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

Chapter 205 I Want to Join the Jixia Academy [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Father, please forgive me..."

Feng Jinzhong kowtowed, knowing he had no way out and had nothing to hold back. He then revealed his and Cao Zhen's previous plans.

That day, Yan Maoqing used his privileges as a member of the Western Depot to pressure Feng Jinzhong and Cao Zhen into giving him the foreign muskets. Feng Jinzhong and Cao Zhen were already evenly matched and could not produce them no matter what.

To prevent their scheme from being exposed and leading to their deaths, the two discussed the matter and made the worst-case scenario plan, vowing to fight Yan Maoqing to the end.

But Yan Maoqing didn't play by the rules.

He immediately resorted to a tactic unprecedented in officialdom: falsely accusing Feng Jinzhong of assaulting the emperor's eunuch.

This subtly transformed the issue of "loyalty" versus "disloyalty" that the two of them originally intended to rely on into the question of whether Feng Jinzhong had actually assaulted the emperor's eunuch.

At the same time, it subtly transformed the original identity of the Bureau of Military Affairs as a victim of "compromise" into that of Yan Maoqing as a perpetrator of "abusing power," making it difficult to define their identities.

In particular, Yan Maoqing cried and wailed all the way back to the palace to file a complaint with the emperor, making it known to everyone.

In this way, the emperor's authority is damaged, and he has no choice but to react...

On one side is the emperor's personal eunuch, and on the other is the emperor's recently favored minister; both are equally dear to him.

So the emperor made a decision that did not surprise Feng Jinzhong: he punished both of them equally, one was transferred to another government office, and the other was expelled from the palace and disappeared.

When things developed to this point...

Feng Jinzhong thought the matter was over and that he had landed safely.

After all, similar incidents had happened before, and they were always resolved by turning big issues into small ones and small issues into nothing. As long as the eunuch was transferred to another department, the past incidents would no longer be investigated.

Little did anyone know that Yan Maoqing was a man of his word.

But only three days later, Yan Maoqing suddenly ordered Yan Shifan to lead the stewards of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to occupy the Bureau of Armory.

Just as he had said, they investigated all the accounts from the day he took charge of the Armory, and even extended their reach to the Imperial Horse Administration, showing a complete and ruthless attitude.

At this moment, Feng Jinzhong's heart, which had just been at ease, immediately tightened again. Cao Zhen came to discuss with him, and they decided to implement the final plan to balance the accounts.
— Set fire to the gunpowder depot, so that all the accounts will be impossible to verify!
But the two men were determined to take the risk, and he summoned his former subordinates to prepare for action.

They then learned that after Huang Jin took over the Armory, it was as if he had foreseen their plans, and he completed a major overhaul of the Armory in just three days.

They were especially vigilant in guarding the gunpowder department and the armory, giving them no chance to make a move!

It was only at this moment that Feng Jinzhong suddenly realized.

Yan Maoqing had been one step ahead of him from the very beginning. Even that seemingly absurd staged accident was probably a deliberate attempt to lower his guard by figuring out the Emperor's psychology while trying to understand him.

The real purpose was to transfer him away from the Armory and take advantage of his laxity to complete a major reshuffle of the Armory and prevent him and Cao Zhen from taking risks.

That's why Yan Maoqing waited for three days before suddenly taking action!

However, by the time we realized this, it was already too late.

To balance the accounts?

He and Cao Zhen had long since lost the opportunity to take such a risk.

They could only watch helplessly as Yan Maoqing pushed them step by step into the abyss, waiting for their demise in despair...

Even now, Feng Jinzhong is still in shock.

He didn't understand. His and Cao Zhen's plan was clearly flawless. There were no outsiders present when they discussed it. They were in the same boat, so there was no possibility that the plan would be leaked.

But Yan Maoqing seemed to have already seen through their plan and calculated their every move.

Just as they were about to raise their hands, their hands were tied beforehand.

They broke their legs just as they were about to lift them.

And what else could someone be but the most cunning person in the world to achieve this level of skill?
If it's not due to an extraordinary level of meticulousness, ruthlessness, and decisiveness, how else can it be explained?
"Gulu..."

After listening to Feng Jinzhong's dying words and analysis, Zhang Zuo unconsciously swallowed.

He was also pondering whether he could break the deadlock if he were Feng Jinzhong in this situation, facing the cunning Yan Maoqing.

If he had known all this beforehand, he felt he would still have had a chance to save himself.

But if he knew nothing about Yan Maoqing, he would probably end up like Feng Jinzhong, falling behind step by step.

Unbeknownst to her, she ended up in Yan Maoqing's noose, and by the time she realized what was happening, she was already hanging in mid-air, with no chance to struggle or fight back...

"Godfather, your son is already a dead man, and he has no other thoughts now."

Feng Jinzhong's face turned ashen, and he wept as he spoke.

"My only worry now is that the Emperor may have found out about my plan to set fire to the gunpowder factory, which could implicate you, my godfather. Please make preparations as soon as possible!"

"His Majesty is probably unaware of this yet."

Zhang Zuo's face was also pale, but he shook his head thoughtfully.

"Otherwise, this time you and Cao Zhen would probably not just be beheaded and have your property confiscated, but given the Emperor's temperament, he would definitely have you two executed by slow slicing."

"What my godfather means is..."

Feng Jinzhong straightened his neck, a hint of doubt appearing in his eyes.

"Godfather thinks that Yan Maoqing is probably still holding back against us in the end."

Zhang Zuo's brows furrowed, and he said with some lingering fear,
"Since Yan Maoqing has already realized that you and Cao Zhen might take a risk, if he cleverly uses a staged accident to transfer you away and then remains inactive."

"While avoiding alerting the enemy, we ordered people to keep a close watch on the gunpowder department and the armory, and to catch you and Cao Zhen red-handed before reporting to the Emperor. At that time, given your relationship with your godfather, you would truly be unable to defend yourself."

"Not only that, I'm afraid all the eunuchs will lose the Emperor's trust, and the twenty-four departments will undergo a complete overhaul."

"The fact that he didn't do that shows that he was holding back for us, and leaving room for the Emperor and the eunuchs."

While speaking.

Zhang Zuo suddenly recalled what Yan Maoqing had said to him and the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial not long ago—a statement that, upon reflection, was utterly laughable: "Strike first to prevent future troubles"...

He could have done it, but he didn't!
Therefore, his words were not an arrogant threat, but a warning issued in advance!
At that moment, Zhang Zuo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but shiver.

He had a vague realization in his heart.

Yan Maoqing is probably not just cunning, but a seemingly loyal but actually treacherous person!

He must have understood the complementary and even interdependent relationship between the Emperor and the eunuchs, which is why he didn't go too far this time and was unwilling to destroy the balance of trust between the Emperor and the eunuchs!

He was doing his own way of considering the overall situation for the Emperor!

After all, once the balance of trust between the emperor and the eunuchs is destroyed, the balance between the nobles, civil officials, military generals and eunuchs in the court will also be broken.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty will surely face unprecedented chaos, and I'm afraid no one will know how to deal with it!

What is loyalty?

This is true loyalty!

Relying on their relationship with the emperor, some eunuchs have forgotten what respect is and have become far too arrogant. Zhang Zuo, as one of the eunuchs, was well aware of the chaos within the eunuch ranks.

As the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he was well aware of the Emperor's tendency to turn a blind eye to certain things.

Such trust was already extremely fragile and could not withstand the impact of a gunpowder factory explosion... Through this incident, Zhang Zuo also saw clearly how outrageous these eunuchs had gone in their recklessness.

It's time to clean this up properly!

Otherwise, these people below have forgotten their own identity, forgotten the principle that "if the skin is gone, what will the hair cling to?", and forgotten how they are different from those court officials!
As for Yan Maoqing...

I, Zhang Zuo, will remember this favor and repay it someday!
The Western Depot's power was no longer contested by the Directorate of Ceremonial...

Indeed, such a sharp sword should hang over the heads of eunuchs, serving as a constant warning.

Although the Eastern Depot, which was under the control of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was not authorized by the emperor, it was the Eastern Depot's duty to investigate and supervise eunuchs.

What should be an internal self-examination and rectification matter should not be left to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to overstep its bounds. Why should it continue to gain the Emperor's trust?

……

Jixia Academy.

The people from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs were seen off.

Yan Maoqing then made a perfunctory inspection of the progress of recruiting and training soldiers, and was about to slip away to go home and steal some time.

Unexpectedly, a rather familiar guest arrived:

"Minister Yan, I, Shen, wish to join the Jixia Academy!"

The visitor was none other than Shen Lian, the current Commander of the Southern Garrison.

Shen Lian had long heard about the establishment of the Jixia Academy, and its educational philosophy was quite in line with his political ideals, so he was naturally somewhat tempted.

However, he always felt that Yan Maoqing, who had openly extorted a full 400,000 taels of silver from Anda on a trip to the desert and transported it all back to his home, was morally corrupt, so he had been observing the situation.

It wasn't until he learned that Yan Maoqing dared to investigate even the officials of the Bureau of Armory and the Imperial Horse Administration that he finally made up his mind and took the initiative to apply for admission.

Talk about it.

Shen Lian was the first person to apply for admission after Yan Maoqing punished the court officials in front of the Imperial Household Department and recruited the first batch of scholars, including Zhao Zhenji.

Don't be fooled by Yan Maoqing's flowery descriptions of the Jixia Academy.

In truth, everyone knows that the Jixia Academy is at best a group of like-minded people detached from the imperial court.

The so-called academicians of Jixia Academy were merely internal titles within the institution, and did not make them superior in the imperial court. In fact, they might even face differential treatment in officialdom.

After all, there is considerable exclusion among the various groups in the imperial court; if someone is not one of them, they are considered an outsider.

Unless one day, a few high-ranking officials emerge from the Jixia Academy and are exceptionally promoted and given important positions by the emperor, giving people a real opportunity to realize their political ideals and ambitions, it will not have a real influence and attract people to flock to it.

This, of course, required Zhu Houcong's strong cooperation.

However, Zhu Houcong clearly did not take the Jixia Academy seriously at this moment.

They might even have simply seen it as a despicable tactic used by Yan Maoqing to trick Zhao Zhenji and other troublemakers into willingly taking the beating, or perhaps they simply disliked these troublemakers and hadn't even bothered to inquire about it.

"Ah, it's Brother Chunfu..."

Yan Maoqing instantly became alert, his shifty eyes scanning Shen Lian up and down.

"Brother Chunfu, could it be that you've received orders from the Emperor and Commander Lu again, and this time you're not even hiding, but openly coming to spy on me?"

Yan Maoqing will never forget who dismantled his carriage, causing his plan to retire and return to his hometown to fall apart just as it was about to be realized.

He would never forget who had taken him to the desert with a tattered little notebook, and who, despite his earnest pleas, threats, and promises of a large sum of money, resolutely refused to change the 400,000 taels of silver to 100,000 taels.

That was all clean money he earned through his own abilities, and it should have all belonged to him.

The fact that he was willing to give Zhu Houcong 100,000 taels of silver was already considered extremely generous...

Now, however, Zhu Houcong regards all of his money as "my money," forcibly treating him like Heshen under the guise of "deposit," and constantly plotting against him.

All of this is Shen Lian's fault.

He always wondered if he had lost his mind back then, why he didn't leave Shen Lian in Datong and only took Gao Gong to see Anda.

Oh, right.

At the time, I wanted to use Shen Lian's martial arts to protect myself.

Moreover, he never imagined that he could extort 400,000 taels of silver from Anda before he went there.

It was just a matter of improvising during the conversation, and things just got a bit off-topic. I didn't expect that the other party wouldn't haggle, and we just ended up agreeing to the deal without really thinking about it...

"Minister Yan, you misunderstand. This time it was entirely my own idea. I sincerely admire the Jixia Academy."

Shen Lian didn't feel that he had done anything wrong to Yan Maoqing, and even in the face of Yan Maoqing's teasing at this moment, his expression remained very calm.

However, seeing Yan Maoqing's demeanor, he couldn't help but start to question whether he was making the wrong choice.

Just as he was saying this...

But then a hurried voice suddenly came from outside the duty room:

"Uncle, although we can hand the person over to the Directorate of Ceremonial for disposal, we must handle the confiscation of their property ourselves. There are huge profits to be made here, otherwise we'll have worked for nothing this time..."

Then a fat man strode in, and upon seeing another unfamiliar stranger in the duty room...

His tone immediately faltered again, and his single eye, just like Yan Maoqing's earlier, sizing up Shen Lian with a shifty look, his face full of wariness:
"Uncle-in-law, who is this?"

"?"

Shen Lian also looked at Yan Shifan.

Just from the way the one-eyed fat man addressed Yan Maoqing and his unique appearance, one could guess the other's identity.

Then a thought struck him.

Copy the house!

Benefit!

Yan Shifan!
When these three words were put together, Shen Lian's gaze toward Yan Maoqing turned colder.

Birds of a feather flock together; they're all the same kind of scoundrels!
"Let me introduce you. This is Shen Lian, the current Commander of the Southern Garrison. He's here today to apply to join the Jixia Academy..."

Yan Maoqing did not notice Shen Lian's unusual behavior and continued to introduce the two with a smile.

"No need. I am unworthy of the Jixia Academy. I have disturbed you. Farewell!"

Shen Lian immediately interrupted him in an icy tone, bowed, and turned to leave.

(End of this chapter)