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

Chapter 1559 I'm just informing you all

Wanshou Palace is much larger than Yuxi Palace, so the square outside it naturally needs to be even larger.

But it's not just simply vast; the square also features various sculptures and flowerbeds planted with evergreen pine trees. It's tranquil and refreshing.

However, within a hundred meters of the palace of Wanshou Palace, there are no tall trees, only some sculptures and some flowers and plants.

After all, Emperor Jiajing was known for his affinity with fire, so we still need to be extremely careful.

Wang Yan walked slowly alongside Lü Fang, his eyes lingering on the sculptures.

Lü Fang smiled and said, "The suggestions you made are quite good. The master takes a walk around here every morning."

"How could I offer any suggestions, Eunuch Lü? I just wanted to spend more money so that His Majesty could enjoy himself better. There's no such thing as money wasted."

"You are still very capable. No wonder the master values ​​you the most. Xu Jie and Gao Gong are always thinking about how to make the master spend less money, or even no money at all. But how can you spend less money on the people and horses in the palace? It is you who have tried every means to send money to the master, just in case the master's expenses are insufficient."

"To be a subject is to relieve His Majesty's worries; it's something we should do. Xu Jie and his ilk are traitors who do despicable things and yet they want a clean reputation. They are utterly hypocritical and shameless."

Lü Fang was already quite used to Wang Yan's constant criticism of Xu Jie. After all, Wang Yan was groomed by the Jiajing Emperor to form his own faction, so it wasn't normal for him to criticize Xu Jie. If Xu Jie were the same age as Wang Yan, the two would probably have gotten into a fight.

Lü Fang then asked, "Is Your Majesty in good health?"

“Eunuch Lü, you know I’m an honest man after all these years.”

Wang Yan said, "Your Majesty's health is fine, it's just that you've taken too many elixirs. Elixirs are highly nourishing, but they also accumulate toxins. Before, Your Majesty wasn't as old as you are now, and your body could still withstand it. Now, many years have passed, and Your Majesty is already sixty-four, so your body is definitely weaker than before. You can no longer withstand the strong nourishment from elixirs."

Judging from His Majesty's expression, he doesn't seem inclined to stop taking the elixir. Eunuch Lü, you should persuade His Majesty; if he continues to take it, his weakened state will only worsen.

Lü Fang nodded, paused for a moment, and then asked decisively, "If Your Majesty stops using the elixir, what will happen to your lifespan...?"

"I can't tell."

"What if we continue taking it?"

“I can’t say for sure, Eunuch Lü.” Wang Yan looked like he was about to cry. “How could I dare to talk nonsense about such a thing? The human body is mysterious and contains the universe. My cultivation is shallow, how could I explain it clearly?”

"I asked too many questions, and I'm sorry to have troubled you," Lü Fang sighed. "Let me see if I can persuade you..."

Even Lü Fang said so, which gives you an idea of ​​how difficult it is to deal with Jiajing now.

To reiterate, Jiajing knew he couldn't achieve immortality, and even attempted to reconcile with himself at one point. But when the time truly came, he couldn't help but cling to some illusions. Taking the elixir could numb his brain, giving him a blissful, euphoric feeling. Thus, he found it hard to stop taking the elixir.

To put it bluntly, it's about not giving up, about always wanting something to cling to.

Moreover, Emperor Jiajing had been taking drugs for decades. How could he not know whether those drugs were good or bad? He had developed a serious psychological and emotional dependence, making it truly difficult to quit.

Anyway, Wang Yan has been quite considerate; he has said everything he needed to say. If Jiajing didn't listen, he can't be blamed.

On the other hand, even if Jiajing were to die now, it wouldn't affect his own position. After all, he had accomplished so much at his level, and it was clear to everyone who truly and selflessly sacrificed for the Ming Dynasty.

The banknotes are still being promoted, and he's still in charge. This is something no one else can do. Although many people confidently assert that having him in charge of the Royal Bank guarantees it won't collapse—they themselves don't believe it, let alone others.

After so much time, and after witnessing the tangible results of Wang Yan's governance, economics and the flow of wealth have become the most popular and prominent fields of study in recent years. This, of course, is outside the realm of the imperial examination system.

People frantically studied and analyzed all of Wang Yan's strategies, hoping to do better, earn more, and rise to higher positions. But they also knew they could never surpass Wang Yan. The reason was simple: of all the assassination attempts Wang Yan had faced, even with the best of luck, they could hardly survive more than three—it was truly deadly.

Having conducted extensive research and analysis, they were well aware that the Royal Bank didn't just print money on a whim. How much to print, how to print it, how to distribute it, how to recall it, how to resolve problems, how to ensure the stability of the banknotes, how to ensure price stability... all these and many other matters were closely linked to the Royal Bank.

Now, even if Wang Yan wanted to step down, no one would agree; they don't trust anyone. If they ruined this great situation, it would be disastrous. This whole generation would be cursed for a thousand years.

Furthermore, Wang Yan's sphere of influence now extends north of Baoding and Tianjin, east of the Taihang Mountains, including Shuntian Prefecture. It can be said that everyone in the region, from top to bottom, is under his control, and he has indeed governed these areas far better than before; everywhere is well-governed, and one can say that the government is efficient and the people are harmonious.

The people's lives are better than ever before, reaching the peak in a thousand years. No past golden age can compare to the lives of the people under Wang Yan's rule now...

Meanwhile, although Wang Yan had begun to wield considerable political power, he was still inferior to other political groups in terms of quality, quantity, and influence. Aside from his tendency to relentlessly target powerful and wealthy individuals, Wang Yan posed no real threat and possessed a proven ability to solve problems.

Therefore, considering all these factors, Wang Yan is highly irreplaceable. Even if Jiajing Emperor were to die and Prince Yu were to ascend the throne, it wouldn't prevent him from maintaining his high position and power. In fact, he might even rise further.

After all, people grow and improve. Even if Prince Yu's abilities weren't initially high, after so many years and so much research, he must have made some progress. If Prince Yu is smart enough, he will continue to heavily rely on Wang Yan. On the one hand, he'll let Wang Yan make money; on the other hand, he'll use Wang Yan as a target.

Wang Yan never represented himself, but rather the emperor's will. Of course, improving the lives of the people had nothing to do with the emperor; that was the change he brought about through his abilities while carrying out the emperor's will…

After exchanging a few more words with Lü Fang, Wang Yan was led by a young eunuch out of the West Garden and headed to the Wenyuan Pavilion, located in the eastern part of the Forbidden City.

The Wenyuan Pavilion was the administrative office of the cabinet, where daily government affairs were handled.

When Wang Yan arrived at the location, he saw a group of people writing official documents. "Oh, all you high-ranking officials and ministers are busy here?"

Upon hearing Wang Yan's sarcastic remarks, Zhang Juzheng was the first to speak: "What, Minister Wang, are you dissatisfied with His Majesty? Otherwise, would we be wrong to write the memorial?"

"Old Zhang, you're really bad!"

Wang Yanxu pointed at Zhang Juzheng, walked closer to look at the imperial edict Zhang Juzheng had written, and then sat down in a chair. "I said you're all busy, and you even said you were dissatisfied with His Majesty?"

Li Chunfang chuckled from the side: "Listen to the tone of his words; Minister Wang's tone was extremely sharp and sarcastic."

"Your minds are all filthy. Who doesn't know that I, Wang Yan, am the most honest and upright person, always acting with integrity and righteousness, truly embodying the unity of knowledge and action? I think Grand Secretary Xu knows this best. Isn't that right, Grand Secretary Xu?"

Xu Jie seemed not to hear, sitting there with his glasses on, looking at the paper in front of him, as if pondering how to write the poem in a brilliant way.

"Old man, you're good at playing dumb."

"Wang Yan!" Zhang Juzheng was displeased and actively defended his teacher.

“Don’t be happy, you’re an old man too, not much better.” After saying this to Li Chunfang, Wang Yan looked at Zhang Juzheng and said, “You say I don’t respect His Majesty? What, do you respect His Majesty a lot? I heard you want to negotiate peace with Anda and start trade, that’s outrageous. My Great Ming is now strong and powerful, why would we be afraid of some little barbarian?”

"Back then, Anda invaded the capital, looting for eight days. For twenty years, he has repeatedly raided our borders, harming our people. The blood debts are countless and cannot be recounted. Such a deep-seated hatred, yet you disregard it all, only seeking peace. This is utterly shameful! Do you even respect His Majesty?"

Gao Gong spoke in a loud voice: "You make it sound so easy. How can a war between two countries be treated like child's play? Mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops will cost a fortune. If the siege drags on and we can't capture the city, the situation that our Great Ming has worked so hard to build will be destroyed in a single day. Can you bear that responsibility?"

"Why not?"

Wang Yan also raised his voice, "Old Gao, you are an honest man. Speak with your conscience. How much does the good situation of the Ming Dynasty have to do with you? I was attacked more than thirty times. It was only with His Majesty's support that we were able to expand to Daxing, then Shuntian Prefecture, and then Jiliao. The Qingtian government investigated and dealt with old cases, collected cleaning fees, and curbed the land annexation by large landlords."

In effect, the people were exempted from corvée labor and taxes were reduced, allowing them to catch their breath. The 100,000-strong army of Ji and Liao was reorganized and disciplined, with no one receiving pay for doing nothing, and the entire army consisted of brave and capable soldiers.

The suppression of the Japanese pirates in the southeast has forced the powerful merchants there to behave themselves. Now, the Maritime Trade Office has been re-established, the maritime ban has been relaxed, and their commercial taxes are being collected. Salt taxes in the southeast have almost returned to the levels of the Taizu and Chengzu eras. Today, the annual revenue of our Great Ming Dynasty is equivalent to 30 million taels of silver, and the extra 10 million taels are all thanks to our efforts.

What have you been doing? You're always criticizing me, saying I'm wrong in this way and wrong in that way. All you're thinking about is how to put your people under me, hold me back, and fight for power and profit.

If we're talking about taking responsibility, how could I not? We've given away such a great opportunity; we can always try to develop it again. Putting everything else aside, let's confiscate Yan Song's house again. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; we could easily get a few million taels of silver.

Besides, there are still fat camels, aren't there? If the court runs out of money, they'll just confiscate Grand Secretary Xu's property, which will yield several million taels of silver. That should be enough to get by for two or three years. Once those two or three years are over, life will be better again.”

At this moment, Xu Jie spoke slowly and deliberately: "Minister Wang, we all know that you are the largest livestock merchant in our Great Ming Dynasty, with dozens of mountain strongholds all over the country, and your assets are worth far more than a million."

"Look at you, you're not happy even when I'm talking to you." Wang Yan looked disgusted. "You should thank me for being able to eat cheap meat in your families. Everyone says I, Wang Yan, am extremely greedy and rich, but why don't you think about how I've raised meat for so many years so that people can eat more meat with the same amount of money?"

You all know my situation better than I do. I have tens of thousands of people who eat with me, and I haven't mistreated them at all. They get paid, they get days off, and I even give them gifts during holidays. They spend their money, and I recoup it through cleaning fees and commercial taxes. This is my contribution to the Great Ming Dynasty.

Unlike you, Grand Secretary Xu, who hides your land and avoids paying taxes to the court, yet undermines its power. All you preach about benevolence, righteousness, and serving the country and its people. Since all of you are here, I will now draft a memorial recommending Hai Rui for the position of Prefect of Songjiang. Would you all like to draft it?

“Wang Yan, don’t take credit for what’s rightfully yours,” Zhang Juzheng said. “You did do some work, but you weren’t the only one who did it. Without the help of others, what could you have accomplished? Let’s talk about war now, let’s not go on and on.”

"You guys are really being unreasonable. It was clearly you who said it."

Wang Yan felt extremely wronged. "This is just factionalism and bullying! You have the numbers and are using your power to bully people!"

Everyone stared at Wang Yan expressionlessly, their faces saying, "Let's see how long you can keep up this terrible acting."

Clicking his tongue, Wang Yan shook his head with a bored expression: "Then let's talk about the war. What I mean is that this war must be fought, but how to fight it is worth discussing."

"I object!" Gao Gong said. "I've already given my reasons. If we can avoid fighting, we should. Didn't you mention economic control? As far as I know, the Tatars have already started circulating paper money. Anyway, there's no rush. Let's just slowly wear them down."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Wang Yan glanced at them: "Have you gentlemen forgotten that I am now the Governor-General of Jiliao? Am I here to discuss with you whether or not to fight? If you disagree, I won't fight?"

"Wang Yan! This is a matter of national importance, how dare you act rashly?" Xu Jie's eyes widened, and his tone became much more serious.

"Why wouldn't I dare? If I lose, I'll just die; if I win, you can't kill me anyway." Wang Yan said strangely, "The strength of our Great Ming Dynasty is no less than that of the Taizu and Chengzu Emperors. The Taizu Emperor drove out the Tartars and restored China, and the Chengzu Emperor drove the Tartars far to the northern desert. Now our Great Ming Dynasty is attacking the Tartars in the north. Our soldiers are well-trained and our generals are brave. How can we possibly be defeated?"

Wang Yan stood up, dusted off his clothes, looked around, and said, "Alright, a little bickering can prolong our lives. Once I return to Santunying, I will begin preparations to attack the Tartars from western Liaoning to the grasslands."

If the Tartars invade from elsewhere into the heart of my Ming Dynasty, that has nothing to do with me; you'll be the ones dying. Alright, you all have a good discussion. We'll talk about the specific details later.”

"Wang Yan!" Gao Gong shouted loudly; he was truly angry...

Wang Yan laughed heartily, ignoring what they said, and turned to slink away from the cabinet...

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