Royal Gold Magistrate

After chatting a while longer in the pavilion, the three dispersed with great satisfaction.

The promotion of sanitary napkins couldn’t be rushed for the time being, and Fang Zheng was in no hurry.

After all, current production capacity was limited. For now, he could only have the palace nobility start using them first before gradually expanding.

Getting Li Yuanzhao involved had been part of his plan all along, but he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly, even roping in the princess.

It could be considered an unexpected delight. If they could promote it throughout the palace, it would be quite a sizable income. Making money from the government was both stable and lucrative.

Even in later times, everyone fought for government projects, let alone now when he had two powerful allies in the palace!

…

The next day, Fang Zheng attended court as usual. He purposefully carried a telescope on his back, thinking that old fogey Zhang Shi might try to ambush him.

After all, one of the servants Zhang Shi had sent was still unaccounted for after leaving Taoyuan County. Who knows if he had leaked any information?

In theory, Fang Zheng hadn’t committed any major mistakes, aside from expanding Taoyuan County considerably, dumping sewage into neighboring counties, forcefully recruiting many merchants, and executing some people he shouldn’t have. There shouldn’t be anything else.

In any case, it never hurt to have a treasure to ward off disaster.

In recent years, out of fear of death, he had forced Taoyuan County’s people to max out all the tech trees. Now was the time to put them to good use.

At the imperial court, when the emperor saw Fang Zheng, he didn’t say much else.

He just spoke a few random words to show some concern, which Fang Zheng reciprocated with pleasantries.

Then the court officials gave their reports. Fang Zheng stood at attention, only feeling the ache in his back from standing. He couldn’t absorb a single word.

Before long, Zhang Shi stepped forward and declared loudly, “Your Majesty, this official wishes to impeach Junior Tutor Fang Zheng!”

The emperor gazed at Zhang Shi, his dragon eyes slightly furrowed, feeling somewhat displeased.

You’re the Minister of Revenue after all. Why do you keep targeting Fang Zheng nonstop? Just because your son got a beating? Is there a need to be so unrelenting?

“Speak.”

Hearing this, Fang Zheng also perked up quite a bit and quickly stretched his muscles.

Zhang Shi said gravely, “This official accuses Fang Zheng of having three great crimes! First, he privately expanded his jurisdiction’s county area, with the city walls exceeding regulation!”

“Second! He deceived and pressured people from surrounding counties and villages to move into Taoyuan County!”

“Third! Taoyuan County has not paid taxes for seven years! He is suspected of tax evasion!”

“The evidence for these three crimes is fully complete. I implore Your Majesty to severely punish him!”

With that said, Zhang Shi coldly looked over at Fang Zheng.

The most capable servants he had sent out had inexplicably all voluntarily stayed in Taoyuan County, likely bewitched by some sorcery of Fang Zheng’s.

Thankfully, one loyal servant had escaped back and reported the news, though that man had also tearfully left afterwards, saying he wanted to go home to get his mother and that he was sorry to Taoyuan County.

Damn it!

Thinking of this, Zhang Shi felt a chill in his heart.

And that unfilial son at home was the same. After meeting Fang Zheng just once, he would get scared like a rabbit every time he heard Fang Zheng’s name!

Could it be that Fang Zheng knew some magic arts or had put a curse on people? He had lived for several decades but had never encountered such a bizarre situation…

If a treacherous person like Fang Zheng wasn’t dealt with, the imperial court would likely fall into chaos…

Hearing this, Fang Zheng laughed. This was it? This was it?!

After working so hard, this was all he could dig up? It seemed Young Master Fang was truly pure and flawless, giving people no handle to grasp.

Among these few things Zhang Shi mentioned, which one did the emperor not already know? The judges were all Fang Zheng’s people. What could Zhang Shi do?

Feeling relieved, Fang Zheng resumed his calm and collected state.

The emperor was also unsurprised to hear this. When he first entered the county, he had already sensed something amiss. However…forcibly recruiting people from surrounding counties and villages, this was the first he heard of it…

But with how developed Taoyuan County was, was there any need to deceive people to come? If anything, it would be hard to stop them! Absurd!

So he said mildly, “Fang, do you have anything to say?”

“This official has nothing to say.”

“Mm.”

…

The imperial hall fell into silence. Zhang Shi widened his eyes and looked at the emperor in horror.

What did this mean? It was over after just asking those two questions? Why not ask me?! Why not ask me?!

Could it be that His Majesty was also cursed?

Zhang Shi grew anxious. “I implore Your Majesty to make a holy judgment!”

The emperor closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, then sighed.

Why bring this up? He already knew about it. So what if Fang Zheng overstepped his authority a bit? It’s not like he would rebel.

Now the crown prince was being taught very well by him, and the princess’s illness had also been cured by him.

If Zhang Shi hadn’t actively brought it up, the emperor truly couldn’t be bothered to address it…most importantly, the taxes Taoyuan County owed had all been pocketed by the emperor himself…how could he say this?

“Very well, I understand. Where is the evidence then?”

Zhang Shi’s face revealed a hint of joy. “The witness is waiting outside the palace. Please summon him, Your Majesty!”

“Granted!”

Before long, a plump figure was brought into the hall, his forehead covered in sweat.

Upon seeing the emperor, he immediately knelt down. “This official! Tang Shou, county deputy of Guiyuan County, pays respects to Your Majesty!”

“You may rise. I heard from Zhang that you have evidence of Fang Zheng’s crimes. State the evidence along with the crimes!”

Tang Shou glanced at Fang Zheng, his thoughts drifting to a few years ago as a hateful expression gradually appeared on his face. “This official was originally the county magistrate of Jihua County.”

“Jihua County is not far from Taoyuan County, but its terrain is much lower than Taoyuan County’s.”

“This official vaguely remembers that just two or three years ago, Fang Zheng suddenly approached me, claiming that Taoyuan County was undergoing construction and lacked people. He wanted to borrow some people from my county.”

“Of course I refused! At that time, the wars had not ceased and a famine had struck. Both Jihua County and Taoyuan County had populations under ten thousand. It was only because of wartime that they avoided being abolished.”

“Later…Fang Zheng said he was willing to exchange able-bodied laborers for Jihua County’s elderly, weak, women and children. So I agreed!”

At this point, Tang Shou’s expression grew even more grief-stricken and indignant. “Who would have thought that the young people who came from Taoyuan County never engaged in any labor? They just ate and drank all day!”

“The food they ate was all sent from Taoyuan County. Those young people would just take white buns and a bowl of stew, strolling from one end of the county to the other every day.”

“Eat until full then sleep! Sleep until full then eat!”

The court officials gasped.

*Tsk tsk tsk*, just look at this Fang Zheng.

He’s truly freeloading like a panda, easy as pie!

“The young people in our county were all drooling with envy! In less than a year…a large portion of the county’s young people had left. Later, because the population became too small, Jihua County was also demoted to Jihua Village…”

The court officials began to snicker. This Tang Shou was quite unlucky.

Tang Shou wiped his tears, feeling greatly aggrieved. He clearly hadn’t done anything wrong but was inexplicably demoted…

Li Yuanzhao stood expressionlessly in the hall, his face flushed red like a tomato, his whole body trembling nonstop.

The emperor wasn’t much better off, nearly laughing out loud.

This brat Fang Zheng truly didn’t do anything productive!

“Continue.”