...
Fang Zhengzhi could not explain to Zhang Yangping how he got the silvers. After all, he had earned tens of thousands of silvers from selling Ping Yang's Snow Jade.
As such, he could only emphasize that these silvers were earned through legitimate means.
Even though Zhang Yangping was a little doubtful, he still believed Fang Zhengzhi. After all, if Fang Zhengzhi could become a rank four official, what else was impossible?
Then, Zhang Yangping asked Zhang Li to inform the villagers to gather at the village square. Firstly, it was to celebrate Fang Zhengzhi's return to his hometown. Secondly, it was to announce Fang Zhengzhi's plans to build a school and build roads.
After a busy morning, strips of red silk cloth had been placed on the beams of the ancestral hall. Moreover, the interior of the ancestral hall had been swept clean and several brand new mats had been laid out.
Fang Zhengzhi did not recommend hanging the red silk cloth. After all, yesterday's incident had just happened.
But Zhang Yangping insisted, and the other villagers also said that the matter was over. It was a joyous occasion to go back to their hometown and visit their relatives. They couldn't let a few villagers get injured affect the joyous occasion, right?
Furthermore, some of the villagers said that they could use this joyous occasion to wash away their bad luck.
Fang Zhengzhi did not say anything else. He arranged for the injured villagers and their families to sit at the main seats in the square.
The appearance of Ping Yang and Chi Guyan lit up the entire square. The villagers were excited once again. All of them were prepared to kneel down, but Fang Zhengzhi stopped them.
Then, Fang Zhengzhi arranged for Ping Yang to sit at the second table beside the main seat.
Ping Yang immediately pouted her little mouth.
As the Emperor's favorite princess, she had never been treated like this before. Just as she was about to throw a tantrum, she realized that Qin Xuelian and Fang Houde were sitting at the same table.
Then, Fang Zhengzhi sat down as well.
This caused Ping Yang's clear eyes to flash with a ray of light. Following which, her pouting lips quickly disappeared.
As for Chi Guyan, she was as calm as usual.
After a round of kowtowing, the purple wooden tablet was placed beside the ancestral tablets. The two tablets were placed side by side. It was as though they were sitting side by side.
When all the etiquette for visiting relatives was almost done, Zhang Yangping coughed lightly and motioned for everyone to be quiet. Then … Then, he looked at Fang Zhengzhi, indicating for him to make the announcement.
Fang Zhengzhi shook his head. He couldn't persist.
Zhang Yangping had no choice but to stand on the platform in front of the square and announce the village's plan to rebuild the academy. They also talked about the construction of the road from the Northern Mountain Village to Huai An County.
When the villagers heard Zhang Yangping's words, they were all frightened.
"Where can I find so much silver?"
"The Northern Mountain Village is so poor that we can only afford to eat."
Zhang Yangping knew what the villagers were thinking. He immediately waved his hand and Zhang Li led a few young villagers to move the boxes of silver onto the stage.
Looking at the chests of shining silver on the platform, as well as the ingots of glittering gold and the neat stack of one thousand taels of silver notes, Zhang Wuji felt his heart skip a beat.
The villagers of the Northern Mountain Village looked at each other, feeling as though they were in a dream.
Ever since they were young, they had never seen such a huge sum of money.
Zhang Yangping could tell that everyone was confused. He also explained that these silvers were all earned by Fang Zhengzhi on the outside. His origins were legitimate and he was definitely not a scammer. He told everyone not to worry.
When the innocent villagers heard this, they all began to cheer and chant Fang Zhengzhi's name.
However, Ping Yang pursed her lips.
"What decent background? Those were all obtained by selling this princess's Snow Like Jade, as well as that silver. They were all given to me by scamming me. How is that legitimate? "Ping Yang was very unhappy.
However, when she thought about how Fang Zhengzhi was going to use this money to build the academy and the road, she was shocked.
All this while. She had always thought that Fang Zhengzhi was a "miser" who valued money more than his own life. She never expected that he would use all of it for the future of the village.
Furthermore, it was for the betterment of the villagers.
She suddenly felt that she could not see through Fang Zhengzhi. Just as she was about to compliment him, she saw Fang Zhengzhi place a cup of tea in front of her.
"Erm … you are a princess. Building the academy is a contribution to the dynasty. Do you want to express your gratitude? Why don't you just donate a few hundred thousand taels of silver? "
"Go to hell!" Ping Yang rejected him bluntly. This guy was still as greedy and shameless as ever! 80,000?! Robbery!
"Are you really going to build the academy that big?" Chi Guyan asked.
"Of course, if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it to the best of my abilities!" Fang Zhengzhi replied confidently.
"However, if such an academy were to be built, the expenses would be too great. The Divine Constabulary could bear the fees for the teachers, but the empire would not be able to pay for the maintenance of the academy. For example, your hunting grounds and library would require money to support them. The Qingfeng Academy in the Huai An County was funded by the empire and a few other powerful families. However, the income of the Northern Mountain Village..."
Chi Guyan's meaning was clear.
There was already a Qingfeng Academy in the Huai An County. The dynasty could not build a second academy in the Northern Mountain Village. Furthermore, it would be such a huge academy.
If it was just a small scale operation, Chi Guyan might have a solution. However, if she really wanted to establish an academy like this, it would cost at least a hundred thousand silvers a year.
"I have my ways of paying for the maintenance of the academy." Fang Zhengzhi said confidently.
In his previous life, the most profitable industries were education, medicine, real estate, food and beverage. These were all related to human needs.
Of course, in this world, real estate, food and beverage were not suitable.
As such...
Education was the most important thing.
The reason why the large families supported the Clear Wind Academy was to allow the disciples of their families to enter the Clear Wind Academy to study, the reasoning behind it was actually the same.
He already had 50 of the best teachers in the five constabularies of the Northern Lands.
He had solved the core problem, which was the lack of teachers. Next, he just needed to use a little "trick" and all the problems would be easily solved …
...
Within a quiet residence in the Huai An County.
Bai Xing was in a sorry state. This time, he had only returned with one demon. He was the leader of the vanguard, but when he returned, there was only one demon.
Most importantly, The Vast World and the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet were lost.
"Domain Chief Bai, when you returned...
"Domain Chief Bai said that when you rushed back... The Vast World had already been taken? " A crisp voice rang out from behind a bead curtain. Behind the bead curtain sat a figure in a white dress.
It was Yun Qingwu.
"Yes, after The Vast World was absorbed into Cang Ling Mountain, its weight was not something an ordinary person could move. Chushan has the power to move mountains and fill oceans. As such, I think there are two possibilities. One, the four sages did it. Two, they have a treasure that counters The Vast World. "
"Which do you think is more likely?"
"The former. After all, the chances of the latter are too low."
"Mm, this is not entirely your fault. I miscalculated two people. I never expected Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan to appear in The Vast World at the same time."
"Young master, what do we do next?"
"Xing Qingguo meeting Shan Jia might not be a bad thing. Shan Jia is from the royal family of the Southern Mountain Range. He will attract the attention of the Great Xia Dynasty. We can use this opportunity to take over the Southern Mountain Range. I will leave this to you! "
"But, young master... Fang Zhengzhi..."
"Fang Zhengzhi? I received news that he had killed almost a hundred human soldiers in the Northern Mountain Village. I think that even with Chi Guyan's support, his days in the Great Xia Dynasty will not be easy. I think it's time to meet him again. You don't have to worry about him anymore! "
"Roger!"
...
In the following days, Fang Zhengzhi began his own cultivation journey. Understanding the Dao of All Creation was the most difficult. It was much easier to "water" the Dao after that.
It's like a snowball. You just need to roll a small one, and then it will continue to roll bigger and bigger.
Fang Zhengzhi had rolled 200 to 300 small snowballs at the same time. Right now, he had to decide whether to roll them one at a time or roll them all at once.
The answer was obvious.
He chose to roll 200 to 300 small snowballs at the same time.
That did not seem logical.
However, Fang Zhengzhi liked the feeling of rolling 200 to 300 snowballs at the same time. As long as he liked it. That was enough. That was how capricious the snowballs were.
While Fang Zhengzhi was training, the Northern Mountain Village was extremely busy.
When the villagers heard that the Northern Mountain Village was going to build an academy, they sent people to verify the authenticity of the news. After all, this was a huge deal.
Did the Northern Mountain Village have that much silver?
No one believed it.
However, when Zhang Yangping showed them the "mountain of silver", they believed it.
Therefore, all the able-bodied men from the surrounding villages gathered at the Northern Mountain Village, shouting loudly, for the construction of the academy, even if they did not have to spend money, they had to contribute!
Perhaps it could be said that the villagers were pure servants, or it could also be said that the villagers were working together after seeing "hope". After all, once the academy was built, the next step would be the most important one for everyone.
Recruitment!
When it came to recruitment, there were many mysteries. Even though no one pointed it out, everyone knew that the more effort they put in, the more hope they had.
On the right side of the Northern Mountain Village, in the direction of the rising sun, a piece of land was leveled. Then, all sorts of soil and trees were pulled up.
While the academy was being built, the road from the Northern Mountain Village to the Huai An County was also being built.
The journey from the Northern Mountain Village to the Huai An County was dozens of miles long. There were countless villages along the way. When everyone heard that there was a need to repair the road, they all volunteered. When they heard that they would be paid for their labor, they even put down their farm work.
After Fang Zhengzhi explained the construction methods of the asphalt road, he handed everything over to Zhang Li to implement. After all, Zhang Li was young and could handle repeated supervision.
...
While the Northern Mountain Village was busy with the construction, the capital was in chaos.
In the throne room, more than 10 memorials were presented to Emperor Lin Mubai. They were all about Fang Zhengzhi's massacre of the Northern Mountain Village soldiers.
"Your Majesty, Fang Zhengzhi has no respect for the law. If we do not punish him severely, we will lose the military's reputation."
"I agree. Fang Zhengzhi's actions are akin to setting up a court. Even if the military is at fault, they are only following orders. How could Fang Zhengzhi kill so many people? "
"One of the generals and a few of his deputies have died. The military is in chaos. Your Majesty, please take action. Order the Ministry of Law to investigate this case! "
All the ministers were filled with righteous indignation, and their opinions were extremely unified.
If not for the fact that Fang Zhengzhi was now a rank four Sword Envoy, the Ministry of Law would have arrested him. There would be no need to report to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, we know that the Emperor values talent. Fang Zhengzhi has just been conferred the title of Rank Four Sword Envoy. If we immediately arrest him, we will disappoint all the talents in the world. However, his actions are a little extreme! "Law Official Wan Chong stood out at this moment, his face filled with rage.
Emperor Lin Mubai frowned slightly.
The news of what happened in the Northern Mountain Village was sent to the capital by the army. Then, he received a letter from the Northern Lands. The letter was written by Chi Guyan herself. Chi Guyan described the entire incident in detail.
As such, the rights and wrongs of this incident were clear.
However...
The military's reputation could not be lost.
If anyone could kill the soldiers of the military. If they acted first and reported later, then the country would not be a country, and the law would be illegal. Most importantly, too many soldiers had been killed in this matter.
Close to a hundred people had died, and several hundred more were injured to varying degrees. This was no longer just protecting the village and stopping the soldiers. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they had gone overboard in killing.
So many soldiers had died.
If there was no investigation, the military's reputation would be gone.
However... Should he really hand Fang Zhengzhi over to the Ministry of Law for investigation?
Emperor Lin Mubai hesitated. In the letter, Chi Guyan had described the entire incident and stated that she was angry because of her filial piety. She had killed to protect him.
"Your Majesty, I feel that we cannot push all the blame onto Fang Zhengzhi!" At that moment, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping stepped out.
"Oh, what do you think?" Emperor Lin Mubai was slightly taken aback by Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's words. After all... Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had not gotten along well with Fang Zhengzhi previously.
How could he not be able to see through this?
"According to this old official's investigation, this time, the army first bullied and humiliated the villagers. They maliciously ate and drank in the village. Later on, they were instigated by someone to almost massacre the village. That fierce cavalry deputy general even personally waved his sword and injured the people. This kind of military discipline and conduct should be punished according to military law!" As Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping spoke, he turned to look at King Duan, who was dressed in the robes of a prince.
"Prime Minister Yu Yiping is right. Sixth Brother has been in charge of the military for many years. Everyone has seen his achievements. However, military discipline... we need to be more careful. Otherwise, this would not have happened!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong stepped out when he heard Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's words.
King Duan's expression darkened. He knew what Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and Crown Prince Lin Tianrong were trying to do. However, the military was indeed at fault. He could not refute them.
"Thank you Crown Prince for your reminder. I will uphold military discipline and give the Imperial Court an explanation!" King Duan did not push the blame away. That was an unwise choice.
Admit your mistakes.
It was far better to win the Emperor's favor than to use sophistry. Moreover, all the civil and military officials in the court knew that the army was in charge of managing the hundreds of thousands of troops of the dynasty.
It was just a small mistake, and it did not harm the body. So what if he accepted it openly?
"Since King Duan is so magnanimous, I believe the military discipline will improve!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping did not wait for one of the officials behind King Duan to step forward before continuing.
When the official heard Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's words, he stopped in his tracks, a look of confusion on his face.
However, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping took another step forward.
"Plop!" He fell to his knees.
Emperor Lin Mubai raised his hand and gestured for Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping to stand up. "Prime Minister Yu, what is it?"
"Your Majesty, as the Left Prime Minister, I am supposed to help Your Majesty resolve your problems and recruit good people. However, I have something that I wish to say in court today. However, these words are not something that an official should say!"
"Left Prime Minister, feel free to speak!"
"Yes, I believe that this matter, regardless of whether it was the military or Fang Zhengzhi who started the massacre, can be put aside for now. In terms of the law, the Ministry of Law will investigate. However, what I said today has nothing to do with the law. In terms of loyalty, character, and virtue, this lad's killing intent is too strong, and his way of handling things is too extreme. There is no room for mercy, and he disregards the authority of the military. He is a natural rebel! Your Majesty, please be more cautious when you use him in the future! "
After Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping finished, he kowtowed to the ground once again. He forced two drops of tears out of his eyes. His expression was one of loyalty.
All of the officials were stunned when they heard Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's words.
When they regained their senses, they were all stunned.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had first absolved Fang Zhengzhi of his wrongdoings. He had blamed the military discipline for this incident. Then, he had cleared King Duan of his wrongdoings.
From these two points, the position he stood in and the things he thought about were all worries and concerns for the ruler.
His selfless attitude was on full display.
Next, this killer move was ruthless to the extreme.
He did not care about the law, whether it was right or wrong. He only cared about loyalty, character, and morals. It did not seem like the rules of the court, but in reality, he had pushed Fang Zhengzhi into a corner.
Loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness have always been the most important. Even when loyalty and filial piety are at stake, loyalty is still the most important.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's words disregarded the military. He was a natural rebel.
This was undoubtedly placing Fang Zhengzhi above disloyalty.
Moreover, he understood his feelings, moved him with reason, and paved the way so well. How could the Emperor not think about it?
Indeed, the older, the wiser!
"Your Majesty, Xing Hou of the Stabilization Constabulary requests an audience!" Just as everyone was in awe of Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's move, a voice rang out from outside the palace.
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