Royal Gold Magistrate

“Young Master, get up. The miners who went out have returned and are waiting to see you.”

Xiao Tao stood by Fang Zheng’s bedside, looking helpless.

Fang Zheng rubbed his sleepy eyes and mumbled, “I know! Give them the silver. I’ll sleep a bit more…”

With that, he turned over, hugged his quilt, and went back to sleep.

Xiao Tao pushed him hard a couple of times. “Get up! The miners who went to help with the disaster relief are back!!”

“Hmm! Miners?” Only then did Fang Zheng groggily recall that he had sent twenty men to Jianjiang for disaster relief. He didn’t know if they had succeeded or not.

But their return was good news regardless.

Remembering this, Fang Zheng instantly perked up and quickly jumped out of bed. “Let’s go take a look!”

“Young Master! You haven’t washed your face yet!”

………………………………..

When the miners saw Fang Zheng appear, they all became excited and started bowing in greeting one after another.

Fang Zheng waved at them and said with a smile, “Great, it seems you succeeded? Did everything go smoothly? Was anyone injured?”

Ding Kai hurriedly stepped forward and said excitedly, “Master! We succeeded! Everything went smoothly, and no one was hurt.”

“Hahaha, excellent!! Then collect your silver and go home to rest. You’ve worked hard!” Fang Zheng was overjoyed in his heart. As expected, this deal had paid off. Not only had he sold that gunpowder, but he had also earned several tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Old Li, that old fellow, was really lucky. With this deal, he would probably soar to great heights in the future!

Ding Kai hesitated and said, “But… we picked up a person on the way…”

“What? Picked up a person? Where?”

The miners all stepped aside. A mud monkey was lying on the ground.

“What the heck is this? Is this a person!??” Fang Zheng was dumbfounded. This thing was covered in mud, black as coal, curled up in a ball. But he could roughly make out that it was a primate.

Ding Kai had a silly grin on his face. “Yes! We saw him on the way back. Feeling sorry for him, we brought him back. He’s still breathing.”

“He’s been unconscious for several days. We gave him some meat soup to drink every day, and fortunately, he’s still alive.”

“Um… Master, we’ll leave him with you then. We’ll be going now!”

With that, the group of miners dropped the person and scurried away.

Fang Zheng stomped his feet in anger. These unruly people! They were getting more and more out of line!

They actually picked up a half-dead person and directly dumped him at the yamen!

“Xiao Tao, quickly find someone to wash him, then send him to the medical hall. Handle it as you see fit!”

“Ah, now that this matter is done, hasn’t Old Li made a fortune? Have Zhang Biao keep a close eye on him. The moment Old Li enters the city, have him summoned to me immediately. I’m still waiting to collect the debt!”

……………………………………………………………..

In the imperial court, the ministers were already in a heated argument.

Emperor Jing held his head, looking at the group of anxious ministers below, their faces red and ears hot, clamoring for him to send people and money to support Jianjiang.

The news from Jianjiang Prefecture was reported daily, and the flood disaster was actually getting more and more severe.

The officials from the southern regions, especially those from Jianjiang Prefecture, were even more emotionally agitated, and some even got into fights with their colleagues over differing opinions.

This situation had already occurred several times.

Emperor Jing had endured the pressure for more than ten consecutive days and also felt that he couldn’t hold on much longer.

Emperor Jing often wondered if the people from Taoyuan County had succeeded or not. Why was there no news after so long? If Fang Zheng’s side had failed and the court had taken no action, how would the annals of history record him?

Wouldn’t he then become an incompetent ruler!?

Chen Shu, an Imperial Censor of the Ministry of Revenue, reacted the most intensely. Although the position of Imperial Censor was low in rank, it carried great responsibility, with the function of inspecting the various bureaus of the Ministry of Revenue and even the power to reject imperial edicts.

It could be said that he was a fighter among the officials who spoke out against corruption.

More importantly, Chen Shu’s hometown was in Jianjiang… The letters from home kept urging him to petition the Emperor. His hometown was on the verge of a popular uprising, and they might not even be able to plant the fields this year.

Chen Shu was also anxious. He frantically submitted memorials to Emperor Jing, but these memorials all sank into the sea without receiving any response, like stones.

Today, seeing Emperor Jing still acting as if it had nothing to do with him, Chen Shu finally couldn’t take it anymore.

He said loudly, “Your Majesty! The public opinion is now in an uproar, and the news from Jianjiang has already spread to the capital!”

“It has been more than ten days since receiving the request for aid from Jianjiang, yet a decision still cannot be made! Your subject dares to ask, what exactly is Your Majesty thinking!?”

“The people are plunged into a sea of misery, while the court does nothing. How will future generations view today’s events!”

“Please, Your Majesty, think thrice!!!”

With that, Chen Shu knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily!

Many of his fellow officials who also spoke out against corruption saw Chen Shu’s courage and quickly followed suit, kneeling down.

“Please, Your Majesty, think thrice!”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing was instantly furious. He immediately stood up and angrily said, “Chen Shu! Are you lecturing me!?”

Emperor Jing was a powerful emperor with great authority. Even the officials who spoke out against corruption rarely disobeyed him.

Even Chen Shu, as an upright official, couldn’t help feeling some regret in his heart after speaking.

But with things having reached this point, Chen Shu steeled his heart and continued, “Your subject does not dare! But the people of Jianjiang are currently plunged into a dire situation! If the court does nothing, your subject fears it will incite criticism from the people of the world!”

Emperor Jing laughed in extreme anger, “Good! Good! Since you’re so anxious, I might as well confiscate your family’s property and send it to Jianjiang Prefecture. Consider it fulfilling your heartfelt love for the people.”

Confiscate property?! This was an incompetent ruler…

Chen Shu’s face instantly turned pale. “Your subject is offering loyal advice!”

Emperor Jing was currently in a fit of rage. Hearing Chen Shu still being stubborn, he said coldly, “What a loyal minister of my Great Jing. I will fulfill your loyalty. I bestow upon you my imperial horse. Go to Jianjiang immediately for disaster relief!”

Chen Shu lowered his head, sweating like rain. At this moment, he didn’t dare say a single word.

He had misspoken…

His Majesty was determined to ruin him… What to do! What to do!

Li Yansong timely stepped out to smooth things over. He said slowly, “Your Majesty, please think thrice. Chen Shu’s crime does not warrant this. But this old minister also wants to know… why is Your Majesty unwilling to support Jianjiang?”

Seeing him speak up, Emperor Jing gradually calmed down. “Teacher Li? Even you want to question my decision?”

Li Yansong said with a bitter smile, “Your minister is not questioning Your Majesty, just not understanding why…”

Emperor Jing was instantly at a loss for words… Indeed, it was normal to not understand. The imperial guards sent out had been gone for a long time without any news. Even the Cabinet couldn’t hold on any longer. Should he continue?

Emperor Jing suddenly felt at a loss, truly not knowing what to do for a moment.

Looking at the many gazes below the steps, Emperor Jing suddenly wavered… Perhaps the people from Taoyuan County had already failed. He had done his best to hold on until today.

Forget it. It seemed that he had been wrong to trust Fang Zheng after all.

Just as he was about to speak, a young eunuch suddenly stumbled in from outside the hall, shouting, “Urgent report!! Urgent report from Jianjiang!!”