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

Chapter 141 Yan Song's Family Letter [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Yanfu.

"..."

When Yan Shifan learned of this news, he finally stopped cursing Yan Maoqing as a bastard and instead froze completely in silence.

A third-rank official, serving as the Crown Prince's tutor!

This was already the rank of a high-ranking official who could ride in a sedan chair carried by four men in the capital and in a sedan chair carried by eight men outside the capital...

You should know that his father, Yan Song, climbed the ranks for nearly forty years, doing everything except being a good person, before finally reaching the position of a second-rank official in the imperial court in his sixties.

And Yan Maoqing...

If his memory serves him right, Yan Maoqing's participation in the palace examination was only a few months ago, right?

Yan Maoqing's official promotion began within the last month; he went from having no rank or position to the fifth rank, and then to the third rank... It felt as easy as drinking water.

And what about the Yan family?

Now his father, Yan Song, has become a seventh-rank county magistrate, while he, a county magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, who was appointed through his father's influence, has become an ordinary citizen.

This back-and-forth, this up-and-down movement, it felt as if Yan Maoqing had been draining the Yan family's fortunes of their yin energy...

and so.

Yan Shifan didn't stop cursing; he simply didn't dare to.

He inexplicably felt a sense of unease, as if every time he cursed Yan Maoqing or plotted against him, Yan Maoqing would drain a tenth of the Yan family's fortune.

Furthermore, the luck that has been absorbed may even be divided among those who are close to Yan Maoqing.

For example, Guo Xun, after adopting Yan Maoqing as his godson, not only resolved Duan Chaoyong's fatal crisis, but was also entrusted with an important task by the emperor.

For example, Shen Lian, when he first met Yan Maoqing, was just a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Recently, he has been promoted three times and has become the Southern Garrison Commander, in charge of the Southern Garrison Division.

For example, Xu Shen, although he did not get promoted, his reputation as a divine doctor is becoming more and more well-known in the capital. The threshold of his eldest son's Fuling Hall is almost worn down by people seeking treatment. He has gained both fame and fortune.
For example, even Wu Cheng'en, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, had only known Yan Maoqing for a few days, yet he was still able to be specially promoted by the emperor to be a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat despite being a commoner.

If this continues, the entire court might end up under the Yan family name.
Living in this era, even if Yan Shifan, an indigenous person, was thoughtful, he would inevitably be influenced by superstition to some extent and could not help but believe in metaphysics.

As he pondered these thoughts, a chilling hypothesis even crept into his mind:
If he hadn't driven Yan Maoqing away based on his own likes and dislikes, and hadn't continued to target Yan Maoqing afterward, would the Yan family have ended up in this predicament?

So what should he do now?

"Hehehe, instead of thinking about these things, I should think about what I can actually do given my current situation."

Yan Shifan laughed self-deprecatingly.

Even his father Yan Song's adopted son, his former sworn brother Zhao Wenhua, no longer treats him as a human being.

Not to mention, his trusted servant Yan Liang has been gone from the capital for three months, and there's still no sign of him, whether alive or dead, as if he's vanished into thin air. And he's just as powerless to do anything about it...

Just thinking about these.

"Young master, the master just sent a letter home from Datong. The madam wants you to come to her room to discuss matters."

A maidservant approached Yan Shifan and spoke cautiously.

This lawless young master was feared by everyone in the Yan family. Even in his own residence, he was arrogant, domineering, and capricious, and would punish and beat his servants without cause if he was displeased.

Previously, although the master and mistress would occasionally offer advice, they mostly turned a blind eye.

Recently, Yan Shifan has been encountering setbacks everywhere he goes, and his emotions have become extremely unstable, causing many of his servants to suffer as a result.

Therefore, the maid held her breath from afar, fearing that she might inadvertently incur a beating or scolding. "Understood."

Fortunately, Yan Shifan was much calmer this time, and he simply nodded and walked away quickly.

……

Not long after.

"Yan Maoqing went to Datong recently and accomplished such a big thing?!"

After reading the letter Yan Song sent home from Datong, Yan Shifan couldn't help but stand up in astonishment.

"No wonder!"

"No wonder!"

"He has solved the Emperor's urgent problem; no wonder the Emperor values ​​him so highly."

Yan Song mentioned the matter of "coal" in a letter home, something he only learned about after he went to Datong and met up with Guo Xun.

Of course, Guo Xun did not reveal the whole story of the "ingenious plan," but simply assigned it to Yan Song, the magistrate of Datong, as a task that was within his duties:

Establish an independent "Coal Tax Office" that is fully accountable to the Emperor, dedicated to handling the coal tribute from Anda!

Who was Yan Song?

Furthermore, now that Anda had submitted to the emperor, and a group of Anda's envoys had been stationed in Datong to discuss the matter, he only needed to learn a little about the situation to understand the true crux of this tributary relationship.

—The coal trade!
Anda discovered a large amount of coal.

If the emperor could gain control of the state-run coal monopoly with the Tatars by establishing a tributary relationship with Altan Khan, he would have a purse that belonged exclusively to the emperor!

With an independent purse, the emperor would have fewer constraints from the court when exercising his imperial power, making him more powerful and unrestrained!

This has always been the goal that the Emperor has wanted to achieve.

Yan Maoqing is the only person who has the potential to help him achieve this over the years, so how could he not hold onto him tightly and keep him by his side?

at the same time.

The depression that had been weighing on Yan Shifan's heart was instantly swept away.

He and Yan Song had both realized that the emperor had not truly abandoned his father. This time, demoting him to the position of magistrate in Datong was not an opportunity to turn the tables on him.
As long as his father can handle this matter well and clearly, then he will also be a loyal and trusted minister in the emperor's heart.

The fact that the Emperor sent his father to such a sensitive place at such an important moment to assist in such a crucial matter demonstrates his father's status in the Emperor's heart!
He has reason to believe it.

After this matter is accomplished, the Emperor will not only recall his father, but also compensate the Yan family for the grievances they have suffered these days. Perhaps the matter of him being admitted to the cabinet will be settled!

"Zhao Wenhua! Luo Longwen! And all those bastards who have dared to betray the Yan family these past few days... I hope you will continue to maintain your current attitude when the time comes!"

Yan Shifan clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together.

But he certainly wouldn't know.

Now he has a profound understanding of the fickleness of human relationships. The people he will definitely try to eliminate once his father Yan Song regains power are the core members of Yan Song's faction in history.

"Qing'er, you keep mentioning this Yan Maoqing. Your father also mentioned him in his family letters..."

Hearing Yan Shifan mention Yan Maoqing again, Ouyang Duanshu pondered for a moment and said...
"Mother, I've heard the servants talking lately that he seems to be marrying a woman from the Bai family in Fengcheng, Jiangxi?"

(End of this chapter)