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

Chapter 202 This bastard is utterly worthless! [Seeking monthly votes]

"This……"

Despite Yan Shifan's words, Yan Maoqing still appeared troubled on the surface.

But inwardly he couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder he's the legendary Little Grand Secretary, the weightlifting champion of the Ming Dynasty!"
Just that one sentence, "Does Your Majesty want to make a mountain out of a molehill?" already reveals his "heroic" nature. How could he not lead the Yan family to destruction?

of course.

Yan Maoqing understood even better why Yan Shifan was so proactive this time.

Isn't it all because of the Datong incident that his father, Yan Song, could return to the capital for reinstatement, and whether the Yan family could continue to enjoy wealth and status in the future?
Now Yan Song is clearly out of his depth. Under my deliberate guidance, Yan Shifan must have placed his last hope for success on me and has no choice but to do his utmost to push me to go to Shanxi to suppress the White Lotus Sect.

This guy claims he's thinking of Yan Maoqing, but in reality, he's considering the future of the Yan family!

Could it be that Yan Shifan has genuinely accepted this cheap uncle-in-law?

As for whether doing so will offend the bureaucratic class.

Yan Shifan probably couldn't care less about anything else; he had no choice but to gamble on his only hope.

After all, if his father couldn't return to the capital and be reinstated, he would forever be a homeless dog.

Even if you tuck your tail between your legs and try not to offend anyone, you'll never be able to hold your head high again. If you want to protect yourself, you'll still have to slink away from the capital...

Yan Maoqing's use of Yan Shifan this time was also driven by the idea of ​​letting professionals handle professional matters.

As the saying goes, "Snakes have their ways, and rats have their ways."

Although he had considered how to embezzle and settle accounts from Feng Jinzhong's perspective, those were all general ideas and he couldn't delve into the specific details of the operation.

Yan Shifan, however, was different.

This historically renowned Grand Secretary must have been well-versed in this matter; no one understood the ways of these corrupt officials better than the Grand Secretary!
"Uncle-in-law, take care of it. I'll leave everything to my nephew. Don't worry about it, Uncle-in-law!"

Yan Shifan's eyes were burning with desire, wishing he could make the decision for Yan Maoqing.

"Then... let's do it?"

Yan Maoqing remained hesitant.

"We have no choice but to do it!"

Yan Shifan spoke with absolute certainty.

"Alright, get ready and wait for my orders."

"I'd go through fire and water for you, Uncle!"

……

In the coming days...

Several things are happening simultaneously, and progressing rapidly.

First, there was Huang Jin's elimination of dissidents within the Bureau of Military Affairs.

Whether he admits it or not, he was genuinely frightened by Yan Maoqing's words, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

To prevent this audacious and reckless person from doing something terrible that could implicate me.

From the very first day he took charge of the Bureau of Military Affairs, he immediately began a major reshuffle of officials. In just three days, he used various means to replace all the key positions with his own confidants.

In particular, Yan Maoqing emphasized the gunpowder department and the armory.

He even set up a large number of sentries, both overt and covert, to ensure that not even a mosquito could freely enter or leave;

Secondly, the modification of the "self-generated musket" also began rapidly after Huang Jin took over the Ordnance Bureau.

He was already very clear in his mind that he was here on orders to cooperate with Yan Maoqing, so he would follow his lead and would not let these trivial matters become an obstacle.

Most importantly, he didn't want to provoke Yan Maoqing, otherwise Yan Maoqing might cause him some trouble.

Although the armory currently only has 1,200 foreign muskets, it is not enough to meet Yan Maoqing's requirements.

However, this did not prevent the craftsmen from carrying out the renovations in batches;
Secondly, this occurred immediately after Huang Jin had completed the reshuffling of officials.

Yan Shifan immediately led the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to conduct an audit!

Upon meeting Yan Shifan and the officials of the Hall of Affairs, Huang Jincai finally vaguely guessed what Yan Maoqing was planning to do.

Yan Maoqing is determined to hunt down Feng Jinzhong to the bitter end.

Even though Feng Jinzhong has been transferred elsewhere by the Emperor, he can forget about having a peaceful life. All debts, old and new, must be settled one by one!

Even Huang Jin had to admit that Yan Maoqing had the ability to recognize talent.

Although Yan Shifan was ugly and deformed, he was really cut out for this kind of thing!
When outside auditors arrive, they bring out the Bureau of Arms and Weapons' past accounts and check them item by item, looking for any discrepancies.

Yan Shifan was different.

He directly summoned the suppliers, laborers, overseers, and craftsmen associated with the Bureau of Arms and Weapons, and used coercion and bribery to create additional accounts from their testimonies before finally bringing out the Bureau of Arms and Weapons' own accounts for verification.

Upon verification, the seemingly flawless accounts were immediately riddled with inconsistencies and errors.

At this moment.

Huang Jin finally understood the meaning of Yan Maoqing's earlier words, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

He was taking precautions to prevent someone from resorting to desperate measures and using the gunpowder division to cause a major incident to destroy evidence...

That thing emitting blue smoke is so meticulous! It's so airtight, it doesn't give us a single chance!
Huang Jin really wanted to ask Feng Jinzhong a question:
"Just give him whatever he wants, why do you have to provoke him?"

Moreover, it wasn't just Feng Jinzhong; Cao Zhen, the head of the Imperial Horse Administration, was also implicated.

Yan Shifan led his men to the Imperial Horse Administration and demanded that Cao Zhen order the armory of the Four Guards to cooperate in verifying the weapons, especially the batch of foreign muskets that had recently been taken away.

Cao Zhen made only a few excuses before Yan Shifan, using the special privileges of the Western Depot, ordered his arrest. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the accounts showed 2,400 foreign muskets had actually been delivered.

However, the four guards only received 800 muskets, a difference of two-thirds, which is astonishing!
At this moment, Huang Jincai finally understood why Feng Jinzhong had provoked Yan Maoqing.

Because he simply couldn't produce what Yan Maoqing wanted; it had all been used by him and Cao Zhen to balance their accounts. They were like a skilled cook without rice to cook...

……

Qianqing Palace.

"That bastard..."

Over the past few days, as Huang Jin continued to report news, Zhu Houcong's mood became more and more complicated.

He had already realized that he had misjudged the situation and had thought too highly of Yan Maoqing.

That bastard is not even human!
He never considered my situation. He took my token and went straight to my "cooks". There was no question of restraining my hands and feet. He only restrained the hands and feet of those eunuchs!

"Yan Maoqing has already arrested Feng Jinzhong and Cao Zhen?"

Zhu Houcong looked up at Huang Jin.

"Not only that, but 40% of the eunuchs from the Bureau of Armory and the Imperial Horse Administration have been arrested and are currently being held in a prison converted from the back garden of the Jixia Academy."

Huang Jin bowed and said,

"Nowadays, all the eunuchs in the Twenty-Four Offices are living in fear, and even the people in the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs are acting much more discreetly."

"Um……"

Zhu Houcong let out a long sigh, not even asking Yan Maoqing how he planned to deal with these people, but simply rubbing his temples.

"Inform Lu Bing that the Embroidered Uniform Guard should begin to strengthen patrols of the palace day and night in the coming days, implement the strictest curfew in the palace, carefully check anyone who moves around, and keep detailed records of all palace gates and halls."

"The slaves obey the order."

Huang Jin bowed in response.

Yan Maoqing's actions certainly warrant strengthening palace security; the Emperor has it tough.

"Issue another imperial edict, ordering Duke Zhu Xizhong of Chengguo and Duke Zhang Rong of Yingguo to take command of the Four Guards Battalion and the Warriors Battalion, and to keep a close eye on these imperial guards for me in the coming days."

Zhu Houcong thought for a moment, then said,
"By the way, what do you think of Yan Maoqing's sudden request for the Armory to modify the self-propelled musket?"

Huang Jin answered truthfully:

"This servant ordered someone to conduct a thorough comparison and testing."

"This self-propelled musket is indeed ingenious. It is more stable to fire than the foreign musket and is not afraid of rain or wind."

"Moreover, after changing to a breech-loading ammunition similar to that of a Franco cannon, the firing efficiency has increased several times."

"In addition, the accuracy seems to have improved, but I don't know if it varies from person to person."

"However, I think the most commendable thing is that the steps of loading, charging and firing the self-propelled musket have been greatly simplified."

"Since I went to the Armory, I still haven't learned how to use the foreign musket."

"But the servant only looked at the self-made bird gun a few times and tried it under the guidance of the craftsman. Now she can shoot it on her own, and if she's lucky, she can even hit the bullseye thirty paces away."

"So many benefits?"

Zhu Houcong was somewhat incredulous upon hearing this.

"This was all Yan Maoqing's doing. He actually has this kind of ability?"

"Your Majesty, this self-generating arquebus was not actually created by Yan Maoqing."

Huang Jin bowed and said,
"This item was made by craftsmen from the Bureau of Armory several years ago, but unfortunately it was banned by order of Feng Jinzhong."

"This time, Yan Maoqing learned about this item while chatting with the craftsmen when he went to the Armory to ask for the foreign bird gun. Since I took over the Armory, I have been actively involved in its modification, which is why it was completed."

"Yan Maoqing also asked his servants to petition for these craftsmen to improve their salaries and status, and to bestow honors upon them as encouragement."

Upon hearing this, a hint of displeasure finally appeared on Zhu Houcong's face:

"These treacherous servants, I treated them so well before, and they not only held their positions without doing anything, but they even dared to hinder the advancement of military equipment. Is this how they repay me?"

"It seems I have indulged them for too long, making them forget what it means to have reverence!"

"Draft an imperial edict to inform the Court of Imperial Sacrifices that the investigation need not proceed further."

"Behead Feng Jinzhong and Cao Zhen and confiscate their property. After confiscating the property of the rest, they can be used as the clean army!"

"The slaves obey the order."

Huang Jin's heart skipped a beat, and he bowed slightly.

"This thing that's emitting blue smoke is quite convincing. These craftsmen deserve a reward. You're in charge of the Armory, so you can handle it yourself."

Zhu Houcong then said,
"Bring me two 'self-propelled muskets' later and send them to the West Garden. I'll try them out when I have some free time."

"Speaking of which... Yan Shifan's performance this time has exceeded my expectations. It seems that the rumors outside may not be credible. At least from this incident, it can be seen that Yan Shifan is also a decisive and fearless person."

"..."

This time, Huang Jin didn't respond.

He had been in contact with Yan Shifan before, and was quite certain that the previous rumors were absolutely credible.

However, he had to admit that when he saw the one-eyed fat man again, there were indeed some obvious changes in his appearance.

(End of this chapter)