Chapter 217

The Yan family has enjoyed prosperity for twenty years.

Yan Song, be content.

At this moment, Yan Song did not support the Jiajing Emperor's idea of opening the seas in the slightest.

He even wanted to join Xu Jie in remonstrating to the death to secure the safety of the Yan family.

Just upon arriving home, Yan Song drafted a memorial to the throne.

Just as Yan Song was preparing to submit this memorial to the Grand Secretariat, Yan Shifan, covered in sweat, stumbled and ran before Yan Song.

"Father..."

Without a word, Yan Shifan knelt before Yan Song with a "thud."

Seeing Yan Shifan kneel like this.

The memorial Yan Song was holding in his hand "clattered" onto the desk.

"What has caused such panic?"

Yan Shifan looked at Yan Song with a face full of terror and said.

"Father, just now Your Majesty promised me, allowing me to oversee the Maritime Trade Office; when I left the palace..."

Before Yan Shifan could finish speaking.

Yan Song's old face immediately fell.

"What did you say?!"

"Your Majesty wants you to oversee the Maritime Trade Office?!"

Although he was already in his eighties.

Upon hearing this news, Yan Song still "sprang" up from the round stool.

"Wretch! Wretch!"

"Do you know you have brought great harm to the Yan family?!"

Yan Song pointed excitedly at Yan Shifan's nose and scolded.

"Overseeing the Maritime Trade Office, is this something you can do?!"

"Above you are Yan Maoqing, Gao Gong, and Zhao Zhenji; even Xu Jie's good student Zhang Juzheng would have stronger seniority than you!"

"Where did you get the courage to take on this assignment?!"

Yan Shifan looked at Yan Song, stunned.

"Father, are you saying Your Majesty did this on purpose?"

Panicked Yan Shifan paused, then hurriedly said.

"Yes, Your Majesty did this on purpose. Father, Your Majesty intends to bind our Yan family to the Imperial House!"

"I am not panicked anymore, Father."

Thinking of this, Yan Shifan immediately could not help but show a trace of joy.

Yan Song looked at Yan Shifan's appearance.

His body trembling slightly as he scolded.

"You little rascal, what face do you have to smile?!"

Yan Shifan hurriedly said.

"Father, you don't know; Your Majesty kept me for a meal today."

"He even said that Prince Yu left too quickly, and this meal should have been eaten with Prince Yu accompanying me."

"Father, think about it, what does this mean?"

Hearing Yan Shifan's words.

Yan Song's heart immediately grew half cold.

"Did Your Majesty truly say this to you?"

"How could there be a lie?"

"It is just the sea ban; as long as our Yan family helps Your Majesty open the seas, will we still need to mix with those Xie family people in the southeast? By then, their Xie family will be begging us!"

In Yan Shifan's eyes, he only saw the big pie the Jiajing Emperor had painted for him.

But listening to Yan Shifan's words.

Yan Song's heart, which had beaten for eighty years, could not help but grow cold.

Who is the Jiajing Emperor?

How could Yan Song not know!

At present, the Son of Heaven simply needs the Yan family.

Thus, he cut off the Yan family's path of wavering, giving a sweet date while also striking with a stick.

But what about the future?

When the time comes that all the southeast ports are opened, when that time arrives, will the Jiajing Emperor still keep the Yan family?

For so many years.

Whether the Yan family's rear end is clean or not.

How could Yan Song not know?

At present, the Jiajing Emperor has offended all the pure scholars in the world again.

When that time comes and the Son of Heaven wants to kill the donkey after grinding the mill, he probably won't even need to find an excuse.

Why specifically choose you, Yan Shifan?

Because you, Yan Shifan, are covered from head to toe with reasons that could lead to the entire Yan family being executed!

134, Yan Song: Wretch, the Yan family is going to be ruined by you!

Yan Song's chest heaved violently.

His withered fingers pointed at Yan Yan Shifan's nose as he whispered repeatedly,

"You wretch! You wretch!"

"My Yan family is about to be ruined by your hands!"

Yan Yan Shifan looked at Yan Song with a confused expression and asked,

"Father, this ship of the Son of Heaven is far larger than the Dongshan Xie family's ship. Why must our Yan family cling to them Xie family and refuse to let go?"

Yan Song pounded his chest and stamped his feet, looking at Yan Yan Shifan with a desolate sigh,

"But the Son of Heaven can at any moment cause my Yan family to be destroyed and its members killed!"

"That Dongshan Xie family, no matter how overwhelming their power, cannot harm my Yan family in the slightest. Do you understand? You wretch!"

Yan Song let out a mighty shout.

Only then did the previously bewildered Yan Yan Shifan wake from his dream, his legs giving way as he collapsed onto the ground.

Those great families of the southeast, such as the Dongshan Xie family, might hate Yan Song to the bone,

but they are ultimately subjects.

They could not, without cause, directly confiscate the Yan family's property and exterminate its entire clan.

On the ship of the Dongshan Xie family, at the very least, the Yan family are people.

But on the ship of Jiajing,

the Yan family are merely objects that can be thrown into the water at any moment!

Looking at this "precious son" before him, Yan Song slowly rose to his feet.

In terms of natural talent, Yan Yan Shifan was undoubtedly one of the top two or three figures among the entire court of civil and military officials.

But in terms of observing human nature and reading people's expressions,

Yan Yan Shifan was not just one level below Yan Song.

Since entering the court in the eighteenth year of Hongzhi, Yan Song had experienced too much and witnessed too much.

When he first entered officialdom, Yan Song personally witnessed the rises and falls of Liu Jin, Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe, Zhang Cong, Gui E, and Xia Yan.

He also witnessed his closest friend, Wang Yangming, who devoted his heart to serving the country yet was ostracized by others; despite possessing unparalleled Great merit, he missed the opportunity to be ennobled for his achievements, thus failing to realize his lifelong ideal.

Yan Song, his head full of white hair, paid no heed to Yan Yan Shifan kneeling on the ground.

He stood at the doorway of the hall and shouted,

"Someone! Someone!"

Before long, several household servants ran to Yan Song's side.

"Old Master."