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

Chapter 140 The Young Generation is Truly Formidable [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Shen family.

By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

I have observed that Wu Cheng'en possesses a brilliant mind and eloquent speech, and his literary talent shines brightly.

His works, which blend classics and history, possess a lofty spirit that resonates deeply with my heart.

He was specially appointed as a drafter in the East Room of the Wenhua Hall, with the rank of seventh grade, in charge of copying imperial edicts and recording official documents.

As officials who wield pens on the imperial steps and write in the imperial palace, you must diligently fulfill your responsibilities in drafting edicts and carefully undertake the duties of imperial decree.

Admire this! 】

After listening to the imperial edict while kneeling, Wu Cheng'en, who was temporarily staying at Shen Kun's house, was already in tears, and his whole body was trembling even more violently than before.

There was no other way; after what had happened, I had to return home from the Yan residence.

Just now, this eunuch suddenly came to deliver an imperial decree. He thought that his secret had been exposed and that the emperor had ordered his arrest. How could he not be afraid?

As a result, the edict was read aloud by the father-in-law.

He was shocked to discover that this was not an imperial edict to arrest him, but an imperial edict to promote him to a government post.

The outcome was like night and day; life's ups and downs are happening so fast, nothing could be more thrilling...

"Hurry up and thank the emperor!"

Shen Kun, who was kneeling to the side, quickly nudged Wu Cheng'en, who was trembling like a leaf, and whispered a reminder.

His feelings shifted from worry to shock, then from shock to delight, and now he was overjoyed.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! This humble subject is deeply grateful!"

Wu Cheng'en then realized what was happening and hurriedly called out in a choked, trembling voice.

Helpless, Shen Kun reminded him again:
"Alas, now you should be calling yourself a subject..."

Fortunately, the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree did not make a big deal out of these trivial matters. After leaving the decree, he led his entourage out to return to the palace to report.

They followed him all the way to the alley entrance before the two finally came to their senses.

At this moment, Wu Cheng'en suddenly knelt down again, wiped away his uncontrollable tears, and kowtowed four times to the sky:
"Father! Can you see this in heaven? Your son has not disappointed you. Today... I have entered the court as an official!"

"..."

As Shen Kun watched Wu Cheng'en's retreating figure, a slight soreness welled up in his nose.

His father-in-law had passed away. Because Wu Cheng'en was famous in his hometown for his outstanding literary talent when he was young, his father had high hopes for him and hoped that he could pass the imperial examination and bring honor to his ancestors.

Even at his birth, he was named Cheng'en, and when he came of age, he was given the courtesy name Ruzhong.

The hope was that he could study hard, become an official, receive imperial favor, benefit the common people, and become a loyal minister whose name would be remembered in history.

Unfortunately, Wu Cheng'en had failed the provincial examinations four times before this, and his father-in-law was even more disappointed than Wu Cheng'en, ultimately passing away with a heart full of regret.

it's good now!

Although Wu Cheng'en failed to obtain official rank, he was promoted by the emperor to the position of "Direct Secretary of the Eastern Room of the Wenhua Hall" despite being a mere scholar.

This can be considered a meteoric rise; though not a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), it's better than being one!

After all, even if a newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) fails to pass the selection process to become a Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy), he will usually be appointed to a seventh-rank or regular seventh-rank official position after observing the administration.

Those of the seventh rank were usually assigned to serve as county magistrates in various places, while only those of the seventh rank or below had the possibility of remaining as officials in the capital, serving in various departments, and possibly never seeing the emperor in their entire lives.

The title "Direct Secretary of the Eastern Room of the Wenhua Hall" referred to someone whose job was to write books by imperial decree.

This already falls under the category of the emperor's close advisors and eunuchs!

Many newly appointed scholars with connections and wealth couldn't snatch this official position even if they spent money; it was even more coveted than a Hanlin Academy compiler like him...

What else could this be but instant success?
"brother in law……"

Shen Kun felt a stinging sensation in his nose and a pang of sadness welled up in his heart. He sighed and said...

"Yan Maoqing is not only a righteous man, but also a benefactor in your life."

"Some people in the Hanlin Academy still consider themselves superior and look down on him, unaware that he has long since transcended the entire academy." "Even you can receive such protection; he's probably just a figurehead in the Hanlin Academy..."

Then Wu Cheng'en continued to sincerely kowtow:

"Lord Niubishan, please accept my bow. If only I had a younger sister who is yet to be married..."

……

Xia Mansion.

"The Crown Prince's Chamberlain?!"

Xia Yan lost her grip on the teacup, and it crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces.
"Just how much skill did Yan Maoqing conceal that he was able to break my precedent in one fell swoop!"

Back in the day, Xia Yan was a legend in the officialdom of Daming.

He started as an advisor and rose to the position of Minister of the Second Rank, one of the Six Ministers, in less than a year. This promotion was considered unprecedented by the entire court.

But now, Yan Maoqing is only in his early twenties.

In just one month, he went from an unranked and lowly junior official to a fifth-rank official, and then even became the third-rank Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince!

This rapid promotion even forced Xia Yan to abandon his past arrogance and re-evaluate this young man who dared to make such a fatal joke at his expense.

And it's not just about telling deadly lame jokes.

Not long ago, when he was still the Grand Secretary, Yan Maoqing dared to confront him head-on, forcing him, the Grand Secretary whom others dared not even raise their heads to, to compromise...

"Now that I think about it carefully, he probably wasn't just incredibly audacious, but rather he was already feeling completely emboldened."

Xia Yan understood perfectly well that the promotion of court officials was the most direct manifestation of the emperor's likes, dislikes, and will.

This is enough to show that when Yan Maoqing was still a junior official, he had already become the emperor's favorite minister, and may even be the most favored minister in the court at present.

Moreover, the Emperor's promotion of Yan Maoqing was very skillful.

Under normal circumstances, the promotion of officials in various departments cannot avoid the departmental selection system. Sometimes even the emperor cannot do whatever he wants, otherwise he might attract a group of court officials to submit memorials to remonstrate.

However, Yan Maoqing's previous position of Fengyi Dafu was a nominal post that allowed him to circumvent the selection system.

The Crown Prince's Chamberlain is also one of the eunuchs who can be appointed by the emperor without going through the selection process of the Ministry.

It is not hard to see from this that the Emperor had indeed put a lot of thought into Yan Maoqing.

"Could it be..."

Xia Yan's old face wrinkled more and more as he gradually came to a realization.

He couldn't help but recall the day Yan Maoqing came to his door to conspire with him to flatter and kill Yan Song...

At that time, he had some doubts:
For example, neither Duke Guo Xun of Yiguo nor Duke Zhu Xizhong of Chengguo had the brains to devise this plan;
For example, the motives of these two men in plotting against Yan Song were not actually that strong;
For example, Yan Maoqing displayed a level of meticulousness, composure, and competence that was beyond his years...

However, the matter was in his interest, which unconsciously gave him a self-consistent reason for these doubts, and thus he believed it without a doubt.

But now, upon closer examination, these doubts immediately resurface.

On the contrary, the relationship between Yan Maoqing and Yan Song and his son...

At this moment, Xia Yan recalled the incident when Yan Shifan expelled Yan Maoqing from the Yuzhang Guild Hall.

Then I remembered Zhang Yusheng, the newly appointed Jinshi who reported Yan Maoqing for adultery without a husband, but was instead arrested and beaten to death by the Embroidered Uniform Guard on charges of treachery.

This person was both observing the administration of the Ministry of Rites under Yan Song's leadership and reporting corruption to the Shuntian Prefecture government, which was under Yan Shifan's control...

"Could it be... that Duke Guo Xun of Yi and Duke Zhu Xizhong of Cheng are just decoys, and the person who has been truly manipulating the court these days is actually... Yan Maoqing?!"

"Even this 'rebellious book' incident was a 'retreat to advance' tactic he employed by taking advantage of the emperor and his court officials!"

"If that's really the case..."

"This young man is only in his early twenties, isn't he a born prodigy?!"

A sudden, inexplicable fear welled up within Xia Yan, truly embodying the saying, "The younger generation is to be feared."
"Perhaps... this time, my being able to resign and live in seclusion is the opportune moment?"

(End of this chapter)