Chapter 1527: Preventing Fire is More Important than Preventing Rivers

"Master, it is the Hour of the Rat (11 PM – 1 AM). It is time to rest."

In the Yuxi Palace, Lü Fang urged the Jiajing Emperor.

The Jiajing Emperor sat cross-legged on his Daoist dais, flipping through the memorials submitted by the censors and other officials. A pile of them lay scattered on the floor; those were the ones the Jiajing Emperor had thrown away.

He was truly reading them with great seriousness!

"Hmph! A bunch of rebellious ministers!" The Jiajing Emperor angrily threw aside another memorial impeaching Wang Yan. "When it came to dividing up my silver, they were all more diligent than the next, fearing only that they would be too slow to reach out and get nothing. Now that I want to divide their silver, they all talk about the people living in misery, about contending with the people for profit, and even claim Wang Yan is a disaster to the nation and the people. They are all treacherous ministers and rebellious sons!"

He had, of course, anticipated this situation; otherwise, after hearing Lü Fang recount Wang Yan's plans—which sounded fascinating and would surely make him a sage and brilliant ruler if realized—he would not have immediately announced his seclusion to avoid the trouble.

By now, there was nothing more significant than Wang Yan collecting cleaning fees within the boundaries of Daxing County. Even if there were wars on the frontiers, disasters somewhere, or small-scale peasant uprisings, none were as significant as this matter.

Because wars could not produce a result in the short term, disasters could be dealt with through relief and suppression, and small peasant uprisings could be quelled overnight—even if they grew, they could not withstand a single wave of strikes from government troops.

Collecting cleaning fees was different. This was a solid, practical way to get silver, which was the solution to wars, disasters, and peasant uprisings.

Moreover, according to Wang Yan's theory of money and goods circulation, Daxing's tax revenue would definitely grow exponentially in the future. Furthermore, the people's lives would be prosperous, and public sentiment could be utilized. The beneficiaries were truly numerous; only the powerful and wealthy families would have to pay more silver, which could be called a situation where everyone was happy...

However, it was precisely making the powerful and wealthy families pay silver that was difficult.

The common people were a disorganized mob, fundamentally incapable of amounting to anything; they couldn't even manage a proper rebellion. It had to be these powerful and wealthy families who knew how to stir up trouble, who could ruin things, and who were even more united than the common people. They exploited the people together, resisted the imperial court, and gorged themselves until they were fat, yet they opened their mouths to talk about "working day and night for the nation and the world" and closed them to talk about "eating and sleeping in anxiety for the country and the people," while grandly discussing "governing with love for the people," "being an honest official," and "taking responsibility as a merchant"...

"Master, these people have been like this for more than a day or two. This is their nature; asking for money from them is like asking for their lives." Lü Fang said with a smile, "Now that a Wang Yan has appeared who dares to take silver from their pockets, Wang Yan said one thing well: 'They will give up their lives before their wealth.' Then let them lose both their people and their wealth."

The Jiajing Emperor shook his head: "Tell people to keep their spirits up and watch everything inside and out."

"Master, Your Majesty, rest assured in your immortal cultivation. I guarantee not even a fly will be able to fly in." Lü Fang said with absolute certainty.

"It is only the end of the first lunar month; where would there be any flies?"

The Jiajing Emperor let out a long sigh, "There are not many people left who are truly close to me..."

"Master, this servant has already sent people to keep watch at the Daxing County Yamen."

"People have slips of the hand, and horses have slips of the hoof. If one only acts as a thief and never guards against thieves, how can one keep watch? Isn't Wang Yan's martial arts higher than that of Zhu Qi and the others? I assume they wouldn't dare to plot against him openly. I imagine there will be no problem. Wang Yan is a smart man and sufficiently cautious; otherwise, he would have been poisoned to death in the Northern Internal Security Division long ago."

Lü Fang echoed: "With the protection of Master, Your Majesty, Wang Yan will surely pass this hurdle, collect the cleaning fees, and increase the financial resources for our Great Ming. Master can also be more at ease."

"I heard Yan Song and his son say that our Great Ming's two capitals and thirteen provinces are all resting on their shoulders. What shameless boasting. The only one who can carry the Great Ming's empire is Master, Your Majesty. What do they count as?"

The Jiajing Emperor laughed, then threw away the memorial impeaching Wang Yan in his hand, and under Lü Fang's service, went to the couch to sleep...

At the Daxing County Yamen, flames were soaring to the sky!

People were shouting loudly to save the fire, save the Magistrate, and save the documents. The nearby commoners also ran out to help fight the fire, beating gongs and drums, clanging and banging to summon manpower to help.

"Magistrate! Magistrate!"

Cries rang out one after another.

Wang Yan walked out wearing an undergarment and draped in a robe, strolling along.

"Alright, what are you howling about?" He stepped forward and kicked a minor official in front of him to the side. "Damn it, if it weren't for seeing you only shouting without taking action, I would have thought you were so worried about my safety. Come here, hold him down for me, and throw him into the prison first."

Just as Wang Yan finished speaking, the minor official knelt down and kowtowed: "Magistrate, I am wronged, wronged. It wasn't me who set the fire!"

"Look here, who said you set the fire? I, the Master, saw that you were all talk and no action, so I wanted to teach you a lesson. I didn't expect you to confess without even being asked. If it wasn't you who set the fire, does that mean you know who did? Point them out. Identify the person, and I, the Master, will treat you with leniency. If you stubbornly resist..."

"I know the Thirteen Taibao of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; they are experts at dealing with people. When dawn comes, I will invite them over to apply torture to you. Besides, you have all seen that Eunuch Lü is on good terms with me, and I also know Eunuch Huang of the Eastern Depot. When the time comes, I can beg Eunuch Huang to send two torture experts over as well."

"It just so happens that the chief jailer of our Yamen prison can also learn from the experience of the Factory and Guard, so that interrogating prisoners in the future will be more efficient."

Such plain words, spoken by Wang Yan with a smile, were truly terrifying. It wasn't that Wang Yan was terrifying; it was the Factory and Guard that were terrifying—they could truly scare people to death.

The minor official looked at Wang Yan in a daze, then his gaze fell on a yamen runner standing beside Wang Yan.

Seeing Wang Yan also turn his head to look over, that person suddenly drew the knife at his waist. However, before he could make a move, the knife in his hand was snatched away by Wang Yan. Both his arms and his chin were dislocated, and then he was kicked flying by Wang Yan.

"Song Jun, is it? I remember you. You slapped the Second Young Master Xu twice during the day. I haven't treated you poorly, so why are you so unable to think straight? Grab him for me too."

Wang Yan scanned the area, his gaze stopping on the jailer. This man was over forty, a fat person who clearly hadn't skimmed little silver, gorging himself until he was fat.

"Watch these two well for me. If they die in your prison, no one from you downwards will be able to run. I will invite the Factory and Guard over to investigate your ancestors back eighteen generations. I don't believe I can't find a way for you to die in the Great Ming Law."

"Magistrate, we wouldn't dare participate in such a thing..."

"Even if you didn't participate, you haven't skimmed little. Look at how fat you are, like a wild boar in the mountains. You haven't skimmed little grease from those prisoners on weekdays. I'm telling you, you can't run. Watch the people well for me; we can still ease things up. If you don't watch them well, wait for your death."

Just at this moment, the Registrar Song Liangxin ran over in a panic: "Magistrate! Magistrate!"

He pushed through the crowd and saw Wang Yan, who was wearing an undergarment and draped in a robe, with bare feet in official boots, one trouser leg inside the boot and one outside, his hair disheveled, but standing there with his hands behind his back, possessing quite a bit of a towering and immovable aura.

"Magistrate, our county yamen's accounting room, the main hall, and the warehouse where past documents are kept are all burning!"

Song Liangxin looked very worried.

Wang Yan waved his hand at the jailer: "Grab him for me too, and take a team of people to raid his house."

"Magistrate! Magistrate! I am wronged! What did I do? You are disregarding the law and acting lawlessly; I will report and expose you to the imperial court." Song Liangxin started making a scene.

"Slap his mouth!" Wang Yan said impatiently. "I was checking the accounts because I didn't want to blow the problem out of proportion, not because I couldn't find your problems. Anyone with a brain can understand that the fire in the county yamen tonight is aimed at me, aimed at the cleaning fees. You all turned your elbows outward and teamed up to pit me; do you think I'll let you have it easy?"

"The county yamen has burned down like this; how much silver will it cost to rebuild? How much time will it take? Damn it, if you don't want me to have it easy, then no one will have it easy! Go, search hard for me; whoever finds evidence of the crime, I will give them silver and promote them! Reporting and exposing also counts! Otherwise, if you are found to be accomplices, you know the outcome yourselves."

Looking at Song Liangxin, who had already been beaten until his nose was bruised and his face swollen, someone truly stepped out to expose him...

Wanting to embezzle money all by oneself is truly too difficult. Even if Song Liangxin was the Registrar, he was still one of the top four figures in Daxing County. It was impossible for him to do things personally; he always needed people to run errands and handle matters.

Wang Yan, this newly arrived Magistrate, was already crazy, and his connections reached the heavens. There definitely wouldn't be any major problems. If they didn't cooperate, they would definitely end up miserably; Wang Yan would definitely torture them to death.

This was the realization a normal person should have.

When all is said and done, everyone embezzles and is corrupt because they want to live a good life and be superior to others, not because they want to suffer. They can certainly distinguish which is lighter and which is heavier.

Thus, Song Liangxin, who still harbored luck and thought Wang Yan couldn't do anything to him, was directly grabbed into the prison. Ma Defu, the County Assistant, personally interrogated him and recorded the testimony of his confession...

Wang Yan looked at Yan Minghui, who had rushed over and was still panting: "County Assistant Yan, do you have anything to say?"

"This subordinate does not understand what the Magistrate is talking about."

Wang Yan let out a sneer, then found someone to get clothes, went to a sheltered place, set up his small red clay stove, and drank canned tea...

The commotion of the fire here was not small, and he had already sent people to report it. Coupled with the nearby commoners coming out to help, and the fire brigade responsible for firefighting who arrived later, by the time dawn approached, this big fire was finally extinguished.

Wang Da and his son also finished their shopping and cooked a lot of porridge, not forgetting to use the remaining sheep bones from yesterday to cook sheep bone soup noodles for Wang Yan.

It must be said that this fire was also powerful; it only burned those few places, while other places were not affected much...

What was even more powerful was that even though the sky was already bright, and even though the Daxing County Yamen was very lively, with the smell of burning wood floating in the air and black ash everywhere, it seemed like a piece of dead silence.

Because there was no one, no yamen, with further instructions; no one came to investigate, no one came to hold anyone accountable, nothing at all. If it weren't for half of the Daxing Yamen being burned away, it would have seemed like an ordinary day.

Only one silly boy ran over in a panic.

"Third Master, are you alright?" Qi Dazhu rode his horse, and before the horse stopped, he jumped down and slid in front of Wang Yan.

"If I were in trouble, would I still be able to sit here? It's just a bit disheveled, nothing big. You're finally not too stupid, knowing to come over wearing plain clothes."

"It was Seventh Master who stopped me, insisting I change my clothes before letting me come over."

"Then you must thank Seventh Master; treat Seventh Master to wine and meat later. Otherwise, if you had come over wearing the robes of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, others would have thought it was the Emperor's order, and that would have been a big deal. You haven't eaten, have you? Old Wang, cook another big bowl of noodles for this brother of mine."

Wang Da, who was busy not far away, responded and hurriedly rolled out noodles.

"Third Master, why don't you just stop doing it..." Qi Dazhu hesitated and advised, "This is aimed at taking your life."

"Dazhu, if I don't do it, can your family have such a big red brick and tile house? Can your family earn more from reeling silk? Can the roads in Chun'an County be good? Can the powerful families in Chun'an be honest? Can I get silver?"

Wang Yan said with a laugh, "I don't want to get silver from the poor, so I have to go through this. I will fight them and see who fights whom to death! If I don't fight them to death, it will be too much effort to make them willingly take out money. Alright, I have great fortune and a great life; I won't die until I get enough silver. After eating the noodles, you go back."

Qi Dazhu, who had a big appetite, silently finished a big bowl of noodles, wiped his tears, and left.

Because he was powerless; he wanted to help the Third Master, but he couldn't do anything. Even his coming over to check on the Third Master's safety was a mistake!

Wang Yan ate his fill, changed into the clothes the minor official had found for him to make do, and only then began to deal with the problems.

All parties were watching. The Jiajing Emperor's attitude was already very clear: he wanted to see if Wang Mou was tough enough, useful enough, and if he was truly as good as he sounded.

As for the Grand Secretariat and relevant yamen, they had no way to speak at this time, nor could they deal with Wang Yan.

Because Wang Yan was doing things within the rules, and he had the Jiajing Emperor protecting him. Wanting to deal with Wang Yan without following the rules was seeking death. Within the rules, they couldn't deal with him.

Collecting cleaning fees from merchants in the jurisdiction was the legitimate power of Wang Yan, the Magistrate. It was nothing more than the cleaning fees being a bit high; they could only make an issue of this point, and attacking Wang Yan for being unceremonious and rude was painless and itchy.

Therefore, the problem Wang Yan had to address was not at all how the fire was set, who instigated it, who participated, or what the inside story was. It was to collect the cleaning fees!

He issued a public notice and had people in the yamen notify every household, saying that the cleaning fees would be collected today. So now, what was being watched was whether he still dared to collect them and whether he could collect them.

However, Wang Yan definitely had to make a move regarding the fire. After all, he had already grabbed Song Liangxin and raided his house; he definitely had to take advantage of the situation to clean up the inside of the yamen.

So Wang Yan went to see Song Liangxin, who had been beaten miserably. After communicating a little, Song Liangxin, who was holding out, revealed that County Assistant Yan Minghui was also involved.

Afterwards, Yan Minghui was grabbed and thrown into prison, crying injustice. At that time, another older County Assistant, Ma Defu, was sweating profusely.

Wang Yan asked him with a smile what was wrong, and he said it was because the fire was too fierce and it was hot...

"There is an ancient saying: 'Preventing the people's mouths is more important than preventing rivers.' What does it mean? It means that not letting the people speak and not letting the people criticize is even more serious than blocking river channels and causing floods. This official has only been in office for three days, and a big fire has occurred in the Daxing County Yamen, causing losses. In this official's view, in our Great Ming capital, under the feet of the Son of Heaven, preventing fire is also more important than preventing rivers."

Looking at the dozens of soot-faced fire brigade soldiers, the yamen staff, and the onlookers, Wang Yan spoke loudly.

"Our capital is prosperous, the population is dense, and the houses are arranged closely. If a fire breaks out in one place and is not extinguished in time, the fire will grow, burning down houses and burning people to death, causing heavy losses. Fortunately, with the Emperor's protection, although the big fire last night burned half of the yamen and burned away the case files and account books, it did not cause any innocent casualties.

Thinking that if the fire could not be controlled, it would lead to a big disaster, my heart feels painful. Look at these fire brigade warriors who specialize in firefighting; they are not easy. Last night, they ran over at the first moment and have been busy until now, only drinking a mouthful of porridge and eating some cakes; they are all good."

"This fire has taught me a lesson. We must strictly grasp and investigate, nip the risk of fire in the cradle, and prevent it before it burns. So, the first point is in the use of people. What kind of people to use? Fire brigade warriors!"

"You all receive thin wages, carry heavy responsibilities, and still have to be responsible if problems arise. There is no such reason! I announce that starting today, the fire brigade personnel will be expanded to two hundred, and the salary will be doubled. The lowest monthly salary will be five hundred wen, which is half a tael of silver. If you become an official, there will be even more silver. Fire brigade warriors, are you willing?"

"Willing! Willing! Willing!"

The fire brigade soldiers were almost howling. Expansion meant people would be promoted, and salaries would be doubled—at least half a tael of silver—so everyone's life would suddenly get better.

Wang Yan pressed his hands down: "This official deeply feels the heavy responsibility and cannot delay for a moment. All fire brigade warriors, work hard. Today, follow this official to inspect thoroughly; we must walk through every corner of our Dongcheng to eliminate fire risks."

"Yesterday's household department people, as well as yamen runners and helpers, follow along. Everyone else, listen to County Assistant Ma's orders, prepare food and drink for us, clean up the ruins of the yamen, and investigate all the villains who deliberately set fire to our Daxing Yamen. Do you all understand?"

"Understand!"

"Good, set off with me."

Wang Yan personally led a team of nearly a hundred people, leaving the yamen in a grand manner, heading straight for the most prosperous market in the Dongcheng...

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who tipped, voted for monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and silently read the book for their strong support! ===== CHAPTER 1528 =====