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

Chapter 130 I Can Too: I Lost My Father When I Was Twelve...

"Uh?"

Yan Maoqing also seemed to wake up from a dream, and then stared in astonishment.

焯？
I got so caught up in the role that I actually quoted Hai Rui's lines verbatim.

It's all Zhu Houcong's fault for being too cooperative; I only intended to learn from him.

Who would have thought that Zhu Houcong could coordinate these lines so perfectly, completely drawing me into the drama? He was simply the chosen Emperor Jiajing...

Looking up at Zhu Houcong's face, which was clearly flushed, Yan Maoqing quickly kowtowed again:
"Father, please forgive me! Your humble servant has never intended to deceive you!"

"It's just that I've been too engrossed in writing this story lately, and I lost focus for a moment and wandered into the story, which led me to speak nonsense."

"However, my last sentence, 'Since I eat the emperor's food, the emperor is my father,' was indeed from the bottom of my heart. Otherwise, I would never have been able to say such respectful words to the emperor and father."

"Your humble servant, with heartfelt devotion, humbly begs Your Majesty for your wise judgment..."

Phew—this should make sense, right?

Zhu Houcong probably won't hold this against him, right?

After all, it would be considered deceiving the emperor only if you managed to deceive him, right? If you didn't manage to deceive him, it would only be considered an attempted deceiving the emperor, which could be dealt with more leniently, right?
And there's also yellow brocade!
Why are you just kneeling there staring at me? Help me out!

Now you should be wailing and telling Zhu Houcong that you have already prepared a coffin at home, and that your act of deceiving the emperor is a capital offense, right?
"Whoosh—hiss—whoosh—hiss—!"

All that could be heard in the hall was Zhu Houcong's heavy breathing, and it was unclear whether he believed his story.

Yan Maoqing lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to move, and even less daring to look up to observe Zhu Houcong's condition, because looking directly at the emperor was also an act of disrespect, and it was best not to cause any further trouble at this time.

They waited for a long time.

Zhu Houcong did not speak again, nor did he tell him to get out of the palace as he had done before, and that he never wanted to see him again.

"..."

Huang Jin was also silently waiting for orders.

Is he going to be "get out of the palace" again this time?

This must be the best outcome for Yan Maoqing.

Based on Huang Jin's understanding of Zhu Houcong, these matters were indeed not enough to kill Yan Maoqing.

After all, the emperor is not a cold-blooded person, as can be seen from his previous treatment of Zhang Cong and Gui E.

Therefore, His Majesty should be pondering this matter now.

What he was pondering was not whether he was deceiving the emperor or not, but rather the matter of Yan Maoqing's "rebellious book".

This was indeed a dilemma for the emperor, but the real reason for the dilemma was that the emperor intended to protect Yan Maoqing and had to choose between Yan Maoqing and the crisis of public trust in the court that the "rebellious book" might cause.

Otherwise, this matter wouldn't have been so difficult to handle, and the Emperor wouldn't have needed to ponder it for so long...

As for the Japanese pirates in the southeast mentioned in the book, the emperor had never taken it to heart before, and had not even paid any attention to it.

After all, in the sixteenth year of Zhengde, which was the first year of Jiajing's reign, the emperor easily won the "Battle of Tuen Mun" against the Franks, and then easily dealt with the "tribute dispute" caused by the Japanese in the third year of Jiajing's reign.

After that, no further events occurred along the southeastern coast that could have caught the emperor's attention.

The reports from relevant officials were nothing new. Even if the vibrant and flourishing scene was not still vivid in their minds, it could be summarized as "nothing happening in the southeast".

Now Yan Maoqing suddenly describes the administration and situation along the southeastern coast in such a critical manner.

The fact that this book, "The Record of Defeating the Japanese Pirates," caused such a stir in the capital, even drawing concern and impeachment from court officials, was something the emperor had not anticipated.

The worries of the court officials were no less the worries of the emperor.

Even if everything written in the book is true, it should be resolved through private discussions with the emperor, or even through a court debate.

Yan Maoqing should never have done this, he should never have used such a method to air his dirty laundry in public.

Does he not understand the principle that "the people can be guided by the Way, but not by wisdom"? If this leads to chaos beyond his control, how can he bear the blame... Just as he was thinking this.

"Huang Jin, throw Yan Maoqing into the imperial prison and tell Lu Bing to keep a close watch on him!"

Zhu Houcong's voice finally came from the hall.

The voice was much calmer than before, clearly indicating that the decision had been made after careful consideration.

Imprisoned in the Imperial Prison?

Upon hearing this, Yan Maoqing felt a surge of anxiety and immediately raised his head to defend himself:
"Your Majesty's handling of this matter is truly unacceptable to me!"

What he wanted was to retire and return to his hometown, not to be imprisoned.

Although there is a fundamental difference between the "strict surveillance" and "severe torture" described by Zhu Houcong, he probably wouldn't have suffered any serious punishment even if he had gone to the imperial prison.

But if this entanglement continues...

It seems that the matter of retiring and returning to his hometown is still far from being realized, and he will have to continue waiting here for Zhu Houcong to make "additions and subtractions".

"If you're not satisfied, then so be it. What does it have to do with me?"

Zhu Houcong glared at him and scolded him irritably.

"The more you resist, the more I will throw you into the imperial prison. How dare you interfere?"

"..."

Yan Maoqing was taken aback, wondering why Zhu Houcong's legal resistance had suddenly increased significantly.

There's even a vague feeling that Zhu Houcong has figured out his tactics and is already starting to counter them.
Such a Jiajing Emperor will likely only become more and more difficult to deal with in the future...

"Does the sovereign father, unable to resolve the problem of the Japanese pirates in the southeast, decide to eliminate those who raise the issue?"

Growing increasingly worried, Yan Maoqing, in his haste, immediately added,
"Forgive my bluntness, but it is precisely because the Ming Dynasty's officialdom is full of such officials that the matter of the Japanese pirates in the southeast is difficult for Your Majesty to know."

"But this world ultimately belongs to the sovereign. If the sovereign also so desires, then I beg the sovereign to allow me to retire and return to my hometown, so that I may not be an eyesore to the sovereign in the future!"

I'm coming!

Late but here it comes!

Huang Jinke remembered this for Yan Maoqing; it was a routine he always performed when meeting the Emperor, without ever missing a single one.

I can see through the court officials' usual tactic of feigning retreat, so how could Your Majesty not?
Who would actually want to retire and return to their hometown after finally passing the imperial examination and being selected as a probationary official?

Tch, even someone like Yan Maoqing can't escape the mundane; he has no originality...

"You should save your breath if you're going to come up with something that's emitting blue smoke."

To everyone's surprise, Zhu Houcong didn't get angry this time; instead, he laughed and wrote something while saying in a cold voice,
"I might as well tell you that I lost my father when I was twelve years old. My mother remained chaste and raised me. When I ascended the throne, my mother also taught me that if the emperor wants his subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die."

"Now that I am going to throw you into the imperial prison, you have no choice but to be thrown into the imperial prison. What use is it if you disobey?"

"Huang Jin, what are you standing there for? Why aren't you calling the Imperial Guards in?"

"???"

Yan Maoqing was stunned. Could this be the legendary... Shifting Stars?
"The slaves obey the orders!"

Huang Jin quickly got up and agreed.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw Zhu Houcong push forward the still-wet paper with ink on it:
"Give this edict to Lu Bing. After he reads it, he'll know how to deal with this bastard!"

"Yes……"

Huang Jin carefully put it away, then glanced at the writing on it, and her heart skipped a beat.

(End of this chapter)