Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

"Pull off something big?" Li Yuanzhao's eyes lit up, "What big thing?"

When it comes to stirring up trouble, he's exceptionally interested, especially when he's stirring up trouble with Lao Fang, it's even more enjoyable.

Moreover, it's even related to gunpowder weapons, which he's been very envious of. Now, there's already a finished product so quickly.

Fang Zheng didn't rush to answer, first pulling him to a secluded place outside the hall.

Seeing that there was no one around, he whispered, "Hunting."

"Hunting?" Li Yuanzhao laughed, "Hunting is interesting, are we going to use gunpowder weapons to hunt?"

"That's right! This thing, I want it to be a hit. I wonder if His Majesty is interested in hunting?"

Li Yuanzhao pondered for a moment: "Yes, Father Emperor likes hunting very much. He even took me hunting twice when I was young, but later he rarely did. In the past two years, he's almost never gone out."

"Lao Fang, where are you planning to hunt? The hunting grounds in the capital have been abandoned for a long time. Besides, it's better to hunt in the autumn, right? The weather is getting hotter and hotter now, and this time is a bit inappropriate."

Fang Zheng said: "It's really inappropriate, but don't we still need time to arrange things? It doesn't matter if it's abandoned, we can just put some more wild animals into the hunting grounds before autumn."

"It's best to get some fierce beasts like tigers, leopards, and wolves, that would be interesting. When the time comes, we'll call all the officials over."

Li Yuanzhao said in surprise: "Lao Fang, I remember you weren't very interested in these things. I think since gunpowder has the power to split mountains and rocks, it would be good to just demonstrate it on the spot."

"Your Highness, there should be a process for everything. I've designed this. Just tell me if you're willing to do it. Can Liu Jin get those wild animals? Let him get some."

"I'm quite interested, but how many do you want? What if too many come and the wild animals get out of control? What if something happens to the officials who are present?" Li Yuanzhao hesitated.

Fang Zheng nodded secretly in his heart.

The Crown Prince is much more stable than before, and he's even starting to consider the safety of the officials.

If this were a few years ago, he would have wanted to put people and tigers in the same cage to watch the fun.

"Since we want to pursue excitement, let's carry it through to the end!" Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders, "Don't worry, Your Highness, there will be plenty of guards protecting you, and there will be gunpowder weapons. There won't be any trouble."

"I guarantee you'll love those weapons!"

Li Yuanzhao clapped his hands excitedly and said: "Then let's do it! What do I dare not do? A man should do something wild. I'll go back and tell Liu Jin to get him dozens of tigers."

"Although I don't hunt much, I'm skilled in archery and horsemanship. I'll show you my strength when the time comes!"

"Hey! Two are enough, Your Highness! The main thing is to get more animals like deer and roe deer." Fang Zheng quickly stopped him.

Damn, get dozens of them, how can you even say that?

If the county could make submachine guns, it would be almost the same. The current muskets can only win by quantity. I don't know how many shots it would take to kill a tiger.

Last time, he almost lost his life when he shot a wild boar.

"Well, I was just kidding. Where can I get so many tigers? There are wolves, though, and there are a lot of them." Li Yuanzhao chuckled.

"Then I can rest assured. I'll leave this matter to Your Highness. Tell Liu Jin to be diligent."

Li Yuanzhao looked at Fang Zheng with a smile in his eyes and said: "Lao Fang, you're putting in so much effort, isn't it also for the sake of opening up the seas?"

Fang Zheng nodded: "Your Highness, just wait and see."

The pocket watch is just the first step, to arouse the court's attention to foreign technology. The second step is to exaggerate the power of gunpowder. As for the third step...

Fang Zheng wasn't in a hurry. It concerned the future direction of the world, so every step had to be steady and well-designed.

It's best to go through the whole process and strive to change everyone's views in one go.

The problem, or rather the trouble, still lies with the court officials.

Emperor Jing, as the Son of Heaven, can't do whatever he wants.

Fang Zheng can handle the big boss, but he can't handle the people below one by one.

Even if he convinces the Emperor, he can't stand people jumping out every now and then to cause trouble for him.

It's absolutely impossible to brainwash this group of smart people in the court with just a mouth and a vision. Now, only real, huge benefits or crises can defeat stubborn ideas.

Fortunately, he has a lot of experience in causing trouble, and he has enough strong cards in his hand.

By the way, it wouldn't be bad to take this opportunity to arrange my father-in-law properly!

Li Yuanzhao said: "Okay! Since you value this matter so much, then I won't ask any more questions. Just tell me if you need any help."

"However... I have something to ask." Saying this, Li Yuanzhao gradually became shy, "Didn't they say that the recruitment of new members for the Embroidered Uniform Guard would be handed over to me for training? Lao Fang, I'm good at training soldiers!"

"No problem, Your Highness. The newspaper is preparing to help the Embroidered Uniform Guard recruit new members. Let's go take a look together."

......

Inside the newspaper, there was a busy atmosphere. A group of malnourished reporters were full of energy, dedicating their lives and youth.

Li Yuanzhao sighed as soon as he arrived at the door: "Lao Fang, what kind of medicine did you give them that night?"

"Although I think working overtime is good, their current state is a bit too much, isn't it?"

"It's almost mealtime. Why aren't they going to eat?"

Fang Zheng was very satisfied: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I asked Xie Xian to give them bonuses. There's also a resident doctor in the newspaper now. If they're too tired, someone will remind them to rest. I think they're working so hard, we should add some afternoon tea or something, and find someone to give them some fruits and snacks every day."

"Fruits and snacks? That stuff doesn't help them sleep. What if they really die from exhaustion?" Li Yuanzhao curled his lips.

"It's considered absenteeism, and their family will have to pay compensation."

"It's still you, I've learned..."

The two walked inside, joking. Xie Xian, Shen Yi, and others were there, but there was a new face.

Old Qi, the carpenter from Taoyuan County.

The three were whispering and chatting about a large wooden box in the room.

It wasn't until Fang Zheng coughed twice that the three stood up straight and greeted him quickly.

Old Qi bowed slightly: "Master, I've brought the clock you wanted. It was just delivered to the mansion, and Miss Xiaotao received it."

Li Yuanzhao had already walked over quickly to check it out. Fang Zheng said in surprise: "It's made so quickly!"

Old Qi nodded: "Yes, Master. The young people in the research institute are very interested in this thing. They've been studying it day and night and have a good understanding of it. It can be made with a little modification."

"But it's a bit more troublesome than a pocket watch. This one needs to be wound up."

"The county said they were going to open a watch shop in the capital. The county government asked me to ask you, how should it be sold?"

Fang Zheng had specifically instructed the county to send a few copies of things like pocket watches and clocks to the capital as soon as they were successfully researched. He really didn't expect them to be so fast!

How much is appropriate to sell it for?

Fang Zheng pinched his chin and pondered, looked at the Crown Prince and Shen Yi, who were sticking their butts up to study the clock, and beckoned Xie Xian and Old Qi.

The three walked to the corner, and Fang Zheng whispered: "What is the cost of this clock?"

Old Qi replied: "It's not expensive, but it's made very large for the sake of convenience. In fact, most of the bottom is just an empty wooden box. Not counting labor, the material cost in the county is probably... less than five taels."

"Sell it for five thousand taels."

.....