High Position and Handsome Salary 01

"Still thinking about that Heavenly Dao thing?" Little Hei looked at Fang Zhiyi, who was deep in thought.

Fang Zhiyi nodded. "It actually has its own ability to think—I suppose it does, right?"

Little Hei shook his head. "Think, my ass. It's simply a tyrant. It almost trapped both of us there. Let me tell you, once that world was sealed off, even I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it."

"I'm still thinking about what it left unsaid."

Little Hei said, "What's there to think about? It's nothing more than questioning why you ended up here, and things like that... But this identity of yours is actually quite useful. To think it didn't just crush you to death."

"It's exactly because it didn't kill me that I want to know what it was plotting. It doesn't make sense."

Little Hei laughed. "It's actually quite simple. Perhaps it was wondering if its world would collapse if you died."

Fang Zhiyi clapped his hands together. "Makes sense! So it wanted the world to run on its original trajectory, but also wanted to trap me there to ensure the world's stability!"

"A tyrant indeed."

Fang Zhiyi looked down at his long gown. "Oh, ancient times again? Come on, let me see what kind of emperor I am this time."

As the plot details were transmitted to him, Fang Zhiyi's expression grew increasingly grim.

During the Jinghe era of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Fang family of Jinling City was one of the top merchant families. Their silk shops and grain stores were scattered everywhere, but this overwhelming wealth had nothing to do with the original owner of this body. He was the child born from a drunken mistake between Fang Hongyuan and a servant girl. His mother had barely held him in her arms before she died from severe bleeding.

Ever since he could remember, Fang Zhiyi had lived in the most remote western courtyard of the Fang estate. The weeds in the yard grew taller than a person. The room leaked wind in the winter and rain in the summer.

Madam Liu of the main house never looked him in the eye, and his two legitimate older brothers, Fang Yan and Fang Heng, treated bullying him as a source of entertainment. Shoving, beating, and scolding were common occurrences. They would also frequently knock over the bowl of hot soup in his hands, leaving behind a laughing remark: "Does a lowly bastard deserve to drink hot soup?"

The servants were even more snobbish. While Madam Liu's courtyard had fish and meat every day, what reached him was often sour porridge and rice, and sometimes he couldn't even get a bite of hot food.

Fang Zhiyi matured early and knew his situation. He never went to complain, as Fang Hongyuan would never intervene. He simply locked himself in his drafty room and read by the moonlight outside the window. He felt that only the principles in the books could bring him a bit of warmth. As he read, the thought of taking the imperial examinations sprouted in Fang Zhiyi's mind.

He lived frugally, even trading the relics left by his mother with the servants for some broken silver, just to scrape together enough travel expenses to go to the prefectural city for the county exams.

Before leaving, he went to the main hall to kowtow to Fang Hongyuan. Fang Hongyuan was busy discussing business with his two legitimate sons and did not even look up. He merely waved his hand to shoo him away quickly, as if he were just an eyesore.

But no one expected that this "lowly bastard" they had trampled underfoot would actually overcome all obstacles. First, he ranked number one in the county exams, then he smoothly passed the prefectural and provincial exams, and finally returned to Jinling holding the title of a tribute scholar.

Only then did Fang Hongyuan take a proper look at this son. He looked at the washed-out blue cloth gown on Fang Zhiyi, but his eyes flashed with calculation. He hurriedly ordered people to clean up the best eastern courtyard, personally took him to buy silk clothes, and even pulled him to the seat of honor during meals, constantly asking about his well-being.

The originally harsh Madam Liu also changed her usual coldness, stewing tonics and sending them to his room every day. His two legitimate brothers even kept calling him "Third Brother," pulling him along and saying they would take him to the city's restaurants for a taste of something new.

In all his life, Fang Zhiyi had never experienced such "family affection." He thought his days of suffering had finally come to an end, completely missing the meaningful look in Fang Hongyuan's eyes. Over the years of doing business, the Fang family had always been pushed around by officials. If they had a son who was an official, who would they have to fear in the future?

Not long after, Fang Zhiyi had to go to the capital to participate in the palace examination. Fang Hongyuan was exceptionally generous this time, packing a full chest of silver for him and repeatedly instructing, "Zhiyi, don't be stingy with money when you get to the capital. Bribe whoever needs to be bribed. Dad hopes you can become an official and bring glory to our Fang family."

Fang Zhiyi felt warm in his heart, thinking that his father had finally acknowledged him, without pondering the filth hidden behind the word "bribe."

On the day of the palace examination, relying on his solid knowledge, Fang Zhiyi actually ranked seventh in the second class and was granted the position of an expectant secretary. When the news reached Jinling, Fang Hongyuan couldn't stop grinning. That very day, he took a chest of gold to the capital and bribed the officials of the Ministry of Personnel.

Money makes the mare go. In less than half a month, Fang Zhiyi received an appointment to become the magistrate of Yunhe County in Qingzhou. He thought his talents had been recognized, not knowing that this was merely an "official hat" bought by Fang Hongyuan with silver.

Just after arriving in Yunhe, an impatient Fang Hongyuan brought the manager of the silk shop to find him, asking him to give the green light to the Fang family's silk business. Not only did he want a portion of the taxes exempted, but he also wanted the county office to prioritize purchasing the Fang family's silk.

Fang Zhiyi hesitated. He wanted to be a good official. After pondering for a while, he hesitantly refused Fang Hongyuan, even bringing up the imperial court's laws. From this single instance, the old fox Fang Hongyuan immediately understood Fang Zhiyi's thoughts, but he didn't show any displeasure. He just smiled and said, "My son has great ambition!"

Fang Zhiyi felt a bit embarrassed by the praise.

However, he did not know that his father turned around and used the title of "the magistrate's father" to start his own plans. As for the people around him, Fang Zhiyi had only known how to study since childhood and understood nothing of the ways of the world. These people had long been bought off by Father Fang to help deceive Fang Zhiyi. He didn't notice anything wrong at all. Even when the advisor offered to help him try cases so he could read in peace, Fang Zhiyi only declined twice before happily agreeing the third time.

Thus, when the Fang family's grain shop was found shortchanging customers and beat up the commoners, the commoners who came to file a complaint were met with even more vicious beatings from the yamen runners.

After this, the local commoners no longer dared to complain. And every time Fang Zhiyi went on an inspection tour, someone would make arrangements in advance, driving away beggars and threatening the commoners.

What he saw was a peaceful Yunhe County, and he even felt somewhat smug about his own abilities, completely oblivious to the resentful gazes of the local people.

In less than two years, Fang Zhiyi was promoted to the prefect of Qingzhou. He was even happier, feeling that his abilities had been recognized, yet he didn't know that this was again the result of Fang Hongyuan spending a fortune on bribes.

After becoming the prefect, the power in his hands grew greater, and the Fang family's business went even smoother. They not only monopolized the silk and grain businesses in Qingzhou but also opened salt shops. Under his banner, Father Fang allowed an endless stream of smuggled salt to flow into Qingzhou. At the same time, he began to build connections in Qingzhou, winning over prominent families and merchants. Relying on his cunning mind, he quickly took control of the situation in Qingzhou.