colors were different.

But they all had high noses and deep eyes, and they weren't too tall, not even as tall as him.

It seemed that the nutritional level of foreigners in this era wasn't very good either.

The foreigners were also secretly sizing up Fang Zheng. This unfamiliar face was clearly the leader among these people.

They had been imprisoned for several months... and now their fate was still a mystery.

They had arrived in another unfamiliar city. What would the future hold?

Shen Yi said, "Lord, we found these people at sea during the ship trial. It seems they encountered a shipwreck."

"The people on the ship may have suffered from a plague... They all died, and only these four were lucky enough to survive. We isolated them near the port and gave them some food, and the plague actually subsided."

Fang Zheng shook his head and said, "It may not have been a plague, but sepsis. If you don't eat fruits and vegetables for a long time at sea, this will happen. After returning to shore, their diet will recover, and they will get better."

Everyone present suddenly understood.

They couldn't help but feel a little more admiration. Lord Fang really knew a lot.

Fang Zheng stared at the foreigners and cleared his throat. "Hello, my name is... what's your name?"

The foreigners were dumbfounded, looking at each other.

The surrounding people were confused. Li Yuanzhao approached Fang Zheng and said, "Lao Fang, do you even know foreign languages?"

Fang Zheng took a deep breath.

What was going on? It seemed like they weren't speaking English? Try again!

"I'm asking you a question, why don't you speak? How dare you! Speak!"

"......" The foreigners were dumbfounded, a faint chill rising in their hearts.

He seemed to be speaking two languages!

Everyone present quietly watched Fang Zheng perform. Even Li Yuanzhao couldn't stand it anymore and whispered, "Alright, Lao Fang, it doesn't seem to be the kind of foreign language you know. It's too embarrassing, don't say anymore!"

Fang Zheng chuckled dryly and said awkwardly, "Hehe... I caught four fools." Then, his tone changed, and he said sternly, "Someone! Lock these four foreigners in the imperial prison and await orders!"

The foreigners were taken away, but the embarrassment still lingered.

Fang Zheng waved his hand and said, "Everyone, hurry up and enter the city! The welcoming banquet is already prepared. Rest for a few days, and I will personally take you on a tour of the capital. Get in the carriage!"

Everyone got into the carriage. Li Yuanzhao looked at Chu Qinghan's back and said, "Lao Fang, what's your relationship with these two women?"

"Friends, ordinary friends," Fang Zheng said guiltily.

Li Yuanzhao smiled slyly. "You better be! Miaohan told me that you're hiding several at home, so let's forget about that... but you're still flirting outside. Don't blame me for telling Miaohan, I'm watching you!"

"Hey! Your Highness, do you know that there's a thing in our county that can fly into the sky...."