Something's Poking Me

Li Miaohan clearly hadn't grasped what Fang Zheng meant.

She blinked her innocent eyes, looking at him with confusion.

Meeting the Princess's pure and spotless gaze, Fang Zheng felt ashamed.

Once again, he felt the shame of deceiving an innocent and pure young woman.

"Two days then... three days might be beyond my physical capabilities."

"???"

"What exactly are you talking about? What overtime work? Hmm... what's this?"

Fang Zheng caught Li Miaohan's hand as it reached behind his waist, and he inwardly groaned.

"A jade pendant! It's a jade pendant!" Faced with Li Miaohan's questioning, he quickly changed the subject. "Your Highness, I'll leave the textile factory matters to you. If you think something isn't reasonable, just tell the people below. After all, both in name and in reality, the textile factory should be under your management."

"I came this time because I have important matters to discuss with Your Highness."

"I need to go on an official mission, and I probably won't be back for some time." Fang Zheng's expression gradually became serious. "This journey is far, and I won't have a chance to see Your Highness for a while. I came specifically to bid farewell."

Li Miaohan trembled slightly and looked at Fang Zheng. "How long will you be gone? Is it dangerous?"

Fang Zheng smiled.

How could a small salt merchant be a challenge? What danger could there be?

"There's no danger, it just takes time."

"His Majesty said that once the matter is resolved, he'll grant whatever request I have."

"When I return, I'll come to marry you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, before Li Miaohan could react, Fang Zheng suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.

Hmm... why does that line sound familiar... like I've heard it somewhere before!

Did I say it before? I can't remember...

By now, Li Miaohan's heart was in turmoil, both surprised and delighted!

She was delighted that Fang Zheng said he would marry her, though it wasn't the first time he had said so.

But bound by her parents' wishes and the matchmaking customs, especially as a royal daughter, she lacked freedom.

She had always worried that one day she might be betrothed to someone else, but with Fang Zheng's words, her heart was completely settled in that instant.

Yet thinking about how he would be gone for an unknown duration, with no certainty of when he would return, she also felt an indescribable sense of loss.

Li Miaohan stretched out her arms, embraced Fang Zheng's waist, and pressed her face tightly against his chest, murmuring, "I'll wait for you to return, no matter how long it takes."

Fang Zheng also softened, gently stroking Li Miaohan's beautiful hair, saying softly, "Don't worry, it will be soon, very soon..."

As he spoke, he gently pushed Li Miaohan away, and his head also lowered...

After parting from the Princess, Fang Zheng felt quite emotional.

She was indeed a princess! The difficulty level was extraordinary. If she were an ordinary woman, I would have married her directly!

If the father-in-law disagrees, I'd just overpower him!

But now, whether he could even match Emperor Jing's fighting skills was uncertain. He had heard that His Majesty's combat abilities were quite high. Though Fang Zheng was younger... he probably still couldn't win...

Riding his horse out of the palace, if nothing unexpected happened, Li Yuanzhao would most likely be hanging around the newspaper office.

Although there were many stories in the newspaper, the truly interesting things were actually the rejected manuscripts.

Outsiders naturally had no way of knowing, but Li Yuanzhao enjoyed reading those random stories that reporters brought back.

When he arrived at the newspaper office, Li Yuanzhao wasn't there.

Xie Xian wasn't there either. Instead, Shen Yi was filling in.

As the most educated person in the entire newspaper office besides Fang Zheng, the part-time student Shen Yi was naturally nominated.

At the moment, Shen Yi was still buried in reviewing manuscripts, with a thick stack of drafts on his left and various classic interpretations on his right.

Seeing this, Fang Zheng couldn't help but sigh that the life of a scholar was indeed different from ordinary people.

So hardworking and still full of energy.

If he had put in this much effort back then, he would have at least reached King tier in the game...

"Shen Yi, where has the Crown Prince gone?"

Hearing this, Shen Yi immediately looked up. Seeing it was Fang Zheng, he hurriedly stood up to bow. "Minister Fang, His Highness left a while ago. I heard he went to check on the textile factory."

"Hmm, alright, you carry on. I'll be leaving now."

"Minister Fang, please wait!" Shen Yi quickly called out to stop Fang Zheng. "Minister Fang, there's an important matter that needs your decision."

"Someone from the Six Ministries' General Report just came by, saying that when we write articles in the future, we need to be mindful of their impact. Some articles have been published that have caused dissatisfaction among the common people toward the court... They also said that future drafts need to be submitted to the Six Ministries for review."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng's face immediately darkened. "Hmph, they're reaching too far! They dare to make such statements without seeing me or the Crown Prince. Who gave them the courage?!"

"Write as you should. Don't fear them, and don't submit anything to them. If there's a problem, blame it on the Crown Prince!"

"Ah... but..."

"But what?!"

Shen Yi swallowed hard. "But the people from the Six Ministries' General Report did make some valid points. Some of our articles, like those about wrongful cases, do indeed have an impact when released to the public... Our people have heard quite a few harsh comments while gathering information in the market... If this reaches His Majesty's ears, wouldn't it affect you?"

"Harsh? If they don't want to be criticized, they shouldn't do dirty things! They want to be a prostitute and still erect a chastity arch? If we don't report it, they'll think they're getting away with it!"

Despite these words, Fang Zheng couldn't help but feel some concern.

Indeed, unlike in Taoyuan County where he could control everything, the capital was vast, and news spread throughout the realm, easily getting out of control. If the common people grew increasingly dissatisfied, it could affect the court's authority in the future.

In ancient times, unlike modern days, reputation was an extremely important matter in traditional concepts!

This was a top priority in the eyes of the emperor and court officials, and he was now one of them.

And as people came into contact with more information, their courage would definitely grow.

If used by those with ulterior motives, it could cause trouble that wouldn't be easy to resolve in the future.

"But there's no need to be too rigid with them. This matter is easy to handle! Just make a point at the end of each article!"

"How should we make the point?" Shen Yi asked curiously.

"Hmm.... For example, if mutton becomes expensive, say it's because Northern Rong outsiders are driving up prices. If there are wrongful cases, say it's the Northern Rong spies causing trouble, corrupting the court!"

"And then conclude that the Northern Rong are lifting a rock only to drop it on their own feet!"

"........." Shen Yi's face fell.

He had professional ethics. Speaking for the people, upholding justice, and being factual were the most basic requirements.

Doing this made it really difficult for him to accept.

"Minister Fang, didn't we say we couldn't report fake news?"

"Who told you to report fake news? Don't you know how to imply things? Put two pieces of news in the same section, and how the common people interpret it is their business! Alright, figure it out yourself! I'm leaving!"

"........"

Isn't this just stirring up trouble? Does Minister Fang want to personally enter the battlefield and earn military merits? Surely not!

Shen Yi muttered as he watched Fang Zheng's departing figure.