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

Chapter 215 The Brat and His Useless Older Brother [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

……

"..."

Looking at the welcoming procession of hundreds of people, Kao Chieh, standing at the front of the crowd, had an indescribable complex expression in his eyes.

Those present were all prominent figures in Taiyuan City, and it was indeed quite rare for them to travel twenty miles out of the city together to welcome a third-rank official.

Don't be fooled by the sight of Deng Shirong, the prefect of Taiyuan, jumping around in the crowd and bustling about making arrangements.

In reality, among this group of people, his position as prefect was at best that of a steward, and he didn't have much say at all.

Because some of the officials here are of higher rank than him.

Even though Kao Chieh himself was the Vice Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, he was a fourth-rank official of the same rank as Kao Chieh, and most of the time they were not even equals.

After all, he was a provincial-level supervisory official, while Deng Shirong was a prefectural-level local official, which fell under the jurisdiction of the current supervisory authority.

Moreover, in addition to the Provincial Surveillance Commission, Deng Shirong was also under the jurisdiction of two other provincial-level government offices: the Provincial Administration Commission and the Provincial Military Commission.

These government offices contain officials of higher rank than Deng Shirong, and even those of lower rank are not to be trifled with, as they would be equally troublesome.

If there are any important figures who didn't come today, there are actually only three:

One was the Prince of Jin, Zhu Xin;

One was Guan Jieshan, the Provincial Administration Commissioner;

One was Yin Yuankun, the Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Military Command.

Prince Zhu Xin of Jin, needless to say, is a member of the imperial family and a genuine prince. The fact that he sent a few officials to represent him already shows Yan Maoqing a great deal of respect.

Guan Jieshan, the Provincial Governor, was a high-ranking official of the second rank.

There was no need for him to condescend to come and greet Yan Maoqing; sending a few officials from the Provincial Administration Commission would have been in accordance with proper etiquette.

And the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office...

Kao Chieh is the representative of the Provincial Surveillance Commission, and he is currently the highest-ranking person in the Commission.

Because the position of Provincial Surveillance Commissioner is currently vacant, it is temporarily held by Guan Jieshan, the Provincial Administration Commissioner.

In the Ming Dynasty, a province usually implemented a system of three separate offices, and Guan Jieshan alone was in charge of two of them, which shows how powerful he was in Shanxi.
As for Commander Yin Yuankun, he is not currently in Taiyuan.

From the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Ming onwards, although the Commander-in-Chief was still a second-rank official, in order of rank for any auspicious or inauspicious event in the court, the Commander-in-Chief was ranked before the Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner.

However, their power and status have long since diminished. Once the imperial court sends a governor down, the commander-in-chief immediately becomes the governor's subordinate and obeys the governor's orders.

Several months ago, Guo Xun was appointed governor and ordered to go to Datong on business. Yin Yuankun also set off for Datong immediately and has not returned since.

Just as I was thinking this.

"Report——!"

The minor official who had gone to meet them on horseback returned, shouting from afar:
"The imperial envoy is almost here; he's about five li away!"

"Let's get the equipment going and spread the joyful sounds!"

Prefect Deng Shirong immediately shouted to the drum and gong team behind the welcoming procession, and then a noisy cacophony of music rang out, making Kaohsiung's eardrums itch unbearably.

Kao Chieh knew perfectly well that the reason these people put on this extraordinary welcoming ceremony was because they were unsure of themselves.

Yan Maoqing came under the pretext of eradicating the White Lotus Sect, and he even brought troops from the capital.

For a moment, no one could figure out what Yan Maoqing was planning to do, or rather, what the Emperor was planning to do.
Most importantly, Yan Maoqing's arrival was quite sudden.

Although there had been news that Yan Maoqing was about to lead his troops to Shanxi to suppress the White Lotus Sect, these people did not take it seriously at all. They insisted that the so-called "suppression of the White Lotus Sect" was just a pretext, and that Yan Maoqing would definitely not come to Taiyuan Prefecture, but would go straight to Datong.

There's a saying, "Ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring."
What is happening in Datong right now? Apart from Datong itself, the person who knows best is Taiyuan Prefecture, which is separated from it by a narrow strip of water.

There's another saying, "If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear."
Whether it's the matter of eradicating the White Lotus Sect or the matter of Datong, both are closely related to Taiyuan Prefecture. Either one is enough to give them a hard time, so how could they possibly have any confidence?

However, Kao Chieh also knew that both the matter of eradicating the White Lotus Sect and the matter of Datong would be extremely difficult to handle.

He had thought about this for countless days and nights.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of a way to break the deadlock. Even if Yan Maoqing had brought troops with him, it would still be almost impossible to succeed...

It should be noted that he had been serving as the Deputy Provincial Surveillance Commissioner in Taiyuan for over a year.

During this period, he made countless attempts, all of which ended in failure, and he himself had been marginalized.

Apart from some trivial matters and minor cases, for anything that had a slight impact, the officials below would immediately bypass him and go directly to Guan Jieshan, the Provincial Administration Commissioner who also held the position of Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, for instructions. They would even make excuses and refuse to let him see the case files.

Is it because he's incompetent?

Kao Chieh was proud and never thought that way.

When he served as the head of the Ministry of Revenue and was in charge of transporting grain, he was able to uncover the cases of soldiers impersonating others.

Later, when he was promoted to Assistant Director of the Military Selection Department, he reviewed and organized the selection process. The selection method was strict and clean, and he prevented any favoritism or selling of official positions. Although this displeased his superiors and led to his transfer to the position of Prefect of Chongzhou, he still managed to make the selection, appointment, and hereditary privileges of military officers much clearer during his tenure.

Later, during his three-year tenure as prefect of Chongzhou, he took various measures to crack down on powerful local magnates, eradicate numerous malpractices, and dedicate himself to benefiting the people. He was hailed as a "god" by the people of the prefecture and county, who even raised funds to build a shrine in his honor. Only now, having come to Taiyuan and become the Vice Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, a position with even more power than the prefect, has he encountered obstacles and setbacks at every turn.

It's not that he lacks ability, nor that he's unwilling to do his job...

Rather, the waters here are just too deep, so deep that the entire Taiyuan Prefecture, and even the entire Shanxi Province, has become almost a monolithic entity!
This was an iron plate that he could not pry open even if he were to be shattered to pieces, pressing down on him so hard he could hardly breathe.

Although he was a person with ideals and ambitions, he was also an extremely rational person who would not do something like "Kuafu chasing the sun" for an impossible goal.

Even now, he clearly remembers his father's admonition when he entered the imperial court as an official:

"The state is Your Majesty's state; life is one's own life. Knowing it is impossible, it is better to risk one's life to try, for dying in vain is of no use."

To put it simply, it means:

"If you can get things done, then do it; if you can't, don't risk your life. It's really useless."

That's what my father said, and that's what he did.

This phrase was actually given to my father by my grandfather.

His grandfather, Gao Kui, felt his life was in danger during the reign of the powerful eunuch Liu Jin, so he immediately resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown to retire.

His father, Gao Shangxian, while serving as Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, saw that high-ranking officials in the court were scheming against him and that treacherous officials were using their power to blackmail him. So he deliberately left obvious mistakes in his memorials that would not be tolerated by the emperor, and was dismissed from office and sent back to his hometown of Xinzheng on a pretext.

Now, he already has this idea in mind.

However, he is currently in his prime, and the current emperor regards those who have passed the imperial examinations as his private retainers, rarely allowing them to easily return to the countryside.

Therefore, he can only lie low here for now and see if he has a chance to escape Shanxi, this formidable region, and then see if he has a chance to make a difference in the future...

Today, he has come here on behalf of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner to welcome Yan Maoqing.

I don't have any expectations of them, and I'm not even interested in meeting or communicating with them, since the result will be the same anyway.

Now, his only expectation is to see his "good-for-nothing" third son, Gao Gong, and see if he has matured since passing the imperial examination.

This third brother was the only one of his four younger brothers who dared to defy him.

As a child, Gao Gong was skilled at writing couplets at the age of five, could recite a thousand words at the age of eight, and passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen, and was once regarded as a child prodigy.

As for him, he enjoyed gladiatorial combat and hunting when he was young, but he only realized his mistake when he was nearly twenty and started to study hard.

Then, in the thirteenth year of the Jiajing reign, he passed the provincial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), and the following year he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination).

However, after passing the provincial examination at the age of seventeen, Gao Gong spent a full thirteen years on the path of imperial examinations before finally passing the metropolitan examination this year...

Don't think Kao Chieh couldn't see it; the third son had been holding back his anger since then, always wanting to prove to his father that he was still the "prodigy" everyone praised.

Unfortunately, that brat will never have another chance.

Because his father had passed away five years ago, even if he finally passed the imperial examination and was selected as a junior official, his father would not be able to see it.

Hahaha, you brat, just admit defeat.

I'm better than you, I'm the one who came from behind and surpassed you!

Don't think that just because you were selected as a junior official and have now been lucky enough to become a military commander, you can act all high and mighty in front of me!
Brother passed the imperial examination before Father passed away. No matter how dissatisfied you are, in Father's heart, brother will always be better than you, and you can't change anything!

……

Half an hour later.

"..."

Kao Chieh finally spotted Tau Kung on a tall, chestnut-colored horse and puffed out his chest slightly.

This brat... seems a bit darker than before, and his body looks a bit stronger. He certainly looks quite imposing riding his horse and carrying a knife.

But I'm still better than you, you can't change anything!

"..."

Gao Gong also saw Gao Jie, and when their eyes met, he immediately raised his head slightly.

This good-for-nothing brother... You've disgraced the Gao family. How can you still have the face to stand tall and look me in the eye?

As the Deputy Inspector of the Imperial Court, you have been holding your position without doing anything for more than a year. Have you ever investigated a corrupt official, punished a treacherous and violent person, settled a lawsuit, or cleared a wrongful conviction?
Open your eyes wide and look closely, then feel ashamed of yourself!

The matter I've come to Taiyuan to handle is something you could never accomplish or dare to do in your next life. I hope you'll still be so shameless after you return to the city and enter the Taiyuan government office!

Once I accomplish what you couldn't, I will write it down on yellow paper, find a crossroads to burn it for my father to see, so that he can know just how big the gap is between us, and who is the son he can be most proud of!

As for whether Kao Chieh would collude with the White Lotus Sect, or whether he would join forces with these corrupt elements...

Gao Gong wasn't too worried about this.

After all, this good-for-nothing older brother's character was only slightly worse than his, not quite as despicable as him.

(End of this chapter)