Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

The small-scale chaos within Pántài City continued.

Many civilians were injured in the chaos, and some were knocked down by the cavalry's scrapes and collisions.

Álǐ Bái had no choice but to clean up this mess.

Now that the Crown Prince had appeared, creating unforeseen events, it was best not to let him have too much contact with Fāng Zhèngyī.

His teacher was full of tricks; who knew what kind of schemes he would come up with.

"Imperial Preceptor, that's enough. Let's return to the palace now." Álǐ Bái had just delivered an impromptu speech in the streets.

Pàbā's constant guidance behind him made him feel much more relaxed.

Pàbā thought for a moment and said, "Second Prince, this subject suggests that you refrain from giving speeches to the people in the city for the time being. Also, remove all the notices and paintings posted throughout the city, lest they give people the impression that you are an ambitious schemer, which would be detrimental."

Álǐ Bái was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Imperial Preceptor is right, that truly is a wake-up call! I will order people to take care of it now."

Watching Álǐ Bái hurry away, Pàbā sighed inwardly.

What a fool. Fāng Zhèngyī could actually be controlled by him. What kind of handle is so useful?

I wonder what Fāng Zhèngyī is saying in the palace right now. I'll try to delay things as much as I can.

Anyway, I also need to gain Álǐ Bái's trust.

......

Inside the palace, Fāng Zhèngyī and Lǐ Yuánzhào sat side-by-side on the dragon throne.

They chatted about everything under the sun. Fāng Zhèngyī recounted the entire experience in Pántài City in detail.

Lǐ Yuánzhào suddenly asked, "Lǎo Fāng, when you used Mèng Wèimín for publicity in the capital, it didn't seem to produce any negative consequences. Why are you so wary of Álǐ Bái, and even denigrate him?"

Fāng Zhèngyī said, "The two seem similar, but there are actually significant differences."

"Mèng Wèimín focuses on serving as a role model to guide the people, rather than exploiting them. Moreover, he doesn't interfere in court affairs and doesn't hold power. Álǐ Bái is different. The people are merely resources in his hands. He can use these resources to maintain his position, suppress dissidents, and even launch wars. And every action depletes the people's strength."

"But the people are, after all, human beings. Their lives become unsustainable when they are subjected to endless demands."

"But wouldn't it be extremely smooth to get things done with everyone united and focused on a single purpose?"

Fāng Zhèngyī said, "Indeed, focusing all efforts on one goal is universally beneficial. But Your Highness should know that there are more failures than successes in the world, more losses than wins."

"In the short term, unity from top to bottom is like an iron barrel. But once a decision goes wrong and the people's lives become difficult, the population will be torn apart. Those who have not yet fallen into hardship, or those who profit from it, will remain extremely supportive, while those who have fallen into hardship or discovered that they have been deceived will quickly slide to the opposite extreme."

"Once these two extremes gain momentum, they will engage in a battle of positions. Once people take a stand, they will begin to ignore reality and attack each other. At this point, even those who want to solve practical problems and be pragmatic will be dragged into this quagmire and be unable to move."

"If things continue to deteriorate to this point, with no middle ground, I fear that the division of the country will not be far off."

"Is there a solution?" Lǐ Yuánzhào asked.

Fāng Zhèngyī shrugged and said, "As long as the problem is caused by people, then people will definitely have a way to solve it. It's just that some problems require great wisdom and perseverance, coupled with collective efforts, to have a chance of being solved. I am not that kind of person."

"However, Your Highness must remember the events in Pántài City and take them as a warning for the future. For those in power, only restraint can control power. Throughout history, many strongmen have believed that they could rely on their own strength to confront or even change reality, but without exception, they have all failed. Only those who follow the rules can achieve success."

Seeing Lǐ Yuánzhào's thoughtful expression and the somewhat heavy atmosphere, Fāng Zhèngyī smiled and said, "Your Highness, tell me about your experiences. How many battles did you fight along the way?"

At the mention of this, Lǐ Yuánzhào quickly perked up and became excited.

He began to analyze each battle in great detail, down to every detail and local improvement, with spittle flying.

Although Fāng Zhèngyī was not very interested, he kept nodding silently.

It wasn't until he started talking about the battle with Wūtú again that he interjected, "How many of the Jǐnyīwèi brothers were killed or injured?"

Lǐ Yuánzhào immediately fell silent: "War casualties are inevitable. Dozens of brothers died, and more than two hundred were injured."

Such a record was almost impeccable.

But those were, after all, the people he had brought out, and there were even key members from Táoyuán County among them.

Thinking of this, Fāng Zhèngyī stood up: "Your Highness, I want to see what kind of people have died."

"The Jǐnyīwèi should not have been involved in this war, but they died because of me. After returning, I will compensate them one by one."

"Alright, let's go then."

Outside the main hall, nearly three thousand Jǐnyīwèi were lined up neatly, motionless on their horses.

Along the way, although they could not be called seasoned veterans, they had reached a point where they could truly face seasoned veterans without being inferior.

Just standing there, in a neat and solemn state, with battle armor full of dirt and grime, and that invisible aura of murderousness,

Made people feel faintly terrified.

When Fāng Zhèngyī arrived, Lǐ Yuánzhào shouted, "Remove your masks."

The Jǐnyīwèi all took off their masks and looked at Lǐ Yuánzhào.

Fāng Zhèngyī began to walk slowly through the ranks, looking around.

After walking around and seeing that all the familiar faces seemed to be there, he went to the team leader, Zhào Liè, and whispered, "How many brothers from the county were killed or injured? I don't seem to see Lián Guì."

"Master, our people are all here. Our people have been trained by Tiě Gē in battlefield survival methods... It's a pity that the others didn't have time to learn, and dozens of brothers were lost."

"Lián Guì is no longer in the Jǐnyīwèi. He retired and went back to Táoyuán County when you left the capital."

Fāng Zhèngyī asked in confusion, "What's going on? The Jǐnyīwèi's treatment isn't bad. Why go back to the county?"

"Before he left, he said that he came to the Jǐnyīwèi to help you, Master. Now that the Jǐnyīwèi is up and running, it doesn't need him anymore. Besides, he used to be a merchant, so he's not short of money. He said he went back to the county and found a job to retire on."

"Oh? What job?"

Zhào Liè looked around, saw many acquaintances, leaned down to Fāng Zhèngyī's ear and said, "He went to the county bathhouse to scrub people's backs."

"? ? ?"

That cunning old man has actually infiltrated the county bathhouse!

Fāng Zhèngyī shuddered, retreated to the front of the main force, and said loudly, "Brothers, I will remember your life-saving grace. I have come here today, and after returning to the capital, His Highness will reward you all, and I also have a return gift for everyone."

"As for the fallen brothers, the Jǐnyīwèi will arrange to take care of their families and provide additional compensation. In the future, if any brothers on missions outside encounter accidents, they will be resolved according to this method."

The Jǐnyīwèi cheered twice in unison, their faces full of joy.

Lǐ Yuánzhào reminded, "Lǎo Fāng, you're going to bleed heavily. I brought the team out this time in violation of the rules. Whether the Ministry of Revenue will approve the money to take care of the families of the dead is another matter."

"I still have some money. This time it's on me, and I'll try to get it fixed according to the regulations in the future."

Just then.

Álǐ Bái and Pàbā arrived together.

From afar, Álǐ Bái immediately saw that bright figure, and then looked at the face, and his expression immediately darkened...