Royal Gold Magistrate

“Ah! You’re truly a genius, even able to extrapolate like that!”

As the crowd imagined the scene Wu Sheng described, many of their faces began to flush.

Fang Zheng looked at their expressions and suddenly felt a bit sour inside.

He might be the most unfortunate transmigrator in the world.

These people were all so clever, leaving him without any sense of superiority as a transmigrator.

The few ideas in his head had already been expanded upon by others. He couldn’t say more, or he’d be completely emptied out!

Fang Zheng rapped on the table: “*Cough! Cough!* Alright! That’s enough.”

“Once the brothel is ready, I’ll personally design a few themes. You can share your ideas too!”

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now!”

Before anyone could react, Fang Zheng grabbed the phonograph box and dashed off.

“Huh? Why did the master run off?”

“Probably got excited and went to find someone to relieve himself!”

“I see.”

…

The next day, when Fang Zheng went to the yamen, Liu Xun immediately greeted him warmly: “Lord Fang, have you had breakfast yet?”

Fang Zheng responded just as enthusiastically: “Not yet. Did you prepare something, Prefect Liu?”

Neither of them mentioned the silver sent the previous night.

Hearing that Fang Zheng hadn’t eaten, Liu Xun smiled and said: “Perfect, I haven’t eaten either. Come with me.”

He led Fang Zheng to a small room.

Inside, various breakfast dishes were already laid out.

All were light and expensive seafood dishes.

Fang Zheng didn’t stand on ceremony. He sat down and took a bowl of seafood porridge.

He stirred it with a spoon and saw it contained only small abalones and dried scallops. His expression showed a hint of disdain, but he looked at Liu Xun with a smile and took a small sip.

Liu Xun suddenly felt annoyed.

Even I can’t eat these delicacies every day, and you’re being picky!

You may be young and good-looking, but how long can that last? Do you think the Crown Prince will keep you by his side forever?

But in an instant, Liu Xun adjusted his attitude.

He was getting off track; this wasn’t the main point!

“Lord Fang, how’s the porridge?”

“Good, very good, just a bit bland.”

“Ah, that’s my oversight. I’ll have the cook prepare something more to your taste later.”

Fang Zheng put down his spoon: “Thank you, Prefect. Come, Prefect Liu, eat with me!”

Liu Xun sat beside him and took a bowl of porridge, starting to drink.

As he drank, he said: “We’re going to inspect the granary today. After we finish eating, I’ll accompany you there.”

Fang Zheng stirred the porridge in his bowl, casually asking: “Prefect Liu, yesterday you mentioned having a way for me to return to the capital. What method did you have in mind?”

“No rush, no rush. We’ll discuss that matter slowly,” Liu Xun replied just as casually.

“Alas!” Fang Zheng forcefully set his bowl on the table and stood up anxiously: “But I am in a rush! How can I not be?”

“Prefect Liu, don’t you know that there are now sects with thousands of followers outside the city? One called the Self-Reliance Sect and another called the Iron Robe Sect!”

“If these groups cause trouble and rebel to steal grain, we’ll both be in grave danger!”

“At that point, forget about returning to the capital. I’d consider myself lucky not to be further demoted!”

Seeing Fang Zheng’s impatience, Liu Xun felt even more contemptuous.

“Don’t worry, I have my arrangements. Those rabble won’t be able to cause trouble. Now, sit down and finish your meal.”

So, Shen Zhaoxuan and the others had been taken care of.

At this moment, Fang Zheng suddenly felt grateful for being demoted to Jianjiang. He had arrived just in time.

Otherwise, if Shen Zhaoxuan and the others had truly been drawn in by Liu Xun, who knows what the consequences would have been.

After the two finished breakfast, they rode horses towards the granary.

Halfway out of the city, they suddenly encountered a bustling crowd.

Fang Zheng reined in his horse and asked, looking at the crowd: “Prefect Liu, what are those people doing?”

Liu Xun glanced over: “Probably people who didn’t meet the grain quota last time being made an example of.”

“Oh? I’m curious to see.”

“Heh, then let’s go.”

The two rode their horses close to the crowd. A minor official, seeing Liu Xun arrive, immediately ran up and knelt.

He shouted loudly: “Greetings, Prefect!”

Fang Zheng looked into the crowd.

The commoners had formed a circle. In the center was a wooden frame with five people hanging from it, heads drooping motionlessly, their fate unknown.

Below the frame were five more people, wearing cangues and kneeling on the ground, gritting their teeth as sweat poured down their faces.

Fang Zheng frowned and turned to ask the minor official: “What’s going on with these people?”

The official smiled: “Lord Fang! These troublemakers didn’t meet the grain quota last time, and they’ve failed to meet it again this time.”

“We’re punishing them publicly to prevent others from refusing to pay in the future!”

Some commoners in the crowd heard that the prefect had arrived and turned to look at Liu Xun.

Immediately, a large group of people knelt down.

“Greetings, Prefect!”

Liu Xun’s face was solemn: “Quick! Quickly rise, there’s no need for such formality!”

“Prefect! My family truly has no grain! Please, I beg you to release my father!”

A child about ten years old threw himself at Liu Xun’s feet, wailing hoarsely.

Liu Xun also wore a pained expression. Not caring about the dirt, he immediately crouched down to help the child up.

“Which one is your father?”

The child, rubbing his tear-reddened eyes, pointed at the man hanging in the middle of the wooden frame.

Liu Xun looked at the frame and shouted sternly: “Quick! Quickly release him!”

Saying this, he ran into the center of the crowd.

He tucked his official robe into his trousers, revealing patched pants underneath, then reached out to free the hanging commoner himself.

Seeing this, the crowd immediately knelt down, pleading for their family members and fellow villagers.

Liu Xun waved his hands repeatedly, his face full of kindness: “Rise… all of you, rise!”

“I now understand the situation here! Someone come! Release them all!”

Seeing this, the crowd’s emotions intensified: “A righteous official! Heavens be praised!”

Fang Zheng watched this scene with a sense of speechlessness. Indeed, there was always someone better.

He saw Liu Xun standing in the crowd, his face full of pain: “I came too late!”

“I, Liu Xun, unworthy as I am to be the Prefect of Jianjiang, bear the blame for the people’s lack of grain!”

“These heartless, brutal officials actually hung people with no food on wooden frames and made them kneel in shackles!”

“You are already living in hardship, and they pour salt on your wounds!”

“They are worse than beasts! Worse than beasts!”

“I, Liu Xun, on behalf of these sinners, beg forgiveness from all of you, my good people!”

Saying this, he drew the saber from a nearby guard and cut off a lock of his own hair.

The surrounding commoners were all moved and shocked.

This was a truly good official who cared for the people! Today, they had finally seen a righteous official!

“You heartless, cruel officials, don’t blame me for being equally hard-hearted!”

“Guards! Take these criminals to jail! Ten strokes of the cane for each of them!”

The surrounding minor officials immediately looked as if they had lost their parents, all falling to their knees.

Fang Zheng watched coldly.

Not one of these minor officials cried out in injustice. Clearly, they were all old actors…