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

Chapter 38: Killing
at last.

The crumpled examination paper, which had "endured many hardships," was placed only a foot away from Zhu Houcong.

At this moment, Zhu Houcong's curiosity had already been piqued to its limit by Huang Jin and Tao Zhongwen's reactions. He immediately grabbed it, held it in front of him, and stared at it intently...

"..."

Yan Maoqing discreetly observed Zhu Houcong out of the corner of his eye, ignoring the cold sweat soaking his vest from nervousness. He took a deep breath and silently began counting down from "five":

five!
Four!
three!
two!
One!

As Zhu Houcong's chest suddenly swelled like a bellows, Yan Maoqing simultaneously shouted in his heart:
This is outrageous!!!

However, to his surprise, the sound that reached his ears did not match the sound in his mind; unexpectedly, it changed to:
"Yan Maoqing, you're emitting blue smoke!!!"

However, Zhu Houcong's emotional state was entirely expected.

At this moment, he was trembling with rage, his face contorted with rage, his veins bulging, and his eyes bloodshot.

Amidst the swirling incense smoke, one could even see the spittle spraying from his angry mouth, splattering all over Tao Zhongwen, who was kneeling before him.

While cursing, he frantically crumpled the answer sheet into a ball and threw it at Yan Maoqing with all his might, as if he wanted to kill Yan Maoqing with the crumpled paper.

"Snapped!"

The paper ball hit Yan Maoqing squarely on the head, bounced high into the air, and rolled to the ground.

Zhu Houcong's almost manic voice followed in quick succession:

"Someone is coming!!!"

"Huang Jin, why haven't you brought Lu Bing in yet? Seize this traitorous wretch for me!"

"Imprison him in the imperial prison. Make sure he doesn't die easily. Prepare him meticulously, with utmost care. He cannot die unless I forbid it!!!"

"?!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Jin trembled violently.

Although he knew that the emperor had punished many people and ordered the execution of many others for the Great Rites Controversy and the Xuanxiu incident, he had conveyed many of these edicts on his behalf.

However, this kind of imperial edict is unprecedented. He actually forbids Yan Maoqing from dying, intending to make Yan Maoqing unable to live or die!
This shows how furious the Emperor was at this moment, and how much he hated and loathed Yan Maoqing.

However, this is indeed reasonable.

Previously, anyone who dared to speak disrespectfully to the Emperor Xuanxiu, even high-ranking officials of the court, could not escape death.

Yan Maoqing was just a newly appointed scholar, yet he dared to curse the emperor to die, be humiliated, and lose the country... How could the emperor's hatred be relieved by the word "death"?
Alas, Yan Maoqing was too young and impetuous; it's a pity that he was given such unparalleled talent as a prime minister.

Now that things had come to this, even though Huang Jin felt regret, he dared not utter a single word, not even a sigh. He could only quickly retreat and order Lu Bing to lead the Imperial Guards to arrest Yan Maoqing first...

at the same time.

"Father, please wait!"

Yan Maoqing looked completely bewildered and said with trepidation,
"Why has Your Majesty imprisoned me? Could it be that you have misunderstood the meaning of these nine words I spoke?"

"Misunderstanding? You wrote it clearly in black and white: you dared to openly curse the Emperor of Longevity. What misunderstanding is there?"

Having successfully avoided Zhu Houcong's first wave of anger, Tao Zhongwen now had to confirm Yan Maoqing's guilt and immediately turned around to kick him while he was down.

"Master Tao, you're wrong!"

Yan Maoqing's expression became even more bewildered.

"When I filled in those nine characters, I was clearly advising my father to diligently advance in his spiritual cultivation. How could that be considered cursing my father?"

Do you think my eyes are blind?

Seeing Zhu Houcong sitting on the altar, panting heavily and showing no intention of speaking, Tao Zhongwen knew that this meant he was being tacitly approved of speaking on his behalf. Growing bolder, he wiped his face, stood up, and cursed.

"Even if I am dull-witted and have poor eyesight, is Eunuch Huang blind? The Emperor of Longevity has sharp eyes and a clear mind; how dare you speak such nonsense?!"

"Hehe." Faced with such a question, Yan Maoqing laughed instead, and stood up loudly, saying:
"What Master Tao said is true. It is precisely because my father is insightful and clear-headed that I could not sit idly by and allow those with ulterior motives to act as accomplices, causing my father to lose his promising path to immortality!"

"?!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed across Zhu Houcong's furious face.

What does this mean?
It's as if this scoundrel wrote such a vicious curse not to dissuade me from seeking immortality through metaphysics, but rather to lend me a helping hand.
"My lord, my father!"

Before Tao Zhongwen could respond, Yan Maoqing immediately bowed to Zhu Houcong on the altar and said solemnly,

"As I just said, in my heart, among all the people in the world, only the Emperor is the Son of Heaven, and only the Emperor possesses the bones and spiritual roots of an immortal. All the others are just ordinary mortals."

"If anyone could ride a dragon to ascend to immortality, it would naturally be none other than the sovereign and father."

"Although I am neither a sorcerer nor a shaman, and do not know the correct methods of metaphysics, I have studied this matter since childhood by reading ancient books and historical records. I may be able to help Your Majesty eliminate the wrong methods of metaphysics."

"Just as Emperor Wu of Han widely recruited alchemists and treated young rulers well, seeking to acquire the secrets of immortality, he ultimately failed to live to see his death. This method is absolutely unacceptable."

"Those who built the Zhaigong Palace during the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song and those who constructed the Genyue Garden in an attempt to gather the spirits of heaven and earth, only to suffer the humiliation of the Jingkang Incident, should also be excluded from this list."

"For example, during the Southern Dynasties of Qi and Liang, people often wrote Qingci (a type of Buddhist prayer), following Tao Hongjing's Shangqing Jingfa (a method of ascending to the realm of the Three Pure Ones). However, both dynasties suffered the calamity of national subjugation, so this method should be abandoned and ignored..."

At this point, Yan Maoqing paused briefly, glanced sideways at Tao Zhongwen not far away, and then continued meaningfully:
"Please, Your Majesty, consider this: Tao Hongjing's Shangqing Scriptures should be excluded from the correct methods of esoteric cultivation. How much more so should the thirty-first generation of his descendants, whose lineage is still unknown, be excluded?"

"These are the nine characters I wrote on the answer sheet to express my feelings to Your Majesty!"

Yan Maoqing knelt down and said with unwavering conviction,
“Your Majesty, I have studied diligently for more than ten years, not for fame or fortune, but so that one day I may have the honor of meeting Your Majesty and reporting these conclusions to Your Majesty in person.”

"If I am fortunate enough to offer a humble suggestion that may help my lord and father achieve a smooth path to immortality, I will die in peace!"

"?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tao Zhongwen was stunned.

He felt that although Yan Maoqing had targeted him, it wasn't just him personally, but rather a broad-based attack.

"?!"

Huang Jin was also stunned.

He felt he might have misjudged Yan Maoqing again; Yan Maoqing might not be as noble as he had thought, and his ambitions were far from insignificant.

Even the most notorious villains are probably no more than this, and their future harm will only be greater than that of Tao Zhongwen and his ilk…

Even Zhu Houcong's anger subsided considerably, and he actually took the initiative to ask:
"According to you, how should I embark on the path to immortality?"

"Only Your Majesty and Father can become an immortal, and only Your Majesty and Father can glimpse the secrets of heaven and find the path to immortality. Your humble servant is but a mortal, how dare you speak presumptuously?"

Yan Maoqing bowed his head.
"In my humble opinion, the path of Xuanxiu is like crossing tribulations in the mortal world, just like rowing against the current."

"I wonder if Your Majesty has considered that the mystical cultivation methods spoken of by ordinary people may actually be a calamity set up by Heaven for Your Majesty, a trial to deceive the hearts of emperors throughout history. This in itself is a test of tribulation."

"Therefore, we have the death of Emperor Wu of Han, the national humiliation of Emperor Huizong of Song, and the fall of the Qi and Liang dynasties..."

"!!!"

"???"

Upon hearing this, Tao Zhongwen immediately felt dizzy and his body swayed involuntarily.

Lore!

This is the real killer move!

Yan Maoqing planted these words in Zhu Houcong's heart, and the impact will only grow day by day, enough to destroy the livelihoods of all the sorcerers and shamans in the world, or even bring about their annihilation!

Most importantly, even he himself found some truth in what he said...

(End of this chapter)