Royal Gold Magistrate

Emperor Jing looked at Li Yuanzhao with surprise.

He hadn’t expected him to grow so much in such a short time, considering issues so thoroughly.

It seemed Fang Zheng had really put his heart into teaching him!

Fang Zheng was also surprised.

The Crown Prince’s talent was indeed remarkable. Even with minimal guidance, he had such insight. It seemed the market truly was an effective teacher.

In the future, he could roam freely, perhaps even delegating other work to the Crown Prince.

How delightful!

At this moment, Zhang Shi was naturally unconvinced. He had seen several famines in his old age, and now he was being repeatedly refuted by the Crown Prince and Fang Zheng.

He immediately spoke up loudly: “Your Highness’s words make sense, but they’re not comprehensive enough.”

“Grain is the foundation of the nation. All grain merchants in Jing Dynasty, big and small, are registered. When the government orders them to release grain, none dare to disobey. To break the law would be nothing short of suicidal.”

“Secondly, the government can prohibit all activities related to grain. Grain merchants can only sell grain and are not allowed to bundle it with other items for sale or as gifts. Under strict orders, there will be no hidden dangers.”

“These methods have been practiced for many years. Your Highness is overthinking it.”

Fang Zheng immediately interjected loudly: “There are definitely more fish that slip through the net than those caught! How can Minister Zhang be so sure it’s effective!”

“Fang Zheng! You’re just being unreasonable!” Zhang Shi was finally annoyed.

Are you ever going to stop?

“Alright, alright! No need to argue anymore. I’ve heard the opinions of all my ministers!” Emperor Jing impatiently tapped the table.

“Since both sides are at an impasse, those who support Fang Zheng, please raise your hands.”

As Emperor Jing’s words fell, Li Yuanzhao was the first to raise his hand, followed by Yang Fengfan below.

“Those who support Zhang Shi, please raise your hands.”

A sea of hands went up.

Emperor Jing’s eyes suddenly widened, and he shouted: “Fang Zheng, why are you raising your hand!”

Yang Fengfan and Li Yuanzhao simultaneously felt as if they’d been stabbed in the back.

Fang Zheng sheepishly lowered his hand.

My popularity is really poor! Surely no one would agree with me, raising my hand seemed safer, more in line with the group… It was just a reflex, just a reflex…

Emperor Jing calmed himself down.

“Very well! Then we’ll proceed according to Zhang Shi’s proposal! Issue orders to open granaries and distribute grain to stabilize prices throughout the land!”

…………………

In a private residence in Jianjiang City.

Twenty-five people from Taoyuan County gathered in the room, the atmosphere silent.

The leader, named Xie Xian, wore a Confucian robe and was holding a letter, which he had read several times before putting it down.

Someone asked curiously: “What did the Master say?”

Xie Xian spread his hands: “The Master asked how many ways there are to write the character for ‘death’. We spent public funds without accomplishing anything, and we’ll face consequences when we return.”

“Those who want to return to Taoyuan County can go back now.”

“Damn! We’ve been out for over two months and did nothing but buy a house. What good will come of going back!”

Xie Xian sighed: “Whether we eat it or not… the Master certainly won’t punish us severely. After all, it’s Heaven’s will… The fact that the Master is letting us return means he has no solution to this matter either.”

“I want to go back. I want to eat fried chicken and drink milk tea in the county… Damn, I shouldn’t have come to this awful place!” The speaker was named Lian Gui.

“Hiss~ How do you think they’ll punish us for misusing public funds? We’ve been running business for the Master for so many years and have never had it this bad, accomplishing nothing!”

Xie Xian looked at him: “Hehe, there won’t be any physical punishment. Most likely, we’ll just be stripped naked and hung on the city wall for three days, well fed and cared for.”

“You’ll eat, drink, and relieve yourself while hanging. If you dare to drip on the ground… then you’re done for, wait for Zhang Biao to take care of you.”

Lian Gui shouted angrily: “Damn, isn’t that no different from being dead?”

“No way! This time we must get the job done!”

Someone spoke up: “That’s right, if we go back empty-handed, how will we face people in the county? If we leave like this, my wife will remarry.”

Xie Xian said helplessly: “The Master said to do our best and listen to Heaven’s will. If this is Heaven’s will, we have no choice.”

Lian Gui’s eyes suddenly lit up: “That’s right! Do our best, with grain prices like this in the market, someone must be up to no good! How can this be called Heaven’s will? When we first arrived, the news about sweet potatoes caused prices to drop immediately.”

“Since grain merchants are playing tricks, we’ll just rob them and be done with it. It’s not like we haven’t done it before!”

“If you don’t rob grain, how can you say you’ve done your best?”

“Makes sense!” “Makes sense!” “Makes sense!”….

“Bang!” Xie Xian slammed the table angrily: “What the hell makes sense! We’ve been in business for years, do you still think we’re bandits?! The Master is now an official in the capital. If things get out of hand, what will happen to him!”

“Moreover, if the authorities discover someone robbing grain, our heads will be the first to roll.”

Lian Gui looked at Xie Xian sideways: “Damn, old Xie, you came late and still ended up above us!”

“Do you really not know what we do? I was originally a mountain bandit!”

Then Lian Gui pointed at several people one by one.

“Shen Zhaoxuan, cult leader.”

“Bai Rui, habitual thief.”

“Jueju Zi, tomb raider.”

“My name is Wei Cai, who the hell are you calling Jueju Zi? That’s what the Master calls me!” Wei Cai looked indignant.

“You know, people like us, in our early years, we lived life on the edge of a knife. When were we ever afraid of trouble! It’s just robbing grain… At this rate, it won’t be long before civil unrest breaks out.”

“When that happens, who will care about us? Let’s just do it!”

After speaking, Lian Gui folded his arms with a smug expression.

Xie Xian was stunned after hearing this. He hadn’t imagined that after spending so much time together, everyone who seemed so proper had such hidden identities.

He hesitated: “Has the Master ever robbed a tomb?”

Wei Cai mumbled: “He has… but just that one time. A few years ago, I was robbing a tomb when I ran into the Master robbing me.”

“Later, we discovered a big tomb, and the Master was curious and insisted on going down with us. Just that one time! And the tomb collapsed.”

“I’ve been robbing tombs for half my life and never had something like that happen! The Master was too greedy, wanting to take everything, not even sparing gold teeth. It’s karma…”

At this point, Wei Cai still looked scared.

“If it weren’t for my experience, we all would have died then. After that, I washed my hands of it… Too scary, too scary.”

Xie Xian looked strange after hearing this: “Old Shen, you were even a cult leader before.”

Shen Zhaoxuan’s face reddened as he waved his hand: “Nothing to say about that… Nothing to say…”

Lian Gui grinned: “You’re embarrassed now! I know about this! Back then, he started a small cult in Hengjiang City. The Master brought a few dozen roast chickens, and all his followers betrayed him! Hahaha!”

Shen Zhaoxuan was both embarrassed and angry: “We were starving! I had no money, and the people below were starving mad. Could you have done better?!”

Everyone burst into laughter at this.

Xie Xian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, rubbing his brow: “Stop messing around, everyone. Let’s quickly think of a solution, or we’ll just go home!”