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

Chapter 1569 Counterattack
The atmosphere in Wenyuan Pavilion was very oppressive.

Longqing sat high on the throne with a pale face. Standing in front of him were eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial, such as Chen Hong and Feng Bao, who wore scarlet robes. On the other side stood cabinet ministers, such as Gao Gong and Wang Yan, who also wore scarlet robes, as well as officials from the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, such as Hu Zongxian.

Everyone in the room, to varying degrees, turned their attention to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan stood there respectfully, his hands tucked into his sleeves, eyes downcast, idly staring at the footprints on the floor tiles…

Chen Hong looked left and right, his eyes darting around, and after exchanging a glance with Gao Gong, he suddenly spoke.

"Wang Yan! Are you planning a rebellion?"

"What do you mean by that, Eunuch Chen?" Wang Yan looked over, puzzled, and then bowed to Emperor Longqing. "Your Majesty, everyone in the world says that I am a meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty. I also believe that the Ming Dynasty today owes much to my hard work. I was killed more than fifty times and risked my life to achieve it. No one is more loyal to the Ming Dynasty than I am. Eunuch Chen says that I want to rebel. Your Majesty must help me."

"Wang Yan, you're still spouting nonsense. So many students and officials outside, especially those from the Shuntian Prefecture and Daxing County, all joined in besieging the capital. Weren't they all instigated by you? And you still say you're not rebelling?"

"That's truly a miscarriage of justice. Just because I served as the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture and the Magistrate of Daxing County doesn't mean I ordered those people. If I had to say, I believe these people were righteous and gathered together to rid the country of traitors. Now it seems that Eunuch Chen's eagerness to jump out is also because he doesn't want my Great Ming to prosper. You have caused chaos in the inner court and misled the Emperor; you deserve to die. Your Majesty, I beg you to execute Chen Hong!"

"All right!"

Longqing, growing impatient, slammed his hand heavily on the armrest of his chair. "What's the use of saying all this now? What we need to do now is come up with a plan to get those people outside the capital to disperse quickly."

"Master, I think we can send out the Imperial Guards and whip them severely; that should disperse them." Chen Hong offered his suggestion.

"No, Your Majesty! If we were to act in this way, how would future generations view us, and how would they view Your Majesty?"

This seemingly foolish approach was immediately met with objections. Moreover, frankly speaking, Longqing's authority was insufficient to compel him to use the whip. If he had dared to do so, it might have even led to a purge of corrupt officials from the court.

Was that a lash against the students from outside the region? No, it was a lash against the officials. How dare they lash out at the emperor? The emperor had to be made to understand his true worth.

Even now, when it's obvious that Wang Yan is manipulating things behind the scenes, we can't do that; it would undermine our rule.

Everyone chimed in with their own ridiculous and absurd ideas, which made Longqing's face turn even paler.

He rushed out of the West Garden in a panic, only to find his loyal ministers launching into a cacophony of banter upon arriving here. The troublemaker, Wang Yan, just stared at the floor, while Gao Gong, bewildered, stared blankly into the empty space before him…

After a long buzzing, Gao Gong finally spoke: "Your Majesty, I am indeed old, my eyesight is failing and I am no longer able to perform my duties. I beg to retire and return to my hometown to live out my old age."

"Gao Qing..."

“Your Majesty need not say more. At this point, I have no choice but to leave,” Gao Gong said. “However, the cabinet cannot be without capable people. Wang Yan is still young. Zhang Juzheng has been observing mourning at home for a year and a half. Now is the time when we need capable people. I request Your Majesty to allow Zhang Juzheng to return to his hometown ahead of schedule.”

"Our Great Ming Dynasty governs the world with filial piety, which is a great courtesy for a son. How can we ignore it like this? There are so many officials in the Great Ming Dynasty. Are there no other people who can do the job? Why must we have Zhang Juzheng do it?"

"Your Majesty!" Gao Gong looked heartbroken, his gaze towards Longqing filled with the message, "I'm doing this for your own good."

Longqing knew that this was indeed for his own good. Wang Yan's counterattack had clearly demonstrated his attitude, and Longqing realized that his task from now on was to suppress Wang Yan and eliminate him, thus fulfilling his historical mission…

He looked at Wang Yan, who seemed not to have heard anything: "Minister Wang, Minister Chen, what are your opinions?"

Chen Yiqin looked left and right, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Your Majesty, Zhang Juzheng is also mature and prudent, and has always been a wise strategist. Although our Great Ming Dynasty is now at peace and prosperous, the surface is calm, but in reality, undercurrents are surging. The more we talk about this, the more we must be on high alert. Zhang Juzheng is capable of shouldering great responsibilities and accomplishing great things. This old minister believes that Grand Secretary Gao's suggestion is timely."

"Wang Qing?" Longqing called out Wang Yan's name again.

Wang Yan also cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to quickly quell today's events. Gao Gong's intentions are sinister and his heart is wicked. At a time like this, he is still thinking about those messy things. Without him, without me, without Zhang Juzheng, without Chen Yiqin, will the Ming Dynasty be finished?"

If we're truly talking about pillars of the state, I believe no one in this dynasty can compare to Hu Zongxian. His achievements—pacifying the Japanese pirates, conquering the southeast, eliminating the Tartars, driving out the Oirats, and managing Liaodong and the Western Regions—are all monumental accomplishments that have influenced the world for centuries. For an ordinary person to achieve even one of these is a rare feat, but Hu Zongxian, fighting across the north and south, is truly extraordinary. Furthermore, he reformed the Ming army, making our military strength even greater than before, unmatched throughout the world.

As the saying goes, true character is revealed in turbulent times. Over the years, I wonder what merits Zhang Juzheng has made to deserve such praise from Grand Secretary Chen. As for maturity and prudence, is he as mature as Hu Zongxian? In terms of shouldering great responsibilities and accomplishing great things, has he shouldered as many responsibilities as Hu Zongxian, and accomplished as many great things?”

Gao Gong turned and glared at Wang Yan, shouting, "Then let Hu Zongxian join the cabinet, and Zhang Juzheng must also return!"

Wang Yan glanced at him and said indifferently, "Grand Secretary Gao, you're already begging for retirement, so don't worry so much. If you want to live out your days in peace, you have to mind your own business. Worrying too much will only exhaust you and hasten your death."

Alas, a hundred years from now, when future generations read the history books and say that Grand Secretary Gao died of depression not long after returning to his hometown, they'll probably think it was me, Wang, who sent people to kill him. That would be a truly unjust injustice. Who knows how many times I, Wang, have been attacked and killed for the Ming Dynasty—poisoned, murdered by armored soldiers, assassinated in the street, and even had women trained and sent to my residence to be used against me in bed? What a damned bastard…”

As Wang Yan spoke, he seemed to have gotten himself angry, and he roared in the hall, recounting the hardships he had endured over the years, almost bursting into tears.

Unfortunately, those present were a bunch of selfish, power-hungry monsters devoid of empathy. They showed no sympathy for Wang Yan's plight, perhaps thinking more about how he was still alive after more than fifty attempts. They watched Wang Yan's performance in silence.

Wang Yan was a conscientious person; even without anyone to support him, he still kept rambling on and on.

Longqing, already exasperated, still had to put on an act after listening, praising Wang Yan for his dedication to the Ming Dynasty, risking his life to make it even greater, a truly admirable and moving act.

Then he said, “What you say makes sense. Both Hu Zongxian and Zhang Juzheng are pillars of our Ming Dynasty. We are in need of capable people right now, so let’s do as you say. Minister Wang, Minister Chen?”

Chen Yiqin naturally agreed; after all, he supported Longqing. In a way, he had to thank Wang Yan. If it weren't for Wang Yan as a scapegoat, the old man would have been kicked out by Gao Gong long ago. Of course, Gao Gong was even more grateful. As mentioned before, if it weren't for Wang Yan, Gao Gong would be buried a long way off by now. Unfortunately, Gao Gong didn't know this, nor did he understand gratitude…

Whether Chen Yiqin agreed or not was irrelevant; everyone knew that Longqing was asking Wang Yan.

So Wang Yan respectfully bowed and said, "The cabinet is His Majesty's cabinet, and we are all His Majesty's subjects. Naturally, we are all at His Majesty's behest."

"Then it's settled." Longqing waved his hand wearily. "Draft the decree..."

Soon enough, a fresh imperial edict was issued, and the eunuchs were sent to the gates of the imperial city to announce it.

Upon hearing the contents of the imperial edict, they learned that Gao Gong had resigned and returned to his hometown. The students and local officials outside the city shouted that His Majesty was wise and kowtowed towards the city before dispersing.

But the repercussions of this event weren't over yet. Did Wang Yan intend to expand his gains? Defeating Gao Gong wasn't important; what mattered was eliminating the forces that allowed Gao Gong to act with impunity. The target was clear: the powerful families in the north.

Even though the powerful families in the north have been dealt with several times, they still wield considerable power. The main reason is that they weren't directly dealt with by Wang Yan. For many years, there hasn't been a direct, thorough purge to eradicate them completely. Even Wang Yan's recent large-scale investigation didn't change this.

After all, the work was handled by lower-level personnel. Although some people were implicated, it was merely a perfunctory effort. It was mainly Hai Rui who did the work, and he punished quite a few people during his inspections.

Of course, the massive crackdown wasn't in vain. They all knew that Wang Yan was serious and that if they didn't report the hidden land and population, he would really unleash a massacre. So the second massive crackdown was successful. There were definitely still some underreporting, but that was no longer important.

Now, people are farming properly and paying taxes properly, and they're paying even less than those who make large donations. The people aren't fools; news is circulating. These hidden lands and people will naturally return over time…

However, the wealthy landowners in the Central Plains were dissatisfied. They were earning less from the land, less from exploiting the local population, and less from trading. In recent years, Wang Yan had also reformed the salt industry and reorganized the canal transport system, which had a significant impact.

In contrast, a large number of factory owners and capitalists made huge profits, large merchants in the southeast made a fortune from maritime trade, and large merchants in the Jiliao region seized most of the profits from the grasslands and Liaodong.

Seeing that they couldn't get involved, the powerful families in the Central Plains naturally wanted to resist, express their dissatisfaction, and fight for their interests. So, they naturally began to involve those they could influence in targeting Wang Yan.

When there are many such people, and they unite, they form a powerful force, and a force called "Overthrow the King" comes to envelop Wang Yan.

Furthermore, with Wang Yan no longer hiding his true intentions in recent years and gradually seizing power, even the most generous monetary offers finally made Longqing feel threatened. Longqing looked around the Ming Dynasty; the situation couldn't be better. Peace and prosperity could continue even without Wang Yan, and there was still money to be made. So, of course, he wanted to get rid of Wang Yan…

But Wang Yan was not one to wait to die, and he would not surrender without a fight. Thus, an irreconcilable conflict arose, and everyone began to study each other.

Currently, it seems that Wang Yan has taken the lead.

After Gao Gong was dismissed, Wang Yan began to wield the butcher's knife against the wealthy families of the Central Plains. Well, not exactly a butcher's knife, since he used the law to force them to contribute to the Ming Dynasty.

A large number of officials at all levels were implicated, leading to frequent and drastic personnel changes. Wang Yan, unafraid of the backlash, replaced nearly a third of the officials in one fell swoop.

At first, Longqing was very vehemently opposed, but after Wang Yan's men were all arranged and his people were put to use, he naturally stopped opposing.

Of course, not all of them sided with anyone; there aren't that many people to sue. More often, they were people who didn't know how to be greedy for money, didn't know how to flatter, and were just sloppy in their work.

Wang Yan promoted many such people, giving them opportunities to demonstrate their abilities. He was always tolerant of those who wanted to get things done and were capable of doing so.

Being capable and efficient, to some extent, represents pragmatism and a conscience. Such people are actually quite likely to agree with Wang Yan's governing strategies. It's just that they couldn't get in touch with him before.

Now that Wang Yan has given them a chance, if they do well they can rise to power, and naturally he has expanded his influence...

As for the claim that Wang Yan set a bad precedent for political struggle by inciting people to take to the streets in order to force his opponents to compromise, that's irrelevant.

Do you really think it's so easy to incite people to march, especially since those people are mostly students and low-level officials? These are all fervent supporters of Wang Yan, and they have all benefited from him. Even the students who haven't benefited from him are still studying Wang Yan's doctrines.

Wang Yan has now risen to a position in the Grand Secretariat; how could he not influence scholarship? Whatever the government tests, the students must study. Unfortunately, his influence on the selection of officials has been gradually increasing over the years…

Even excluding these factors, he is not afraid that his opponents will organize these people to march against him.

To reiterate, aside from his greed and lust, he has no other flaws. He is absolutely dedicated to the greater cause of the Ming Dynasty. Given the increasingly fierce attacks he has faced in response to the renewed targeting of powerful families in the Central Plains, which has brought the number of assassination attempts against Wang Yan to over sixty, no one can deny his absolute loyalty.

When there were protests, he dared to go out alone and engage in a heated debate with his opponents in front of the crowd. He was upright and had a clear conscience...

Are you truly without guilt?

Inside the Wenyuan Pavilion, facing Zhang Juzheng's question, Wang Yan nodded without hesitation: "I'll say it again, no one is more loyal to the Ming Dynasty than I am. I am fighting for the Ming Dynasty with my whole heart and soul, even at the cost of my life. Sixty-six is ​​a good number; it's the latest number of times I've been attacked. Old Zhang, tell me, what have I done wrong?"

"Does it have to be this way?"

"Old Hu, listen to this. How shameless you are. You're the ones targeting me, trying to kill me, but you act like I'm the one who's being unreasonable. What are you doing back here? Just here to kill me? You're so hypocritical, acting like you're so righteous. It's so lame."

Wang Yan tossed a memorial at him, "There are accusations against Chen Hong and Feng Bao. These two have gone too far. It's one thing to buy large houses and keep women, but they even beat a woman to death for having an affair without permission. This is outrageous! Is there no law left in our Ming Dynasty? This is utterly lawless! Old Zhang, what do you think should be done about this?"

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