Chapter 1512: In the Emperor's Heart

"This thing is cement?"

Jiajing looked suspiciously at the pile of cement dry powder in front of him.

"Reporting to the Master, the Ten Thousand Years Emperor, it is indeed cement. This is the wall built with cement and red bricks last night."

In the open space of the West Garden, the eunuch pointed to the wall on the side and replied to Jiajing.

Jiajing hummed, then leaned closer to look at the cement and the wall built with cement and red bricks, and even touched it with his hands.

Finally, he found the soldiers guarding the palace to inspect the wall built with red bricks. Kicking, wooden stakes, and all kinds of things were used, and finally, the wall that the craftsmen had worked hard for half the night to build was destroyed.

"Not bad."

Jiajing stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the broken bricks on the ground, "Wang Yan said to let the royal family monopolize it?"

"Exactly." Lü Fang, standing on the side, responded, "Master, Wang Yan also said that as long as the people up and down embezzle less silver, the people can use cheap cement, and the royal merchants can also earn a lot of money for you, Master, to build palaces."

"In his eyes, I only know how to build palaces?" Jiajing snorted with dissatisfaction, sounding somewhat arrogant no matter how you listened to it.

Lü Fang smiled: "Master, Wang Yan is just a tiny ninth-rank registrar, so how could he know the hardships of you, Master, the Ten Thousand Years Emperor, on a daily basis?"

"I understand. You are asking for an official position for him."

"Master must have already had arrangements, so why would this servant need to talk too much?" Lü Fang appeared hesitant, "It's just that there is one thing, this servant doesn't know whether to say it or not."

"You've already said it, what else is there that shouldn't be said?" Jiajing glanced at him.

Lü Fang immediately laughed: "Wang Yan asked Zhu Qi to send a painting of Laozi going out of Hangu Pass, which he wrote himself. On the painting, there is also the *Dao De Jing* he wrote himself. He said he wanted to offer it on your birthday, Master, but he was afraid there would be no channel to send it out then, so he gave it to Zhu Qi in advance."

"Talkative!"

Jiajing said in his slow, unhurried tone, "Since it is a birthday gift, wait until the birthday to take it out. You've said it now, so what should I do? Should I look at it or not?"

"Then let's look at it. Master, this servant will bring the painting over in a moment."

Lü Fang had served Jiajing for decades, and the two could make some small jokes. He knew Jiajing's pulse too clearly.

"You..."

Jiajing smiled and then said, "It is truly destiny. I remember Wang Yan once said that the best way for 'Replacing Rice with Mulberry' is for the imperial court to lend grain to the people and let the people switch to planting mulberry seedlings. Now this Shen Yishi is lawless and lent the grain to the people. It really is as Wang Yan wished."

"Wang Yan got his wish, but Cabinet Minister Yan and the Junior Cabinet Minister are not too happy."

"I am not happy either! How to make up for the imperial court's deficit? Recently, Hu Zongxian reported again that the Japanese pirates are about to make a move and requested military supplies. This is another large sum of silver..."

After complaining briefly, Jiajing didn't say much more and went back to Wang Yan, "Didn't Wang Yan say he wanted to build new houses for the people of Chun'an? Let him continue to do it. Having said such big words and researched things like red bricks and cement, he must finish the work before saying anything else."

"Master, regarding the cement, should we share some of the profits with him?"

"I am not a person who takes by force. Give him half a percent of the profit. You must keep an eye on it and don't let the people below swallow his money, or he might scold me, Master."

"That won't happen. Wang Yan is loyal to the lord and country and has never spoken ill of you, Master."

"He only speaks ill of the people below. Whose slaves are the people below?" Jiajing glanced at Lü Fang, "The people below are becoming more and more lawless. You, the old ancestor, should manage them well."

"This servant..." As he spoke, Lü Fang was about to kneel down to plead guilty.

Jiajing waved his hand: "I am not blaming you. I am not all-knowing, so are you all-knowing?"

"Master is wise."

"Forget it, go arrange for people to do this cement business. Whoever buys it must spend money, even the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, and the Directorate of Imperial Manufactories are the same. Wang Yan said it can let me build palaces, so use this silver to build palaces. When the time comes, my good officials won't be able to say I am extravagant anymore."

"I didn't expect that the officials in the court are not as considerate of you, Master, as Wang Yan, a tiny ninth-rank registrar."

"They all use the name of being good for me to fish for silver for themselves. It is just Wang Yan, this tiny registrar, who thinks of me when there is a business that makes silver. You must take good care of him and don't let him be bullied below. He is the only considerate one. Don't let such a loyal official become alienated from me, or I will really become a muddled monarch."

"Yes, Master, this servant will definitely take good care of him."

"Go, let someone bring that painting. I want to take a good look at it. I really don't know how he, at such a young age, practiced such a vigorous and atmospheric brushwork. Is it really heaven-sent?"

Jiajing muttered and went back to the palace to rest. Lü Fang gave a few instructions to the eunuchs beside him and then hurriedly followed Jiajing's footsteps to serve him...

After Shen Yishi lent the grain for buying fields to the people of the two counties, Zhejiang was rarely quiet, because everyone didn't know what to do and were waiting for news from the capital. It was the calm before the storm.

However, now, no matter what kind of storm it was, it had nothing to do with Chun'an. After all, the grain had already been lent to the people, and all the rice fields had been switched to planting mulberry seedlings. Every household was raising silkworms and reeling silk. This was just the beginning, and there was no output at all, so it was naturally very quiet here.

In order to raise silkworms well, Wang Yan found professional households who had raised silkworms in the county before, gathered their experience, and mobilized the scholars in the county to go to the villages to teach the people relevant knowledge.

Scholars were naturally unwilling, but they couldn't stand Hai Rui's suppression. Yes, Hai Rui.

Now what Wang Yan mainly did was the work of a strategist who gave ideas. As long as his proposal could convince Hai Rui and was good for the local people, Hai Rui would roar and rush up to do it fiercely.

Hai Rui was like this; he was reasonable, very reasonable. He also recognized reason, recognizing dead reason.

Letting the people better raise silkworms, and the scholars who enjoyed privileges were actually unwilling to teach knowledge to the people? Could that work?

Of course, the more important reason was that Wang Yan had already suppressed the opposition forces in the county. The wealthy families were living difficult lives. Some small scholars, what kind of waves could they make...

"Aunt, sister-in-law, niece."

Wang Yan swaggered into Hai Rui's residence, ignoring the rule of not entering other people's backyards, because he thought he and Hai Rui were family friends.

"I have met Uncle." Hai Rui's daughter greeted Wang Yan sweetly.

Wang Yan laughed, rubbing the little girl's head, and took out a few pieces of square sugar from the bag in his sleeve: "Eat sugar after eating, don't eat it all at once."

"Thank you, Uncle."

"Come on, serve the food." Wang Yan waved his hand, and the minor official behind him diligently brought in dishes one by one.

"Wang Yan!" Hai Mother was unhappy, "Don't make things difficult for us. We are a poor family..."

"Aunt, the money for this meal today is not what I asked from the wealthy families. To tell you the truth, recently the Lord started to clean up the wealthy families, so how could I be embarrassed to ask for money from them?"

"Then this money is..." Hai Mother spoke again.

Hai Rui's wife was pulling the child on the side; she had no say in the family.

Wang Yan laughed: "Didn't the Lord tell you? The Emperor is doing business with me and gave me half a percent of the shares?"

"But it can't be that fast to share money with you."

"I drew it from the yamen. Anyway, it will be returned sooner or later. It doesn't matter if I owe it first. Alright, let's eat quickly."

Wang Yan sat down carelessly, letting Hai Rui's daughter pour wine, and sighed: "People who are clean officials have businesses in the family and earn silver. As for officials, they slightly make things convenient for the family business, ask for favors, and the family spends money to support the official. Although they are clean streams in name, they drink wine and eat meat every day."

"It's not that I'm saying, Aunt, sister-in-law, this official is so poor that his family members are sallow and thin. I've only seen the Lord like this. The Lord is a true clean official, really not taking a single copper coin more."

"Only by doing this can a person stand firm!"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear you scolding me. Anyway, this meal is clean. It's fine to say it's a reward from the Emperor, the Ten Thousand Years Emperor."

Hai Mother shook her head: "Old woman didn't scold you. My son said that you are also a rare good official, a good official who does things for the people. Otherwise, in this yamen, and with so many people in Chun'an, why are they so respectful to you?"

"Mother is right. Registrar Wang has done a good job. If it weren't for him, my son wouldn't be so smooth here." Hai Rui walked in with a smile, giving face and speaking well of Wang Yan.

"I didn't expect the Lord to return tonight." Wang Yan greeted, but didn't stand up, still sitting there eating and drinking, "Today's wine and food, will the Lord eat or not?"

"Didn't you say this wine and food is a reward from the Emperor, the Ten Thousand Years Emperor? Then what is there that Hai Rui cannot eat?" Hai Rui turned to ask, "Your business with the Emperor has just started, right?"

"I drew it from the yamen's account, and I will make it up when the Emperor gives the silver later." Wang Yan shook his head and sighed, "It's all because you are too anxious, Lord. Otherwise, why would I need to draw silver from the county yamen?"

Hai Rui snorted: "Now the situation in Chun'an is stable, and the people are planting mulberry and raising silkworms. It is the right time to clean up the wealthy families. In the past, they treated the people like fish and meat and exploited them. Today, let them spit it all out! Distribute the fields to the people, and it can solve the livelihood for many people."

"I think it's inappropriate."

"What's inappropriate?"

"Distributing fields to the people is inappropriate." Wang Yan poured wine for Hai Rui and said, "Lord, how do you think the wealthy families became prosperous? It's nothing more than being friendly with neighbors, being diligent and thrifty, plus having many family members, daring to fight and take risks, being able to scare others, and the family developed bit by bit."

"After you and I leave, will the new county magistrate be as opposed to the wealthy families as we are? So the fields distributed today will still fall into the hands of the new wealthy families tomorrow, and there will be no difference from before."

"Then what do you say should be done?"

"Our yamen should take all those fields and make them public property of the county yamen. Rent them to the people for cultivation at a rent of one-tenth, and use the money and grain obtained to subsidize the officials of the yamen."

"For example, this food. With more money, the food will naturally be better. The yamen also raises some chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs, which have both eggs and meat, so the officials can eat well. For example, firewood and coal in winter, the yamen subsidizes some, so everyone can spend a warm winter."

Hai Rui frowned: "People in the yamen are all eyeing these fields, and these fields must not be taken away by others. But this rent, one-tenth today, I'm afraid it will be two-tenths tomorrow, and three-tenths the day after tomorrow!"

Wang Yan shook his head: "I am already doing business with the Emperor. Can these people below still turn the sky upside down? This matter must be reported to the Emperor. This opening is not something you and I can open. When the time comes, the Emperor will issue a clear decree, and it will stand on legal grounds."

"From now on, even if I leave, I will definitely be in a higher position. I will send people to visit secretly from time to time. Whoever dares to break my rules will be dealt with. I can't manage that much after I die, but as long as I live for one day, I can manage their affairs for one day. The people here also support me. As long as they support me, even if I am not an official, I can manage their affairs."

Hai Rui pondered for a long time and nodded: "Then I will trouble you to report to the Emperor and see how the Emperor decides."

"Come, Lord, drink, drink. To tell the truth, this is the first time the two of us have had a drink."

"The previous money was not clean."

Wang Yan laughed, took out two pieces of broken silver from his pocket: "Come, come, come, Lord, tell me, which of these two pieces of silver is clean and which is dirty?"

"I won't argue with you. You know right and wrong best yourself." Hai Rui drank a cup of wine and then picked up food for his mother on the table.

"You can't argue with me." Wang Yan said happily, picking up food for Hai Rui's daughter, "Eat more, niece. Eat with me every day from now on. It's all clean money, and your father can't pick out any faults."

"Uncle Wang, how can I..."

Hai Rui's wife rarely said a word, but was glared back by Hai Rui: "Just eat his. I can't earn silver, and I won't earn silver. If he is willing to treat us to a meal, then eat it. His silver is all given by the Emperor, so just treat it as a reward from the Emperor."

"I find that sometimes you are also quite thick-skinned." Wang Yan pointed at Hai Rui with his chopsticks.

"Your cement recipe, it is right to offer it to the Emperor. However, the Emperor even gave you half a percent of the silver, which shows the Emperor's broad mind and even more shows the Emperor's care."

"And also care for you by the way?"

Hai Rui laughed, said nothing more, raised his cup to drink with Wang Yan, and ate the food in large mouthfuls. It was really fragrant...

Wang Yan was not really idle. Besides being a strategist for Hai Rui, he also had many things to do. For example, building houses, he had to go to various places to investigate on the spot. On the other hand, it was buying wood for beams in the whole county, which also had to be coordinated.

Why did Hai Rui want to deal with the wealthy families? Getting silver to buy wood was also one of the reasons.

Besides that, it was Wang Yan burning sand with craftsmen outside the county town.

When he learned the news that the province was moving against Shen Yishi, he finally successfully produced the first piece of glass...

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who tipped, voted for monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and read silently! ===== CHAPTER 1513 =====