Chapter 79



Chapter 79

"Grandfather, Grandfather, you are back, why don't you go to the Shen family? I have sent Gong Ding to pick you up." Yao Niang came back from the Shen family and hurriedly went up to her grandfather when she saw him.

Yan Mai was very happy to see Yao Niang. He did not ask why he did not go, but just asked, "You are married now, how are you doing?"

Yao Niang nodded: "It's OK, Gong Ding is very good to me, but I don't care about the rest."

The grandfather and grandson sat down. Yan Mai was not a sentimental person. He said to Yao Niang, "Your father is worried at home now. I think your brother will cause great trouble in the future. You must be good in the Shen family. Do you understand?"

This was a vague statement, Yao Niang smiled and said, "Grandfather, what are you talking about? You are the pillar of stability in our family."

Yan Mai glanced at her and couldn't help but say, "The more an official wants to be a high-ranking official, the more he hides his head and shows his tail. He is timid and shrinks. He thinks he is smooth in dealing with people, but it is really a big mistake. Officials should remember their original intentions when they started. I, Yan Mai, am over sixty years old. I have seen the corruption of the government. Now I am just doing my best."

After he said this, Yao Niang understood that the major cases involving these rivers would involve countless people, and the emperor might not be able to make up his mind to deal with them next time. Because if the emperor dealt with them, more people would be implicated, and then these people would know that the dynasty was defeated, which would also affect the stability of the regime.

If the problem cannot be solved, the person who raised the problem will be solved. Yan Mai knew this might happen, but he still did it.

You are really brave.

Yao Niang resolutely supported her grandfather: "Grandfather, scholars become officials if they excel in their studies. Our Yan family is not the kind of family that would do anything to gain an official position. The way of heaven is to take away the surplus and make up for the deficiency. The rich have their own way and the poor have no place to stand. I know some people say that corrupt officials are endless, but if these corrupt officials are not removed, there will be no chance for honest officials to rise to prominence."

Yan Mai originally thought that Yao Niang would be like other women, either saying nothing about such things, or being afraid, or more often being at a loss. But he didn't expect her to be so tough, and she seemed more like him than her brother.

"Good, you have backbone. But you have backbone, while the Shen family may not." Yan Mai also saw through everyone.

Yao Niang didn't care: "What about the Shen family or the Yan family? There are many people like this in the world. But you are the governor of the river, your duty is to repair the river, and the corrupt officials are the responsibility of the Censorate, how can you hand in the list?"

Seeing that what his granddaughter said was exactly right, Yan Mai also smiled bitterly and said, "The officials are all of one mind. Your father-in-law told me to just arrest a few of the main culprits and punish them."

"I didn't expect my father-in-law to say this. Well, this also means that the law cannot punish the masses." Yao Niang actually knew that her father-in-law had good intentions because he was the Zuodu Yushi.

Yan Mai nodded: "But I think if I report these people's names, they will be shocked. I have no other requirements for being an official, just to serve the king with integrity. If I don't mention it, I will resign in the future. If these people stay in the river, they will sooner or later become termites."

Yao Niang agreed: "You put your own life and death aside, and I can only admire you. If I follow my own selfish desires, I hope that my grandfather will always be a high-ranking official with a generous salary. But if I were a commoner, I would hope that there would be good officials like my grandfather in the world. No matter what you do, I will definitely support you."

She was not the kind of official fanatic. Even though she knew that if her grandfather was forced to resign or something happened, her situation in the Shen family would be very bad, but what would it matter? A good man would not eat the meal of a divided family, and a good woman would not wear the dress she wore when she got married.

Yan Mai waved his hands and said, "Yao Niang, if you were a man, you would definitely be a famous official. Since ancient times, there have been many officials, but few can truly become famous officials, and even fewer can abandon their own interests and care about the world in their hearts."

"Grandma really praises you too much. I also have my own selfish motives, but grandpa has his own reasons for doing things. How can I, who has never been in officialdom, know as much as you?" Yao Niang said with a smile.

Yan Mai said, "Grandfather didn't bring anything with you when he went to Beijing this time. You don't blame him, do you?"

Yao Niang shook her head: "Of course I won't blame you. Your granddaughter has made you a jacket and two pairs of socks. It's still chilly in spring, so you can try them on when the time comes."

Yan Mai gladly accepted. Yao Niang went to see her sister-in-law Li. Li was pregnant now and she looked fine. She said to Yao Niang, "I don't know what grandpa likes. In the morning, he only wants to eat millet porridge. He doesn't eat much else. Someone told me that he only eats this."

"It's okay, just do as grandpa tells you. He eats light meals in the morning, so just prepare some meat and fish for lunch. My mother once told me that grandpa loves to eat steamed pork with rice flour, especially the kind that's steamed until it's translucent and fragrant." Yao Niang didn't hide her feelings.

The two chatted for a while before Yao Niang returned from her parents' home.

Shen Linfeng happened to be at home, and he asked Yao Niang, "Grandfather won't come over?"

"The emperor is going to give a banquet to everyone soon. I'm afraid grandpa won't come again. So forget it. It doesn't matter if he doesn't want to come." Yao Niang said.

Shen Linfeng supported her and said, "Let's not talk about this for now. You will be coming of age in June, so we have to make a big fuss about it this time."

Yao Niang shook her head: "If I hadn't married yet, the coming of age would be a big deal, but now that I'm married, it's not quite appropriate. If others knew, they would just say I was meddling."

But Shen Linfeng held her hand and said, "Isn't this the way it should be? What's the big deal?"

"It's one time, it's another time." Yao Niang didn't expect that not long after she got married, her father's marriage was over and her grandfather might be about to resign.

As expected, Yan Mai sued more than 100 officials in the river. The emperor was going to have the case heard by the three courts, but Wen Shou advised him to do so. Instead, Yan Jingzhao was accused of abusing his wife, Fang Guan. Guan Xueshi was originally a relative of the Yan family, but this was not discussed in the officialdom. Yan Jingzhao later married again, but did not marry someone from the Guan family. Of course, the Guan family also said that when Guan was sick, the Yan family not only did not treat her, but sent her to a remote place to fend for herself.

Of course the Yan family had evidence, and Yan Jingzhao also had witnesses, but Yan Mai was attacked by everyone, and others did not want to know the truth.

As a result, Yan Jingzhao was demoted to the magistrate of Shangluo County before he was even elected as an official, and everyone was worried about Yan Mai's own future. When Yao Niang came to pay her respects, Mrs. Shen sighed and complained that she had made the wrong marriage. Only a few days after the marriage, the Yan family seemed to be in decline.

But Yao Niang didn't care at all. She thought to herself that her grandfather had been an official for so many years, and the more he scolded people, the higher his position was promoted. How could he be a person without any tact?

Sure enough, to everyone's surprise, Yan Mai not only did not do as everyone expected, but was promoted to the position of Minister of Works.

At this time, Yan Mai suddenly came to Shen's house.

Mother Zhou ran over and said to Madam Shen, "Madam, that old Minister Yan is here. He is really tall and majestic, and it's scary to look at him."

Mrs. Shen saw that Mother Zhou was trembling with fear, so she asked, "Why? Why are you so scared?"

"Everyone says that Minister Yan is a great judge who specializes in killing demons and monsters. Everyone is afraid of him sitting there with his golden sword and horse." What Mother Zhou was actually afraid of was that the Yan family would settle the score with Mrs. Shen, but she was embarrassed to say it out loud.

Mrs. Shen naturally thought of it, and she stood up suddenly: "Mother Zhou, what should I do if the old minister scolds me?"

Old Minister Yan had just passed the imperial examination and impeached several capable cabinet ministers in one day. Now he has sued more than a hundred officials, but he is still alive and well and has been promoted. He is even more cruel than Yan Yingqi. It is said that he did not see anyone else when he went to Beijing this time, but met his daughter-in-law, and he doted on this little granddaughter.


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