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

Chapter 184 I Climbed Over the Wall with the Emperor [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true, I saw it all with my own eyes!"

Huang Jin had anticipated Zhu Houcong's reaction, since he himself had been completely unable to believe his eyes when he witnessed the scene.

I rubbed my eyes until they were red and my eyelids were sore from blinking so much.

Only then did he finally believe that what he had seen was not an illusion, and only then did he dare to run back to report to Zhu Houcong.

Otherwise, why would it have taken so long to come back and report?

After all, the way things have developed is simply too unbelievable...

Back in the days of the "Great Rites Controversy".

When the emperor's order to dismiss the court officials failed, he was furious and ordered the Imperial Guards to imprison the eight ringleaders as a warning. This immediately enraged the court officials, making the situation even more uncontrollable.

This forced the emperor to become a tyrant, imprisoning and torturing all officials below the fifth rank, and suspending all officials above the fourth rank from their duties pending punishment.

Even the emperor ultimately had to hold back, and the final result was that only officials of the fourth rank and above were punished by having their salaries suspended, while officials of the fifth rank and below were flogged in court, resulting in the deaths of sixteen low-ranking officials who were not particularly important. This suppressed dissenting voices and minimized the severity of the incident...

Therefore, although the emperor won the "Great Rites Controversy".

But whether it was a complete victory... well, that's a matter of opinion.

Anyway, after that, in order to implement the new policies, the emperor summoned Zhang Cong and Gui E to the capital.

These court officials still dared to cause trouble, and even dared to openly plan the "Meridian Gate Massacre".

This time, the Emperor has regained his spirits and seems to intend to use Yan Maoqing to do something, perhaps even planning to implement new policies.

These court officials immediately started making a fuss again, and taking advantage of the emperor's meeting in the Wenhua Hall, they surrounded the adjacent Court of Imperial Sacrifices...

Anyone with eyes can see who these court officials are targeting. Are they aiming at Yan Maoqing and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices? They are clearly targeting the Emperor himself. This is a slap in the face to the Emperor!

Yet this was a group of audacious courtiers who dared to challenge the emperor's authority.

Now, in front of Yan Maoqing, they were like a flock of innocent little lambs, obediently lying down to take the beating.

They didn't even need Yan Maoqing and the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to lift a finger and administer corporal punishment to each other with court rods!
If this got out, who in their right mind would believe it?
For a fleeting moment, Huang Jin even suspected that Yan Maoqing might possess some kind of evil magic to control people's minds and manipulate the thoughts of these court officials...

"Cough cough..."

Upon hearing Huang Jin's voice, Zhu Houcong finally snapped out of his daze, cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment, and then feigned composure, saying...
"Have you found out exactly why these court officials are behaving this way?"

As he spoke, Zhu Houcong glanced at Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing the three of them also staring in astonishment, seemingly still in shock and even appearing somewhat dazed, he felt a great sense of relief.

"Your Majesty, Yan Maoqing and many court officials recognize me. I was unsure whether I should show myself, so I did not dare to approach and question them."

Huang Jin kowtowed and replied,

"However, when I returned, I specifically searched the surrounding area and found a place where I could hear their conversation clearly and also observe their movements from the shadows..."

Huang Jin did understand Zhu Houcong after all.

At the same time, he had just learned a clever trick from Yan Maoqing's "confiscation of the property of three dukes" a few days ago: "If there are no conditions, create them to make a contribution." This time, he had already begun to apply what he had learned.

Honestly, who doesn't have a positive and progressive mindset?

Although he had been a companion to Zhu Houcong since he was a child, he had gained his deep trust over the years and was not only a royal eunuch but also in charge of the seal of the Directorate of Palace Attendants.

But who doesn't know that in the career planning of eunuchs, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was the highest sacred place?

Now that the Emperor has been on the throne for twenty years, and despite his close relationship with the Emperor, he has still not been promoted to the position of eunuch in the Directorate of Ceremonial. He really needs to look for the reasons within himself...

"Truly my good servant!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong's eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted,

"Lead me to this place immediately, and the three of you come with me!"

Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi finally came to their senses, but they still refused to believe it was real. They even felt that everything that had happened today was so unreal, like a dream.

However, unsure whether it was a dream or reality, they naturally dared not openly disobey Zhu Houcong. At the same time, unable to suppress their own bewilderment and suspicion, they quickly kowtowed.
"Your humble servant obeys the decree..."

"The slaves obey the orders!"

Huang Jin was overjoyed.

Having served Zhu Houcong for so many years, this was the first time he had received such straightforward and emotional praise... Yan Maoqing's methods were indeed brilliant!
At this moment, Huang Jin finally understood why the Emperor had sent Yan Maoqing to tutor the Crown Prince.

Yan Maoqing is a treasure trove; even learning just a tiny bit from him is incredibly beneficial!

only……

We can only learn a little from him, and we must not learn too much or imitate him too closely.

Huang Jin couldn't help but recall the incident a few days ago when the Emperor was so angered by Yan Maoqing that he almost fell ill and was bedridden.

This is because Yan Maoqing is a subject who has no relation to the emperor. If it were the crown prince, whom the emperor cares about most, who did these things, I'm afraid... it would either be a bit of a dethronement of the crown prince or a bit of a dethronement of the emperor, right?

……

Shrine.

This is an independent palace garden built right next to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

The garden was filled with the scent of incense, and the ancient trees, some over a hundred years old, made it feel somewhat gloomy even during the day.

On weekdays, only four hunched old eunuchs are stationed here to continue the incense offerings. For many elderly eunuchs, it is a retirement place that money cannot buy.

The commotion from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was heard most clearly here, and naturally it had already alerted the four old eunuchs.

At this moment, they also brought out the ladder used for cleaning the statues of the gods in the shrine, and with their legs that were no longer very nimble, they climbed up the wall. They were leaning over and looking in the direction of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, marveling at the sight.
"Hey! This young man! Tsk tsk tsk!"

"This old servant is practically on his deathbed, and I've seen all sorts of strange things in the palace, but what I've seen today has truly broadened my horizons!"

"Hey, hey, hey, look over there! Those two sixth-rank officials are getting really angry, they're hitting me without any restraint!"

"These officials have never done this before. They probably can't even control the force of hitting, hitting with intention, or hitting with real force. Who wouldn't be furious if they felt pain?"

"Whoa—the fake fight over there was spotted by the people from the Imperial Household Department, so it has to be restarted."

"I knew those two were faking it a long time ago. Their grip on the cane and the way they exerted force were unprofessional. You have to fight like this to make a big fuss without breaking any bones, so it looks real... Heh heh!"

As he spoke, the old eunuch loosened his grip on the wall to demonstrate, causing the ladder to sway and nearly fall off the wall.

The old eunuch beside him offered a helping hand, then frowned and began to tease:

"Alright, alright. You old bones of yours fell down, and instead of watching the show, you became the show yourself..."

"You two stop arguing and just watch the show."

"Let me tell you, this matter is definitely not over today. Look at those people over there, they're all stubborn and won't back down. I really don't believe this young Grand Tutor would dare to do anything to them. Are you suggesting he'd actually kill them?"

“This old servant thinks those people are easier to deal with; the most difficult to handle are actually these officials who have been beaten.” “What do you mean?”

"Don't you all think about what these officials are doing here? Now that they've been beaten, doesn't that just further confirm the danger posed by this young Grand Tutor's abuse of power?"

"If this gets out, I'm afraid it won't just cause a stir in the court, but it will cause an even bigger uproar in the streets."

"This old servant suspects that these officials are simply going along with the tide. After this incident, the young Grand Tutor's reputation is completely ruined. Didn't the Emperor still have to revoke the Western Investigation Bureau's privileges? Otherwise, how could he quell the situation..."

Just as the old eunuchs were chatting animatedly...

"Bang Bang Bang!"

The sound of knocking on the ladder came from below. The group turned around impatiently and looked down, only to see a middle-aged eunuch in a bullfighting robe glaring angrily at them.

"You gossip, get down here!"

"Eunuch Huang!"

Someone instantly recognized Huang Jin, and the group turned pale with fright. But then they saw four more people standing behind Huang Jin: one in a leather cap, and three in scarlet robes…

Huang Jin was enough to terrify them, but they never expected that the Emperor would also come, bringing with him three high-ranking officials!
And then I thought about all those absurd things they just said...

The old eunuchs felt an overwhelming urge to urinate, and one by one they scrambled down the ladder, landing on their knees with a thud and begging for mercy.
"This servant deserves to die, Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"Shut up!"

Huang Jin immediately stopped them, lest their noise disturb the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the court officials. Then, he secretly glanced at Zhu Houcong, and seeing that he had no reaction, he kicked him and cursed:

"Go to the ancestral hall and slap yourselves fifty times, one-on-one, each of you!"

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!"

The old eunuchs were immediately relieved, but some of them were too weak to stand and had to help each other to get up and leave.

This was indeed an extraordinary act of kindness from Huang Jin; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him their savior.

If, on any other day, a palace eunuch were to speak out about current affairs as they did today, and were overheard by the emperor, even if the emperor did not express his opinion, the chief eunuch would most likely send them to the Zhongguan Tomb that very night.

Huang Jin then ordered them to slap themselves in the face, which was considered punishment, and the matter was considered closed...

However, there were still some things they couldn't understand:

Although the Emperor is obsessed with Taoist cultivation, the shrines in the palace are similar to the kitchen gods in ordinary people's homes, and they would never come in person. Why would he suddenly come today?

If you're coming, why didn't you bring any ceremonial guards or give any prior notice? You just came so quietly, and even sneaked up behind them.
and also!

Why is it a one-on-one slapping? In the past, when people in the palace slapped each other, they would slap themselves, right?
……

After a while.

"..."

Unlike the four old eunuchs from before, Zhu Houcong, Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi also climbed the ladder and peered over the wall to observe secretly.

However, Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi remained extremely reserved. Not only did they not dare to make any comments, but they also felt that the ladder they were standing on was one step shorter than Zhu Houcong's, so they could only stick out half their heads and stand on tiptoe to try to look out.

Huang Jin stayed below, carefully holding onto Zhu Houcong's ladder, not daring to relax his guard in the slightest.

After all, this whole thing was initiated at his suggestion, and if Zhu Houcong were to accidentally fall, he, as the instigator, would definitely be the first to bear the blame...

"Look at those two, they're really fighting tooth and nail, their expressions... I'm afraid they'll never speak to each other again after today."

Zhu Houcong suddenly felt a desire to share, just like the four old eunuchs from before, and pointed outside as he spoke.

Turning around, they saw Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, and Zhang Bi struggling to stand on tiptoe. Zhai Luan and Xu Zan, in particular, were quite old and were being treated with considerable leniency.
"Only by going up one level can you see clearly. I hereby pardon you."

"Thank you, Father..."

The three men looked at each other and smiled bitterly, having no choice but to obey the order.

What is all this about?
They were high-ranking officials of the first or second rank in the imperial court, yet they were acting like thieves, secretly observing from the top of the wall. It was simply improper of them.

But if the Emperor can disregard his dignity and do such a thing, how can they possibly stand still here...?

However, looking back, how many ministers throughout history have been able to be so close to the emperor? This should be considered a special favor, right?

Then they remembered a line of poetry:

"To see a thousand miles further, climb one more story."

Climbing up this ladder, the view suddenly opened up, and the outside scenery was laid out before you.

What's even more amazing is that they were located under the shade of tree canopies, as if they were hiding inside the canopy and looking out. They could see the situation outside clearly, but it was difficult for people outside to see that there were people here.

It must be admitted that Huang Jin really knows how to choose a location; apart from his somewhat indecent behavior, there is nothing wrong with him.

But that's not the point!

The key point is that even without being promoted to a higher position, they can already confirm that the situation is exactly as Huang Jin had said before: these court officials are indeed honestly punishing each other!
This……

What they saw with their own eyes only intensified their sense of the surreal world.

Zhai Luan and Xu Zan were both Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) during the Hongzhi era, and they served under the Hongzhi, Zhengde, and Jiajing emperors.

Although Zhang Bi was slightly younger, he was also a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the sixth year of the Zhengde reign and had served under two emperors.

In particular, Zhai Luan and Xu Zan both survived the period of Liu Jin's dictatorship during the Zhengde era, which was also the time when the Western Depot was restored and Liu Jin was in charge of it alone.

Therefore, no one has more right to speak than them.

Let's put it this way: even Liu Jin back then wouldn't have done such a thing. He neither dared to nor had the ability to do so!
and so……

The three subconsciously shifted their gaze, finally focusing on a young man on the wall of the Imperial Household Department, wearing a scarlet robe, with a peacock embroidered on his chest, and holding a trumpet.

Regardless of whether they had met Yan Maoqing before, they were now quite certain that this young man was indeed Yan Maoqing…

next moment.

Zhu Houcong suddenly asked again:
"Do you think what those old servants said earlier was reasonable?"

"This……"

The three of them were taken aback again, and for a moment they didn't know how to answer.

It can only be described as both reasonable and unreasonable.

indeed!

After this incident, if used properly, it will further solidify the harm caused by the West Depot's privileges and stir up greater public opinion between the court and the people. This can be considered an unsolvable tactic of retreating to advance.

But this also fails to explain why these court officials "went with the flow".
What kind of power, and how powerful, could force these court officials to take this step?
Or perhaps, does the emperor himself possess such power?
At that moment, all three of them felt a tightness in their chests...

This Yan Maoqing must possess extraordinary abilities that are unknown to others, far surpassing them!
(End of this chapter)