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

Chapter 95 Entering the Cabinet!

"..."

Looking at the beautiful woman who was pregnant and trembling, Yan Maoqing began to doubt whether Bailu was really his first wife in history.

Based on the phrase "Don't reach out, or you'll get caught," and our interactions from yesterday to today, Bai Lu seems to have a strong moral compass and is a woman with her own ideas.

As her first wife in history, she should have frequently advised him against it. If she had been influenced by him, Yan Maoqing in history might not have become a corrupt official second only to Yan Song and his son.

But then I thought, nothing is absolute, and life is unpredictable.

Some wives die young, and some husbands are so stubborn they can't be persuaded. Not to mention, in history there was Yan Song, the adoptive father who patiently guided and persuaded people. In officialdom, there are many things that one cannot control...

As the saying goes, "It's hard to learn good things, but it's easy to learn bad things."

Whether the former ruler's ideology has declined or whether he has become depraved seems to be something that his first wife alone cannot decide.

Moreover, the only constant in the world is that people change with their circumstances.

The historical Yan Maoqing will change, the White Dew will change, and the current Yan Maoqing will also change... Don't you see that the current Duke of Yi, Guo Xun, seems to have gone mad?

In any case, Yan Maoqing loved his first wife, whom he had married through an arranged marriage, and was willing to stay with her forever, only hoping that she would not die young...

I thought so in my heart.

"Madam, there is no need to worry."

Yan Maoqing clasped his fingers together and lightly flicked Bai Lu's fair forehead, chuckling as he said...

"If it's really as you think, then it's not a matter of whether you'll remain a widow or not; I might be the one whose family is raided and whose clan is exterminated."

"If we both go down to the underworld, as long as you grit your teeth and don't drink the Meng Po soup, we will definitely be able to be husband and wife again in eighteen years."

"???"

Bai Lu stiffened upon hearing this, raised her head to look at Yan Maoqing, her beautiful red eyes wide open.

Then she immediately started crying even more bitterly, almost sobbing uncontrollably. The little streams on her cheeks had turned into a great river, making her look pitiful.

"!!!"

Bai Sheng and the servant who came to deliver the news were also frozen in place.

The confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan... surely it involves us servants too, right?

"Bang—bang, bang, bang, bang..."

A crisp sound came from not far away; it was the maid who had just brought warm water returning.

Upon hearing Yan Maoqing's words, her face turned deathly pale, her eyes trembling uncontrollably, and the copper basin she was holding fell to the ground.

Including Bailu, these servants were all from small places and had never experienced anything remarkable in their lives.

For them, the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their entire clan was practically equivalent to the collapse of the sky...

The master had only been back for a day when the sky suddenly collapsed!

He hadn't even had a chance to spend the ten taels of silver reward. Was there anything more heartbreaking in the world?!
"Did I go too far with that joke...?"

Even Yan Maoqing, who never denied being a "despicable person," couldn't help but reflect upon this. He then pushed Bai Lu out of his arms, waved his hand at Bai Sheng and the servants, and said...
"Alright, you two go and properly escort the eunuch who has come to deliver the imperial decree into the guest hall and wait for him for a moment. Be careful, the imperial guards behind the eunuch are ruthless killers, each of them has dozens of lives on their hands!"

"I'll be there shortly after I've washed and changed."

These people are so cute! They can make someone cry for a long time after being scared just once!
However, this is what they, as newcomers to the capital, should endure; only then can their lives be considered complete…

……

After a while.

Bai Lu and a group of trembling maids and servants knelt in the courtyard, while Yan Maoqing entered the hall to receive the imperial decree.

"Ahem! Your humble servant Yan Maoqing receives the imperial decree!"

The eunuch who was announcing the decree then cleared his throat and loudly recited it in the distinctive voice of a eunuch:
[By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:]

Yan Maoqing secretly colluded with the barbarian chieftain, greatly violating his duty as a subject.

Although minor merits are worth recording, merits cannot cover up faults, and virtues cannot conceal flaws.

I have considered the balance of punishment and reward, and have decided to strip him of his salary for three years and demote him by three ranks, as a warning to all officials.

If they remain incorrigible, they will be severely punished according to the "Great Proclamation," without any leniency!

This is the correct way to read "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees." However, such a trivial matter does not require "decrees," so it can only be "decrees." When issuing orders, "imperial decrees" should be used, and the word "imperial decree" comes from this.

But that's not the point.

The key point is that this imperial edict brought Yan Maoqing both good news and bad news:

The good news is that, just as Yan Maoqing predicted, he is now in an invincible position, and the impeachments by those censors and officials cannot kill him.

The bad news is that the censors and officials were not very effective and failed to bring him down, thus fulfilling his ambition to retire and return to his hometown...

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty. Your humble servant Yan Maoqing accepts the decree."

After receiving the imperial edict, Yan Maoqing slowly rose and then smiled at the eunuch he had never seen before, saying...
"I'm sorry to trouble you, sir, to come and deliver this imperial decree. I wonder if you have eaten yet?"

"?"

This eunuch had proclaimed countless imperial edicts, but this was clearly the first time he had ever encountered an official who, after proclaiming an edict, asked him if he had eaten. Did he think this was a greeting between acquaintances on the street? What would he do if he said he hadn't eaten? To be honest, he was quite astonished when he arrived at the Yan residence.

This is a luxury residence in Shengjiang Hutong. Not only are the prices shockingly high, but only truly high-ranking officials and nobles are qualified to live here.

He even vaguely remembered being here before... If he remembered correctly, this seemed to be the old residence of former Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe.

It is unexpected that Yan Maoqing, a mere junior scholar, possesses such abilities; he should not be underestimated.

Furthermore, through the contents of this imperial edict, the eunuch understood some things, and naturally dared not easily offend Yan Maoqing, so he returned the greeting cooperatively:

"I've eaten... Now that the imperial decree has been delivered, I'll head back to the palace to report."

"This humble official will see you off, sir."

Yan Maoqing gestured for him to enter, and while forcibly walking out with the eunuch, he slipped a silver ingot that he had prepared beforehand into the eunuch's sleeve.

"You flatter me, you are too kind, Mr. Yan."

The father-in-law immediately beamed with joy, and the distance between the two noticeably shortened.

"It should be."

Yan Maoqing also winked and smiled, then casually asked,

"By the way, Your Excellency, I heard that something big happened at the morning court session today. Grand Secretary Xia was dismissed from his post and placed under house arrest by the Emperor. So who has now joined the cabinet?"

The cabinet now consists of Xia Yan and Zhai Luan. Xia Yan has been dismissed and is now living in retirement, while Zhai Luan is a stubborn old man who only wants to be a nice guy. The cabinet is basically at a standstill.

Since Zhu Houcong was unwilling to step into the limelight, it was impossible to render the cabinet ineffective. Naturally, another minister had to be selected to join the cabinet and take charge of the overall situation.

If the general course of history remains unchanged, then it should be Yan Song's turn to be chosen.

In addition, although it is somewhat ahead of schedule, Zhu Houcong will likely select two more people to enter the cabinet soon to restrain Yan Song and prevent Yan Song from becoming too powerful like Xia Yan.

These two people are named Xu Zan and Zhang Bi.

According to historical records, Zhang Bi seems to have been a decent person.

He once served as the chief lecturer at the Imperial Academy held by Zhu Houcong. Before that, when he served as the Minister of Rites in Nanjing, the area was frequently flooded. He repaired the granary to store grain and provided relief to the poor in years of disaster, which earned him the deep respect of the local people.

However, there is not much historical information about him; all that is known is that he passed away the year after he joined the cabinet.

Xu Zan, however, is a person whose character is highly questionable.

He was the son of Xu Jin, the former Minister of Personnel, and served as the Vice Minister of Justice. He was known for his impartial judgment and was famous for a time.

However, according to records, during his time in office, he built the "Xu Family Garden" in his hometown in Henan, covering an area of ​​540 acres. The local area was even renamed "Garden Mouth" because of this garden, and the cost of it must have been an astronomical figure...

However, his tenure as a cabinet minister did not seem to last long; he was dismissed from his post and retired the year after he joined the cabinet.

In addition, Zhai Luan, who was in charge of non-stick pans, was also impeached at the same time and dismissed from his post.

In just one year, only Yan Song remained in the cabinet, making him unmatched in the court for a time.

Zhu Houcong was not without concern, so he recalled the even more powerful Xia Yan to his post in an attempt to restrain Yan Song.

Xia Yan did not disappoint. Upon his return, he immediately launched a strong counterattack and almost instantly suppressed Yan Song.

In order to eliminate dissidents, more than ten officials of the fourth rank or above were dismissed and punished by Xia Yan within a year. The expulsions were not entirely fair, which aroused disapproval from the court officials. Then... he died and was beheaded in the West Market as the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

This historical account demonstrates the ruthlessness of Yan Song and his son.

Xia Yan, Zhai Luan, Xu Zan, Zhang Bi... one after another, the cabinet ministers either had difficulty lasting more than a year after Yan Song entered the cabinet, or they had to die.

Therefore, Yan Song's entry into the cabinet was definitely a major event that cannot be ignored during the Jiajing reign, and this was the real change of the court!
"The Emperor announced in court that Xu Zan and Zhang Bi were to be appointed to the cabinet."

Although the eunuch accepted Yan Maoqing's money, he only told what everyone already knew, since the amount of money was not enough to buy his life.

"No Yan Song, Minister Yan?"

Yan Maoqing was taken aback upon hearing this.

Should Yan Song be included?

The father-in-law was also taken aback, seemingly beginning to ponder the deeper meaning hidden behind those words.

"No, no, no, I was just saying it casually. After all, Minister Yan is a highly respected elder in the court, and I thought he was the one everyone wanted to appoint... Please take care, Your Excellency."

Yan Maoqing repeatedly denied it, and then sent her father-in-law out of the house.

Since Zhu Houcong announced the candidates for cabinet positions during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Yan Song's name was not among them, it is likely that Yan Song will not be involved in the cabinet appointment process in the short term.

not right...

Xia Yan should have stepped down, and Yan Song should have entered the cabinet first. Zhai Luan was unable to compete with him. In order to balance the cabinet, Zhu Houcong promoted Xu Zan and Zhang Bi to the cabinet two years later.

Now the order has been completely reversed... What was Zhu Houcong thinking?
at the same time.

After leaving the Yan residence, the father-in-law frowned and pondered for a long time.

As they passed the gate of the Yan family mansion in the same alley, he suddenly called his trusted eunuch to his side and whispered:
“Good son, after you leave the alley, make an excuse to go and buy supplies for the palace, then go to the Yan residence. Remember to enter through the back door.”

"After meeting Minister Yan, I personally relayed the message to him on behalf of my godfather."

"It's said that Yan Maoqing inadvertently let slip that he was full of praise for him and supported his entry into the cabinet..."

(End of this chapter)