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

Chapter 277 I Can Set Fires, But You Can't Light Lamps [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

After his travel permit to return to his hometown was approved, Yan Maoqing went to the Southern Garrison Command immediately.

"Your humble servant Shen Lian greets Duke Biguo."

When Shen Lian saw Yan Maoqing again, he felt as if he had been in another world.

When he first met Yan Maoqing, Yan Maoqing had only recently become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and was not even a Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy).

And now, just over a year later, the man standing before him has become the emperor's favorite minister, the Crown Prince's tutor, the Grand Master of the Imperial Household, the famous general who beheaded Altan Khan, the hero who recovered the Hetao region, and the pillar of the nation, Duke Biguo...

He himself has been promoted over the past year or so.

Even in the eyes of many, his rapid rise from a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to the commander of the Southern Garrison in just one year was a rare and remarkable achievement.

But compared to a prodigy like Yan Maoqing, who has risen and fallen without ever falling, he is still nothing more than a laughingstock.

the most important is.

His current situation is far from what it appears to be glamorous; in fact, it could be described as difficult.

As the commander of the Southern Garrison, he was responsible for supervising the discipline of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. After the strict enforcement of the law some time ago, he finally became a marginal figure in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Now, not only his fellow Jinyiwei officers, but even Lu Bing, the commander of the Jinyiwei who had promoted him, have gradually become indifferent to him, excluding him from many matters and even depriving him of his right to know.

Did I really do something wrong?
Shen Lian has been thinking about this question a lot lately, sometimes for a whole night.

Even though he thought about it too much, he still felt that he hadn't done anything wrong; the ones who were wrong were Lu Bing and his fellow Jinyiwei officers.

Is the true end of being an official simply to embezzle public funds, to blend in with the crowd, and to become complicit in corruption?
not like this!
Shen Lian felt that this shouldn't be the case.

But if he's doing the right thing, why does he seem so out of place?

In particular, Lu Bing, who had previously valued him highly, began to distance himself from him after Lu Bing advised him to work with the four dukes to return the interests that had been seized from the people and to stop accepting bribes.
But if he did something wrong...

Does that mean all the books of sages and worthies he's read over the years are wrong, and that everything left behind by the ancient sages and worthies is wrong?
If that's the case, is there still justice, righteousness, and light in this world?
To be honest, he sometimes looked down on Yan Maoqing.

After all, birds of a feather flock together. Someone like Yan Maoqing, who hangs out with Yan Shifan all the time and even openly solicits huge bribes from Anda when he goes to Anda's court, is definitely not a good person.

But it was this very insect that he often looked down upon.

This time, however, he single-handedly dealt with almost all the corrupt officials in Shanxi, from the Grand Secretaries and Ministers down to the county magistrates and assistant magistrates. He was truly ruthless and decisive, unlike other officials who were hesitant and fearful.

This is something Shen Lian could never do...

Lu Bing, who had promoted him, had already put him in a dilemma.

Even if he knew of some embezzlement and other illegal acts for which there was solid evidence, he could not disregard the favor and report the truth. Instead, he had to go and persuade them with earnest words, going against the principles he had previously upheld.

Therefore, while he looked down on Yan Maoqing, he was also disappointed in himself.

Compared to Yan Maoqing, where exactly is he better? Isn't he just as derelict in his duties and just as aiding and abetting evil?

Anyway.

The number of corrupt officials that Yan Maoqing has apprehended in Shanxi this time is very likely already a number he could never achieve in his entire life...

“Lililililil!”

Shen Lian felt an indescribable mix of emotions. Yan Maoqing, who had arrived for some unknown reason, wore a sly grin and waved a document in front of him.
"Brother Chunfu, do you see clearly? Look at this and tell me loudly what it is. Now, are you convinced?"

"This……"

Shen Lian didn't understand what Yan Maoqing was doing; he just felt that this guy seemed to be sick.

However, he also saw the contents of the document clearly in Yan Maoqing's swagger. It was a travel permit, and a travel permit specially approved by the Emperor, allowing him to return to his hometown in Jiangxi to visit his relatives.

But he still didn't understand what Yan Maoqing meant.

The Emperor simply granted him a three-month leave to visit his family, allowing him to return home in glory.
This isn't anything particularly celebratory, so why is Yan Maoqing so disregarding his status and showing off like this?
However, he could also see that even though Yan Maoqing was now a Duke, his mentality did not seem to have changed much. Otherwise, why would he still call him "Brother Chunfu"?
"Hehehe, don't say I didn't give you a chance. This time I'll leave the capital through Chaoyang Gate."

Yan Maoqing's smile grew even more smug, his eyes gleaming with a light Shen Lian had never seen before.
"If you're so capable, then bring your men and put on another show, overturn my carriage, cut my horse's reins, confiscate my travel permit, and block my way!"

"I'm telling you, this time I'm definitely leaving. Even if the Heavenly King himself came, he couldn't stop me, I'm telling you!"

Shen Lian still didn't understand why Yan Maoqing was so smug, nor did he understand why Yan Maoqing remembered that little incident so clearly and was deliberately bringing it up in front of him now, as if such a trivial matter would never be forgotten.

So, amidst his confusion, Shen Lian honestly pointed out:

"Please forgive me, Lord Biguo, but if I am not mistaken, it seems that you are only temporarily leaving the capital for three months?"

"In three months, the Duke of Biguo will return to the capital to report to the Emperor. Why should I stop him?"

"Besides, I have no orders from my superiors, and I am no longer handling matters of the Northern Garrison Command, so why should I obstruct them?"

"Unless the Duke of Biguo, in his capacity as a duke, leaves the capital without the Emperor's permission, I might submit a memorial to the Emperor if I find out. Otherwise, what does the Duke of Biguo's departure from the capital have to do with me?"

"Uh……"

Yan Maoqing's smug smile froze on his face, and the light in his eyes dimmed considerably. Yes…

It's only three months, but a month of that is spent on the road.

Moreover, with the title of Duke, he would be subject to greater restrictions, just like those princes. It would be like selling himself for an annual stipend of five thousand shi of rice. What is there to be proud of?
After a moment of silence.

"Brother Chunfu, has anyone ever told you that you have a very annoying way of speaking?"

Yan Maoqing asked with a dark face.

Since his transmigration, he has not suffered many setbacks or been hurt in many ways, but Shen Lian is one of the best among those who can make him suffer setbacks and hurt him in many ways.

Last time, when this guy stopped him at Chaoyang Gate, he even confiscated the money he had bribed him, so the guy couldn't get away with biting him back!
"Although Duke Biguo is not the first person to say this, he is certainly the one with the highest rank..."

Hearing this question, Shen Lian felt a little hurt, but he still answered truthfully with mixed feelings.

"That's right, it means you really are annoying. This is a personal endorsement from the Duke of Biguo. The Duke of Biguo wishes you a life full of smiles."

Yan Maoqing had completely lost interest in showing off. He glanced at Shen Lian sullenly, then turned around and shouted outside.

"Bring them in!"

"What do you mean, 'bring people in'..."

Shen Lian became even more puzzled upon hearing this.

But then they saw two guards from the Heroes' Battalion escorting a thin man dressed in servant's clothes into the room, and the thin man looked somewhat familiar.

"Master, master, I will never dare to do it again. Please forgive me this time!"

The skinny man was already trembling with fear, unable to even stand. As soon as the two guards let go, he knelt down and crawled to Yan Maoqing, pleading desperately with tears and snot streaming down his face.

"This is?"

Shen Lian really couldn't understand what Yan Maoqing was up to.

“Tell this impartial and incorruptible Jinyiwei official what you did, and see if he spares you, and then see if he spares me.”

Yan Maoqing snorted coldly, his face expressionless.
"If he can't forgive you, he won't forgive me either. He will definitely report this to the Emperor. If I am implicated because of you, even if I forgive you, you'll have to see if your wife can tolerate you."

"..."

Shen Lian was almost completely confused. Hadn't Yan Maoqing already passed the imperial examination? Why was he still spouting rhymes?
Then the servant knelt down again, facing Shen Lian, and recounted the events with trepidation.

After hearing this, Shen Lian became even more confused.

It turns out that this servant was named Liu Laizi, and he was a servant who accompanied Bai Lu when she came to the capital to marry Yan Maoqing.

After arriving in the capital, Liu Laizi moved into a large house in Shengjiang Hutong and naturally took on the role of gatekeeper.

After Yan Maoqing became Duke Biguo, and Shen Kun and Gao Gong also rose rapidly in rank, some people started to have wicked ideas and tried their best to come to the mansion to pay their respects.

Yan Maoqing naturally didn't want to see anyone.

So he instructed his wife not to accept any gifts, because his family had enough. He simply told those people that he was busy with official duties and was staying at the Imperial Household Department's office, not at home.

After all, the office of the Imperial Household Department was located inside the palace, and not just anyone could enter it, which was enough to block the vast majority of visitors.

But this still couldn't stop some people's determination to make progress.

So some people set their sights on Liu Laizi, the gatekeeper...

Xing Yifeng, a fellow Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of Yan Maoqing, who later became a compiler in the Hanlin Academy after achieving the third-highest rank in the examination, was very adept at currying favor. He secretly bribed Liu Laizi with fifty taels of silver, hoping that Liu would speak well of Yan Maoqing after he returned home and help him put in a good word for him, thus giving him a chance to be recommended.

It was such a trivial matter, yet Yan Maoqing actually escorted the person directly to the Southern Garrison Command?
Strictly speaking, this doesn't even qualify as bribery or extortion. After all, Liu Laizi wasn't a government official, so it wasn't a matter between officials; it was more like a gift between friends.

Besides, my major isn't really relevant to this.

The Southern Garrison is responsible for internal investigations within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but it doesn't handle cases handled externally.

Not to mention that the Court of Imperial Sacrifices now has law enforcement power, even if it is necessary to send someone outside to avoid suspicion, shouldn't they be sent to the Northern Garrison Command or the Shuntian Prefecture?

Speaking of which... surely Yan Maoqing knows that this kind of thing is not under the jurisdiction of the Southern Garrison Command, isn't that common sense?

"..."

Shen Lian looked at Yan Maoqing with a puzzled expression, his heart filled with confusion.

Who exactly is this person?
He solicited a bribe of 400,000 taels of silver and transported it home with a clear conscience. His subordinates accepted a bribe of 50 taels of silver and then handed him over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

What?
oppressive rule?
Or is this just a deliberate act, a way for him to gain fame and reputation, hoping to use this incident to earn a reputation for integrity and virtue?
Then he saw Yan Maoqing start frantically gesturing and winking at him, his face displaying an indescribable variety of expressions.

That seems to mean:

"Brother Chunfu, please, please cooperate!"

(End of this chapter)