As soon as these words came out, Emperor Jing slammed the table and stood up, saying excitedly: "Good! Well said! Fang Qing is truly my right-hand man."
"No, no, these are just some of my inner thoughts."
Fang Zhengyi grinned as he finished speaking.
I have been looking for an opportunity to talk about these four sentences of Hengqu for a long time. If I, Fang Zheng, don't take the blame, who else can?
All the ministers were stunned and looked at Fang Zhengyi with strange eyes.
This is a really good saying! It is full of righteousness and speaks out the ideals of scholars.
But who said... It's not your turn, Fang Zhengyi. Don't you know what kind of person you are? You come up and flatter His Majesty.
With such a charming figure, no one can catch a Frisbee faster than you? Why are you pretending to be a gentleman?
After looking at everyone's faces, Emperor Jing felt a little embarrassed. It seemed that he had been too excited just now.
Forgot that Fang Zhengyi has always been unpopular in the court, and he seems to want to hide in Taoyuan County...
Thinking of this, Emperor Jing remained calm and praised him again: "Fang Qing said it very well. You should take this as an example."
After saying that, he sat down.
Li Yuanzhao put his hands on his hips and couldn't help feeling proud. Lao Fang is such a person, and so am I. We both have the same ideals!
After listening to this, Guo Tianyang drooped his eyelids, hid his hands in his sleeves and kept writing and drawing, muttering words like common prosperity and building a life for the people.
I was thinking, Fang Zhengyi's business can still be improved... our family can't fall behind...
The ministers remained silent, feeling as uncomfortable as if they had eaten a fly.
There was only one thought in my mind: why didn’t I say this?
Tang Shou sat on the ground, his heart as cold as ice, looking around helplessly... Was there really no one to appeal for his grievances?
Is the court so dark?
Finally, he looked to Zhang Shi for help, and kept hinting with his eyes, asking him whether Fang Zhengyi would tell the truth about tax evasion or not.
Zhang Shi's face was as gloomy as water. He ignored Tang Shou and took a step forward. He said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, this man is eloquent and always talks about his country and his family, but how can he explain the tax evasion?!"
"Tang Shou also knows a thing or two about this matter. Please ask him to help Your Majesty solve this puzzle!"
Tang Shou stood up and said, "Your Majesty! It is true that Taoyuan County evaded taxes!"
"Five years ago, due to the extreme shortage of population and local poverty, the imperial court exempted Taoyuan County and Jihua County from taxation, but this decree has limitations."
"Taoyuan County is no longer as poor as it used to be, but Taoyuan County has been concealing the situation."
"When I went to Hengjiang Prefecture, I asked the officials who were checking the tax collection in each county. They had never seen anyone from Taoyuan County and didn't even know there was a Taoyuan County!"
"So I dare to assert that Taoyuan County definitely does not levy taxes!"
Emperor Jing turned his head and looked at Fang Zhengyi.
Fang Zheng bowed one by one and said, "Your Majesty! Although Taoyuan County has developed well, the county government is really short of money."
"Most of the money we have earned over the years has been invested in improving people's livelihood, especially in education!"
"In order to make the people understand reason and know the grace of the emperor, I have spared no effort to make writing popular among the people of the county so that they have books to read."
"On the other hand, the governance of Taoyuan County emphasizes keeping wealth in the hands of the people. If there is money, it should be spent on infrastructure. If there is no money, it is natural. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to check the accounts at any time. We are upright and aboveboard!"
What a joke! How could a bunch of old guys like you figure out the fake accounts of Taoyuan County?
Emperor Jing nodded slightly.
Fang Zhengyi continued upon seeing this: "Of course, there may be some unpaid taxes. This is my negligence. The county is short of money now. I will ask Taoyuan County to re-sort out the taxes and make up for the missed payments."
"This is my negligence! Your Majesty, please punish me!"
We must always leave some room for the big bosses to maneuver, so that we can save face.
Although it may cost more, it doesn’t matter. Just spend it and consider it as a way to avoid disaster!
Isn't it just about money? You old bastards, just wait and see whether I will sell you health products in the future!
Emperor Jing also breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the matter should be quickly settled.
Fang Zhengyi is such a troublesome kid!
"Good! In view of Fang Zhengyi's outstanding achievements during his tenure, the omission of taxes will be temporarily punished by a one-year salary deduction as a punishment. What do you think?"
No one spoke, no one objected.
It has come to this point. People who don’t know would think Fang Zhengyi is His Majesty’s biological son. Who dares to say anything more?
If it were someone else, he would have been dragged out and beaten, but this guy was still standing in the room looking smug.
"Okay! In that case, then this matter is settled!"
Zhang Shi did not have any unusual reaction and retreated silently.
Tang Shou stood in the hall with a dead heart... He didn't expect Fang Zhengyi to have such a strong background. Revenge... was hopeless...
"I have a report to make! Fang Zhengyi poisoned the prisoners and killed 54 people! Your Majesty, please punish him severely!" Yan Guoan stepped out and said
Fang Zheng looked at him and then at Zhang Shi, only to see that Zhang Shi's expression showed no sign of surprise, and it was obvious that he already knew about this.
It seems that the two have united together...
As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers' hearts began to hang in the air, and they looked at Fang Zhengyi in horror.
Those who were close to him quickly took two steps back.
We tolerated this guy's smooth talk, but we didn't expect that this gentle and polite guy is actually a murderer? Fang Rentu, you are a ruthless person!
Emperor Jing frowned and stared at Fang Zheng, asking, "Is this true?"
He didn't know what was going on, but the crime of murder was serious, and he killed 54 people in one go. Except on the battlefield, Emperor Jing hadn't heard of such a vicious incident in several years...
Fang Zhengyi was not panicked at all, and said honestly: "Your Majesty, it is true! However, there is a reason for this..."
"Your Majesty! Let me tell the story of this matter. Fang Zhengyi is a man of eloquence and I am worried that he may distort the facts!" Yan Guoan said with a stern face.
"Okay, then you tell the story!"
Yan Guoan closed his eyes and carefully recalled the details in his memory. He must defeat Fang Zhengyi with one blow now. This person would definitely be a disaster if he stayed in the court.
Zhang Shi, as a veteran minister of the dynasty, was also speechless after being refuted. This time... he cannot lose again!
"Your Majesty, do you remember that the prince often skipped classes for no reason some time ago? It was during that period that I began to pay attention to the prince's movements."
"I discovered that the prince skipped classes and actually ran out of the palace in disguise with Fang Zhengyi's gold medal!"
"Therefore, I also began to send people to inquire about Fang Zhengyi's whereabouts. I discovered that he and the prince have been carrying out some activities in secret."
"Not long after that, the prince stopped leaving the palace without permission. After much investigation, I discovered that Fang Zhengyi and the prince had secretly executed a prisoner in a dungeon in the capital!"
"Those prisoners died in extremely tragic ways! You all know that the mysterious murderer who is spreading in the city and causing panic among the people is none other than Fang Zhengyi!"
.................
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