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

Chapter 1535 Prince Yu
Prince Yu's Mansion.

Wang Yan, dressed in a light blue robe and official boots, with a white jade hairpin in his hair, stood with his hands behind his back in front of the side gate of the Prince Yu's residence.

"I am Feng Bao, and I greet Magistrate Wang. Please follow me."

"Thank you for your trouble, sir." Wang Yan cupped his hands in greeting and then slipped a silver note over to him.

Feng Bao said, "Magistrate Wang, there's no need to be so polite. Your ancestor is my godfather. I was sent to the Prince's mansion by your ancestor to serve the young master."

"I never expected such a coincidence. My apologies." As he spoke, Wang Yan exchanged the money for a larger denomination banknote. "Since we're on the same side, take this money and spend it."

"No, no, if the old master knew that I had accepted money from Magistrate Wang, he would be furious."

"Take these and spend them." Wang Yan stuffed the silver notes into his sleeve. "It's not easy for you in this palace. After all, Prince Yu is still a prince, and he has to think things through carefully. We servants have to be cautious in everything we do. But we still have to do things for the prince, and how can we do things without money? Spend them without worry, I still have some money."

"Then thank you, Magistrate Wang. Your words truly warm my heart."

"We're all serving the royal family, so shouldn't we be considerate of each other? We can't be like Yan Song and Yan Shifan; those bastards were too selfish. If you don't listen to them, you'll be ostracized? They should be dealt with. It's only because His Majesty is showing old affection that I think we should confiscate Yan Song's property. We could probably find ten million. The country is in a difficult situation. Yan Song was the chief minister for twenty years; he has a responsibility. Can we let him amass a fortune and enjoy his old age?"

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Feng Bao was speechless and could only force a smile: "Magistrate Wang, please be careful with your words. What's the point of saying so much when His Majesty has already made a decision?"

"I'm just standing up for His Majesty. His Majesty is too kind and too sentimental. If I were Xu Jie, I would kill Yan Song!"

"Oh dear, Magistrate Wang, please stop! You're making my life miserable! Hurry up and leave, the Prince is waiting." With that, Feng Bao hurried away…

Upon arriving at the front hall of the Prince's residence, Wang Yan bowed to Prince Yu. After exchanging a few polite words, Prince Yu led Wang Yan to the dining hall next door.

Prince Yu said very politely, "I have long heard that Magistrate Wang enjoys good food and drink. Today, since Magistrate Wang is coming to my residence, I had the chef prepare this meal. I don't know if it suits your taste."

"Your Highness is too kind to this humble subject." Wang Yan fanned himself with his hand, inhaling the aroma of the dishes, and hummed in agreement. "Just by looking at the presentation and smelling the fragrance, I know it must be delicious."

"Then sit down and eat. Today, I'll have a few drinks with you. You've truly accomplished something great; I admire you immensely."

"I dare not accept Your Highness's admiration. This is all what I should do. It is simply to be loyal to my Great Ming and to devote myself to the cause until my dying breath."

The two sat down, and Feng Bao served them wine.

"This humble subject has come here rashly and disturbed Your Highness's peace. I will first punish myself with three cups of wine to apologize to Your Highness."

Prince Yu waved his hand and said, "I was hoping you would come, but I was afraid you wouldn't. What crime have you committed? Come, come, let's drink together."

So Wang Yan stopped insisting on punishing himself with three cups of wine and drank two cups with Prince Yu. After Prince Yu said "eat some food," Wang Yan started eating heartily.

As everyone knows, when a leader invites someone to dinner, it's not usually a formality; when it comes to someone like Wang Yan who actually eats, Prince Yu is quite bewildered.

Is it because they don't think highly of him as a prince, or is there some other reason?
Prince Yu paused for a moment, then laughed heartily: "It seems the cooks in my residence suit your taste, Magistrate Wang."

Wang Yan said, "The chefs in the Prince's mansion are among the best in the world. I am eating and drinking like this mainly to repay Your Highness's hospitality. Otherwise, if I were to waste such a table of food and wine that I have worked so hard to prepare and spent so much money, wouldn't it be a waste of money? I have long heard that Your Highness is thrifty and frugal, and I would never dare to waste it."

Furthermore, I have been presiding over a case for quite some time today, and I came here on an empty stomach. I am already dizzy and lightheaded, so I must eat and drink heartily. Your Highness, heaven and earth bear witness that I have absolutely no intention of being negligent or disrespectful. I am a simple man, young and inexperienced in etiquette, and truly ignorant of many rules. I only know that since the host has prepared such a sumptuous feast, I should eat as much as I can.”

"Indeed, indeed, Magistrate Wang is right, you should eat more. If the cooks in my manor saw you enjoying your meal so much, they would be extremely happy."

"Speaking of cooks, let me tell you about the cook at the Daxing County government office. His name is Wang Da..."

Wang Yan attributed the great changes that had taken place during this period to Wang Da, who worked as a cook in the county government office.

Wang Da originally intended to give up his position to his eldest son, but when Wang Yan arrived, he not only wouldn't let him leave, but also put him in charge of the kitchen, expanding it from just him to more than thirty men and women.

Originally, a relative of the family had been bullied and had nowhere to seek justice. After speaking to the patriarch, those thugs were arrested and imprisoned, and one of them even got into a fight in prison and was beaten to death.

The salary, which was barely enough to support the family, increased many times over. The second son, who had been struggling to find a wife, immediately met a girl he liked and was no longer limited by his circumstances. The youngest son, who was not yet an adult, was also noticed by matchmakers, who began to introduce him to potential wives.

As for the girls in the family, there's even less to say. Boys are easy to marry off, so how could girls be hard to find husbands?

All these changes are, in essence, direct feedback on every policy decree implemented by the king...

Prince Yu nodded repeatedly as he listened; he was aware of all these matters.

The most talked-about topic in the entire Ming Dynasty right now is Wang Yan's various actions in Daxing. Wang Yan is really good at stirring up trouble, and he does it all in big ways. Moreover, he manages to make it all work and generate money.

Prince Yu couldn't possibly ignore it; he even dreamed that Wang Yan was sending him two million taels of silver...

But he didn't show it. Instead, he asked very seriously, "Master Zhang said you were going to survey the land and check the household registration. Why haven't you taken any action yet? Instead, you've arrested some insignificant thugs and ruffians?"

“Your Highness is mistaken.” Wang Yan gnawed on a bear paw. “It is precisely the insignificant scoundrels and ruffians who are most important. They have many connections with powerful and wealthy families, doing dirty work for them, lending money at exorbitant interest rates, and all sorts of other evil deeds.”

Kiyota Chaguchi's actions were no less than collecting their cleaning fees, and even threatened their very foundation. How could they tolerate it? While collecting the cleaning fees, he made many moves, even attempting to assassinate his subordinates several times. If it were Kiyota Chaguchi, would things have gone so smoothly?

They let these thugs spread rumors and incite the people to gather and resist. How will they act then? Does Your Highness think otherwise? You must know that most people are obedient and submissive; as long as they don't starve and as long as there seems to be some room for maneuver, they won't cause trouble. But once they are incited, they can form a large-scale gathering. From a few hundred people, it will snowball to thousands.

Even though this is the capital, and the capital garrison is here to suppress them, these extreme scenarios must be considered. Otherwise, if it really happens and they are suppressed, how will it be recorded in history books? How will those officials who like to write private, unofficial histories record it? Where will this leave His Majesty?
Therefore, even if there is the slightest possibility, they must all be eliminated to ensure His Majesty's Daoist heart remains steadfast in his cultivation.

Prince Yu's eyes widened in astonishment. It wasn't that he couldn't control his expression; he simply couldn't help but put himself in his father's shoes. Listening to Wang Yan's thoughtful and patriotic words, he felt incredibly satisfied...

"So that's how it is..." Prince Yu murmured to himself. "That's exactly it!" Wang Yan said with certainty, "The power of the rich and powerful lies in inciting the people to cause trouble and rebel. They take advantage of the people's ignorance and deceive them. As long as they can't be deceived, the land clearing and population control will be successful."

"So you instructed the Ministry of Works to plan the construction projects, not to conscript laborers, and to pay the laborers in silver to appease the people."

"Your Highness is truly wise; Your Highness has seen through all my thoughts," Wang Yan complimented.

"After the investigation in Qingtian, what are your intentions?"

“Your Highness, after the clearing of the fields and the investigation of the population, Daxing has been well restored. Any further action would be nothing more than carrying out some construction projects. Anything more would be reform, which is not something a lowly sixth-rank official like myself, a mere scholar, can do. When I took office, Minister Guo of the Ministry of Personnel asked me if I had any intention of reforming the government, and I was truly terrified.”

"If I put you in charge, what will you do?" Prince Yu was eager to hear what Wang Yan had hidden behind his words. He spoke with an air of dominance, as if he truly had the authority to make the decision.

"Eunuch Feng, pour wine for the Prince!"

Feng Bao, who was serving, skillfully handled the wine pot and poured wine for Prince Yu. Wang Yan, holding a wine cup, offered a toast and changed the subject, avoiding the conversation that sounded like Prince Yu was eager to ascend to the throne.

Prince Yu knew he had gone too far, so he obediently drank a few cups of wine with Wang Yan and uttered some useless nonsense. In his heart, however, he was quite satisfied with Wang Yan.

He even began to reflect on himself, realizing that 100,000 taels of silver wasn't much for Wang Yan after all. No wonder his father was so pleased; this was truly a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty…

Having learned his lesson, Prince Yu stopped talking to Wang Yan about the future and instead recounted the previous efforts to convert rice paddies to mulberry fields. He fully affirmed the crucial role Wang Yan played in these efforts and expressed his own resentment towards the Yan faction for their disastrous policies.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, it was time to end the event.

Prince Yu asked, "I wonder what brings Magistrate Wang to my residence today? Surely he hasn't come just to keep me company and amuse me, hahaha..."

"Ah, Your Highness is right. The main reason for my trip is to pay my respects to Your Highness. Secondly, my Great Ming Dynasty intends to expand its shelters to take in orphans and beggars who beg on the streets of the capital. Otherwise, if our Great Ming Dynasty, a great nation, has beggars right under the emperor's nose, wouldn't those foreign barbarians look down on our Great Ming?"

"Recently, the number of people we've adopted has been increasing, and their noisy gatherings could easily lead to disease outbreaks. That's just my good intentions gone wrong. To avoid trouble and solve these problems, expanding the shelter is imperative, and I'll need Your Highness's guidance."

"Oh? This matter..."

Before Prince Yu could finish speaking, Feng Bao interrupted, "Magistrate Wang is wholeheartedly devoted to the people. Your Highness is His Majesty's son, so naturally you also care about the people. It's not just Magistrate Wang who is in charge of the people."

"Yes, Eunuch Feng is right. Your Highness, I was presumptuous. I will punish myself with three cups of wine."

Prince Yu glanced at the meek and obedient Feng Bao, and said to Wang Yan with a smile, "I can tell you like to drink. I have never blamed you for being reckless. You've started drinking all by yourself."

"Haha, Your Highness saw right through me. This humble subject is truly worthless, indulging in such gluttonous desires."

And so, the banquet, which had been a pleasant affair for both host and guests, came to an end. Wang Yan swayed and left the palace, and Prince Yu personally saw him off at the door.

Watching Wang Yan ride away with his entourage, Prince Yu turned to Feng Bao and asked, "Tell me what happened."

Feng Bao dismissed the people around him: "Master, I have heard about Magistrate Wang's expansion of the shelter... The house next door belongs to the Imperial Concubine's family..."

Upon hearing about the Imperial Concubine's family background, Prince Yu understood what was going on. He also understood why Feng Bao had so rudely interrupted his questioning.

He asked the question, and Wang Yan was about to answer. If he said to Wang Yan's face that Consort Li's family was no good, where would he, the Prince Yu and the future successor of the empire, put his face? It really had to be Feng Bao who interrupted him, giving him a way out so that he could handle the matter himself.

Wang Yan's formidable military record has proven that he is absolutely loyal to the emperor. He's really giving face to this man who might even rise to power.

Prince Yu didn't believe that Consort Li's family was clean. Considering Wang Yan's methods of persecuting people, dealing with Consort Li's family would be a piece of cake...

“My lord, I have found the answer.”

In the Yuxi Palace, Lü Fang recounted to Jiajing the details of what she had learned from Feng Bao and other sources.

"Wang Yan is very thoughtful, going to such lengths to avoid trouble," Jiajing affirmed, then asked, "What did Prince Yu say?"

"Prince Yu... In the end, Prince Yu reprimanded Consort Li, and the next day Consort Li's family gave the house to the Daxing County government for the purpose of expanding the shelter."

"They're still reasonable."

Jiajing chuckled, “Since Wang Yan became the magistrate of Daxing County, I have had no worries. Recently, I have been taking the medicine he prescribed and practicing the health exercises he taught me, and I feel much better.”

“My lord, in my opinion, the imperial decree is the greatest auspicious omen for our Great Ming Dynasty, far more auspicious than the various omens, both real and fake, that the ministers have presented.”

"What do you mean by true or false? It's all fake! But what you said about Wang Yan is true. He is a true auspicious omen, sent to me by Heaven so that I can live a peaceful life."

"It is because His Majesty has achieved immortality and resonated with heaven and earth that Heaven has sent him a capable minister to govern the world."

"A capable minister in times of peace? Hahaha..."

Jiajing laughed heartily, his laughter full of energy, clearly indicating that he was in very good health.

After laughing, he waved his hand. "Let the people of the Capital Garrison obey his orders. Since they've thought of this place, they need to be on guard. The palace also needs to be more vigilant. I haven't lived enough yet, otherwise what kind of immortality would I be cultivating, what kind of Tao would I be seeking?"

"Yes, master."

Lü Fang responded, and a new storm gradually began to brew...

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