Royal Gold Magistrate

“When you go to Jianjiang, you may act as you see fit.”

Fang Zheng chuckled, “Then I’m relieved.”

“I thought Your Majesty would be angry that I went too far with the newspaper.”

Emperor Jing glanced at him, a smile playing on his lips, “Minister Fang, you really underestimate me. These little games of yours don’t concern me much.”

“What I resent is that you and the Crown Prince didn’t consult me.”

“These past two years, our Jing Dynasty has been peaceful, and many have grown fat. What you did merely scratched their surface.”

“From high officials and great clans down to common people, all are my subjects, and I treat them equally.”

“Usually, they all pretend to be noble, but when something happens, they all wait for me to speak.”

“I’ve been merciful not to cut their flesh. Minister Fang, you’ve done well. To achieve great things, one must not be bound by trifles.”

“However… the court’s face has been lost this time. From now on, every edition of the newspaper must be sent to the palace for my review. Only after my vermilion brush approves can it be published.”

“The newspaper can no longer act recklessly under the Crown Prince’s name. From now on, it will be called the Banshan Daily.”

“As for the money earned by the newspaper, I don’t care about it. You and the Crown Prince can split it.”

“Your Majesty is wise! I’ll send someone to take care of it later.”

Fang Zheng smiled.

As expected, when it came to picking the fruit, His Majesty didn’t hesitate at all.

Something like a newspaper, the Emperor would certainly not let any minister control it.

This was within expectations.

But as for the money… His Majesty clearly hadn’t realized the huge profit potential hidden in the newspaper!

As for changing the newspaper’s name, Fang Zheng would have done it even if Emperor Jing hadn’t mentioned it. The newspaper hadn’t started charging for advertisements yet.

If they used the Crown Prince’s name to sell ads, it would be somewhat inappropriate, and there would certainly be a lot of opposition.

Emperor Jing looked at Fang Zheng with admiration in his eyes.

He could get things done, make money, speak eloquently, and was so unpopular.

Not bad!

“There’s one more thing. In today’s court session, Zhang Shi submitted a memorial to me, saying that each department of the court should start their own newspaper. What do you think?”

Zhang Shi had such a move? The old fox had something up his sleeve!

Fang Zheng thought for a moment, then said, “This is a good thing. It can greatly enhance the court’s influence.”

“Your Majesty’s and the court’s policies are issued from the center with good intentions, but often go astray at the execution stage.”

“If policies reach the people directly, it can reduce many errors.”

“But I believe the newspapers should be reviewed by the Cabinet. The departments shouldn’t have the right to publish directly. This way, Your Majesty’s will won’t be misinterpreted, and policies can be implemented properly.”

“However, it’s clearly inappropriate for the departments to write the newspapers directly. I suggest setting up a separate institution to select talented people from the grassroots level. That would be more suitable.”

“Empty talk without practical knowledge is no different from harming the people.”

Fang Zheng suddenly paused.

“Moreover, the efficient papermaking method is in Your Majesty’s and the Crown Prince’s hands. If other departments want to publish newspapers on a large scale, it’s simply not feasible without the new papermaking method.”

“Currently, the Banshan Daily can barely break even at five coins per copy.”

After listening, Emperor Jing only replied lightly, “Well said. These are words of a statesman.”

Fang Zheng couldn’t help but think to himself.

It seems His Majesty was confronted in court and came here looking for validation.

Even emperors can’t escape human nature!

He would have done this even if I hadn’t said anything.

But bringing the papermaking method this time was a fortunate coincidence.

Emperor Jing suddenly rolled up the document he had just written on the table and tossed it to Fang Zheng.

“Eunuch Guo, bring the sword!”

Guo Tianyang turned and took out an exceptionally ornate sword from the cabinet behind him, then walked to Fang Zheng.

“This sword was captured from the Qian Dynasty palace. I’m quite fond of it.”

“Now I’m bestowing it upon you. With my edict, you can move freely in Jianjiang without any concerns!”

“If you do well, it will be a great achievement. If not, I won’t blame you.”

Fang Zheng silently accepted the sword and examined it.

Wow! The legendary imperial sword! It can behead treacherous officials below and… uh…

But upon hearing it was a Qian Dynasty sword, Fang Zheng hesitated, “Your Majesty, can a Qian Dynasty sword behead officials of our dynasty?”

Emperor Jing glared, “What nonsense! Where is there still a Qian Dynasty! Everything belongs to me!”

“If there’s nothing else, you may leave!”

“There is! I’d like 100 dan of Prosperity Potatoes from the imperial manor to take to Jianjiang.”

Emperor Jing agreed without hesitation.

Then he looked at Fang Zheng with a half-smile, “What Prosperity Potatoes? They’re sweet potatoes, aren’t they? That name is so awkward.”

Fang Zheng smiled awkwardly, “Your Majesty is wise!”

“Stop with these little tricks in the future. They’re utterly boring!”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait a moment. What exactly is your relationship with Prime Minister Li?”

“………..”

———

Fang Zheng returned fully loaded, swinging the sword around the palace before leisurely heading home.

This round wasn’t bad for him, exchanging for an imperial sword and an edict.

With these two invincible buffs, he could roam freely.

After leaving the palace gates, Fang Zheng immediately rushed to Banshan District.

The most urgent matter now was to arrange everything at hand.

Emperor Jing had only given him a month to report for duty, which meant at most half a month, with the other half reserved for travel.

If there were any unexpected events on the road, it would take even more time.

Arriving at the Crown Prince Daily, Li Yuanzhao sat in his place with a gloomy expression.

Seeing Fang Zheng arrive, his eyes lit up and he immediately stood to greet him.

Fang Zheng pulled up a chair and sat in front of him.

Li Yuanzhao wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start.

Fang Zheng didn’t speak either, just flipped through the newspaper at hand, checking for typos.

After a long while, Li Yuanzhao finally spoke first, “Old Fang, are you really leaving?”

“Really leaving. His Majesty even gave me a sword.” Fang Zheng said, placing the sword on the table.

Li Yuanzhao saw it and twitched his mouth, “I begged Imperial Father for this sword for a long time, and he never gave it to me. Now it’s in your hands.”

“What am I supposed to do when you’re gone?”

Fang Zheng sighed, “Your Highness now manages thousands of people and can handle things independently. Whether I’m here or not makes no difference.”

“There are still many things that need Your Highness’s attention, and I can’t help with them.”

“I want to go to Jianjiang too. Without you by my side, I don’t feel confident!”

Many new reporters in the office poked their heads out of their cubicles.

Lord Fang is leaving?

The conversation between these two… interesting!

Seeing the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Fang Zheng tried to lighten the mood, “How about this, I heard there’s a new play at Banshan Square today. Let’s go watch it tonight and chat while we watch.”

“So you’re not going to manage the newspaper anymore? You write many of the sections.”

“Let them work overtime! But recently, the brothers at the newspaper have been quite tired, not eating or sleeping well.”

“Ruyun! Ruyun!” Fang Zheng shouted twice.

An old woman hurriedly ran up from the stairway.

“What are your orders, Lord Fang?”

“Starting today, add a pot of egg soup to the office lunch to nourish the brothers. Make the soup thick, add more vegetables, and fewer eggs. Too many eggs can cause internal heat!”