The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1507 Adding chaos
After a good meal and a good night's sleep, Wang Yan woke up feeling comfortable.

He took a sip of leftover boiled water, his hair disheveled, wearing his undergarment, yawning, stretching as he left the house and went into the courtyard.

"Third Master, you're up." Qi Dazhu greeted him with a simple smile.

"Dazhu, what are you doing in my yard? Are you protecting me?"

“We brothers have witnessed it firsthand. Third Master has fallen out with the people in the yamen and offended the big shots in the county. What if they try something underhanded? We can’t let our guard down, Third Master. I’ve finally figured it out, Third Master. You’re the only good official in Chun’an County.”

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement, but did not argue with Qi Dazhu. He brushed his teeth and asked, "How was the raid?"

"Third Master, that Zhang Songtai is a scoundrel. We found over a thousand taels of silver, several hundred strings of copper coins, tens of thousands of taels of silver notes, as well as deeds to his estate outside the city and several hundred acres of fertile land in his house..."

Qi Dazhu muttered to himself for a while, then said with a sigh, "Third Master, if all officials are like this, how are we common people supposed to survive..."

"Live life however you feel is best. If you have the ability, take revenge; if you don't, just accept it." Wang Yan tilted his head back, slurped water, and spat it onto the tree roots in the yard.

"Dazhu, tell me, why did I take such a huge risk, offending the officials and wealthy families of Chun'an, and risking my life to raise money and grain?"

"You're a good official, Third Master!" Qi Dazhu said matter-of-factly, as if good people had to be held at gunpoint.

"Actually, I'm doing this for myself too," Wang Yan patiently explained. "Dazhu, what if the people can't survive without food? What will we do then?"

"Rebel! We can't even survive, who cares about anything else?" Qi Dazhu said even more matter-of-factly...

"That's right, you rebelled, so we officials certainly won't survive. Even if we escape, the court will investigate later. Such a big thing as inciting a popular uprising will definitely require an explanation. How do you think Chang Boxi died? He died because of that explanation!"

Wang Yan shook his head, looking wistful. "How am I supposed to continue being an official then? How am I supposed to marry a beautiful woman from a wealthy family? How am I supposed to enjoy the prestige of being an official?"

"Uh... Third Master is teasing Dazhu. You are a good official, shouldn't these things be done? Zhang Song is such a scoundrel, yet he has two concubines. He used to be like a street thug, everyone cursed him. Third Master is such a good official, he should definitely live a better life."

"Dazhu, you're destined for great things!" Wang Yan laughed heartily.

Qi Dazhu scratched the back of his head with a simple and honest expression, chuckling to himself.

After washing his face with cool water, Wang Yan ate a fairly substantial breakfast with Qi Dazhu and the others. It was truly a feast; even porridge outside wouldn't fill him up, yet Wang Yan was eating noodles with meat sauce...

In the main hall of the county government office, after just one night, Wang Yan saw the heads of the government office again.

"You all didn't get enough rest last night..."

"I am truly concerned for the people, truly concerned for the people," Tian Youlu shamelessly replied.

“Then please, Second Master, do me the trouble to do something practical for the people of Chun’an,” Wang Yan said. “Then please let Second Master handle Zhang Song’s case.”

"Uh... okay..."

Tian Youlu dared not refuse, otherwise someone else would have dealt with him.

Wang Yan nodded in satisfaction: "Second Master, you know what to do, right?"

"Don't worry, Third Master, we will definitely make this an ironclad case, ensuring that Zhang Song will never be able to recover."

"Based on the silver found during the search, Zhang Song is finished. Second Master, it's best not to play dumb at this time."

Tian Youlu sighed in resignation and reluctantly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Third Master, rest assured, I will investigate thoroughly where Zhang Song's money came from, down to the last copper coin."

His words carried the confidence of someone who had persecuted others for years; no one could leave him unscathed…

Wang Yan smiled and nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Second Master. This matter concerns the lives of the people of Chun'an, and also our heads. Please make sure it's done well. As for the household registration department, make sure to take stock of Zhang Song's assets, and check the money and grain daily, leaving a surplus."

We can only hold out for five more days. We can't just sit here and wait. Today we must send someone to the government office to demand grain. From now on, we must send people every day in shifts, bringing along women and children who can cry, to block the entrance of the government office and cry. If they don't get the grain, they'll cry every day.

"What if we get beaten up?" Prison Chief Wang asked bluntly.

"Since you're so concerned, then I'll leave this matter to you. Don't panic. If you get beaten up or arrested, I'll take care of it."

Ignoring the jailer's expression, Wang Yan led the workshop staff away from the county government office to inspect the river...

With the Xin'an River breached and other sections of the river releasing floodwaters into this area, the post-disaster cleanup and reconstruction work is truly a massive undertaking.

Wang Yan was to work with the workshop's professionals to finalize some of the county's construction issues. These included things like river channel repairs, road construction, and the reorganization of water conservancy projects—all of which were major undertakings.

Chun'an County has only just sealed off the mouth of the Xin'an River; the myriad tasks are only just beginning...

Three days passed, and at noon that day, Wang Yan finally received some good news.

"Third Master, a wealthy family in Chun'an is sacrificing their fortune to help the people of Chun'an overcome this flood with 20,000 shi of grain," Tian Youlu reported to Wang Yan with a hint of pride.

Wang Yan looked at the dozen or so middle-aged and elderly people standing behind Tian Youlu: "Gentlemen, you are all so virtuous. This matter will definitely be documented and reported to the imperial court. In addition, a merit stele should be erected, with your names engraved on it, so that the people of Chun'an may remember your great virtue."

"What are you saying, Third Master? This is all something we should do."

Everyone forced smiles and spoke modestly to Wang Yan.

"Is that so? It turns out I underestimated your magnanimity." Wang Yan clapped his hands happily. "In that case, gentlemen, why don't you add some more and make it 30,000 shi? Many hands make light work. There are fourteen of you, so each of you would only have 600 shi of grain. That's not much, is it?"

“Uh… well…” The wealthy men hesitated, but their hesitation was not the problem; instead, they turned their attention to Tian Youlu.

Tian Youlu, looking utterly dejected, stared at the wealthy men and said, "Third Master, absolutely no problem. We were originally going to purchase some of the 20,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), but if we buy even more, you are all good gentry from Chun'an, and you will certainly support us."

So the wealthy families supported it, because Tian Youlu was so shrewd that he could see right through them. They understood perfectly well that if they disagreed, they would suffer a terrible fate.

"Excellent!" Wang Yan clapped his hands happily. "What are we waiting for? Let's take our seats. Today, I, Wang, will drink with you all until we're completely drunk. Come, come..."

Perhaps the wealthy men couldn't hold their liquor; after only a few drinks, they all claimed to be drunk and took their leave. Even Tian Youlu didn't get close to them and went back to his wife.

Wang Yan couldn't very well eat and drink alone in the main hall, so he invited some of his close clerks to the table, and they all ate and drank together, having a great time...

That very day, each household's grain was transported from their granaries and, in full view of everyone, a portion was first delivered to the county government's granary.

The people knew there wasn't enough food. They were already restless, with only two days' worth of grain left. Now, with 30,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain, enough to feed them for a month, the crisis was resolved, and everyone could focus on construction again...

Meanwhile, some silk merchants who came to buy land finally arrived in Chun'an County.

Upon arriving in the area, they immediately contacted the county government and received a warm welcome from Tian Youlu. However, that was all he did; he couldn't make any decisions about anything else.

He actually had a solution: simply cut off the disaster relief food supply. Desperate people would naturally sell their land first. That's why the disaster relief food was delayed.

However, the current situation is different. Wang Yan is not only trying every means to obtain grain, but he has also promised to build houses for the people. Hopes have been raised, and everyone is waiting for Wang Yan to take charge. Tian Youlu has no power at all now.

Even if he had some power, Tian Youlu wouldn't dare make the decision; it could really kill people, and he didn't have the guts...

“We’re even from the same clan, Prison Chief Wang? Huh? You went to the manor and made a scene, and you brought back this whole group of silk merchants?” Wang Yan said, holding a cup of tea, his face displeased.

Prisoner Wang stood trembling before Wang Yan: "Third Master, I have no choice. They don't beat or scold us, but they also ignore us. The fact that they sent these people to buy land is because they helped us; otherwise, none of these silk merchants would have come."

"Are you really stupid, or are you pretending? Do I need to explain why the Xin'an River breached its banks and why our county was flooded? You're telling me it was because others helped us?"

Wang Yan shook his head and sighed, "My dear clansman, you're no good either. You sons of bitches, all eager to make money, but when it comes to getting things done, you're worse than dogs. All you do is bully the common people! You have no backbone at all! Go, gather another group of people and go to the provincial governor's office and the viceroy's office to cry! You lead the way and kneel down to cry!"

"Yes, yes, Third Master, I'll go right away, I'll go right away." Old Wang was relieved and hurriedly agreed, running off as fast as he could.

Tian Youlu sighed, "Third Master, some silk merchants have already arrived. This is our last chance. If we don't give them an explanation today, the news will reach the Second Department tomorrow, and things will become very difficult to handle."

Wang Yan nodded and said, "What you said makes sense! Strike first, or suffer the consequences. I remember Xu the wealthy man said that the Hangzhou magistrate also got involved in the river repairs in Chun'an, and that the theft of government grain was also related to their business..."

As Tian Youlu stared in horrified disbelief, Wang Yan clenched his fist and shouted, "Come on, gather the local militia and go to Hangzhou to arrest them!"

"Rebellion! Rebellion!" Tian Youlu stammered, grabbing Wang Yan's arm. "Third Master, this is unacceptable! This is a huge matter, the sky is about to fall!"

"What's the panic? I was just teasing you." Wang Yan chuckled and pulled his arm away, patting Tian Youlu's shoulder. "Brother, you are now in charge of the county. There is a major case in the county. How can you sit idly by? I think you should write a few official documents, clearly stating the details of the case, and report them to the two departments, the governor's office, the imperial court, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

After hearing this, Tian Youlu felt like the sky had fallen.

He looked at Wang Yan in disbelief: "Third Master, are you telling me to die...?"

“How could that be?” Wang Yan shook his head repeatedly, helping his unsteady older brother to sit down. “Our county suffered the most from the disaster. The higher-ups won’t allocate grain for disaster relief, and our own official grain has been stolen and sold. We have to find a way ourselves, right? Since the official grain was stolen and there was embezzlement during the construction of the Xin’an River, we should dig it up, go to the higher-ups, and ask for money and grain!”

"Who listens to us?" Tian Youlu said, his face pale and trembling. "Third Master, you know perfectly well that the Second Division and the Governor's Office are all Yan's faction members. They were definitely the ones who destroyed the dikes and flooded the fields, all to convert rice paddies to mulberry fields so they could make a fortune. Under these circumstances, Third Master, do you think our documents will be of any use?"

Tian Youlu was truly desperate, as if he were already dead.

“Sending it to every government office won’t be of any use. It’s true that Yan’s faction is powerful, but not everyone is part of Yan’s faction. If we send it to every place, that’s like spreading the word far and wide, and no one can cover it up. Moreover…”

Wang Yan poured tea for Tian Youlu, saying, "Second Master, don't you think about it? If we were truly united, how could we two have any say in this? After Chang Boxi lost his head, all the fields in Chun'an would have been sold off, and the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry trees would have been completed. We would only have to wait for the mulberry trees to grow into silk reeling and weaving plants. Why would we be in this mess?"

Tian Youlu blinked his beady eyes, a glint of shrewdness in them: "You mean someone doesn't want to switch from rice paddies to mulberry fields?"

"Isn't this obvious? Otherwise, your second master would have received official letters and private correspondence from above long ago... And now? No grain, no explicit orders, just sending these silk merchants to drive down prices, what's the use? Second master, the Yan faction has been in power for twenty years, do you think this is just a trivial matter of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields?"

"Then we absolutely mustn't get involved, or we'll lose our heads! Wouldn't it be better to wait for them to fight it out and see what happens?"

“By the time they finish their fight, all the people will be dead! They will be skinned alive, their bones and flesh torn apart, leaving not even a trace! I have read the classics and cannot bear to see such a tragedy. I can only do my best to help. Brother, you absolutely must write this official document.”

"Sigh... why is my life so miserable?"

Tian Youlu really cried, tears and snot streaming down his face, he looked extremely aggrieved...

Regardless of Tian Youlu's character, he had to keep his word after Wang Yan made it, because if he didn't, his fate wouldn't be good either, since Wang Yan had leverage over him. It was commendable that Wang Yan was willing to explain so much to him, making him understand that doing so wouldn't cause such serious harm.

On May 21, Hu Zongxian went to Beijing and met with the Emperor to present his petition.

It was at this moment that the young Grand Secretary made his strongest statement: "The two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty are on my shoulders!"

However, he did not know that in the small town of Chun'an, there was a man who had taken over the business and was leading a group of craftsmen to make kilns for firing bricks and cement.

Wang Yan's promise to build new houses for the people wasn't just empty talk; with the availability of bricks, stones, and cement, it was entirely feasible. All that was needed was careful planning and waiting for a few lucky coincidences...

On the same day, a group of more than ten messengers from Chun'an, who had been traveling 300 li by fast horse through the night to Hangzhou, unknowingly presented official documents bearing the seals of Chun'an County, as well as those of County Magistrate Tian Youlu and Registrar Wang Yan, to various government offices...

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