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

Chapter 169 I was instead pruned by this bastard? [Seeking monthly votes]

Qianqing Palace, outer hall.

“Gulp…Gulp…Gulp…”

Xu Shen, the Imperial Physician, squatted beside a small stove, gently fanning himself with a small fan.

Smoke rose slowly, and the earthenware pot used for decocting medicine emitted a soft, everyday sound, creating a peaceful and serene scene.

Not far away, Huang Jin waited quietly with his shoulders shrugged.

At this moment, in addition to the large bump on his forehead, his cheeks were also swollen.

Taking responsibility for one's actions does not mean escaping punishment.

After thinking it over, he realized that the fault lay entirely with his own foul mouth, so he slapped himself.

This punishment was not only relatively light, but it also allowed the emperor to immediately see that he had obeyed orders and accepted the punishment himself, making it the wisest choice...

Just as I was thinking this.

A piercing scream abruptly shattered the tranquility; Yan Maoqing's tearful cry echoed from the rear hall:
"My lord! My lord! My lord, spare my life?!"

"?!"

Xu Shen paused for a moment while waving his small fan, and Huang Jin's body trembled slightly as well.

The two looked at each other, their faces filled with surprise and doubt.

What's going on here?

The next moment, even more frequent and intense wailing followed:

"Your Majesty, I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong!"

"Father, spare me! Don't do it here..."

"Your humble servant will never dare to do it again, truly never dare to do it again, alas!"

"Help! Help!!!"

"???!!!"

Xu Shen's expression of surprise and doubt deepened, while Huang Jin's surprise and doubt intensified, and a hint of struggle and hesitation even appeared on his face.

He simply couldn't imagine what was happening inside, and wondered if the Emperor needed help at this moment.

Most importantly, the emperor had not yet summoned him, so it would be inappropriate for him to barge in rashly.

This is a dilemma!
Not counting before the emperor ascended the throne, he had already served the emperor for about twenty years.

Even so, he had never encountered a situation like today before and had absolutely no experience in handling such situations properly...

At this moment, he was like a young eunuch who had just entered the palace, completely at a loss.
at this time.

"Your humble servant dares not! Help! Help!"

Accompanied by a suddenly clearer howl, a figure suddenly crawled out from behind the red pillar blocking the entrance to the rear hall.

Yes, they didn't walk out; they actually crawled out from inside.

He was covered in dust and dirt, his hair was disheveled, blood was flowing from his nose, and there was even a faint bruise visible under his right eye...

This person was none other than Yan Maoqing, who was currently alone with the Emperor in the rear hall.

Miserable, wretched, pitiful, helpless... but not worthy of sympathy. At least Huang Jin felt no sympathy whatsoever; on the contrary, he felt extremely pleased and carefree.

Where is this?

Compared to my forehead and cheeks, this isn't even a tickle... Wait a minute?!
Before he could savor the feeling of exhilaration, Huang Jin suddenly realized an even more crucial and significant problem:

"There were only the Emperor and Yan Maoqing in the back hall. Now that Yan Maoqing has been beaten, the person who beat him... could it be the Emperor?!"

"The Emperor actually took matters into his own hands and beat up Yan Maoqing?!"

"This, this, this?!"

Huang Jin's brain immediately short-circuited again.

For a moment, they didn't know whether to laugh at Yan Maoqing or envy him.

To be personally beaten by the emperor—that's practically unheard of in the Ming Dynasty...

Should this be considered a punishment, or a unique honor?

Huang Jin believes that the line between the two is extremely blurred, and in any case, no one before Yan Maoqing has ever received such treatment.

Even as a close attendant who spent every day with the emperor, he was absolutely not qualified to be beaten by the emperor himself; at most, he could only receive the words "accept punishment himself."

"Uh uh uh……"

Xu Shen stared in disbelief at the unreal scene before him, his mouth agape as he made unconscious sounds as his vocal cords trembled slightly with the airflow.

then.

But Yan Maoqing only managed to climb out his upper body before being slowly dragged back in.

"Help! Help!"

"Eunuch Huang, Physician Xu, help me!"

Yan Maoqing looked pleadingly at Huang Jin and Xu Shen in the outer hall before disappearing behind the red pillar.

Then came another earth-shattering wail, so loud that Huang Jin and Xu Shen dared not move, and even forgot to breathe.

After a while.

The wailing and howling finally came to an end.

Yan Maoqing finally crawled out from behind the red pillar again, and this time he was not dragged back.

"..."

Huang Jin and Xu Shen watched as Yan Maoqing hurriedly crawled out of the inner hall, and only then did they get a clear look at his full appearance.

Besides being covered in dust, disheveled, bleeding from his nose, and having a dark bruise around his right eye.

They were shocked to find that Yan Maoqing's court robes were torn to shreds, the collar hanging down to the side revealing the lining underneath, one sleeve broken off at the shoulder, most of the rank badge on his chest missing, and there were many clear footprints on his body...

Immediately afterwards, another "flying disc" was thrown out from the inner palace.

Huang Jin and Xu Shen could only see it clearly after the "flying disc" landed.

That wasn't a "flying disc" at all; it was clearly Yan Maoqing's official hat, framed with wire, which had been flattened into a two-dimensional shape.

"Woooo..."

Yan Maoqing grimaced and groaned as he got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and glanced at Huang Jin and Xu Shen, who were already dumbfounded. Then he limped straight toward Xu Shen.

"Minister Yan..."

Xu Shen was puzzled and quickly stood up to bow.

But then Yan Maoqing came closer and suddenly kicked over the small stove that Xu Shen had been carefully tending to.

With a loud crash, the earthenware pot used for decocting medicine fell to the ground, spilling the dark brown medicine all over the floor.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I lost my balance for a moment, it wasn't intentional... But Physician Xu, there's no need to worry, His Majesty is now full of energy and should no longer need to take medicine."

"???!!!"

Xu Shen could hardly believe his eyes.

He almost couldn't catch his breath, and his legs went weak, causing him to collapse to the ground.

Is this person out of their mind? They even dared to kick over the medicine being prepared for the Emperor. Are they planning to be removed from the family register?!

Upon seeing this, Huang Jin's pupils also contracted violently!
That filthy bastard, what in the world wouldn't he dare to do?!
Then even Yan Maoqing turned around and walked towards him.

"Minister Yan, don't come any closer, I'm not afraid of you..."

Huang Jin was so startled that he took several steps back and assumed a defensive stance.

However, Yan Maoqing didn't get too close. He just stared at Huang Jin's large bump on his forehead and swollen cheeks for a long time before finally shaking his head and sighing.
"Eunuch Huang, you haven't had it easy these past few years... Look how miserable I am, let's call it even today, shall we?"

"Uh……"

Huang Jin was taken aback upon hearing this.

"I'm leaving now, see you later."

Yan Maoqing waved his hand, turned around to pick up his "anime" official hat, and limped out of the hall.

……

Inner Temple.

"Phew—that's satisfying! I should have done this a long time ago!"

Zhu Houcong was panting heavily, but he felt inexplicably happy at that moment.

It was as if all the pent-up frustration and burdens that had been building up in my heart for the past twenty years had been released, and I felt an indescribable sense of ease.

"This thing that emits blue smoke always manages to offer some unique insights that are different from those of ordinary people."

"Especially that talk of traps...it's so insightful."

"After hearing this explanation, I finally understand that it is not that my previous policies were not good enough, nor that the people of the Ming Dynasty are ungrateful and do not understand my good intentions."

"But I and the people of the Ming Dynasty have both fallen into such an invisible trap."

"I understand now, I am at peace. This is not my fault, nor is it the fault of the people of the Ming Dynasty..."

Zhu Houcong knew perfectly well that personally beating Yan Maoqing was just a way to vent his anger.

What truly made him feel at ease was the idea of ​​a trap that relieved him of his grievances and frustrations. Once his mind was clear, the world suddenly felt vast and spacious.

"This thing emitting blue smoke knows how to comfort me and also knows how to offer advice!"

Zhu Houcong gradually regained his breathing, his complexion became increasingly rosy, and he even appeared refreshed.

"That bastard actually dares to try and take a share of my money? Don't even think about it!"

"After this pruning by me, he should understand what he can do and what he shouldn't even think about, and he won't dare to grow up contrary to my wishes in the future, right?"

"But speaking of which... he did remind me!"

"The money owed to Guo Xun, Zhu Xizhong, and Zhang Rong still needs to be repaid, and the money still needs to be divided."

"However, repayment can be delayed, slowed down, or prioritized, with a rhythmic repayment process. Those who have made contributions should be repaid first, allowing the earlier repayments to influence the later ones. Repayment should be based on specific circumstances, and it cannot be done blindly..."

"Compared to me, Minister Yan is still too young. He is unable to consider the overall situation, cannot plan strategically, and takes gains and losses too seriously."

"However, we can't blame him. After all, he can never reach my level; his thinking will always be limited."

“…Wait a minute!”

Thinking about all this, Zhu Houcong suddenly realized something else.
"It was agreed that I would guide him, educate him, and prune him today..."

"Why is it that while I am pruning him, I am actually more influenced by him, and he is guiding me, educating me, and pruning me?"

"At this moment, I feel happy and relaxed, and my heart is full of fighting spirit. I even have new ideas about repaying and distributing the money."

"Upon closer reflection, isn't it all because of him, or because of the things he said to me, or even his unreasonable and nonsensical antics?"

"Could it be..."

"This was all part of his plan; everything that happened today was part of his plan?"

"I thought I had everything under control, but in reality, I was outmaneuvered by him once again?"

"This……"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"At least one thing he couldn't have foreseen: he absolutely couldn't have predicted that I would personally beat him up. So it must be because I'm standing too high, and I unconsciously judge this simple-minded, morally bankrupt scoundrel based on my perspective..."

Thinking this to himself, Zhu Houcong finally calmed down, feeling slightly parched, and called out to the outside of the hall:

"Huang Jin, Huang Jin, where is my medicine? Is it ready?"

"Your Majesty, this servant is here!"

Upon hearing the sound, Huang Jin hurriedly ran into the hall and immediately slid to his knees.
"Your Majesty, when Yan Maoqing went out just now, he lost his balance and accidentally knocked over Your Majesty's medicine. Xu Shen is currently preparing it for Your Majesty again."

"What did you say?!"

Zhu Houcong immediately flew into a rage and began to hurl insults.

"What do you mean 'accidental'?! That bastard emitting blue smoke definitely did it on purpose! Does he think I don't know what kind of person he is?!"

"..."

Huang Jin silently lay even deeper down.

The Emperor is right, Yan Maoqing did it on purpose. He saw Yan Maoqing kick out with his own eyes.

But now he felt that the wise thing to do was to be a wife who kept both Zhu Houcong and Yan Maoqing in the dark, and not to get involved blindly.

After all, not everyone is qualified to be personally punished by the emperor, disregarding his own status.

The quality of that beating... was truly something to be reckoned with!

(End of this chapter)