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

Chapter 99 The Emperor is Assassinated!

A sudden sense of devastation, similar to the collapse of an idol's career, welled up in Gao Gong's heart.

Over the years, influenced by rumors circulating in the streets, he had long regarded Xia Yan as a pillar of the state who could uphold the government, and even regarded him as the goal he would follow for life.

Even when someone questioned Xia Yan, he was able to argue with them until the red temperature rose.

But now Xia Yan is sitting right in front of him.

When something is baseless, based solely on conjecture, and clearly directed at the person rather than the issue.

He felt that the image of the unattainable pillar of the nation in his heart was beginning to crack.

Although he is an honest person and sometimes can't control his temper, he is not stupid. He can distinguish between good and bad words and understand the implied meaning.

Especially since Xia Yan laid so much groundwork before finally revealing his true intentions, he saw through the hypocrisy of this idol.

At this moment, Xia Yan was no different from the group of newly appointed scholars who had previously instigated his conflict with Yan Maoqing and were secretly pushing him from behind.

Perhaps it was because he had previously held Xia Yan in high esteem.

At this moment, the sense of disillusionment from seeing his idol's image crumble made him, who was already prone to anger, feel not only disappointment but also extreme rage.

This was a shameful betrayal, a ruthless deception, and a sharp blade stabbed in the back for him.

next moment.

Gao Gong picked up the teapot again and filled the teacup in front of Xia Yan, which she hadn't tasted at all.

When he put down the teapot, he quietly pointed the spout at Xia Yan.

"Grand Secretary Xia, please have some tea."

"?"

Xia Yan's expression froze upon seeing this, and her face turned extremely ugly.

Point the spout towards the guest, and fill the teapot to the brim as a farewell!

How could he not know such basic tea language?

But he was certain that his words had been flawless, offering both grand promises and substantial rewards.

If it were any other newly appointed scholar, they would have already knelt down to him with sincere devotion. How could they be as indifferent and rude as Gao Gong?
Could it be that Guo Xun offered him an even bigger and more appealing promise, or even offered him tangible benefits that were hard to refuse, thus completely winning him over?
Or perhaps, in Gao Gong's eyes, he was already like a pot of cold tea, about to leave?
"Hmph! I don't know how to appreciate it!"

Xia Yan slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and stormed off.

A newly appointed scholar dared to be so disrespectful to him; this was the most unacceptable insult he had ever suffered in his life, and it was intolerable!
From this day forward, Gao Gong will also be his irreconcilable enemy, with absolutely no room for maneuver!

Even if he were dismissed from his post and left to idleness, he could not deal with Guo Xun, or even Guo Xun's adopted son Yan Maoqing. How could he not deal with Gao Gong, a mere junior official with no background or support in the court?

Ruin your own future!

……

The short three-day holiday flew by.

Before they knew it, it was time for Yan Maoqing and Gao Gong to return to the Hanlin Academy for their roll call and classes.

Bai Lu was clearly much more attentive to the matter of attending classes at the academy than Yan Maoqing.

Before dawn, she secretly got up and ordered the servants to prepare breakfast. She then personally helped Yan Maoqing wash up and get dressed.

She even called him back just before he left, carefully smoothed the hem of his clothes, smacked her lips and muttered, "My husband is so handsome," before reluctantly seeing him off.

Yan Maoqing disliked riding in sedan chairs, so he arranged for a commuter carriage.

Sitting in the slightly bumpy carriage, he became drowsy again, his mind drifting back to the events of the past few days.

First, there's the matter of serializing "Xuan Po Cang Qiong".

Manager Liu came to urge him about the manuscript the day before yesterday, so Yan Maoqing told him her decision with a clear conscience:

"I've abandoned the project, so don't come knocking on my door asking me to finish it again!"

The reason is simple: the previous serialization of the Chinese translation of "Xuan Po Cang Qiong" on Lu Ming Ge was just a market test when I had nothing better to do, in order to find another way to make money after retiring and returning to my hometown.

Now that this path has proven to be viable, and he is not short of money, there is no need to continue.

Even if Luming Pavilion goes bankrupt, it has nothing to do with him, since it is Guo Xun's property, not his.
Secondly, there's the matter of Guo Xun. This is what Guo Xun himself mentioned when he came to the Yan residence to give his "adopted daughter-in-law" a gift; he would be going to Datong again in a few days.

After he volunteered at the morning court session, Zhu Houcong burned the box of accounts in public, but that did not mean that the matter was over so hastily.

Zhu Houcong ultimately appointed him as the Governor-General of Xuanfu and Datong, ordering him to go to Datong to clarify military affairs and, as soon as possible, to discuss the tribute system with Anda and establish a new customs and taxation agency.

In addition, Guo Xun also received a secret list from Zhu Houcong.

There were no border generals on the list; they were all merchants who had smuggled goods to Anda from the previous box of accounts.

Zhu Houcong's intention was to leave no one on this list alive, to confiscate their property and behead them all.

This move can both deter border generals from cooperating in clarifying military affairs and take the opportunity to restructure the commercial network in the north. Some people who want to make money are applauding this move.

Guo Xun seemed very excited about this and his attitude was very positive.

He even said that the reason he volunteered this time was because he could not forget the respectful looks the soldiers and civilians of Yanghe had given him.

That's why Yan Maoqing felt that this adoptive father was really crazy; this was not the Guo Xun he knew at all.

Moreover, Yan Maoqing believed that Zhu Houcong probably thought the same thing...

Finally, there are concerns about the "Renyin Palace Coup".

He's been thinking about this for the past two days, but he still hasn't made up his mind.

After all, worries are just worries. He really couldn't be sure if this would happen more than a year earlier than expected. How could he gain people's trust if there was no certainty?

We mustn't accidentally turn this into a "boy who cried wolf" scenario, which could make Zhu Houcong lower his guard and potentially lead to good intentions turning into bad outcomes!
From his personal perspective, Zhu Houcong's rise to power was more beneficial than harmful to the country, since he did accomplish some practical things that benefited the country and its people during his early years in power.

Moreover, he was well aware that the "Renyin Palace Coup" could, to some extent, be considered the most important turning point in Zhu Houcong's life.

At least that's what history books say:

After the "Renyin Palace Coup," Zhu Houcong truly moved to the Western Garden to live alone. From then on, he never attended court, never saw his ministers, and devoted himself to Taoist cultivation...

Just as I was thinking this.

"The Imperial Guards are on duty. Stop the vehicle and cooperate with the inspection!"

A loud shout suddenly rang out, startling the coachman in front, who immediately cried out "Whoa!" and brought the horse to a screeching halt.

"Eh?!"

Yan Maoqing also showed a stress response and quickly looked up at the roof of the car.

so far so good!

This time the roof wasn't ripped off, and the voice just now didn't sound like Shen Lian.

Yan Maoqing patted his pounding chest and breathed a sigh of relief, then lifted the carriage curtain and peered out:

"what happened?"

But at the intersection stood a long line of heavily armored Imperial Guards, with barricades erected to restrict passage, as if something of great importance had occurred.

Upon seeing Yan Maoqing, the leading official of the Embroidered Uniform Guard immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"So it's Yan Jishi. Is he going to the Hanlin Academy to report for duty?"

"Does this official recognize me?"

Yan Maoqing thought carefully and realized that he did not seem to know this Jinyiwei official before.

"Yan Jishi is truly forgetful. That day, I, along with Commander Lu and Commander Yan, escorted Yan Jishi back to his residence."

"Oh, my apologies, my apologies. Greetings, sir."

Yan Maoqing immediately returned the greeting with a smile, and then asked,

"Shangguan, the city is under such tight security today, has something happened?"

"Shh!"

The Imperial Guard official immediately made a shushing gesture, lowered his voice with a complicated expression, and said...
"Don't ask any more questions, His Majesty was assassinated last night..."

(End of this chapter)