Wang Yan had not lied; he truly did not care where he was sent.
He knew himself well. There were only two possible destinations for him: either he would be posted to the frontier, or he would remain in Jingcheng. They would not send him elsewhere to cause trouble.
Everywhere had its own sphere of influence, everywhere had people in charge, and Wang Yan would be unwelcome wherever he went. Especially in the provinces: Wang Yan had many methods, could fight himself, was hard to kill, and was outrageously bold. The time it took for information to travel to and from the central government was enough for Wang Yan to accomplish many things. For all anyone knew, Wang Yan could have turned a province into a river of blood and even had court ministers' entire clans exterminated before the central government received word.
By the time the central government discussed and decided on a response, then sent word back to Wang Yan's territory, everything would already be over...
Any sensible person would not want Wang Yan sent back to govern their home region. Wang Yan was already a sixth-rank official. If he were assigned to the provinces, his rank would certainly have to be raised; even if it were not, his authority and responsibilities would have to increase. Given Wang Yan's habit of gathering power into his own hands, he would still be the boss once he got there. The officials above him would be cursed with eight lifetimes of bad luck—he would probably hollow out their authority within days.
Everyone knew well enough whether their own hands were clean. They also all knew how many of them could withstand an investigation.
Wang Yan's famous saying—"Make money from the rich"—had already spread. No matter where he went, it would spell