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

Chapter 1513 Wise and Enlightened Ruler
"His Majesty has it tough. These officials are always doing bad things in the Emperor's name. Take this conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields, for example. His Majesty was just building a palace. How much silver could it cost? How did it result in such a large deficit?"
"It's all going to these people pocketing the profits. They conceal land and people, and refuse to pay taxes. Their actions get worse every year. The court's revenue decreases year by year, and ultimately, it all comes down to them. And yet, His Majesty has to bear the blame. Bah!"

……

West Garden, Yuxi Palace, afternoon.

Lü Fang helped Jiajing wash his feet and then had his adopted son read aloud the secret report sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"This Wang Yan actually managed to take over the entire ironclad operation in Chun'an, and even captured Zhu Qi alive?" Jiajing expressed his surprise at Wang Yan's abilities.

“Master, Wang Yan has replaced all the officials in Chun'an, from top to bottom. Those who disobeyed him have had their homes confiscated, and the wealthy families in Chun'an have been suppressed so that they dare not make any moves. He has also resolved the problems of the people who were bullied, and the promised house construction is also underway. He has even come up with a new type of brick that is cheap and usable. Zhu Qi has failed to live up to your trust. When he returns, I will definitely punish him.”

"Never mind, Zhu Qi just didn't want to harm the common people, otherwise he wouldn't have been captured alive, right? He still benefited," Jiajing said with a smile. "And this Wang Yan, he actually managed to come up with new bricks..."

"What's even more remarkable is that he understands the difficulties His Majesty faces," Lü Fang said at the right moment. "He's just a lowly ninth-rank clerk, yet he can see things so clearly and understand His Majesty's predicament. In all the years I've served His Majesty, this is the first time I've encountered such a person."

Jiajing snorted again: "Don't praise him like that. This kid is really bold. He actually dared to gather local militia to confront the provincial authorities and arrest the officers and soldiers of the river management department. He even said that he only did it because Zhu Qi was there. I think he would have dared to do it even if Zhu Qi wasn't there. He's simply audacious."

"Master, there's a reason for this. Zheng Bichang and He Maocai actually colluded with Japanese pirates and tried to pin the blame on the people of Chun'an. They were involved in embezzling public funds for the Xin'an River repair project and destroying the dikes to flood the fields."

Seeing that their scheme had been exposed, they actually sent an urgent message accusing Wang Yan of colluding with and protecting Japanese pirates, and defying the provincial authorities. If Zhu Qi hadn't happened to be there, their master would have been kept in the dark. These people are truly disloyal and utterly wicked!

"Let's leave them alone for now. Even if converting rice paddies to mulberry fields doesn't achieve complete success, it will still bring in more revenue for the imperial court..."

"Our master tolerates this for the sake of the country; these treacherous officials and villains are truly hateful!"

Jiajing breathed a sigh of relief and examined a red brick fired by Wang Yan over and over: "This is a sensible person, but not very sensible. He insisted on preventing the people from selling their land and even brought up the corruption case in Xin'an River. Now, he has dragged Zheng Bichang and He Maocai into this. Will he also implicate Yan Shifan and Yan Song?"
Prince Yu and Gao Gong tried every means to obstruct it, sending several people to Zhejiang, but all of them combined couldn't accomplish as much as Wang Yan alone. They claimed they weren't against converting rice paddies to mulberry fields, but against the implementation of this conversion by those below them—wasn't that still opposition? Wasn't that still affecting the nation's grand plan?

He spoke for a while, and before Lü Fang could agree, he continued, "However, what he said is not without reason. I allowed them to change rice paddies to mulberry trees, but I did not allow them to do so in this way."

“Wang Yan can see things clearly, think things through, and has a heart of loyalty to the emperor and the country, as well as a heart that cares about the suffering of the people. He has not read the books of sages in vain.”

Jiajing laughed and scolded, "Didn't I just say that he's supposed to be on behalf of the people, but in reality, he's just finding excuses to extort money from wealthy families and share it with the common people? Is he concerned about the people's suffering? He's after the wealth and grain of the rich families!"

"They all take money, but Wang Yan doesn't take food from the mouths of the people, and he has earned a reputation as an honest and good official among them."

“What good is it if the common people say so? It’s only because Chun’an suffered a disaster. Under normal circumstances, the gentry and wealthy families would probably say that Chun’an is already in dire straits.”

Emperor Jiajing was certainly not an emperor who did nothing for nothing; he saw many things clearly, but due to his own limitations and other reasons, he was unable to solve them.

Or perhaps he didn't really intend to resolve it, since resolving a problem would require fierce struggle, involving too many things and people, and would severely disrupt the current stable situation. Of course, he compromised, remaining in the palace as his wise and mighty Daoist ruler.

To be honest, Emperor Jiajing had a tough time. He was set on fire several times, struck by lightning a few times, and was even murdered by palace maids. He was probably suffering from severe paranoia...

"His Majesty is wise and discerning; nothing escapes his notice." Lü Fang's skill in flattery was ingrained in his bones. He was adept at handling affairs, knowledgeable about current events, and spoke eloquently, which were the keys to his rise to power.

"Alright, is there anything else? Go ahead and say it."

Jiajing had known Lü Fang for decades and was extremely familiar with her. He knew that Lü Fang still had something to say to him.

After a moment's hesitation, just as Jiajing was about to lose his patience, Lü Fang finally let out a long sigh and spoke.

"Master, Yang Jinshui of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau has sent an urgent report via 800 li express courier. The silk merchants who work for the Textile Bureau are using the Bureau's name to buy land in Chun'an..."

Jiajing's eyes suddenly widened, his gaze chilling, as if he wanted to devour someone...

This is easy to understand. Although Jiajing did not care about the lives of ordinary people, such as when Zheng Bichang and others destroyed the dikes and flooded the fields, causing hundreds of thousands of people along the Xin'an River to suffer disaster, Chun'an County was flooded, and half of Jiande was flooded, it was all insignificant to Jiajing and could not shake his Daoist heart in the slightest.

This is understandable, after all, he had long since become desensitized to such disasters. Droughts, floods, heavy snow, locust plagues, earthquakes, typhoons, and so on—disasters that often affect hundreds of thousands or even millions of people—occur at least four or five times a year. Jiajing had been emperor for forty years and had seen far too many of these.

However, even though he didn't care, he still wanted the good reputation of a wise and benevolent ruler.

When Chun'an and Jiande suffered disasters, the Jiangnan Arsenal, representing the imperial palace's influence, sent people to buy up fertile land at low prices. What happened then? How could the emperor of the mighty Ming Dynasty be so shameless? How did people criticize it, and how did the historical records describe it?
Seeing Jiajing's state, Lü Fang comforted him, "Your Majesty must not be impatient or angry. Zhu Qi is in Chun'an, and there is also Wang Yan, who is sensible. They certainly won't cause any trouble and ruin the palace's reputation. Judging by the time, Zhu Qi's secret report should arrive in four days at the latest."

"Give Zhu Qi the authority to act as he sees fit and let him investigate the matter thoroughly! Go and summon Yan Song! Summon Yan Song! I want to see what he has to say!"

……

The storm in Beijing hasn't reached Zhejiang or Chun'an yet.

However, Chun'an is currently at the center of the storm, and there is no need for the storms from the capital to come and batter it.

After angrily questioning and beating up Shen Yishi, Hai Rui was somewhat bewildered when he saw the banner on the ship that read "By Imperial Decree, We Are Providing Disaster Relief."

"Ordered to provide disaster relief?"

Hai Rui was full of question marks. He looked at Tian Youlu, then at Wang Yan, and then at Zhu Qi, who was standing silently beside him, trying to find some common ground.

Shen Yishi exclaimed loudly, “That’s right! It’s an imperial decree for disaster relief! His Majesty, mindful of the people’s plight, ordered the Imperial Textile Bureau to lend grain to the disaster-stricken people. Once the mulberry seedlings are planted and there is a harvest, the grain will be returned. In this way, the people will overcome this hardship, the court will complete the conversion from rice to mulberry cultivation, business with foreign merchants will continue smoothly, and the court will earn money. It’s a win-win situation.” “Did you all hear that, folks? His Majesty issued a decree to lend us grain so we can switch to mulberry cultivation and raise silkworms. Having overcome this year’s flood, we will earn more than we did with grain. His Majesty’s great kindness deserves our deepest gratitude. Please follow me and bow deeply to the north!”

Wang Yan spoke loudly to the onlookers, the villagers and militiamen maintaining order, and then led everyone, including Hai Rui and others, in a grand ceremony of five bows and three kowtows to the north.

Since he did this, the others naturally couldn't stand still, so Shen Yishi and the others all knelt down and followed suit in performing the grand ceremony.

After this, Wang Yan stepped forward and warmly took Shen Yishi's arm.

"No wonder Mr. Shen didn't go to the yamen, but insisted on having us come to see him. It turns out there's such a great thing. Your Majesty is wise, and Mr. Shen has worked hard on his mission. The food and wine are all prepared. Let's go, Mr. Shen, please let us treat you well to express our gratitude."

"Then I, Shen, will respectfully comply." Shen Yishi smiled calmly, and then led a few of his men to the county government office with Wang Yan and the others.

It was still the main hall where they discussed matters. Ever since Hai Rui refused to eat with Wang Yan, Wang Yan had never eaten in the main hall again, instead enjoying his meals in his own courtyard.

Today was to entertain the people from the Imperial Textile Bureau. Although Hai Rui was still unhappy, the food and wine were still laid out in the main hall. Of course, the main reason was that the money for the food and wine didn't go through the government's public accounts; it was all tribute from local wealthy families. If the government's money were used for such extravagance, Hai Rui would really be furious.

The group politely sat down, and after a few drinks, everyone was quite happy, except for Hai Rui, who was disrespectful and sat there with a long face.

Finally, Hai Rui couldn't hold back any longer. He asked directly, "Mr. Shen, you are very knowledgeable. You must know more about the things that happened in the province than I do. How come I have never heard of such an arrangement?"

Shen Yishi understood that this was referring to Gao Hanwen's matter. Previously, Gao Hanwen had disagreed with buying land at a low price, but Shen Yishi had set him up and forced him to write a document admitting to harassing women, leaving him with leverage. As a result, Gao Hanwen had no choice but to agree to the proposal put forward by Zheng Bichang and others.

Although Hai Rui did not know the details, he knew that Gao Hanwen had met with Shen Yishi and then his attitude changed drastically, so he did not give Shen Yishi a friendly look.

Shen Yishi chuckled: "I may not have heard of Magistrate Hai, but that doesn't mean he doesn't exist. Isn't that what you see now? I brought grain to help the people of Chun'an get through this year. Is that wrong?"

"You said you were acting on imperial orders, but what were the orders for?" Hai Rui pressed.

“Shen is just a merchant who works for the Textile Bureau. If Magistrate Hai wants an imperial decree, he has to go to the Textile Bureau and ask Eunuch Yang Jinshui for it.”

Wang Yan smiled and said, "Our esteemed master is upright and honest, and his nickname is Gangfeng. He seeks truth and perfection in everything he does. He did not mean to target Mr. Shen. Please do not take offense, Mr. Shen."

"Not at all, not at all. I had heard of Magistrate Hai's integrity when I was in Hangzhou, and today I have finally experienced it for myself, hahaha."

Hai Rui's expression was not good, but he did not retaliate. He snorted and turned the page.

After a few more drinks, under Zhu Qi's watchful eye, Wang Yan said with a smile, "Mr. Shen, are you aware of all the trouble that has been caused in order to buy land at a low price?"

"I understand, Registrar Wang and Magistrate Hai mean the same thing. Does Registrar Wang think that His Majesty would not issue an edict for disaster relief?"

Shen Yishi's words were impossible to answer. To say it was impossible would be to question the emperor. To say it was possible, however, was to ask why the emperor hadn't provided disaster relief over a month ago. This, too, was a questioning of the emperor's authority.

They directly exposed a major flaw in ancient society, effectively blocking both sides of the problem.

Wang Yan shook his head: "Seventh Master, look, Mr. Shen isn't cooperating. You definitely won't get anything out of him by asking like this. Why don't you talk to him?"

Zhu Qi sighed, stood up, and showed the sign of the Northern Garrison Command: "Mr. Shen, please."

Shen Yishi was completely dumbfounded. He sat there blankly, looking at this and that, and then let out a long sigh: "I should thank you all for letting me eat and drink my fill."

“Mr. Shen, there’s no need to worry. We just want to know the specifics of what happened. You can fool anyone in this world, but you can’t fool His Majesty.” Zhu Qi’s words were firm and resolute. He then led Shen Yishi to an empty room in the county government office for interrogation…

Seeing that Shen Yishi and his men had been taken away, leaving only the three county officials at the dinner table, Hai Rui asked, "Registrar Wang, what do you think of this matter?"

"Hurrah."

Wang Yan took a sip of wine and said with a smile, "I have said before that the best way to change rice paddies to mulberry trees is for the imperial court to lend grain to the people so that they can catch their breath and also let them switch to planting mulberry seedlings. It is a win-win solution."

Now that His Majesty is willing to lend us grain, that's wonderful. Second Master, what are you standing there for? Go, post notices and tell the people to register to borrow grain. Go back and hurry up and plant mulberry seedlings.”

"Third Master, I'm going right now." Tian Youlu put down his chopsticks and ran off.

Hai Rui glared at Wang Yan: "You're playing dumb! It's obvious that Shen Yishi forged an imperial edict and lent the grain meant for buying land to the people without authorization."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Of course he was forging an imperial edict. It's possible that Zheng Bichang, He Maocai, and that Yang Jinshui all pushed him too far. Even this time, using the name of the Textile Bureau was due to their coercion. Shen Yishi is a smart man; he knows that once this sign is put up, he will surely die."

In order to find a way to survive, or at least protect his family, he came up with this plan: to directly distribute the grain as disaster relief, all under the guise of the Emperor's name. This was a convenient pretext; no one could question it. Even the Emperor himself was no exception.

"Your Excellency, these matters are not important to us. What is important is that our people are saved, and the conversion from rice paddies to mulberry fields can be completed. Next, we should focus on the people's farming, silkworm rearing, and silk reeling, and also build houses for them. Then everything will be fine."

Hai Rui snorted and said nothing more. Under normal circumstances, he was unwilling to argue with Wang Yan because Wang Yan had more reasoning than he did.

He knew he was pursuing his ideals, while Wang Yan was applying his knowledge to practical matters, but that didn't stop him from disapproving of some of Wang Yan's actions...

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