Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Following Lai Gou'er's translation, Blake felt extremely nervous. He pitifully wiped away tears and stammered, "Yes, we've been neighbors for twenty years. After the Great Jing came, my life got better, but my brother Watt isn't good at business... In fact, he's not good at anything else."

"He's read a bit, and he's particularly sensitive about his pride. So I secretly arranged a job for him... He doesn't know I arranged it, and I never expected something like this to happen..."

"Hmm~" Fang Zheng nodded repeatedly, his tone laced with sarcasm, "You really are loyal and righteous."

After Lai Gou'er translated, the sarcasm diminished considerably.

Blake didn't catch on, overjoyed, he chuckled twice and said, "It's what I should do."

"Since you're friends with Watt, you should know his life story. What kind of person is he? Why don't you introduce him to this Marquis?"

......

Blake pondered, "We both lived in the slums at first. Later, I don't know how, he contracted a venereal disease, and his wife didn't want to live with him anymore. They only had one son, who was left with him, but he treated me... ah, no, he treated his son very well..."

"In short, he's an honest man... uh, especially honest. He can read... He's also a good father, and... um..."

"Stop making things up. Simply put, he's utterly useless, right?"

".... I guess so."

Fang Zheng put his hands on his hips and sighed, "Okay, I understand the basic situation. Now, let's talk about you."

"Faking engineering quality, faking food provisions, forcing workers to work in such hot weather. Do you know what crime you've committed? This is deceiving the Emperor! In my Great Jing, that's punishable by death!"

"Lord Marquis! I didn't fake the engineering, it was all inspected by the Great Jing people...." Blake was terrified, his words slurred as he explained.

"I'll let you speak when I'm finished." Fang Zheng interrupted him in time, "You think you can hide your little tricks from others, but you can't hide them from me."

"You probably think you're a citizen of the Holy City, and my Great Jing can't control you. But I can tell you plainly now that in the eyes of my Great Jing, there is no place beyond the law! Even if you live at the ends of the earth, as long as you're connected to my Great Jing, we will kill if we need to!"

"I didn't! I really didn't!" Blake knelt on the ground, his head hanging down, his pupils dilated, his whole body trembling.

Fang Zheng bowed slightly, staring at him and said, "Didn't... what are you afraid of then?"

"I... I..." Blake's brain completely crashed.

Fang Zheng straightened up, smiling, "Don't be so anxious and afraid. This Marquis is a reasonable person. Although I dare say my guess is eighty or ninety percent correct, in the end, we still have to rely on solid evidence... Moreover, my Great Jing may not always be without leniency. Get up and talk."

Blake, as if grasping at a lifeline, cowered like a quail, looking at Fang Zheng with fear and hope.

"Lord Marquis... I absolutely didn't fake the engineering. The food is a bit worse, but other construction sites are also working in this weather, everyone is the same."

"That sounds a bit more honest." Fang Zheng said, "This Marquis can give you a chance to live, but you must make rectifications starting now."

"Add railings to all high places on the construction site, the food must be the same as what was just displayed, and in this hot weather... um... workers should be given straw hats to shield them from the sun when they work."

"Finally, I see that the workers are so tired, the wages should also be raised a bit. I think it's okay to add one silver coin to all types of work, what do you think?"

Blake nodded frantically like a chick pecking at rice, "No problem! Absolutely no problem! I'll do whatever Lord Marquis says, you can have someone watch if you don't trust me!"

"Then, if others ask you why you're suddenly being so good to the workers, how will you explain it to them?"

"This... This..." Blake's eyes darted around, suddenly fixed, his expression firm, "The Great Jing Emperor has arrived! He demanded that I do this!"

"No, no, no.... It's because the Great Jing is most considerate of the common people at the bottom. Today, His Majesty came here and saw that you brothers are so hardworking, he couldn't bear it, so he specially took out a sum of money to increase the welfare for the brothers, and also give each worker an extra silver coin per month."

"That's right! That's what I thought, I was clumsy and didn't explain it clearly just now."

Blake's heart ached.

It sounded good, but he would have to pay for it all later!

But there was no other way, survival was the priority now.

Fang Zheng smiled slightly, "Good understanding. When this Marquis goes forward to speak later, watch your expression and act accordingly. If you handle things well, this Marquis can consider giving you more projects to do. Alright, go back and continue crying."

Blake was overjoyed, immediately adjusted his expression, and ran back to Watt, throwing himself beside him and continuing to sob.

Fang Zheng followed back and stood beside Li Yuanzhao, asking, "Your Majesty, how is Watt?"

"He's dead."

"Oh."

Blake cried for a while, and Fang Zheng took Lai Gou'er forward.

He bent down and gently helped Blake up, "Brother, please accept my condolences."

The eyes of everyone in the audience immediately focused on Fang Zheng.

They wondered what this mysterious and noble figure from the East was going to say.

Only to see Fang Zheng take out a handkerchief, gently wipe the corner of his eye, his eyes slightly red.

Then, facing the surroundings, he said with a painful expression, "My name is Fang Zheng. Just now, through Mr. Blake, I learned about Mr. Watt's life. My heart is greatly touched!"

"Mr. Watt previously worked on another construction site. As far as I know, he used to be an ordinary worker, abiding by the law, uniting with his fellow workers, and being optimistic and upward."

"He always maintained a rigorous and serious work attitude and a meticulous work style, working diligently and tirelessly, enduring hardship without complaint. In life, he promoted hard work, frugality, and willingness to help others."

"Moreover, he is also an extremely studious sage. Every night after work, he would run to school to study culture. The word '茴香' has four spellings, and this kind of tricky knowledge was easily mastered by him."

Some of the surrounding workers looked at each other, while others sneered.

Watt... that dull gourd who couldn't squeeze out a fart with three sticks was actually such a person?

What a load of bull!

The crowd's expressions were all captured by Fang Zheng.

However, Director Fang had long been able to handle such situations with ease. Facing such a small scene, he still said with a sad expression, "But everyone should be able to see that today's Watt is very different from what I described."

"He had already contracted a serious illness after the completion of the previous construction site, and often felt uncomfortable. But why is he still active on the construction site?"

"Because he has a son! For the sake of his beloved son, Mr. Watt had no choice but to return to his old profession, dragging his sick body to the construction site to continue working hard."

"And his good friend, Mr. Blake, in order to protect Watt's self-esteem, has been secretly providing pocket money for his beloved son..."