Chapter 1521: Remembering the Past

In the courtyard, a large group of Embroidered Uniform Guards watched as three death-row prisoners rolled on the ground, then kicked their legs and stopped breathing.

Wang Yan clicked his tongue and shook his head: "Look, everyone look, brothers. The Yan faction's influence is truly great. How long has it been since I slapped Yan Shifan? Less than two hours, and they have already contacted people. Even the Imperial Embroidered Uniform Guards have their people! This matter has been exposed, and he will definitely die, but what's the result? They don't even fear death!"

Zhu Qi and the others' faces turned green, staring fixedly at the group of cooks who were suppressed and kneeling on the ground, unable to move. These cooks' chins had all been dislocated; now, even wanting a quick death was difficult.

These cooks obviously also knew about this matter and were already trembling like chaff. Even if most of them had nothing to do with this matter, whether they had anything to do with it was not something to be said out of thin air, but something to be investigated and interrogated in detail.

They worked here in the Northern Internal Security Division, so how could they not know how things were handled here? Thinking of the possible end, they could only wail and howl.

The person who actually poisoned the food was also hidden among them, wanting to die along with them. This should be a genuine desire for death; after all, who could have expected that the food had just been sent up, and before he could pay attention to the result and take poison to commit suicide, they had already been controlled...

"Take them down and interrogate them for me! Old Eight, hurry to the Ceremonial Secretariat and report to the Eunuchs." Zhu Qi arranged the work, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards also became active.

Zhu Qi said to Wang Yan: "I truly didn't expect Yan Shifan to be so insane."

"He is a hero now, having just earned back 3 million taels of silver; he is very arrogant. Besides, even if everyone knows he did it, so what? Can you investigate the case and reach him? Impossible; there won't be a shred of evidence."

Wang Yan saw Zhu Qi's anger, and Zhu Qi should indeed be angry.

Although the status of the Northern Internal Security Division today cannot compare to the Eastern Depot, it is, after all, the Emperor's personal army with imperial authority. Although Zhu Qi is not a high official in the Embroidered Uniform Guards, his status is not low.

Because he is a Tiqi (Imperial Guard) of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, he fought his way out from tens of thousands of Tiqi based on his own ability, and was even granted the surname Zhu. His status is also online; otherwise, he wouldn't have been remembered by the Emperor and had the opportunity to enter the palace to see the Emperor.

Other people who call Zhu Qi brother are also roughly in the same situation. They are the outstanding ones among the Tiqi, the leaders of the Tiqi, and the violent machine that resolutely implements the Emperor's will.

Now, Yan Shifan actually went insane and tried to poison them all...

On the other hand, the cooks of the Northern Internal Security Division were bought off; what about other places? What about the palace? The infiltration in the capital is like this; looking at the world, what is it like?

Zhu Qi let out a long breath: "Brother Wang, I won't talk to you anymore. These two people are at your disposal, and I'm going to do my work. Today, I must give His Majesty an explanation, otherwise, we will be miserable."

"It's the trouble I caused." Wang Yan said this.

Zhu Qi snorted: "You caused this trouble well! My Northern Internal Security Division fears nothing, especially trouble!"

Having said that, he flicked his sleeves and left to do his work...

"Look, Dazhu, you must be careful in the future." Wang Yan said to Qi Dazhu beside him, "Call your wife out; Seventh Master and the others aren't eating, so the three of us will eat. Come, take me to see the food. Now that no one is serving us, we have to do it ourselves to be self-sufficient, and we can eat and drink with peace of mind."

Led by the strong men, Wang Yan went to find meat, vegetables, wine, rice, flour, and oil, and with the help of Qi Dazhu and his wife, Wang Yan cooked the dishes himself and invited several strong men to eat and drink together.

"Third Master, I didn't expect you to be so good at cooking." Qi Dazhu ate deliciously and mumbled his praise.

"My family left early, and I have lived alone until now. I am also a glutton; if I didn't know how to cook, wouldn't I have starved to death?" Wang Yan invited everyone to eat more, "There is still more in the pot; eat with peace of mind."

"Third Master, you say this matter..."

Wang Yan interrupted Qi Dazhu's words: "Although this matter was caused by me, I have nothing to say. What qualification do I have? We are just hiding here honestly. Pay attention to things that leave your sight, and ensure we can live peacefully. No matter what, this matter will definitely have a result in the end. If we live to wait for the result, then everything will be fine."

Qi Dazhu nodded in response, then ate and drank heartily, chatting with Wang Yan about some insights he had since coming to the capital.

Actually, there were no insights. Qi Dazhu meant that the capital was not as good as home.

It was colder here than in Chun'an, and although the place where they lived was very magnificent, it was not as comfortable as the red brick and tile houses at home. This was just leaving, and he was already missing home a little...

And on Wang Yan's side, while they were eating and drinking unaffected, on the other side, in the Yan Mansion, it was extremely gloomy.

"It was supposed to be a day of celebration, but it was ruined by that bastard from the north!" Yan Shifan's face had a slap mark, very ruddy, but no matter how you looked at it, he didn't look energetic.

Yan Song lay on the chair: "People were right. We wanted to put someone to death, but we also wanted to make them not dare to fight back. Others might be fine, but this kid surnamed Wang has no parents or relatives; why would he fear you? Shifan, you were indeed a bit hasty this time."

"I'm hasty? Dad, look at my face! Look at my neck! Look at my chest! When have I ever suffered such a big loss? If this spreads, won't I, Yan Shifan, become a laughingstock of the world in the future? How can I be a person? How can I not be hasty!"

Yan Maoqing comforted him: "Junior Cabinet Minister, calm down. It's not worth getting angry with this kind of person; anyway, he won't live long."

"Won't live long? I won't let him live past today!"

Just as Yan Shifan's words fell, someone broke in.

"It's bad, Junior Cabinet Minister. The Northern Internal Security Division is moving. Our people saw that guy surnamed Wang cooking for himself!"

Yan Shifan was stunned for a moment, then angrily shouted: "Cook your mother's head! This dog bastard! Dog bastard! Dog bastard!"

Three "dog bastards," one louder than the other.

Yan Song stared at Yan Shifan: "You sent someone to kill Wang Yan, and you failed?"

"I found someone to contact the cooks inside, thinking that after Wang Yan sees the Emperor and returns, he will definitely want to eat and drink. They just arrived in the capital today, exhausted from the journey, and just beat the Junior Cabinet Minister, so they must be relaxed..."

Luo Longwen couldn't continue, because the result was already out.

Yan Song sighed: "I'm afraid it won't be easy to get through this time."

"What else can happen? The Great Ming Dynasty is supported by us. Without our salt inspection, where would that group of Xu, Gao, and Zhang find 3 million taels of silver, and how would they make up for the deficit? I'm afraid the salaries of the capital officials this year won't even be paid!"

Yan Shifan said wildly, "Yes, everyone knows I did it, but who dares to say it? His Majesty still relies on us; what could be hard to get through? Dad, as long as we can do practical things, His Majesty will use us, and there will be no hurdle we can't get over. Otherwise, rely on that group of people who call themselves 'pure officials'? Aside from ruining things, what else can they do?

Dad, the two capitals and thirteen provinces of this Great Ming Dynasty are ultimately on our shoulders!"

"They are on my shoulders, not yours! And not yours! Doing things recklessly will lead to trouble."

Yan Song's turbid eyes looked over, actually showing a bit of clarity, "You think only you can do things? Don't you know that kid surnamed Wang made cement and white glass? Our windows have all been replaced; are you blind? Can't you see it?"

"With these two things, His Majesty can earn an extra 1 million taels of silver a year. This silver was earned by that kid surnamed Wang. I didn't intend to let Wang Yan die; I just wanted to use him as a raft. 1 million taels of silver, let alone Wang Yan's life, even our heads can be bought!

Prepare, I want to enter the palace to see the Emperor!"

"Dad, I'll go with you." Yan Shifan was indignant.

He was still bruised and swollen; how could a tiny Registrar dare to treat him like this?

"You should handle the beginning and end of this matter cleanly. Don't be negligent and let people catch you, giving others a handle. By then, even if His Majesty doesn't want to take action, he will have to."

Yan Song waved his hand, too lazy to pay attention to his precious son, was helped up by someone, changed his clothes, boarded the carriage, and then changed to a sedan chair to enter the palace...

On this side, it was a mess, but Wang Yan ate and drank his fill and slept comfortably.

In fact, by now, Yan Shifan would not have any other actions. After all, he had already exposed that he had inserted people into the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Thinking of this kind of thing and actually seeing it are two different things.

Even if Yan Song and his son were confident again, they had to be careful at this time and hurry to wipe their butts clean. After all, as I said earlier, this thing is afraid of extension, afraid of thinking too much, especially Jiajing, who has been harmed by people since he was a child and is a late-stage patient with persecutory delusion.

Yan Shifan definitely didn't feel it; otherwise, he wouldn't have done this stupid thing at this time. But Yan Song definitely felt it. Lu Fang talked about three thoughts: thinking of danger, thinking of retreat, and thinking of change. Yan Song has been through wind and rain for decades; it is precisely the time to think carefully.

Speaking of which, it is also because of the information gap. Yan Song and the others don't know that Jiajing already knows the specific amount of salt tax they collected, knows that they embezzle level by level, and knows that for many years, Yan Song and others have been deceiving him, causing the silver that could be collected in Taizu's time to decrease year by year, and by the time it reached him, there was only 1 million left.

Jiajing was naturally angry.

But Yan Song and his son didn't know, especially Yan Shifan who happened to cause this trouble at this time, so this matter is hard to say...

The next morning, the snow that had fallen for a day and a night had stopped, but the snow was sublimating, and the cold wind was biting, so even if the sun was high, it was not warm.

Fortunately, the courtyard was large and the walls were high, avoiding the cold wind and forming a warm world of its own.

Wang Yan was wearing a thick robe, swaying lazily on the lounge chair.

In front of him, several strong men from the Embroidered Uniform Guards who were serving him, as well as Qi Dazhu, were practicing martial arts step by step.

Beside him, Qi Dazhu's wife was using a small red clay stove, waiting for the jar-jar tea to boil. When the tea was poured out, she added water, and then just stared at Qi Dazhu with wide eyes.

Wang Yan would occasionally speak up to guide their movements. These strong men had all been beaten into submission during his morning exercise, and they practiced with more energy than anyone else.

Such a scene was truly comfortable; where was he like a criminal official escorted to the capital...

The sound of creaking and clanging rang out, and two eunuchs pushed open the door and walked in, followed by the chubby Huang Jin.

"Oh, Registrar Wang has a good mood. Is the sun comfortable?"

Wang Yan had already stood up and bowed respectfully: "Very comfortable. Being in front of His Majesty is different. The sun is warmer than in Chun'an, not only warming the body but also warming the heart."

"You are a person who can talk, and you have great courage." Huang Jin smiled like a Maitreya Buddha, "I heard you went to sleep early yesterday. Don't you know that because of you, many people didn't sleep all night."

"Eunuch Huang, I am truly wronged. Being poisoned in the territory of the Northern Internal Security Division, fortunately, I was protected by the holy grace, which is why I am safe and sound. Many people didn't sleep all night; in your subordinate's opinion, that is as it should be. This matter is too terrible; it must be investigated strictly, grasped fiercely, and handled to death, so that those who harbor all kinds of thoughts can give up."

Huang Jin clicked his tongue: "After saying this, I should let you be the Director of the Eastern Depot."

"Thank you for your kindness, Eunuch Huang. Your subordinate serves His Majesty elsewhere just the same." Wang Yan looked like a lone seedling, don't harm me, and shook his head repeatedly.

This made Huang Jin laugh out loud, then he leaned closer and whispered: "Kid, let me tell you something fresh. Last night, Yan Song entered the palace to see the Emperor overnight, and His Majesty talked to him about the past for a long time..."

Wang Yan thought about it, and then suddenly realized, jumping with joy: "Good, Old Dog Yan Song has lost the holy heart, and the general trend is about to end. Hurry up, so your subordinate can be at ease early."

"How come I don't see you afraid at all?"

"If I were afraid, would I come? Your subordinate is feeling uneasy. Eunuch Huang, you tell me, your subordinate will only be twenty after the New Year, and now I have the holy grace, and His Majesty even gives me silver to spend. It looks like my future is bright, and I will soon be promoted. If Yan Shifan kills me, wouldn't I be at a loss?"

"That is the truth."

"Eunuch Huang, your subordinate is just a practical person, and what I say is always practical."

Huang Jin waved his hand: "Alright, less idle talk. I am here to learn health-preservation exercises from you. I brought a few people over; you teach us all."

"I will follow your orders, Eunuch."

"This exercise of yours, we practiced..."

"It's equally beneficial. Practice it once every day. After you adapt, I guarantee you will feel refreshed."

"Then hurry up. Learn it early so you can let the Emperor see it early."

Huang Jin was very enthusiastic and learned very seriously, with his subjective initiative fully mobilized.

After all, he was going to teach Jiajing after learning it. Jiajing certainly couldn't learn this all day long; just learning it would take ten days or half a month. After that, practicing it would also require Huang Jin to accompany him.

What is this called? It's called holy favor.

By the time one reaches Huang Jin's level, one lacks nothing, except for the root of life, and one lacks Jiajing's favor...

?? Daily thanks to the great brothers who tip, vote for monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and silently read the book for their strong support! ===== CHAPTER 1522 =====