Chapter 1057: A Show of Force

Zhao Yunrang had no aristocratic demeanor, his clothes half-open, revealing his still-sturdy chest. He sat there, breaking the chicken with both hands, making everything oily, and even had meat residue on his beard. On the side, he had to drink wine in large gulps, his beard and hair all standing up, with quite a bit of wild and unrestrained meaning.

Wang Yan walked over, saluted Zhao Yunrang, and sat opposite him: "The Prince seems to be a bit unable to hold his breath."

"I came first and have been sitting for two quarters of an hour." Zhao Yunrang glanced at him and continued to eat meat and drink wine on his own.

Wang Yan shook his head: "That is just the Prince's wishful thinking. No one will pay attention to when the Prince came, only that the Prince appeared here very coincidentally. I was wondering why my little book boy suddenly said he wanted to eat roast chicken, but now it seems the Prince arranged for someone to mention it in the book boy's ear. The Prince's methods are brilliant; this official truly admires you."

This old boy was playing psychology, thereby achieving the goal of making him come over on his own initiative. To do this, it was necessary to understand Little Dongliang's personality, understand the way Wang Yan and Little Dongliang got along, and have a long-term observation and grasp of the master and servant. Only then did he think of inciting Little Dongliang to lead him over. There was indeed something to it.

Zhao Yunrang smiled and didn't answer, but explained on his own: "I have some connections with you. We have exchanged gifts during the New Year for the past few years. Everyone knows about the Fanlou incident back then; do I still need to choose a time to see you? Besides, the Emperor asked you in front of the ministers in the Secretariat, which put the matter on the table. My son's matter is known to the world; I am just asking you, what can anyone do?"

Wang Yan took the roast chicken sent by the shopkeeper, poured wine for himself, and added some for the old boy by the way, and asked with a smile: "What does the Prince want to ask?"

"Why ask when you know? You are not straightforward." Zhao Yunrang looked disgusted.

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile: "The Prince should know what I said to the Emperor when I prescribed the medicine. It can strengthen the body, but as for whether it can give birth to a dragon son, it is really not something this official can assert. Prince, what this official said is all true, without any falsehood. And whether the Emperor uses this official's prescription is still a matter of two possibilities; it is really hard to say."

Zhao Yunrang understood. If the Emperor used Wang Yan's prescription, he could live a few more years, and his body would be better. This also revealed from the side that the Emperor could have children if he used the prescription, but it was hard to say whether they would be boys or girls.

"Slippery."

Zhao Yunrang said this and continued to eat meat and drink wine. Of course, he also understood Wang Yan's difficulty. It wouldn't work if he didn't look, it wouldn't work if he looked, it wouldn't work if he didn't speak, and it wouldn't work if he spoke. It was very difficult.

But he still recognized Wang Yan. After all, in such matters, Wang Yan still dared to speak and act without worrying about more, which was a proper good minister and could be considered his good friend.

After a long silence, he said: "Since you are proficient in medicine, take a look at my son. My son has a chronic headache that has plagued him for many years. Once it flares up, his head aches as if it's splitting. I don't need you to cure it; as long as there is a way to relieve it, I won't hold a grudge against you."

"It's hard to be a person, and even harder to be an official." Wang Yan shook his head and sighed, "The Great General should be in the mansion, right? Let's go take a look after eating? If I can cure it, I will definitely cure it. If I can't, there's nothing I can do whether the Prince holds a grudge or not."

"Who told you, Wang Ziyan, to be so prominent." Zhao Yunrang watched Wang Yan's joke.

The two of them ate the roast chicken like this, and then Wang Yan followed the old boy to the Prince's mansion and saw Zhao Shu, now called Zhao Zongshi.

He had a round face, following the roots of the Old Zhao family. His figure was thin, and his eyes revealed exhaustion. The lack of spirit in his eyes made him have no heroic spirit, nor any bravery. At the age of twenty, his whole body was filled with depression, and he already had the appearance of twilight.

"This official Wang Yan, pays respects to the Great General."

Zhao Zongshi is now the Great General of the Right Guard and the Training Commissioner of Yuezhou. The former is a loose official position, and the latter is a virtual title, with no actual position, so there is no need to go to the post.

"No need for formalities." Zhao Zongshi smiled very gently, holding him up lightly with his hands.

"Hurry up and look." Zhao Yunrang waved his hand impatiently, urging Wang Yan.

"Great General, please sit."

Wang Yan was still the same, grabbing Zhao Zongshi's wrists with both hands, taking his pulse while asking about his condition, and also looking at his face and doing a visual examination.

After a while, Wang Yan directly picked up his pen to write a prescription, saying: "The Great General has been weak since childhood, with deficient Qi and blood, and his spirit is not concentrated. This official will open a prescription for warming and conditioning, and then come up with a menu for exquisite meals. Then let my little book boy come to the door every day to teach the Great General a set of body-strengthening methods I created, and practice it twice a day. As for the headache, this official did not see the lesion.

Privately, I think it is caused by the Great General's experiences being different from ordinary people, which often leads to worry. The disease comes from the heart, develops in the body, and responds to the head, so the headache is unbearable. The Great General might be able to indulge in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting to cultivate sentiment and relax the body and mind. You must also exercise your body more to strengthen your physique. If this continues for a long time, your heart will be comfortable and your physique will be strong, and it may be relieved. It is also possible to be cured without medicine."

Zhao Zongshi shook his head with a bitter smile: "I don't want to be emperor at all."

Obviously, Zhao Zongshi also knew about the matters in the Secretariat, so the scale of his speech was very large.

Wang Yan arched his hands and continued: "The Great General should practice the body-strengthening method for half a year first, and this official will come to take a look in half a year."

After saying that, he turned his head to look at Zhao Yunrang.

The latter looked at his son who was holding the prescription in a daze and shook his head: "Let's go."

After turning a door, without him asking, Wang Yan opened his mouth: "Prince, don't talk about the succession in front of the Great General, and it is better to talk less about state affairs. The Great General just thinks too much and makes things difficult for himself. The Prince should also look at things openly. Being an emperor is not that easy. Reasonably speaking, the Emperor is in his prime, but he has white hair early. Why? It is caused by the heavy state affairs."

"Are you saying that even if my son becomes emperor, he won't live long? It would be better not to do it?"

Wang Yan glanced at him. This was all said by you, old boy; I didn't say it.

"It's just that the current body is not good. If you condition it and exercise it, it can still be greatly improved. Prince, you must look at problems with a developmental perspective, and you must not take the temporary as the whole life. Today, the Prince asked me to come to see the Great General, I accept this favor, but I can't return it. What I said is all based on medical principles, not my nonsense."

"If you can tell the truth, it means you don't treat me as an outsider. Although the words are unpleasant, I still accept your sincerity."

"That's good. Then let the book boy come over early tomorrow morning, and the Prince can also practice with him. If you eat too much meat, it is not convenient to go to the toilet. My body-strengthening method also conditions the spleen and stomach. Follow the Great General to eat for a few days, and it will be much smoother to go to the toilet. Prince, this official will take his leave."

Wang Yan saluted and took Little Dongliang away, telling Little Dongliang the precautions for coming to the Prince's mansion tomorrow.

Following Wang Yan for these years, Little Dongliang has made great progress. It's just that he is still young and cannot take charge of his own affairs, but his work and speech are relatively steady...

Zhao Yunrang, this old boy, is indeed a particular person, perhaps only particular to Wang Yan. After all, Wang Yan gave this old boy some pointers before, and in the past few years, Zhao Yunrang has been enthusiastically investing in public welfare undertakings. With Zhao Zhen's tacit approval, he basically took over the Langu Orphanage in the capital and may have really made some merits.

Previously, Wang Yan cleaned up the clan members, and Zhao Yunrang also contributed some strength. In some businesses, Wang Yan also had some intersections with Zhao Yunrang, and there was indeed some friendship between the two.

Today, he asked Wang Yan to see Zhao Zongshi, which indeed helped Wang Yan. Mainly, it eliminated some misunderstandings of other ministers about Wang Yan and also indicated that he was not really going to hold a grudge as he said.

As for Zhao Zhen, he wouldn't think too much. Not to mention that he had long known about Zhao Zongshi's illness, Wang Yan's position hadn't reached that point either.

Wang Yan has a special status and is the vanguard of the reformists, but he has not formed a faction of his own, has no political power he can mobilize or control, and has limited influence on the overall situation. And some of Zhao Zhen's actions obviously also meant to suppress Wang Yan, so naturally, he didn't worry about those things.

As long as Zhao Yunrang can get by, and as long as the ministers can get by, it is enough not to make Wang Yan, who has become an alien, even more intolerable to the ministers.

Zhao Yunrang has wisdom...

Returning to the Sheng residence first, unsurprisingly, Sheng Hong had been waiting at home for a long time.

Sheng Hong swore that his precious son-in-law was his greatest misfortune.

Look, what did he hear? Wang Yan was bold enough to see a doctor for Zhao Zhen, and in front of the ministers in the Secretariat, he prescribed medicine on the spot. Later, he privately met the Prince of Runan and went to the Prince's mansion. This is really life-shortening. Is this kind of thing something their small shoulders can get involved in?

Sheng Hong found that since Wang Yan became an official, this trouble has come one after another, and Wang Yan seems to be looking for trouble on purpose. Otherwise, why don't others have so much trouble when they become officials, but his precious son-in-law is restless wherever he goes.

Wang Yan still sympathized with his father-in-law, explained the joints to him, and told him to rest assured that there was no problem. Only then did he leave the Sheng residence and go to the house he bought in the capital.

His house is located west of the Imperial Street, not a place where the rich and noble live, but relatively speaking, the people living nearby are also relatively rich. After all, those who have their own houses in Bianjing City are not poor.

It's like people living in big cities a thousand years later, most of them are definitely not that rich, but because there is no great housing pressure, earning five, six, seven, or eight thousand, without illness or disaster, life can be very comfortable.

Bianjing City at this time is probably the same, but most of the people here can't keep their houses. And don't need anyone to force them, as long as society is slightly turbulent, they have to sell their houses. Or in ordinary times, whoever offers a high price, they can't help but want to sell. Not to mention the strong taking and looting, there is no place to reason at this time...

Even if Old Bao, who is selfless, sits in Kaifeng Prefecture in the future, the people have to be able to complain to Old Bao to count. Most of the time, the people can't see the officials, and they have already been sent away by the petty officials...

Wang Yan's house is not big, that is relative to a big house, in fact, it is about two entrances. His family has few people, and it is even more than enough to live in.

Just entering the backyard, I saw Hualan and Shulan, both with their bellies, sitting on chairs and directing the servants and maids in the house to be busy. They both came over to tidy up after breakfast at the Sheng residence in the morning. After living together for a few years, they have really saved a lot of family belongings. Many things were even transported back in advance.

"After the fatigue of the journey, I can finally rest. You two should pay attention, especially Hualan, you will be giving birth in two months, so you must not move the fetal gas. Shulan is still a few months away, but you can't take it lightly either. You both know the key. The medical clinic has opened, and the midwife transferred from Yangzhou is also ready. As long as you pay attention in ordinary times, there is no major problem.

Furthermore, you two should be careful when going out of the mansion, and bring more guards. I have offended too many people, and I am afraid that others will not be able to do anything to me, but will come to find trouble with you. You must not fail to guard against it."

Hualan said: "Since I am pregnant, I should raise the fetus well in the mansion. My sister and I are not going anywhere. As for my mother, let her come to the mansion."

"Yes, Eldest Lady is right. Be careful and sail for ten thousand years. We won't go out, so there will be no trouble."

"Can you hide in the mansion for the rest of your life?" Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, "The people in the house are very reliable, don't be afraid."

"Then we'll talk after production. During this period, we won't respond to any gatherings, most of them have bad intentions." Hualan said firmly.

Wang Yan massaged her shoulders and smiled: "After I straighten out my position in the capital, the danger you face will be much smaller."

He is the Left Military Inspector of Kaifeng Prefecture, basically equivalent to the later capital police chief, arresting people according to the law, arresting people according to the instructions of the leaders above, and when there are no two items, he can find the law to arrest people. This is too right...

With Zhao Zhen's oral instruction, the Ministry of Personnel came to handle the procedures for Wang Yan that afternoon. By the next day, Wang Yan took a carriage, first sent Little Dongliang to the Prince's mansion, watched Zhao Zongshi's exercise for a while, and encouraged Zhao Zongshi's wife, the relatively famous Gao Taotao, and Zhao Yunrang to exercise together. After watching Little Dongliang teach them and seeing that there was no major problem, he left the Prince's mansion and went to the Kaifeng Prefecture government office to take office.

The first thing to do when becoming an official has always been to visit the superior.

And his rank as Left Military Inspector belongs to the high-not-low-not-low category in the bureaucratic system of Kaifeng Prefecture. His rank is the same as the leader of the Cao Division. The superior has the greatest power to know Kaifeng Prefecture, the second-level mentions Kaifeng Prefecture boundary counties and towns, the third-level left and right two halls of two pairs of judges, push officials, and the Kaifeng Prefecture Silu military counselor who is in charge of Cao Division affairs. They are all leaders.

As for the county officials of the two counties under Kaifeng Prefecture and the fifteen counties under its jurisdiction, they don't have much relationship with him. Although various county magistrates have greater power than him, it seems that after a thousand years, he belongs to the department head of a certain department of the ministry, and when he goes to the municipal unit below, it is called guiding work, and the number one person in the local department also has to serve carefully, which is about the same truth.

Of course, this is also a popular position, and others can't get it even if they fight for their dog brains. After all, it is a position with real power in Kaifeng Prefecture, with hundreds of people under his command. If you count the helpers, it is thousands of people. At the same time, he can also mobilize the yamen runners and catchers of seventeen counties, and directly manage a prison, and the power is also very great.

The current power to know Kaifeng Prefecture is Lu Gongchuo. This name is not well known, but if you say his father is Lu Yijian, then many people know it. Because Lu Gongchuo killed Pang Ji's subordinate official, he was attacked by others, so he asked to be sent out, and died of illness the following year.

Lu Gongchuo is fifty-three years old, not very young, and his body is chubby and very rich, but Wang Yan knew at a glance that it was unhealthy.

After visiting the officials and seeing the ceremony, Lu Gongchuo smiled: "I heard that Ziyan is proficient in medicine, and the Emperor and the Prince of Runan both let you look at their bodies. I have felt heavy and uncomfortable recently, and I haven't seen any improvement after drinking a few medicines. Why don't Ziyan take a look for me?"

"Offended."

Wang Yan arched his hands, went straight through the process, took his pulse, opened a prescription, and gave medical advice, and by the way, excused himself, and his business was so proficient that it made people feel distressed.

"It's really good handwriting." Lu Gongchuo shook the paper full of words, praised it, and then tucked it into his sleeve without changing his face, without a word of thanks, as if praising the handwriting was thanks.

He turned and said: "Ziyan did a great thing in Hangzhou, and the world knows it. Now that you are in charge of the Left Military Inspection Institute, I wonder what plans you have?"

"Back to Lu Gong, this official is not very familiar with the capital. Up to now, it has only been half a year in the capital during the imperial examination. So there is no plan, and I have to understand it in detail."

"What you said is reasonable, so it's good. Ziyan, go ahead, you can come to me if you have anything."

"Thank you, Lu Gong." Wang Yan arched his hands, left with the petty official who handled the affairs, and went to the office space of the Left Military Inspection Institute.

It is not far away. After all, they all adhere to the principle of centralization and convenience, and the functional departments are all together. Talking and laughing with the petty official, asking about the situation, and walking for a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the Inspection Institute yamen.

Because of the large number of people, the yamen is very large. Before entering, I heard the buzzing inside. Looking inside, I saw a large group of men with different shapes, standing or squatting in different forms, which was really lively, like a vegetable market.

When they saw Wang Yan, who was wearing a green official robe, a long-winged hat on his head, stepping on official boots, with a white face and no beard, and smiling with his hands behind his back, they all closed their mouths with eyes.

"Where is Judge Zhang?" The petty official greeted loudly.

"Coming, coming." As the words fell, a person rushed out of the official office, smiled friendly at the petty official, and stood in front of Wang Yan to salute, "This official Zhang Zhiqin, pays respects to Inspector Wang."

He is the judge of the inspection institute here, Wang Yan's deputy, assisting in handling daily affairs.

"No need for formalities, Judge Zhang, I will need your help a lot in the future."

"Inspector Wang is polite. Who in the world doesn't know that the Inspector has great ambitions and uses extraordinary means. Now that you are in charge of the Inspection Institute, you will definitely make our Kaifeng Prefecture clear and make the thieves dare not show their heads."

"Judge Zhang doesn't seem to be afraid of this official..." Wang Yan smiled.

"The Inspector is joking. This official is dedicated to the public and has never committed any crimes or corruption. Since I have a clear conscience, why should I be afraid?"

Seeing that the situation was not right, the petty official inserted a sentence and hurriedly turned and left. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, Wang Yan is really awesome, he is looking for trouble as soon as he comes...

Glancing at the petty official who walked away, and looking at the group of catchers watching the fun around, Wang Yan smiled at Zhang Zhiqin: "I don't know what Judge Zhang relies on? Whose momentum do you rely on?"

Zhang Zhiqin couldn't help frowning: "This official asks himself that he has never offended the Inspector, but I don't know why the Inspector is so aggressive as soon as we meet?"

"Because your ability is mediocre, Judge Zhang. If you don't have reliance, you can't reach this position. Let me know who you rely on first, so as to avoid misunderstandings in the future, that would be bad."

Zhang Zhiqin was so angry that he laughed, and didn't talk about face, and questioned loudly: "Why does the Inspector conclude that this official is incompetent? If you can't say the reason today, this official will go to Lu Gong to complain, and even if it makes a scene in the court, I will give this official an explanation."

Wang Yan pointed to the group of scattered people watching the fun, and his voice was still very flat: "No discipline, no system. According to what this official knows, the position of inspector has been vacant for three months, and you have been in charge of everything here. So loose, this official really can't see Judge Zhang's ability.

Since you know how this official acts in Hangzhou, you should know how this official checks accounts. You are not a person who keeps his duty. In three months, the accounts must have discrepancies, and you can't get rid of the relationship. Now I give you two paths, take the money back, honestly listen to me, and this official will treat it as if nothing happened. After this official checks the accounts, it won't be so simple."

"My uncle is Prime Minister Zhang, you dare!"

"Zhang Yaozuo?"

"Bold! You dare to call his name directly?"

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile. This Zhang Yaozuo was a prime minister, a proper big corrupt official, a family member of Concubine Zhang, and one of the protagonists of the anecdote about Feng Jing, the good friend of the past, was this Zhang Yaozuo. When Old Bao was a remonstrance official before, he sprayed Zhang Yaozuo fiercely, and the firepower was fully opened, spraying Zhang Yaozuo until now he hasn't returned to the capital.

However, a dead camel is bigger than a horse, and Zhang Yaozuo's strength is still there. But Wang Yan is not afraid. Everyone can talk directly to the Emperor, and he can make more money and have more important roles. After all, he made so much money in Hangzhou, how could he not expect him to be able to make money when he governs the world? Not to mention that he is reasonable.

"I give you one last chance. Before this official checks the account books, everything is easy to say." He patted Zhang Zhiqin on the shoulder and pushed him aside.

Wang Yan can certainly accept corruption, as long as it is not excessive, as long as things are done clearly, then it can be cleaned up later. But this Zhang Zhiqin is different, this kid doesn't respect him.

When he came just now, although the catchers had no discipline, they had rules and respected his official prestige. Zhang Zhiqin was staying in the official office drinking tea, which was of course wrong. Since he knew he was coming to take office today, and unlike the local area where he couldn't grasp it, this Zhang Zhiqin was obviously intentional, and obviously had the intention of taking the lead to find trouble for him.

As the saying goes, a new official takes office with three fires, and it is meaningless to make things difficult for the people who do things below. Simply, Wang Yan also took the opportunity to attack, first handling this Zhang Zhiqin, why worry that the people in the yamen can't be used like an arm.

The conversation between the two was not quiet, and they were all heard by the catchers. So when Wang Yan pushed Zhang Zhiqin away and turned to look at them again, they had already stood in line with fear and trembling, and no one dared to look into Wang Yan's eyes.

Those with backstage are like that, they are not arbitrarily manipulated...

Wang Yan nodded with satisfaction and said: "It seems that there is no lack of discipline, very good. Are all the people in the Left Inspection Institute here?"

"Back to the Inspector, everyone is waiting for the Inspector to take office and give instructions, and there are no people on sick leave."

"Very good."

Wang Yan returned a satisfied look to the person who answered, and then said loudly, "This official has never valued form, just one point, listen to orders. Just now, what I said to Judge Zhang, you all heard clearly. This official is not an unreasonable person, knowing that it is not easy for you to live in the capital, and there are old and young wives and children in the family to take care of, all of whom are the pillars of the family.

However, corruption and bribery are ultimately illegal. A small amount can be used to subsidize the family, but a large amount must be asked clearly. This official also gives you a chance to change. Whoever feels that they have taken too much, raise money and send it back within seven days, then it will be forgiven. If you wait for this official to check the accounts, then it will not be good.

Or if you have made up your mind to burn the account room, this official will give you a bottom line. If the account room is really burned clean, then those above the squad leader will all have their homes confiscated, and the men will be exiled to the northwest, and the women will be matched by the government. I think those who have no one to lead them will not be able to corrupt much, so this official will kill by mistake, not let go.

You may think that this official is mean to his subordinates. This official will tell you about the Hangzhou matter, how the people under me are treated, so you can settle your minds and do things steadily..."

The so-called hitting with a stick and giving a sweet date, Wang Yan never treats his subordinates badly, and never disappoints those who follow him... ===== CHAPTER 1058 =====