Chapter 1542: Taking Office

"Prefectural Administrator of Shuntian Prefecture?"

Hai Rui watched Wang Yan eating and drinking heartily, shook his head, and sighed, "A proper fifth-rank official; your promotion has been truly rapid."

"It is due to His Majesty's trust and willingness to heavily employ me," Wang Yan said. "At any time, in any place, at every moment, one must never forget His Majesty's great grace and virtue."

"Ah, Xu Ziyan speaks correctly; otherwise, how could his official rank have risen so quickly?" Wang Yongji, standing aside, laughed.

"Your understanding is too shallow." Wang Yan shook his head repeatedly. "Do not imagine His Majesty as someone who only likes flattery and sweet words. While it is human nature to enjoy hearing pleasant remarks, even Hai Gangfeng could not withstand three compliments without feeling pleased."

"His Majesty, noble Emperor of Great Ming, the Supreme Sovereign of the Nine-Five; speaking some pleasant, agreeable words to make His Majesty happy is merely the duty of us, his subjects."

"Yet beyond mere words, ultimately, one must still accomplish real deeds. Do you suppose His Majesty is incompetent? Little do you know that those who write the Green Edicts handle affairs with increasing reliability."

Hai Rui said, "I believe His Majesty is simply pushing you to become enemies with those powerful nobles and wealthy families."

"Is this not exactly what you wish to see?" Wang Yan asked with a smile.

Wang Yongji nodded and said, "Xu Ziyan is wholeheartedly devoted to the people; by targeting the powerful nobles and wealthy families, he has also brought benefits to the common folk, allowing them to live good lives."

Hai Rui, however, shook his head. "Regardless of whom it is for, having reached this point, your life hangs in the balance."

"What kind of ominous words are these? I have suffered so many assassination attempts, even involving armored soldiers, crossbows, and firearms, yet am I not still perfectly fine? As I said before, I rose to power precisely by opposing the powerful nobles and wealthy families; if I were to collude with them and share their corrupt ways, then I would truly have no good days left."

"Furthermore, regarding matters in Shuntian Prefecture, I already collected cleanliness fees and imposed fines for fire hazards once in Daxing; it is merely a matter of repeating the process. I do not believe these powerful nobles and wealthy families are so unreasonable as to insist on opposing me."

"Were not all the previous problems in Daxing caused by those people in Xicheng? Since the outcome is already determined, further resistance serves no purpose other than giving me an excuse to seize upon their faults and destroy them; they are not foolish enough to do that."

Wang Yan waved his hand and raised his wine cup. "Enough; finally, I have been promoted again. Henceforth, I can gather even more silver. If anything becomes difficult to handle in the future, come to me. Although I have nothing but enemies in the imperial court, I can still accomplish some things."

"The two of us have never reached a point where we needed to beg you," Hai Rui stated decisively.

"Speaking too absolutely is not good."

"Xu Ziyan speaks correctly," Wang Yongji said; he was not a pedantic man. "Worldly affairs are hard to predict."

Wang Yan laughed heartily. "There is no need to predict worldly affairs. You both serve as Secretaries in the Ministry of Revenue; when the year-end accounts are reconciled, you will come seeking me."

"Seek you for what?" Hai Rui had not yet understood.

"For silver, of course. The imperial court runs a deficit every year; this side needs money, that side needs money, yet the sources of revenue are limited. In the past two years, due to Daxing, over one million taels of silver in cleanliness fees have been generated annually; after clearing fields and registering households, tax collection has also been sufficient. Naturally, everyone is eyeing Daxing's silver. Since everyone knows you and I are friends, you will inevitably come to me for silver then."

"Then I simply will not come."

"State affairs are difficult, and the people's livelihood is fraught with hardship... Ruxian, this is for the sake of the imperial court, not your private matter; what is there to hesitate about? Would you neglect state governance merely because you find it awkward to speak? Do you not know how many regions are awaiting silver? Droughts, floods, earthquakes, civil unrest..."

Hearing Wang Yan speak with such a tone of devotion to the country and the people while uttering such coercive words, Wang Yongji sighed, "A gentleman can be deceived by appeals to righteousness."

Hai Rui fell silent, for after hearing Wang Yan's speech, he realized he truly felt ashamed not to seek Wang Yan out. Thus, he could not help but turn his hopeful gaze toward Wang Yan.

"Do not look at me like that; I can tell you directly right now: apart from His Majesty, no one can extract a single extra tael of silver from me. State affairs are difficult, the people's livelihood is hard; which year is not difficult? When is it not hard?"

"I have collected cleanliness fees and gathered taxes in full, and now they covet it? What are those in the Grand Secretariat doing? If they dare not collect nationwide, can they not start by collecting in their own hometowns? Every single one of them is a major local landowner; can the Xu family, which holds absolute sway in Watching Song Jiang Prefecture, not collect cleanliness fees? Can they not manage clearing fields and registering households?"

Wang Yan smiled gently. "When the time comes, simply relay my words to your superiors: whoever sends you to demand money from me, tell them to return to their hometowns to collect cleanliness fees and clear fields and register households. If they are so devoted to the country and the people, why are they unwilling to perform such a trivial task?"

"Of course, do not curse that old thing Xu Jie. That old fellow is extremely sinister and holds grudges fiercely; I do not care, as I have long been irreconcilably opposed to him. Do not invite trouble upon yourself. Enough; let us speak no more of this. Come, drink, drink."

And so, Wang Yan, Hai Rui, and Wang Yongji ate, drank, and dispersed.

Naturally, Hai Rui did not stay at Wang Yan's residence but rented a commoner's house himself, the price of which was quite high.

This was unavoidable; as Jingcheng developed ever better, apart from various commodity prices suppressed by Wang Yan, housing prices soared the most drastically. On one hand, the city's commoners earned more, creating various needs such as marriage and childbirth; on the other, commoners from outside the city entered to work, some needing to rent houses, others to buy homes and establish residency, thus prospering the entire housing market of Jingcheng.

Furthermore, since housing in Jingcheng was itself a limited resource, prices naturally climbed continuously, unstoppable.

To address this, Wang Yan had already begun planning construction outside the city to accommodate the growing population and guide Jingcheng toward even greater prosperity...

Jiajing had informed Wang Yan in advance of the upcoming position arrangements; this was the final result after fully exchanging opinions with others. After briefly speaking a few words to him, the formal procedures commenced.

Thus, three days after Wang Yan met with Jiajing, he received the appointment document from the Ministry of Personnel and the letter of encouragement from the Grand Secretariat.

Simultaneously with the news of his appointment as Administrator, it was announced that Zhao Zhenji, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, would concurrently serve as the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture...

In the main hall of the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen, Wang Yan met Zhao Zhenji for the first time.

"His Majesty appointed me as Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture precisely so that I would not interfere in affairs; do not disappoint His Majesty's high expectations for you," Zhao Zhenji said, dressed in a crimson robe, sitting steadily in the seat of honor.

"Minister speaks too distantly," Wang Yan replied, now wearing a green robe embroidered with white cranes. "Back in Zhejiang, this humble official already served under the Minister; now, having arrived in Jingcheng, I have again become the Minister's subordinate. Truly, this is fate. Henceforth, regarding matters of Shuntian Prefecture, we will undoubtedly still require the Minister's careful attention."

Zhao Zhenji glanced sideways. "Too hypocritical. If I pay careful attention, will you listen?"

"Minister speaks correctly and reasonably; this humble official shall naturally obey."

"Spare me; I will not interfere in your affairs, lest I ruin His Majesty's arrangements."

Zhao Zhenji, in this drama, was a man who cherished his own safety, one who avoided action to avoid error. Since Jiajing had explicitly ordered Wang Yan to unify leadership over all arrangements in Shuntian Prefecture, how could he possibly interject?

Let alone him; even Xu Jie, who had opposed Wang Yan's direct four-level leap to the position of Vice Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, would absolutely not offer excessive opinions on the governance of Shuntian Prefecture. If anything were to be said, it would only be when Wang Yan sought to seize greater power that they would continue to suppress him.

For the various achievements of Daxing today had already proven that Wang Yan's logic of governance was effective; applying it now to Shuntian Prefecture would naturally pose no significant problems.

Moreover, this was beneficial to the common people, beneficial to the Great Ming imperial court, and beneficial to His Majesty. As it now appeared, it was even somewhat beneficial to the powerful nobles and wealthy families, after all, since their commercial ventures earned them significantly more than before.

Of course, the wealthy families would only perceive it as unfavorable, after all, they could originally have avoided paying so much money. They wished to pay nothing yet earn more. Even though they deeply understood that only by contributing more money could they earn more, they were still unwilling to pay...

Zhao Zhenji then said, "I hear that you and Hu Ruzhen jointly established a fleet to venture overseas?"

"Minister jokes; Great Ming enforces a maritime ban; how could this humble official and Minister Hu knowingly violate it?"

"These are matters clear to the heart; there is no point in hiding or evading."

Wang Yan laughed heartily. "No matter who asks, this humble official certainly knows nothing."

"A few days ago, you escorted a large quantity of goods to the palace, and on several previous occasions as well, each time escorting many items into the palace; this is known to everyone."

Zhao Zhenji said, "I wish to ask you: what exactly are you planning to do?"

"Is that not obvious? Can Minister not see clearly? Naturally, it is to gather silver," Wang Yan said. "Why should the wealthy families of the Southeast be allowed to earn silver? Who does not wish to earn this silver?"

"Yet I hear that Minister Hu's fleet numbers over a thousand people."

"Simply consider Minister Hu to be a Japanese pirate for now, and that settles it. Minister, do you oppose or approve?"

"This old man neither opposes nor approves."

"Then do not probe to the root, Minister; this is not your character. What? Did that old thing Xu Jie send you to ask?"

Zhao Zhenji stared at Wang Yan, dissatisfied with Wang Yan's address of 'old thing'.

"Grand Secretary Xu is the current Chief Grand Secretary, and Wang Yan..."

"I heard he owns a hundred thousand mu of land in Watching Song Jiang Prefecture." Wang Yan smiled cheerfully. "My Lord Minister, previously Hai Rui wanted to go to Fenyi to serve as the local magistrate for that old dog Yan Song; this humble official, however, wishes to go to Watching Song Jiang Prefecture to see just how the capable ministers and diligent officials praised by the entire court are dedicating themselves to their duties for our Great Ming, and to learn a thing or two."

"Wang Yan, these words of yours are merely impulsive speech. You heard that Grand Secretary Xu has a hundred thousand mu of fertile fields; this old man has also heard that you previously collected cleaning fees and fire hazard fines, embezzling one hundred thousand taels of silver, and in the last two years you greedily pocketed several tens of thousands more. Additionally, you have encroached upon public property, renting out a massive residence for a single tael of silver, while your daily drinking and meat-eating are all charged to the public account..."

Zhao Zhenji snorted. "Item by item, can you talk your way out of this?"

Wang Yan smiled and shook his head: "My Lord Minister, I can even tell you that since I took office in Chun'an until now, I have taken a total of one hundred and seventy-five thousand taels of silver. The rent of one tael for my current residence is indeed outrageous, but in the end, it is not my residence. My silver has all been spent on raising pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese; the meat My Lord Minister eats every day might very well be what I raised."

"Beyond that, I possess no other land or property. I do not own a single residence, nor do I own a single mu of land. The common people working under me are all full and satisfied, able to eat meat every day. Whether I can talk my way out of this, I do not know; I only know that I have not forced the people to lose their homes and fortunes, separate from their wives and children, or become slaves and servants. My Lord Minister, how do you instruct me?"

Zhao Zhenji had nothing to say; having reached his position, he naturally knew how many great families acquired their starting capital, and he also knew that these great families were still continuing to harvest steadily even now.

"Since our views do not align, let us speak no more; you had better look out for yourself."

Zhao Zhenji flicked his sleeves and departed...

Wang Yan smiled cheerfully while drinking tea, then suddenly shouted, "Come!" whereupon a group of officials who had been waiting respectfully outside the central hall hurriedly entered.

"We pay our respects to My Lord Administrator."

Wang Yan toyed with the lid of his covered bowl, scraping away the tea foam; he had only just arrived, and configurations like Wang Da and canned tea were not yet in place. He would need to make some adjustments later to get these people transferred to the prefectural yamen to work.

His gaze swept over the officials below; each one appeared extremely humble, clearly aware of how Wang Mou conducted affairs in Daxing, and knowing how miserable the fate was for those who were uncooperative or disobedient.

"You all know clearly how I operated in Daxing. There are four matters: First, move the prefectural yamen's account books here; this official intends to audit them. Second, organize manpower to expand the number of Yamen Runners, idle helpers, fire watchmen, and others in Qu Wanping County to match the numbers in Daxing; the prefectural yamen does not need idle helpers, but expand the Yamen Runners to match that number."

"Third, issue a public notice immediately: all merchants within Shuntian Prefecture must go to their respective county yamens within three days to pay the cleaning fee, at a rate equal to that of Daxing. After seven days, begin clearing fields and checking households throughout the entire jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture. Fourth, taking advantage of the field clearing and household checks, arrest another wave of those hooligans and ruffians; two years have passed, and some have become presumptuous again. Arrest all those who are not honest, ensuring the common people can live in peace."

"Has everyone understood clearly?"

"Understood!" the crowd responded in a rising and falling chorus.

"This time, there isn't anyone thinking of burning the account books, or even trying to burn this official to death, is there?"

"My lord jokes; how could we possibly do such a thing?" an official replied with a fawning smile, his attitude obsequious.

Wang Yan gave a noncommittal smile: "Send someone to the Daxing County Yamen to transfer Wang Da and the others to serve at the prefectural yamen."

"Please, my lord, give clear instructions."

"Clear instructions? There is nothing for you to do; just sit here in the yamen."

Then Wang Yan stood up, waved his hand, and said, "Everyone, get to work."

The crowd responded and busied themselves, creating an atmosphere that felt quite chaotic and frantic. Everyone was pretending to be very busy, putting on a show for Wang Yan, their new leader.

A person's name is like a tree's shadow; they were all in Jingcheng, and although Wang Yan had previously been in a subordinate yamen under Shuntian Prefecture, he had never once reported his work to the incoming Prefect of Shuntian.

These people naturally all knew of Wang Yan's deeds; they knew how he treated others badly, and they also knew how he treated others well. Before figuring out Wang Yan's preferences, naturally, each one used hard work to demonstrate themselves, hoping to be favored by Wang Yan.

This was Ren De Xiang Fa for most people.

There was another portion of people who belonged to different factions and did not need to watch Wang Yan's expression. If they were unhappy working in Shuntian Prefecture, they could find a way to get transferred away.

Of course, this was only possible if they could leave steadily. Therefore, these people did not offend Wang Yan; they simply did their own share of the work so that Wang Yan could find no fault, yet they did not excessively fawn over this impressive new leader.

Wang Yan observed all of this without making any fuss; accompanied only by a judicial assistant, he strolled leisurely through the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen, observing the environment of the entire office.

It did not look at all like a place about to collect taxes throughout Shuntian Prefecture, clear fields, check households, and possibly face a new round of danger; it was exceedingly peaceful...

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