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

Chapter 1536 Kiyota Chakou
"Be quicker."

"Staring? Come on, beat him up! You son of a bitch, you've gone too far!"

……

Outside the east gate of the capital, a scene unfolded that saddened all who witnessed it and brought tears to their eyes.

The soldiers of the Beijing garrison, dressed in armor, some holding whips, some with their hands on long swords, and others grooming their horses not far away.

Before these soldiers stood a group of strong men dressed in tattered, coarse linen clothes. They were using tools to dig holes, push carts to transport sand and gravel, or level the ground—they were repairing the road.

The soldiers kept an eye on these men, preventing them from running away or causing trouble. Anyone who misbehaved was promptly whipped. If anyone dared to incite trouble or use their tools to resist, they were in deep trouble, possibly suffering broken bones. If things escalated, even a peaceful death would be difficult.

As for those who wanted to escape, there was a group of cavalrymen behind them, laughing and joking as they bathed and groomed the horses. If they weren't just standing there doing nothing, who could possibly escape?

At night, these people were kept under makeshift sheds built nearby, with low walls to provide shelter from the wind and rain. In short, they were treated no differently than livestock.

Around these workers were a crowd of people pointing and whispering, passing merchants, and all sorts of people, powerful and powerless, all watching the spectacle.

But Wang Yan believed that only the common people were truly happy. What others thought was unknown, but one thing was certain: after they finished thinking, they would all secretly curse Wang Yan as a scoundrel…

"Look at this, Lao Ma, how well these people are doing! They've almost finished repairing the road in just one month. I heard from the Ministry of Works that they're doing a very good job."

Wang Yan sat on a small stool, with a red clay stove on a small table where tea was being brewed, and ate dry rations and dried meat with Ma Defu.

"More than a hundred people died in one month..."

Ma Defu shook his head. "These soldiers were too ruthless. They beat them so badly that they died."

"Only fools seek death, and they have no one to blame but themselves. If they don't die, how will the rest of us behave? And how will we do such good work?"

Wang Yan didn't care at all and instead asked, "The date is almost here, shouldn't the Ministry of Works come up with a plan by now?"

“I went to take a look yesterday. The roads in Daxing are in pretty good condition. We don’t need to plan any new roads. We can just do some repairs. According to the wages that the Lord has set for the people, including the materials, it will cost 500,000 taels of silver. It will be completed this year.”

"The water conservancy work involves dredging waterways, building new riverbanks, and digging wells to draw water. Including labor costs, all of this will cost 1.5 million taels of silver over three years. Your Excellency, shall we continue with the construction?"

"Silver is meant to be spent. If we don't spend it, others will pocket it. Damn it, do you think I'm going to let them have the money I earned with my life? This year, we only need to pay 85 taels of silver. We still have over a million taels in hand, not to mention the tax revenue we retain and the large sum we pay for cleaning every month. We can't even spend it all. What can't we fix?"
"Old Ma, you keep a close eye on things. This money I risked my life for, anyone who dares to eat it all up, arrest them and make them regret ever being born."

"Yes, even if the patriarch didn't say anything, I would still keep a close eye on him."

"Furthermore, we need to have the county education commissioner bring a copy of the county school's regulations. We want to expand the county school, not only in the capital but also for the people outside the city. So many unsuccessful scholars should be put to use and taught."

"Calculate their employment status within the county, pay them monthly stipends and benefits, and let them be teachers for life. Collect less tuition from students, just enough to run the school and pay the teachers' salaries. Old Ma, you take the lead on this."

"Yes, Your Excellency. The task of educating and guiding people is of paramount importance to our dynasty. Your Excellency's willingness to spend money to educate the people is truly a blessing for us all."

"This silver belongs to His Majesty, and the people belong to His Majesty. It is His Majesty who spends the silver to educate the people, cultivate talents for our Great Ming Dynasty, and enable them to contribute to our Great Ming in the future. I am merely a lackey who runs errands for His Majesty, how dare I presume to claim credit for His Majesty's work?"

Wang Yan glanced at Old Ma and said, "You must always think of His Majesty and not try to glorify yourself."

"It was my fault." Old Ma readily admitted his mistake and expressed his admiration for Wang Yan's unwavering dedication to currying favor with Jiajing...

"In addition, we need to find more scholars who can write and calculate. As you know, after we finish checking the shops' accounts this month, we will start clearing the fields and checking the population, which will require a lot of people."

"Master, are you really not going to reconsider? I'm afraid you'll be restless again when we take action."

"We're going to fight them to the end, and we're going to take their money. Why should they kill me whenever they want? I'm going to make them hate me so much they can't do anything about it, and I'll make sure they're dead. Go on, find the men. Once the projects across the county start, we'll begin."

"Yes, Your Excellency," Ma Defu replied, sighing at his hectic life...

He was actually in a difficult position. He was currently highly regarded by Wang Yan, but who knew how many people would approach him later? They wanted to know Wang Yan's plans from him, or they wanted him to be lenient and keep it from Wang Yan.

But he dared not.

He knew very well that without Wang Yan's influence, these people wouldn't have given him, a mere county magistrate, the time of day. It was only now, with Wang Yan's presence, that they dared not harm his family.

There's no other reason than that Wang Yan is still alive.

People saw clearly how Wang Yan escalated the situation. If they really caught him red-handed, who knows how many people would die...

Therefore, the more he was targeted, the more resolutely Ma Defu carried out Wang Yan's orders. Otherwise, if Wang Yan stopped protecting him, he would truly be in dire straits. Hesitation and indecisiveness rarely end well.

With such a flurry of activity, various policies and projects were finalized. In early March, Wang Yan posted notices announcing the road and water conservancy projects. He also sent people to the countryside to spread the news. The projects would not provide labor or meals, only simple accommodations. All payments would be settled in silver. He began recruiting people to carry out the construction of various projects during the off-season for farming.

This news immediately caused a huge uproar.

Even though the policy of providing work relief was already in place, including when Wang Yan was in Chun'an, he used work relief to clear the mud from the roads and restore the basic infrastructure of Chun'an. In many subsequent construction projects, Wang Yan also used the pretext of distributing silver to the people to help them get through the flood to hire people to work.

However, unlike now, they did not openly and explicitly state that they would not issue labor service and that the government would pay the people to work.

This matter has a significant impact. Take Wanping, for example. Daxing paid for laborers, yet Wanping still imposed forced labor? How could the people not complain? Looking at the rest of the world, this sets a precedent; how should other places handle this?

Furthermore, will all future jobs involving servants, tenants, etc., also be subject to fixed prices? Will workshops also have standardized wages for their workers? This is not a good precedent, and its impact is detrimental.

And so another wave of attacks ensued, with memorials impeaching Wang Yan flooding the palace. Jiajing, who had only been out of seclusion for half a month, once again announced his seclusion... As always, Jiajing remained firmly in control.

The overall situation of the dynasty is stable and there is no possibility of collapse. Many problems can be mitigated by the sheer size of the Ming Dynasty, making them seem less prominent.

As long as the country doesn't collapse overnight, there's always room for maneuver. No matter how much Wang Yan stirs up trouble, he can't really turn the world upside down.

With this understanding, Jiajing lived a very happy life.

Every morning, he would practice the health-preserving exercises taught by Wang Yan twice with Huang Jin, then eat congee and side dishes, study alchemy with the Taoist priest, work on the sand table that Lü Fang had made at Wang Yan's suggestion, look at the various arrangements inside and outside the palace, and study what to build.

Furthermore, with Wang Yan providing two million taels of silver, and the Ministry of Revenue also ensuring its due payment, Jiajing Emperor had no shortage of funds, allowing various projects to proceed at an accelerated pace. He could also distribute silver to the craftsmen and commoners, ensuring their well-being and fulfilling his benevolent rule. Each time he inspected the construction sites, he felt the heartfelt gratitude of the people, who truly longed for his longevity.

With all these benefits, his physical health improved and his mood became more pleasant. Jiajing felt that his spiritual cultivation had been successful.

As for state affairs, to be honest, since the cabinet's power had been continuously expanding, and further delegated during the Jiajing era, Jiajing no longer needed to do anything. The cabinet could handle everything, big and small. The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs also supervised, and if there were any problems or dissatisfaction, he would naturally speak up.

At other times, he manages personnel and finances well, which ensures the stable operation of the empire.

To be honest, it seems that what Wang Yan has done is the biggest thing right now, but in reality, the biggest thing is to cleanse the current political environment.

Beneath the spotlight of Wang Yan's brilliance lay a series of personnel changes and the investigation of a small number of people.

Even though Jiajing Emperor said he wouldn't purge the Yan faction, the core members of the Yan faction who had been more vocal in the past would not fare well. After all, these people held key positions; without dealing with them and unifying the thinking of the higher-ups, how could Xu Jie, the newly appointed Grand Secretary, have any real authority?
People fight each other, but it all boils down to personnel and finances. Everyone wants more people, more money, and more power and profit.

In this situation, Wang Yan's thoughtfulness becomes even more apparent. After all, only Wang Yan was risking his life to serve Jiajing, to help Jiajing amass wealth, and to secure greater influence for him.

So much so that Jiajing had to ask Wang Yan what he was doing every day, otherwise he wouldn't feel at ease.

He still couldn't see Wang Yan. The matter wasn't settled yet, so he couldn't meet him; otherwise, it would be seen as him instigating Wang Yan. Ever since Wang Yan started causing trouble, Lü Fang hadn't shown his face again, and no one from the palace had come to deliver any instructions to him.

Whether Jiajing Emperor instigated this is crucial. He could have reaped the benefits without directing it, but if he did, the problem becomes much more serious…

Of course, regardless of whether Jiajing met with Wang Yan or whether there was a messenger, people were willing to believe that it was Jiajing who instigated it.

The problem now is that Jiajing is hiding deep within the palace and won't come out. Wang Yan is fighting them all alone, and they are helpless. Neither Jiajing nor the cabinet has shown any favoritism or made any statement.

Wang Yan was using the rules to openly and ruthlessly suppress powerful and wealthy families, squeezing money out of them. Meanwhile, the powerful and wealthy families were desperately trying to kill Wang Yan behind his back, but to no avail. They were seething with hatred, but powerless to do anything about it.

This is the biggest problem right now.

They couldn't get rid of Wang Yan, nor could they get rid of Jiajing. At the same time, because the overall situation was stable, they couldn't rebel. They were just powerless and furious, watching helplessly as Wang Yan gradually undermined their foundations, giving them a slow death.

No, it's actually not slow at all.

After announcing various projects in early March and deciding to spend money to hire people, the situation fermented for half a month before ensuring that the order reached every citizen of Daxing.

Wang Yan finally revealed his true intentions and issued another proclamation. It stated that due to a fire at the government office, all documents were lost, and it was necessary to remeasure the land and re-register the population.

Unlike hiring people to do labor, when the land survey and household registration were made public, no one complained.

After all, Wang Yan's reasoning was absolutely justified. The government office was on fire and all the documents were burned. It was only right and proper to re-register and make new records. No one could say anything about it.

However, it was obvious that when Wang Yan came to survey the fields, there was absolutely no room for leniency; every single inch had to be measured precisely.

The news spread, and noticeably more carriages and horses left the city.

The lack of documentation provided Wang Yan with an excuse to re-register, but it also offered the wealthy households a good opportunity to escape blame. They were unsure how Wang Yan would deal with them once he had found a weakness.

After all, they had burned down the county government office and attacked Wang Yan several times; they were already locked in a life-or-death struggle, and Wang Yan was specifically targeting them. If he really found something to hold against them, unless Jiajing stopped him, Wang Yan would definitely see it through to the end, and at the same time, he would escalate the situation and broaden the scope of his attack. Whoever he considered an enemy, he would include them in the list, and that would be fatal.

This became clear when Wang Yan labeled Wang Chonggu a traitor.

Moreover, the damage caused was enormous. Although Wang Chonggu seemed unharmed after Wang Yan's outburst, it essentially interrupted his path to advancement, leaving him with no further prospects and no way to go any further.

This still didn't have much of an impact. If he hadn't backed down back then and had really been branded a traitor by Wang Yan, then Wang Chonggu's entire clan would have been in danger. He really went all out...

Therefore, regardless of how to retaliate against Wang Yan, the consensus is to first clean up the mess and prevent Wang Yan from finding any fault. Even the Imperial Estate has taken urgent action. Wang Yan has informed Lü Fang, and if the problems with the Imperial Estate are really found, the palace will not be peaceful, and Lü Fang will inevitably be implicated.

It's as if everyone was part of Yan Song's faction when he was the Grand Secretary. As the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the head of the inner palace, Lü Fang had his sons, grandsons, and even great-great-grandsons in every place with eunuchs. Otherwise, how could he have wielded power? The practice of having a godfather was the bond that maintained power and formed an alliance of interests within the palace.

Wang Yan didn't care about the actions of the powerful and wealthy, nor could he control them, because he lacked manpower.

Of course, what he really wanted wasn't to find any dirt on the wealthy households; what he wanted was real extra land and population. On the one hand, he wanted to crack down on the gentry and undermine their power, and on the other hand, he wanted to generate more taxes to improve the fiscal situation.

At the same time, Wang Yan will continuously launch various projects for the people to work on during their off-season, thus covering their taxes and allowing them to earn more. In this way, the people will no longer need to offer hidden land to the hermits.

Of course, the main focus is on cracking down on wealthy landowners and gentry, bringing out all the land they've seized over the years, and bankrupting them in one fell swoop...

The burden of governing the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty is heavy, and Wang Yan is doing his best...

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