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

Chapter 1527 Killing the Chicken to Teach the Monkey

The Daxing County Government Office was located within the capital city, specifically in what is now known as Daxing Hutong.

It is a six-courtyard complex with buildings such as a prison, a land shrine, and warehouses, covering an area of ​​more than 4,000 square meters, which is quite spacious.

When Wang Yan arrived at the yamen with the officials from the Ministry of Personnel, the yamen was already quite lively.

The standard staff of Daxing County consisted of one magistrate of the sixth rank, two assistant magistrates of the seventh rank, and an unspecified number of registrars of the eighth rank. In addition, there were clerks, prison officials, tax commissioners, deputy commissioners, and various other personnel responsible for tax collection, security, and the six departments. Including those who were not of high rank, plus the hangers-on gathered by the yamen runners, there were several hundred people in total.

Seeing Wang Yan stroll in, the gossiping crowd quieted down. The officials from the Ministry of Personnel went over to speak with the county magistrate, checked the appointment documents, introduced themselves, and Wang Yan officially took office.

County Magistrate Ma Defu asked, "Your Excellency, do you have any instructions?"

He was a chubby man in his forties, with a smiling face that made him seem approachable.

The other county magistrate was Yan Minghui, who was much younger, in his thirties. He cupped his hands in agreement, saying, "Magistrate Ma is right, Your Excellency. Whatever your orders, we will obey without question."

Wang Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his sharp, hawk-like gaze sending chills down people's spines. Finally, Wang Yan's gaze fell on Yan Minghui.

"Your surname is Yan?"

Yan Minghui quickly bowed and clasped his hands: "Your Excellency is wise. It is true that my surname is Yan, but it is definitely not the Yan of Yan Song."

With Yan Shifan imprisoned and Yan Song staying home, and Xu Jie taking charge of all cabinet affairs, even the most foolish person should be able to tell what's going on.

Wang Yan's appointment document had been sent to the government office long ago, and they had naturally inquired about Wang Yan beforehand. Therefore, they knew that Wang Yan had dared to strike Yan Shifan before Yan Shifan fell from power.

So, Wang Yan's purpose in asking his surname was self-evident. If it really was the Yan of Yan Song, then he was in deep trouble...

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "Don't be so nervous. Grand Secretary Yan is still in the capital. The Imperial Guards haven't made any large-scale arrests, and His Majesty hasn't issued an edict to execute Grand Secretary Yan's entire family. So what if you are Grand Secretary Yan?"
Grand Secretary Yan served as Grand Secretary for twenty years, and he approved all personnel appointments. Does that mean everyone was part of his faction? I don't think so. Those of us who served in the same court know best the hardships of being an official; many times, many things are simply unavoidable.

"We are deeply grateful for your wise words, Master." Yan Minghui's face was filled with reverence.

“Then your feelings aren’t deep enough.” Wang Yan shook his head.

"Master... what do you mean by that?"

Wang Yan glanced at him and said, "I am a sixth-rank official with a formal seal. You two are standing on either side, putting me in a difficult position."

At this moment, in the courtyard, Wang Yan stood with his hands behind his back at the entrance of the main hall, with two county magistrates on his left and right sides. The remaining officials, such as the clerks and prison officials, were arranged in front of him according to their official ranks, standing upright and proper.

After hearing Wang Yan's words, Ma Defu and Yan Minghui exchanged glances, then very sensibly apologized and ran to stand in front of the group.

In an instant, the two county magistrates went from being the managers to being managed.

Of course, this is only on the surface; how much they truly admire each other remains to be seen in future actions.

The main reason was Wang Yan's awesomeness; he dared to fight Yan Shifan, and afterwards, he was unscathed, rising from the ninth rank to the sixth rank in a meteoric rise. Otherwise, these two might not have been convinced, and might even have made some sarcastic remarks.

They don't have the guts now, because Wang Yan really dares to make a move...

This is the advantage of making a strong first impression; by establishing an image of someone as difficult to get along with, others have to adapt to him, rather than him adapting to others. Yan Shifan deserves the most credit for this; it was his long, narrow face that contributed to Wang Yan's current reputation.

Wang Yan nodded in satisfaction, giving the two men approving glances. He then cleared his throat and said, "Since this is our first meeting, you may not be familiar with my style. Let me briefly introduce myself. I am twenty years old this year. Last year, I sold my property and used the money to secure an official position, which led to my appointment as a registrar in Chun'an..."

Wang Yan was telling the absolute truth; he openly admitted to buying his official position. But it didn't matter; it was common knowledge, and everyone knew Wang Yan had bought his way into office. Those who had worked for him back then were long gone, buried under a mountain of impeachment petitions, yet they were still doing just fine. Jiajing Emperor only symbolically fined him a small amount of his salary.

The people we found are capable; what mistakes could they possibly make?

Wang Yan emphasized how he opened up the situation in Chun'an, how he dealt with those who did not cooperate with his work, and how he dealt with those who committed crimes and oppressed the people. In short, he made these people feel uneasy and subconsciously raised their thoughts of resistance.

Immediately afterwards, Wang Yan changed the subject.

"You don't need to worry. Although I haven't spent much time in this capital, I can imagine that it's not easy for you to do anything here, with all the high-ranking officials and nobles. Even if you want to do bad things or bully the good, you don't have that many opportunities. And if you want to make money, it's not so easy either. So we can't condemn everyone with one stroke; we still need to give everyone a chance to correct their mistakes."

As I just mentioned, I treat my subordinates very well. Let me give you a simple example: meals…”

Wang Yan started recounting again the various welfare benefits he had provided for the people in the yamen in Chun'an, the subsidies for their food, clothing, and daily necessities, and most importantly, the confiscation of the land from wealthy households, which indirectly provided additional stipends for the people in the yamen, allowing everyone to earn more money.

"Having said all that, my first priority upon taking office is to treat everyone to a good meal. I'll go buy some meat in a bit. It's quite windy today, so I think we'll have some mutton soup and flatbread. Who will be the cook?"

The crowd looked at each other, and one of the constables, kicked out of the line by the clerk, quickly ran to the back to find the cook.

A short while later, a gaunt middle-aged man in his forties with a mature appearance, accompanied by a somewhat plump young man in his twenties, ran out and knelt down to kowtow without saying a word.

"This humble one, Wang Da, greets Your Excellency!"

"Get up."

"Thank you, sir."

Wang Yan hummed in agreement and smiled, "I also have the surname Wang. If my family weren't somewhat literate, I should be called Wang Da. We're really destined to meet."

Wang Da, hunched over, smiled obsequiously: "You flatter me, sir. I am unworthy of such a humble position."

"Is this your son?"

"Yes, sir. I am getting old and can no longer work. Let my eldest son take my place."

"What's the point of taking on any more vacancies?" Wang Yan waved his hand with a smile, patting his eldest son on the shoulder. "You used to cook for the men, but now all the servants down there will have food to eat. The two of you aren't enough. Your wages will increase by 30%, and you'll be the head of the kitchen. Get the food for our yamen done properly."

"Really?" Wang's eldest son asked in disbelief.

With a sharp crack, Wang Da slapped his son across the face and kicked him away. "Master, my son is stupid and doesn't understand things. Don't worry, Master, I will definitely make sure the food is good. If it's not good..." Wang Yan put his arm around his shoulder and patted his chest. "If it's not good, then make it better. As the saying goes, you can't please everyone. How can you make something that satisfies everyone? Just take your time and make it to my satisfaction. Do you think they wouldn't be satisfied if I was?"

Without Wang Da saying a word, the group of people all said they dared not.

Wang Yan released Wang Da, patted his thin body, grabbed his wrist, shook his head and said, "Is it proper for a cook to eat himself into such a state? Which cook doesn't eat himself into a bloated state? You should eat more, otherwise people will think that I, the head of the Daxing government, can't afford to eat. But everything should be done in moderation. Don't be greedy. You need to know your limits, Lao Wang."

"Yes, sir, I will obey your orders."

"Go on, take the money and call your men to buy sheep and noodles. Don't be stingy, there are hundreds of us, we all need to eat well." Wang Yan waved his hand, "You can all disperse now, assign people to help with the purchasing, and help with the cooking."

Wang Yan seemed to have just remembered something, and said with a sigh, "Oh right, there's something I haven't told you. Earlier, I slapped Yan Shifan in the face, and Yan Shifan, eager for revenge, bribed the cook of the Northern Garrison to poison me. The turmoil before the New Year originated from this, and many people with ulterior motives were uncovered."

After Yan Shifan was imprisoned, I went to the imperial prison and kicked his calf, making him furious and powerless. At the time, I even boasted that once the women in Yan Shifan's family entered the brothel, I would go and have some fun with them. However, it was ultimately just a joke to annoy Yan Shifan.

Grand Secretary Yan is still around. Although he stays indoors, even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn't die easily. The Yan faction hasn't been purged yet; it's still a powerful force. I wonder if any of you have anyone who wants to harm me. I advise you to think twice before you act; living isn't easy. That cook from the Northern Garrison was executed by slow slicing. He was cut for three and a half days, and he was still conscious before he died. It was a terrible fate.

Alright, that's all for now. Disperse and go about your business. You two county magistrates, the registrar, and the clerk, come with me for a meeting.

Regardless of what the remaining people were saying, Wang Yan turned around and sat down in the main seat of the central hall.

Upon seeing the tea brought by the clerk, Wang Yan sent the man to the Northern Garrison to fetch his tea-making supplies, as he was truly used to drinking it.

Watching the minor official scurry away, Wang Yan nodded to the registrar Song Liangxin: "Report the accounts to me."

"Your Excellency, the yamen currently has 1,300 taels of silver, of which..."

"Forget about it. Daxing is the capital county, the most prosperous place in the world. Why does the public fund only have so little silver?"

Registrar Song Liangxin calmly replied, "Your Excellency, last year's heavy snow caused countless houses to collapse, and there were also many displaced people. All the public funds were used for disaster relief. We only managed to get some money from the Ministry of Revenue after we ran out of funds."

"Disaster relief?" Wang Yan remained noncommittal. "I'll check the accounts today. If there are any problems, you'd better admit them sooner rather than later."

"Your conscience is clear!"

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "If we're talking about honest officials, I only recognize Hai Rui. His elderly mother, wife, children, and himself were all emaciated and pale. That was due to long-term poor nutrition. Registrar Song, living in the capital is not easy. You're an eighth-rank official, and you only earn twenty taels of silver a year..."

"I await your investigation into my conduct," Song Liangxin declared confidently.

Wang Yan glanced at him and then said, "The most urgent thing now is to find some money. I just promised the county government that I would provide meals, with meat every day. With so many people, that would cost twenty taels of silver a day. If I can't keep my promise, it will damage my prestige."

Nobody spoke; everyone was just looking down, lost in their own thoughts. Seriously, who doesn't know that being an official is all about making money? The key is whether you can actually do it.

Wang Yan called out, "County Magistrate Ma, you are in charge of litigation and criminal justice in this county. Tell me, have there been any cases of oppression of the innocent that have been suppressed recently?"

Ma Defu respectfully replied, "Your Excellency, a few days ago, Grand Secretary Xu's second son rode his horse wildly outside the city and whipped the people..."

Under Wang Yan's gaze, he couldn't continue.

"Magistrate Ma, are you truly stupid, or are you feigning stupidity? Hmm? I told you to say it's easy to handle, but you just used Grand Secretary Xu's second son as a counter-argument. What, do you have a problem with me?"

"Your Excellency, I am innocent! Earlier, Your Excellency recounted the story of Chun'an in public, and I was captivated by it, therefore..."

"Are you flattering me? Trying to kill me with praise?"

Wang Yan waved his hand, "Did the people who were whipped file a complaint?"

"I've filed a complaint!" Ma Defu nodded, turned and ran off, returning shortly with a petition bearing his fingerprint. "This is the complaint. I didn't dare to cause trouble for Grand Secretary Xu, so I gave him a tael of silver for his medicine and sent him away."

After glancing at the complaint, Wang Yan snorted, "His complaint alone costs two taels of silver. You're quite kind-hearted, Fifth Master!"

Seeing Wang Yan looking at him, Zhang Kunteng, the clerk, jumped up from his chair and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Excellency, please don't be so disrespectful to me."

"Go, find this man for me, and bring all the witnesses who saw him being whipped to the yamen this afternoon."

"Your Excellency, please reconsider..." Zhang Kun looked troubled.

"Didn't I explain myself clearly, Fifth Master?" Wang Yan stared at Zhang Kun.

"Yes, I'll go right away!" Zhang Kun couldn't take it anymore, sighed, and turned to leave.

"Your Excellency, you really need to think this through!" Ma Defu advised instead. "To say something taboo, Grand Secretary Xu was able to defeat Grand Secretary Yan, so he's not someone to be trifled with."

“I’ve also been slapping Yan Shifan, isn’t he better than Grand Secretary Xu’s second son? This first sum of money came from Grand Secretary Xu.” Wang Yan then said to Yan Minghui, “Go, have someone send a letter to the Xu family, asking them to send their second son to the yamen.”

Yan Minghui resigned himself to his fate and went out to arrange for someone to run errands.

Wang Yan learned more about the situation in the yamen, and the errand boy returned, complaining, "Sir, they scolded me and brought me back. If I hadn't run fast, they would have beaten me."

"It's outrageous."

Wang Yanteng stood up. "Go, pass on my order: all the sycophants patrolling the streets, assemble and come with me to Grand Secretary Xu's house to invite the Second Young Master Xu over."

Seeing Wang Yan staring at him, Yan Minghui sighed and hurriedly went out to run errands.

This unreasonable superior is too difficult to deal with. He doesn't follow any rules at all. He comes up here and tries to seize power by coercion and bribery. He even wants to directly attack Xu Jie. What kind of madman is this?
Wang Yan didn't care what they thought; he only knew that if he wanted to govern Daxing well, he had to make an example of them.

Who else could kill Xu Jie's second son, besides Prince Yu and Prince Jing?
Immediately, Wang Yan, dressed in a blue official robe with the heron rank badge of a sixth-grade official, led a large group of shady hangers-on down the street towards Xu Jie's residence in the western part of the city...

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