Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 8: Shifan is furious, Qingming Festival on the River!

"Hold your fucking head!"

The mansion was blocked, and Yan Shifan, who had been persuaded to be patient, almost roared and grabbed the inkstone on the desk and smashed it towards the door.

The doorman was so scared that he quickly hid: "I will go and get someone..."

Then he went to mobilize the guards in the mansion.

Although the gatekeeper dodged quickly and was not hit by Yan Shifan's inkstone, he was still frightened and his heart was pounding. He quickly took his guards and drove away the Jinyiwei and Tiqi who were blocking Yan's mansion according to the instructions of the young minister.

The guards of the Yan residence usually bully the elderly and beat up children, and they can be considered good fighters, but they will suffer when facing a truly powerful character.

Nearly a thousand Jinyiwei cavalrymen who were ordered to seal off Yan Mansion were all strong and sturdy men with stern faces, and all wore black clothes that were longer than the knees.

Looking from behind, everyone's shoulders are particularly broad, and their waists look particularly small because of the belts around them. The hems of their black clothes are short, and the veins on their legs are exposed, making them as hard as iron pillars.

This is the legendary "tiger arms, bee waist, and mantis legs", the famous Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty.

These three rules for selecting members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were set during the reign of Emperor Chengzu Wen.

Anyone who possesses these three qualities, first, is good at walking. A person can walk more than 160 miles a day. Second, is good at jumping. A person can jump over a two-meter-high wall by jumping up, climbing up with both hands, and flipping over. Third, is good at fighting. It is not only about fists, feet, and weapons skills, but also about ruthlessness. At the same time, if you pinch the opponent's throat, you will not die even if your throat is broken. Someone else will definitely die.

The most amazing one is said to be the "horse skill", which is that he can sleep without sitting or lying down for seven days and seven nights, taking turns putting his legs on the ground to sleep. He can also kill a wolf with his bare hands with his head and feet on the ground for seven days.

When the guards of the Yan Mansion ignored the warnings and deliberately squeezed out to try to break the blockade, the Jinyiwei and the imperial guards simply swung their fists and kicks, and in a short while, all of them fell to the ground, wailing.

The doorman, who had taken two punches from the Jinyiwei cavalry with his face, looked like he was running a soy sauce shop. His nose was bleeding and he even had two front teeth missing. He crawled back using his hands and feet as if his parents had died.

Yan Shifan was holding a bowl of Yuanxiao and had just walked to the door of the front hall when he was stunned by the miserable crying of the doorman.

He couldn't understand who gave the Jinyiwei, who had always been weak, the courage to seal off Yan's residence and even beat up the people there.

"Snapped!"

The bowl fell to the ground and broke into pieces. The round dumplings rolled down the steps in the front hall, accompanied by Yan Shifan's roar, "You are deceiving the heavens!"

Just then, the front gate was slammed open.

A small flag officer led a group of Jinyiwei and Tiqi swarmed in, and they immediately dispersed and stood in different places in the yard.

Zhu Qi, wearing a wingless black gauze palace hat and a red brocade dress, walked in and stopped in the courtyard.

Zhu Qi always had a smile on his face when facing people in the cabinet, but today he had a sullen face.

Yan Shifan forced a smile and said first, "It turns out that it's you, Old Seven."

Among the Jinyiwei, the thirteen people with the best kung fu were called the "Thirteen Guardians", and Zhu Qi ranked seventh.

But unlike other Taibao, Zhu Qi's surname Zhu was the national surname appointed by the emperor to reward his loyalty.

Therefore, Zhu Qi's position in the Jinyiwei was very special, and even Yan Shifan could not treat him casually.

Zhu Qi did not respond to his words, and said coldly: "Young Lord, whose sky are you? Who bullied you again?"

There is only one God in our Ming Dynasty, and that is the Emperor.

Anyone who claims to be the God is rebelling against God.

The smile on Yan Shifan's face slowly disappeared. The anger in his heart could no longer be suppressed. He growled, "I will call you Seventh Master again. The Jinyiwei blocked the private residence of the Prime Minister of the Cabinet without any reason. Aren't you trying to rebel? Aren't you trying to deceive God?" When it comes to accusing anyone, Yan Shifan has never been convinced by anyone. In just a few words, he not only pushed the self-proclaimed responsibility back onto the Jinyiwei, but also accused the Jinyiwei of wanting to rebel.

Zhu Qi didn't expect Yan Shifan to be so difficult to deal with. He snorted coldly, "There has been no snow in the winter, and people are in a panic. Rumors are spreading like wildfire, and even the capital is restless. The emperor is afraid that someone will cause trouble, so he ordered the Jinyiwei to guard the Yan Mansion. Young minister, don't let the emperor down."

Yan Shifan had never been so shocked before. He stood there in a daze, staring at Zhu Qi in doubt.

Seal off Yan Mansion under imperial order?

Is the Emperor going to take action against the Yan family?

Yan Shifan couldn't help but recall the rumors in the court.

The Ming Dynasty had gone through ten emperors since Emperor Taizu Gao, but had never suffered such a punishment from heaven! Who was the wrath of heaven?

Last year, the national treasury was so depleted that even the officials in the six ministries in the capital had not received their salaries for several months. One can imagine the suffering of the people.

His old father, the prime minister who had been in charge of the central cabinet for nearly twenty years, and himself and many members of the Yan Party became outlets for the boiling public resentment.

Yan Shifan couldn't help but think about it. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He didn't bother to get entangled with Zhu Qi and rushed to the study in a hurry.

Unlike his hot-tempered son, Yan Song, as the prime minister of the cabinet, always remained calm and composed.

He lay on the recliner in the middle of the study, with his eyes closed, listening to Luo Longwen, the Minister of Public Administration, reading beside him.

One of the Nine Ministers of the Ming Dynasty was doing the work of a book boy in Yan's mansion, sitting under a pole lantern next to Yan Song, like a minion.

Luo Longwen was reading the 44th chapter of Tao Te Ching: "Which is closer to you, your reputation or your body? Which is more valuable, your body or your possessions? Which is more troublesome, gain or loss? Therefore, if you love something too much, you will spend a lot of money on it. If you hoard too much, you will lose a lot. Knowing how to be content will keep you from being humiliated. Knowing when to stop will keep you from being in danger. You can live a long life..."

Having said this, Yan Shifan pushed the door open and Luo Longwen stopped.

Yan Song's eyes were still closed, and he said calmly: "Long Wen, tell me, what do I mean by this?"

Luo Longwen was stunned for a moment, then replied: "Taishang Daojun means that excessive pursuit of fame and wealth may lead to excessive consumption and loss, while knowing when to stop and being content can avoid such dangers and maintain longevity."

"Yan Shifan."

Yan Song suddenly opened his eyes, looked at the roof, and said, "Are you content? Do you know when to stop?"

Yan Shifan was standing there like a ferocious beast, but when he heard his father's question, his momentum suddenly dropped.

"Be content!" Yan Shifan gritted his teeth, "But father, the emperor has ordered the Jinyiwei to seal off the Yan Mansion and is ready to arrest us father and son at any time to quell the resentment of the world. What's the point of talking about stopping now?"

"Your Majesty has his reasons for sealing off Yan's mansion. As long as the unpaid salaries of officials in the two capitals and thirteen provinces and the unpaid salaries of soldiers in the nine borders and nine towns are not resolved, there will be no peace in the Ming Dynasty. Yan Shifan, let me ask you, when are you going to send the deficit of the Ministry of Works and the money earned by certain people from it to the national treasury?" Yan Song said with his eyes wide open and trembling.

He never expected that this rebellious son would even think of defaulting on the money promised by the emperor. In this world, is there anything else that this rebellious son would not dare to do?
Yan Shifan gave Luo Longwen a look, and Luo Longwen immediately understood. He whispered in Yan Song's ear: "Sir, that's more than 20 million taels of silver. Even if you raise it, it will take time. The arrears of salaries for officials and soldiers have not been in a day or two. There is no need to rush."

"Confused!"

Yan Song was unexpectedly furious and shouted, "Yan Shifan, I tell you, no one in the world can afford to delay paying back the money owed to the emperor. If you continue to delay, my life will be in your hands..."

Yan Shifan woke up with a start, took a step back, knelt down, and said in fear: "Dad, I will go and collect the money right away."

Yan Song stood up with the help of the desk, walked slowly to the back of the study, and took out a brocade box: "This Qingming Riverside Scene, you can take it and exchange it for some silver."

(End of this chapter)