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

Chapter 240: The brilliance of this plan! [Seeking monthly votes]

"..."

Yan Song fell silent upon hearing this.

Even though he was extremely unwilling, he had to admit that Yan Shifan's analysis did make some sense.

However, Yan Shifan's words were really unpleasant to hear, such as "You're getting senile" and "You're being too clever for your own good." Is this what a son should say to his father?

Anyone who didn't know better would think Yan Shifan was the father, and Yan Song was the one being scolded!

This unfilial son is becoming more and more disrespectful and ungrateful!

It's ruined, completely ruined!
Sure enough, I should discuss taking a concubine with my wife after I get back, or start raising a grandson in advance, otherwise I will really be making a mistake!

I thought so in my heart.

Yan Song, unable to contain his anger, slapped Yan Shifan on the spot to calm him down, but he himself remained stubbornly defiant.

"Shut up! You unfilial son, you're the one who's being clever!"

"If I act according to Yan Maoqing's advice, what great plan could I possibly have other than further disrupting the tribute exchange and provoking Anda, who was already eager to make a move, to lead his army across the pass and south?"

"Do you think Anda would be like your father, willingly submitting to Yan Maoqing's coercion because of you, his unfilial son, and actually offering him a sincere price?"

Yan Shifan covered his face, his voice indeed calmer, but he clearly hadn't completely succumbed to Yan Song's patriarchal tyranny, and still added with a smirk:
"It's not impossible that this is the case."

"Ha...ha...you unfilial son, don't you want to listen to what you're saying?!"

Yan Song was so angry that he laughed out loud and began looking around for something that would be convenient for him.

Admittedly, Yan Shifan was no pushover from childhood to adulthood, always causing trouble and leaving his son to clean up his messes.

However, Yan Song was quite satisfied with one thing: his unfilial son was actually quite filial.

For more than 30 years, this unfilial son has almost never argued with him, especially when he was angry. No matter how wronged he was, this unfilial son could hold back and not say anything, and would even try to appease him.

Now look what's happened! They've only just acknowledged a distant uncle-in-law, and their wings have already grown so strong.

Seeing that his own father was already furious, he still dared to talk back stubbornly. Did he want to anger his own father to death?!
"Father, please calm down. I am not talking back to you. I am just calmly discussing this possibility with you."

Yan Shifan quickly stepped forward and pulled Yan Song aside, speaking to him gently and patiently.
"Dad, you should still remember the two things your son mentioned in his letter home, right?"

"One was the incident where my uncle-in-law punished court officials with a cane at the gate of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the other was the incident where my uncle-in-law brought down the chief eunuchs of the Bureau of Armed Forces and the Imperial Horse Administration."

“My son witnessed both of these things with his own eyes. Before that, even if someone put a knife to his neck, he would never have believed that anyone could do it. But my uncle-in-law did it inexplicably.”

"And what happened in Taiyuan this time, before you received the news, Father, did you really believe that anyone could accomplish this in two hours?"

"These are all things that seem impossible, but they actually happened."

"Whether you want to admit it or not, Dad, my uncle-in-law has the ability to turn the impossible into the possible. Everything he has done before is evidence of that."

Neither Yan Shifan nor Yan Song knew that Yan Maoqing had previously extorted 400,000 taels of silver from Anda. If they had known, perhaps the two would not have had such a big disagreement when discussing the matter.

Even so, Yan Shifan's analysis still forced Yan Song to re-evaluate Yan Maoqing.

This young man is indeed extraordinary.

And indeed, they accomplished many amazing things...

Yan Song couldn't help but recall the time when he was inexplicably praised to death.

After Yan Shifan's analysis, he now had even more reason to suspect that Yan Maoqing was responsible for this matter, even though at that time Yan Maoqing was just a low-ranking official and it seemed impossible for him to accomplish such a task.

"Dad, I'm not siding with outsiders. In my heart, you'll always be my father. My aunt's husband is just a distant relative, how can he be compared to you?"

Yan Shifan then displayed his filial piety, gently patting Yan Song's back, soothing him while offering words of comfort with humble and submissive manners.

"Father has gone to such lengths this time, it's all because he cares about my safety, how could I not know that?"

“Over the years, my son has been the one causing trouble outside, and I have to swallow my pride and clean up his messes. I remember every single one of these things.”

"Father has sheltered his son from the wind and rain for most of his life. Now that his son has reached the age of thirty, his father still has to go through the troubles and worries for him. It is his incompetence and his unfilial piety that makes him so."

"This time, please put your mind at ease, Father, and let your son shelter you from the wind and rain and fulfill his filial duty. How about that?"

"Humph……"

After all, he was his own son, who knew his temperament well. Upon hearing these words, Yan Song's anger immediately subsided, and he let out a deflated nasal sound.

However, the matter at hand was of utmost importance, and Yan Song was still unable to calm down, so he turned to ask:
Do you have a plan in mind?

"Naturally there is."

Yan Shifan smiled and nodded.

"Tell me about it?" Yan Song pressed.

"My son decided to turn the tables on us."

Yan Shifan immediately straightened his back, confidently blinked his one eye, and slowly closed his palms.

"I don't know what my uncle-in-law's grand plan is, but I believe that even if you have already hindered his plan, he will definitely be able to find a way to make amends."

"So... my son decided to first follow my aunt's husband's arrangements, work diligently for him, gain his trust, and gradually bring him under his control." "And then?"

Yan Song immediately became interested and moved closer, craning his neck to ask more questions.

"And then came the most exciting part of my son's plan!"

Yan Shifan then lowered his voice, revealing a dark and evil expression, and raised his eyebrows, saying...
“In the future, if my uncle-in-law makes a great contribution, my son will be able to make a small contribution.”

“My aunt’s husband eats meat, and his son gets to drink the soup.”

"Without anyone noticing, my son has reaped all the benefits that my uncle has received. My uncle will definitely be grateful to my son, honor my son, and promote my son."

"As my son's rank rises higher and higher, his power grows, and his salary increases, he will be able to protect his father from the wind and rain..."

"???"

Yan Song's expression froze, and his gaze toward Yan Shifan gradually shifted from expectation to astonishment, and then from astonishment to anger.

Then, he suddenly kicked Yan Shifan hard in the round buttocks, spitting and cursing:

"You fucking played along?! You fucking went to be someone's lackey and loyal dog!!!"

"Ouch!"

Yan Shifan sat down on the ground, forcing a smile on his face but inwardly groaning.

Sigh, it's really hard to fool a father with such a high IQ.

But this was indeed his plan...

He had long suspected what Yan Song was guessing.

Even without reading the blackmail letter, after personally experiencing Yan Maoqing's monstrous abilities, he already suspected that Yan Maoqing had long known about his previous scheme to frame Yan Maoqing and his wife for "adultery without a husband," and that Yan Maoqing was the one who inexplicably flattered Yan Song to death.

The more he came into contact with Yan Maoqing, the more he doubted this possibility, the less willing he was to be his enemy, and the more he hoped to reconcile with Yan Maoqing.

Therefore, after careful consideration, especially after witnessing Yan Maoqing's protection and promotion of Gao Gong, Shen Kun, and other officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

He ultimately chose to "join if you can't beat them," hoping to gain Yan Maoqing's understanding with sincerity and win Yan Maoqing's heart with genuine feelings, thus truly becoming one of Yan Maoqing's own people.

And all that is needed is to become one of Yan Maoqing's own people.

Wouldn't all the problems and worries then be solved?

……

Yan Song did the opposite, clearing away the obstacles to the tribute system ahead of time.

Not only did it disrupt Yan Maoqing's plans, it also left him with nothing to do.

In fact, things had progressed to this point, and he could have returned home in triumph, but he did not intend to give up and insisted on staying in Datong for a while longer.

In addition, he had other ideas about the Tonggong matter.

This tribute will definitely be accepted in the end; it will certainly be a good thing for the country and its people.

However, Yan Maoqing believed that it was absolutely unacceptable to make such a simple decision, lest Anda think that the initiative was still in his hands.

As far as he knew, even after Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng facilitated the "Longqing Peace Treaty" in history, only a few years later, Anda sent people to demand a large amount of rewards from the Ming Dynasty and threatened to fight to the death if they did not give them!

This reminded him of the "Motor Sich incident" and the later "Nexperia incident".

For a considerable period of time, such incidents occurred frequently.

In Yan Maoqing's view, this was a side effect of the state being forced to bestow favors rather than establish authority under certain circumstances.

He had previously threatened Yan Song by disrupting the tribute system and by demanding a sincere price from Anda, hoping to increase Anda's sunk costs. If possible, he wanted to teach Anda a heavy and profound lesson.

Let me make it clear who the real beggar is. From now on, if you want to earn money, you'll have to kneel down obediently. If you want to stand up, you won't be able to earn money, and your legs will be broken!

Incidentally, it would also give Zhu Houcong a surprise, allowing him to take on some serious responsibilities and fulfill his long-cherished wish of retiring and returning to his hometown.

In such international affairs, it is naturally best to act in a benevolent manner and ensure that there is a legitimate reason for the action.

Now that Yan Song has done this, he'll inevitably have to find other ways to create a situation where he has a "legitimate cause"...

Just as I was thinking this.

"I want to see Minister Yan! I want to see Minister Yan!"

Suddenly, the noisy voice of General Zhou Shangwen came from outside.

Immediately afterwards, with a loud bang, Yan Maoqing's door was pushed open forcefully, and Zhou Shangwen strode in, his beard bristling, and said loudly and excitedly:

“Yan Butang, this is the signal arrow that Anda ordered his men to shoot into Yanghe Pass this morning!”

"Look at Anda's attitude! He openly threatened the Ming Dynasty to open the coal trade within three days, or he would lead his army south to plunder the towns of Shanxi and even cross the border to loot the capital!"

"The Tatars have always been untrustworthy. I would rather die than accept tribute. Anyone who supports tribute is a traitor who aids the enemy!"

(End of this chapter)