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

Chapter 1522 Meeting the Saint
The location of the Northern Garrison Command.

Wang Yan jumped off the carriage and stretched out a big yawn.

"Third Master, Seventh Master, is this the Imperial Prison?" Qi Dazhu also pulled his wife down from the carriage behind.

Wang Yan slapped him on the back of the head: "Didn't you see the sign says 'Northern Garrison Command'? Do you think the brothers of the Northern Garrison Command are all living in prison?"

Zhu Qi glanced at Wang Yan without saying a word, then stepped forward to greet the people who were there to welcome him. Afterward, he had someone arrange accommodations for the three of them. He himself rushed off to the Directorate of Ceremonial to report the news.

In full view of everyone, he was almost strangled to death by Yan Shifan. How could this be a small matter?

Especially now, with Yan Maoqing having just returned from his salt inspection tour, bringing back several million taels of silver to resolve the court's financial crisis, Wang Yan's lawless actions are having a truly egregious impact...

However, Wang Yan was completely unaware of what was happening. Under the horrified gazes of the Imperial Guards, who looked at him as if he were a madman, he strolled along with them to the courtyard next to the Northern Garrison Command.

“Registrar Wang, your neighbor is Gao Hanwen, the former prefect of Hangzhou.”

"Is that so? We were both officials in Zhejiang, and now we are both criminals. It is only right and proper that we meet. I wonder if you could do us a favor?"

"Let's forget it, Chief Clerk Wang. You're a god, don't make things difficult for the brothers."

Wang Yan shook his head regretfully: "That's why you can't get promoted. I'm a deity, but what is His Majesty? He has to be careful at all times and can't let his guard down."

"Yes, yes, yes, Clerk Wang, please come in. You must be tired from your journey. I'll have someone boil water and prepare food and wine right away." This guy has a lot on his mind. You're about to strangle Yan Shifan, and you're telling me to watch my words and not let my guard down?

Wang Yan roughly understood how this person was thinking. In the other person's mind, he was already halfway to the underworld and about to gulp down the Meng Po soup (a soup that erases memories of past lives)...

He quickly organized his meager belongings, which consisted of only a few books and a few pieces of clothing; there was nothing else.

At the behest of Qi Dazhu and his wife, Wang Yan enjoyed a hot pot of tea over a small red clay stove. Once the Imperial Guard's strongmen had boiled water, Wang Yan took a hot bath.

When he came out after taking a shower, he saw Zhu Qi sitting in his previous seat, drinking sweet canned tea with a chubby man.

"Wang Yan, this is Chief Steward Huang of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who is also the Director of the Eastern Depot," Zhu Qi introduced.

"Your humble servant Wang Yan greets Chief Steward Huang."

Huang Jin waved his hand with a smile: "You're quite bold. Even we have to be very polite to Yan Shifan, so we can't accept your bowing."

"Aren't you insulting me? You're being polite to Yan Shifan because you don't want to ruin His Majesty's plans. I'm not afraid of those people. I suppose you already know what I said earlier. They're all trying to kill me, so what's there to hold me back?"

"Don't even mention Yan Shifan, even if Yan Song were here today, I'd beat that old dog to a pulp. But Yan Shifan's a fool for even trying to get close to me. Yan Song's old arms and legs can't move even if he wanted to. And I can't really kill him, what a pity..."

Huang Jindu laughed in anger: "You've got some nerve, kid. I can't say anything to you. When you came here, the ancestor didn't give you any other instructions. We just wanted you to take a bath and freshen up, and then teach you some manners."

"Manager Huang, can we eat while we teach each other manners?" Wang Yan asked with a grin, as if he were a shameless, silly boy.

"What are you thinking? Do you expect His Majesty to wait for you? We're leaving now!"

Huang Jin finished his tea and stormed off in a huff.

Wang Yan jogged a few steps as a symbolic gesture, then boarded the carriage with Huang Jin. The carriage traveled into the Forbidden City, then turned a corner and headed towards the West Garden.

Upon arriving, Huang Jin led Wang Yan off the carriage, walked through the palace gate, and stepped into the snow.

Along the way, Huang Jin did teach him some manners. It was nothing more than kowtowing when arriving at a destination, and doing whatever the emperor asked, regardless of his authority.

Huang Jin didn't let the eunuch hold an umbrella for her; instead, she stood with Wang Yan as the wind and snow blew.

"I remember you said that His Majesty has it tough, how much silver does it cost to build palaces..." Huang Jin asked with a smile, "What do you think of the West Garden now?"

"Magnificent and resplendent, truly befitting an emperor's presence," Wang Yan said, pointing to a pile of ruins. "Why is that place so empty?"

"That's the Wanshou Palace. It was destroyed by a fire two years ago, and it was only cleared out before winter. Do you think it's going to be rebuilt or not?"

"It must be built!"

Wang Yan pointed to the mirror in the nearby palace and said, "We don't need anything else. I think the money Bai Liuli earns next year will be enough to build the Wanshou Palace. Such a large place, and such a large palace, will take a lot of time to build. We should start preparing the materials now, and start building in the spring. The money will be there, and it won't delay His Majesty from moving into the Wanshou Palace as soon as possible."

"It's not as simple as you make it out to be. And how easy is it to prepare the materials? Just the wood for the beams alone requires timber that's a hundred years old, transported from Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei and Hunan provinces, and other places over long distances."

“Then we need to prepare even more. Timber is so hard to find, so we need to prepare early and not delay the construction period in the spring,” Wang Yan said. “Chief Steward Huang, what’s so difficult about His Majesty building a palace? It doesn’t use the national treasury’s money. There are only two things to solve: materials and craftsmen.”

What we need to be careful about is that those who handle affairs below shouldn't be too greedy. If one tael of silver could suffice, but they insist on pocketing nine, that's going too far and deserves to be killed! And some even dare to pass off inferior goods as superior ones, trying to fool His Majesty—that's even more deserving of death!

“He’s a loyal man. Why don’t you just supervise the construction of this palace yourself?”

“Wouldn’t that be competing with the palace for food? I wouldn’t dare do such a thing.”

"You dared to hit Yan Shifan, is there anything you wouldn't dare to do?" Huang Jin was speechless.

But it's true that there's nothing wrong with it. After all, Yan Song and his son were the most powerful figures in the Ming Dynasty. Wang Yan directly defeated Yan Shifan, the second-in-command. What's there to say about daring or not daring? He's incredibly audacious.

The two chatted and laughed as they walked into the area of ​​Yuxi Palace.

Stepping through the gate, Wang Yan looked at the tall and exquisite building, at the bright glass windows on the walls, and at the lights inside.

The sun had already set, leaving only a sliver of light. The lamplight naturally spilled out from inside the palace, making the Jade Palace in front of us appear even more exquisite.

"Let's go, we're here." Seeing Wang Yan stop, Huang Jin urged him on.

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, dressed in a simple blue robe and official boots, and walked up the steps. He finally reached the gate of Yu Xi Palace, stamped his feet, wiped the snow off the soles of his shoes, and then stepped inside.

The frigid outside and the warmth inside the Jade Palace seemed like two different worlds. Standing at the entrance, the heat wave inside was already hitting you in the face, and once you entered, it became even hotter, as if the inside and outside were two different worlds.

Stepping inside, Wang Yan remained still at the doorway. Huang Jin, on the other hand, hurried along the corridor, turning into the innermost part to announce his arrival.

A moment later, Huang Jin came out, beckoned to Wang Yan, and said as he approached, "Kneel and pay your respects at the door. Don't move around or look around!"

Wang Yan nodded, strode to the door, glanced at the situation inside, and then began to kowtow five times and three times.

"Your humble servant, Wang Yan, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Wang Yan didn't look up, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Jiajing staring at him, and he could hear the sound of beads being moved inside. They were checking the salt inspection accounts brought back by Yan Maoqing.

"Come in!" Jiajing's voice wasn't loud, but his tone was natural and imperious.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Wang Yan responded, rose, and went inside, kneeling before Jiajing. At the same time, Wang Yan clearly sensed hostility from those around him; sharp, piercing gazes were fixed upon him. These were Jiajing's guards, standing not far away, all tall and imposing.

Emperor Jiajing was prone to being struck by lightning or burned, so he naturally valued his personal safety highly. He had a large number of loyal followers over his forty-year reign; otherwise, he wouldn't have lived that long.

After all, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were all short-lived; the more diligent they were in governing, the shorter their lives. Conversely, those who were not diligent in governing were the ones who lived longer. The Jiajing and Wanli emperors, grandfather and grandson, lived for a third of the entire Ming Dynasty—that's the power they wielded.

Emperor Jiajing sat on the steps of his official residence, his hands resting on his knees, looking rather weak and listless.

"Raise your head and let me see if the person who was almost strangled to death by Yan Shifan in front of everyone has three heads."

Wang Yan looked up and laughed: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! That damned Yan Shifan knew that Your Majesty was backing me up, yet he still had to come up and mock me. He, a dignified Vice Minister of Works, flaunted his power against me, a mere ninth-rank registrar. How could he be behaving like a high-ranking official of the nation?"

He wants to kill me anyway, and he's not afraid of offending me; he'll just beat me. If it weren't for the fear of interfering with Your Majesty's grand plans, I should kill him.

Emperor Jiajing laughed in exasperation: "Tell me, what grand plan do I have?"

"The Yan faction can make money, you know. I overheard the Seventh Prince mentioning it, saying that... ah, I mean, that damned salt inspector Yan Maoqing has brought in more money than in previous years. It should be enough for the court to make up for its deficit and cover its expenses."

“You dare to speak such nonsense! His Majesty has the entire nation at heart, how come you only care about money?” Lü Fang scolded from the side.

"Alright," Jiajing waved his hand, "What are we doing here? Aren't we just calculating money?"

"Your Majesty is wiser than anyone else. All the lands of the Nine Provinces need money to be managed. Officials need salaries, soldiers need pay, and the people need food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Roads need to be built between different regions. All of these require real money."

Jiajing pointed to the papers scattered on the ground: "Take a look."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Wang Yan replied, kneeling on the ground as he picked up the paper and began to read it.

This is a summary of the amount of salt collected by Yan Maoqing during his salt inspection tour, along with detailed accounts from various regions.

Do you think this number is correct?

“No.” Wang Yan shook his head without hesitation. “Your Majesty, how much is three million three hundred thousand taels? During the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu, the annual salt tax in Jiangnan was a staggering ten million taels. It was far more than just three million three hundred thousand. After dividing it among all levels, it is estimated that Minister Yan Mao received more than five million taels of salt tax this time.”

"Huh? Where did this number come from?" Jiajing asked in surprise.

"This humble servant conservatively estimates that the various factions embezzled 50%, but in reality, they may have embezzled even more. It's just that this year, due to the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields, the Yan faction suffered a setback, which is why Yan Song proposed sending Yan Maoqing to inspect the salt fields. They need to give an explanation and cover up the hole left by the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields..."

Jiajing snorted: "You still dare to talk about converting rice paddies to mulberry fields? Half of the problems are ruined by you."

“Your Majesty, I am innocent. This matter was ruined by the Yan faction. They only wanted to seize the land in Chun'an and Jiande. They would earn forty shi of grain per mu, and one shi of grain was worth five qian of silver, which is twenty taels of silver. Five hundred thousand mu would be ten million taels of silver. And that doesn’t even include the income from converting it into mulberry fields.”

Wang Yan said, "They are too greedy. The land is in the hands of the people, so why can't it be done? Even if the nine counties combine their resources to purchase raw silk and weave it normally, they can still produce 400,000 bolts of silk, even if they can't produce 500,000 bolts."

Fifteen taels of silver per batch, after deducting three taels for capital and giving the silk merchants two taels as a tip to ensure they didn't work for nothing, the court could still earn four million taels of silver. Even with corruption at all levels, the court could still pocket two million taels. Unlike now? The Yan faction has made a complete mess of things; so far, they've only earned one million taels, and the people are filled with fear, Zhejiang is in chaos.

Jiajing neither agreed nor disagreed, but instead said, "You have governed Chun'an quite well."

This acknowledges Wang Yan's contributions.

Wang Yan said, "It's all thanks to His Majesty's support. Without His Majesty's decree to exempt the province from taxes for three years, it would be difficult to catch our breath. Once three years have passed and Chun'an stops increasing taxes and maintains the status quo, it will become another important source of revenue."

"Are you giving me advice?"

"Your Majesty, I'm cursing those treacherous villains who have betrayed Your Majesty's grace." Wang Yan shook his head repeatedly. "Your Majesty, these people are too wicked. Not to mention those far away, just look at all the officials in the court. Which one of them doesn't own thousands or tens of thousands of acres of land in their hometown? And the number of hidden households in their families is also thousands or tens of thousands. They don't pay taxes on their land or people, and they don't pay taxes on the businesses they run."

Their insatiable greed led to a dwindling number of landholdings and households willing to pay taxes. Instead of acknowledging their own tax obligations, they relentlessly increased taxes, forcing the common people to abandon their livelihoods and instead offer themselves to wealthy landowners – a truly egregious situation. Year after year, this cycle of oppression led to popular rebellion. These corrupt officials fled faster than anyone else, claiming it was all due to the emperor's debauchery and extravagant spending. Some even went so far as to write their own unofficial histories, vehemently condemning the emperor's incompetence.

What is the logic behind this?

"What can you do?"

"kill!"

"He's just a ninth-rank registrar, yet he dares to presume to discuss matters of state? Kill him?" Jiajing shook his head with amusement. "If only it were that simple."

For Jiajing, killing people was the simplest thing, but also the most difficult thing; it was not so easy to kill.

"Your Majesty, as long as there is silver, you can feed and clothe the servants below you, and they can kill whomever you want. Take me, for example. Your Majesty gave me half a share of the income, and because you were worried that I was not eating or drinking well, you specially ordered someone to send me a thousand taels of silver for food. I have searched through the history books and found no wise and virtuous ruler who treats his subjects like Your Majesty."

Wang Yan kowtowed heavily, "Your Majesty, I will serve you with all my heart and soul, even unto death, through fire and water."

Jiajing laughed heartily...

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