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

Chapter 1554 Minister Wang

Hu Zongxian was very curious about the current state of Shuntian Prefecture. He inquired about the situation while eating and drinking in Tongzhou that day and on his way to Beijing the next day.

Wang Yan patiently gave Hu Zongxian a detailed explanation, which can be considered as making a handover in advance.

Even when Wang Yan was the magistrate of Daxing County, he had already effectively influenced the development of the entire Shuntian Prefecture. After he took charge of the entire Shuntian Prefecture, he began to influence the surrounding areas.

So after nearly six years of development, with Wang Yan fully exploiting the potential of the Ming Empire, various large-scale projects were launched. It is no exaggeration to say that if it weren't for taking on the expenses of suppressing the Japanese pirates in the southeast, Wang Yan would have almost completely renovated the entire Shuntian Prefecture.

This prosperity of the capital city also drew labor and economic resources from the surrounding areas. After all, so many projects couldn't be accomplished by the people of Shuntian Prefecture alone. Everywhere needed manpower, but Shuntian Prefecture only had so many people—it simply wasn't enough.

Furthermore, because of the peaceful environment and lack of severe exploitation in Shuntian Prefecture, the people tried every means to stay there. In addition, due to the census and population control measures, the population of Shuntian Prefecture increased from 1.2 million to over 2.4 million in those six years.

At the same time, due to the increase in population, Wang Yan carried out urban expansion and renovation projects, and a large number of new residences appeared outside the city walls in the east and south directions of the capital.

Within the city, Wang Yan demolished some old areas and, with the help of cement and bricks, built two- or three-story buildings, further increasing the land utilization rate within the city and creating a group of ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty who became wealthy due to the demolition.

They can only demolish ordinary people's houses. After all, if Wang Yan were to carry out demolitions in the western part of the city, those wealthy families would demand exorbitant sums and might even gather to cause trouble, creating a lot of problems. They'd have to raid entire areas of homes; otherwise, there's no way they could get anything done…

With a larger population, the demand for basic necessities and other goods, both useful and useless, naturally increases, leading to greater commercial prosperity.

Commercial prosperity necessitates increased production, leading to the flourishing of water and land transportation and the expansion of small workshops. This, in turn, resulted in large-scale factories, creating a greater demand for labor.

Then these newly added migrants will have a place to go and be able to earn money to make a living.

In order to protect the income of the people and curb the exploitation by the wealthy, Wang Yan set a minimum income standard based on all the conditions of Shuntian Prefecture. He also introduced a seven-day weekend with one day off, and those who did not take the day off would have to pay extra.

Statistics show that most people don't take holidays; they want to earn more money during those times. Only a few choose to spend their holidays strolling through markets, listening to music, watching plays, taking walks outside the city, fishing by the river—in short, enjoying life...

The people earned money and naturally had to spend it, so the entire Shuntian Prefecture naturally began to function.

In the vast rural areas of Shuntian Prefecture, people's lives have improved significantly. The most obvious improvement is that almost every household has upgraded to brick and tile houses. Many families have even replaced their windows with glass windows, which are still relatively expensive.

This is because their overall tax burden has decreased, coupled with the large-scale construction that has continued for six years and has not stopped. People can work and earn money during the off-season, and they are paid very readily with clear prices and monthly cash settlements. If they need money urgently, they can negotiate with the petty officials to settle accounts in advance.

But if anyone dares not pay, or dares to withhold payment without cause, don't worry, don't get angry, and don't panic. Just appeal all the way up. If the petty officials don't do their jobs, there are still low-ranking officials above them who supervise the project, and if those officials don't do their jobs, there are still lower-ranking officials in charge of the project above them.

Generally, once the officials in charge of the project get to the top, all the problems of the common people can be resolved. Otherwise, if the matter is reported up one level, it will be recorded and reported to the Shuntian Prefecture. Wang Yan's gaze will also fall on that direction, and the real terror will be in full swing.

So generally speaking, the following problems can be resolved properly. Even if something is truly excessive, it can't be covered up; you can't silence everyone. Any hint of trouble will eventually reach Wang Yan.

Wang Yan heard some rumors, and with just a casual inquiry, he would know everything...

With the money they earned, the people began to improve their living standards by purchasing more clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Coupled with people's competitive spirit—if one family built a house, another would want to build one too, and they wanted it to be as nice as possible—this led to a complete transformation of housing for the people of Shuntian Prefecture.

At the same time, as people have become wealthier, the previously inconspicuous rural economy has also come to the forefront. Peddlers have existed in the countryside for a long time, buying and selling goods. Now that people have money, they can buy more and more things, and peddlers have taken on this distribution work.

Previously, goods were carried by people on their backs or on donkeys' backs; now, the minimum requirement is a donkey carrying the goods, and more often, people ride in large carts. They have taken on the important task of deeply developing the rural market, building sales networks, and selling more products.

Meanwhile, the people's output is also increasing, which brings us back to the breeding business of the corrupt official Wang Yan.

So far, Wang Yan has invested at least two million taels of silver in poultry farming. Over the past six years, sows have given birth to piglets, which have grown up and been sold for meat, while others have been used as breeding pigs to produce more piglets. Meanwhile, chickens lay eggs, which in turn hatch into more chickens... This cycle has continued, and almost every household in Shuntian Prefecture now has some poultry.

Poultry means eggs and feathers. These are things that can be sold for money. After years of farming, these poultry now belong entirely to the people.

Wang Yan also has an even larger breeding farm in Shuntian Prefecture. He owns several hills, on which he has planted various kinds of grass and trees to restore the ecology, and has also planted a lot of fruit trees as additional cash crops.

Free-range pigs and chickens roam the hillsides... Tens of thousands of people are involved in raising and selling them...

With the addition of planting some cash crops, the people's income has almost doubled compared to before Wang Yan took office.

This is only within the scope of Shuntian Prefecture. In fact, the people in the surrounding areas of Shuntian Prefecture have been living quite well in recent years, and they have contributed a significant portion of the population growth in Shuntian Prefecture.

Some commoners even moved the boundary markers of Shuntian Prefecture without permission in order to pay less tax, and Wang Yan had to fight many lawsuits over this matter...

The development of Shuntian Prefecture, in turn, spurred the progress of the entire country, acting as both a siphon and a guide.

As the absolute political and economic center, the capital city is a bellwether. Even if the old-fashioned bureaucrats haven't realized it yet, the merchants have already begun to actively follow suit.

The massive volume of goods transported by Shuntian Prefecture attracted merchants from all over the country. The economic development of Shuntian Prefecture led to increased production, a series of small innovations and reforms, and the emergence of various differentiated products, which were then taken to other regions by the merchants who had gathered there.

It can be said that the Ming Dynasty has now fully launched a bourgeois movement, and industry and commerce are beginning to flourish...

This is Wang Yan's achievement; he set an example for the world. He used concrete reality to show people that there is no need to exploit the people. Expanding the scale of the economy and making the people wealthy is how to earn more money from them.

The key was definitely to make more money off the common people. Even though the powerful and wealthy, and the high-ranking officials in the court, were constantly talking about reform, they never actually wanted the people to be rich. Their goal was to keep the people stable, to prevent them from causing trouble, to stop them from preparing for rebellion, and to make them obediently serve the powerful. They weren't giving; they were always taking and reaping.

The focus is on making people rich, but that won't work.

In fact, some people wouldn't want to earn this money even if they could earn more. Because if the people become wealthy, they'll need to be enlightened, and then how can they be deceived or enslaved?
But such people are still a minority; the vast majority, of course, want to earn more money and achieve greater wealth. They believe that if they could be fooled and enslaved before, they certainly can be done again. Two thousand years have passed, generation after generation of people have come and gone, but who has actually escaped?

While they were worried about Kai Zhi, Wang Yan had already been vigorously promoting educational development.

Education has always been the gold standard for evaluating political achievements, especially now that all other professions are considered inferior except for studying. The educational achievements under his command—how many scholars he had, how many provincial graduates he had, how many tribute students he had—were all impressive political accomplishments.

Wang Yan certainly attached great importance to these matters, and he had already increased his investment in them. Over the past six years, he had built countless schools throughout Shuntian Prefecture.

There was a school where several villages attended together. It was for early childhood education and both boys and girls could attend. The fees were low, just enough to cover the school's construction and operating costs.

The county school was further expanded, with classrooms and dormitories even equipped with glass windows. The teachers' salaries were also significantly improved, allowing more retired scholars who couldn't become officials to teach diligently.

At the same time, martial arts schools were added, and some children who were willing to endure hardship and risk their lives were selected for training so that they could participate in the martial arts examination and develop in the army in the future.

Those who excelled in their studies and passed the imperial examinations to become scholars or provincial graduates received improved treatment and were directly given positions such as teaching or school principals, allowing them to work, earn money, and continue preparing for the exams.

Once someone reaches the level of a tribute student in the metropolitan examination, Wang Yan needn't worry about their future; they're almost guaranteed an official position. The government will simply give them a bonus.

Wang Yan's measures were primarily aimed at children from ordinary families, enabling them to study and excel, rather than having them study alongside the children of wealthy families or herd cattle for them.

The goal is to leverage the sheer number of ordinary people to allow those with exceptional talent to rise to prominence. On the other hand, this also serves as a means for Wang Yan to cultivate his faction.

These scholars will definitely remember Wang Yan's kindness. Even if they become officials and forget their roots and turn their backs on him, they are a minority. Most people are still quite grateful to Wang Yan. They pass on the word to their descendants and have an innate goodwill towards Wang Yan.

These people will be a great help to us when they grow up.

Even if it's not a form of assistance, learning to read and write is considered a significant step towards intellectual development. At least the path to advancement has been opened, and in the future, they can read and think for themselves.

Many things in this world cannot withstand scrutiny.

This naturally led to confrontation with local powerful families and emerging capitalists, thereby promoting ideological progress and advancing society...

Wang Yan's current position isn't high enough. Even though he already has considerable influence, he doesn't yet have the ability to fundamentally change education. Otherwise, he would have already revised the textbooks.

Of course, he's not idle now. He can't change, but that doesn't stop him from shouting slogans. Every time he submits a memorial to the throne discussing politics, he invariably mentions the need for fundamental reforms in education...

"You're amazing."

Hu Zongxian gave Wang Yan the highest praise: "Throughout history, among so many emperors and generals, no one thought of doing it like you. You have organized this set of practical knowledge, which is no less than that of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, and certainly no less than that of Wang Yangming."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "You know what, I really have that idea. But for someone of my humble origins as a concubine to dare to establish a sect is rather laughable."

"His Majesty bestowed upon you the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). Who would dare to criticize this matter? Besides, who doesn't know that you lost all your family fortune through studying, and that's why you sold your remaining land in an attempt to become an official and make money? A twenty-year-old Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial imperial examinations) is a rare talent in our Ming Dynasty. If you didn't take the exam, who would know that you wouldn't pass?"

"Let's talk about these things later. I refuse to believe that if I become the Grand Secretary, my scholarship won't be able to be disseminated. Speaking of the Grand Secretary, His Majesty jokingly said before that he wanted me to be the Grand Secretary..."

The two chatted idly along the way, and Hu Zongxian looked at the newly built residential area outside the city, the various shops that had sprung up on both sides of the road outside the city gate, and the bustling crowds.

Finally arriving at Guangqumen, Hu Zongxian got out of the carriage, stopped, and looked up at the city gate.

Wang Yan understood the complex emotions Hu Zongxian was experiencing. If not for so many unexpected events, Hu Zongxian should have long been sitting in the cabinet, overseeing the empire's development. But Yan Song's downfall shattered everything. Five years later, he finally arrived outside the capital once again.

It seems like it was five years ago, or maybe more than thirty years ago. Back then, he was a young scholar going to the capital for the imperial examinations.

Now, standing beneath the city gates of the capital, my temples are already streaked with gray...

"It looks complicated now, but in the future, leaving the capital won't be easy either." Wang Yan gestured towards the city gate and said with a smile, "Let's go into the city, Your Excellency!"

Hu Zongxian breathed a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his old face: "Let's go into the city!"

The following day, Hu Zongxian was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and concurrently the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.

Wang Yan was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and concurrently the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, serving as the Governor of Jizhou and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ji-Liao Military Affairs.

This appointment shocked the entire world...

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