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

Chapter 33 held back a trick

Two days later in the morning.

Yanfu.

"You mean... someone leaked Yan Maoqing's answer sheet before we did?"

Yan Song looked at his trusted servant Yan Nian, whose head still bore a scar, and his brows furrowed instantly.

“Master, it’s absolutely true.”

Yan Nian bowed down and said with absolute certainty,
"I ordered my men to secretly post the answer sheets at key points throughout the city late tonight. I thought that by the time I finished this matter it would be dawn at the earliest, so I thought I'd take a nap first."

"I had barely washed up and gotten into bed when the person I was supposed to be working with returned."

"Only after asking did I learn that someone had gotten there before us. When the people in charge arrived, the paste for posting the answer sheets hadn't even dried yet."

Yan Song frowned even more upon hearing this, and subconsciously asked:
"Can we find out who beat us to it?"

"It's still unclear."

Yan Nianwei Nan,
"However, according to the people who came back, there were many people in the city last night, and they were all secretive and sneaky. Once you accidentally bumped into them, they would quickly disappear into the shadows, making people wonder if something big had happened in the city."

"The person handling the matter may have their whereabouts exposed and become involved in other matters."

"Seeing that Yan Maoqing's answer sheet had already been posted, I returned it early..."

Upon hearing this, Yan Song felt a surge of tension and thought to himself:
Something big is happening?
What big event will happen?
Why didn't I receive any prior notice?
"You scoundrel! If anything similar happens again, no matter if I'm resting or not, and no matter when or where, report it to me immediately!"

Yan Song immediately rebuked him sternly, which frightened Yan Nian into repeatedly apologizing. Only then did he shout again,
"Hurry up and prepare the sedan chair. I'm going to the Ministry of Rites to inquire about things first!"

"Yes, I will take care of it right away."

"Also, has Yan Shifan gotten up yet? Tell him to go outside and scout around!"

"Yes!"

Watching Yan Nian's departing figure, Yan Song sighed softly, still completely bewildered, just like a monk who had never seen anything before.

"Who could be more eager than me to reveal Yan Maoqing's answer sheet?"

"Xia Yan?"

"Those examiners?"

"Yan Maoqing?"

Only a handful of people had seen that answer sheet and knew its contents.

However, even using the process of elimination, Yan Song could not make an accurate judgment for the time being, because now, apart from him, exposing that answer sheet at this moment would be a double-edged sword for everyone else, or even more harmful than beneficial.

Forget it, never mind...

Anyway, the development of this matter is exactly what he wanted, so it doesn't matter who it is.

The most important thing right now is to find out as soon as possible whether anything major happened last night, and if so, what major event it was...

……

Xia Mansion.

"How could this be?"

Xia Yan had just gotten up when she received a similar report, which immediately filled her with suspicion and unease.
"Who could it be?"

"Yan Song?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! He went to great lengths to get Yan Maoqing selected as a probationary official, so how could he possibly ruin him like this?"

"Yan Maoqing?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Even if he wanted to curry favor with the Emperor, he couldn't possibly be unaware of the drawbacks of this matter, especially since the court isn't solely the Emperor's domain!"

"Could it be that one of the examiners who read the imperial examination papers back then, like me, was unwilling to see a treacherous person like Yan Maoqing select a junior compiler and acted on his own?"

Forget it, forget it!

Anyway, the way things turned out was exactly what he wanted, so it didn't matter who it was!

Right now, his most important task is to find out as soon as possible whether anything major happened last night, and if so, what major event it was...

"Someone! Prepare the sedan chair; we're going to the Cabinet!"

……

The Duke of Yi's Mansion. "Hahaha, no wonder Yan Maoqing ranked last among the top three in the palace examination."

After looking at the answer sheet that the servant had recently brought back from outside, Guo Xun couldn't help but chuckle.
"Doesn't he know Xia Yan and the others' attitude towards the Emperor's cultivation of immortality?"

"It's a pity that this answer sheet was revealed too late. If I had seen it beforehand, I could have taken precautions against this wicked man. How could I have been so easily betrayed by him that day?"

"However, regardless of who did this good deed, it is entirely beneficial to me!"

"I presented the 'Mysterious Sky-Piercing Scripture' to the palace just two days ago. Now that the Emperor has seen this answer sheet, Yan Maoqing's appointment to the palace for an audience with the Emperor is considered a done deal..."

"The examination papers should have been kept in the cabinet archives, but they have been leaked. As the Grand Secretary, Xia Yan is naturally to blame!"

"Somebody come!"

"Bring me pen, ink, paper, and inkstone; I am about to submit a memorial impeaching this matter!"

……

Liu Family Courtyard...

No, now that the property deed has changed hands, it has become a veritable Yan family compound.

Upon receiving the letter from Manager Liu, Yan Maoqing felt that the already treacherous situation in the court had become even more bizarre.

What's going on?

Why would anyone be so eager to do something like this?

Now he's indebted to Manager Liu for nothing. He should have known better than to ask him for help...

So, who exactly is doing this?
Yan Song?

Is this a tactic of praising someone to death?
Xia Yan?

What are the means of retaliation?
Or perhaps, someone is just enjoying the spectacle and doesn't mind making things worse?

Yan Maoqing was completely baffled. The only thing he could be thankful for was that this incident had no impact on his impending self-exposure anyway.

He had originally intended not to attract the attention of the Jiajing Emperor, but Guo Xun's actions left him with no way to avoid it.

So he decided to go all out and escalate the matter, expanding his enemies from the examiners to the entire court, using the power of the court to help him achieve his ultimate goal of retiring and returning to his hometown.

As for the Jiajing Emperor.

Yan Maoqing was not worried that the Jiajing Emperor would favor him after seeing this answer sheet.

Anyway, he had already prepared a plan in that answer sheet. As long as Emperor Jiajing dared to ask him in person, he would give Emperor Jiajing a big "surprise" so that he would never want to look at him again for the rest of his life.

……

West Garden.

The Jiajing Emperor, wearing a crown of sandalwood and fragrant leaves, and dressed in a black Taoist robe, was meditating with his eyes closed, his hands forming the Tai Chi Yin Yang Bagua linked hand gestures.

Tao Zhongwen sat upright to one side, intently reading several unfinished books.

On the title page of the book are four large characters in regular script.

—The Xuan Breaks Through the Sky.

After a long time.

Suppressing his resentment at wanting to refine the Broken Dog into a pill, Tao Zhongwen slowly put the book down.

As if he had gained some insight, the Jiajing Emperor exhaled a breath of stale air, opened his eyes, and asked:
"Imperial Preceptor, do you believe the events recorded in this book to be true or false?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not speak presumptuously."

Tao Zhongwen considered carefully before speaking.
"However, judging this matter is not difficult. Emperor Wanshou only needs to summon him and ask him a few questions in person to find out the truth."

Those in the same industry are often rivals.

Based on this alone, Tao Zhongwen would not have any goodwill towards Yan Maoqing.

Just like how Duan Chaoyong was treated before.

Duan Chaoyong became the emperor's favorite as soon as he entered the palace, and his popularity temporarily overshadowed Duan Chaoyong's.

He merely used a small trick to stir things up, which led Duan Chaoyong to become arrogant and presumptuous, ultimately causing the situation to spiral out of control and resulting in his suicide by the Emperor of Longevity.

(End of this chapter)