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

Chapter 21 Tongtian Era

Yanfu.

"What did you say?!"

Despite being over sixty, Yan Song could still stand up abruptly like a young man, his old eyes filled with suspicion as he looked at the disheveled appearance of his middle-aged servant.

"You went to deliver silver to Yan Maoqing, and not only did he crack your skull open, but you didn't even get to say the most important words?"

He simply didn't understand.

As the saying goes, you can't hit someone who's smiling.

Why does Yan Maoqing act so unpredictably? What kind of eccentric person is he?
Yan Song couldn't help but think of what had happened at the palace gates that day. In all his years, he had never seen a newly appointed scholar dare to fight and cause trouble right under the emperor's nose. Yan Maoqing was truly a one-of-a-kind individual.

"Useless! A piece of trash who's good for nothing and good for making things worse!"

Yan Shifan, who was being punished by Yan Song to kneel nearby, cursed and took the opportunity to stand up.

"Keep kneeling!"

Yan Song kicked him hard, cursing him with disappointment and frustration.

"If it weren't for your rebellious son taking matters into your own hands, this person would still be hanging around Yuzhang Academy, and would still be my student no matter what. Everything would be perfectly reasonable, and I wouldn't need to do this to make amends. Aren't I just cleaning up your mess?"

Yan Song is not too old yet, and has not yet taken the position of Grand Secretary.

Yan Shifan was naturally not allowed to serve in the cabinet to draft proposals on his behalf. Since he had not yet grasped the power, there was still a limit to his arrogance.

At least for now, he didn't dare to openly argue with Yan Song, so he had no choice but to obediently kneel back down, though he still had something to say:
“Father, if you ask me, since this person is so ungrateful, you don’t need to bother trying to win him over. Just find an opportunity to ruin his future.”

"That will have to wait until after he is selected as a junior compiler!"

Yan Song rolled his eyes at Yan Shifan and said with a hint of helplessness,

"The reason I can keep Xia Yan and others in check is because of my unwavering loyalty to the Emperor."

"Now that the Emperor has specifically instructed Huang Jin to give me this hint, this is both a test and an opportunity for the Yan family. We must succeed no matter what, otherwise how will the Yan family have a place in the court in the future?"

"If we could win over Yan Maoqing and then hint to the Yan family that they would help him in the selection process, it would be only natural that he would be grateful to the Yan family after he was selected as a probationary official."

"In this way, we can both fulfill the emperor's orders and take this man as our dog, which is killing two birds with one stone."

"Now look what's happened! Not only does this man not appreciate the Yan family's kindness, but the Yan family has to go to great lengths to help him pass the selection process. Your father is now acting like his dog!"

"A dog that wags its tail without needing to be fed?! When have you ever seen a dog like that?!"

Yan Song grew angrier the more he thought about it, and couldn't help but grab the ruler on the table again.

"Father! Father! Listen to me, your son still has a way to deal with him!"

Yan Shifan was so frightened that he quickly shrank his neck and shouted repeatedly.

"What method?"

Yan Song ultimately didn't strike, and instead stared at him, asking a question.

"Yan Nian, you can go down now."

Yan Shifan's eyes darted around. He first dismissed the middle-aged servant, then lowered his voice and said to Yan Song:
“Father, that bastard Yan Maoqing is ungrateful, so we naturally don’t need to show him any mercy.”

"The Emperor's decree must be obeyed, and we should help him select a probationary official. However, the day he becomes a probationary official may also be the day he cuts himself off from the court."

"Father has always been learned and has a good memory. He should still remember the contents of Yan Maoqing's answer sheet for the palace examination, right?"

"At that time, Father only needs to copy down that examination paper, and then I will order people to find some people who have nothing to do with the Yan family to copy and spread it widely in the capital. At that time, the self-righteous Hanlin Academy will not tolerate him, and the entire court will also exclude him, so he will suffer the result of climbing high and falling hard."

"Even if the Emperor is furious about this, the first people he will suspect will be Xia Yan, Wang Tingxiang and other officials who oppose the Emperor's cultivation of immortality. He will certainly not implicate the Yan family."

"With these suspicions, Xia Yan, as the Grand Secretary, is naturally becoming increasingly uneasy. Father, your entry into the cabinet will be just around the corner."

"Wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?"

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Yan Song's eyes flashed with a gleam, and he finally put down the ruler in his hand, sitting back down in his armchair.
"Get up. Your father is getting old and can't keep up with your quick wit. The world will eventually belong to the younger generation." "Father, how can you belittle yourself? I only have some wisdom. How can I compare to your wisdom?"

Yan Shifan chuckled as he stood up and personally poured Yan Song a cup of tea. The two looked at each other and smiled.

……

In the coming days...

Yan Maoqing had a much more leisurely life than the other newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Aside from the mandatory banquets and thanksgiving ceremonies, Yan Maoqing spent almost all his time in the small house provided by Manager Liu, leisurely copying "Xuan Po Cang Qiong" while waiting for the court to assign him a post in the Imperial Administration Office.

It felt like living Tao Yuanming's secluded rural life ahead of time.

To make this kind of life more atmospheric, he specially planted a row of scallions in the courtyard. He would water and fertilize them when he had free time, and he was very happy doing it.

The only downside is that Manager Liu keeps urging me to finish the manuscript.

It's as if they're waiting for him to finish "Breaking Through the Heavens" so they can kick him out immediately...

On the other hand, the other newly appointed scholars are now entering a competitive stage with pressure no less than that of the palace examination – the selection process.

If they wanted to participate in the selection process to become probationary scholars, they had to submit fifteen of their own poems, essays, policy proposals, and other writings to the Ministry of Rites within one month after the palace examination, for joint review by the Grand Secretariat, the Ministry of Rites, and the Hanlin Academy.

This was also a precious opportunity for the newly appointed scholars, other than the top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua), to leap over the dragon gate, and the opportunity was even greater.

After all, a single selection process can promote twenty or thirty junior scholars, which is close to one in ten. This is much higher than the probability of becoming one of the top three scholars in the imperial examinations, making it well worth the effort.

Yan Maoqing only wanted to retire and return to his hometown as soon as possible, so he naturally didn't need to worry about it.

However, while he may not have to worry about it, some people are understandably anxious.

"With only three days left before the deadline for accepting articles, has Yan Maoqing still not come to submit his article?"

Yan Song summoned a trusted official from the Ministry of Rites, whom he had specially arranged to be in charge of receiving the selected articles, to a secluded spot and asked in a low voice.

"Reporting to the Minister, I have not yet seen this person's articles."

The trusted official bowed and replied.

To this day, only a handful of newly appointed scholars have yet to submit their papers.

After all, it concerns one's future, so almost everyone is in a rush to get ahead. Unless there are special uncontrollable factors, few people dare to risk meeting the final deadline.

Yan Song had been in charge of the Ministry of Rites for some time and was naturally well aware of this.

Generally speaking, those who haven't submitted their papers by this point have likely given up their chance to participate in the library's selection process...

"What on earth is that bastard thinking, refusing to even participate in the selection process?!"

Upon learning this, Yan Song became furious again.
"If he doesn't even submit his essays, how can I live up to the Emperor's orders and help him select a junior compiler? How can I cook without rice?"

While behind-the-scenes manipulation may be possible, articles are still essential.

After all, the selection of probationary officials would be jointly reviewed by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Rites, and the Hanlin Academy.

If they can't even produce a written report and are operating behind closed doors, the oversight is too significant, and the cabinet and the Hanlin Academy will easily discover the problem.

At that time, he would not only have betrayed the emperor's trust, but he would also have been truly guilty of favoritism and corruption. Even the emperor would not be able to protect him, which would be a complete loss.

"Does this mean that in order to help him be selected as a junior compiler, I have to write the essays for him?"

Yan Song angrily cursed, but then paused, stunned.
"Why not?"

"With my knowledge and literary talent, and with my understanding of the likes and dislikes of the cabinet and Hanlin Academy officials, the articles I write will surely be both exquisite and eloquent, and will leave the cabinet and Hanlin Academy officials in awe and full of praise."

"In that case, even without any underhanded methods, Yan Maoqing could easily select a junior scholar."

"If the Pope were to 'accidentally' learn of this in the future, he would only appreciate my loyalty even more and easily surpass Xia Yan..."

(End of this chapter)