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

Chapter 36 Nine Words

"Pfft!"

Huang Jin was so frightened by the sound that he immediately knelt down.

Regardless of who Jiajing was referring to with his "insolence" at this moment.

He dropped his whisk at a crucial moment and made an inappropriate noise; for that alone, he should kneel down and apologize.

"!"

Tao Zhongwen also trembled, but still maintained a semblance of composure, and silently knelt down:
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Among the myriad beings under heaven, the majority are ignorant of the Dao and not all possess the bones and spiritual roots of immortals. I have spent sixty years traversing the mortal world and am accustomed to the questions and criticisms of ordinary people."

"I earnestly request that Your Majesty not trouble yourself with such trivial matters, preserve your vital energy, and not let worldly noise damage your golden body."

Damn, this old Taoist priest is a green tea bitch!
Upon hearing this sophistry, Yan Maoqing cursed inwardly.

Then he lowered his body, even lower than Huang Jin and Tao Zhongwen, and his buttocks protruded even higher, almost to the ground:
"Please calm down, Your Majesty. What Master Tao said is absolutely right. Among all the people in the world, only Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven."

"Therefore, in my humble opinion, only Your Majesty possesses the bones and spiritual roots of an immortal; all others are mere mortals, including Master Tao."

"What I said just now was not meant to disrespect Master Tao, but simply because I admire the profound cultivation and humbly want to explore its methods."

"If this matter causes any loss of vital energy to Your Majesty, I am filled with fear and deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

"?!"

Huang Jin suddenly looked up, his gaze towards Yan Maoqing filled with surprise and doubt.

Wrong sight!
This guy's a pro!

Look at his extremely humble kneeling posture, his flattery that goes straight to the emperor's heart, and his scheming to praise the emperor while simultaneously belittling Tao Zhongwen. What else could he be but a master?
Huang Jin couldn't help but think of Yan Maoqing's examination paper, his selected essays, and the unfinished novel "Xuan Po Cang Qiong" that he had been ordered to read...

His answers to the palace examination already revealed much about his character.
The articles selected by the library are of superior quality in both thought and writing, which is truly impressive.

Huang Jin had reason to believe that even without the Emperor's hint or Yan Song's behind-the-scenes manipulation, Yan Maoqing would most likely have been able to easily select a junior official based on his own abilities.
Although "Xuan Po Cang Qiong" is popular, its plot is full of twists and turns, making it hard to put down. Even though he just admitted that it was a work of fiction, one can't help but admire his boundless imagination!

and so……

There's a saying that goes, "It's not the scoundrels that are scary, it's the scoundrels with education who are scary."

Given Yan Maoqing's utterly unscrupulous and despicable character, coupled with his extraordinary knowledge that can be both vulgar and refined, doesn't he perfectly fit this proverb?
"..."

A chill ran through Tao Zhongwen's heart.

Unexpectedly, this person is so eloquent and his style of doing things is unlike that of a sorcerer, and also different from those officials. Today, I'm afraid I've met a formidable opponent!

With these thoughts in mind, Tao Zhongwen subconsciously lowered his body even further, as if he were competing with Yan Maoqing.

However, whether due to some burdens of his identity or because of old age and stiffness, he could not achieve the same feat as Yan Maoqing, and had to give up in frustration.

"Hehehe, what a wonderful statement that I alone am the Son of Heaven, and what a wonderful statement that I alone possess immortal bones and spiritual roots."

Zhu Houcong, as expected, did not continue his outburst. Instead, he laughed, staring at Yan Maoqing with great interest, and then said...
"Yan Maoqing, do you know Tao Zhenren's true identity?"

"Wei Chen doesn't know."

Yan Maoqing answered in a muffled voice.

"Your examination paper has been leaked for some reason. I have ordered a thorough investigation, and its contents have been presented to me."

Zhu Houcong, feigning nonchalance, pulled out a sheet of paper and continued speaking while reading it.
"In this reply, I read a line: 'I often compose poems, imitating Tao Hongjing's enlightenment, reaching the realm of the Three Pure Ones.'"

"Do you know that Master Tao is the thirty-first generation descendant of Tao Hongjing, and is a true successor of the Shangqing School, a true master who has been passed down through generations."

"However, ignorance is no excuse. I suppose Master Tao is of pure heart and will not hold it against you."

Hearing this, Tao Zhongwen finally breathed a slight sigh of relief and bowed in agreement:
"The Emperor of Longevity is wise and benevolent..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Maoqing immediately feigned confusion and quickly took over the conversation:

"Your Majesty, may I take another look at this examination paper?"

"?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong felt a sense of doubt.

He was quite certain that these were the exact words from Yan Maoqing's examination paper. Huang Jin had read them to him personally, and he had even held them in his hands to read them.

How could Yan Maoqing possibly have any questions about the answer sheet he wrote himself?
However, in order to figure out what Yan Maoqing really meant at this moment, he still handed the copied palace examination answer sheet to Huang Jin:
"Huang Ban, give this to Yan Maoqing." "Yes."

Huang Jin was also puzzled, so he quickly got up, took the item with both hands, and went to Yan Maoqing's side:
"Yan Jishi, please."

"Thank you, Father."

Yan Maoqing bowed again in thanks before rising to accept the copied answer sheet. He glanced at it only once before looking puzzled and shaking his head repeatedly.

"wrong!"

"Father, no!"

"This answer sheet was indeed written by your humble servant, but for some reason, a few words have been omitted. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"

"What's wrong?"

Zhu Houcong glanced at Huang Jin, who was currently writing down the answer sheet for the palace examination from memory.

Although he wasn't sure if Huang Jin had made any mistakes, he had looked at it carefully and concluded that overall it shouldn't be too different from the original imperial examination answer sheet.

"Please, Your Majesty, bestow your calligraphy upon me, so that I may fill in these words. Your Majesty will then know exactly what is wrong."

Yan Maoqing spoke with absolute certainty.

Seeing this, Zhu Houcong became even more curious, so he nodded slightly to Huang Jin.

Huang Jin was equally curious and hurriedly went to do as he was told, even personally grinding ink for Yan Maoqing.

"..."

Only Tao Zhongwen felt uneasy, with a bad feeling about it.

After all, Yan Maoqing's current hypocritical act only started when he mentioned Tao Hongjing and himself, which made him, the person involved, feel somewhat guilty.

Huang Jin quickly presented the calligraphy to Yan Maoqing.

"Thank you."

Yan Maoqing thanked him, took the brush, dipped it in ink, and then, still kneeling, began to fill in the words on the palace examination paper, stroke by stroke.

A moment later, after seemingly writing only a few words, Yan Maoqing put down his pen.

"finished?"

Zhu Houcong asked somewhat uncertainly.

"finished."

Yan Maoqing agreed.

“Huang Ban…”

Zhu Houcong nodded in acknowledgment.

Huang Jin hurriedly stepped forward, glancing curiously at the scroll before turning back to present it to the Emperor.

Just from that one glance, Huang Jin froze instantly, his feet seemingly rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch.

Yan Maoqing only filled in nine characters on the answer sheet, and the content had already changed to:

[Extensively recruit alchemists, like Emperor Wu of Han treated the young ruler, and widely collect secrets of immortality.]
—He finally passed away!

The Zhaigong Palace was expanded, emulating Emperor Huizong of Song's construction of the Genyue Garden, to gather the spirits of heaven and earth.

—The shame of Jingkang!
He often composed poems in the style of Tao Hongjing, aiming to attain enlightenment and reach the realm of the Three Pure Ones.

—Two dynasties perished!

"Huang Ban, present this to me?"

Seeing this, Zhu Houcong became even more curious and couldn't help but urge him on.

"The slaves dare not!"

Huang Jin's face turned ashen, his legs trembled, and he immediately knelt down with a loud thud, actually chiseling a crack into a brick in front of the palace!
(End of this chapter)