Royal Gold Magistrate

“Brother! Why can’t you marry me?”

“All along, we’ve only had a sibling relationship, Xiao Juan. Don’t overthink it!”

“You’ve seen my pure body, and now you say we’re just siblings? You must marry me, or I’ll kill myself!”

“But… but I’m a eunuch!”

“So what if you’re a eunuch! Can’t eunuchs marry and have children?”

“Juan! Stop talking!”

…………

The crowd below the Banshan Square stage was howling, everyone in an extremely excited state.

Such a stimulating theatrical performance greatly enriched the daily lives of the capital’s citizens.

Their happiness index was off the charts!

Fang Zheng sat in the VIP seat with a black face, watching the passionate performance on stage.

Unsurprisingly, it was another cultural export from Taoyuan County.

That dog Wu Sheng, what a disgrace to scholars, forcefully cramming all sorts of chaotic elements into the play.

Terminal illness, car accidents, ethics – all crammed in before even half the show was over.

Li Yuanzhao was clearly not interested in such an eye-searing performance either.

“Sigh, Old Fang, this thing doesn’t seem fit for human consumption… It’s far worse than ‘The Legend of the White Snake.'”

Six of one, half a dozen of the other… They’re equally nauseating.

Fang Zheng said helplessly, “In the future, tell people not to perform these things anymore! Change the play! We should promote positive energy! It’s best to perform patriotic and family-loving plays, and keep each play running for three months before changing!”

“If we keep watching this messy stuff every day, I’ll inevitably face impeachment again!”

Li Yuanzhao was also helpless, “Let’s talk about serious matters. When can you come back?”

Fang Zheng spoke frankly, “I don’t know. It could be a year and a half, or three to five years.”

“Perhaps I can return when the grain disaster ends.”

Li Yuanzhao lowered his head, suddenly gritting his teeth, “It’s all because of those old fools! I’ll help you get revenge! I’ll keep exposing them in the newspaper.”

“I’ll try to gather all the grain in one go, so you won’t have to leave.”

“Forget it, Your Highness,” Fang Zheng smiled and patted his shoulder.

“Let’s stop here. We can’t keep pushing our luck. Doing it twice is already out of line.”

“Credibility is the lifeblood of a newspaper. We’ve already consumed it in advance. If we continue like this, you wouldn’t want to see the newspaper disappear, would you?”

“My current situation is understandable. There’s nothing to complain about.”

“Besides, His Majesty gave me quite a few good things. Maybe I can return soon.”

Li Yuanzhao raised his head to look at Fang Zheng, “Then… how much impact will the grain we’ve raised have on disaster relief?”

Fang Zheng shook his head, “It’s a drop in the ocean. Relying on donations for disaster relief will never succeed.”

“The solution to the grain disaster doesn’t lie with you and me, nor with the court officials, but with His Majesty.”

“His Majesty’s word is golden. If His Majesty wants to solve it, it will definitely be solved!”

Li Yuanzhao managed a smile, “Old Fang, you’re joking again. Imperial Father isn’t here, what’s the point of saying this to me? I won’t say it in front of Imperial Father anyway.”

“I’m not joking!” Fang Zheng’s expression turned serious.

“The most severely affected areas are north of Jianjiang Prefecture, Lin Prefecture, and Yunlu Prefecture.”

“His Majesty only needs to issue one edict, ordering these three prefectures to renovate government offices, extensively build temples, and engage in large-scale construction.”

“Then encourage wealthy civilians to engage in entertainment and feasting, and build houses. This would help them get through the crisis.”

Li Yuanzhao was stunned, stammering, “How is that possible! Imperial Father would never issue such an edict!”

“During a famine, engaging in construction and encouraging entertainment and feasting would surely enrage the people.”

“That’s just it. You know His Majesty would never issue such an edict, so whether I say it or not makes no difference,” Fang Zheng finished, shrugging his shoulders.

“But why do this? If there’s no grain among the people, how can construction possibly produce food?” Li Yuanzhao asked, full of confusion.

Fang Zheng answered, “No, the people have grain, and not in small amounts.”

“These past two years have been stable for the country, so there must be many new rich people.”

“It’s normal for wealthy families to have several years of reserves, and they have money to continue buying grain.”

“Large-scale construction and promoting a luxurious lifestyle can turn the dead money in rich households into active money. When wealth starts circulating, the people will naturally have food to eat.”

Li Yuanzhao tilted his head back, thinking.

After a while, he suddenly slapped his forehead!

“I get it! It’s work relief, right? You’ve mentioned it to me before.”

Fang Zheng smiled, “Correct, it’s work relief. This simple principle, none of those old ministers in court wouldn’t understand.”

“But this move would have to be carried out under the criticism of the world. People suffering from disaster while engaging in large-scale construction and promoting luxury goes against current moral standards.”

“So, just one edict could solve a big problem. No, one edict isn’t enough, there need to be three! Only then will local officials not doubt His Majesty’s will. Otherwise, they’ll send inquiries, wasting a lot of time going back and forth.”

“But no one will do it, and no one will think of it. I’m the same.”

“Now we can use the newspaper to change some people’s perceptions, but everything takes time.”

With that, Fang Zheng turned back to watch the stage, saying no more.

Li Yuanzhao lowered his head silently, lost in thought.

The play on stage had reached its climax.

“Juan! Don’t go, can’t you accept me?”

“Call my name, I want you to call my name…”

“I’m sorry, I can’t accept a man without roots. Brother, let’s just address each other as siblings from now on.”

“Juan! Juan!”

Fang Zheng glanced at it and almost vomited. What nonsense was this? The eunuch on stage had an extremely flirtatious expression.

It seemed they had even mixed in elements from “The Storm Riders.” He shouldn’t have randomly told stories to children.

When he goes to Jianjiang, he must take that dog Wu Sheng with him!

If he continues to wreak havoc, the air in Taoyuan County will become unbreathable.

It was really eye-searing. Fang Zheng glanced sideways and saw Li Yuanzhao still deep in thought. He smiled.

“Your Highness, don’t worry too much. Human effort has its limits. Doing our best without regrets is enough.”

Li Yuanzhao took a deep breath, “I’ve decided! I’m going to submit a memorial to Imperial Father about this matter.”

“If once doesn’t work, I’ll try twice. If twice doesn’t work, I’ll try thrice! I won’t rest until I achieve my goal!”

“Old Fang, don’t worry. I won’t let you stay there for too long!”

“Actually, I don’t think submitting a memorial will be of much use, but it’s fine for Your Highness to try a couple of times. His Majesty might even be pleased. I’ll definitely bring you local specialties when I return from Jianjiang!” Fang Zheng couldn’t help feeling touched.

“Don’t think too much about it now. Let’s watch the play! It’s reaching the end. We’ll go home after it’s over!”

Hearing this, Li Yuanzhao looked up, his eye corner twitching violently.

He saw a man and a woman embracing again on stage.

“Brother, didn’t you say eunuchs can’t marry without His Majesty’s blessing?”

“I’ll go kneel and beg His Majesty. If His Majesty doesn’t agree, then I’ll defy the imperial order!”