My subjects are too rebellious!

"Prime Minister Yan, I heard that when you were young, you lived in seclusion in Mount Qin near your hometown, studying for ten years."

"Is this possible?"

Yan Song's cloudy eyes actually regained some clarity at this moment.

"It's true."

Qin Chuan thought of Yan Song in history and knew what would happen if he looked at Yan Song from the perspective of future generations.

We knew in advance that Yan Song turned evil and corrupt in his later years, and lost his ideals and beliefs.

Therefore, even the ten years that Qinshan spent studying hard became a way to accumulate political capital.

It is said that Zhou Gong was afraid of the day of rumors, but Wang Mang was humble and did not usurp the time.

If I had died at the beginning, who would know my true self?

Yan Song looked at Qin Chuan who was sitting on the dragon throne and said calmly, "Your Majesty, do you want to know my story?"

Qin Chuan nodded and sat on the dragon throne: "I would like to hear the details."

"I really want to know why a scholar who claims to be a clean official would end up falling into the depths of darkness."

When Yan Song heard this, he looked at Qin Chuan in silence. He had never thought that His Majesty would use the word "clear stream" to describe himself.

Even he himself almost forgot that he was indeed a clear stream in the first half of his life.

It seemed that the Majesty in front of him, at this moment, was more like his confidant.

At this moment, Yan Song forgot about life and death, he just wanted to tell his story to His Majesty.

At least, he wanted to make His Majesty understand.

He killed himself by choice and bowed to power.

In the end, he did win. Everything around him revolved around him and everything was getting better, but he lost himself.

As for what is good or bad, he doesn't know.

"Your Majesty, I was born into a farming and reading family. My ancestors were officials who received royal salaries, but that can be traced back to the previous dynasty."

"Before I was born, my family's career path had been cut off for three generations, nearly a hundred years."

“It can be said that it has completely fallen into decline.”

When Yan Song said this, he pondered for a moment and seemed to be lost in memories.

Qin Chuan did not rush him, he sat on the dragon throne and waited patiently.

"My father Yan Huai wanted to bring honor to the family, but unfortunately he couldn't pass the imperial examination, so he placed all his hopes on me."

"My father did his best to nurture me when I was very young."

"When I just learned to speak, my father held me in his arms and read to me all day long."

"By the time I was old enough, I could recite them all by heart and write essays. Even my father's classmates praised me as a child prodigy."

"It's a pity that my family has been poor since I was young. Although I have outstanding talents and have never slacked off in my studies, I have studied very hard."

Qin Chuan could understand that this was just like the "small town test-taker" that became popular in later generations.

"In the ninth year of Yonghui in the previous dynasty, when I was 19 years old, I participated in the provincial examination. I was ranked 16th and passed."

"I went to the residence of Huangfu Ji, the provincial examination teacher, to attend the Deer Singing Banquet. The successful students who came with me all wore brocade and red tasseled hats with precious stones."

"I have a jade ring around my waist, but I am dressed in rags."

"The then Imperial Censor Huangfu Ji looked down upon me and didn't even look at me."

Hearing this, Qin Chuan thought of a song.

He murmured, "That year, when I was nineteen, I stood like a minion at the Luming Banquet."

"What did your Majesty say?"

Yan Song thought he had heard it wrong, but if he hadn't, then what the emperor said really touched his heart.

"Nothing, my dear, continue."

Yan Song sorted out his thoughts and continued, "Even this kind of humiliation could not wipe out my humble servant's spirit."

Yan Song said with emotion: "I was only nineteen at that time, full of youthful vigor."

"Even such humiliation could not turn me into a villain decades later."

"After returning home, I continued to study hard. In the 26th year of Yonghui, when I was years old, I passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi."

"Second place, fifth in the country."

"After obtaining the title of Jinshi, I was selected by the imperial court to become a Shujishi and began to study in the Hanlin Academy."

"At that time, there was a term called 'Chucaiguange', which meant that only Jinshi could enter the Hanlin Academy, and only Hanlin could enter the cabinet."

"Therefore, I was also cultivated as a cabinet elder at that time."

"At that time, I naively believed that good days were ahead."

"In the 22nd year of Yonghui, I graduated as a Shujishi and officially became an editor in the Hanlin Academy, which barely makes me a member of the bureaucratic group."

"If I can take one more step as a Hanlin scholar, I will become a cabinet minister."

"It's a pity that in the twenty-third year of Yonghui, my grandfather passed away."

"The rule at the time was that once one's parents or grandparents passed away, no matter how high one's position was, one would be buried."

"From the day you learn of the death, you must resign your official position, return to your ancestral home, and observe mourning for three years."

"It's actually 27 months."

"The meaning of bearing the responsibilities of grandparents is the eldest grandson of the eldest son whose father has passed away. My father died early, so I had to resign from my official position to observe mourning for my grandfather."

Speaking of this, Yan Song smiled bitterly, as if lamenting the unfairness of fate.

Then he continued: "Because of this incident, I retired and returned home, but it happened that the eunuchs of the previous dynasty were in great trouble at that time."

"The eunuch group has defeated a number of old ministers, leaving only Li Chengtian Li Gong in the court, pretending to be submissive and struggling to hold on."

"At that time, even if I returned to the court after mourning, I could only join the eunuch party."

"If you associate with a villain like Huangfu Ji, you will be infamous for eternity."

"So, I would rather endure the hardship in the mountains and wait for the situation to improve before returning to the court, rather than kneeling at the door of the eunuch party to beg for a meal."

"So, for a full ten years, I lived in seclusion in Mount Qin, near my hometown, studying and making friends with many upright scholars and officials."

Having said that, Qin Chuan roughly knew what would happen next.

Yan Song also smiled bitterly and said: "But who would have known that during the years when I was in seclusion, the late emperor could not bear to see the people of the world being displaced."

"He couldn't stand the eunuch party causing chaos in the government, so he rebelled, and the late emperor was indeed a charming person."

"He really cared about the people of the world, and therefore, he succeeded in just three years."

"When he established the Wu Dynasty and invited me to come out of retirement, I, at the age of 37, also obeyed the imperial order and went to Beijing."

"Then the late emperor issued a decree to enfeoff the whole country, and I thought the dark clouds above my head had dissipated."

"But who knows, alas."

Speaking of this, Yan Song's emotions fluctuated greatly and he seemed to be in great pain.

"The late emperor died of illness when he was in his prime, and the young Majesty ascended to the throne."

"I had just come to power, but I still retained the stupidity of a scholar-official and criticized the government repeatedly."

"Your Majesty is young, the Queen Mother is in charge of government, and she favors eunuchs. I seem to see the shadow of the previous dynasty again."

"Large-scale construction projects have wasted the national treasury."

"But Qin Hui at that time framed me, a low-level official who had neither real power nor military authority in the court."

Qin Chuan knew that when others wanted to deal with you, it might be because they heard rumors, or they might want to defeat you to increase their political capital.

Or maybe they just don't like you and want to bully you. It's because you are too weak.

"I watched as Qin Hui was accused of being a member of a group of evildoers who harmed the virtuous, who deceived the heaven and deceived his superiors, and whose crimes were unforgivable."

"I am in despair. I have submitted a petition saying that I have never met him and have lost all trace of him."

"Although there was no evidence in the end and I was not held accountable, I was still under suspicion and had to return to Qinshan for another two years."