Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

“Cough! What I did was a great scientific experiment, an effort for the well-being of mankind. Remember to tell the historian that,” Fang Zheng Yi corrected.

Li Yuan Zhao glanced at him, curling his lip in disdain.

“Your Highness, have you considered what would happen even if you really killed them?”

“Of course, the people would cheer,” Li Yuan Zhao said expressionlessly.

“Wrong! Only a very small portion of the people would cheer!”

“Those who are extorted by them are only a small portion of merchants and vendors. Most people still have a very good impression of the sanitation team. If you rashly kill them, the people will complain and it will bring a bad name to Your Highness! This is what no one wants to see.”

“Furthermore, those people don't actually deserve to die. At most, they should be punished and expelled from the sanitation team. Killing is the last resort. Rashly killing people will not convince the public!”

Li Yuan Zhao sighed again: “I know, Lao Fang, I was just speaking in anger. You're starting to sound like those tutors from the Zhan Shi Fu.”

Fang Zheng Yi licked his lips and couldn't help but stroke his chin.

Is that so? Am I giving off dad vibes?

“Cough! Your Highness, just handle the sanitation team properly. I won't interfere too much. What about the rest of the preparations?”

Li Yuan Zhao thought for a moment and said: “This prince intends to abolish the previous management methods and return everything to its original state.”

“This prince is willing to pay compensation to those merchants who suffered losses, and issue an apology in the newspaper... What do you think?”

Fang Zheng Yi immediately shook his head: “We can restore things to the way they were, but we absolutely cannot apologize or compensate!”

“Your Highness represents the imperial court. How can the imperial court make mistakes? The imperial court is always wise and brilliant. It's impossible to make mistakes, and apologizing is even more impossible!”

Li Yuan Zhao immediately retorted: “Lao Fang, what nonsense are you talking about! Has the imperial court made few mistakes? Haven't there been many emperors throughout history who have issued edicts of self-blame?”

“Of course there have been many, but has Your Highness ever seen the imperial court admit its mistakes? There have indeed been emperors in history who have issued edicts of self-blame, but that was just a means to an end!”

“The people are the most forgetful. You must wait until the matter is properly resolved and the people have forgotten before issuing an edict of self-blame. By then, the people will be grateful to the emperor. That is the purpose of the edict of self-blame.”

“Now, Your Highness, you want to admit your mistake before the matter is resolved. How will others see you? Everyone will say that you are a muddle-headed crown prince who is making trouble for the people! If it reaches His Majesty's ears, His Majesty will also lose face!”

Li Yuan Zhao widened his eyes and said angrily: “Let them scold me then! This prince admits his mistakes! What does it have to do with Father Emperor? Lao Fang, you just have too many tricks up your sleeve. This prince is not as shameless as you!”

Fang Zheng Yi almost got so angry that smoke came out of his nostrils.

I'm shameless? Who the hell am I doing this for! Ungrateful wretch!

Li Yuan Zhao continued to babble: “Oh! You were just afraid that the people would complain if this prince killed people. Doesn't that mean that the people won't complain if I stubbornly refuse to admit my mistakes now!”

“Of course not!” Fang Zheng Yi said confidently: “I also told Your Highness just now that the people are the most forgetful. Take away what they already have, and then give it back to them after a while. By then, they will think that Your Highness is wise! This is all bestowed by Your Highness. Not only will they not resent you, but they will also be grateful to you!”

Hearing this, Li Yuan Zhao's facial features squeezed together, his face full of entanglement: “Lao Fang, you're really shameless. This prince can't do such a thing.”

“But the imperial court has always done this! Have you spent less of the money earned by the imperial court!” Fang Zheng Yi said with a dissatisfied expression.

“Tactics! Methods! There is no such thing as shamelessness or not. There is only righteousness if used righteously, and evil if used evilly! What we are pursuing is the best result.”

“Being straightforward is certainly easier, but if you apologize, it will cause the people and the court officials to lose trust in you. In the future, no matter what you do, good or bad, the resistance will increase!”

“In this matter, you only need to publicly, fairly, and justly punish the sanitation team members. There is no need to do anything else!”

Li Yuan Zhao lowered his head and pondered, and Fang Zheng Yi didn't bother him.

After a while, he raised his head and said: “You... what you said makes sense, but shouldn't this prince compensate those people who suffered losses?”

“Of course not!”

“If Your Highness opens this door, there will be no end to it in the future. As long as the people are willing, they can always blame the imperial court for the cause of their failure. Does that mean that Your Highness will have to compensate them one by one? How much money would be enough to compensate?”

“If you don't compensate, Your Highness's reputation will be damaged! So, you absolutely cannot compensate!”

Li Yuan Zhao visibly became disappointed: “So... everything started because of me, everyone's losses started because of me, but I can't compensate them at all, right?”

“That's right! Making mistakes is making mistakes! Some mistakes cannot be made up for.” Fang Zheng Yi gradually became serious: “Your Highness, as the crown prince, even one mistake of yours can kill many people! Every order you approve may change the fate of countless people, and there is no going back.”

Li Yuan Zhao hung his head and kept swallowing, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Fang Zheng Yi's tone also softened: “But everyone grows up making mistakes. I am like this, and everyone in the world is like this... Your Highness doesn't need to be discouraged. Learning a lesson is a good thing. After all, we don't have golden fingers, so we will always make mistakes.”

Li Yuan Zhao raised his head, tears already in his eyes, and said in a muffled voice: “What are golden fingers?”

“Uh... just think of it as something that can make people feel very good! It's just a metaphor!”

Successful people's golden fingers

Seeing his sad appearance, Fang Zheng Yi pulled out a list from his sleeve as if by magic and handed it over.

He said softly: “When encountering setbacks, you must not be discouraged. Sometimes there is still room for remedy!”

“This is a list of the merchants who suffered losses. If they can withstand the extortion of the sanitation team, it means that they have some assets and can make a comeback in a few days.”

“Although we cannot directly compensate them, we can find an excuse to exempt them from taxes or help them attract business. This can also be considered compensation. What does Your Highness think?”

Li Yuan Zhao took the list, wiped away his tears, and smiled: “That's good, too!”

“Well, let's do that then, but... not every time can be remedied.” Fang Zheng Yi said earnestly.

“I understand!”

“Is Your Highness hungry? I brought braised pork hocks, milk-fragrant pig!” Fang Zheng Yi opened the food box and placed several dishes on the table.

Li Yuan Zhao's emotions had mostly been vented at this time, and looking at the table full of dishes, his stomach made a gurgling sound.

He glanced at Fang Zheng Yi awkwardly.

“This prince is hungry, let's eat!”

....