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

Chapter 179 Ordered by Imperial Decree to Seek Fame and Reputation [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

On the way back, Yan Maoqing continued to ponder this question.

However, compared to when he was in the palace, his mind was much calmer and more rational.

Doing what Yihuo did was definitely not something that could be accomplished in a few words; for him, it was an extremely difficult task.

Huo Guang inherited the political legacy of Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and even Crown Prince Liu Ju. In the process of controlling the government, he also won over a large number of important officials in the court.

What does he have?
To put it bluntly, an official like him, who was quickly promoted by Zhu Houcong from a newly appointed scholar, had no reputation, no family background, and all his power came from Zhu Houcong.

This is not much different from the eunuchs in the palace.
So now he is Liu Jin, he is Wei Zhongxian, and he has no right to think too much.

When Zhu Houcong gave him a friendly look, he could do whatever he wanted.

Once Zhu Houcong no longer liked him, eliminating him was as simple as saying a word or even giving a single glance, leaving him no room to struggle.

In this situation, how can they possibly do what Ikhov did?

You might as well cover yourself with the blanket and go to sleep; you can dream about anything.

Furthermore, given Zhu Houcong's extreme attachment to and sensitivity to power, if he showed even the slightest hint of disloyalty, it would likely be quickly detected and nipped in the bud...

After all, this was an emperor who, despite not having court officials for over twenty years, was still able to firmly maintain control of the government.

Underestimating him would have resulted in the old man hanging himself.

and so……

This idea can only be reserved for the last desperate gamble, and it must be carefully considered, or even started now, without leaving any trace.

Instead of thinking about these trivial things now.

Instead, we should carefully consider how to deal with the reactions from both the government and the public.

Although Zhu Houcong granted the Court of Imperial Sacrifices special privileges under the guise of assisting the Crown Prince in overseeing the country, anyone who isn't an idiot can see that these are actually privileges of the Western Depot.

And he was a male eunuch from the Western Depot.

Therefore, the government and the public will surely unite to publicize this matter extensively, launch a fierce attack on him and the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and demand the abolition of this power.

However, at this time, he and the officials of the Imperial Household Department should not be under too much pressure.

After all, he and the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had not yet started doing anything, and since the edict was issued by Zhu Houcong, the pressure would naturally be placed on Zhu Houcong first.

However, he must have anticipated this before making this decision and had already thought of a countermeasure.

After Zhu Houcong withstood the first wave of pressure...

The pressure will quickly shift to him and the officials of the Imperial Household Department. Their past mistakes and future actions will be scrutinized and magnified, distorted and fabricated, resulting in a massive wave of infamy.

As a minister in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, he naturally bore the brunt of the criticism.

Yan Maoqing was not afraid of bearing a bad reputation.

But infamy varies in severity, and this time, the infamy could very well lead him to suffer the same fate as the former powerful eunuch Liu Jin, who was executed by slow slicing. This is something he absolutely cannot bear lightly...

But it's not up to him to decide this.

There is a saying: "It is easier to prevent a river from overflowing than to prevent people from speaking out."

It's impossible to prevent, and the more you do, the more mistakes you make, and the greater your infamy becomes.

Ultimately, it will inevitably develop into a form of infamy, such as blocking channels of communication, eliminating dissidents, and persecuting loyal officials, evolving into more acute social contradictions. This will force Zhu Houcong to use him as a scapegoat in order to quell public anger and maintain national stability.

For many powerful ministers, eunuchs, and reformers throughout history, this was a death spiral from which they could not escape.

However, if Yan Maoqing remembers correctly.

This sentence also has a second half: "Therefore, those who govern rivers should dredge them to guide their flow; those who govern the people should encourage them to speak."

In other words, the correct way to prevent floods is to guide the flow of water, and the correct way to silence public opinion is to encourage open discussion... encourage open discussion...

The opposite of "bearing a bad reputation" should be "seeking fame and fortune"...

Got it!

What if I not only do nothing from now on, but also use this unlimited power to employ even more shameless means to intensify my "seeking fame and reputation"?
Would this allow us to escape this death spiral, offset some of the criticism, and even win a good reputation?
Also.

"Opening up channels for discussion" is also a brilliant way to break the deadlock!

Because Zhu Houcong could not control the flow of speech, he had previously relied on passive measures such as "preventing people from speaking out." What he was most resistant to was opening up channels for public opinion, and he even risked infamy by using court beatings to establish his authority.

If I do this, won't I be putting him in a huge problem?

Given this, it would be strange if Zhu Houcong didn't revoke the Western Depot's privileges, order me to be dismissed and live in seclusion, and send me back to my hometown in retirement!

stable!
This time it's a sure thing!

Therefore, crisis is often a crisis, for opportunities are often hidden within perilous situations!

So Yan Maoqing immediately called out to the coachman:
"I'm not going home yet, send me back to the palace immediately!"

……

Qianqing Palace.

"After receiving my imperial decree, Yan Maoqing said two sentences: 'I'm done playing' and 'I'm tired, let's destroy it, hurry up and do it'?"

Zhu Houcong frowned and asked.

The Crown Prince Xianma Lü Maocai, who had come to report again, bowed and replied:

"Besides these two sentences, Yan Butang also divided the Court of Imperial Sacrifices into two parts, namely the Lecture Hall and the Hall of Affairs."

"The Lecture Hall was dedicated to the Crown Prince's early education and included all officials who had previously resisted the new rotation system, as well as those he had personally promoted from the Hanlin Academy."

"The Hall of State Affairs is in charge of investigating criminal cases and has included me, the officials who previously followed the new rotation system, and Yan Shifan, who recently came to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices as the Left Director."

"The officials who were not assigned to the Hall of State Affairs had some complaints, but Minister Yan threatened to send them back to the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Personnel, so they had no choice but to endure it."

"Then, Minister Yan left in a panic..."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong's expression turned surprised, and a pleased smile appeared on his lips. This damned scoundrel was indeed quick-witted.

They even thought of separating the Crown Prince from this privilege that was bound to attract controversy in advance, so as not to cause the Crown Prince any trouble.

I never imagined that such a thing could be done; I only thought that the Crown Prince was still young and the impact would be minimal…

As expected of the scoundrel I chose, his lazy donkey-like nature, which only moves an inch when whipped, is utterly annoying.

The personnel assigned to this position also have some interesting ideas.

It turns out that his previous absurd "internal new regulations" were actually a way to test the quality of these subordinate officials. The honest ones were used to enlighten the crown prince, while the slightly unorthodox but obedient ones were kept for other uses. It was quite novel.

Yet he was able to use the water correctly regardless of whether it was clear or murky.

With this mindset and understanding, one is already worthy of the title "a minister who can assist a king"!
Having this man is like Emperor Wu of Han having the Marquis of Champion.

This is the will of Heaven; Heaven has bestowed talent upon me and auspicious omens upon the Ming Dynasty!
Just as I was thinking this.

"Report——!"

A shout suddenly came from outside the hall:
"Yan Maoqing, the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, requests an audience outside the palace!"

"This……"

Lü Maocai's expression tightened.

He was also worried because he didn't know how Yan Maoqing would treat him after learning that he often came to inform the Emperor.

the most important is.

Through his observations over this period of time, he could tell that the Emperor treated Yan Maoqing very differently.

If Yan Maoqing learns of his traitorous identity, he will surely expel him from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

He had good reason to suspect that even if the Emperor considered his hard work, he would not step in to stop Yan Maoqing. At most, he would just promote him and transfer him to another department.

This was naturally an outcome he did not want to accept.

After all, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had only recently been granted such privileges, and he had just been assigned to the Hall of Affairs.

With such privileged status, even real princes and nobles had to look up to him. Wouldn't it be a huge loss to transfer him to another department at this time?

Fortunately, after hearing the report, Zhu Houcong immediately gave Huang Jin a wink:
"Huang Ban, first take him out through the back door of the inner hall, then summon Yan Maoqing to the hall for an audience."

"The slaves obey the order."

"I will take my leave..."

Lu Maocai felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude and followed Huang Jin, crouching low like a thief, into the inner hall.

……

After a while.

"I pay my respects to my sovereign and father."

After bowing with his rear end sticking out, Yan Maoqing immediately frowned and wailed.
"My lord, I do not know what I have done wrong that you would force me to my death. So... will your favor disappear?"

"..."

Huang Jin listened from the side, genuinely wanting to ask Yan Maoqing where he learned these ridiculous and absurd remarks.

"You scoundrel! When did I ever force you to your death?"

Zhu Houcong then put on a stern face, glared at him, and scolded him irritably.

"By transferring the special privileges of the Western Depot to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Your Majesty is tantamount to cutting yourself off from the court and the world. How can I possibly survive?"

Yan Maoqing continued wailing,
"Your Majesty, I only have one question at this moment: can this imperial edict be revoked?"

"Oh!"

Zhu Houcong slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, forcefully silencing Yan Maoqing's audacious words, before calmly saying:

“A king’s word is law. You might as well disobey the imperial decree and see which path leads to survival, or which leads to death: cutting yourself off from the court and the world, or cutting yourself off from me.”

"Wei Chen dare not..."

Yan Maoqing sniffed pitifully, then said...
"In that case, I have another small request, and I humbly request Your Majesty to grant it."

"explain."

“Since the Emperor wants the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to exercise the power of investigating criminal cases, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices’ office is probably no longer suitable. We can’t just bring the criminals and thieves we’ve apprehended into the palace. First, it would be against the rules; second, it would disturb the peace of the palace; and third, there would probably be security risks.”

Yan Maoqing kowtowed and said,

"I wonder if Your Majesty has any vacant estates outside the palace? If you could grant me one for the Imperial Household Department to renovate and use, then my subordinates and I could better serve Your Majesty..."

"Huang Jin, you handle this matter."

Zhu Houcong, without suspecting anything, agreed, and his tone finally softened somewhat.
"Yan Maoqing, I have granted you such special privileges this time because I see that you are decisive in your actions and know how to adapt to changing circumstances. Therefore, I have entrusted you with such an important task."

"I hope you won't disappoint me this time either."

"Wei Chen dare not."

Yan Maoqing kowtowed to express his gratitude.

He certainly wouldn't disappoint Zhu Houcong; he would only surprise him.

Now that we have this manor specially approved by Zhu Houcong, we can smoothly carry out our sure-fire plan to gain fame and reputation in his name...

This could be considered acting on orders to seek fame and fortune, right?

When Zhu Houcong finally gets his comeuppance, he'll have nowhere to turn for help, and his blood pressure will skyrocket.

By then, my reputation will have been established, and it will be difficult for them to kill me.

Zhu Houcong could only resentfully dismiss me from my post and allow me to retire and return to my hometown.

One word, steady!

(End of this chapter)