Royal Gold Magistrate

The Hanlin scholars were all dejected.

At this point, with their leader gone, there was no point in making a fuss.

After a long silence, scattered voices emerged from the crowd.

“Your Majesty, I am ashamed. Please punish me…”

Gradually, more and more people spoke up, forming a chorus.

Fang Zheng watched the scene with a smile.

If you knew it would come to this, why did you start in the first place? I, Fang Zheng, stand on the moral high ground, clinging to the leg of supreme power. You want to mess with me?

You should have checked if you had what it takes!

Emperor Jing also felt an urge to laugh, but instinct made him suppress it forcefully. He spoke calmly, “We’ll chalk this up to a momentary lapse of judgment. I can let it go this time, but if it happens again, I won’t be so lenient!”

“You may all leave now. Report for court as usual tomorrow.”

Guo Tianyang also breathed a sigh of relief.

His Majesty’s temperament has indeed changed… This time, apart from Yan Guoan and his group, there was no bloodshed.

This is good… very good indeed! My twilight years are blessed!

The crowd gradually dispersed until only Emperor Jing and a few of Fang Zheng’s close associates remained in the courtyard.

Emperor Jing said, “Minister Fang, you’ve done well. I should reward you, but… you’ve just entered the court and your foundation isn’t stable. We’ll discuss it later.”

Fang Zheng didn’t care much. With the Crown Prince by his side, what other position did he need?

I wouldn’t even accept an official position if offered!

The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility to shirk!

“I thank Your Majesty for your kindness. I am unworthy!”

Li Yuanzhao, standing nearby, was displeased and exclaimed, “Imperial Father! I contributed too!”

Emperor Jing chuckled, “Yes, the Crown Prince performed well too. But, do you want me to appoint you to an official position?”

“I don’t want a position, just give me some silver!”

Emperor Jing’s smile froze. After a pause, he said flatly, “I’m tired… Let’s return to the palace.”

With that, he turned and left.

Fang Zheng and Li Yuanzhao stared dumbfounded at Emperor Jing’s retreating figure… Stingy! So stingy!

………………

The next day at court, order had been restored to its usual state.

Except for Yang Yingcai, who looked out of place leaning on a crutch.

His leg wasn’t actually injured, but his joint pain had suddenly flared up on the way.

He was howling in pain, and the gang members thought his leg was broken, so they took him to the clinic and told the doctor.

The doctor, being a muddle-headed fellow, immediately bandaged it up.

Yang Yingcai had thought about undoing the bandage after returning home, but then he realized he had no face left.

He might as well pretend to be sick… At least it wouldn’t be so embarrassing.

Who could be too harsh on a sick person?

So the next day, he came to court limping, occasionally shooting glares at Fang Zheng.

At this moment, Emperor Jing was carefully reading a memorial.

The memorial was submitted by Zhang Shi, and the topic was still about the grain shortage in the south.

After reading it, Emperor Jing ordered Guo Tianyang to read it aloud.

The content wasn’t particularly novel. It was all about what had been argued with Fang Zheng a few days ago, mainly about opening granaries, distributing grain, and specific measures for stabilizing prices.

After Guo Tianyang finished reading, Emperor Jing spoke, “If any of you have opinions, you may discuss them.”

“This matter is of great importance. The local authorities have already sent three urgent memorials urging us to open the granaries and distribute grain.”

“If we delay any longer, I fear it may lead to civil unrest. Times are different now, and the flooding in Jianjiang has had a significant impact. Feel free to offer your suggestions and strategies.”

Fang Zheng eagerly stepped forward, wanting to make one more effort.

“Your Majesty! I believe that suppressing grain prices is not feasible! Letting it flow freely is the best strategy.”

“If we suppress grain prices, grain merchants will have no profit to make, and it will be extremely difficult for grain from wealthy areas to flow into disaster areas.”

“Local officials have no way to requisition grain, and even if they did, the implementation would likely be ineffective and unlikely to succeed… The only response is to allow high prices, which will make grain flow.”

“Not only that, but we should also spread the news as much as possible… Then grain merchants will spring into action, allowing disaster victims to hold out until the autumn harvest.”

We can’t count on sweet potatoes now, we can only rely on the market.

“I object!”

Before Zhang Shi could speak, a large group of Hanlin scholars stepped forward.

“According to Minister Fang’s words, encouraging high prices will surely cause panic among the people. If the common people sigh at the sight of grain but can’t afford to buy it, what then?”

“If grain merchants gather in one place and supply exceeds demand, grain prices will inevitably fall. If there’s no grain in the world, merchants won’t go to disaster areas either. At worst, the situation will remain as it is. I ask, how long can local granaries last?”

Someone else rebutted, “This will inevitably lead to hoarding! How should we deal with those who profit greatly from the nation’s misfortune? Does Minister Fang really want to let disaster victims starve to death with grain in sight?”

Fang Zheng shook his head, “Hoarding will definitely happen, but grain merchants coming from thousands of miles away may not be able to handle the costs of storage and transportation.”

“If most people starve to death, there will be no profit to speak of.”

“Moreover, if someone really could monopolize the market, not for profit but just to watch disaster victims starve, wouldn’t the government take action?”

“Local officials must closely monitor the movements of grain merchants and actively crack down on hoarding. This is much simpler than requisitioning grain from local wealthy households!”

“This is nonsense! Time is of the essence now! There’s no time to wait for grain merchants to reach disaster areas. Requisitioning grain locally and stabilizing prices is the best strategy.”

“………….”

Emperor Jing watched the heated argument below and felt a bit of a headache.

Fang Zheng’s words made some sense, but since ancient times, disaster relief strategies have been as Zhang Shi said. Although the effects might not be very good, they were time-tested.

But sometimes, intuitive ideas are not necessarily correct.

As the debate below was getting heated, Li Yuanzhao, who had been quiet on the sidelines, spoke up.

“Imperial Father, I have something to say.”

The court suddenly fell silent. The Crown Prince, who rarely spoke in court, was suddenly speaking today?

Emperor Jing smiled, “Oh? What insights does the Crown Prince have? Let me hear them.”

“I believe that even if we suppress grain prices, we may not be able to control them effectively.”

“Therefore, this method… cannot be used exclusively.”

Zhang Shi urgently said, “What is the Crown Prince saying? Are you suggesting that government orders are ineffective? Wouldn’t that lead to rebellion across the empire?”

“No! Suppose the current grain price in disaster areas is two taels per catty, and under government orders, grain merchants are forced to sell at twenty coins per catty. Only one thing will happen – the common people won’t be able to buy any grain.”

“So who can buy grain at this time? It will definitely be those with connections who can buy grain. As the grain shortage worsens, those with connections will surely take this opportunity to hoard grain. But how many common people have such connections?”

“Moreover, if I were a grain merchant, I would simply stop selling grain. Instead, I’d sell bowls and give away a catty of grain with each bowl purchase. You can’t regulate free grain, can you? How would the government control that?”

“The people’s ways of dealing with this are endless… I’ve seen plenty of examples in recent days. So… suppressing grain prices may not work!”