Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Inside the carriage, Emperor Jing and Fang Zheng were still flattering each other, but below, things had exploded.

Seeing that no one was stopping them, the commoners became more and more energetic, their combat power soaring.

In contrast, those Hanlin scholars, while not exactly weaklings, had long been drained of their physical strength.

The women could still resist somewhat, but the men were immediately overturned into the water.

Those nearby were terrified and, instead of helping, moved further away.

A dozen people overturned more than a hundred kneeling people.

This scene, witnessed by Emperor Jing, naturally filled him with disappointment.

He hadn't expected that his officials were truly a bunch of good-for-nothing wine bags.

The most miserable was Yang Yingcai. The woman had been biting and pinching his arm, and now she was gradually gnawing upwards towards his shoulder.

The situation was clearly getting out of control.

Fang Zheng turned to Emperor Jing and said, "Your Majesty, leave this matter to me. Allow me to say a few more words."

"Alright."

Fang Zheng turned his head and shouted loudly.

"Everyone! Stop! Someone, quickly, take these people away!"

The guards, hearing the order, hurriedly went down to pull the angry commoners aside.

The Hanlin scholars remained silent at this time, not uttering a word despite the sharp pain, and then returned to their original kneeling positions.

Their hearts were filled with confusion.......

Fang Zheng stood on high and said loudly, "This official knows that you are unconvinced, that you believe I, Fang Zheng, am a despicable person!"

"But do you know why the commoners who just beat you acted violently?"

"This official will tell you! Those people's relatives disappeared in the heavy rain, and their whereabouts are still unknown. And the instigator was Yan Guoan!"

"Usually, they are barely clothed and fed, and now, because of a mere rain, they have ended up in such a state."

"I ask you, while they were searching for their relatives day and night, what were you doing? I'm afraid you had prepared jade plates of delicacies, surrounded by beautiful wives and concubines!"

"You claim to love the people like your own children, is this the result of your love for the people!"

"Those commoners who suffered in the rain, whose sons, whose husbands, whose fathers are they?"

"Even now, do you still think that Yan Guoan governed the district well!"

After speaking, Fang Zheng immediately glanced at Emperor Jing without showing any emotion.

Seeing that he was expressionless, he took out a scroll from his waist, unfolded it, and said loudly: "In Dengjin Ward, the heavy rain caused a disaster, resulting in the deaths of twenty-four people and the disappearance of forty-eight! A total of seventy-nine houses collapsed!"

"More than a hundred households had items stolen during the flood! These records were made before Yan Guoan died. The commoners were soaked in the rain for three days and three nights! And Yan Guoan? He didn't take any action, but instead sent people to rescue the scholars and wealthy gentry in the ward!"

"Those people already have many servants at home, why send more people to save them! It's simply a waste of manpower and resources! Utterly foolish!"

"What's even more outrageous is that I haven't finished speaking. Yan Guoan always favored scholars in his judgments. Take the Zhang surname scholar in the ward who beat a commoner. The commoner refused to accept it and went to appeal, but this person was given ten strokes of the board and the case was closed hastily."

"In the end, the record in the case file was a simple sentence: 'A troublemaking commoner makes a false accusation.' Ridiculous... truly ridiculous."

Fang Zheng looked at the case files and felt a fire rising in his heart. If he didn't know better, he would have thought it was a case file from Peach Blossom County.

You, Yan Guoan, dare to be more tyrannical than me?

"So... do you all have anything else to say?"

The commoners below all knelt down with a whoosh, shouting "Lord QingTian."

No official had ever spoken up for them, these ordinary people, like this.

Thinking of their missing family members, they couldn't help but feel grief from the bottom of their hearts, and they all began to sob.

Yang Yingcai and the others, after hearing about Yan Guoan's misdeeds and listening to the commoners' cries, couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of bitter water and lowered their heads.

Their hearts were filled with extreme regret.

Originally, they thought that even if things didn't work out, they could still leave a good name for themselves, but now, not only had they suffered, but they had also become bad people....

Seeing that no one was speaking, Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Good! Everything is according to plan. Now, it's time to broaden the scope!

Then, adjusting his mood, he put on a sorrowful expression.

"Yan Guoan, Lord Yan, is the pillar of the nation in your eyes!"

"His Majesty worked so hard to build this empire, and things can still be like this under the Emperor's nose! How much pain is in His Majesty's heart! Have you thought about it!"

"Yan Guoan has failed the country, failed his ancestors, and failed heaven and earth!"

"And you, although you all stand so grandly on the shore, are you all so clean? I know that some of you even regard Yan Guoan as a model! I advise you to turn out your hearts, lungs, and intestines, expose them to the sun, wash them, and tidy them up!"

"Now that the four seas are settled, the hidden danger of our Great Jing is not at the border but in the court. If we rot a little here, the Great Jing will rot a lot. Think about it carefully!"

"Alas~~"

After speaking, Fang Zheng put his hands behind his back, full of pretense.

As expected, Emperor Jing was moved again, his tiger eyes faintly glistening with tears, and he heavily patted Fang Zheng's shoulders.

"Well said! Fang Qing, these words have spoken to My heart...."

Fang Zheng's expression was heavy, and he pursed his lips tightly.

Teacher Daoming is awesome!

"Your Majesty, I just had to speak my mind... As a minister, one should abide by the principles of loyalty and forgiveness. This is my duty."

Emperor Jing sighed: "If all the ministers in the world were like Fang Qing, why worry about the prosperity of Great Jing?"

Fang Zheng said modestly: "Where, I can only display my ambitions like a Kunpeng because I have met a wise ruler."

Emperor Jing laughed: "Indeed, Fang Qing's talent can be compared to a Kunpeng."

"I dare not, I am just a Kunpeng lover..."

....................

The Hanlin scholars kneeling in the water, listening to Emperor Jing and Fang Zheng praising each other, felt their hearts turn to ashes.

A flattering and sycophantic person has seized the high ground of morality, while they, these "pure streams," have become dirty streams.

Lost... truly and completely lost.

Without any face, a complete defeat!

Someone in the crowd kept saying despondently: "Do we... still have to kneel?"

Yang Yingcai, listening to the discussions coming from his ears, felt his heart bleeding.

In the end, he couldn't help but open his mouth and say: "Your Majesty! Yan Guoan is certainly guilty... but under such a natural disaster, who can escape unscathed."

"Dengjin Ward is inherently low-lying and poorly located. There are also many petty thieves on weekdays."

"Can Yan Guoan be beheaded for this?"

"I am not convinced!"

"Silence!" This time, Emperor Jing was truly angry. With both human and material evidence present, how dare you argue!

Just as he was about to explode, Fang Zheng opened his mouth and said: "Your Majesty, why not invite them to Banshan Ward for a look? I... have already made arrangements."

Emperor Jing looked at Fang Zheng with appreciation.

Wonderful, truly wonderful. His words and actions can make people obey obediently.

In comparison, Guo Banban is becoming more and more useless!

The more Emperor Jing thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn't help but glare at Guo Tianyang beside him.

"? ? ?"

Guo Tianyang was at a loss.

"Approved, prepare the carriage, Banshan Ward!"

...........