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

Chapter 170 My Wife Wants to Hit the Emperor with a Blow? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

After getting such a good beating from Zhu Houcong, his court robes were torn to shreds, so what kind of work was he supposed to do?
Therefore, Yan Maoqing did not return to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Instead, he left the palace early, boarded a carriage, and returned home.

The coachman was startled when he saw his appearance and quickly asked what had happened, so he would know how to explain it to his wife, who was fiercely protective of her husband.

As it turned out, Yan Maoqing said that this was after being beaten by the emperor.

The driver could only wisely offer a perfunctory reply:
"Sir, you are joking..."

He felt that Yan Maoqing had simply fallen by accident; the fall had torn his court robes, flattened his official hat, bruised his eye, and disheveled his hair.

That explanation might be slightly more credible.

The master actually claimed that he was beaten by the Emperor. This is the most clumsy lie and the coldest joke in the world.

The emperor is the supreme ruler, how could he possibly hit someone himself?

Furthermore, if the emperor really wanted to beat someone, that person would basically be close to death. How could they possibly walk out of the palace unharmed and sit in a carriage chatting with him?
Ugh……

Since the master doesn't want to say, then let the madam ask herself.

To be honest, the palace is really not a good place. Why are these officials just like country bumpkins in the county? They roll up their sleeves and start fighting at the slightest disagreement.
It seems that one must first learn martial arts before becoming an official.

The old man probably suffered a loss in a fight and is unwilling to tell the truth because he's ashamed; he must be feeling incredibly wronged inside...

In the coachman's clever little imagination, the carriage drove into the Yan residence.

This time, Bai Lu did not wait by the carriage to greet her husband in advance.

Since it wasn't the usual time to finish work, no one expected Yan Maoqing to return home at this time.

And at this very moment, Bailu is receiving a special guest in the backyard garden...

“Cousin…Sister, I’ve been in the capital for so long and I never knew I had a relative like you, or even that you were my neighbor in the same alley.”

Bai Lu held the old woman's hand. Although she called her "sister" a little awkwardly because of the age difference, you could still see the surprise in her heart.

There is nothing we can do about it.

Back in Fengcheng, although she didn't show her face much in public, the Bai family had many relatives and sisters, and they would often joke and tease each other, so she never felt bored or dull.

But after arriving in the capital, where he had no relatives or friends, he found himself in a strange and unfamiliar place.

Aside from the servants she brought with her, Yan Maoqing was the only truly close relative she had left. She didn't even have anyone she could confide in.

Therefore, waiting for Yan Maoqing to finish his shift has become her only way to relax.

Every time Yan Maoqing was away on duty, it became the most difficult time for her, as she found it extremely boring and tedious.

"As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Now, my sister and I are both relatives and close neighbors, which is a rare and precious connection. We should visit each other often in the future."

The old woman patted Bailu's hand and said with a smile.

This old woman was none other than Yan Song's wife and Yan Shifan's mother—Ouyang Duanshu!
After making inquiries from various sources, she finally confirmed that Bai Lu was the daughter of the young aunt from the Ouyang family who married into the Bai family. Bai Lu was naturally her distant cousin and Yan Shifan's aunt.

At the same time, Yan Shifan finally realized one thing: his trusted servant Yan Liang would probably never return.

This time, he sent someone to the Bai family in Fengcheng, Jiangxi, to recognize their kinship, and also to secretly inquire about Yan Liang's whereabouts along the way.

The final news was that no such person could be found; neither alive nor dead.

If Yan Liang didn't flee somewhere and hide his identity, then he must have... met with some misfortune, and the matter was handled extremely cleanly.

This made Yan Shifan feel a little scared, never expecting Yan Maoqing to be so ruthless.

Fortunately, when he used the "crime of adultery without a husband" to murder Bai Lu in order to strike at Yan Maoqing, he always put Zhang Yusheng in front of him, while he himself remained hidden behind the scenes and was not exposed. In fact, apart from his father Yan Song, even his mother Ouyang Duanshu knew nothing about this matter.

Otherwise, the Yan family would likely suffer Yan Maoqing's furious retaliation now that they are in such a bad situation.

Even the Bai family must hate him to the core, let alone now that they want to claim this kinship...

"Who says otherwise? Speaking of which, my sister is quite skilled at managing her husband."

Bai Lu said with a smile,

"I heard that although my sister's husband was a second-rank official in the imperial court, he and my sister have been married for nearly forty years and are still as loving as ever. He has never had the thought of taking a concubine."

"A couple like my sister and her husband, who are inseparable, is truly enviable."

Speaking of her marriage, Ouyang Duanshu's face beamed with happiness, and she smiled as she said:
"Sister, you flatter me. There is no such thing as a way to manage a husband. I just try my best to be a good wife and mother. It all depends on my husband's unwavering commitment. These men are out in the world, how can a woman like me control them?"

"Speaking of men..."

Bai Lu's smile finally faded slightly, and she said instead,
"It's not that I'm criticizing you, but I wonder if you know that when my husband went to the capital for the imperial examinations, he stayed at the Yuzhang Guild Hall, but was publicly humiliated and kicked out by your son?"

"Is there such a thing?"

Ouyang Duanshu feigned surprise.
"If this is true, then it's like the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple. When I get back, I will definitely not let this unruly son off lightly. Tomorrow I will order him to come and apologize in person!"

"Sister, there's no need to make such a fuss."

Upon hearing this, Bai Lu's expression softened slightly, but she still said...

"Actually, a few days ago my brother-in-law and your son brought generous gifts to my house to congratulate my husband on his housewarming. They probably also wanted to apologize, but my husband was unwilling to accept them."

“Since my husband is so concerned about this matter, he must have suffered a great humiliation at that time, which is something I cannot tolerate.”

"therefore……"

“Although I acknowledge you as my sister, as you just said, when men are out and about, there are many things that are beyond the control of us women.”

“My husband is unwilling to associate with your family, so it is inconvenient for my sister to associate with my elder sister as well.”

"Sister, please go back and don't come again in the future."

"So that my husband might be reminded of the humiliation his son inflicted upon him when he sees my sister, and thus become displeased, then that would be my fault."

Bai Lu only knows this one thing so far, and is completely unaware of the several open and covert attacks between Yan Maoqing and Yan Song and his son.

Otherwise, today Bai Lu would not only refuse to open the door for Ouyang Duanshu, but would also have to hurl a few nasty insults at her through the door.

Even so, she still insisted on following Yan Maoqing's wishes.

Although she had never experienced Yan Maoqing's "humiliation," she understood the principle of "not advising others to be virtuous if you haven't experienced their suffering." Therefore, she would never advise her husband to swallow his "humiliation" because of such a distant relative.

Furthermore, if simply visiting in person to apologize could resolve the feud...

Her husband had already reconciled with Yan Song and his son when they last visited, so why wait until now?
Regardless of whether Ouyang Duanshu was truly unaware, this statement alone lacked any sincerity, and saying anything more would be a waste of breath!
"This……"

Ouyang Duanshu naturally did not expect that Bai Lu, at such a young age, would be such a thoughtful girl.

Faced with Bai Lu's sudden order to leave, she couldn't help but look embarrassed...

at this time.

Liu Laizi, the gatekeeper, ran quickly into the garden and shouted from afar:
"Madam, Madam, Master is back!" This was something Bai Lu had specifically instructed her to do, no matter when, where, or what she was doing.

Whenever Yan Maoqing returns, everyone must immediately run to inform her so that she can personally go to greet him.

"Sister, excuse me."

Bai Lu immediately stood up and went to greet Yan Maoqing herself, giving instructions without turning her head.

"Liu Laizi, see Madam Yan off for me."

……

"Husband, what happened to you? Why did you turn out like this after just showing up for work? Who did this?!"

Upon seeing Yan Maoqing's miserable state, Bai Lu's expression changed drastically. She spun around Yan Maoqing like a top, examining him closely, fearing that he might have other hidden injuries.

"Madam, there's no need to worry. She was just beaten by the Emperor."

Yan Maoqing pressed down on Bailu's shoulder, finally stopping her spinning, and said with a chuckle,

"You know the Emperor, he not only lacks exercise on weekdays, but is also exploited by the three thousand beauties in the harem every night, so he can only suffer some superficial injuries."

"emperor?"

Bai Lu was also taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, and then a hint of roguishness appeared on her pretty face, which was full of doubt.
"Why did the Emperor hit you...? Why would the Emperor personally beat someone? You might as well say you accidentally tripped and fell!"

"Who did it?"

"We can't suffer this in silence. It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. At worst, I'll arrange for some people to ambush him on his way to court and beat him up. I don't believe we can't get our revenge!"

"..."

Yan Maoqing felt that this lady and he were a match made in heaven, and couldn't help but reach out and ruffle Bailu's hair again, bursting into laughter:
"If Madam really does that, it would be a heinous crime of treason, attempting to assassinate the Emperor."

“Not counting the dozens of people in the Yan family, your Bai family and our Yan family will also be exterminated, and my wife and I will have to endure the punishment of slow slicing.”

"Was it really the Emperor who struck him?"

Bai Lu still didn't believe Yan Maoqing's story, but seeing that he didn't seem wronged, she didn't press him further and cooperated with him.

But for some reason, her pretty face suddenly flushed red, and her gaze gradually shifted downwards.

"?!"

Upon seeing this, Yan Maoqing's heart skipped a beat. He quickly withdrew his hand from Bai Lu's head and chuckled awkwardly.
"What's the big deal? The first time I went to the West Garden to see the Emperor, I was given forty strokes of the cane. I'm used to it."

"My lady, you probably don't know, but the other day I actually smeared my snot on the Emperor's robe..."

Just as Yan Maoqing was speaking the truth, Bai Lu and the others took it as boasting.

"Madam Yan, not this way!"

"Madam Yan, you mustn't barge in!"

Liu Laizi was sweating profusely with anxiety. He hurriedly tried to stop Ouyang Duanshu, but due to etiquette and social status, he dared not make physical contact with her. In the end, he still let her force her way here with Bailu.

Bai Lu had no idea that Ouyang Duanshu's visit today was actually a desperate act for the Yan family.

The Yan family is now in a very bad situation, on the verge of being destroyed.

After Yan Song was demoted to the position of magistrate of Datong.

At first, the powerful and the scoundrels in the capital observed for a while and did not take any action. They were just much colder to the Yan family, giving Yan Shifan a few cold shoulders and letting him experience the fickleness of human relationships.

But as time went on, more and more people realized that the Yan family had completely lost its support.

As a result, they became bolder. Regardless of whether they had been bullied by Yan Shifan before, the powerful and the scoundrels began to vie for revenge, exploiting the Yan family to the bone.

Eight or nine out of ten of the Yan family's properties in the capital have been plundered.

The remaining one or two tenths, if not sold quickly enough, would probably already be in the hands of others.

Even now, there are still some scoundrels, whether they are acting on someone's orders or acting on their own initiative, who wander around the Yan residence day and night.

Upon seeing the servants of the Yan family emerge from inside, they would inevitably swarm around them and extort money from them.

Even Yan Shifan was no exception.

A few days ago, he went out and was stopped by several thugs after walking only two blocks.

Yan Shifan had never suffered such humiliation in his life, so he immediately argued with him, and they even started fighting.

As expected, he and his few accompanying servants were all beaten to the ground by the well-prepared scoundrels.

Yan Shifan was beaten so badly that he lay in bed groaning for several days, unable to get up. It was only because he was fat and had thick skin that he was spared serious injuries.

Unfortunately, this matter could not be reported to the authorities, as those scoundrels knew about some of Yan Shifan's illegal activities.

If the matter were to reach the authorities, even if these scoundrels were brought to justice, their confessions would likely be enough to give Yan Shifan a hard time, leaving him no choice but to swallow his pride and bear it...

The most terrifying thing is.

Recently, someone even threw wooden puppets at the Yan residence at night, threatening to sue the Yan family for witchcraft and extortion!
This had completely exceeded the limits of her discussion with Yan Song about using this as a pretext to "catch Yan Shifan with a claw machine"...

Therefore, even though she and Yan Shifan already knew that Yan Song was ostensibly being demoted by the emperor, he was actually secretly going to do something important for the emperor.

If this important matter is accomplished, the Emperor will most likely recall Yan Song and appoint him to a new post. He may even compensate the Yan family for the grievances they have suffered as a result, and Yan Song may even achieve his goal of entering the cabinet in one fell swoop.

But that depends on the Yan family being able to hold out until then!
The Yan family is now on the verge of collapse...

It was only now that Ouyang Duanshu finally gained a comprehensive understanding of Yan Shifan and learned just how many despicable things he had done outside.

It is precisely because of these sordid things.

The Yan family couldn't rely on the government, and even Lu Bing, who had been promised a large sum of money by Yan Song to protect the Yan family, couldn't get involved in many matters...

The Yan family must find a new backer as soon as possible.

The only person Ouyang Duanshu could think of right now was Yan Shifan's uncle-in-law, who was extremely popular with the emperor, so he couldn't care less about saving face...

then.

"Eh?!"

What did she see?
She saw Yan Maoqing, disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes and tattered clothes. He looked no better than Yan Shifan had a few days earlier after being beaten by scoundrels.

What's happening here?
Even when Yan Song was just a Beijing official and not yet a second-rank official, he had never been in such a miserable state.

After all, assaulting a third-rank official of the imperial court could be a serious crime that could cost you your head!
But Yan Maoqing, a high-ranking official of the third rank... seems to be doing worse than Yan Shifan, who is currently like a stray dog.

"Madam, could this Madam Yan be...?"

Yan Maoqing also noticed Ouyang Duanshu. He made a guess just from the way she addressed him, and his expression immediately turned cold.

(End of this chapter)