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

Chapter 232 Where Did It Go Wrong? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Old fox..."

Wang Tingxiang glanced at Xia Yan and laughed and scolded without any attempt to hide it.

Even though he had already decided to retire and return to his hometown, this old man was still full of calculations when he did things.

It's likely that with his actions, the Jixia Academy, which Yan Maoqing had previously created but which yielded little result, will soon become the highest institution of learning independent of the imperial court.

After all, self-interest is the most effective driving force.

Whether they are upright officials or corrupt officials, rank is always the most core interest for any official in the bureaucracy.

Those scholars who joined the Jixia Academy were promoted to the Censorate and immediately given important responsibilities, serving as circuit inspectors.

This is tantamount to publicly fulfilling Yan Maoqing's previous promise to the world:
The Jixia Academy is truly capable of selecting virtuous and meritorious individuals!
Once you enter their gates, you will gain a path to officialdom!
With the title of Bachelor, one can realize one's ambitions!

This will undoubtedly help Jixia Academy gain a large following in a very short time, especially those low-ranking officials who are frustrated in the court, who will flock to Jixia Academy.

Don't judge these people by their low rank.

However, some of them were censors who could report on matters based on rumors and impeach those who violated the law, and their numbers in the court were far greater than those of high-ranking officials of the fourth rank or above.

This is a force that should not be underestimated. Whoever can control this force can not only wield great influence in the court, but also influence public opinion to a certain extent outside the court.

Let's just put it that way.

These people were originally the main force in the open and covert struggles in the imperial court.

They are guns, they are spears, they are bullets, and they are also shields...

Therefore, Xia Yan really did Yan Maoqing a huge favor this time!

If Yan Maoqing was favored by the emperor, he was actually isolated and helpless, and it would be difficult for him to become a powerful minister who could truly influence the court.

After Xia Yan's actions, Yan Maoqing could quickly leverage the influence of the Jixia Academy to gain his own political power.

Thus, he became a figure whom no force in the court dared to underestimate, taking a giant step toward "power over the court" that is unimaginable to ordinary people!

I thought so in my heart.

Wang Tingxiang finally picked up the list and carefully examined the names on it:
Zhao Zhenji...

He is indeed a rare talent, but at the same time he is a fearless troublemaker!

When Zhao Zhenji participated in the palace examination in the fourteenth year of the Jiajing reign, Wang Tingxiang also served as the examiner.

Zhao Zhenji's palace examination paper, like Yan Maoqing's, left a very deep impression on him.

However, unlike others, Zhao Zhenji's answer sheet in the palace examination was so good that it was astonishing, and even made him give it the highest praise on the spot: "It can be compared with Jia Yi's 'On the Security of the State' in the Han Dynasty".

Yan Maoqing's answer to the palace examination was so cunning that it made him so angry that he slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

After the imperial examination, their circumstances diverged greatly.

Although Zhao Zhenji's examination paper was highly praised by him, the emperor disliked its straightforwardness and was unwilling to place him in the first class, instead placing him in the second class, second place.

However, the emperor soon regretted it and selected him as a probationary official in the selection process, sending him to the Hanlin Academy.

Although Yan Maoqing's palace examination paper was rejected by all the examiners, he was placed last in the third class.

However, in the selection process that followed, his essay inexplicably stood out again, making him a probationary official and thus entering the Hanlin Academy.

When Zhao Zhenji finished his three-year term at the Hanlin Academy, he was retained as an editor due to his excellent performance in the assessment.

Not long after, he submitted a memorial, "A Request for True Confucian Scholars," advising the emperor to abandon his Taoist practices and devote himself to state affairs. This greatly angered the emperor, and he was soon demoted to his hometown to return to study. He was only recently recalled to serve as a minor official in the Ministry of Personnel.

Li Fenglai...

He was the one who led the investigation into the encroachment of powerful figures in the capital on the interests of ordinary people a few days ago. He is currently a censor in the Six Ministries and is a fearless troublemaker...

Zhang Yunxian...

Because Li Fenglai reported that powerful figures in the capital were encroaching on the interests of ordinary people, the emperor ordered the Censorate to investigate.

Wang Tingxiang then handed the matter over to the Five City Censors for verification. As a result, the Five City Censors not only delayed their investigation by more than forty days, but also only found out about Guo Xun.

Therefore, Zhang Yunxian, the current censor of the Ministry of Personnel, directly submitted a memorial impeaching him, the Left Censor-in-Chief in charge of the Censorate, for abusing his power and deceiving the emperor, causing the emperor to issue an edict to question him. He was also a fearless troublemaker...

Looking at just these few names, Wang Tingxiang raised his head again, looking at Xia Yan with unwavering doubt:

"Brother Gongjin, are you sure that sending these people to Shanxi will clear obstacles for Yan Maoqing, rather than create an even bigger problem?"

The biggest problem with these troublemakers is that they are stubborn and inflexible, like rocks in a latrine, sometimes even getting so fixated on trivial matters that they don't care about their own lives or property.

While these traits can sometimes be exploited, they are also extremely easy to lose control of during exploitation, leading to a backlash.

This led almost all the ruling groups in the court to regard them as a destabilizing factor, and they tried their best to suppress and hide them, and not give them a chance to stand out.

It should be noted that this is not only the case for the ruling groups in the government.

Even the current emperor has always regarded these people as a nuisance and has treated them in the same way.

Yan Maoqing was clearly not a flawless person either, and he was used to using some extremely wicked and shameless methods in his daily work.

These methods will surely be despised by these people, and they themselves may become Yan Maoqing's biggest obstacle, jumping out to turn against him, making him hesitant and ultimately unable to achieve his goal.

"Haha, Brother Ziheng, you're overthinking it." Xia Yan laughed confidently, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"Has Brother Ziheng forgotten so quickly what happened when Minister Yan Mao made these people willingly take the cane to punish themselves outside the Ministry of the Imperial Household?"

“These people might be extremely difficult to control and destabilizing factors in the hands of others, but in Yan Maoqing’s hands, they will definitely be an invincible sword.”

"Because no matter how clever other people's methods are, they are nothing more than appearing to be loyal but actually treacherous, or appearing to be treacherous but actually loyal."

"Although Yan Maoqing acts wickedly, he is wicked in a righteous way and evil in a straightforward way."

"These people are stubborn, but they are not stupid."

“I bet that once they get to Yan Maoqing’s side and truly witness his methods, they will feel like they’ve met a kindred spirit and will be deeply inspired. They might even become like Yan Maoqing before long.”

……

While dealing with the officials, powerful figures, and merchants of Ying County.

The Heroes' Battalion also captured the "big shot" who had instigated these scoundrels to cause trouble.

The notorious "Bad Commander" Yan Shifan immediately used the water-dripping torture technique he had learned from Yan Maoqing on this "important person".

After a period of interrogation, he personally came to report to Yan Maoqing:

"Uncle, this thief is very stubborn."

"Um……"

Yan Maoqing looked dejected, uttering only a decaying nasal sound as if he were about to die. His shrugged shoulders and lifeless eyes conveyed an indescribable sense of despondency.

"..."

Yan Shifan felt a pang of guilt, but could only force a smile and continue:
"Uncle, you don't know this, but I first ordered someone to beat him with a horsewhip, and then I used my uncle's water-dripping torture."

"Even so, this person only said that his name was Cizhongtai, that he was a member of the White Lotus sect in Datong Prefecture, and that he was a disciple of a White Lotus sect manager named Luo Yuxi."

"This matter was also carried out on Luo Yuxi's orders, and I know nothing about anything else."

“I knew he was lying. If he was just a disciple of the White Lotus Sect leader, how could he be called a ‘big shot’? And how could the magistrate of Ying County and the commander of the garrison turn a blind eye to this matter?”

"There must be a bigger fish hiding behind him. Please give me some more time, Uncle. I will definitely pry his mouth open!"

Hearing this, Yan Maoqing already knew what was going on.

This man named Tsunakata should have already told the truth.

Because there are indeed brief records about this person in historical books.

He was indeed a follower of the White Lotus Sect, and also a beloved disciple of a White Lotus Sect manager named Luo Yuxi.

The records concerning these two individuals appear three years later, during the rebellion of Zhu Yunzhuo, a member of the Prince of Dai's lineage and a general of the State of Fengguo.

At that time, Zhu Yunzhuo appointed Luo Yuxi as his national advisor and conspired with him to send his beloved disciple Cizhongtai to infiltrate the grasslands and secretly contact the Tatar cavalry to help attack Datong, with the aim of directly capturing Yanmen Pass and then establishing himself as the ruler.

Such a nobody who calls himself a "big shot" naturally couldn't possibly know too much.

However, this is enough to prove that no matter how Zhu Houcong, who is far away in the capital, reacts, Datong must have already learned of what he did in Taiyuan Prefecture.

Furthermore, some people in Datong were already anxious and uneasy, which is why they gave him such a show of force as soon as he entered Datong's jurisdiction...

However, Yan Maoqing didn't say much, remaining in that half-dead state, uttering a decaying nasal sound:

"Um……"

"Uncle, please don't do this. I really know I was wrong. I'll never do it again!"

Seeing this, Yan Shifan felt even more ashamed and immediately knelt down and kowtowed to admit his mistake.

at the same time.

"General Yan!"

Shen Kun and Gao Gong strode in from outside. Upon seeing Yan Shifan kneeling on the ground, they were initially taken aback before bowing and reporting their arrival.
"General Yan, General Zeng has led his troops into the city and taken over the county government and the prisoners. He is currently arranging related matters."

"Um……"

Yan Maoqing was still half-dead, his eyes were lifeless, and his voice was nasal and decaying.

"This……"

Shen Kun and Gao Gong also felt guilty without realizing it.

They also knew that Yan Maoqing had fallen into this state since they disobeyed orders.

Even after entering the city, they remained silent, sitting quietly alone in the government office, leaving everything to them to handle...

The two looked at each other, unable to bear the growing guilt, and felt waves of heartache.

"General Yan, please don't be like this, I know I was wrong!"

The two finally knelt down and kowtowed, just like Yan Shifan, and said sincerely.

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible smug glint flashed in Yan Maoqing's eyes. She finally raised her head, glanced indifferently at the three of them, then crossed her legs, placed her hands on them, and softly parted her lips:

"What's wrong?"

(End of this chapter)