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

Chapter 1519 Bamboo and Stone
Wang Yan's rank was too low; he had no chance to get involved in matters in Zhejiang.

He used to be able to influence things because he was the person in charge of Chun'an, which was the center at that time. So when he did something, it had some impact on things, and he became known to the Jiajing Emperor, Prince Yu, and the Yan faction.

However, the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields is now a thing of the past. The focus has shifted to the massive embezzlement scandal involving Shen Yishi, which has reached the highest levels of government, leading to power struggles and compromises among various parties. Naturally, he has no place in this matter.

After all, he was just a minor clerk, which, in practical terms, was only a deputy division-level cadre. He had connections with centrally-supervised officials, regional governors, and numerous subordinate cadres, and even implicated...
By analogy to later generations, this is equivalent to a county standing committee member in a small county in Zhejiang, who is involved with central government oversight, numerous high-ranking officials, and bureau-level officials, and is implicitly pointing to the few chairs at the top.

Unless Wang Yan has connections with the people involved in the case, he can not be investigated or dealt with. Otherwise, he has no right to speak out, and any information he knows will be wrong.

As for fighting the Japanese pirates, the main battleground is currently in Taizhou. The pirates in other areas are merely harassing and containing the enemy, posing no significant threat. Moreover, within Chun'an, let alone the Japanese pirates, even those who used to be violent and aggressive have been subdued and are now all honestly engaged in production. Chun'an isn't far from a place where doors are left unlocked at night and lost items are not picked up, but it's not far off.

Wang Yan couldn't possibly lead troops to suppress the Japanese pirates in various places. He could have been more concerned about the urgent military situation earlier, but now that he had no worries internally, it was none of his business to deal with the external issues.

So everything continued as naturally as before. Hu Zongxian led Qi Jiguang and others to fight the Japanese pirates and achieved a great victory at Taizhou. Hai Rui stubbornly resisted the investigation, bringing up all the past events, which put everyone in a difficult position. Zhao Zhenji racked his brains, trying to find a way to appease all parties, while also frantically trying to raise military supplies.

"Hai Rui, I'm not asking you about the trial; I'm asking you about military supplies."

In the governor's office, Zhao Zhenji looked at Hai Rui, who stood straight in front of him, staring at him, and felt utterly helpless.

But he didn't show it on his face and said, "Several counties around Chun'an have sent documents accusing you of disregarding discipline, privately leading local militia to cross the border to enforce the law, and confiscating the property of a wealthy family that colluded with Japanese pirates."

"The military situation is urgent and cannot be delayed, so we must act expediently," Hai Rui said firmly. "Does Your Excellency intend for Chun'an to use the confiscated wealth to fund the military?"

"Having confiscated so many wealthy households, there must be tens of thousands of taels of silver. No matter how urgent the military situation in Chun'an is, can it be more urgent than Minister Hu's fight against the Japanese pirates? Let me tell you, Minister Hu just won a great victory in Taizhou, defeating the Japanese pirates and forcing them to flee overseas. At this time, if military supplies are inadequate and military intelligence is delayed, can you bear the responsibility?"

“This responsibility belongs to the Grand Censor, not me.” Hai Rui calmly shook his head. “Moreover, to be honest, the Grand Censor should also know about Wang Yan, the Registrar of Chun’an. He is the one who truly makes the decisions in Chun’an, not me, the county magistrate.”

"How could you say such a thing? As a superior, how can you not control your subordinates..."

Meeting Hai Rui's gaze, Zhao Zhenji fell silent, for he remembered that he too hadn't been able to suppress his anger towards Hai Rui...

Hai Rui said, “Your Excellency may not know, but before I went to Chun’an to take up my post, Chun’an was under the jurisdiction of Wang Yan… Zheng Bichang and He Maocai attempted to frame the disaster victims of Chun’an for colluding with Japanese pirates… Why didn’t He Maocai dare to go to Chun’an? He was afraid that Wang Yan would just tie him up.”

Moreover, Wang Yan has invented red bricks and cement, and recently he has invented white glass, which he presented directly to His Majesty. His Majesty then gave him half of the net profit. Because he is fond of food and drinks, he always has meat and wine with every meal. Since he has nothing of value, His Majesty, mindful of this, specially sent him a thousand taels of silver so that he could enjoy fine clothes and delicacies.

"Your Excellency, given all this, let alone me, even you, Zhao Zhongcheng, could possibly suppress Wang Yan or seize his power in Chun'an? Let me tell you the truth, without Wang Yan uttering a single word, you would find it impossible to move an inch in Chun'an."

Zhao Zhenji frowned: "His Majesty gives him a share of the profits and a thousand taels of silver for his enjoyment?"

"Exactly!"

"Isn't the military situation urgent enough? The people of Chun'an are the people, but aren't the people elsewhere the people? Magistrate Hai, perhaps you don't understand the damage the Japanese pirates have caused to our Great Ming Dynasty..."

So Hai Rui launched into a tirade against Zhao Zhenji, saying that his father had died at the hands of Japanese pirates, and then recounted the many years of Japanese pirate raids on the Ming Dynasty, leaving Zhao Zhenji speechless.

However, Hai Rui did not argue with Zhao Zhenji. Instead, he said, "Your Excellency, Chun'an only received some disposable income this time. Due to the flood, the government is penniless and can't even pay the officials' salaries. Roads need repair, irrigation works need dredging, and the granaries need replenishment. All of these things require expenses."
The people elsewhere are just ordinary people, but the people of Chun'an shouldn't suffer even more. We just suffered from the floods and finally managed to stabilize. Now we have some silver to give Chun'an a chance to breathe. Your Excellency, even if we could get this silver from Wang Yan, do you really think the people of Chun'an are better off than the people elsewhere who suffered from the Japanese pirates?

Why doesn't Your Excellency go to other counties? They haven't suffered disasters and can afford the money and provisions. Leaving aside the others, just look at those counties that sued Chun'an. What Wang Yan and his militia took away were ultimately just disposable assets. The remaining land was all disposed of by them—the accumulated wealth of wealthy families over generations. Selling it off would surely bring them enormous profits.

Hai Rui cupped his hands in greeting, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Having said that, Hai Rui turned and left, ignoring the bewildered Zhao Zhenji...

Zhao Zhenji watched Hai Rui leave, speechless and choked with emotion, feeling deeply uncomfortable...

It's not that Chun'an is the only place where you can get money; it's just that Chun'an has money now, which is why Zhao Zhenji has his eye on it. If he can't get money in Chun'an, Zhao Zhenji naturally has ways to raise it elsewhere.

The events unfolded as originally depicted in the drama. The confessions sent back for retrial were delivered to the capital unchanged along with Yang Jinshui. Not only were they unchanged, but Hai Rui also found evidence to review the recanted confessions of Zheng Bichang and He Maocai and sent them along with the original confessions.

This behavior is equivalent to Hai Rui, the county magistrate, pointing his finger at the cabinet and cursing the emperor...

To avoid causing widespread panic and turmoil in the country, Jiajing chose to downplay the incident. Just like in the original drama, he summoned Yan Song and Xu Jie, spoke a lot of amicable words in the Yuxi Palace, and finally burned the confession obtained by Hai Rui.

So Yan Song seized the opportunity to launch an attack.

He first explained that the national treasury was empty, the military situation was urgent, and the various ministries needed more silver, requesting that Yan Maoqing be sent to inspect the salt production. Jiajing granted his request.

Then Yan Song said: "When the rice fields were converted to mulberry fields, I heard that there was a smuggler named Qi Dazhu who was suspected of colluding with Japanese pirates. The provincial judicial office sent troops to arrest him, but was blocked by the newly appointed registrar of Chun'an, Wang Yan. Without asking for permission, he incited the local militia to arrest the soldiers sent by the provincial judicial office, and even the commanders and deputy commanders were arrested. He also set up a private court and interrogated people beyond his jurisdiction."

Zheng Bichang and He Maocai jointly submitted a memorial stating that Wang Yan, the registrar of Chun'an, was harboring Japanese pirates, knowingly failing to report it, privately mobilizing local militia, disobeying his superiors, disrespecting the imperial court, trying to win over the people, and inciting local militia to help him, thus defying the emperor's orders.

I have also heard that Wang Yan is arrogant and domineering, extorting money from wealthy families and harming innocent people. Previously, when there was a disturbance caused by Japanese pirates, he even privately led local militia to cross the border and confiscate the property of wealthy families under the pretext of colluding with the Japanese. He is truly lawless.

As for Qi Dazhu, he has been dispatched by Wang Yan to fight against the Japanese pirates and is currently serving under Hu Zongxian. I believe that all related matters should be thoroughly investigated to uphold discipline.

Xu Jie's gaze pierced over from the other side.

Lu Fang, kneeling on the ground, was also looking at Yan Song. He didn't understand why Yan Song was acting like a rogue and causing trouble for the Emperor when the matter had already been resolved.

Wearing a Taoist robe and a floral crown, Emperor Jiajing glanced at Yan Song with a deep look in his eyes.

After a moment of silence, he said, "Granted. Is there anything else?"

Yan Song naturally sensed the impatience in Jiajing's words, so he took his leave and left on his own initiative.

Xu Jie had nothing more to say and left Yu Xi Palace with them.

Only Emperor Jiajing sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and meditated.

Lü Fang stood obediently to the side, patiently keeping him company.

After a long while, perhaps his legs had gone numb, Jiajing finally stopped and stretched out his legs. Seeing this, Lü Fang quickly stepped forward to help massage his legs. "That old dog Yan Song is getting more and more useless as he gets older," Jiajing chuckled. "He's even trying to outmaneuver me."

“My lord, to be honest, Grand Secretary Yan has really gone too far this time. He knew that Wang Yan was someone you had in your pocket and would be given an important position in the future, and that he was irrelevant to this matter, yet he still insisted on using Wang Yan as a pawn to kill Hai Rui.”

"He's doing this for my benefit."

Jiajing's gaze turned icy. "He's letting me know his weight, letting me know that everyone from top to bottom is his man..."

Lu Fang wisely remained silent, gently massaging Jiajing's legs. Before this, he had already been sent to repair Jiajing's tomb due to various matters. He had a premonition that he would be sent away, far from the center of power…

After a while, Jiajing said, "Isn't Zhu Qi still in Zhejiang? Now that everything has settled, he's useless there. Let him take Wang Yan and that..."

"Qi Dazhu".

"Have Zhu Qi bring the two of them to the capital. There's no rush. They can come slowly. Make sure Wang Yan doesn't go hungry or thirsty."

"Yes, master."

"Go ahead." Jiajing waved his hand; his leg had recovered, and he continued his meditation...

At the entrance of Chun'an County Government Office, a large cloth umbrella was open, and in the shadows lay the Third Master, his hair disheveled, swaying back and forth on a recliner.

When ordinary people occasionally passed by, they would always say a few words when they saw Wang Yan, and some would even ask him to take their pulse and examine them. Now everyone in the county knew that the Third Master was a miracle doctor who had not only cured the plague in the county but also cured many people of illnesses that had lingered for years. Moreover, the Third Master was kind and would not charge a penny for taking pulses.

Ordinary people wouldn't be so blind as to come to the Third Master for every little ailment. It's usually only after they've already seen the doctor at the clinic and the attending physician can't cure them that they come to the Third Master.

Taking advantage of the disaster, Wang Yan has fully integrated the county's medical resources. Now, all the county's clinics operate in unison and follow orders. At the same time, corresponding documents have been issued, imposing restrictions on the prices of medical consultations and prescriptions, with clear and detailed rules.

Wang Yan does have this power; it's a matter of county autonomy, belonging to local law, and it doesn't conflict with other places.

"Third Master is really leisurely."

Hearing the sarcastic words, Wang Yan opened his eyes and looked around, then waved his hand and said, "The master is back, looking all worried. Something bad must have happened."

"Whether it's a disaster or not, I don't know. I've handed in my resignation to Zhao Zhenji. I'm quitting!" Hai Rui took the folding fan from Wang Yan's hand and started fanning himself.

The breeze startled him. Looking at the bamboo and rock painting on the fan, he couldn't help but recite the poem on it.

"Hold fast to the green hills and never give up..."

Wang Yan asked with a smile, "How is it? Is the poem alright?"

"I never expected that someone like you, who only seeks to amass wealth through officialdom, could write such a pure and proud poem."

"How could I possibly be worthy of writing about you? You, Hai Gangfeng, have nothing but your unyielding pride."

"Brother Wang, you flatter me."

"Oh my, sir, this is the first time you've seriously called me brother," Wang Yan said with amusement. "When you're happy, you can't help but laugh; you can't even stop the smile from spreading across your face."

Hai Rui then laughed heartily: "Indeed, that's an overstatement."

"You didn't hold firm to your convictions, so isn't that an overstatement? While you're in office, you can still stand up for the people; if you're not, then all your efforts are wasted. You went to the provincial capital to hear a series of cases, and now you don't even want to be an official anymore?"

"What? The master is no longer an official?"

Tian Youlu ran over with the letter, and was very surprised when he heard the news. "Your Excellency, please think it over. So many people want to be officials but can't. My Great Ming Dynasty has hundreds of millions of people and 1158 counties. That means there are 1158 county magistrates. That's a position that most people can't achieve in their entire lives. I am also a scholar who passed the imperial examination and have been an official for more than ten years. All I want to do in my life is to become a senior official."

"Tell me your story." Hai Rui didn't want to talk to Tian Youlu; that kid was too greedy.

Tian Youlu, of course, paid no attention to Hai Rui's dissatisfaction. He said, "Master, Third Master, Minister Hu's son will be passing through Chun'an."

Hai Rui, who was also serving as a county magistrate for the first time, took the letter and looked at it without understanding what it meant: "What does his business have to do with Chun'an?"

"According to custom, the son of a minister should be received according to the minister's regulations, which is two hundred taels of silver for hospitality and four hundred taels of silver as a gift."

"What? This is outrageous! Where did this custom come from? Where is it written?" Hai Rui immediately exploded.

Wang Yan clicked his tongue and said, "It's so much better to be an official. I didn't even know there were tolls if I weren't an official. I heard that Minister Hu has been traveling to the capital quite often lately. How much silver must he be making? Second Master, we brothers should encourage each other."

"Uh...hehe..." Tian Youlu chuckled, then asked, "So how do we arrange this? Should we give them the money or not?"

"No!" Hai Rui said firmly.

Tian Youlu said with difficulty, "But that is, after all, the son of Minister Hu. If we were to blame him..."

This time, Wang Yan spoke up: "You take the yamen runners to receive him. Provide him with a meal and drinks as I usually do, and the money will come from the yamen's public account. We've done our best. If the young master of the Hu family is dissatisfied and makes a scene, you can arrest him and bring him back to me. I want to see what the young master of the Hu family has to offer."

"Oh dear, Third Master, this is going to be a big problem. Minister Hu is still fighting the Japanese pirates, and we need to capture his son from behind..."

“One thing at a time. I went to the provincial capital and met with Minister Hu. I had his son arrested. I’ll take responsibility for whatever happens.”

"Hey……"

Tian Youlu let out a long sigh. Working with two such tyrants is really unbearable.

Neither Wang Yan nor Hai Rui paid any attention to Tian Youlu's suicidal thoughts, and instead started talking about a series of events that had occurred during Hai Rui's trial in the provincial capital...

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