The Sanitation Team's Problem?

The match had ended, and Emperor Jing departed amid the cheers of the crowd.

As for Paba, he abandoned the delegation and sought out Fang Zheng alone.

At this moment, Li Yuanzhao, Fang Zheng, Zhang Biao, and others were in the preparation room inside the arena.

Chilie lay on a bench, with two doctors busily attending to him, one checking his pulse and the other dressing his wounds.

His ear, bitten off by Zhang Biao, lay to the side. Reattaching it was impossible; he could only take it home as a memento.

Paba turned away, unable to bear the sight of Chilie's body covered in wounds.

He wanted to say something to Fang Zheng but didn't know what.

Fang Zheng sighed and walked over to pat him on the shoulder.

"Master, victory and defeat are common in battle. Fortunately, Chilie's injuries aren't severe. He should recover in a couple of days."

"However, the ear is..."

Thinking about how confidently he had arrived this morning, only to be so thoroughly humiliated in such a short time, Paba shook his head with a bitter smile. "In combat, one can't avoid injury. Please help me find more doctors to treat Chilie."

Fang Zheng was in good spirits since Zhang Biao had won and only suffered minor injuries.

"Master, you're too polite! This is the proper thing to do! Why don't you return to the Diplomatic Guesthouse first? Once his wounds are dressed, I'll have someone escort him back."

Paba nodded, seeing that Chilie was not in danger. As he turned to leave, he cast a glance at Zhang Biao.

After he departed, Fang Zheng turned to Zhang Biao with a smile. "Get ready now. Cover the wounds on your face because there should be many reporters waiting outside. Today I will let you enjoy the spotlight!"

"What? Young Master, you didn't mention this before... what should I say?" Zhang Biao asked, puzzled.

"Tsk! Didn't we win? Here's a script—memorize it!" Fang Zheng unceremoniously stuffed a piece of paper into Zhang Biao's hand.

Then Zhang Biao was pulled aside to have makeup applied.

Li Yuanzhao stood nearby holding Zhang Biao's Tang knife. Seeing him leave, he approached Fang Zheng and whispered, "Old Fang, how about giving me this knife?"

"If you like it, Young Master, take it." Fang Zheng glanced at the Tang knife and nodded. "However, I have something to discuss with Your Highness. I assume you won't be returning to the palace right away?"

Li Yuanzhao played with the knife in his hands, saying happily, "Mmm, I'll go back later... hey, this knife is really nice! It's sharp and the material is excellent. I've never seen a knife like this before!"

"But... being so thin, wouldn't it easily bend?"

"Huh? Old Fang, what did you want to discuss?" Li Yuanzhao suddenly came to his senses.

"About your sanitation team causing trouble in the district," Fang Zheng said.

"Trouble? How is this considered trouble!" Li Yuanzhao immediately looked confused. "Old Fang, you know that I've ordered them to improve sanitation. Dirty things cause illness when eaten."

"Many restaurants in the district use rotten ingredients to cook. It's absolutely horrifying!"

"I don't see any problem."

Fang Zheng sighed. "Very well, Your Highness is right. How about we go back to the district this afternoon and see the situation firsthand before discussing further?"

By this time, Zhang Biao had finished with his makeup, the wounds on his face concealed.

He remained bare-chested but now wore a red cape. Walking up to Fang Zheng, he said, "Young Master, I'm ready!"

"If you're ready, go out. Get some rest when you get home."

Outside Banshan Square, the crowd was dense!

Besides the original audience inside the arena, the thunderous cheers had attracted many more spectators from outside. All together, there were over twenty thousand people.

Led by Shen Yi and other reporters, they waited at the exit to intercept Zhang Biao.

Soon, Zhang Biao emerged with his flamboyant red cape.

Shen Yi quickly approached, his assistant following closely with paper and pen ready to jot down notes.

Looking at the eager spectators, Shen Yi instructed his assistant, "Note down everything I say. We'll rewrite it into an article later."

"If we do well, we might be rewarded with some large diamonds!"

The assistant nodded excitedly!

This news would surely be explosive. With twenty thousand spectators and the Emperor in attendance, defeating the grassland's fiercest warrior would be enough to earn a reward.

Shen Yi gathered his thoughts, muttered to himself a couple of times, then began, "We're now outside the Banshan Arena, where the citizens of the capital and I are waiting together for Lost Biao to emerge!"

"I'm delighted to witness our Great Jing's victory. Over twenty thousand spectators accompanied Lost Biao to the very end!"

"Now, Lost Biao is coming out..."

"Refund! Damn it, give me a refund! I bet on Lost Biao losing! It must be a fixed match!! How could Black Mountain Chilie lose when he's so strong? It's rigged! Shameless! Refund my ticket money!"

"Black Mountain Chilie! How could you do this to us! Pay us back!"

"Great Jing forever!!!"

Seeing reporters gathering news, the spectators became excited and started shouting all sorts of things.

The scene instantly became chaotic, with people saying whatever came to mind.

Shen Yi felt his head swell!

So many people yammering at once... he had never experienced anything like it.

Seeing that the crowd wouldn't calm down, Shen Yi shouted, "Everyone be quiet! The guards are still here!!"

The spectators immediately quieted down, nervously looking around...

Fortunately, Zhang Biao had walked out by then.

His red cape looked exceptionally flamboyant, causing another stir in the crowd.

Shen Yi went up to him and asked, "Lost Biao! How do you feel about winning today's match? How strong was Chilie really...?"

Zhang Biao held his head high, silent for a moment.

"Well... I thank His Majesty, I thank the government, I thank..."

...

Back at the Banshan Newspaper Office, Fang Zheng and Li Yuanzhao had already returned.

Fang Zheng was leaning back in his chair.

For the past half day, his nerves had been more tense than anyone's, fearing Zhang Biao might be killed in the arena.

Thankfully, the danger had passed, and everything was resolved without incident.

As his tension relaxed, he immediately felt tired.

But Li Yuanzhao still seemed energetic, playing with the Tang knife in his hands, occasionally swinging it.

Seeing that Fang Zheng wasn't speaking, Li Yuanzhao took the initiative. "Old Fang, tell me, what's the problem with the sanitation team?"

Fang Zheng took a stack of papers from a drawer and handed them to Li Yuanzhao. "Your Highness, take a look."

"These are all the misdeeds of the sanitation team."

"They've been forcing businesses to renovate, extorting money, and causing trouble behind your back!"

"Street vendors have been suffering terribly at their hands."

"Most seriously, His Majesty already knows about this. If this continues, Your Highness may soon be summoned back to the palace."

Li Yuanzhao frowned as he looked through the documents.

Then he raised his head, puzzled. "This... I already know all of this!"