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

Chapter 153 Sending a Hero to Investigate Another Hero [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"This……"

Kong Jian, Li Chengzhi, and the others felt their hearts sink upon hearing this.

They also knew that the emperor's caning had specific rules, and previously there were only three:

The results of saying "fight," "fight with heart," and "fight with real effort" are not entirely the same.

A beating is merely a slight punishment; a serious beating will either kill or injure the victim; and a full-blown beating will result in death.

But now, the Emperor's edict has a completely new wording, which is "ordering Yan Maoqing to supervise the punishment and administer the caning," which means "let Yan Maoqing do the beating."

This clearly implies that Yan Maoqing should seek revenge for any wrongs he has committed.

Yan Maoqing was clearly also preparing to act on imperial orders.

This naturally caused panic among Kong Jian, Li Chengzhi, and others...

After all, over the past few days, they and Yan Maoqing had been at loggerheads, if not sworn enemies.

Although Yan Maoqing was not exactly robust, he was tall and strong, and was a young man in his early twenties with plenty of brute strength.

If he is determined to settle a personal score, he will establish his authority in public.

Don't underestimate these twenty strokes of the cane. They could easily kill some of the older ones, and cripple the middle-aged ones as well.

Moreover, with this imperial edict as a safety net, even if they are killed, there is no need to bear any responsibility or worry about the emperor holding them accountable...

“You are all men who care about your reputation, and I am no less a man of dignity. This time, we will carry out the execution behind closed doors so that no one else can see your big buttocks!”

As they spoke, Yan Maoqing entered the main hall of the prefectural government office, rolled up his sleeves, spat twice into his palms, took the chestnut stick offered by the clerk of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, pointed to the long bench that had just been placed in front of him, and said...
"Bring them in to the Minister! Bah! Bah!"

"..."

Kong Jian swallowed hard, his arms bound behind his back as he was shoved into the hall by the officials. He glared at Yan Maoqing, but his mouth remained defiant, and he roared loudly to the sky:

"With treacherous officials in power, where is Heaven? Where is justice?"

"Shut up, you!"

Yan Maoqing had already stuffed a rag he had found from who-knows-where into Kong Jian's mouth, silencing him abruptly.

"Your Majesty, I am not convinced! I am not convinced!"

"Your Majesty, open your eyes and take a good look! How can such an insect be allowed to tutor the Crown Prince?"

"If this traitor is not eliminated, the foundation of the nation will be shaken..."

"emperor……"

The other eight also instantly displayed the traditional skills of civil officials, each of them wailing and lamenting as they were escorted by the officials, causing chaos in the Imperial Household Department.

However, their mouths were soon stuffed with rags, and they could only groan.

Even the eunuch who came to deliver the imperial decree couldn't stand it any longer and had to come to Yan Maoqing's side and whisper a reminder in his ear:
"Minister Yan, His Majesty's intention is probably... to teach him a lesson."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Please go back and report to your father-in-law."

Yan Maoqing nodded, personally escorted the eunuch out, and dismissed all the officials who were escorting Kong Jian and the others. He even ordered them to close the door behind them when they left.

"..."

Those isolated outside the door exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts pounding with fear.

This was probably not only for the sake of these officials' dignity, but also because they were worried that the scene of settling personal scores during the execution would be too brutal and affect their impression of this minister.
after all……

The contents of that imperial edict had already given the officials on duty today some insight into Yan Maoqing's vindictive nature.

He truly meant what he said and actually went to the Emperor to falsely accuse Kong Jian and others!

"..."

Granny Li's eyelids twitched, and a chill ran down her spine.

She decided that from now on, she would be extremely polite to Yan Maoqing, and even if it was the Imperial Concubine's request, she would speak to him properly and would never put on that sour face again.

……

In the hall.

Kong Jian, Li Chengzhi, and the others, whose arms were tied behind their backs, stood in a row, their faces pale.

Despite their resentment, fear is still a factor. After all, the fear of pain and death is a fundamental human protective mechanism, and even the most righteous person facing punishment and death cannot remain unmoved...

Then they saw Yan Maoqing actually sit down casually on the long bench used for executions, grinning at them:

"Congratulations, you have passed the test of this department."

"?"

Upon hearing this, Kong Jian, Li Chengzhi, and the others immediately looked doubtful and exchanged glances.

How can this person change their expression faster than turning the pages of a book?
What did he mean by saying that?
"The Court of Imperial Sacrifices has been ordered to tutor the Crown Prince. Our words and actions are related to the foundation of the country, so we must be strictly selected and not allow the slightest mistake."

Yan Maoqing stood up and, surprisingly, gave a deep bow to the nine people in front of him.
“Since I took office as the Crown Prince’s tutor, your performance has shown me your loyalty. In particular, your spirit of not fearing power or death today has deeply impressed me.”

"I couldn't help but compose a poem..."

"With lofty aspirations, we dare to sacrifice ourselves and change the world."

"I am delighted to see the rice paddies ripple like waves, and heroes everywhere emerge as the evening smoke rises!"

"In my eyes, you are all heroes of the Ming Dynasty and the backbone of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Please accept my sincere bow!"

"!!!"

Kong Jian, Li Chengzhi, and the others were even more dumbfounded upon hearing this.

So it turns out that from the very first day he stepped into the "new internal regulations" of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, he had designed such a test, enduring humiliation and hardship, all in order to select truly virtuous and talented officials for the Crown Prince.
This...this...isn't this new Chancellor a bit too conscientious and responsible?

This is true loyalty, which is beyond our comparison.
If that's really the case, then we should be ashamed of ourselves for cursing him like that.

I noticed a change in their expressions.

Yan Maoqing finally stepped forward, removed the rags from their mouths one by one, and untied their bound arms:

"I have offended you in recent days, but it was all out of necessity. I did this in order not to betray the Emperor's trust and not to fail in my important responsibility of assisting the country. I ask for your understanding."

"How could I dare? Your Excellency is too kind..."

"For a minister to possess such magnanimity and composure at such a young age is truly astonishing..."

"The minister's loyalty and integrity surpass ours a hundredfold!"

"Your Excellency is the true hero, and you deserve our utmost respect!"

The joy of surviving the ordeal was amplified by Yan Maoqing's surprising and delightful turnaround.

The straightforward Kong Jian, Li Chengzhi, and others all believed it to be true, and some were even moved to tears, so they all solemnly knelt down and bowed to Yan Maoqing.

Even with tears in his eyes, Kong Jian sincerely offered a reminder:
"Minister, although that poem was good, it must not be recited to outsiders again, especially the line 'Dare to teach the sun and moon to change the sky,' which might be used by those with ulterior motives to attack you..."

"Thank you for the reminder, Master Kong."

Yan Maoqing laughed.

Anyone can win over followers; the best results are achieved under extreme pressure.

From this day forward, they are my disciples, the core members of my Yan faction, and my trusted followers in the court.

As the saying goes, "A petty person is always worried, while a virtuous person is always at ease."

Corrupt officials form cliques, focusing solely on personal gain; they are nothing more than a mob.

I, Yan Maoqing, have formed a faction... First, we pave the way with faith, then we present ourselves as heroes, and finally we lure people with promises of a bright future. Our main goal is to gain fame and reputation, and to be a great villain who appears to be loyal!
Moreover, history has already provided the answer.

Eunuch factions like Liu Jin's (the former dynasty's powerful eunuch), Yan Song's (the current dynasty's) faction, and Wei Zhongxian's (later) faction, were all too low-level, and their chances of escaping unscathed were frighteningly low.

As for being a "pure stream" (a term used to describe someone who is upright and honest)... pshaw, I wouldn't even be a dog!
Only the heroes of my Great Ming Dynasty are the true kings, and only they are more deceptive, inflammatory, and covert.

This left Zhu Houcong even more helpless, and made it easier for him to escape unscathed in the future.

After all, when faced with Hai Rui's congratulatory message, Zhu Houcong could only send a hero to investigate the hero, right?
"Listen to me, everyone. Now that Empress Dowager Zhaosheng Cishou has passed away, the Ciqing Palace is vacant, and the time for the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to play its role is probably not far off."

Yan Maoqing straightened his back and said seriously,

"To guide the crown prince and uphold the foundation of the nation, we heroes have no choice but to do our duty!"

"I, Yan, am willing to work together with you all to lead the way, and to unite as one. I wonder if you would be willing to serve as pillars of the Ming Dynasty?"

(End of this chapter)