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

Chapter 117 Slapping the Emperor's face and his butt!

"Young master, how dare I speak nonsense about such a serious matter?"

The servant thought Yan Shifan's current behavior was due to his excitement at hearing this "great news," and he knelt down beside him, praising his achievements with great conviction.

"Get out of here! Something's wrong!"

Yan Shifan's expression had completely changed, his eyes filled with worry. He kicked him to the ground.
"Something is very wrong with this. How could my father have such great power in the imperial court?"

"Even if this were true, my father should have discussed it with me beforehand. Why did he make such a fuss without saying a word?"

"If something goes wrong, there must be a demon!"

As long as he wasn't swayed by emotions, Yan Shifan's intelligence and responsiveness were not to be underestimated.

Therefore, when the servant was only halfway through his sentence, he had already sensed the chilling killing intent hidden in the matter!
The entire court suddenly opposed the Emperor's previous decision to appoint a special minister to the cabinet, and even proposed holding a court recommendation meeting to strongly recommend his father for the cabinet?!

Is this a move to get his father into the cabinet?

This is clearly a slap in the face to the Emperor, a push to his father's death, and a push to the death of the Yan family!
No one else knows what kind of person the Emperor is, but Yan Shifan, having been taught by his father for many years, how could he not know?
If the mere system of court recommendation could restrict the emperor, there wouldn't have been a Grand Secretary like Zhang Cong and a cabinet minister like Gui E more than ten years ago.

As is well known, although Zhang Cong and Gui E were both Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), neither of them were Shujishi (probationary officials), and therefore they never entered the Hanlin Academy.

At the time, many officials also strongly opposed the rule that "only those who have passed the imperial examination can enter the Hanlin Academy, and only those who have passed the Hanlin Academy can enter the Grand Secretariat."

The results of it?
Zhang Cong still became the Grand Secretary, and Gui E still smoothly entered the cabinet.

These dissenting officials were either killed or wounded, and eventually had to back down and turn to attack Zhang Cong and Gui E from other angles, but dared not point their spears at the emperor again!

Now these people are suddenly jumping out to do this again, and even pushing his father into the position of the most popular candidate for cabinet.

This put his father and the Yan family in the eye of the storm, opposing the emperor while also making his father and the Yan family bear the emperor's wrath on their behalf!

Yan Shifan was unsure whether the current emperor could see through these people's sinister intentions at a glance.

But even if you see it clearly, what can you do?
This is an open conspiracy with no solution!
For the vast majority of fools, both inside and outside the court, who are unable to see the true nature of the situation, all they can see is that his father is all-powerful in the court, and all the civil and military officials are his father's supporters. Now he can ride on the emperor's head and act arrogantly.

Under such circumstances.

Even if the emperor knew that someone was plotting to frame his father, how should he deal with it?
The explanation is definitely not convincing.

If the Emperor were to offer a specific explanation for this matter without taking any concrete steps, it would not only fail to convince the public but would also give the impression of trying to cover something up, potentially making the situation even worse.

The emperor, who always valued his dignity and reputation highly, would never tolerate such remarks that suggested someone could ride roughshod over him.

Therefore, the simplest and most intuitive approach is left with only one method.

That would be to immediately issue an edict to demote and dismiss his father, thus eliminating the rumors circulating in the court and among the people without any explanation.

The people of the realm will immediately receive the signal from the Emperor:

The Ming Dynasty was always the emperor's Ming Dynasty, and only one person could ever truly control the situation.

This person is the Emperor!
"Where is my father now? Such a terrible thing has happened, surely he knows nothing about it?"

Yan Shifan was extremely anxious. He paced back and forth a couple of times, then immediately said again,
"Prepare the sedan chair! Go to Thousand Steps Corridor immediately to find my father!"

……

Chengtianmen.

"..."

A gaunt, elderly figure knelt outside the door, silently awaiting the emperor's summons amidst the strange gazes of the palace servants passing by.

This person was none other than Yan Song.

How could he not know about something so big?

He had even heard about it a few days earlier, but at that time there weren't many officials recommending him for the cabinet, and the scale wasn't large.

This made him lower his guard for a moment, and he even became somewhat complacent, thinking that he still had some prestige in the court.

If the Emperor could hear these voices, he might really reconsider letting him join the cabinet.

Unexpectedly, starting yesterday, the situation suddenly began to spiral out of control.

First, numerous memorials appeared impeaching Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi for being incompetent in their duties, causing some important court affairs to stagnate and become chaotic.

And now, officials from the Ministry of Personnel have suddenly taken the lead in proposing to hold a court recommendation meeting, which immediately received the support of a large number of officials, and a large number of memorials supporting his entry into the cabinet have appeared...

If Yan Shifan could think of the key points instantly, how could he not?
This is not supporting him, but someone plotting to harm him, and it's an organized and premeditated frame-up!

In this situation, he had no other options.

The only thing to do now is to go to the palace immediately to explain to the Emperor and try to avoid the misunderstanding that he is most worried about.

But now he has been kneeling outside Chengtian Gate for a full hour.

The emperor also refused to allow him to enter the palace for an audience.

He was in a state of utter panic, and a chill ran down his slightly hunched back.

This is absolutely the most serious crisis he has encountered in the nearly forty years since he passed the imperial examination!
Even when the powerful eunuch Liu Jin held immense power during the Zhengde era, he had never encountered anything so terrifying.

Who on earth could use such a method that left him completely defenseless...?

……

Hanlin Academy.

This matter also sparked heated discussions among the officials and probationary scholars of the Hanlin Academy, and even became a topic of discussion in the academy's daily classes.

Many officials and junior scholars of the Hanlin Academy have already publicly expressed their views.

Some believe that since Yan Song had the support of many officials in the court, he must have had many extraordinary abilities.

However, Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi are all unfit for the important task. The Emperor should follow the will of the people and let Yan Song enter the cabinet to try out the leadership.

This was because they were deceived by Yan Song's usual appearance of being courteous and approachable. Some people also disagreed and believed that Xia Yan should be reinstated.

After all, Xia Yan is a recognized virtuous and capable minister. The emperor's dismissal and forced retirement for merely being late for the morning court session was perhaps too harsh.

This was because they were deceived by Xia Yan's previous appearance of being virtuous, gentle, and learned.

then……

The building inexplicably tilted.

First, the emperor was misled into bypassing the court recommendation system when selecting cabinet ministers. Does this violate ancestral rules and deviate from the fair direction?

Then the conversation drifted to the fact that the meals for the Hanlin Academy were provided by the Ministry of Rites, and that these meals were so simple and unpalatable that Yan Song, as the Minister of Rites, was not entirely to blame.

Now, the junior scholars have begun to freely discuss which type of lunchbox has the best heat retention...

"Brother Jingqing, what do you think of this matter?"

Gao Gong sat next to Yan Maoqing and discussed the matter with him in an extremely serious and earnest manner.

"As for me, I'll grab a handful of sunflower seeds and watch them over and over again."

Yan Maoqing said with a smile.

"..."

Gao Gong nudged his shoulder and then said seriously,
"Seriously, do you want Yan Song to join the cabinet, or Xia Yan to be reinstated?"

"How dare you! You used to address me as Grand Secretary Xia, how dare you call me by my given name?"

Yan Maoqing deliberately put on a stern face and reprimanded him.

"You can know a person's face but not their heart... Now that I've stepped into officialdom, I think all officials in the world are actually the same."

Gao Gong did not mention Xia Yan's previous private visit, but only vaguely stated that...

Yan Maoqing looked at Gao Gong, who had recently grown rapidly, with surprise. After pondering for a moment, he smiled and said:
"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't realize Brother Suqing had such insight. But to be honest, I don't like either of them. If I had to choose, I would prefer you to join the cabinet."

"..."

Gao Gong was speechless. Couldn't we have a proper discussion about the political situation?
Yan Maoqing's smile gradually faded.

Xia Yan's methods were indeed extraordinary. Not only did he handle the matter step by step and without any loopholes, but he also made it seem like each step was interconnected.

Guo Xun's cooperation with him was also excellent, bringing the matter to a climax.

It seems that Yan Song and his son are now trembling with fear, and have no way to reverse the situation...

Now it's my turn to make a move.

If we serve this prepared dessert tonight, we can seal the deal and sayonara will be done!

……

After the value is set.

Yan Maoqing did not go straight home, but instead ordered his driver to go to Luming Pavilion, which he had not visited in a long time.

"Greetings, sir..."

Manager Liu personally came out to greet him and led him directly into the back room. Then, while presenting a stack of papers to Yan Maoqing, he said in a low voice,
"Young master, everything you instructed us to do has been prepared. Please take a look."

This is the second shared secret between him and Yan Maoqing, and it's the same old routine, only the content is slightly different from the last time.

"Very good, we can post them all tonight."

Yan Maoqing nodded, took the ingot and examined it carefully. He then casually took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table, smiling broadly.
"Take this to have some tea."

"Thank you, young master."

Manager Liu quickly put the silver away, but then smiled ingratiatingly and said cautiously,

"Young master, I really don't understand this matter. Why do you insist on humiliating yourself like this?"

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask; knowing too much isn't a good thing."

Yan Maoqing said without raising his head or looking to the side.

This stack of papers revealed only one secret.

The matter is that Yan Maoqing is currently only a junior scholar, while his wife Bailu has been granted the title of fifth-rank imperial consort by the emperor.

The fact that the entire court recommended Yan Song for the Grand Secretariat brought Zhu Houcong's violation of the rules by bypassing the imperial recommendation process to the forefront, which was tantamount to slapping Zhu Houcong in the face.

This incident will now expose Zhu Houcong's violation of regulations by privately bestowing the title of fifth-rank imperial consort upon the wife of a junior official, which is yet another slap on Zhu Houcong's backside.

I was slapped in the face and spanked in the butt.

Yan Maoqing dared not imagine what kind of rage Zhu Houcong would experience when he learned of this tomorrow morning, or whether he would still be able to maintain any semblance of rationality.

Both incidents were inextricably linked to Yan Song and his son, and in fact, they were the primary culprits...

Let's see how Zhu Houcong, in his thunderous rage, "ruthlessly punishes and kills, while protecting his own shortcomings"!

come on!
Let the storm come more violently!
After all, in the TV series, Yan Song braved the rain to tell Yan Shifan, "In the Ming Dynasty, there is only one person who can protect the emperor from the wind and rain, and that is your father, me!" Now it is time to test Grand Secretary Yan!
Also.

There should still be a chance for Zhu Houcong to revoke Bailu's title of Fifth-Rank Imperial Lady.

Thus, Bailu was freed from her official position.

When he finds an opportunity to retire and return to his hometown, he can leave the capital quickly with Bailu without any entanglements, so as not to be entangled in this title again.

As witty as me!

This is truly killing two birds with one stone, a win-win situation!

(End of this chapter)