Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

"Quick! Present it quickly!"

Li Yansong became agitated. The little eunuch's behavior indicated that something major must have happened in Jianjiang.

Guo Tianyang hurried down to receive the urgent report and presented it to Emperor Jing.

Emperor Jing immediately unfolded it and read it. His pupils dilated instantly, and then he leaned closer to read carefully.

At that moment, the ministers below the steps held their breath, anxiously awaiting Emperor Jing's reaction.

.......

After a long while, Emperor Jing raised his head and laughed heartily!

He raised the memorial with one hand, and said spiritedly, "Gentlemen! Take a look! The reason I have been holding back is for today! The Jianjiang flood is no longer a problem!"

After speaking, he slammed the memorial heavily in front of Chen Shu.

Chen Shu quickly crawled over to pick up the memorial, unfolded it, and couldn't help but read it softly: "......At the Yintuo River estuary, the north and south peaks of the mountain collapsed, the river channel is blocked, and the floodwaters flow eastward and will not return. Now the crisis in Jianjiang has been mostly resolved, but the displaced people are still...."

As he read, Chen Shu's face changed, and cold sweat streamed down his face.

He had just contradicted the Emperor, and now the flood had resolved itself... How could such a thing happen under heaven....

The ministers' expressions changed upon hearing this, and they looked at Emperor Jing with surprised eyes.

How did His Majesty know that the mountain peaks would collapse! Could it be that there is truly a connection between heaven and man?!

Emperor Jing looked down from his high position, and his gaze took on a mysterious color amidst the surprised gazes of the ministers.

"Chen Shu, what else do you have to say?"

Chen Shu kowtowed three times heavily, and said with grief and indignation, "Your Majesty is wise! Forgive my dullness in contradicting Your Majesty. I! Deserve to die!"

These upright officials were usually very arrogant, and would retort three sentences for every one you said. Such a situation was rare today.

Emperor Jing felt completely refreshed, as if he had drunk a glass of ice water on a hot summer day.

However, he couldn't punish him severely, because to impose severe punishments for a mere trivial matter would be to block the channels of speech.

So Emperor Jing waved his hand casually, "Forget it, considering that you are also concerned about state affairs, I will deduct half of your salary for half a year!"

"I, thank Your Majesty!" Chen Shu secretly thought he was lucky and slowly got up.

Seeing that the crisis had been resolved, Li Yansong was also in a great mood, so he opened his mouth and asked Emperor Jing, "Your Majesty, I want to know...."

"Report ~ ~ ~"

Before he could finish speaking, another little eunuch ran in, presenting a memorial.

"Your Majesty, urgent report from Jianjiang Prefecture!"

"Read!"

"Fortunately, heaven has blessed us, the Yintuo Twin Peaks collapsed... the flood has been resolved....... Relying on Your Majesty's heavenly might, the army entered Jianjiang to suppress the bandits. The Water God Sect fled at the sight of the wind, winning without a fight. It is said that the Holy Maiden of the Water God Sect is the Third Princess Shui Yibai of the Qian Dynasty, but her whereabouts are currently unknown....."

Emperor Jing's face lit up with joy, and the ministers also breathed a sigh of relief.

Double happiness has arrived!

A minister suddenly realized something was wrong!

Two! Two urgent reports.... and the information overlaps.

Hiss... This means that His Majesty secretly sent another group of people to Jianjiang without telling anyone!

At this moment, Emperor Jing was in high spirits. The pent-up frustration of the past few days was swept away, and he continued, "Good... good! Lord Li, what were you going to ask me just now?"

"Uh.... This old minister wanted to ask Your Majesty how you knew that the flood would be easily resolved?"

The ministers once again looked at Emperor Jing.

Yes, even if Your Majesty sent people out, so what? Could they have pushed the mountain down?

Emperor Jing smiled secretly in his heart as he looked at the confused eyes of the crowd.

It was time to announce Fang Zheng Yi's existence. This kid still wanted to hide his talent; I would let him walk into the court openly, leaving him nowhere to hide!

So he said with a smile, "I imagine that all of you ministers have many doubts in your hearts."

"Actually... there is someone else who resolved this matter! Half a month ago, I went to Taoyuan County by chance.... Has any of you ever heard of Taoyuan County?"

The ministers were at a loss and began to whisper to each other.

After a moment of discussion, they couldn't come up with anything. No one knew Taoyuan County, let alone where it was.

Emperor Jing couldn't help but admire Fang Zheng Yi in his heart. This kid had been doing business for so many years, and he had managed to keep the lid on so tightly. That was quite a skill.

So Emperor Jing continued, "The magistrate of this Taoyuan County can be said to be a remarkable person! He actually has a method for opening mountains, so I disguised myself and made a deal with this Fang Zheng Yi!"

"Ah... Since there is such a remarkable person, why didn't Your Majesty directly issue an order for him to go and provide disaster relief!" A minister quickly asked.

Emperor Jing shook his head with a smile, "I also learned of this by chance. It was just a matter of acting expediently in an emergency."

Li Yansong said, "Your Majesty! Did Your Majesty's previous trip out of the palace specifically seek out this person?"

Emperor Jing smiled slightly, putting on a profound expression, noncommittal.

Would I tell you that I actually went to buy tea?

"That's right! Although Fang Zheng Yi is only in his early twenties, his political achievements are remarkable. Under his governance, the people of Taoyuan County live and work in peace and contentment, and now he has made such great contributions!"

"This person is quite skilled in economics. Gentlemen, tell me, how should I reward him for his merits?"

Li Yansong asked curiously, "Your Majesty, since this person's political achievements are remarkable and he is so outstanding, why is his reputation not well-known?"

"Hmm... Perhaps it is because he is located in a remote area, and the court has forgotten him... However, I see that this person is lazy by nature, and I am afraid he plans to stay in Taoyuan County for the rest of his life."

Emperor Jing told a lie. If he told the truth, he would probably have to spend more effort to reward Fang Zheng Yi.

Li Yansong said, "Since this person is good at governance and economics, why doesn't Your Majesty grant him a position as an assistant minister in the Ministry of Revenue, and also reward him with a thousand taels of gold? Being promoted two ranks to an official of the seventh rank should be enough to compensate for the court's neglect of him over the years. Or perhaps allow this person to enter the Hanlin Academy as a Hanlin Academician...."

The discussion started again below.

"That would be very good!"

"Lord Li is, after all, experienced and prudent... It is already good enough that this person, who is only in his early twenties, is an official of the fifth rank."

"Yes, indeed! This person's future is immeasurable..."

Emperor Jing frowned, "Is that too little?"

Li Yansong was a little surprised. Too little? That wasn't little! He was being promoted two ranks and directly entering the Ministry of Revenue. His future would definitely be limitless!

Then he asked, "Then what does Your Majesty think is appropriate?"

Emperor Jing said seriously, "I once talked to Fang Zheng Yi and said that if someone could resolve this matter, he could be granted the title of marquis or even prime minister!"

"So I want to grant him a noble title, and as for the fiefdom... I will grant him Taoyuan County."

"Not only that... the Crown Prince also went to Taoyuan County and gained a lot. I think this person has some unconventional ideas, which may be helpful to the Crown Prince, so I want him to enter the Court of Imperial Sacrifices as Vice Minister!"

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices only consists of the Minister and the Vice Minister, who are dedicated to teaching the Crown Prince. Usually, Hanlin Academicians also serve concurrently, but it is rare to have a dedicated position. It is unprecedented for someone like Fang Zheng Yi to be promoted directly into the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, serving in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is equivalent to being the Crown Prince's teacher, commonly known as: the Emperor's Tutor.

The three great ministers of the current cabinet, Zheng Qiao, Li Yansong, and Zhang Dongxiang, have all served concurrently in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Therefore, they are more concerned about serving in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

"Impossible!" Zhang Dongxiang stood up.

"Your Majesty! Although Fang Zheng Yi's contribution is great, the reward is too much and violates etiquette. I suggest granting him a position of the fifth rank."

"This person is still young and not much older than the Crown Prince. How can he teach the Crown Prince?"

"I have heard Your Majesty say that you value this person very much, but although he is capable, this old minister thinks that he still needs to be polished, and it will not be too late to mention it later!"

Just as Emperor Jing was about to speak, Li Yuanzhao, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't hold it in any longer!

He had almost jumped up with joy when he heard the news that the mountains had been opened and the floods had been blocked. He didn't expect that Fang Zheng Yi could really summon heavenly thunder!

At this moment, he was even more pleased to hear his father suddenly promote Fang Zheng Yi to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

As a result, Zhang Dongxiang intervened, and Li Yuanzhao's face turned black.

"Master Zhang, this prince thinks that Magistrate Fang is perfectly suited to enter the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

"In Taoyuan County, this prince has already made great progress! If you don't believe me, ask Master Yan!"

Yan Guoan was originally the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and had been responsible for teaching the Crown Prince. Hearing the Crown Prince call him, Yan Guoan immediately stepped forward and bowed.

Then he said awkwardly, "That's true.... The Crown Prince has been particularly diligent since returning from his trip... He has even memorized several books....."

Yan Guoan met the strange gazes of the crowd and wished he could crawl into the ground.

Everyone knew what kind of person the Crown Prince was. Memorizing books? It would be good if he could even touch the cover of a book!

Yan Guoan originally thought that the Crown Prince had finally come to his senses, and that he could take credit for it, but who knew that Fang Zheng Yi would suddenly appear.

He was so embarrassed that he wanted to dig a hole in the ground with his toes.

Emperor Jing glanced at Li Yuanzhao. He didn't expect that this rebellious son would actually work so hard to memorize books in order to get Fang Zheng Yi into the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dongxiang immediately shut his mouth.

Now that the world is stable, there is nothing more important than the Crown Prince's education.

It is never too late to mend one's ways!

If there is someone in the world who can make such a big change in the Crown Prince, then no reward is too much.

Emperor Jing scanned the audience and said lightly, "Gentlemen... do you still have any doubts? If not, then I will issue the decree."

......