Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

“Brother! Why can't you marry me!”

“All along, we've only had brotherly and sisterly affection. Xiao Juan, don't overthink it!”

“My purity has already been seen by you. Now you're telling me we're siblings? You must marry me, or I'll die!”

“But... but I'm a eunuch!”

“So what if you're a eunuch! Does that mean eunuchs can't marry and have children?”

“Juan! Stop talking!”

............

At the foot of the stage in Half-Mountain Square, the common people were howling, each in a state of extreme excitement.

Such stimulating theatrical performances greatly enriched the daily lives of the people in the capital.

The happiness index exploded!

Fang Zheng was sitting in the VIP seat with a dark face, watching the passionate performance on stage.

Unsurprisingly, it was another cultural export from Taoyuan County.

Wu Sheng, that dog, is unworthy of being a scholar, cramming all sorts of messy elements into it.

Terminal illness, car accidents, and ethics were all crammed in before I even watched half the show.

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

“Hey, Lao Fang, this thing doesn't seem to be for people to watch... it's far worse than 'The Legend of the White Snake'.”

Six of one, half a dozen of the other... they're all equally disgusting.

Fang Zheng said helplessly, “In the future, tell people not to perform these things anymore! Change the play! We must promote positive energy! It's best to perform plays about loving the country and loving the family, and perform one play for three months before changing it!”

“Watching these messy things every day, sooner or later I'll be impeached again!”

Li Yuanzhao was also very helpless: “Let's talk about serious business, how long will it take you to come back?”

Fang Zheng said bluntly: “I don't know, it could be half a year, a year and a half, or three to five years.”

“Perhaps I can come back when the grain disaster is over.”

Li Yuanzhao lowered his head and suddenly gritted his teeth: “It's all the fault of those old fogeys! When I help you get revenge! I will continue to attack them in the newspaper.”

“Strive to raise enough grain at once, so you don't have to go.”

“Forget it, Your Highness.” Fang Zheng smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

“Let's stop here. We can't do it a third time after doing it twice. Too much is as bad as too little. We've already gone too far with the second time.”

“Credibility is the life of a newspaper. We have already depleted it in advance. You don't want to see the newspaper office disappear if we continue like this, do you?”

“It's only natural that I am where I am today, and there's nothing to complain about.”

“Besides, His Majesty has given me a lot of good things, and perhaps I will be able to return before long.”

Li Yuanzhao looked up at Fang Zheng: “Then... how much of an impact will the grain we raise have on disaster relief?”

Fang Zheng shook his head and said, “It's a drop in the bucket. Relying on donations to save disasters will never succeed.”

“The solution to the grain disaster lies not in you and me, nor in the court officials, but in His Majesty.”

“His Majesty's words are golden, if His Majesty wants to solve it, then he will definitely be able to solve it!”

Li Yuanzhao smiled reluctantly: “Lao Fang, you're joking again. His Majesty isn't here, what's the point of saying this to me! Anyway, I won't say it in front of my father.”

“I'm not joking!” Fang Zheng's expression became serious.

“The most severely affected areas are Jianjiang Prefecture to the north, Lin Prefecture, and Yunlu Prefecture. These three places are the most severely affected.”

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

“Then, encourage wealthy households in the private sector to enjoy themselves with banquets and build houses, and they will be able to overcome the difficulties.”

Li Yuanzhao was stunned and muttered, “How is that possible! Father will definitely not issue such an edict!”

“In times of disaster, building earthworks and encouraging recreational banquets will surely arouse the indignation of the people.”

“That's it, you also know that His Majesty will definitely not issue such an edict, so it doesn't matter whether I say it or not.” After saying that, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.

“But why do this? There is no food among the people, and it is impossible to have food even if earthworks are built.” Li Yuanzhao was full of doubts.

Fang Zheng replied: “No, there is food among the people, and there are definitely not a few.”

“In the past two years, the country has been stable, and there will definitely be many new nobles.”

“It is normal for wealthy families to hoard reserves for several years, and they have the money to continue buying grain.”

“Large-scale construction and advocating a luxurious lifestyle can turn the dead money in the homes of wealthy households into living money, and when wealth flows, the people will naturally have food to eat.”

Li Yuanzhao looked up and thought.

After a while, he suddenly slapped his forehead!

“I understand! It's work relief, right! You told me before.”

Fang Zheng smiled: “That's right, it's work relief. All the old ministers in the court understand such a simple principle.”

“However, this move must be carried out in the face of the world's discussions. In the event of a disaster, large-scale construction and advocating a luxurious lifestyle are tantamount to running counter to current morality.”

“Therefore, a single edict can solve a big problem. No, one imperial decree is not enough, three must be issued in succession! Only then will local officials not suspect His Majesty's will, otherwise they will send letters to inquire, which will waste a lot of time in the back and forth.”

“But no one will do it, and no one will think about it, and neither will I.”

“Now we can change the views of some people through newspapers, but everything takes time.”

After speaking, Fang Zheng looked at the stage again and stopped talking.

Li Yuanzhao lowered his head silently, not knowing what he was thinking.

The play on the 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 someone without roots. Brother, let's still call each other brother and sister in the future.”

“Juan! Juan!”

Looking at it, Fang Zheng almost vomited. What the hell was that? The eunuch on stage had an unusually flirtatious expression.

It seemed like he had even mixed in 'Storms'. He shouldn't have been telling stories to the children.

This time, he had to take Wu Sheng, that dog, with him when he went to Jianjiang!

If he continued to ruin it, the air in Taoyuan County would be unbreathable.

It was really a bit eye-searing. Fang Zheng turned his head and saw Li Yuanzhao still thinking, and smiled.

“Your Highness, don't worry too much. Human power is sometimes exhausted. It's good to do your best and not be ashamed of your heart.”

Li Yuanzhao took a deep breath: “I've decided! I'm going to report to my father about this matter.”

“If it doesn't work once, I'll do it twice, and if it doesn't work twice, I'll do it three times! I won't give up until I achieve my goal!”

“Lao Fang, don't worry, I won't let you stay there for too long!”

“Actually, I don't think it's useful to report, but it doesn't hurt for Your Highness to try twice. His Majesty might even be very happy. I will definitely bring you local specialties when I come back from Jianjiang!” Fang Zheng couldn't help but feel a little touched.

“Don't think so much, watch the play, watch the play! It's the ending, let's go home after watching it!”

Hearing this, Li Yuanzhao raised his eyes, and the corners of his eyes twitched twice.

He saw a man and a woman hugging each other again.

“Brother, didn't you say that without His Majesty's marriage decree, eunuchs can't marry?”

“I'm going to kneel and beg His Majesty. If His Majesty doesn't agree, then I will defy the imperial decree!”