Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Emperor Jing, taking the lead, returned with his entourage, engaging in casual conversation along the way.

They seemed tired, or perhaps they were still processing the information from earlier.

Upon returning to the campsite, Emperor Jing entered his tent without saying much.

Just as Fang Zheng Yi dismounted, a group of old men greeted him with smiling faces.

This sudden welcome caught Fang Zheng Yi off guard, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

Led by Zheng Qiao, they cupped their hands in salute to Fang Zheng Yi, flattering him, “Lord Fang, it seems you have gained much today, returning alongside His Majesty. Could it be that the new weapon has proven effective?”

“Where is the prey? Lord Fang, allow us to witness the prowess of the Jinyi Wei Commander.”

Li Yuanzhao, disliking crowds, led his horse away.

Fang Zheng Yi, utterly confused, scratched his head: “Huh? What are you all doing? The goods haven't even been brought back yet. What's there to see?”

Zheng Qiao chuckled: “We were just chatting about Lord Fang and expressed our admiration for your achievements at such a young age.”

“The Jinyi Wei has only been established for a short time, yet it's already riding the wave of success. Truly, it's a master of wealth creation.”

“Therefore, we would like to seek guidance from Lord Fang on the methods of governance.”

“Exactly! Exactly! Lord Fang, please enlighten us!”

What's with all this sarcastic talk?

Fang Zheng Yi suspiciously scrutinized the crowd, unable to pinpoint what was wrong, so he simply laughed and said, “So that's it! We're all colleagues, no need to be so polite. Although my official rank is high, you are all older, and I am a junior, so there's no need for such formality! Come, come, let me teach you the way of governance!”

Upon hearing this, the ministers' expressions changed, and they exchanged glances, muttering among themselves.

“Damn it! Give him an inch, and he'll take a mile... How do we respond to that?”

“A miscalculation! A miscalculation! Have you forgotten how shameless he was before?”

Fang Zheng Yi, unconcerned, continued to speak: “The reason you are all confused is because you read too many books! The more you think, the more you hinder your actions.”

“Let me tell you, there's nothing else to it! The Jinyi Wei prioritizes ideology, emphasizes discipline, provides adequate compensation, avoids special privileges, and finally, with my own example, that's all there is to it.”

“As long as one does their job well, talented individuals will flock to me!”

The leading cabinet ministers looked particularly displeased.

This kid is actually giving us a lecture?! Where do we put our old faces? And you setting an example? I spit on that!

No more pretense! Cards on the table!

Zheng Qiao sneered: “Lord Fang sets an example, so you must be working very hard every day, right?”

Fang Zheng Yi looked around and said with a bitter face: “Alas, indeed, I am a little tired, unable to sleep soundly for nights on end. However, when I think of the people in dire straits and His Majesty's earnest expectations, this little bit of fatigue is nothing!”

“Indeed, seeing Lord Fang working so hard yet remaining so energetic, it's clear that you've spent a lot of money on self-care!” Someone couldn't help but mock.

Fang Zheng Yi secretly became vigilant.

What's going on? Are they eyeing my money? Why are they suddenly bringing up money?

I have to take control!

“Self-care? Where would I get the money for self-care? A few dozen taels of salary a year, please don't make fun of me.”

“Come, come, let me continue to talk about this way of governance, so everyone can learn.”

Upon hearing this, the ministers' expressions changed!

Here we go again? I'm not playing with you anymore!

It seems that being thick-skinned is indeed impervious to all attacks!

“Lord Fang, a card can now be sold for hundreds or even thousands of taels on the market. This old man thinks your money-making skills are much better than your governance.”

Li Yansong flung his sleeves and left, dropping a sentence.

Zheng Qiao approached and said: “This old man thinks the Jinyi Wei card is nothing, but the pocket watch and grandfather clock are amazing! You say everyone has a pocket watch, but why are only grandfather clocks sold on the market? At ten thousand taels each, I'm afraid Taoyuan County can earn at least nine thousand taels, right?”

Zhang Dongxiang followed closely, raising his thumb and shaking it up and down: “Spending ten thousand taels to give away a card. Lord Fang, you are too cunning, you deserve to be unable to sleep!”

Several people followed behind, leaving a few sarcastic remarks, and the crowd dispersed.

Fang Zheng Yi watched the crowd disperse, understood, and chuckled.

These old geezers, they're complaining that the things in Taoyuan County are too expensive, and they feel like they've been tricked?

It's a voluntary transaction, what terrible consumers!

But this is just a small matter... I'll win them back in a moment.

Two hours later, the rest of the hunters also returned, and the attendants who had been counting and transporting the prey in the forest gradually made their way back.

Dragging deer, roe deer, pheasants, rabbits, and other small animals, they were sorted and placed on the ground.

Many skilled military officers had a full load!

They were excitedly discussing among themselves, saying that the prey in the forest today was unusually abundant, which meant that a lot had been placed there.

However, Fang Zheng Yi's pile... was significantly smaller.

He had originally intended to make a splash by hunting, but unexpectedly Emperor Jing appeared halfway, so his harvest was not more than others'.

It could only be considered mediocre.

The military officers also cast their eyes over, but after a few glances, they felt somewhat disappointed.

The civil officials were different! They collectively erupted and swarmed in front of Fang Zheng Yi!

“Lord Fang, I see that the wounds on these animals are unusual. Why aren't there any arrows? Presumably, they were caused by the new weapon.”

“Indeed, indeed! Look at these wounds, they are definitely not ordinary, which shows the power of the new weapon. There's quite a bit of prey, almost half of what others have!”

“Ah! Lord Fang is a civil official, after all, and doesn't understand archery and horsemanship. Being able to catch this much is already very impressive. I would need to be ten years younger to have Lord Fang's harvest today.”

Fang Zheng Yi raised his eyes and looked at the sarcastic people in front of him, the oldest of whom was almost seventy.

They were purely trying to disgust him.

However, he wasn't angry, and he smiled sarcastically.

Damn it, I'll bring out the big weapon in a moment and scare you old geezers to death! By the way, I'll let you know what value for money is!

Emperor Jing changed back into casual clothes and strode out.

Looking at the prey on the ground, he couldn't help but nod to himself.

Although it couldn't be said to be much, the quantity was definitely not small!

Firstly, they might not be proficient in using the muskets, and secondly, they were not very good at hunting. Most importantly, too much time was wasted along the way, and they came back early, so being able to achieve such results was already a surprise.

With so many negative factors combined, it was naturally impossible to compare with those battle-hardened military officers.

Emperor Jing's heart gradually became fiery, and he couldn't wait to say: “No need to count anymore! Fang Qing, quickly bring out the things you prepared today and show them off to everyone!”

Fang Zheng Yi agreed and then smiled slightly, facing the crowd, and said loudly: “Please everyone maintain order and sit down. There were a few mishaps today, so I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Next, I will show you the latest weapons developed in Taoyuan County!”

“Don't blink, and sit tight!”

......