Fang Zheng blinked, somewhat surprised.

In fact, the imperial court's reward had already been issued, and the people in his research institute had also received the bounty.

But he has never been rewarded.

However, he was not surprised by this situation. The reward must be huge, and it was difficult for the court to consider, so it was normal for it to be slow.

And he never asked anyone.

There is nothing to ask. If you want status, you have it. If you want money, you have it.

Besides, our base is in Taoyuan County.

In fact, the rewards from the court have never mattered to him.

He even looked down upon the rewards of gold, silver, copper, iron, brocade and silk.

As for reputation...

If nothing unexpected happens, history has already taken his shape.

What fame do you want? Ten emperors piled up together can't compare to him!

So he basically forgot about it.

Now that Emperor Jing mentioned it, he became a little curious.

Fang Zhengyi then asked softly, "May I ask what reward Your Majesty has given me?"

Facing Fang Zhengyi's gaze, Emperor Jing seemed a little hesitant. After a moment, he said, "The previous emperor has a rule that no one can be granted a title without military merit. Although this rule has been broken before, your contribution this time is so great that it is rare in the world and is far beyond the reach of ordinary rewards."

"I have decided to make an exception and confer you the title of Marquis of Jianye, a hereditary title. The official decree will be issued in two days."

Marquis of Jianye, was given a title of marquis?

Fang Zhengyi was calm and composed, forcing out a brilliant smile: "I am truly honored and unworthy of this opportunity!"

Emperor Jing waved his sleeves and said with a smile: "No need to be modest in front of me. The construction of your mansion will be paid for by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Build it well and make it perfect!"

"I thank Your Majesty!" Fang Zheng said solemnly.

"Congratulations, Marquis Jianye." Several cabinet scholars congratulated him in unison, and Fang Zheng smiled and bowed in return.

The message had been delivered, and Emperor Jing waved his hand gently: "The matter of Fei Ka has been settled today, and you can go and do your work."

"We will take our leave now." After saying goodbye, several cabinet scholars and Fang Zheng left the warm room one by one.

Only Li Yuanzhao remained there with an expressionless face.

Emperor Jing glanced at him and said, "Why don't you leave? Don't you always dislike being idle in the palace?"

Li Yuanzhao pursed his lips and said, "I feel that the reward given to Old Fang is a bit too light. The steam locomotive has suddenly appeared. In my opinion, this is a miracle that has never happened before. Even making him a king is not too much! The court has been discussing for so long, and in the end they only made him a marquis?"

Emperor Jing said with a wooden face: "How dare you! You have no say in the decision made by the entire court. Get out!"

"No!" Li Yuanzhao was stubborn. "My father once said that only by clearly distinguishing rewards and punishments can we win the support of the people. Everyone can see the contribution of the train, so how can we win the support of the people in the future?"

"Are you questioning me? Bastard!" Emperor Jing was furious and raised his hand to hit him, but when he saw that Li Yuanzhao had no intention of backing down, he slowly retracted his raised hand.

He waved his hand helplessly: "Since the founding of our Dajing Kingdom, how many people have been crowned kings with different surnames? This matter has been settled... Stop making trouble."

"No, how can I be convinced if I am not convinced? I want to hear an explanation today." Li Yuanzhao did not give in.

Emperor Jing glanced at him and said, "How do you know that Zhengyi is dissatisfied in his heart? You still don't know him well enough. He is lazy by nature. Official positions are insignificant to him, and he doesn't care about empty reputation."

"If someone else knew that the court had a reward, they would have jumped up and down to ask about it. But what about him? He never asked anyone, which shows that he doesn't care at all."

"Oh, it would be better to give him some silver than to confer him a marquisate, which would make him happier. But I am not as rich as him! He spent tens of millions of taels on researching the steam engine. It is said that the emperor is rich, but I have never been so rich in my life!" Emperor Jing felt a little aggrieved as he spoke.

Now the largest portion of the treasury income is still provided by Taoyuan County...

If you don't want to think about it, it's fine. But when you think about it, it always feels weird, like you're being kept by someone...

Li Yuanzhao scratched his head.

It seems to be the case!

Seeing him being so confused, Emperor Jing couldn't help but sigh: "To be honest, sometimes I can't see through Zhengyi. Although he is always jumping up and down, he always gives me a sense of detachment."

"He has no desire for power. He loves money, but he spends money without counting the amount. It seems that everything he does is just to achieve his goals. Everything he does is not just for himself. He is strong without desire. I have never seen such a person before."

Emperor Jing paused, stared at Li Yuanzhao and said slowly: "What can I give him to make him happy and satisfied? I can't find the answer."

"Besides, he is too young. Rescuing the famine, opening up to the West, and building trains are all achievements that any official can boast of in his lifetime. Even if I try my best to suppress him, his promotion speed is rare in the world."

"I know that the train is a rare achievement, but although the future prospects of the train are good, it has not yet achieved success, and no one can predict what the future will be like. If I really make him a king and promote him, I am afraid no one in the court will agree. Making him a marquis is the best choice."

"The construction of the Marquis's Mansion this time was funded by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so that he could spare no expense to build it as good as possible. I have already given him the best."

Li Yuanzhao lowered his head, hesitating.

Emperor Jingdi's heartfelt talk left him speechless. It seemed that he had oversimplified the matter.

Seeing that he was silent, Emperor Jing stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder: "He still has a long way to go. We can't let him see the end at a glance. If I really decide to make him a king, I'm afraid he will just lie there in the palace with his lazy bones."

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