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

Chapter 1511 Working Together with Hai Rui
At Chun'an Wharf, a boat bearing the flag of the River Conservancy Office slowly docked.

A square-faced man with angry eyes, dressed in coarse linen clothes, led a donkey carrying his luggage, slowly disembarking from the boat and reaching the shore.

Seeing the local militia approaching warily, the man took out the transfer order and presented it to them.

"I am Hai Rui, the newly appointed magistrate of Chun'an County."

The village militiaman took the transfer order with suspicion, glanced at it symbolically, and then returned it. "Come with me, sir."

"Are you literate?"

“I can’t read.” The village militiaman shook his head. “I don’t think the magistrate is afraid at all, so he probably wouldn’t lie to me.”

"Aren't you afraid of me?" Hai Rui asked curiously.

"You're the boss, you wouldn't make things difficult for me, would you?"

Hai Rui smiled and said, "That's not necessarily true."

The village militiaman laughed too: "Then I don't think you'll be a big shot for long."

"how do I say this?"

The village militiaman shook his head and remained silent. He was no longer afraid of officials. Under the leadership of the Third Master, he dealt with the officials in the yamen and the soldiers of the river yamen. He even arrested the commander of the soldiers, who was a high-ranking official.

To put it simply, these young men who often hung out with the Third Master had lost their respect for officials and had all become troublemakers...

Hai Rui wasn't in a hurry. He simply led the donkey and followed the local militia towards the city, observing various situations along the way and constantly asking questions, all of which were answered by the militia.

Along the way, Hai Rui watched as disaster victims cleared the roads, and saw children reciting scriptures in the open air with scholars, practicing writing on the spot with tree branches. Some women were listening to lessons, while others were cooking, and young children were running around naked.

The suffering was evident, but the people affected by the disaster all possessed a spirit that made them seem less miserable than they appeared.

Especially from a distance, he actually saw people building houses with bricks and stones.

"Is that building a house?" Hai Rui asked knowingly.

"That's right. The Third Master said he wants to build a market by the river so that people can buy and sell their catch here. Also, it's to test whether the houses built with the new bricks are any good."

"New bricks? To build a house?"

The village militiamen nodded repeatedly, their mouths agape as they spoke: "The Third Master said that we will raise the timber ourselves to make the beams, and the government will provide the remaining bricks, stones, and tiles to build the houses for us free of charge."

"Free housing?" Hai Rui's eyes widened. "The people are still suffering from disaster, and they don't even have enough food to eat. How can the government afford to pay for it?"

"You don't know this, sir. Just now I was talking about new bricks, right? Those were developed by the Third Master and the craftsmen. He said that although these new bricks are not as good as blue bricks, they require less materials, time, and effort."

The third elder said, "The clay for making bricks won't cost money, the labor for making bricks won't cost money, and building houses is a matter of mutual help among the villagers, so that won't cost money either. As long as everyone puts in some hard work, everyone in the village will be able to move into a new house this year."

Hai Rui nodded, then asked, "I heard that you arrested the officers and soldiers of the River Conservancy Bureau yesterday?"

"They've arrested us! They've even beaten us! Your Honor, you must do us justice! These soldiers deserve to die! They colluded with the Japanese pirates to frame us, all to force us to sell our land..."

After chatting like this all the way, Hai Rui learned most of the story from the local militia, and understood that the key to Chun'an's current situation was that the newly appointed registrar had been forced to step forward and lead the people to survive because of the breach of the Xin'an River dam shortly after taking office...

"Where is Registrar Wang Yan?" Hai Rui asked in the main hall of the yamen, seeing Tian Youlu take the transfer order with both hands and compare it with the official document sent by the Ministry of Personnel earlier.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the Third Master is at the kiln outside the city, doing research with the craftsmen." Tian Youlu felt a sense of relief after reading the transfer letter, looking at Hai Rui as if he were a savior.

Hai Rui was stunned by the look in his eyes and said unhappily, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Please forgive me, please forgive me, Your Excellency." Tian Youlu said with a mournful face, "Your Excellency does not know, but the Third Master is a domineering and audacious man. I have been living in fear every day. Now that Your Excellency has come, I am finally free."

"Oh? So Wang Yan has gone to such lengths? Magistrate Tian, ​​tell me in detail."

"Uh……"

Tian Youlu looked at the junior official serving beside him and said wisely, "The Master will understand when the time comes. Go and tell the kitchen to prepare wine and dishes quickly. We need to welcome the Master today. Also, send someone to inform the Third Master to come back and see the Master as soon as possible."

"Yes."

The clerk responded and was about to go out to arrange for someone to run the errand when Hai Rui stopped him.

"No need. Chun'an has suffered a disaster, and the people outside are starving. How can we have the face to eat and drink in the yamen?" Hai Rui snorted, his tone not very good, feeling dissatisfied with the low awareness of the people in the yamen.

“Sir, we still need to provide food and wine,” Tian Youlu said. “Although Chun’an suffered a disaster, the yamen can still prepare enough meals every day. Besides, the Third Master can’t live without meat and wine, so he needs to eat…”

Hai Rui frowned, staring at Tian Youlu and the minor official.

Then the clerk chuckled obsequiously, "Sir, I'll send someone to inform you."

Seeing the minor official leave, Hai Rui's gaze fell on Tian Youlu again, and the questions in his eyes became concrete.

Tian Youlu chuckled and said, "Your Excellency, the officials in this yamen have basically been replaced in the short time since the Third Master took office. They are all people personally arranged by him, and they all listen to the Third Master. Sometimes, even I can't get them to do anything."

"You are the Assistant Magistrate of Chun'an County. The position of County Magistrate is vacant, and the Assistant Magistrate is temporarily acting as the County Magistrate!"

Hearing Hai Rui's naive words, Tian Youlu simply smiled and said, "You'll understand once you spend more time with the Third Master."

Hai Rui glared at Tian Youlu, his head pounding with worry. Was the situation in Chun'an really that complicated? How could a newly arrived registrar have such high prestige, practically ruling the entire place?

Tian Youlu didn't say much, but led Hai Rui around the yamen, familiarizing him with its layout and introducing him to the officials. Tian Youlu also told Hai Rui about the situation in the county, which greatly surprised Hai Rui.

He was holding out stubbornly in Hangzhou, but Wang Yan was much more ruthless here. He immediately forced wealthy households to contribute money and grain, and to bring back even more grain, he deliberately exposed the Xin'an River corruption case. Hai Rui had no doubt that if he weren't afraid of the consequences, Wang Yan would have led the people to Hangzhou to raid their homes…

After hearing a lot of stories, Hai Rui finally understood why Tian Youlu said that Wang Yan was incredibly audacious, fearless, and a tough nut to crack.

He single-handedly brought the county government and wealthy households to their knees amidst the turmoil caused by the disaster in Chun'an... It wasn't until noon that Hai Rui finally met Wang Yan.

"Wang Yan greets Your Excellency."

Seeing that Wang Yan was dressed in a blue robe covered in dust, with the cuffs tightly bound and his hair casually tied up with a jade hairpin, and his official boots were also dirty, it was clear that his attire was neither scholarly nor martial, neither appropriate nor proper, and showed no respect for him as the county magistrate.

However, Hai Rui was not angry. Instead, he smiled and bowed to Wang Yan, saying, "I have heard a lot about you, Chief Clerk Wang. I didn't expect you to be so young."

"You flatter me, Your Excellency. My name, place of origin, and age are already widely known."

"You've done something amazing; people have forgotten your age. An ordinary twenty-year-old couldn't do what you've done."

"You flatter me, Your Excellency. I haven't done anything significant; I've merely been helping the people of Chun'an save their lives. Please, Your Excellency, I will certainly treat you to a good meal and drinks."

As Hai Rui sat down, Tian Youlu sat on his left and Wang Yan sat on his right, leaving only the three of them at the table.

Wang Yan personally poured wine for Hai Rui and Tian Youlu, saying, "This is genuine Jinhua Shousheng wine, fragrant and sweet, truly a fine wine. Your humble servant respectfully offers it to you, sir."

"No thanks. I'm a poor man, and I can't stand seeing poor people. I don't like this wine, and I don't like this food." Hai Rui started to lose face.

Wang Yan was not embarrassed. He drank a cup of wine and said with a smile, "Your Excellency is a good official who cares about the suffering of the people. The people of Chun'an are blessed."

As he spoke, he picked up a chicken leg with his chopsticks, put it on Hai Rui's plate, and said, "Your Excellency, you should eat when it's time to eat. The food and wine are all ready, so there's no need to worry about so much."

"As I said before, the people outside are still starving, so I have no right to enjoy such food and wine. Chief Clerk Wang, I've heard that you can't live without meat and wine. I'd like to ask you how you can eat and drink like that?"

Wang Yan directly took the chicken leg from Hai Rui's plate, took a bite and left only the bone, then took a sip of wine and muttered, "Did you see that, Master? That's how you ate and drank it."

Hai Rui's eyes widened in disbelief; this mere registrar was far too arrogant...

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "Don't be angry, Your Excellency. I know the people outside are suffering, but that doesn't mean I can't eat meat and drink wine. Your Excellency should know what I've done. I've done my duty to the people of Chun'an, and I eat the food and wine I enjoy every day with a clear conscience."

"Your Excellency may not know, but the money for this food and drink does not come from the county government. It is from a wealthy local family who, in gratitude for my dedication to the people, have contributed to reward me, ensuring I am well-fed and clothed, and thus better able to serve the people of this county."

Seeing Hai Rui looking at him for confirmation, Tian Youlu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, there are more than a dozen wealthy families in this county who all admire the Third Master and support the county government's affairs. You can eat and drink in peace."

How is this any different from extortion?

"Your Excellency is mistaken. It is the wealthy families who sincerely provided financial assistance."

"What will you do if I don't pay?"

Wang Yan smiled and shook his head: "Your Excellency has misled me greatly. Even if I had paid them, I would still have dealt with them. They have been bullying the villagers and committing all sorts of evil deeds. But now is not the right time to make them work. Once the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields has been settled and the people have recovered, that will be the time to settle scores. Your Excellency, working for the people won't stop us from eating and drinking."

"This is all hard-earned money from the people..."

“Your Excellency, we are truly serving the people. Even if it is the people’s hard-earned money, we have a clear conscience.”

Hai Rui said, "Do you know that this meal you've prepared is enough for an ordinary person to eat and drink for half a month?"

"What you say is quite right, but I will not eat or drink this meal. Ordinary people have not been able to eat and drink for more than half a month. This money was obtained by me through my own abilities from wealthy families. Ordinary people cannot obtain it. Of course, when these wealthy families die, their land will definitely be distributed to the people. My eating and drinking is just a small matter. What does it have to do with the overall situation?"

"Sophistry!" Hai Rui was furious. "If you eat one less bite, the common people eat one more bite. Since you can get money from wealthy families, of course you should do it. Why should the common people do it? Your salary comes from the people. The people are supporting you. Since you are in this position, you should naturally work for the people. This is a matter of course."

“Your Excellency, this is how it is to be an official in our Great Ming Dynasty. How difficult it is to maintain self-discipline and self-restraint! Your Excellency may not know, but I bought my position as a registrar! I had to sell my land in Liaodong to raise enough money to come here to be an official in Chun'an.”

The elder brother probably doesn't know that this mere clerk in Chun'an has a fortune of over ten thousand taels of silver. The second master is the same; he's worked in Chun'an for over two years and amassed over a thousand taels of silver.

Seeing that Hai Rui seemed to be glaring at him to death, Tian Youlu smiled obsequiously: "Your Excellency, I didn't make much money. The former magistrate, Chang Boxi, made much more. He resold government grain, embezzled public funds for river repairs, and also took a lot of silver from wealthy households. It must have been at least 20,000 taels of silver."

Wang Yan patted the fuming Hai Rui on the back and comforted him, "Your Excellency, please don't be angry. Getting angry is bad for your health, and it's really not worth it. The Second Master has also sincerely corrected his mistakes, and he is still doing well in handling affairs. He has done a very good job in the daily affairs of the government and disaster relief. He has not made money for nothing."

Seeing that Hai Rui was about to spout more profound principles, Wang Yan quickly added, "Your Excellency, water that is too clear has no fish. Did Emperor Taizu's skinning and stuffing of people with straw kill the greed in people's hearts? No! He couldn't kill it all. Everyone thought they were the lucky one who escaped being killed, let alone expecting people to restrain themselves?"

There are too many temptations, Your Excellency. Just look at the time I've been here; wealthy people have been giving me money, women, and even land—not land in Chun'an, but land in Hangzhou.

That's not the important thing. The important thing is that they all have connections at higher levels. People give money to local officials to avoid unnecessary trouble. If they don't accept it, it's considered disrespectful, and they'll be manipulated by powerful figures, or even killed.

With such temptations below and pressure from above, it's truly not easy for you, sir, to remain completely innocent. You may be able to strictly discipline yourself throughout your life, but others cannot.

"Distorted logic! Is innocence also wrong?"

"Sometimes it's just a mistake."

"sometimes?"

Wang Yan smiled and said, "Many times."

Hai Rui gave a cold snort, remaining silent, refusing to eat meat or drink alcohol.

"In that case, let's not waste any more time. From now on, all affairs in Chun'an will be handled by you, sir. I will just dutifully be a lowly clerk and keep Chun'an's accounts in order. Also, I promised to build houses for the people, and I will be responsible for this matter to the end and keep my word."

"Why?" Hai Rui asked, puzzled.

"Your Excellency is a good official, and I am not greedy or power-hungry. It's just that these people were wholeheartedly harming the people. Although I also became an official for money, I have studied the classics and couldn't stand by and watch, so I risked my life. Your Excellency is a seventh-rank official, and your shoulders are broader than mine. You should be the one to take charge for the people of Chun'an."

Wang Yan took a sip of wine and shook his head. "Being an official is too tiring. I came here happily to make money, but who would have thought I'd run into all this trouble..."

Hai Rui stared blankly at Wang Yan, as if trying to see through a fog, unable to make anything clear...

　I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the kind readers who have given me generous support through tips, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and those who have been reading quietly!

　　(End of this chapter)