"Hey! That was a great scientific experiment, an effort made for the benefit of mankind. Remember to tell the historian." Fang Zhengyi corrected him.
Li Yuanzhao glanced at him sideways and curled his lips in disdain.
"Your Highness, have you ever thought about what would happen if you really killed them?"
"Of course the people applauded." Li Yuanzhao said expressionlessly.
"Wrong! Only a very small number of people will applaud!"
"Only a small number of merchants and vendors were extorted by them. Most people still have a very good impression of the medical team. If we kill them rashly, the people will complain and it will bring bad reputation to Your Highness! This is something no one wants to see."
"Besides, those people are not guilty of such a crime. At most, they should be punished and expelled from the medical team. Killing is the last resort. If we kill people rashly, we will not win the support of the people!"
Li Yuanzhao sighed again: "I know, Old Fang, I was just saying that in anger. You are now very much like those masters in the former Zhanshi Mansion."
Fang Zhengyi licked his lips and couldn't help but touch his chin.
Really? Daddy style coming up?
"Ahem! Your Highness, just take care of the medical team. I won't interfere. What about the rest of the preparations?"
Li Yuanzhao thought for a moment and said, "I am going to abolish the previous management method and return everything to the original state."
"I am willing to pay compensation to the merchants who have been damaged, and apologize in the newspaper... What do you think?"
Fang Zhengyi immediately shook his head: "You can restore it to its original state, but you absolutely cannot apologize or compensate!"
"Your Highness represents the imperial court. How could the imperial court make a mistake? The imperial court is always wise. It is impossible for it to make a mistake, and it is absolutely impossible for it to apologize!"
Li Yuanzhao immediately retorted: "Old Fang, what nonsense are you talking about! Haven't the court made enough mistakes? Haven't there been many emperors in history who issued edicts to accuse themselves of their crimes?"
"Of course there are many, but Your Highness, have you ever seen the imperial court admit its mistakes? In history, there were indeed emperors who issued edicts to accuse themselves of their mistakes, but that was just a means!"
"The people are the most forgetful. We must wait until the matter is properly resolved and the people have forgotten before issuing the edict of apology. By then, the people will be grateful to the emperor. This is the purpose of the edict of apology."
"Your Highness, you have not yet resolved the matter and you are admitting your mistakes in advance. How will others view you? They will say that you are a foolish prince who is causing trouble for the people! If this is brought to His Majesty, His Majesty will lose face!"
Li Yuanzhao's eyes widened and he angrily said, "You can scold me if you want! I made a mistake and I admit it! What does it have to do with my father? Old Fang, you are just too cunning. I am not as shameless as you!"
Fang Zhengyi was so angry that smoke came out of his nostrils.
I am shameless? Who the hell am I doing this for? An ungrateful bastard!
Li Yuanzhao was still chattering: "Oh! Just now you were afraid that the people would complain if I killed someone, but now that I refuse to admit my mistakes, the people will have no complaints!"
"Of course not!" Fang Zheng said confidently, "I just told Your Highness that the people are the most forgetful. Take away what they already have and return it to them after a period of time. Then they will think Your Highness is wise! These are all given by Your Highness. Not only will they not resent you, they will be grateful to you!"
Hearing this, Li Yuanzhao's facial features were squeezed together, and his face was tangled: "Old Fang, you are so shameless. I can't do such a thing."
"But the court has always done this! Are you spending one cent less of the money earned by the court?" Fang Zhengyi's face was full of dissatisfaction.
"Methods! Methods! There is no such thing as shameless or not. It is only right if used righteously, and evil if used evilly! What we pursue is the best result."
"Being straightforward is certainly less troublesome, but if you apologize, the people and the court officials will lose their trust in you, and the resistance you face in the future, whether good or bad, will increase!"
"All you have to do is punish the medical team members openly, fairly, and impartially. You don't have to do anything else!"
Li Yuanzhao lowered his head in deep thought, and Fang Zhengyi did not bother him any further.
After a while, he raised his head and said, "You...what you said makes sense, but can't I compensate the people who were harmed?"
"Of course not!"
"Your Highness, if you open this loophole, there will be no end in sight. As long as the people are willing, they can always blame the court for the failure. Will Your Highness have to pay for it one by one? How much money is enough to pay?"
"If you don't pay, your highness's reputation will be damaged! Therefore, you absolutely cannot pay!"
Li Yuanzhao was visibly disappointed: "So... everything happened because of me, everyone's losses were caused by me, but I can't compensate them at all, right?"
"Right! Mistakes are mistakes! Some mistakes cannot be made up for." Fang Zhengyi gradually became serious: "Your Highness is the crown prince, and one of your mistakes may kill many people! Every order you approve may change the fate of countless people, and there is no medicine for regret."
Li Yuanzhao lowered his head and kept swallowing, looking extremely uncomfortable.
Fang Zhengyi's tone softened. "But everyone grows up through mistakes. This is true for me and everyone in the world... Your Highness, don't be discouraged. Learning a lesson is a good thing. After all, none of us have golden fingers and we will always make mistakes."
Li Yuanzhao raised his head, tears welling up in his eyes, and asked in a muffled voice, "What is the golden finger?"
"Uh... just think of it as something that can make people feel good! It's just a metaphor!"
The golden finger of successful people
Seeing how sad he looked, Fang Zheng pulled out a list from his sleeve like a magic trick and handed it to him.
He whispered, "When you encounter setbacks, don't be discouraged. Sometimes there is still room for recovery!"
"This is a list of damaged businesses. If they can withstand the extortion of the health team, it means they have some assets and will be able to make a comeback in the future."
"Although we cannot compensate them directly, we can find an excuse to exempt them from taxes or help them attract business. This can also be considered as compensation. What do you think, Your Highness?"
Li Yuanzhao took the list, wiped his tears, and smiled: "That's good!"
\"Well, let's do it this way, but... it can't be remedied every time." Fang Zheng said seriously.
"I understand!"
"Your Highness, are you hungry? I brought some pork elbows from milk pork!" Fang Zheng opened the food box and placed several dishes on the table.
Li Yuanzhao had already vented most of his emotions at this time. Looking at the table full of dishes, his stomach growled.
He glanced at Fang Zhengyi awkwardly.
"I'm hungry, let's eat!"
....
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