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

Chapter 31 Offering a Daughter
Blackmail!

This is blatant extortion!

Guo Xun glared angrily at Yan Maoqing.

As the fifth-generation descendant of Guo Ying, the Marquis of Wuding, a founding meritorious official, he had never been extorted in such a vicious way since he was a child!
Moreover, the other party was just a newly appointed scholar, a nobody like an ant.

Why not ask the current Grand Secretary Xia Yan and see if this scoundrel dares to be so arrogant and malicious in his presence to extort money from him?
This also confirms the "wiping silk" theory that he often talked about in private with his servants. Sure enough, all civil officials under heaven are equally corrupt, and this Yan Maoqing in front of him is even worse!
Everyone else was arrogant at first and then obsequious, but this kid did the opposite: obsequious at first and then arrogant, only revealing his fangs at the very last moment.

Faced with Yan Maoqing like this, Guo Xun couldn't help but feel a slight urge to back down.

He couldn't help but suspect that having the idea of ​​using Yan Maoqing in the first place was a huge mistake.

Now, before I've even escaped this life-or-death predicament, I've fallen into another bottomless quagmire.

He could easily imagine that if this kid dared to ask for such an exorbitant amount at the very beginning, what would happen once he entered the palace and gained the emperor's favor and appreciation? Wouldn't he become even more ruthless and exploit him to the bone?
Looking back now, the Yan family probably knew his true nature when they expelled him from the Yuzhang Guild Hall!
Good thing...

"That bastard probably never imagined that I hadn't actually submitted 'The Profound Breaker' to the palace yet. I was just giving him some motivation because I saw him hesitating."

Guo Xun sneered inwardly, pondering to himself,

"How could I easily introduce someone out of my control into the palace and entrust my entire life and fortune to him?"

"Thankfully it was discovered early, so my memorial to the throne will need to be revised."

“This time, we should learn from Duan Chaoyong’s lesson and leave a loophole in our memorial to distance ourselves from him in advance. That way, even if something goes wrong in the future, I will not be suspected of deceiving the emperor, but will only be credited for presenting the memorial.”

"The day he enters the palace and wins the emperor's favor will be the day I turn the tables!"

"If he dares to act recklessly again, I can find a way to make him suffer eternal damnation at any time, and I can easily plead my case and get away with it. How can I allow him to refuse?"

"In this way, this person can also be used by me, and is even more reliable than Duan Chaoyong!"

The book, of course, still needs to be donated.

Now that Duan Chaoyong has suddenly been imprisoned and the Jiajing Emperor has not sent anyone to question him, Guo Xun feels increasingly that his situation is precarious.

He racked his brains but couldn't find any other way to quickly turn the situation around.

Therefore, they could only pretend to know nothing about Duan Chaoyong's affairs for the time being, hoping to use this book to curry favor with the emperor, express their loyalty to the Jiajing Emperor, and at the same time divert the emperor's attention away from Duan Chaoyong, so as to plan their next move...

……

In the end, Guo Xun "yielded" to Yan Maoqing's shamelessness and agreed to pay the five hundred taels of silver.

Although this sum of money wasn't much to him, he certainly couldn't be indifferent to it. After all, even the current emperor usually only gave his ministers fifty taels of silver in public.

Having arrived outside the courtyard, Guo Xun summoned his trusted servants to his side:

"I will get another five hundred taels of silver when I return to my residence later, and have someone send it here."

These words were overheard by Manager Liu, who was not far away, and his already excited heart was even more shocked.

Five hundred taels!
That's five hundred taels of silver!
Even the Luming Pavilion he managed for Guo Xun didn't make that much profit in a year!

what?
Luming Pavilion had always been losing money. If it weren't for the fact that the publication of "The Complete Record of Martial Arts and Heroes of the Ming Dynasty" influenced the current emperor and played an important role in Guo Xun's promotion to Duke of Yi and Grand Tutor, and thus received his special attention, and he was willing to lose money to continue operating, Luming Pavilion would probably have ceased to exist long ago, and he, the manager, would have been unemployed long ago.

That's alright then... But speaking of which, since the publication of "Xuan Po Cang Qiong" began in recent months...

Luming Pavilion has indeed shown some improvement, at least it has reversed its losses and barely achieved a balance between income and expenditure.

Therefore, when Manager Liu went to the Duke's mansion to report the accounts this month, he didn't shamelessly ask for money, and even his back straightened up a lot.

Have to admit.

Yan Maoqing was truly a benefactor of Luming Pavilion, and also a benefactor of Liu Wenxiu.

How could a nobleman with real skills like Yan Maoqing be compared to the eloquent but incompetent sorcerers of the past?
Manager Liu felt that if he could see it, the Duke of Yi would see it even more clearly. Now that he was willing to spend another five hundred taels of silver to buy off and win over this person, it was definitely not a losing deal!
After seeing Guo Xun off, Manager Liu secretly returned to the courtyard...

……

Yan Maoqing was happily sorting through the congratulatory gifts that filled the courtyard, thinking to himself that now that he had extra money and an empty room, he should hire one or two servants or cooks to take care of the household chores.

In this way, he could focus his limited energy on the present, even though he had encountered some inexplicable setbacks, he still believed that the "retirement and return to his hometown" career was just around the corner.

Seeing Manager Liu return, Yan Maoqing was also somewhat surprised:
"Manager Liu, does the Duke of Yi have any further instructions?"

"No, it's just that I was unable to personally congratulate Yan Jishi earlier, and I was afraid it would be impolite, so I turned back."

Manager Liu bowed very respectfully, subtly changing his form of address and smiling ingratiatingly.

"Congratulations?"

Yan Maoqing looked Liu up and down, his gaze lingering on the latter's empty hands, as if asking, "Where's the gift?"

Manager Liu gave an awkward smile, and while helping Yan Maoqing tidy up his belongings, he tentatively continued:

"Today, Yan Jishi is blessed with three great joys: he has passed the imperial examination to become a Shujishi, gained the appreciation of the Duke of Yiguo, and is also happy to move into a new residence."

"However, as the household items are gradually acquired, there are also more household chores. Given Yan Jishi's noble status, if he were to personally manage the household affairs, the Duke of Yiguo would probably blame me for not considering things carefully."

"Therefore, I thought to myself, it is time to find a maid to serve Yan Jishi."

"However, if we were to find an outsider, I'm afraid they might not be able to handle things properly and might not meet Yan Jishi's expectations. I can't rest easy about that."

"After searching around, I realized I have a niece."

"This woman is now seventeen years old. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also skilled in needlework and cooking. What is even more remarkable is that she has a pair of small and lovely bound feet. For this reason, matchmakers have been coming to propose marriage to her for the past two years, almost wearing down her doorstep."

"If Mr. Yan doesn't mind, how about I invite her to my residence to give it a try?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, how could Yan Maoqing not understand what Manager Liu meant?

So this guy's here to offer his woman as an investment?

However, he had a clear understanding of his own position and dared not mention the word "marriage" at all. He only said that he would have his niece come to serve as a maid, which was quite ingenious.

(End of this chapter)