Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Only four people remained in the office.

Li Yansong's expression was a bit grave, indicating that it wasn't a minor matter they were about to discuss.

"Now that there are no outsiders, please speak?"

Yang Yingcai was still uneasy, glancing left and right, and whispered, "Could this place be bugged?"

Before Li Yansong could speak, Zhang Dongxiang got up and went outside for a turn, returning to say, "There's no one else here. Just say what you need to say. Why make it so mysterious?"

Yang Yingcai breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow: "I apologize for my caution, but the current situation... Alas, I'll get straight to the point."

"Just now, two young men from the Hanlin Academy were taken away by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, on the grounds of criticizing His Majesty and the court. Someone overheard them."

"They are all a group of hot-blooded young men, and now they are about to explode. They are all clamoring to remonstrate with their lives, saying that His Majesty is not practicing benevolent governance and is being autocratic. Gentlemen, please think of a way. Can you help me get those two people out?"

Zhang Dongxiang, with his fiery temperament, slammed the table and roared: "Outrageous! Can the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrest people so casually? Just because they said a few words, they're not even allowed to talk about politics?"

"Keep your voice down," Li Yansong reminded him, then looked at Yang Yingcai, "Have you managed to appease them for now?"

"Yes, for the time being, there's no trouble. But His Majesty has been using the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest people every other day recently. If something like this happens again, I won't be able to protect them," Yang Yingcai worried. "Gentlemen, this problem should be prepared for early. If this continues, it will be a major hidden danger!"

"The Emperor's spies have infiltrated the homes of officials. What kind of system is this! Where is the dignity of the ministers?"

"His Majesty is tolerant no matter what. This time, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's arrest must be Tao Hui's personal will. Since he took office, there has been constant trouble. Please, gentlemen, join me in impeaching him. He is still the acting commander, yet he acts so arrogantly. Won't he be even more excessive in the future?" Yang Yingcai said indignantly.

Li Yansong frowned: "Impeach him? Last time, the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue were demoted, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had evidence and witnesses. Their arrests are definitely based on evidence, and His Majesty has already acquiesced. What can we use to impeach him? Supervising all officials is the duty of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Has Tao Hui committed any mistakes? He hasn't made any mistakes. If everyone clamors to impeach him, what will His Majesty think?"

"His Majesty will think that we have something to hide and don't want him to know? The Embroidered Uniform Guard is directly appointed by His Majesty. If His Majesty doesn't like this, then there will be even more trouble in the future!"

Yang Yingcai said anxiously: "Then what should we do? Now everyone is panicking. If this continues, His Majesty will form a habit, and wouldn't that be an autocratic rule? At that time, would anyone in our court dare to speak out righteously?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone felt a little choked up.

Who said it wasn't so? They thought they could endure it, but who knew it would become even worse and directly arrest people from the Hanlin Academy.

After a long while, Li Yansong suddenly said: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is also the face of the royal family. When Fang Zheng was in office, the people welcomed the Embroidered Uniform Guard wherever they went. But now, the public opinion is not as good as before. This is a dereliction of duty. As the acting commander, it is already a major mistake."

The three men's eyes focused on him, each with their own thoughts.

Zheng Qiao hesitated: "Lord Li, do you want to invite Fang Zheng back?"

"Absolutely not!" Yang Yingcai exclaimed, "As everyone knows, his position as a驸马 (imperial son-in-law) is already an exception. In addition, he had a relationship with other women in the Jin Kingdom, which is already well known. How can we bring him back?"

Li Yansong said in a deep voice: "The people below are furious, and the officials are almost transparent in front of His Majesty. In the long run, His Majesty will inevitably become dependent on Tao Hui's methods. If he is promoted to the official position, then there will be no chance."

"If you have better candidates, of course, you don't have to choose Fang Zheng. But who can guarantee that another person won't be the next Tao Hui?"

Yang Yingcai said eagerly: "Now Tao Hui has set a bad precedent, so how can you guarantee that Fang Zheng won't continue to do the same thing?"

He was secretly worried. He didn't like Fang Zheng in the first place, and the two had argued before. If Fang Zheng was reinstated, he would probably be the first to suffer.

Li Yansong was silent for a moment, then took a long breath: "Now that we've opened up, I might as well tell everyone."

"Actually, before you, Xu Wenshu also came to me, and he expressed the same concerns. Moreover, the Ministry of Revenue is sensitive, so the surveillance must be even stricter."

"He once told me about something when he was with me, saying that Fang Zheng had approached him before and said something to him."

"What did he say?" Zheng Qiao asked.

"He said that officials in the court should thank him because he has been protecting the colleagues in the court. Protecting our right to speak in the court, freedom from fear," Li Yansong said, and continued to sigh: "He can say this, I think he may have envisioned today's situation. No one is more suitable to be in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard than him."

"How is that possible? Would he be able to predict the future?" Yang Yingcai asked.

Zheng Qiao couldn't help but feel shocked when he heard this, and at the same time explained: "Don't you understand? The desire for power confuses people's minds. A person who can't control himself will definitely use the maximum power within his authority. It's only a matter of time before the Embroidered Uniform Guard develops to closely monitor all officials. I didn't expect Fang Zheng to have such insight at such a young age, and he can also restrain his desires and promptly turn the direction of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to the people. Even the arrest of illegal activities is mostly limited to the grassroots officials who are in contact with the people. Now it seems... it's really not simple."

Zhang Dongxiang said with emotion: "I didn't expect that Fang Zheng would say such a thing? In this way, he is indeed the best candidate."

"This, but he is a驸马..." Yang Yingcai still wanted to try again, feeling uncomfortable in his heart.

It was not easy to get rid of Fang Zheng and get Tao Hui, but now he has to drive Tao Hui away and invite Fang Zheng back!

When will this court be able to return to normal!

Zhang Dongxiang said impatiently, "Hey, isn't it just messing with women! He just made a mistake that all men make, what's the big deal! His private morals are flawed, everyone just pretend they didn't see it, now we have to look at the future of the court."

Yang Yingcai shrank his neck, and looked at the three people with a strange expression, the long-sealed memory was awakened again.

These three important officials of the court are singing a duet... It is rumored that these three people are all Fang Zheng's uncles.

Looking at it now, it does look like it!

The three people looked at Yang Yingcai's eyes and immediately reflected, and the three old faces couldn't help but pull down together.

Zhang Dongxiang asked angrily: "What kind of look is that in your eyes! We are all righteous and selfless, what are you doing with your petty-mindedness?"

"Yes! You have some conflicts with Fang Zheng, and you don't like him, but isn't it time to focus on the overall situation now?"

"And I heard that your granddaughter went to Dongjiao University to study at a girls' school. Your granddaughter has received his favor, is it interesting for you to entangle like this?"

"You... how do you know?" Yang Yingcai was shocked, and couldn't help but take two steps back. How could this embarrassing thing in his family be known to outsiders?

Li Yansong suddenly said: "Everyone knows, just don't say it, didn't your granddaughter go to a first-class university?"

"You?" Yang Yingcai pointed at the three people tremblingly, feeling ashamed and angry.

After holding back for a long time, he finally blushed and said: "What if my granddaughter goes to Dongjiao University, huh! ?"

"A woman going to a first-class university is equal to a man going to a junior college!"

......