Royal Gold Magistrate - Chapter 201
Xie Xian was shocked, “What! Master, you’ve been demoted? Was it because our activities were exposed and implicated you?”
Fang Zheng smiled faintly, “Demoted to Assistant Prefect of Jianjiang, of course it’s related to you!”
“Who told you to steal grain and start a cult! I was so worried you’d cause trouble that I rushed to arrange grain in the capital, offending quite a few people!”
“Times have changed. I work by the Emperor’s side now. It doesn’t matter if you’re stealing from unscrupulous rich bastards or if the entire Jianjiang government is corrupt.”
“What you’re doing is called rebellion!”
Fang Zheng’s voice grew louder, “Rebellion! Do you understand?”
“As soon as I entered the capital, the entire court looked at me with disdain. You’ve given them such a big handle against me here! Do you want me dead? If I die, are you planning to take over Taoyuan County?”
In the capital, no matter how much he pushed the boundaries, as long as he didn’t cross the Emperor’s bottom line, he could do whatever he wanted!
After all, his value and that of Taoyuan County was significant enough, and the gunpowder was still being researched. Emperor Jing valued this more than anything.
But rebellion was never an exception, especially since Emperor Jing was a vigorous emperor in his prime who led from horseback.
He could disregard the ministers, but disregarding imperial power would be truly idiotic.
“And you dare to start a cult! 5,500 people! Can you control them? When these people are starving, they’ll become rebels!”
Shen Zhaoxuan’s face turned pale. His lips moved slightly, wanting to say something, but he didn’t dare speak.
The room fell into dead silence.
Xie Xian said remorsefully, “Master… I told him to disband the Self-Reliance Sect half a month ago, but now it’s indeed hard to control… Give us a bit more time.”
Shen Zhaoxuan stammered, “Yes… some of the lower-ranked members are hard to manage. Master, please give me a little more time…”
Fang Zheng sneered, “More time? Do you want to take over Jianjiang?”
“Go! Invite those uncontrollable people out, gather the followers, and in front of them, prepare some wine and food! Treat those troublemakers to a good meal!”
Shen Zhaoxuan’s eyes lit up!
Of course! Sow discord among them.
When it came to being devious, the Master was still the best. He had taken all the bamboo shoots in Taoyuan County.
“Alright! I’ll do it right away!” With that, Shen Zhaoxuan hurried out.
“Wait! Go after the meeting is over.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhaoxuan sat back down.
Xie Xian asked nervously, “Master, should we go back?”
Fang Zheng leaned back in his chair, smiling again, “Don’t be nervous. Of course, I also want to provide disaster relief. Since we’re here, let’s do a good job.”
“I’ve arranged a batch of grain in the capital, nearly 20,000 stone. It should have arrived in Jianjiang Prefecture a few days ago. Have you heard any news about this?”
Xie Xian shook his head, looking confused, “We don’t know. There’s no news in the city about grain arriving.”
“Moreover… the gruel in the soup kitchens outside the city is getting thinner. I heard nearly a hundred people have starved to death in the past month.”
“Hmm… I see.” Fang Zheng didn’t ask further.
Listening only to his own people wasn’t enough to understand the local situation. He’d need to inquire at the government office. He’d deal with it in a couple of days when he officially took office.
“I brought 100 stone of sweet potatoes from the capital. The port was crowded, so we took the land route. They should arrive a bit later.”
“Xie Xian, later send someone to a place called Feng Village to wait and receive them. I haven’t decided whether to plant or eat these sweet potatoes yet, so store them properly for now.”
“While land prices are falling, buy more farmland in Jianjiang!”
“Also, don’t act on stealing grain yet. Wait for my arrangements.”
Fang Zheng closed his eyes, planning in his mind.
“That should be all! From now on, I’ll be staying in this house. The rest of you find your own accommodations.”
“If there’s anything, gather at the pleasure boat. Bai Rui, you stay with me.”
With that, Fang Zheng left with his hands behind his back. Bai Rui hurriedly followed.
The others looked at each other in confusion.
“So what should we do?”
Xie Xian smiled, “Just do what you’ve been doing. Judging by the Master’s reaction, he seems quite satisfied with us!”
“If there’s nothing else, let’s disperse.”
Zhou Tie grinned, “Zhang Biao didn’t come! So I’ll be the one to protect the Master!”
Just as he finished speaking, Zhang Biao’s loud voice came from the courtyard, “Hey, everyone’s here! Damn, this place was hard to find!”
Zhou Tie’s face quickly fell.
Seeing Zhang Biao and the others, everyone greeted them.
“Oh, Old Qi and Master Wu are here too? And you’ve brought a monk?”
Lian Gui grinned widely, “Brother Biao! Zhou Tie has developed a new blade technique! He claims he can take your head in three moves!”
“Why don’t you two have a match?”
“Oh!?” Zhang Biao’s eyes lit up. He jogged over to Zhou Tie and slapped his shoulder.
“I didn’t expect you to improve. Come on! Let’s have a go!”
With that, Zhang Biao threw off his shirt, revealing his bare upper body, and walked to the center of the courtyard.
His shirt, filled with hidden weapons, hit the ground with a thud.
Zhou Tie trembled all over and secretly glanced back at Zhang Biao.
Seeing him bare-handed, Zhou Tie gritted his teeth and walked over with his blade.
Seeing this, everyone shook their heads.
Too amateurish! Still using a blade, how weak could he be?
Zhang Biao didn’t mind seeing him approach with a blade. He chuckled, “Alright, I’ll let you use the blade. Come on!”
“Do you dare to use just one hand?” Zhou Tie shamelessly shouted.
The surrounding crowd burst into laughter.
“You have no shame at all! You’re holding a blade and you want him to use one hand?”
Zhou Tie’s face turned red. He shouted, “Don’t laugh, don’t laugh! What do you know? I’m still not fully recovered!”
Zhang Biao impatiently put one hand behind his back, “Hurry up, are we fighting or not?”
Hearing this, Zhou Tie immediately became serious. He stood with his blade at the ready, “Hmph, don’t say I’m bullying you. I’ve just created a new blade technique. I can take your head in three moves!”
“I’ll count to three, and we’ll start immediately.”
Zhang Biao nodded helplessly. You’re really dragging this out!
“Three!” Zhou Tie shouted and charged forward.
The onlookers were dumbfounded! This guy really had no shame in his desire to win!
However, before anyone could criticize him, the fight was already over.
They saw Zhou Tie charging forward with flashy blade movements, but Zhang Biao kicked out, stirring up a cloud of dust.
In the dust, Zhou Tie wailed, “My eyes!” before flying into the wall.
Zhang Biao slowly walked out of the dust cloud, patting the dirt off his pants. He said disdainfully, “Too weak, even worse than before.”
Everyone swallowed hard, then looked at Zhou Tie.
Zhou Tie, holding his stomach with one hand and supporting himself against the wall with the other, was still weakly shouting, “Despicable… *cough*… fighting like a country bumpkin… wait until I’m fully recovered… *cough*!”
Everyone looked at him with contempt, saying nothing, and gathered around Wu Sheng and the others…