Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

The court was a scene of heated debate.

At the center of the vortex, stood Fang Zheng Yi, hands tucked into his sleeves, feigning the timidity of a quail, trying his best to shrink into himself.

The core of the debate remained the same as the previous days: the soaring price of iron. He had managed to evade the issue with vague answers a few times before, but this time, he feared he was in dire straits.

The joint project of Dongjiao University and the Royal Academy of Sciences to construct railways had already become a hot topic of discussion.

As the railway stretched further and further, emerging from the wilderness and approaching densely populated areas, the matter began to escalate.

Initially, nobody paid much attention to this trivial matter, assuming it was just another strange invention from the Academy of Sciences.

The citizens of the capital, well-informed by the "Banshan Daily," had heard too many bizarre tales and were quite open-minded.

However, this time seemed significantly different.

The construction of this railway seemed endless! Almost a year had passed, yet they were still building it with great fervor.

Moreover, curious onlookers frequently visited the construction site and often saw the Embroidered Uniform Guards patrolling the railway line.

Various rumors began to spread like wildfire among the populace, each trying to guess what these two iron rails were for.

Of course, Fang Zheng Yi ignored any superstitious beliefs that didn't affect the railway construction. But he cracked down hard on anyone who spread malicious rumors!

After some correction, popular wisdom finally seemed to have reached a consensus about the railway.

Dongda, through scientific research, was building armor on the dragon vein to protect the nation's destiny.

This even sparked a trend, with many people taking leisurely strolls along the railway line after a full meal to aid digestion.

They hoped to absorb some of the dragon energy, hoping for a better life in the coming year.

As for the officials in the court, they scoffed at this explanation.

Dragon vein?

Dragon veins had official explanations! You can't just build a broken road and claim there's a dragon vein underneath!

After much investigation and research, they also reached a unified conclusion.

Fang Zheng Yi was simply burning money, indulging in grandiose projects and wanting to pave roads with iron!

Moreover, because there wasn't enough iron, he only laid down two seemingly iron strips.

That thing probably required specially made wheels for carriages to run on it.

There was no other possibility.

This conclusion was mainly based on the fact that this guy had a previous record and seemed to have an unusual enthusiasm for road construction.

Moreover, the railway was clearly being built alongside the road between Taoyuan County and the capital.

From their perspective, the road connecting Taoyuan County to the capital was already unparalleled.

Was this a good thing? No, exceeding the standard by too much was simply a waste of money!

Why build it so well? Wasn't it enough if it was passable?

However, since he was paying for it himself, let him pave it as he pleased. In a few years, it would all rust away, and people would laugh at him.

But as the railway construction showed no sign of stopping, the price of iron rose again and again.

Even though Fang Zheng Yi had used various channels to purchase raw iron resources, it still resulted in a shortage of raw iron in the capital region.

At this point, everyone was completely panicked!

It's not scary to have a tycoon, but it's scary when a tycoon spends money recklessly!

Salt and iron were national strategic resources. If you desperately hoard raw iron, causing market scarcity and high prices,

What was the court supposed to do?

The Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works, having discovered budget overruns early on, immediately joined forces and launched an attack.

Although, with the current level of knowledge, everyone didn't understand what economics was.

But they understood that supply and demand determined price, which was an unchanging truth!

If Fang Zheng Yi was allowed to continue building recklessly, regardless of cost,

Could the army still manufacture military supplies for the soldiers and border troops? Could the various projects under the Bureau of Manufacturing under the Ministry of Works continue?

In the end, the expenses would all fall on the Ministry of Revenue.

"Master Fang, say something! Don't stand there pretending to be innocent. You're the one who caused all this trouble!" Feng Jie of the Ministry of War had been staring at him for a long time.

Emperor Jing swept his gaze over Fang Zheng Yi, a wry smile in his heart.

He was the most awkward one in the court.

Although he didn't know what this railway was for, he had struck the first blow.

Moreover, Zheng Yi had said at the time that he wanted to show his filial piety.

He couldn't possibly stop his worthy son-in-law from expressing his filial piety, could he... Moreover, he didn't know how much money had been invested in it now.

The money for buying iron hadn't come from the imperial treasury, so he was now caught in a dilemma.

Surrounded by the gazes of 'wolves,' Fang Zheng Yi reluctantly stood up.

The road test will start in two days. There's less than a month left until completion, and then we'll prepare a big news.

Now these people are entangled endlessly, with fierce emotions, and it is impossible not to give an explanation now.

"Your Majesty, I am building the railway for the sake of the people of the world. During the construction of the railway, I hired countless workers, benefiting many people. The people praise that I am doing a good deed by building the railway. What is wrong with that?"

"Master Fang, don't avoid the important things. No one objects to you spending your own money on building things. But now your actions have affected the price of iron ore, which in turn has affected the entire court. This is no longer your own business!" Feng Jie said sternly.

"Your Majesty, the matter is urgent. The Ministry of War uses iron ore to cast guns, cannons, swords, and armor, and the amount is unknown. Now the construction of the railway occupies a large amount of iron, which has seriously affected military supplies, and even the price of agricultural tools has been affected. Please order the immediate demolition of the railway, purchase the dismantled steel at a fair price, and recast it for military equipment."

"We agree. Iron and steel are the most precious, and to our Great Jing, they are no less than real gold and silver. How can the world put real gold and silver in the wilderness?"

"Master Fang, even if you have money, you can't waste it like this! It's better to let the court take it away to recover some losses."

"Everyone is doing it for your own good. You can't do stupid things just because you're impulsive!"

Tear it down? Make military equipment?

Fang Zheng Yi was amused. He could tolerate being scolded a few times, but now that it was almost completed, he absolutely could not tolerate the idea of touching the railway!

"Absolutely not! The railway is a national treasure. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and I have worked hard, and you say tear it down? The steel used for the rails was also specially re-smelted and cast. Fair price acquisition, what is the difference from robbery?"

Emperor Jing frowned and said, "A national treasure? Fang Qing, what is the use of the railway? You have been vague about it before. Why don't you just say it straight? It has now affected military and national affairs."

Seeing that he had reached a point where he could no longer delay, Fang Zheng Yi said in a deep voice: "The railway is extraordinary. To put it bluntly, the railway will be a magic weapon to protect the country's destiny in the future. I was afraid that someone would come out to cause trouble and unpredictable things would happen, so I have not been able to explain it publicly."

Protect the country's destiny? Isn't this a folk rumor? Did a group of people really guess it?

The courtiers were in an uproar. Everyone went to Dongjiao University every month to attend classes and learn science. It turned out that you were playing superstition yourself?

Everyone spent a lot of effort guessing what this broken railway was for, but in the end, it was a metaphysical reason?

"So it's true that, as the folk rumors say, it's to build armor for the dragon vein?"

"Stop joking, when did the dragon vein run to Dongjiao? Master Fang, are you being deceived?"

"Master Fang, you have to be scientific when you speak!!!"

Even Emperor Jing felt a little flustered.

Zheng Yi has always been quite shrewd. Was he bewitched by a wandering sorcerer? He even believed that building a railway could protect the country's destiny.

He spared no expense to protect the dragon vein?

You can't show filial piety like this. If you fall into poverty, I will have to support you.

"Please give me two more months, Your Majesty. Within two months, I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation. If you are not satisfied at that time, tear down the railway. You can take whatever you like for free, and I, Fang Zheng Yi, will have no complaints!" Fang Zheng Yi ignored the discussion and said firmly.

Let them say whatever they want, as long as they can survive until the railway is successfully born and comes into the world.

The courtiers shook their heads and sighed.

It's hopeless. Superstition kills people.

Seeing that no one responded, Fang Zheng Yi gritted his teeth and upped the ante: "If you are not satisfied at that time, castrate me, and I will enter the palace to be a companion to the imperial grandson!"

......