Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Since the triumphant return of the Great Jing Dynasty, a wave of excitement had undoubtedly swept through the capital.

A festive atmosphere permeated every level of society.

However, this jubilation had little to do with Fang Zheng Yi.

He had taken leave and remained in Tao Yuan County.

Firstly, he wanted to observe the Jing Emperor's condition. Secondly, he had been somewhat traumatized by the battlefield.

The countless corpses and blood-soaked ground occasionally reappeared in his dreams.

He could ignore it under stress.

But now that he had returned home and completely relaxed, the memories still made him feel nauseous.

In the end, he was too much of a saint. He hadn't cultivated the habit of frequently killing people.

As a result, he still found such scenes difficult to accept.

He decided to take advantage of his leave and rest for a few more days.

This break lasted for more than a month. Li Yuan Zhao summoned him back countless times, but he refused each time.

Li Yuan Zhao was unable to leave the court. In later letters, he specifically cursed Fang Zheng Yi several times.

Eventually, he gave up.

It wasn't that Fang Zheng Yi hadn't considered returning, but after observing the Jing Emperor for more than a month, it seemed that he was genuinely ill.

It had come so suddenly.

From his limited understanding of senile dementia, the disease appeared suddenly, with subtle and difficult-to-detect signs, and deteriorated rapidly.

Without proper scientific care, it could worsen within two years, even leading to disorientation.

The only thing he could do now was to recuperate.

It was nothing more than the same old remedies: eat well, sleep well, and stay in a good mood.

However, contracting this disease wasn't too difficult to accept, as the Jing Emperor was already in his twilight years.

The only thing that made Fang Zheng Yi happy during this period was that Li Zhi, who had been conducting research in the county, had finally written a book.

"On the Boundary Between Self and Others."

The impact of this book on Fang Zheng Yi was no less than a nuclear bomb exploding in his heart.

There were too many geniuses in this world, and even more outstanding and innovative ideas were constantly emerging.

Li Zhi was undoubtedly a genius among geniuses, unafraid of the powerful and noble, with a free spirit...

Fang Zheng Yi even admitted in his heart that Li Zhi, as a scholar born in a feudal imperial era,

had a mindset more like that of a qualified citizen than he, a modern person.

However, it wasn't yet time to release this book to the market. It would certainly cause a great uproar...

But it would undoubtedly inspire countless people's minds for generations to come.

That night, Fang Zheng Yi was in his study, carefully reading Li Zhi's masterpiece, preparing to extract some usable parts to release first.

As he was engrossed in his research, the door was kicked open with a loud bang!

Fang Zheng Yi's heart tightened. He looked up and immediately closed the book, placing it face down on the table.

A familiar voice entered his ears, but it was filled with rage.

"Lao Fang, what's the meaning of this! Did you have to wait for me to personally drag you back?"

Fang Zheng Yi raised his eyes and saw Li Yuan Zhao's angry face.

"Oh, Your Majesty has arrived! I was just preparing to return to the capital tomorrow."

"Stop pretending! Do you think I don't know you? If I didn't come to get you, you'd laze around forever!" Li Yuan Zhao stepped forward, grabbed Fang Zheng Yi, and dragged him out. "Let's go! I've prepared a carriage and a train. You're staying in the palace tonight."

"Listen to my explanation."

"I won't listen!"

Fang Zheng Yi quickly patted his hand: "Let's talk this over."

Li Yuan Zhao released his hand, crossed his arms, and said: "Alright, I'm going to listen to what you want to explain."

Fang Zheng Yi smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes and sighed softly: "Since you're here, let's go for a walk."

"Let's go."

The two left the county office's backyard and walked onto the street.

The streets were deserted, the bright moon hung high, and the stars filled the sky.

A few shops had lanterns lit at night.

Making the streets less dark.

The two walked side by side on the street. Li Yuan Zhao asked: "Can you tell me now?"

Fang Zheng Yi sighed: "Father Emperor is ill."

"Ill!" Li Yuan Zhao's face showed surprise. "Such a big matter, how come no one has ever told me! And Father Emperor never mentioned it in his letters to me!"

"This illness... let's call it amnesia for now. There are no major physical problems for the time being, but he easily forgets things." Fang Zheng Yi pointed to his head. "Little by little, eventually many things will be forgotten, even you and me."

"This..."

Li Yuan Zhao stopped, his expression not very clear in the darkness.

But Fang Zheng Yi could vaguely see the muscles in his face twitching.

"Then you should find the Tao Yuan Medical Hall to treat him!"

"It can't be cured, it can only be treated with rest..." Fang Zheng Yi said faintly, "I don't know how fast his illness will progress, so I want to keep an eye on him at all times."

"As for Your Majesty, this is not something you should be concerned about. You have too many responsibilities on your shoulders, and Father Emperor doesn't want you to be distracted by this."

"Father Emperor might forget me! How can you expect me not to be distracted!" Li Yuan Zhao stamped his feet in anger.

"With me here, you can rest assured."

"Father Emperor is unwilling to return to the palace, I can't control him. You insist on personally taking care of Father Emperor, are you planning not to return to the capital forever?" Li Yuan Zhao widened his eyes. "Leaving me alone?"

"You're overthinking it. There are so many people in the court. It can keep running no matter who's gone." Fang Zheng Yi said easily.

"We've supported each other for so many years. I can't do without you. Without you, I'm like a blind man without a cane." Li Yuan Zhao grabbed Fang Zheng Yi earnestly. "You go persuade Father Emperor to return to the palace together. Everything will be resolved. This is just a small matter, right?"

"But Father Emperor is unwilling. He wants to retain some dignity for himself." Fang Zheng Yi turned around and said just as earnestly, "Your Majesty, you don't need me anymore. You can already handle things on your own, can't you?"

"I know what I'm doing. I, Fang Zheng Yi, am just an ordinary person. I've already given everything I've thought and learned to this world. There are many people smarter than me."

"No, no, no, I only want you. No one in the world is stronger than you." Li Yuan Zhao completely panicked. "I... this time, the rewards for the Western Expedition have already been decided."

Li Yuan Zhao said, holding Fang Zheng Yi's shoulders, solemnly: "Do you know what I've awarded you? I'm going to make you a king, a king who stands shoulder to shoulder with me! From now on, you'll be on equal footing with me! I originally planned to tell you on the day of the awards... How many people in history have been a king who stands shoulder to shoulder..."

"Are you willing?"

"I'm not willing."

Li Yuan Zhao was stunned. He thought Fang Zheng Yi would refuse, but he didn't expect it to be so straightforward.

Based on his understanding of Fang Zheng Yi, this was definitely true! He really wasn't interested!

Fang Zheng Yi said calmly: "I'm not interested in wealth or power, but I'm very happy."

"Happy that Your Majesty is willing to share power with me. That's enough. There's no better reward than that."

Fang Zheng Yi looked up at the moon and murmured: "Do you know how much I expect from you? I hope you can become a good emperor, not just a great emperor of the ages, but an emperor who can profoundly influence future generations and transcend history."

"What you have to pay is courage that the world cannot accept, to make the sun fall."

"I am willing to be an emperor who transcends history, but I don't understand what you're saying." Li Yuan Zhao said, confused.

Fang Zheng Yi lowered his head and looked at him squarely: "It doesn't matter if you don't understand. I will tell you everything in detail and without reservation in the future. Some things... must have me."

"Then why don't you tell me now?"

"The time is not right, and I still have to take care of Father Emperor. I left home at a young age and haven't seen my parents. I don't want to have any more regrets in this life." After saying that, Fang Zheng Yi continued to walk forward on his own.

Why is Lao Fang talking so cryptically today!

Li Yuan Zhao waved his hand irritably, looked at Fang Zheng Yi, who had already walked several meters away, and shouted: "Are you homesick? Where is your home? I can go back with you! Just give me a straight answer! Are you coming back to the capital with me now, or should I give you another month... Even if you die, you have to stay with me!"

Fang Zheng Yi didn't answer, but walked straight ahead with his hands behind his back, humming a little tune.

"A long road, I accompany you to break through

Bring a body of courage and enthusiasm

Seek myself, seek true love

Where I stop, I treat it as my home

Throw myself into the fire of fate

How can the loss be measured

Ride a horse across the rivers and lakes

Who is nervous about the past..."

......

(I've put the music on Douyin, everyone can search for my ID)