Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 114 A Murderous Scheme That Will Make You Applaud

"Master, where are we going?"

As the carriage drove out of the Yan residence, the driver realized he hadn't asked Yan Maoqing where he was going and quickly turned back to ask.

"If you don't know the way to Grand Secretary Xia Yan's residence, just ask someone for directions. You can ask anyone."

Yan Maoqing immediately gave an unexpected answer.

However, what he said was true. Although Xia Yan has now been dismissed from his post and is now living in retirement, he was still a senior official who had served as the Grand Secretary for many years.

Three-legged toads are hard to find, but in the capital, there are people everywhere who know him and where he lives.

"Alright, sir, sit tight."

The coachman responded, thinking to himself that Yan Maoqing was a man of great talent and influence. Although he was only a junior scholar, the people he associated with were all important figures whose coughs could shake the capital. He then drove the carriage onto the street.

Yan Maoqing slowly closed his eyes, secretly refining the outline of his revenge plan in his mind.

Zhang Yusheng is practically a dead man; he's not even worthy of being personally involved in any action.

After all, Bai Lu's title of Fifth Rank Imperial Lady was a secret bestowal by the Emperor, and she clearly did not want outsiders to know about it.

Now that this commotion has happened, the secret reward, even if it hasn't spread widely yet, has been exposed.

Is this slapping Yan Maoqing's butt? This is clearly slapping the Emperor's face!

If the Emperor were to blame someone, he certainly couldn't blame Bai Lu, who was forced to protect herself. He could only blame Zhang Yusheng, the instigator who had started the trouble out of nothing.

All he needed to do was reveal the whole story to Lu Bing to ensure the Emperor knew about it; the rest was none of his concern.

As for that judge named Li Xingguo, he was just a nobody and not worth mentioning.

Moreover, Yan Maoqing had every reason to suspect that neither Zhang Yusheng nor Li Xingguo possessed the ability or courage to raise funds for this matter, and therefore there must be a mastermind behind it.

As for who the mastermind behind this is...

Even without any evidence, Yan Maoqing had every reason to suspect Yan Song and his son, who could have connections with Zhang Yusheng and Li Dingguo.

Neither father nor son are good people, and both are vindictive.

Xia Yan, Shen Lian, Zhou Shangwen, Yang Jisheng... These historical figures, whose lives ended in tragedy, were all created by Yan Song and his son, and the initial cause of their deaths all stemmed from a small act of disrespect or reprimand.

After reflecting on the situation, Yan Maoqing realized that he had met the necessary conditions to be targeted by Yan Song and his son in this way.

A few days ago, the father and son brought generous gifts to his home to congratulate him on moving to his new house. He did not want to get involved in this ambiguous relationship with them, so he chose to avoid seeing them.

This must have been seen as a loss of face by them, giving them a strong motive to seek revenge.

That's enough...

It really was them; that was revenge.

Even if it wasn't them, they were still doing a service to the people.

Anyway, it's a win-win situation!

……

Xia Mansion.

Compared to the Yan family mansion, which is now packed with guests, the Xia family mansion can only be described as deserted.

"Who are you talking about?!"

Upon hearing the servant come in to report, Xia Yan thought he had misheard, and with a furrowed brow, he straightened his back to confirm repeatedly.

"Master, the visitor claims to be a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy, and also claims to be from the same hometown in Jiangxi as you. His name is Yan Maoqing, and he says he has important matters to discuss with you."

The servant bowed and repeated what he had just said.

"What brings this man to see me? What could I possibly have to discuss with him?"

Xia Yan's old face wrinkled even more, resembling a blooming chrysanthemum, and his eyes were full of confusion.

First of all, he and Duke Guo Xun were irreconcilable political enemies. Now that he has been dismissed from his post and is living in seclusion by the emperor, Guo Xun is probably secretly celebrating.

As Guo Xun's adopted son, Yan Maoqing should naturally join him in celebrating; there is no reason for him to suddenly come to visit.

Secondly, he and Yan Maoqing already had some disagreements, and they even had a minor conflict in front of a group of teachers and students of the Hanlin Academy.

Although the matter was eventually resolved amicably, Yan Maoqing broke his promise and did not retire and return to his hometown as promised. He would never forget this until his death.
Again, the phrase "fellow townsmen from Jiangxi" triggered his worst memories.

Back then, Yan Song used these four words to curry favor with him.

Although he did not treat Yan Song as his own son, he did indeed regard him as his protégé, promoting him all the way to the position of Minister of Rites in Nanjing.

However, when Yan Song went to the capital for an audience and inspection, he gained the emperor's favor and was kept in the capital to serve. The situation quickly changed, and the emperor suddenly began to snarl at him and confront him, soon becoming his biggest threat in the court.

So it is.

For him, the phrase "fellow Jiangxi native" was practically synonymous with "ungrateful wretch"...

"If Master does not wish to see him, perhaps I should go out and send him away?"

The servant noticed the displeasure in Xia Yan's eyes and cautiously inquired.

"No need. Take him to the guest hall to wait. I want to see what he's up to this time!"

Xia Yan waved his hand, ultimately deciding not to turn Yan Maoqing away.

Because Yan Maoqing still has things that are detrimental to him, and it is unknown how many more. Although he has now been dismissed from his post and is living in retirement, these things have limited impact on him. However, he is not content to return to his hometown to retire and is still thinking about when he can be reinstated.

Therefore, Yan Maoqing remains a problem, neither too big nor too small. It is necessary to figure out his purpose in order to know oneself and one's enemy...

After a while.

Xia Yan strode into the living room.

Upon seeing this, Yan Maoqing put down his teacup, rose, bowed, and smiled sincerely:
"I have met you, Grand Secretary Xia. I have been longing to retire and return to my hometown, but I have not been able to. I never expected that you, Grand Secretary Xia, would achieve this first. Congratulations!"

"???"

Upon hearing just that first sentence, Xia Yan began to regret letting Yan Maoqing in.

He had met countless people in his life and had seen people who spoke rudely, but he had never seen anyone speak so rudely. It was as if this was rubbing back and forth on his most painful spot at that moment. There was probably no more despicable person in the world than this.

However, his years of cultivated composure and shrewdness wouldn't allow him to completely break down because of such a single sentence. Therefore, he simply didn't return the greeting, but instead coldly snorted:
"Hmph! Even if I am a tiger fallen into the plains, it is not your place to bark so arrogantly. Guards, who poured his tea? Take it away!"

"Yes, yes, please forgive me, Elder Xia, it is my fault for not knowing how to speak."

Yan Maoqing, however, had no airs about his status. Even after being insulted in return, he shamelessly chuckled.

"Lord Xia, let me get straight to the point."

"If it were not for something important, I would never dare to bother you today. The matter I am about to discuss may concern your future reinstatement. To be on the safe side, I would like to ask you to dismiss your attendants. Would that be convenient?"

"What right do you, a mere youth, have to speak presumptuously about my future reinstatement?"

Xia Yan almost laughed in anger upon hearing this. He felt that Yan Maoqing was here to kick someone when they were down, just on behalf of Guo Xun.

"I am indeed not qualified, but if this is the joint intention of Duke Yi and Duke Cheng, then it should still carry some weight."

Yan Maoqing was still smiling.

This was naturally fabricated by him. He had never even met the Duke of Cheng, only heard that the Duke of Cheng and his nominal Duke Yi had some private relations.

But that's not important. What's important is that you can use it to increase your own value.

"..."

Xia Yan immediately calmed down, a hint of seriousness flashing deep in her eyes.

There's no need to mention Duke Guo Xun of Yiguo.

Duke Zhu Xizhong of Chengguo had a reputation and influence that surpassed Guo Xun's, making him the most prominent among the nobles. His power was not to be underestimated.

If the Duke of Yiguo and Zhu Xizhong were to join forces, they could not only control half of the country in the court, but also barely contend with the civil officials.

After all, Zhu Houcong now consults with no more than five people on important matters, and two of them are Guo Xun and Zhu Xizhong.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he finally nodded to the servant beside him:

"Pour him some more tea, and you may all leave now."

"Yes."

Several servants responded and poured tea for Yan Maoqing again, then bowed and quietly withdrew.

Once only the two of them remained in the hall, Yan Maoqing leisurely prepared the tea leaves, smiling knowingly:

"Speaking of which, Grand Secretary Xia probably doesn't want Yan Song to have another chance to join the cabinet, does he?"

"Speak your mind directly, there's no need to beat around the bush."

Xia Yan was not easily tricked into revealing information by Yan Maoqing, and only gave an ambiguous answer.

Yan Maoqing continued, seemingly oblivious to his own thoughts:
"Once Yan Song enters the cabinet, the three Grand Secretaries Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi are not powerful figures and are probably no match for him. He will surely be able to take control of the cabinet very soon."

"Given the previous relationship between Grand Secretary Xia and Yan Song, Yan Song will definitely guard against him closely after taking power and will never give Grand Secretary Xia any chance to be reinstated. That's why I said this is a major event that will determine whether Grand Secretary Xia can be reinstated in the future."

"But my godfather recently overheard the Emperor saying that the three Grand Secretaries Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi were not doing a good job in managing state affairs, and the Emperor was already considering bringing Yan Song into the Grand Secretariat."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yan immediately sat up straighter:
"Is this true?"

"Whether you believe it or not is Grand Secretary Xia's business."

Yan Maoqing smiled and said,
"Although my godfather disliked Grand Secretary Xia, he also had some unknown grudges with Yan Song. Therefore, even though he was at odds with Grand Secretary Xia, he never sided with Yan Song."

"This time, regarding Yan Song's entry into the cabinet, Grand Secretary Xia and my godfather must have the same goal, which is why he sent me to contact Grand Secretary Xia to plan this important matter together."

Xia Yan then asked:

"If His Majesty is willing, then the matter is settled. The Duke of Yi is well aware of His Majesty's temperament. How can we possibly stop him?"

"It is precisely because my adoptive father and the Duke of Cheng understand the Emperor's temperament better that it is easier for them to stop him."

Yan Maoqing then lowered his voice and raised his eyebrows, saying,
"Grand Secretary Xia still wields considerable influence in the court, especially in the Ministry of Personnel, which he previously headed."

"My godfather's idea is to ask Grand Secretary Xia to instruct the officials of the Ministry of Personnel to do their best to recommend Yan Song for the cabinet, and to mobilize his students to submit a large number of memorials to request Yan Song to be admitted to the cabinet. He can even strongly recommend Yan Shifan to take over the vacant position of Minister of Rites."

"My godfather and the Duke of Cheng also strongly supported Yan Song, and joined forces with Grand Secretary Xia's people, which created a situation where Yan Song had absolute power in the court and was the popular choice."

"At that time, how does Grand Secretary Xia think the Emperor will view Yan Song?"

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Yan's old eyes widened instantly, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Such a vicious yet astonishingly clever scheme of flattery to kill—could it really have been conceived by that old scoundrel Guo Xun, who nearly met his end a few days ago?
(End of this chapter)