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

Chapter 1568 Disunity and Divide
Wang Yan cursed Gao Gong and his associates in the cabinet every day, saying that his assassination attempt was orchestrated by Gao Gong and his associates.

Even if they didn't instigate it, it was their compromise and concessions that emboldened those people to now target Wang Yan, the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion. If the problem had been resolved once and for all, there wouldn't be so much trouble today.

Gao Gong was incredibly frustrated with his position as Grand Secretary. Despite his advanced age, he was constantly driven to the brink of madness by Wang Yan. He wanted to assert his authority as Grand Secretary, but Wang Yan kept a close eye on him, leaving him with absolutely no chance to experience it.

Fortunately, although Wang Yan was in charge of the purse strings, he never used money to obstruct other government departments from doing their work. In fact, if some government departments submitted budgets that were too low and they were struggling to get things done, he would send the reports back and ask them to recalculate and apply for more money.

Of course, money wasn't so easy to get. After all, Wang Yan was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Royal Bank was also under his control; he was genuinely in charge of auditing. Otherwise, why would any government office ask for less money? It was because they had been caught in audits and were terrified by Wang Yan's actions, so they dared not embezzle anymore.

This put Wang Yan in a difficult position; his subordinates were becoming increasingly incompetent. Was he trying to prevent corruption? The reason for the audit was that he had spent so much money, yet the results were utterly worthless. Construction projects were delayed, and disaster relief efforts were causing people to starve. Could he possibly refuse to audit them?

As long as they do their jobs properly and their embezzlement is within reasonable limits, Wang Yan won't punish them severely...

Regardless, Wang Yan's generosity and quick pay are widely praised. He never complains about not having money; even if the finances are tight, he will offer suggestions on how to raise funds to get things done first.

But Gao Gong believes that this is the only likable thing about Wang Yan now. The rest is simply utterly detestable.

Sometimes Gao Gong envied Xu Jie, the former Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty, who had already amassed a fortune.

The old man knew that Gao Gong and Wang Yan were determined to get rid of him, so he naturally accepted his fate. He had no choice but to accept it; he hadn't been able to deal with Wang Yan when he was in power, let alone now that he was out of power. So Xu Jie dutifully paid his taxes according to the regulations, without missing a single penny.

As for reputation, his whole family would be lucky to survive. Xu Jie was certain that if he dared to evade taxes, Wang Yan would dare to punish him, sending his old bones to work on a construction site. He would set a precedent in the Ming Dynasty, becoming the most severely persecuted chief minister.

Xu Jie had a large and wealthy family; he just didn't want to spend more money. Spending that much money would only mean earning a little less, and it wouldn't necessarily mean they wouldn't make any money at all. That's what's so hateful about these people. Earning less is considered a loss, and they start crying and complaining that they can't survive. Their faces are just too ugly.

Besides demanding more taxes, Wang Yan also had Xu Jie's family investigated for illegal activities and dealt with them according to laws and regulations. Apart from this, Wang Yan did not deliberately make things difficult for Xu Jie and acted in accordance with the rules.

Many people consider following the rules wrong, but what's the point of having those rules? I can choose not to do something, but if I do, you can't say I did it wrong. Even the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty didn't say anything.

Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, Chen Yiqin, and even their subordinates had objections to this. However, Wang Yan was fair and just, and he included the families of these people in the process, ensuring that no one could escape the system. Everyone was treated the same, which made them feel more at ease and accept the situation.

The only downside was that Wang Yan became the biggest villain. Even his subordinates disliked him and had many complaints.

Wang Yan didn't care about these things; he had already exercised great restraint. His character was upright; before investigating these issues, he himself was undoubtedly without fault. If he had any problems, he would have been exposed long ago; how could it be a way for him to attack others?

His problems are well-known: corruption and womanizing. Therefore, he never dwells on corruption or the personal lives of officials, because he himself is not upright. Even if the money he embezzled was used to benefit the people, he still took money; that's an indisputable fact.

When it comes to dealing with him, we won't consider whether he received money for good deeds; we'll only consider whether he received money at all—it's that simple and direct…

All of this made Gao Gong feel that his experience as Grand Secretary was very unpleasant. He also felt sorry for himself, as Yan Song and Xu Jie had quite comfortable times as Grand Secretary. Although Xu Jie's experience was somewhat worse, he had the Jiajing Emperor's mediation, and Wang Yan's main focus was not on governing the whole country, so Xu Jie's experience was also quite good.

But things were different with Gao Gong; no one could suppress Wang Yan. Gao Gong couldn't, Zhang Juzheng couldn't, and even the Longqing Emperor couldn't.

Of course, Wang Yan wouldn't deny Long Qing's words or confront him directly. He would simply let it go in one ear and out the other, giving him a perfunctory response on the surface, but he would still be ruthless when it came to taking action later. Even if Long Qing blamed him, he would simply find a plausible reason on the surface, add a pretentious apology, give Long Qing a way out, and offer him some money to spend, and Long Qing would happily keep quiet.

Gao Gong was unwell, and Zhang Juzheng wasn't much better. He too was a power-hungry man, but he found he couldn't defeat Wang Yan, which was truly tragic.

Wang Yan is now gradually showing his fangs and behaving like a powerful minister.

This made Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng very uneasy...

Hu Zongxian was already sixty-six years old. He had served as Minister of War for three years, reforming the Ming army with Wang Yan, and also managing the Tusi (local chieftains) in the southwest, stabilizing the trade routes to the Western Regions.

Those who work at the bottom and those who fight desperately at the front—these are all very important matters that occupy their entire lives. They face many unspeakable hardships, struggles against various temptations, and dangers between life and death.

However, for Wang Yan and Hu Zongxian, the highest-ranking rulers of the Ming Dynasty, these matters were merely a few documents sent over from time to time.

Such documents were piled up on Wang Yan's desk...

"I never imagined that I could do this much..." Hu Zongxian took a sip of wine, his face full of emotion.

Wang Yan was still eating with her mouth full of oil, making Hu Zongxian envious of Wang Yan's good appetite.

"Is that enough? Old Hu, if it weren't for that Yan Song incident back then, you would have been in the cabinet long ago, and maybe you would have already retired and returned to your hometown to enjoy your old age."

"Even if I had taken over the position of Grand Secretary Yan, I could not have built the Ming Dynasty of today. I also wanted to do something for the benefit of the people, but only you have truly succeeded. In less than twenty years, my Ming Dynasty has become extremely powerful, far surpassing the Han and Tang dynasties. It's simply earth-shattering."

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement: "Every time we talk, you have to brag to me. I'm so tired of hearing it."

“You deserve it. You know Hai Rui’s bad temper, and every time he mentions you, he speaks highly of you. When others say you’ve embezzled money, he’ll defend you. Over the years, people all over the world have seen your true heart for the Ming Dynasty and for the people. No amount of praise is too much for you.”

Hu Zongxian is now a complete fan of Wang.

He then said, “Three more years have passed, and my mission can be considered complete. His Majesty spoke with me earlier, saying that you intend to recommend me for the cabinet and asking for my opinion. Of course, I agreed. Having served as an official my whole life, being able to become a cabinet minister would be enough to make me die without regrets. But can I be admitted to the cabinet?”

“Of course we can, why can’t we?” Wang Yan retorted.

Hu Zongxian shook his head: "Your current situation is not good. Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and Chen Yiqin have joined forces to suppress you, and His Majesty also seems to be favoring one side. His Majesty spoke with me, and I heard that His Majesty does not want me to join the cabinet, but rather wants me to retire and return to my hometown to live out my days. It seems that what we talked about back then is about to come true."

Wang Yan smiled and said, "Now, our Great Ming Dynasty is at peace, the people live in contentment, the court's annual revenue increases year by year, local grain production has repeatedly reached new highs, the population is growing, and in recent years even the territory has been slowly expanding. The number of scholars taking the imperial examinations each year is also increasing. It is truly at its peak. My governance strategies have been widely circulated, and over the years, many officials have made some achievements. I have also cultivated many capable people over the years. In this light, I am indeed somewhat superfluous."

"Listen to me, and take the initiative to submit a memorial requesting to retire."

"I'm only thirty-seven years old, in the prime of my life, why would I beg for my old age?"

Hu Zongxian sighed: "You saw it all. How did Grand Secretary Yan fall back then? How did the Yan faction compare to your Wang faction today? I think your Wang faction wasn't even as powerful as the Yan faction. And what happened? With a single decree from the late emperor, Grand Secretary Yan obediently returned to his hometown, and the Yan faction disintegrated instantly. I couldn't even protect myself; I was forced to come to the capital and imprisoned in the imperial prison to await my death."

"There is still a difference. At least for now, the people under my command are all capable and do not harm the people."

"Is that all you're talking about? At this point, what does it matter whether we harm the people or not? Don't you understand? His Majesty is now willing to sacrifice you."

Wang Yan still smiled and said, "Of course I understand, but Lao Hu, don't you think about it carefully? Can I back down? I've offended too many people. If I lose power today, someone will dare to send a large army to surround my mansion tomorrow, and then burn my whole family to the ground. It will just be a few lines in the history books, a mere passing mention."

"Sigh..." Hu Zongxian was speechless and could only sigh helplessly.

Wang Yan's situation is truly complicated. He's risked his life to get to where he is today, offending so many people in the process, all to achieve the current prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, and now he's being targeted. To protect himself, Wang Yan can't simply surrender. After all, who wants to die if they can live? Especially someone like Wang Yan who achieved success at a young age, wielding great power before even turning forty.

"Why aren't you in a hurry at all?" Hu Zongxian asked, frowning. "Do you perhaps already have a good plan?"

"There's no good strategy here, it's just a matter of dealing with whatever comes our way."

"What are you going to do?"

"It's simple, just eliminate dissidents."

Wang Yan raised his glass, took a sip, and didn't urge Hu Zongxian to drink. After all, he was almost seventy; a small drink was enough for him, and there was no need for him to drink with him.

Hu Zongxian's eyes widened: "Eliminating dissidents? His Majesty wants you removed now, how are you going to eliminate them? Are you planning a rebellion?"

"I am a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty, how could I rebel? Besides, it's not that we absolutely have to rebel yet..."

"Isn't that still wanting to rebel? If they don't rebel now, they'll rebel later."

"Don't get so hung up on rebellion. If I weren't forced to, why would I want to become a traitor? Rebellion isn't about becoming emperor; it's about not wanting to die. There's no need to think so extremely. Isn't there any other way?"

Wang Yan didn't dwell on the topic, but instead said, "Old Hu, you need to understand this: if His Majesty is dissatisfied with me, it must be because someone is dissatisfied with me and has bewitched His Majesty, causing him to drift away from me. Then the problem becomes simple: whoever bewitched His Majesty, we'll deal with them."

Who has bewitched His Majesty?

"Who did you say you were?"

Hu Zongxian thought for a moment: "Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, Chen Hong, Feng Bao, Chen Yiqin..."

This list of names was approved by Wang Yan: "Zhang Juzheng is currently observing mourning at home, so we don't need to pay attention to him. First, mobilize the censors to increase the pressure on Gao Gong."

Hu Zongxian was an extremely intelligent man. He understood Wang Yan's meaning and was once again amazed by Wang Yan's boldness and decisiveness.

It was obvious that Wang Yan intended to get rid of all the people Longqing could rely on, leaving Longqing as a figurehead, a mere figurehead confined to the palace. While this might not have constituted a rebellion, its impact was no less significant than one.

So, a few days later, the court suddenly began to focus its attacks on Gao Gong.

There's always been constant bickering and mutual attacks within the court. But the intensity of this conflict is something everyone knows: it's a battle between powerful figures, and as for which powerful figure it is, everyone knows with their own eyes.

Of course, the attacks were not false accusations; they were based on concrete actions, words, and the negative impact caused. Furthermore, the attacks were not directed at Gao Gong himself, but rather at his subordinates.

For example, some things Gao Gong forcefully promoted wasted money and harmed the people, and the officials in charge were corrupt and didn't do their jobs. It was an attack on middle and upper-level officials, using them as a talking point. Little by little, the problems with Gao Gong were brought up, creating a huge uproar.

Gao Gong certainly wouldn't ignore it, so he mobilized his men to attack Wang Yan's men, and the two sides started hurling insults at each other.

It wasn't until a memorial impeaching Gao Gong, stating that he was too old and in poor health to continue serving as Grand Secretary, and requesting a replacement, that Wang Yan stepped forward and began directly attacking Gao Gong, spreading rumors about his various problems.

Then, the passionate students and numerous officials gathered in the capital, their emotions running high.

Gao Gong, of course, followed suit and spread negative information about Wang Yan. But it was useless, because Wang Yan was only greedy for money and lustful.

Furthermore, his greed for money was well-known; he loved animal husbandry and genuinely paid his subordinates high salaries and provided them with good job security. Even after he became a cabinet minister, he personally provided medical care to a worker's family member who was terminally ill. This story is widely circulated…

Wang Yan constantly marketed himself. Even though the people knew that they were able to live a good life because of him, it didn't stop them from remembering him more deeply, and that was all useful.

As the negative information released by Wang Yan fermented, and he also sent people to guide public opinion, a large-scale collective incident finally broke out in the spring and summer of the fourth year of the Longqing reign.

Thousands of students and local officials gathered outside the capital, chanting slogans demanding Gao Gong's removal and an investigation into his faction...

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