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

Chapter 192 This time, no splitting the profits, this humble subject wants it all! [Seeking monthly votes]

"What do you mean?"

Zhu Houcong was momentarily stunned and a look of doubt crossed his face.

He felt that his performance today should be enough to intimidate this smoky bastard.

Because everything he said today was pre-planned in his mind, aiming to catch people off guard, using a combination of coaxing, deception, and trickery, turning the tables on them.

Having witnessed Yan Maoqing flog all the court officials at the shrine that day, and combined with the record of Shen Lian's personal experience in the Anda King's court, Zhu Houcong felt that he had figured out this scoundrel's ways.

Today, we're using this despicable method to deal with this despicable person, and the main point is "self-contradiction".

He refused to believe that Yan Maoqing possessed the sharpest spear and the strongest shield, capable of perfectly defending against even his own tactics...

Unexpectedly, Yan Maoqing started talking nonsense again, and even his accent changed.
What does this mean, and what does it have to do with cherry blossoms?

"Your Majesty's meaning is that it is my duty to eradicate the White Lotus and clear my name. I humbly accept Your Majesty's grace."

Yan Maoqing kowtowed and accepted the imperial decree.

"very good."

Zhu Houcong was secretly pleased, thinking to himself that there was no lazy donkey in the world he couldn't control, but his face remained tense as he turned to Huang Jin and said...

"Huang Ban, immediately draft an imperial edict to the Imperial Stables ordering Cao Zhen to return the military tally of the Warriors Battalion. From this day forward, the Warriors Battalion will be under the command of Yan Maoqing, without fail!"

"This servant obeys..."

Huang Jin was about to kowtow and agree.

"Father, please wait!"

Yan Maoqing, however, spoke up at the opportune moment, forcefully interrupting him, and said seriously,
“Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness, but the Warriors Camp may be just right for protecting Your Majesty and guarding the palace. However, it is a bit naive to use it to help me eliminate the White Lotus Sect.”

"childish?"

Zhu Houcong was taken aback. "What you're trying to say is that it's a bit childish, like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, isn't it?"

“Your Majesty has not misheard, and I did not make a slip of the tongue. What I meant to say was the word ‘childish’.”

Yan Maoqing bowed, his eyes lowered in a submissive manner, and said...

"What is the current level of Your Majesty's imperial guards? Are they capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of suppressing the bandits? Even if I have never witnessed it with my own eyes, does Your Majesty not have any idea at all?"

"???"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong's eyes widened, and his anger visibly surfaced.

This was the first time he had ever seen such a madman who not only took advantage of the situation but also dared to nitpick and criticize him!

In fact, wasn't that obvious disdain, or even a question?
These are his personal guards, and the elite of them all!

Who doesn't know that I've already shown this smoky thing an unprecedented level of sincerity in making this decision? Not only does it not appreciate it, but it even dares to turn around and complain about me and question me.

"!!!"

Huang Jin's mind went blank for a moment. Seeing the angry look on Zhu Houcong's face, he quickly lowered his head again to search for the gaps between the bricks in the capital.

He strongly suspected that Yan Maoqing was doing this on purpose again!
This audacious scoundrel is retaliating against the emperor and his gang for staged an accident.

Then the two heard Yan Maoqing, still with his head down, continue speaking meekly and obediently:

"Under their protection, the imperial palace and the imperial residence were repeatedly ravaged by fire. Even when the emperor's father was on a southern tour and the palace caught fire, the emperor's father was nowhere to be found. Commander Lu had to break down the door and personally rush into the fire to rescue the emperor's father."

"A few days ago, a group of palace maids attempted an assassination attempt on the palace. I heard that these imperial guards were also completely unaware of this, and even needed the emperor to secretly hide a short sword for protection."

"Your Majesty can use these imperial guards, but I am not as broad-minded as you are, so I cannot use them with peace of mind."

"You! You! You!!!"

At this point, the veins on Zhu Houcong's temples were bulging and throbbing, and his face was as red as blood.

Don't slap people in the face when you hit them, don't expose their shortcomings when you scold them!
True gold fears no fire, but the truth is the most hurtful!

Yan Maoqing's words, which were so truthful they couldn't be more so, sounded like they were exposing Zhu Houcong's shortcomings, and every word was extremely grating.

No matter how dominant he had pretended to be or how ruthless he had acted, the things Yan Maoqing mentioned were undeniable facts, forcing him to be constantly on guard against everyone.

Even if he were the emperor.

He was also a lonely man, someone who couldn't even fully control the imperial guards, a frightened bird who couldn't even fully control his own safety.

These are all facts, but they are facts that Zhu Houcong is unwilling to admit no matter what.

He had already made many efforts before this, but without exception, they were all in vain.

Even when things show slight improvement, they quickly revert to their original state, or even worsen...

As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he would never admit his weakness, his powerlessness, or his insignificance, even though it was true.

But this scoundrel who's always spewing smoke dared to expose his shortcomings to his face!
This is utterly deceitful!

"..."

Sweat uncontrollably seeped from Huang Jin's temples.

He had already made preparations in secret, tensing his muscles to be ready to explode at the start, so that if the emperor stumbled, he would immediately rush up to help him.

Fortunately, Yan Maoqing knew when to stop. After slightly angering Zhu Houcong, he quickly changed the subject and continued:

"Father, please forgive me. These words come from the bottom of my heart. Although they are hard to hear, they are all loyal advice."

"Although I am often unable to understand Your Majesty's will, I never stop thinking about Your Majesty's health."

“Especially the things Your Majesty has done recently, such as thoroughly investigating the powerful and wealthy for encroaching on the interests of the people, granting me privileges comparable to those of the Western Depot, and the fact that the matter of Datong has already alerted the enemy.”

"Although I know that Your Majesty has the heart to govern diligently, some things are better done slowly. If we are too hasty, it may lead to unforeseen circumstances, causing some treacherous traitors with ulterior motives to take risks, which would put Your Majesty in danger."

"Even if I don't say it, Your Majesty is certainly aware of it."

"The siege of the Imperial Household Department a few days ago, and today's false accusation that I am colluding with the White Lotus Sect, although these things seem to be attacks on me, are actually all aimed at the Emperor and Father."

"Your Majesty, I would not regret dying, but Your Majesty's life is of utmost importance and is related to the rise and fall of the nation. I implore Your Majesty to be careful and take precautions. From now on, you must prioritize Your Majesty's health in all matters and refrain from acting impulsively!"

Oh, silly Zhu, silly Zhu.

You always accuse me of being pretentious, but aren't you the one who does whatever you want?
Tell me yourself, before you made these decisions recently, did you even consult me ​​once, or consider my feelings?

It was one thing to ask me to help Guo Xun before, and another to suddenly appoint me as the head of the Western Depot, but now you're giving me the Tiger Tally for the Imperial Guards. Are you afraid I won't make enough enemies and live too long...?

You silly Zhu, remember this! Haste makes waste! Haste makes waste! Haste makes waste!

Repeat after me three times: This is important!

As the Tao Te Ching says, "Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish," and there's also a folk saying, "Haste makes waste."

It's not that we're not going to do it, but we have to do it slowly, carefully, and efficiently, in a rhythmic manner, and we have to handle each case individually. We can't do it blindly... Especially since we could have waited until I retired and returned to my hometown to do it. With you making such a fuss, I have one thing after another. How am I supposed to retire and return to my hometown?

"snort--!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong finally let out a long nasal sound, the flush on his face gradually fading. He glanced at him and said irritably,

"I never thought that you, a scoundrel, could occasionally spew out a couple of ivory tusks."

"..."

Huang Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thinking to himself that Yan Maoqing's ability to "control his temper" seemed to have improved recently, he could soothe the emperor's anger, which he had stirred up, without having to force a reversal.

Then he heard Zhu Houcong pause for a moment, and then ask:
"I must remind you that this trip to Shanxi to eradicate the White Lotus Sect is not the same as the trip to the capital. Even if you are eloquent, without the help of troops, not only will you be unable to succeed, but you may also not return. Are you sure you don't want to lead the troops?"

"Your Majesty, you misunderstand. Your humble servant is only worried that leading the Warriors Battalion there will only lead to our quicker demise. It is not that I do not wish to lead the troops there."

Yan Maoqing said with a grin.

"Which battalion of troops do you intend to lead to handle this matter?"

Zhu Houcong asked in confusion, as he could find no troops more suitable than the Warriors Battalion to assist Yan Maoqing in this matter.

After all, both he and Yan Maoqing knew that eradicating the White Lotus Sect was only the stated mission of this trip.

The real priority is the matter of achieving harmony, and accomplishing this will inevitably involve the border troops and the Prince of Dai, and there is a real possibility of military friction and conflict.

If someone were pushed to the brink and, like during the Zhengde era when Liu Jin was eliminated, raised an army in the name of "eliminating Yan Maoqing," and simply killed Yan Maoqing, then all would truly be over.

No matter how much trouble Zhu Houcong causes in the future, no one can touch Datong!
To be honest, Zhu Houcong did indeed gamble this time.

He was extremely reluctant to send Yan Maoqing to handle this matter.

This matter is far too risky. If Yan Maoqing perishes, he will lose everything. This is a gamble that will affect the fate of the nation.

Now that things have come to this, even Guo Xun and Yan Song, who were stationed in Datong, couldn't accomplish this task. Apart from Yan Maoqing, he really couldn't think of anyone else who had the ability to do so.

Not letting Yan Maoqing handle it is tantamount to admitting defeat.

Although it is extremely risky to let Yan Maoqing handle this, once he wins this battle, the entire Ming Dynasty will be revitalized.

It can be said that he had now tied the fate of the Ming Dynasty, himself, and Yan Maoqing together. No matter how reluctant he was, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and send Yan Maoqing in.

Because he is the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, this is something he must do!

“Your Majesty, as I just said, the Ming army is now rotten to the core. The generals and court officials are intertwined, and the soldiers have become desensitized and lost their fighting spirit. There is not a single battalion capable of shouldering this heavy responsibility.”

Yan Maoqing finally displayed an unusual seriousness, bowing with utmost solemnity, and said...
"I humbly request Your Majesty to allow the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to recruit and train troops on its own. Otherwise, even if Your Majesty were to kill me, I would never dare to do such a thing!"

"Recruiting and training troops again would probably cost a lot of money, wouldn't it?"

Zhu Houcong frowned.

"It's not about the quantity of soldiers, but about their elite status. Two thousand soldiers are enough; it's more economical than mobilizing the entire Warrior Battalion!"

Yan Maoqing said with full confidence.

That is, the "Jiajing Wokou Rebellion" has not yet occurred, in which 53 Japanese pirates landed in Zhejiang, went straight to the capital Nanjing, rampaged for more than 80 days, and killed and wounded four or five thousand soldiers and many commanders and officers.

Otherwise, Zhu Houcong would have known just how incredibly corrupt the Ming army had become.

Two thousand well-trained elite troops, coupled with the special privileges granted by the imperial power to the Western Depot and the simple battle tactics that have been tested by history, how many times could they fight their way in and out of the territory of the Ming Dynasty, let alone a mere Shanxi?
As for the candidates to recruit and train the troops, Yan Maoqing had already made his plans in advance.

One is Shen Kun, and the other is Gao Gong.

Both of them were from military backgrounds. Shen Kun was a famous general who fought against Japanese pirates, certified by history. He trained a thousand "top-ranking soldiers" at his own expense. They never lost a battle against the Japanese pirates and even fought their way out of the "Buried Japanese Pirate Mountain"!
"Then this money..."

Zhu Houcong then tentatively probed, seemingly hesitant.

“Recently, powerful and influential people in the capital have returned a lot of property that was previously illegally seized. After deducting the portion returned to the people, there must still be a considerable surplus.”

Yan Maoqing's eyes were already sparkling, and he immediately spoke first.

"I humbly request Your Majesty to allocate fifty percent of this amount to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices for recruiting and training soldiers!"

"No!"

Zhu Houcong's expression immediately changed, and he took a step back, saying...

"I still have other uses for this money, and besides, it will need to be divided among Guo Xun, Zhu Xizhong, and Zhang Rong in the future... It would be best to use the 400,000 taels of silver that I entrusted to you first!"

and many more? !
Upon hearing this, Huang Jin was also startled.

He was unaware that Yan Maoqing had previously extorted a total of 400,000 taels of silver from Anda, and had always believed it was the initial 100,000 taels.

Upon suddenly hearing this number, their gazes towards Zhu Houcong and Yan Maoqing changed.

The two of them had hidden themselves so well that it was astonishing how they had managed to secretly "transact" 300,000 taels of silver without the old servant's knowledge.

Yan Maoqing had previously acted with such righteous indignation, and even shamelessly declared that he would put Guo Xun's family aside for the greater good.

His silver is probably comparable to that of a duke, isn't it?

You have to understand that this is cash; land and property are separate matters. Yet this guy still managed to "confiscate" the property of three dukes in one fell swoop, acting like he's a decent person!

He's already so greedy, yet he still has the audacity to ask the Emperor to split the profits 50/50?

Even the Emperor could lower himself to haggle with him?

Even now, this step back is taken with such seriousness?
"..."

Huang Jin felt his worldview was about to be shattered; it was as if he had only truly come to know Zhu Houcong today.

What is this thing called?
The emperor didn't act like an emperor, and the ministers didn't act like ministers; they seemed more like two treacherous officials in the court, discussing how to divide the spoils, and even displaying petty and calculating manners...

If this matter were to spread, wouldn't it be even more explosive than the question of whether Yan Maoqing was colluding with the White Lotus Sect?

Then he saw Yan Maoqing pondering for a moment, pinching his chin, before suddenly clapping his hands and laughing:
"It's not impossible..."

"Even if Your Majesty did not invest this time, all the proceeds from this trip to Shanxi will belong to me. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

(End of this chapter)