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

Chapter 80 Why don't you go first?

Upon seeing Long Dayou come to ask questions, a lieutenant general quickly stepped forward, bowed, and recounted in detail what had just happened.

"Is there such a thing?"

Upon hearing this, Long Dayou immediately frowned.

"Why was I completely unaware of Yan Maoqing and his entourage's mission to the Tartars? Where are Yan Maoqing and his companions now?"

"It's... over there."

Yan Maoqing watched as the adjutant pointed at him, then smiled and whispered to Guo Xun beside him:
"Godfather, it seems that this Governor Long has come with ill intentions. This time, it's up to you, Godfather."

"Now you've remembered your godfather?"

Guo Xun deliberately gave a cold snort, his palms and backs crossed.

“You, a mere junior official, are probably no match for a governor. This 100,000 taels of silver, split in half between the two families, or don’t blame me for standing by and doing nothing.”

"In that case, there's no need for Godfather to take action. I will handle it myself."

Yan Maoqing resolutely refused.

Guo Xun naturally had no idea that Yan Maoqing had actually brought a box of account books with him when he returned this time.

This box of ledgers records the accounts of smuggling grain, military supplies, and other provisions by border generals, merchants, and Tatars in recent years. It was an extra "gift" that Anda gave to him before his departure.

Of course, I did this not out of kindness.

His real intention was to "intimidate" Yan Maoqing and his so-called "big shots behind him".

Anda had reason to believe that among Yan Maoqing and his gang of Ming officials who had no bottom line when it came to money, there must have been quite a few who had smuggled grain, military supplies, and other provisions to him at exorbitant prices by taking advantage of their positions.

Although he couldn't pinpoint exactly who they were, he was confident that they would be listed in these ledgers.

So, Anda took a gamble and sent Yan Maoqing a copy of the alternate ledger.

Let Yan Maoqing take him back and have the important figures behind him examine him carefully. Don't think he's a pushover...

Yan Maoqing had already skimmed through this ledger on his way back, so he was already familiar with the officials who had smuggled grain, military supplies, and funds to Anda in recent years. Among them, the one who had the biggest involvement and the most profit in Datong was undoubtedly the second-rank governor of Datong.
—Long Dayou, Governor Long!

Seeing that Long Dayou seemed to be coming for him, Yan Maoqing couldn't help but have some guesses.

Could it be that he learned that the traitorous generals had all been beheaded, and he was worried that he would also be betrayed by Anda... and he felt guilty?
Actually, he didn't want to take out the ledger now; he wanted to keep it for other clever uses.

However, if Long Dayou truly harbors ill intentions and Guo Xun truly stands idly by, then we'll have no choice but to let Long Dayou know in advance why Master Ma has three eyes.

Besides, he still had the imperial sword that allowed him to act first and report later, so he wasn't flustered at all...

With these thoughts in mind, Yan Maoqing immediately waved to Shen Lian, who was talking to his superior not far away:

"Brother Chunfu, come here for a moment, I have something important to discuss with you!"

"what's up?"

Shen Lian was slightly startled when he heard the call, then exchanged a few more words with his superior, and the two of them walked towards Yan Maoqing together.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard has been summoned?"

Long Dayou, who was walking towards Yan Maoqing, also had a moment of doubt, then sneered.
"What can the Embroidered Uniform Guard do? As a second-rank official in charge of a region, I act in accordance with the law and regulations. Without the Emperor's decree, what can the Embroidered Uniform Guard do to me?"

As they were talking, Long Dayou had already reached Guo Xun and Yan Maoqing.

"Greetings, Duke Yi."

Long Dayou first bowed to Guo Xun before speaking.
“Duke Yi, it is my duty to do this. Having heard about today’s events, I have a few questions that I must ask Yan Jishi for clarification. Would you be so kind as to grant me this favor?” “Governor Long, please do as you please.”

Guo Xun glanced at Yan Maoqing, then looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, adopting an attitude of indifference.

"Thank you."

Long Dayou bowed slightly in thanks, then turned to Yan Maoqing and asked with a serious expression:
"Yan Jishi, I heard that you have just returned from the bandit leader Anda. I wonder if this trip was carried out by the Emperor's decree, or if you did it on your own?"

This one question alone was enough to make Yan Maoqing feel the overwhelming malice.

However, he could never admit that this was the emperor's decree, otherwise, if it were to spread, it might arouse Anda's suspicion and have unpredictable effects on the subsequent development of the "strategy".

He was also eager to see what Long Dayou was capable of, so he feigned hesitation and cooperated by saying:
"This... His Majesty is completely unaware of this matter. However, although I acted on my own initiative, I have a sincere heart to share His Majesty's burdens."

"If Yan Jishi acted on his own, he might be suspected of colluding with the Tartars!"

This answer was exactly what Long Da wanted to hear, and he immediately bared his fangs.
"Yan Jishi, I, the governor, admire your sincere heart."

"However, colluding with the Tartars is a matter of great importance concerning the safety of the Ming Dynasty's borders. If everyone acted like you, wouldn't the country's border affairs be thrown into chaos, and wouldn't the nine important border towns have no secrets left from foreign enemies?"

"It is my duty as governor to bring you back to the prefectural office for questioning before submitting a memorial to His Majesty for a decision. Guards!"

During the Jiajing reign, the position of governor had become a powerful regional official who combined administrative, military, supervisory, and judicial powers.

Even a general like Zhou Shangwen, who was in charge of military affairs, was often subject to his control.

The only way to occasionally fight against it was by using the least efficient method of submitting memorials, but the effect was extremely limited, and in the end, it often only resulted in the emperor punishing both sides equally.

Having wielded such power, Long Dayou is now at a critical juncture for self-preservation and naturally intends to exert it to the fullest extent.

He not only wanted to arrest Yan Maoqing, but also Gao Gong and Shen Lian, who had accompanied him on the mission, and bring them back to the governor's office for a thorough interrogation of their experiences on the mission to Anda.

If these three knew nothing, he might have spared their lives.

If Anda really revealed something he shouldn't have to these three, or if he only suspected that they were hiding something... it's not uncommon for people to die of illness in the governor's prison.

Even if the emperor inquires about it afterward, he still has court officials to petition for his rescue. At worst, he might lose his official position, or in more serious cases, be sentenced to exile on the frontier. That would be better than losing his life...

"Wait!"

"Wait!"

"Wait!"

Yan Maoqing already understood what Long Dayou was up to, and immediately shouted, deciding to bring out the account books to see how the righteous Shen Lian would perform.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, two other voices overlapped with his.

One of them was Guo Xun, the Duke of Yi, who was standing beside him.

One of them came from Yan Changping, the Jinyiwei Tongzhi (assistant commander) behind Shen Lian.

"Commander Yan, why don't you go first?"

Guo Xun ultimately couldn't stand idly by, but at this moment he was quite modest and even gestured for Yan Changping to enter.

"Then I will not stand on ceremony with the Duke of Yi."

Yan Changping bowed, then immediately took out an imperial edict from his robes and apologized without any remorse:

“Governor Long, I’m truly sorry, but Yan Maoqing is someone the Emperor personally ordered to be arrested. If you want to bring him back to the Governor’s Office for questioning, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until the Northern Garrison Command has finished its interrogation.”

(End of this chapter)