Royal Gold Magistrate

The events in the tavern left Emperor Jing and the three Cabinet Elders stunned.

Zhang Dongxiang mused thoughtfully, “They say common folk are ignorant and stubborn, and merchants don’t care about righteousness. But here, the people are eager to help, and even the merchants can be called righteous.”

“Who would have thought Banshan District could be managed like this? It’s truly humbling!”

Li Yansong stared at the now-empty table and said, “The pursuit of profit is human nature, and merchants are no exception. But this tavern and the neighboring Chen’s store don’t seem to haggle over every penny like ordinary merchants.”

“Sure, part of the reason is that the government is covering the costs, but in my view, what’s more important is that living in such a safe environment allows them to run their businesses with peace of mind for the long term, while also being willing to lend a hand to others.”

“If these merchants were in Dengjin District, they’d have to close their doors to visitors. Just keeping themselves safe would be fortunate enough.”

“Even the ordinary people of Banshan District have become public-spirited and righteous. Not bad! Really not bad!”

Emperor Jing nodded and smiled, then waved the waiter over.

The waiter ran over enthusiastically, “What can I do for you, sir?”

Emperor Jing asked, “Let me ask you, do you know those people who just left? Who are they?”

The waiter clapped his hands, delighted. “Of course I know! Those scholars are quite famous in our Banshan District.”

“The leader is called Shen Yi!”

“They’re all opera enthusiasts. Every day, they discuss and critique operas in Banshan District, or read in the reading corner.”

“When they’re in a good mood, they’re willing to share their knowledge with everyone. Over time, they’ve even started rating and ranking the operas in Banshan District.”

“You know what? Their ratings are quite accurate. Now even the daily performances in the square are influenced by them.”

“It’s just a pity that with these days of continuous heavy rain, the square hasn’t been open. It’s frustrating!”

The waiter shook his head regretfully. Days without free opera to watch were indeed hard to bear.

Zheng Qiao, who had quite an interest in opera, interjected, “Were there any good plays in the past few days?”

The waiter waved his hand, counting on his fingers, then spoke, “Yes! A few days ago, there was a new play. It was really good to watch, and it was written by Mr. Sai.”

“It was about His Imperial Majesty working tirelessly on state affairs, neglecting food and drink. Mr. Sai, not shying away from hard work, personally extracted vegetable oil for His Majesty. Then Mr. Sai… In the end, after eating it, His Majesty became energetic and devoted himself to governing with renewed vigor.”

“The play was called… ‘I Offer Cooking Oil for the Motherland’, and it got a nine out of ten from the opera critics!”

After the waiter finished, the whole table fell silent.

Zheng Qiao wanted to slap himself twice!

He shouldn’t have asked that question! That Fang Zheng, making plays wherever he goes. *Damn*, he’s something else!

Emperor Jing was shocked because Fang Zheng had indeed sent a barrel of vegetable oil to the palace some days ago, and he had even had the imperial kitchen cook with it.

In any case, he did feel pretty good after eating it… Who knew there was such a story behind it.

Emperor Jing casually remarked, “Fang Zheng is thoughtful.”

*Pfft*! It actually worked!!!

The three Cabinet Elders’ faces twitched violently.

Emperor Jing continued to ask, “Then what about that other table, the group wearing black clothes?”

“Oh, them? They’re a famous local gang, the Inferno Gang. They used to be a bunch of ruffians,” the waiter said with an indifferent expression.

Emperor Jing and the others exchanged glances, surprised that this group turned out to be a bunch of ruffians, yet they were so kind-hearted?

“If they’re a gang of ruffians, aren’t you afraid of them?”

The waiter chuckled, “We used to be afraid, but recently, for some reason, they’ve suddenly started to mend their ways.”

“They’re not as loud and threatening as before. Instead, they often do good deeds. Everyone in the district has gotten used to it. It’s quite nice having them around.”

Emperor Jing and the others fell silent.

What kind of divine method could make people suddenly turn over a new leaf… Surely they hadn’t been bewitched?

They had no idea about the dealings between Lord Ji Er and Fang Zheng.

Since submitting to the authorities, Zhang Biao had led Lord Ji Er to sweep through the big and small thug gangs in North City in no time.

Initially, Lord Ji Er was extremely proud, considering himself a force to be reckoned with in the capital.

But once the excitement wore off, he began to panic.

Having witnessed Zhang Biao’s overwhelming combat prowess and ruthless way of doing things, Lord Ji Er couldn’t sleep a wink.

Since all the thug gangs in North City had been swept away, if the authorities were to investigate further, there would only be one person left to deal with.

Who else could it be but himself?

Lord Ji Er hadn’t become a gang leader by being stupid. Not long after unifying North City, he began a frantic effort to clean up his image.

He started by thoroughly reforming the gang’s rules, striving to do good deeds.

Although some of his subordinates felt it was embarrassing, Lord Ji Er paid no heed. Anyone who dared to object was dragged into a room and beaten into submission.

Moreover, leveraging his solid business acumen and learning from the experience of the opera critics, Lord Ji Er even started a ranking system for brothels and gambling dens in North City.

Gang-certified, quality guaranteed! The common people sang his praises.

As a result, it didn’t take long for Lord Ji Er to establish both his wealth and reputation.

On the other side, Fang Zheng was gnashing his teeth in frustration, never expecting this dog to be so cunning.

He often wanted to find an opportunity to take this fellow down, but Lord Ji Er left no openings.

Fang Zheng didn’t believe in all those good deeds.

He only believed in one thing.

A dog will always bite!

Under Fang Zheng’s relentless fault-finding, Lord Ji Er’s way of doing things became increasingly excessive.

Now the Inferno Gang had subtly become the largest property management organization in Banshan District…

Emperor Jing exchanged glances with the Cabinet Elders and continued to ask the waiter, “Do you know where Mr. Sai is now? We’d like to meet him.”

“You’re in luck! I just heard someone say that Mr. Sai and Young Master Li are at a newly opened tavern on South Street, called the Xianhe Tavern.”

“Mr. Sai is usually there, ordering a plate of fennel seeds and sitting for half a day, sometimes teaching children to write and such.”

“If you go now, he should be there.”

Emperor Jing waved the waiter away, then said to the three men, “Let’s go see Fang Zheng and the others. I’m eager to see what they’re up to!”

The three Cabinet Elders smiled and nodded in agreement.

…

Inside the Xianhe Tavern, Fang Zheng sat idly by the counter.

Behind the counter, the shopkeeper was clicking away on an abacus.

In the main hall, several tables had been pushed together, laden with dishes and meat for hot pot.

Commoners gathered around the table, including many half-grown children.

Li Yuanzhao was enthusiastically bragging, promoting all sorts of things he had done recently, making the group of children envious.

When he got to the exciting parts, Li Yuanzhao put his hands on his hips and laughed heartily.

Fang Zheng just looked at him sidelong, sometimes sighing, sometimes shaking his head.