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

Chapter 116 I, Lu Bing, am no ordinary person!
"..."

Upon seeing this, Yan Song's unease intensified.

After receiving the news last night, Lu Bing immediately went to the Shuntian Prefecture government office to silence him, but how could he possibly silence Yan Shifan, the second-in-command of the Shuntian Prefecture government office?
Therefore, Yan Song now knows the reason why those yamen runners who came to arrest the man ended up wetting their pants:

Yan Maoqing's wife had only been in the capital for two months when she was suddenly granted the title of a fifth-rank imperial lady!

The scene of hearing this news last night kept replaying in my mind...

"Father, this is against the rules! That lowly woman's wife should not have this status!"

Yan Shifan immediately lost his temper and demanded that Yan Song gather his protégés in the court to submit a memorial impeaching the matter. He also wanted to send people to spread the word in the capital to stir up public opinion and expose Bai Lu's inexplicable status as a titled lady.

After all, it's not just since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, but also since the title of "Lady of Imperial Decree" appeared in the history of the Celestial Empire.

The wife's rank has always been subordinate to her husband's; there has never been a case where a lady of high rank was higher than her husband.

This does not conform to the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues advocated by the official schools of the Ming Dynasty; it is simply a reversal of the Heavenly Order!

Yan Shifan could easily imagine that once this matter was exposed, it would immediately cause a huge uproar, and the public opinion would be even more intense than the so-called "crime of adultery without a husband".

then……

Yan Shifan then received a resounding slap in the face from Yan Song:

"You unfilial son, you're courting death!"

"Don't you know who bestowed the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree upon you?!"

"Don't you understand that Lu Bing went to the Shuntian Prefecture government office overnight to silence people—who exactly was he trying to silence for?!"

"..."

This slap instantly brought Yan Shifan to his senses.

How could he not know who was involved? He just almost acted impulsively in a moment of madness.

Even without that slap, he would have immediately given up the idea after calming down overnight.

But he just couldn't accept it, he just couldn't be convinced, he just felt like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

How could Yan Maoqing, a mere unranked and ungraded junior official, receive such an honor from the Emperor?

What merit or ability does Yan Maoqing, a mere unranked and lowly junior scholar, possess to make his father and him so helpless, forced to watch this lowly child hopping around in the same alley every day?

Is the humiliation of being shut out that day just going to be let go of for a mere unranked and ungraded junior official? What use was it for my father to spend his whole life climbing to the rank of a second-grade minister?!
This is not over, it's absolutely not over!
"Qing'er, let's put this matter aside for now and let things settle down for a while."

After slapping his son, Yan Song sighed and began to comfort him, his son, who was nearly thirty but looked like a child about to cry.

"There are some people and some things in this world that prevent us from doing whatever we want. Even the emperor cannot do whatever he wants, let alone you and me, father and son?"

"I suspect that when Guo Xun took Yan Maoqing to Datong on business, he secretly subdued Anda, which impressed the Emperor. That's why the Emperor gave him such an exceptional reward."

“Now he is considered a favorite of the emperor, so we shouldn’t provoke him. We should bide our time and avoid his sharp edge.”

"However, this matter is not over yet!"

"Xia Yan was once a favorite of the Emperor, and even sat on the throne of Grand Secretary, but he still ended up like this. What chance does a mere Yan Maoqing have?"

"It's not too late to deal with him after the storm has passed and the Emperor's attention has shifted away..."

Putting aside his memories, Yan Song let out another silent sigh.

Fortunately, Yan Shifan was somewhat shrewd. While using Zhang Yusheng as a pawn, he also made sure to distance himself from the situation beforehand.

Although Zhang Yusheng has been captured by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, even if he confesses everything after arriving at the Northern Garrison Command and implicates Yan Shifan in order to protect himself, he will still have room to defend himself.

Besides, I have a personal relationship with Lu Bing, and he has received quite a few favors from me before.

When the matter was subsequently reported to the Emperor, there would likely have been some bias.

So, I suppose this matter should end here?

……

That's it?

Yan Maoqing doesn't think so.

Zhang Yusheng was merely an appetizer; he couldn't even be bothered to glance at him.

The task that Guo Xun and Xia Yan were about to do for him was nothing more than a proper meal; it was enough to fill his stomach, but it left him feeling unsatisfied.

Surely no one thinks that's all there is to it?

It's not over yet!

Yan Maoqing also prepared a dessert laced with deadly poison for Yan Song and his son, just so that they could have a peaceful journey after their main meal!
To be kind to your enemy is to be cruel to yourself!
Anyone who dares to lay their dirty hands on his wife must be prepared to have their family destroyed!
……

Qianqing Palace.

"Has Zhang Yusheng's testimony been verified?"

After reading the confession that Lu Bing had just presented, Zhu Houcong narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Your Majesty, I have already ordered people to verify this carefully."

Lu Bing kowtowed and said.

As soon as Zhang Yusheng entered the Northern Garrison Command, he confessed in a panic.

He confessed to everything about his private communication, planning, and execution with Yan Shifan.

Although Lu Bing and Yan Song did have a very close personal relationship, he had no choice but to step in to protect Yan Song.

However, he did not secretly alter Zhang Yusheng's confession, because no one knew if the Emperor might suddenly decide to personally interrogate or order a retrial of Zhang Yusheng, a risk he absolutely could not afford. But this did not mean he had no other way to clear Yan Song and Yan Shifan of suspicion…

"In my humble opinion, we cannot rule out the possibility that Zhang Yusheng, knowing that his life was in danger, implicated Yan Shifan to seek personal revenge."

Meeting Zhu Houcong's scrutinizing gaze, Lu Bing continued, speaking clearly and logically.

"It's because when I ordered people to verify the testimonies, I discovered a few things that didn't make sense."

"First, there is the relationship between Zhang Yusheng and Yan Song."

"Zhang Yusheng is currently observing state affairs at the Ministry of Rites, which is under Yan Song's control. Investigations have revealed that he frequently used his supposed connection to Jiangxi to curry favor with Yan Song, but Yan Song has not given him any important positions because of this. In fact, several months ago, Yan Song ordered him to be sent to the Imperial Kitchen to clean up kitchen waste."

"Secondly, there is the relationship between Zhang Yusheng and Yan Shifan."

"Previously, Zhang Yusheng had been staying at the Yuzhang Guild Hall, which was sponsored by the Yan family and supported their fellow townsmen. A few days ago, Yan Shifan went to the Yuzhang Guild Hall to host a banquet for the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). It is suspected that an unpleasant incident occurred during the banquet, and Zhang Yusheng was expelled from the guild hall the next day. This is precisely the time when Zhang Yusheng mentioned communicating with Yan Shifan in his confession."

"Secondly, there is the relationship between Zhang Yusheng and Yan Maoqing."

"It is said that the two were originally close, but when the imperial examination ended, Zhang Yusheng, for some reason, made things difficult for Yan Maoqing in front of a group of newly appointed scholars, which eventually led to a fight between the two under Zhengyang Gate, which also alerted the Jinyiwei on duty."

"In conclusion, I believe that Zhang Yusheng is a person with a wicked heart and a vengeful nature, and his testimony is probably still open to question."

"Please let your father decide for himself."

This statement was extremely skillful; every word was true, every event could be verified, and it showed no bias towards Yan Song or Yan Shifan.

However, once connected, they all became "fake news" that could guide Zhu Houcong's thinking, making it difficult for him to fully believe the content mentioned in the confession.

He also specifically mentioned the feud between Yan Maoqing and Zhang Yusheng.

No one knows better than Zhu Houcong what weight Yan Maoqing holds in his heart now.

Based on his understanding of Zhu Houcong, this kind of betrayal by a close friend would most easily sway the latter's emotions.

This influenced the latter's personal perception of Zhang Yusheng, confirming his dishonest and vindictive nature, and swaying the latter's judgment on the matter.

really.

"Heh, why did Zhang Yusheng have to mess with Yan Maoqing, that scoundrel?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong laughed with great interest.
"If I'm not mistaken, it must have been Yan Maoqing who struck first, right?"

"The incident happened so suddenly that even the Imperial Guards didn't get a clear look at the whole situation. However, Zhang Yusheng did look much more disheveled, while Yan Maoqing was completely unharmed."

Lu Bing replied in this way.

At this point, he knew he had achieved his goal.

He has done Yan Song such a big favor this time, it would be a bit unreasonable for Yan Song not to sincerely thank him.

"Alright, let's close this case as soon as possible and not let it escalate any further."

After laughing, Zhu Houcong casually tossed the confession aside and waved his hand, saying...

He didn't want this matter to drag on any longer, otherwise even more people would find out about the irregular secret rewards, and there would probably be more people in the court gossiping and disturbing his peace.

……

This incident nearly cost Yan Maoqing his job and caused Bai Lu's death.

It seemed to have passed just like that, without even causing a ripple in the court.

In the end, Zhang Yusheng was only stripped of his official title for the crime of "treachery and cunning," sentenced to one hundred strokes of the cane, and exiled to the frontier... However, he was unlucky and died before he could withstand the caning.

His tragic death went unnoticed; in fact, some people secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Everything seemed to have returned to calm.

Only Yan Shifan was anxious about another trivial matter:
"It's been half a month, why hasn't Yan Liang returned from Jiangxi yet?"

Yan Shifan quite liked this trusted servant. The man had fair skin, red lips and white teeth, and was exceptionally obedient and reliable.

Yan Liang is there when there's work to be done, and Yan Liang is there when there's nothing to do... Such a trustworthy servant who can do both is not easy to find, and he's still not used to it.

It's a pity there were no telephones in this era, so the message couldn't be sent immediately. Otherwise, he would have contacted Yan Liang and returned the day after the matter was settled.

Now, sending someone to chase after them would be too late, so all he could do was wait.

Wait for Yan Liang to finish his business and return on his own. As for the witnesses and evidence he brings back, since they are no longer of use, just destroy them secretly.

Just as I was thinking this.

"Young master, great news! Great news!"

A servant had just returned from outside and immediately ran happily to Yan Shifan to ask for a reward.

"What good news? Is Yan Liang back?"

Yan Shifan snapped out of his reverie and, continuing what he was thinking, subconsciously asked a question.

"Young master, this news is no ordinary matter; it's incredibly good news. Otherwise, how could I dare to bother you!"

The servant, having caught his breath slightly, said with a flushed face,
"I just overheard people on the street saying that everyone is talking about how His Majesty bypassed the court's recommendation and specially appointed Xu Zan and Zhang Bi to the cabinet during the morning court session. They believe that this was against the rules and that the two men are not up to the task."

"The Ministry of Personnel has now proposed to convene a court recommendation meeting with the Nine Ministers and other important officials of the court, such as the Censorate and the Censorate, to recommend capable ministers for the Emperor."

"Our master has the highest prestige and the loudest support right now. He might just be appointed to the cabinet this time."

"Is this true?!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Shifan instantly forgot about Yan Liang and leaped up with incredible agility.

(End of this chapter)