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

Chapter 1571 Evenly matched
The fact that Chen Hong and Feng Bao were punished and sent to labor camps is significant because it broke the collusion between insiders and outsiders and disrupted the chain of interests.

Chen Hong was previously an ally of Gao Gong, while Feng Bao was an ally of Zhang Juzheng. After Gao Gong stepped down, although Chen Hong and Feng Bao were not on good terms, they maintained a stable alliance due to the external pressure from Wang Yan, and focused their attacks on Wang Yan.

And it was indeed very effective. The personnel from both the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs were practically surrounded by Longqing. To put it bluntly, a large part of the reason Longqing changed his mind to target Wang Yan was because of their constant chatter in front of him.

Otherwise, Longqing would have spent all his time sleeping with women and figuring out how to spend money, and wouldn't have had the time or inclination to study Wang Yan. After all, Wang Yan always showed respect and was basically obedient to Longqing. While he didn't treat Longqing exactly the same way he treated Jiajing, he at least retained about 70% of that respect.

Under such circumstances, without anyone instigating it, how desperate must Longqing have been to cause trouble for Wang Yan?

If he had acted independently, while his reputation might not have reached the level of the Jiajing Emperor, he would undoubtedly have been a wise and capable ruler...

Therefore, it is quite necessary for Wang Yan to target Chen Hong and Feng Bao now.

With Chen Hong and Feng Bao temporarily out of the picture, it was easier to arrange for someone to take over. Even though the person temporarily in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial was still appointed by Longqing, Wang Yan's relationships with others over the years hadn't been very good, except for these eunuchs and the Imperial Guards.

To put it bluntly, ever since Wang Yan came to power, the people in the palace have been doing things according to his wishes. After all, Wang Yan works for Jiajing, and when he needs to solve problems or use the people in the palace, the palace naturally obeys Wang Yan's orders.

Wang Yan always prepared for the worst and was also very good at long-term investment. Naturally, he had a considerable number of people in the palace and in the imperial guards.

Regardless of his current status, he was once a favored minister trusted by the Jiajing Emperor. Back then, he could easily gain friendships simply by being kind and making a conscious effort to cultivate good relations with people. Moreover, he always used money to pave the way when dealing with people in the palace.

After taking charge of Shuntian Prefecture, he stepped into the limelight. At that time, as long as he showed a kind smile to ordinary people, they would feel honored. Not only was he kind, but he also spent money generously. This was quite remarkable.

So Longqing made another arrangement, thinking it was one of his own people, but in reality, he was secretly doing Wang Yanxing a favor.

Of course, it wouldn't be done openly or fairly, nor would it require much favoritism. The requirement was simple: just have the newly appointed eunuch suppress Chen Hong and Feng Bao's people. Three months was more than enough time to accomplish a lot.

After all, the newly appointed leader knows he's not the most favored, and when Chen Hong and the others return, he'll be suppressed again. So, naturally, he'll use this opportunity to expand his own power. Even if he faces retaliation later, he'll have the ability to fight back and maintain his authority.

This is a second-best option.

The main purpose was to take advantage of this opportunity to perform well, in case Longqing took a liking to him and he could directly secure the position of Director of Ceremonial Affairs, which would be incredibly fortunate.

Thus, the newly appointed eunuchs worked tirelessly to speak ill of Wang Yan and cause him trouble, but in reality, they were consolidating their own power.

Emperor Longqing and Zhang Juzheng, among others, realized that this was a power consolidation effort, but they never expected it to be a charade orchestrated by Wang Yan...

However, things did not go so smoothly. On that very day, his subordinates rushed to the Ministry of Revenue to report.

Yes, Wang Yan remains Minister of Revenue, unchanged. It's not that Longqing and others don't want to, but that they can't; currently, no one can take over Wang Yan's responsibilities. And even if they could, would Wang Yan agree?
Earlier, Longqing had already asked Wang Yan for his opinion, wanting him to take charge of other matters. At that time, Wang Yan gave Longqing a breakdown of the accounts of the Ming Dynasty and the palace, indicating that although the Ming Dynasty seemed to be thriving, its economic situation was still not ideal, and the fiscal expenditure was still mismatched. Wang Yan had already pushed the Ming Dynasty's deficit to more than a year's annual revenue, heading straight for fifty million.

This deficit is enough to make anyone shudder.

In the past, for a few million taels of silver, they would destroy dikes and flood fields. Now, for a staggering fifty million taels, just thinking about it makes me want to die...

Of course, this doesn't stop them from taking action against Wang Yan. The more dangerous it is, the more they need to take action against Wang Yan. Otherwise, if Wang Yan continues to create chaos, who knows what will happen?
Now that everyone has dealt with Wang Yan, they can pay off this debt after a few years of hardship.

Wang Yan guessed that was exactly what they were thinking...

The subordinate, panting, rushed in and said hastily, "Your Excellency, Chen Hong is dead!"

"Oh."

"Chen Hong is dead!"

Wang Yan poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of his subordinate: "I heard that. What, should I dress in mourning clothes and send him off?"

"Oh dear, Your Excellency, why aren't you worried? Over the years, we've been able to investigate all the people who died in labor camps. Your Excellency just dealt with Chen Hong and Feng Bao, and Chen Hong died after only a little over a month. This is a difficult matter to explain."

Where is Feng Bao?

"Everyone is safe and sound, except for Chen Hong, who is dead. This morning, when we woke up, Chen Hong was not moving. Someone nudged him and found no response. They then checked his breathing and confirmed that he was dead. We quickly reported this to the Grand Secretary. The people below were afraid of delaying the Grand Secretary's important business, so they had the coroner from Wanping perform an autopsy and said that he died of poisoning. We immediately informed the Grand Secretary."

The subordinate took a sip of warm, palatable tea and quickly recounted the events that had transpired.

"Your Excellency, according to your usual practice, nothing should be concealed. The construction site has been brought under control immediately, and everyone who was in the same room as Chen Hong has been locked up. Those who have been in contact with Chen Hong recently are also being investigated. The people from the Imperial Guard, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review should have received the news and are preparing to send capable people to investigate the case."

"Your Excellency, someone is trying to harm you!"

"He's just a eunuch, how could he possibly harm me? Alright, go about your business."

A short while later, Hu Zongxian arrived.

"You have to prepare for the worst."

This was the first thing Hu Zongxian said to Wang Yan after they met. Because bloodshed had begun and the methods were becoming increasingly brutal, it indicated that the situation had escalated to a more intense level.

"That's incredibly unwise," Wang Yan shook his head. "Did we really have to escalate things to this point? How are we going to handle this in the end?"

"Are you still thinking about how to end this?"

Hu Zongxian sighed deeply, "Why don't you just leave? You've done quite well in maritime trade in recent years, and you've explored most of the foreign lands. Many places are still uncivilized; you could become a king overseas."

"What you're saying makes no sense, Lao Hu. You're saying that all the hard work and risking my life to build this prosperous Ming Dynasty is going to make me leave here in the end? What was the point of all those years of risking my life?"
"You know I'm naturally strong, and I've even mastered some farming skills. I won't say I'm incredibly powerful, but killing dozens of armored soldiers is a genuine feat. If that's the case, why did I become an official before? I could have just gone to the southeast, found a wealthy family, slaughtered them, seized their ship, and fled. Why would I go through all that trouble to become a pirate overseas?"

Wang Yan's meaning was simple and direct: if he ran away, he would be negating everything he had done in the past. But waiting to die wasn't in his nature. Therefore, even though things had escalated to this point, and the struggle had intensified, he would fight to the bitter end and never surrender…

Hu Zongxian could only sigh helplessly, not knowing what to say.

"I will follow you."

Hu Zongxian had no choice but to say this, for he had already exhausted all other options. Since his reinstatement, he had become inextricably linked to Wang Yan. At this point, siding with Longqing and his ilk would be futile. Even if he were accepted, his fate would be tragic after killing Wang Yan. Besides, he was already so old, he had enjoyed wealth and power, and achieved the highest position in the court; death was inevitable, and he had no regrets. "Don't worry, you won't die. We have a large family to support, countless mouths to feed. How can we just collapse like this?"

"hope so."

"This fatalistic attitude is bad; it's too passive. We must strive. Striving gives us hope; not striving means everything is over."

Wang Yan smiled and seemed unaffected, giving Hu Zongxian confidence and strength.

He walked at his usual unhurried pace, and greeted people with his usual kind smile, as if he were completely unaffected. An hour passed in this manner, and Wang Yan and Hu Zongxian were summoned to the West Garden.

As expected, when they arrived, Zhang Juzheng and Chen Yiqin were already there, along with a disheveled Feng Bao and the eunuch who had previously temporarily taken charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial, kneeling on the ground.

Skipping over formalities, Longqing cut to the chase: "Minister Wang, are you aware that Chen Hong died at the construction site?"

"I know. My subordinates informed me immediately, and they also notified the Imperial Guard, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review... The response was reasonable and the handling was appropriate. I also heard that after the coroner in Wanping examined the body, he said that the person was poisoned."

Zhang Juzheng then asked, "What does Grand Secretary Wang think?"

“He was probably poisoned.” Wang Yan nodded seriously.

Feng Bao jumped out: "Wang Yan, why pretend to be stupid at this time? It's unreasonable and illogical for a labor camp worker to die on your construction site."

"What a joke! What do you mean 'my construction site'? That's the construction site of the Ming Dynasty government! People who died in labor camps have died. What? Haven't they died before? Some were beaten to death, some were poisoned, and some brought it on themselves. There have been many deaths."

I understand now. Grand Secretary Zhang and Eunuch Feng mean that I had Chen Hong killed.

Wang Yan laughed and said, "In my opinion, it was you, Feng Bao, who killed him. After all, Chen Hong was still the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial when he returned. You had long been dissatisfied with him, so it was reasonable for you to take the opportunity to kill him. It makes sense both in terms of reason and emotion."

And then there's Zhang Juzheng. Lately, Grand Secretary Zhang has been repeatedly causing me trouble, maliciously suppressing me, a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty. Now that Chen Hong is dead, they can easily frame me.

Liu Gonggong also had his motives. He was temporarily in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial and was afraid that Chen Hong would return and seize power. He did not want to lose his position as the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

There were others with similar motives; they all disliked me and seized the opportunity to frame me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been attacked and killed sixty-six times—a feat unheard of and unseen in any dynasty. They were all good ministers and good people of my Great Ming Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, please investigate! I am truly innocent! I beg you to investigate this matter thoroughly. Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will investigate this matter clearly and restore my innocence, and also give Eunuch Chen an explanation."

How could Emperor Longqing possibly allow Wang Yan to investigate? He waved his hand and said, "I know Wang Qing's character well; he would never do such a thing. Since Chen Hong is dead, there's no point in saying more. Let the Imperial Guards investigate thoroughly. Let Feng Bao handle this matter."

He didn't ask for anyone's opinion; his statement was firm and left no room for doubt.

Wang Yan spoke up: "Your Majesty, it may be inappropriate to have Eunuch Feng investigate the case."

"What's wrong?"

"Eunuch Feng is currently undergoing labor reform and has more than a month left before his release. Your Majesty, a country has its laws, and a family has its rules. Allowing Feng Bao to be released on the grounds of fining copper is already a great favor from Your Majesty. He must not miss a single day of his three-month labor reform; otherwise, what dignity will the laws of our Great Ming Dynasty have?"

Longqing stared at Wang Yan, but Wang Yan just stood there with his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking at the ground, seemingly unaware of the emperor's anger.

Chen Yiqin said, "Grand Secretary Wang, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. It is understandable to let Eunuch Feng out early. Besides, you may not know that the labor reform has become a mere formality, and it is not being implemented thoroughly at the lower levels. A day earlier or a day later makes no difference."

"Grand Secretary Chen is pointing out the problem. Lately, he's been busy dealing with the mess left by Gao Gong, and the people below are starting to court death again. In that case, it's good that Eunuch Feng is going back. Tomorrow, I will personally go to the construction site to explain the rules to the people below, punish them, and make sure that labor reform is implemented so that these criminals can truly suffer and atone for their sins."

As soon as Wang Yan finished speaking, everyone's eyes fell on Chen Yiqin.

That gaze truly stung Chen Yiqin; he wished he could slap himself twice. Wasn't this just handing Wang Yan a pillow?

But once the words were spoken, there was no going back. So the matter fell to Eunuch Liu, who was temporarily in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Feng Bao had no choice but to go back to labor reform.

After all, what Wang Yan said was absolutely correct, and no one could deny it.

But preventing Feng Bao from returning wouldn't solve the problem. The Imperial Guard was still investigating and was still trying to stir up trouble around Wang Yan, using this incident as a pretext to attack Wang Yan's power.

A small matter escalated into a major issue, causing it to be blown out of proportion.

But it was useless, because both sides were looking for faults and loopholes. Even without Chen Hong's involvement, there were plenty of excuses to cause trouble.

Then it becomes self-evident how Chen Hong died...

However, Wang Yan didn't care about these issues. While he was arm wrestling with Zhang Juzheng, he didn't delay the progress of various matters. He was still as carefree and relaxed as ever, without any fear of being personally targeted by the emperor.

This made the experience quite unpleasant for Emperor Longqing and Emperor Zhang Juzheng.

One felt neither the emperor's majesty nor the Grand Secretary's authority; it was as if Wang Yan was the Grand Secretary.

Yes, Wang Yan is the de facto chief minister. Despite the constant infighting, Wang Yan's power has only grown stronger.

Wang Yan's tactic was simple: he invoked the laws of the Ming Dynasty. He acted according to the law, using the principles of the Ming Dynasty as his justification, and his methods were remarkably effective against those who opposed him…

On the contrary, his subordinates were much cleaner. Even when it came to embezzling public funds, his subordinates were more discerning than the other side, knowing what money they could and couldn't take.

Ironically, that's the reality. There are different levels of corruption, but at least it shouldn't interfere with doing serious business.

However, these things did not apply to Wang Yan. He was also corrupt, but neither Emperor Longqing, Zhang Juzheng, nor Feng Bao, who was appointed as the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial after completing his labor reform, brought this up.

The premise for accusing Wang Yan of embezzlement is that Wang Yan must be brought to justice, not that the flaws that led to his death cannot be found...

Therefore, Wang Yan faced even more attacks, and he truly became a king of endurance...

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