Chapter 42: A Benevolent Father and Filial Son

Inside the room.

The current Junior Administrator of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, concurrently serving as the Junior Administrator of the Directorate of Ceremonial Seals, famously known by his sobriquet "Little Cabinet Minister," Yan Shifan, had a short neck and a pale, plump complexion, making him look precisely like a very large man.

Yet, his face was filled with cunning and displeasure.

Seeing that Yan Song, seated in the grand master's chair, remained silent, Yan Shifan's expression grew increasingly anxious. With considerable dissatisfaction, he blurted out, "Those people in the Southeast are dogs, mad dogs! Maritime trade is the meat in their dog bowls, and nobody is allowed to touch it!"

"Did you honestly fall asleep in front of the Emperor today, Elder?"

"You actually want to contend with those people for food?"

"Are you not afraid of having your entire clan slaughtered, just like Xie Qian, the Grand Secretary during the Zhengde reign?"

The study was filled with nothing but the complaints and grievances of the Little Cabinet Minister, Yan Shifan.

Yet Yan Song merely lowered his eyelids, his expression as calm as still water.

Even in the face of his son's accusations, he did not show the slightest trace of anger.

Unaware of this, Yan Shifan continued to vent on his own: "You only just managed to destroy Xia Yan after a fierce struggle, and you only recently returned to the position of Senior Grand Secretary. Your seat isn't even warm yet, and you haven't had time to secure the top chair in the Cabinet, yet you're already bringing down those vengeful enemies from the Southeast upon yourself?"

"Father! Have you grown senile in your old age, or did your ears malfunction today?"

"If you are truly going to act like this, the next time I submit a memorial to the Emperor, I shall attend upon you by your side every single day, so as to spare you from making such mistakes again."

As he spoke, Yan Shifan had already turned around, walked over to a nearby desk, poured a few drops of water into an inkstone, rolled up his sleeves, and picked up an ink stick to grind the ink.

Only then did Yan Song turn his head to look at his son by the desk.

Seeing that his son had already picked up a brush, spread a sheet of paper across the table, and started writing, a frown involuntarily furrowed his brow.

"What are you up to this time?"

Faced with his father's inquiry, Yan Shifan did not even raise his head. While continuing to write with one hand, he complained with his mouth, "What else could I do? I'm writing a letter right now to Lü Ben and the others, explaining the situation. Whether the imperial court opens maritime trade or bans it, our family doesn't..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Yan Song's expression shifted drastically. He shouted angrily, "Stop writing!"

Faced with this sudden and violent roar, Yan Shifan's shoulders finally gave a start. He turned his head back, his face a mask of bafflement.

By this time, however, Yan Song's face had darkened like ink.

"Xia Yan is dead."

"And your father has returned as the Senior Grand Secretary."

"Yet none of this is due to your father's own cleverness."

"It is the Emperor!"

"It was the Emperor who wanted Xia Yan dead!"

"It was the Emperor who wanted me to be this Senior Grand Secretary!"

"And only the Emperor has the power to decide people's life and death, and to control their promotions and demotions!"

By the desk, Yan Shifan instinctively lowered his brush.

The ink-laden tip of the brush touched the paper, instantly spreading into a large blot that soaked straight through to the other side.

Meanwhile, Yan Song, still sitting securely in the grand master's chair, maintained his gloomy expression. "It is the same this time around. It is the Emperor! It is the Emperor who wants to open maritime trade, not because your father voiced his support that it was able to happen!"

His aged yet brilliantly bright eyes stared fixedly at Yan Shifan.

"In his youth, your father passed the imperial examinations at the highest level, only to leave the court due to illness for ten years, which allowed him to avoid the political turmoil of the Zhengde reign."

"Yet precisely because of that, your father lacked a network of fellow successful examinees within the court."

"Later on, after serving in various posts in Nanjing and traveling to the capital, your father always acted as a lone wolf."

Recalling the past, Yan Song straightened up slightly.

A gleaming light flickered in his eyes.

"That is why the Emperor employs your father."

"Because my background is clean—unlike the officials from Jiangzhe, nor like the officials from the Southeast."

"When the Emperor employs your father, he has far fewer concerns."

"And your father has no choice but to obey the Emperor's every command."

"Do you understand now?"

Yan Shifan's lips twitched slightly.

Yan Song let out a long sigh. "You still don't understand! You are as dense as a pig!"

Filled with emotion at his son's blindness, Yan Song's tone turned somewhat wistful. "It is the same this time. Do you truly believe it was the Crown Prince who initiated the proposal to pilot maritime trade in Laizhou Prefecture?"

"Without the Emperor's tacit instruction, how could the Crown Prince have known that Laizhou Prefecture possessed the necessary conditions to pilot maritime trade?"

"Without the Emperor, do you suppose the Crown Prince would have known to propose reforming the naval forces and drilling the maritime defense garrisons?"

"The Emperor intends to pilot maritime trade to generate new revenue streams for the Ministry of Revenue and the Inner Treasury, and even more so, to test whether he can regain control of military power!"

Yan Shifan's expression loosened somewhat at these words.

Yet he still did not entirely agree.

Meeting his elderly father's gaze, Yan Shifan persisted, "Even so, must we make enemies with the Southeast for this reason? Granted, Lü Ben and his faction may not hold their positions in the Cabinet for long, but even if they lose the grand seats of the Cabinet, can all their people simply vanish from the imperial court?"

True to Yan Shifan's words, although Zhang Zhi and Lü Ben both entered the Cabinet this year, it was all part of a chain reaction following the execution of Xia Yan last year.

No one believed that these two senior officials would enjoy a long tenure in the Cabinet.

Yan Song cast a glance at his son. "Lü Ben and his clique may not last, but what about the Emperor?"

Yan Shifan curled his lip. "The Great Ming Empire spans two capitals and thirteen provinces; can the Emperor handle everything by himself? Even you, Father, sitting in the seat of Senior Grand Secretary, rely on me and others to help you carry out the work."

Bang!

A loud crash echoed.

Infuriated by his son's blindness and foolishness, Yan Song slammed his palm heavily onto the tea table.

The old man, who had not long ago returned to the pinnacle of imperial power as the Chief Councilor, abruptly stood to his feet.

His sideburns were gray, and his face weathered by time.

Yet at this moment, he looked precisely like an aged but still dominant mountain tiger ruling over its territory.

"Yan Shifan!"

"I am telling you!"

"There is only one person in the Great Ming Empire who can summon the wind and summon the rain, and that is the Emperor!"

"There is only one person who can shelter from the wind and the rain, and that is me!"

"Not you!"

"And certainly not them!"

At the old chief councilor's stern rebuke, Yan Shifan was finally stunned into silence.

He hurried forward, intending to help Yan Song back to his seat, but was blocked by a wave of his father's large hand.

Yan Song coughed several times in succession, looking somewhat fatigued, yet he still forced himself to glare tiger-like at Yan Shifan, enunciating every single word: "Today, it was the Emperor who gave the instructions, the Crown Prince who came forward, and Zhang Juzheng who took the lead in throwing out this trial of opening maritime trade in Laizhou Prefecture of Shandong. Without your father, without Lü Ben, if we were to replace them with another batch of officials—whether they opposed it or supported it—the Emperor would still see this matter done!"

"If I refused, if I disagreed, if I followed your advice not to make enemies with the faction from the Southeast and joined them in opposing it before the Emperor, your father would soon find himself stripped of his Cabinet position once more!"

The coughing fits resumed.

Yan Song's lips moved, and his pale beard trembled uncontrollably.

"Whether it is Lü Ben, or Wen Yuan, Xu Jie, or that Weng Wanda holding heavy military troops far away in the Xuanfu and Datong border regions—do not be fooled by the fact that they managed to drive Zhu Wan to his death and hoodwink the Emperor."

"That is only because the Emperor currently harbors misgivings in his heart!"

"The moment those misgivings vanish from the Emperor's heart, just look at Lü Ben and Weng Wanda then."

"Our Emperor will never let the wrongful death of Zhu Wan slide and be swallowed in silence the way he did today!"

"When that time comes, their entire clans will be executed, leaving them without even a burial place!"

Having said this, Yan Song finally sat down, panting.

Seeing his chance, Yan Shifan stepped forward and offered a cup of tea to the old master.

He asked cautiously, "If things are truly as Father says, should we petition the Emperor to let me serve a term in the Ministry of Works? After all, once the imperial edict is issued, the Ministry of Revenue will inevitably have to allocate funds and grain, while the Ministry of Works will oversee the construction of the maritime ports and shipyards in Laizhou Prefecture."

Since opposing the maritime trade was out of the question, Yan Shifan had already figured out in an instant how to angle for benefits from the situation.

Undoubtedly, if he could secure a post in the Ministry of Works and direct the construction of the Laizhou port and shipyards, the profits reaped would be immense.

Yan Song raised his eyes to look at his son and pointed a finger toward the door.

"Go find Zhang Juzheng, who was just appointed as an Academician of the Hanlin Academy and Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War!"

"Go find the Crown Prince, who spends his days studying in the Hall of Literary Glory and observing state affairs in the Western Park!"

Yan Shifan uttered a cry of surprise, his face a picture of absolute incomprehension.

He could not help blurting out, "Merely a minor supervising secretary and a wet-nosed brat—you want me to seek them out?"

A look of anger resurfaced on Yan Song's face. "Go find them, and tell them that the Yan family will accomplish the opening of maritime trade in Laizhou Prefecture without taking a single penny!"

Yan Shifan was utterly displeased.

Before he could argue—being asked to do the work while receiving no benefits—such logic defied all reason.

However, Yan Song spoke again, cutting him off: "Tell our Crown Prince as well that Lü Ben and the Southeast faction will certainly resort to underhanded tactics to obstruct the trial of opening maritime trade, and he must remain vigilant. The Yan family will likewise give its full cooperation to shield the Emperor and the Crown Prince from the maneuvers of the Southeast!"

Yan Shifan's face was painted with complete astonishment.

Not only would they take not a single penny, but they were also expected to go all out and battle the Southeast faction head-on?

He could not understand it.

Not a single bit of it could he comprehend!

Yet Yan Song merely glanced at him.

"Go!"

"Go right now!"