As soon as Kong Shangtan got off the sedan chair, the housekeeper of the Yan Mansion immediately greeted him, leaned down, and made a gesture of please.

"Yan Shenggong, Elder Yan Ge and Elder Xiao Pavilion have been waiting for you inside for a long time, please come here!"

"Hmm."

When Kong Shangtan heard this, he replied imperceptibly, and then, under the guidance of the housekeeper, Kong Shangtan stepped into the Yan Mansion.

To enter the Yan Mansion, you first need to pass through a long corridor, the road is paved with neat stone slabs, and not only that, but there are also many unnamed green plants planted on both sides of the road, which is full of greenery and refreshing.

Later, when the two of them marched to the door of the hall used for entertaining guests in the Yan Mansion, they saw the butler stop his pace suddenly, bow his head, and report respectfully.

"Elder Yan Ge, Elder Xiao Ge, Yan Shenggong has arrived!"

When the housekeeper's words fell, I saw Yan Shifan walking out, and at this moment, his face was full of warm smiles.

"Well, got it, you go down!"

"Yes, Little Pavilion Elder!"

When the housekeeper heard this, after bowing to Yan Shifan, he immediately turned around and left.

"Is this Yan Shifan, who is known as the elder of the Little Pavilion?"

Kong Shangtan thought so after looking Yan Shifan up and down.

At this moment, Yan Shifan seemed to be aware of Kong Shangtan's gaze, only to see him smile on his face, and then spoke.

"Yan Shenggong, please!"

"Well, I'm tired!"

Although he didn't have a good impression of Yan Song and Yan Shifan in his heart, Kong Shangtan finally persuaded himself and followed Yan Shifan into the hall.

At this moment, on the table in the hall, there are all kinds of delicacies, exuding an attractive aroma, and there are several maids standing next to them.

At this time, Yan Song, who had a white beard, was sitting on the main seat, looking like an old dragon clock, his eyes seemed to be closed, and he seemed to be dozing.

Seeing this, Kong Shangtan couldn't help but have a trace of shock on his face.

"Hey, is this Yan Song, the first assistant of the cabinet, who is clearly a bad old man who is about to die!"

"Your Majesty asked him to be the first assistant of the cabinet, is it really good?"

Yan Shifan didn't notice the expression on Kong Shangtan's face, but followed closely to Yan Song's side, leaned down, and said softly.

"Father, the Holy Father of Yan has arrived!"

"yes, got it!"

Yan Song, who was still dozing off, opened his cloudy eyes with considerable difficulty after hearing Yan Shifan's reminder and looked in the direction where Kong Shangtan was.

Then, I saw Yan Song trembling and getting up from the seat with Yan Shifan's support, and said slowly.

"You are Kong Shangxian's younger brother, Kong Shangtan, the old man has heard of it before......"

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, Yan Song had an expression of hindsight on his face, and he stopped the topic abruptly, and only after thinking for a long time did he continue.

"Alas, this person is old, and his memory has deteriorated, let's get down to business, Yan Shenggong, the purpose of the old man inviting you over today is to explain things clearly in person, sit down!"

When Yan Song said this, he stretched out his thin hand, pointed to the sitting position on the side, and turned to speak.

When Kong Shangtan heard Yan Song's words, his pupils contracted suddenly, he never thought that Yan Song would mention this matter in front of him without hesitation.

"Hmph, I want to see what kind of medicine you sell in Yan Song's gourd!"

Thinking like this, Kong Shangtan couldn't help but secretly clench his fists, and after that, he didn't hesitate and sat down on the seat that Yan Song had just pointed to.

Seeing this, Yan Song nodded imperceptibly, and in an instant, he saw Yan Song sit back on the main seat, while Yan Shifan picked up the wine jug on the table and poured a glass of wine for everyone.

Just when Kong Shangtan thought that Yan Song was going to explain the matter of rejecting his brother and former Yansheng Gong Kong Shangxian not long ago, Yan Song's tired voice sounded in his ears.

"Presumably before this, Yan Shenggong had already inquired about the situation from various channels, right?"

When Kong Shangtan heard Yan Song's words, he sneered, and immediately replied in a deep voice.

"Well, Elder Yan Ge is right!"

After getting Kong Shangtan's exact answer, Yan Song nodded and turned to speak.

"The old man can now tell you clearly that what you have heard is true, and there is no trace of falsehood!"

"At that time, the old man did not let his predecessor Kong Shangxian, the Holy Father of Yan, enter the gate of my Yan Mansion!"

When Kong Shangtan heard Yan Song's words, the whole person was stunned, but soon, Kong Shangtan reacted, and his face suddenly darkened.

Immediately after, a nameless rage rose and filled his chest.

"What does this Yan Song mean, calling me over with great fanfare, is it just to humiliate me in person?"

At this moment, Yan Shifan, who was on the side, saw that the atmosphere in the room was not good, so he immediately stood up and started a round with a smile.

"Let's talk about this later, come, let's eat the vegetables first, this is ......"

Yan Shifan's words did not have the effect he expected, only to see Yan Song glance at Yan Shifan with annoyance, and said in a deep voice.

"Shut up, it's not your right to talk!"

When Yan Shifan heard this, he had to lower his head and retreat to the side.

After this, I saw Yan Song looking directly at Kong Shangtan's eyes mixed with anger, and continued to take care of himself.

"Yan Shenggong, presumably you should have seen the dossier related to your Kong family in Your Majesty's place, right?"

Yan Song's voice was not loud, but it was like a heavy hammer, hitting Kong Shangtan's heart fiercely.

When Kong Shang heard this, he could no longer care about his anger, because from time to time the cases he had seen in the file came to his mind, and the people who committed those crimes were his own people.

Seeing that Kong Shangtan did not respond, Yan Song raised his eyebrows and continued to add.

"Yan Shenggong, you must know that there have always been many people who have come to your Qufu Kong family with land deeds and other properties, right?"

"Not only that, but they also lease your Kong family's land and cultivate it!"

When Kong Shangtan heard Yan Song's words, a trace of ominous premonition suddenly appeared in his heart, and he asked in a cold voice.

"What do you mean by that?"

When Yan Song heard this, he took in the expression on Kong Shangtan's face, and immediately spoke.

"Then the Holy Father of Yan might as well guess, how much land rent does your Kong family collect from those people?"

When Yan Song said this, he glanced at Kong Shangtan coldly and said loudly.

"Since Yan Shenggong doesn't know, then let me Yan Song tell you, eighty!"

"You collect eighty percent of the land rent from the people who lease the land, and all of this is due to Kong Shangxian!"

"Even the most brutal and shameless landlord in the Ming Dynasty dare not collect eighty percent of the land rent, what do you think of the common people?"

Kong Shangtan was suddenly reprimanded by this, and his face was full of disbelief.

Although he knew that there were many people who came to join the Kong family, he never paid attention to this matter.

At this moment, his face was full of shame, and he was about to say something to explain, but he was coldly interrupted by Yan Song.

"Yan Ge Lao, I ......"

But Yan Song didn't give him a chance to explain, but changed his words and continued to add.

"Do you think that's all he Kong Shangxian has committed?"

"No, he, Kong Shangxian, also secretly colluded with the White Lotus Sect, allowing them to harm the people and squeeze out the little wealth left in their hands, and these situations were all explained by the families of the "Four Sages and Three Sages"! ”

"Let me ask, such a wolf-hearted thing, why did I, Yan Song, let him enter the door of my house?"

When Yan Song said this, he looked Kong Shangtan up and down, and asked rhetorically.

"If it weren't for the fact that he Kong Shangxian married my Yan Song's granddaughter, do you think that with these crimes he once committed, he would be able to get along well?"

At this moment, Kong Shangtan, after listening to Yan Song's words, had already fallen into a stupor.

He originally thought that the Yan family didn't want to have anything to do with this matter, so he chose to stand by and watch, who knows, there is such a big secret behind this.

"Why is it that no one has ever mentioned these things to me?"

After a long time, I saw Kong Shangtan come back to his senses and muttered to himself.

Seeing this situation, Yan Song knew that the time had come, and his tone gradually softened: "Yan Shenggong, there is a way, not in his position, not in his government!" ”

"Before this, you were not the Holy Father, so there is naturally no need to tell you about these shady things!"

"However, when the Kong family nominated you to inherit the Holy Father of Yan, I felt that the Kong family was not hopeless!"

"You are kinder than your brother, naturally you can't do those things that harm the people, it is up to you to inherit the Holy Father of Yan, it is very suitable, the old man hopes that you will not repeat your brother's mistakes!"

When Kong Shangtan heard Yan Song's words, a look of confusion suddenly appeared on his face, and he lowered his head, looked at his hands, and muttered to himself.

"I ...... Can I really? ”

"This is nature, as long as you want to, then you will definitely be able to do it, don't forget, you are the contemporary Yan Shenggong!"

Yan Song took in the expression on Kong Shangtan's face, nodded imperceptibly, and affirmed Kong Shangtan.

"That's right, Elder Yan Ge is right, I am now the Holy Duke of Yan, and when I go back, I will officially promulgate family rules to restrain the behavior of the clansmen!"

Kong Shangtan thought so, and his attitude towards Yan Song also took a 180-degree turn.

He originally thought that Yan Song was the kind of despicable villain who was in trouble with his in-laws and did not move like a mountain, but after this conversation, he found that Yan Song also had his own difficulties.

"By the way, Yan Ge Lao just mentioned that if it weren't for the fact that his brother married his granddaughter, with the crimes committed by his brother, it would definitely be impossible for him to be safe, could it be that Yan Ge Lao was mediating behind his back?"

The more Kong Shangtan thought about it, the more he felt that it was possible, after all, Kong Shangxian was still able to live a stable life after being abolished Yan Shenggong, and no one from the government came to the door to find trouble, I am afraid that only the head of the cabinet of the current dynasty has this ability.

"It turns out that Yan Ge has done so many things behind his back, I actually ......"

Just as Kong Shangtan was about to pick up the wine glass and show his apologies to Yan Song, he saw Yan Song tremblingly get up from the chair and pick up the wine glass on the table, his tone was quite sincere.

"However, no matter how you say it, I, Yan Song, have also done something wrong, and this glass of wine deserves to be reparated!"

After Yan Song finished speaking, without the slightest hesitation, he drank all the wine in the cup.

Seeing this, Kong Shangtan was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, showed shame on his face, and turned to speak.

"This matter is the fault of my Kong family, therefore, this glass of wine should be drunk by me, Yan Ge Lao, my Kong family, I'm sorry for your Yan family!"

After Kong Shangtan finished speaking, he picked up the wine glass on the table and drank all the wine in the glass.

Yan Shifan, who had been silent for a long time, saw this situation, immediately smiled, and stepped forward to start a round: "Everyone is a family, you don't have to be so polite, come and come, eat and eat!" ”

After that, several maids waiting on the side immediately stepped forward and were responsible for pouring wine and serving food for everyone.

……

It's late at night, the Forbidden City, the Qianqing Palace.

At this moment, I saw that Lu Fang was reporting to Jiajing in every detail, the ins and outs of the whole thing.

"Your Majesty, that's pretty much how the whole thing goes!"

"Hmm."

After listening to Lu Fang's report, Jiajing nodded imperceptibly, and immediately, he saw an interested expression on Jiajing's face, turned his gaze to Lu Fang, and said slowly.

"Hmph, this Yan Song is really clever!"

"Not only did he pick himself clean in just a few words, but it also made Yan Shenggong feel that it was his Kong family who owed him Yan Song's favor!"

When Lu Fang, who was on the side, heard Jiajing's words, his face was full of respect, and after thinking for a while, he turned to emotion.

"Your Majesty, the slave maid feels that the most rare thing is that from beginning to end, what Yan Ge Lao said was all true, and there was not a single lie!"

"Did Yan Ge turn away Kong Shangxian? Yes! Did Yan Ge run for Kong Shangxian's incident? Naturally, there are too! ”

"Yan Ge Lao did not shy away from the problem of rejecting Kong Shangxian, who came to ask for help, but also used reasonable reasons to excuse his behavior, although Yan Ge Lao is eighty-one, but he is not confused at all!"

After listening to Lu Fang's emotion, Jiajing's face did not change, he nodded imperceptibly, and then asked.

"By the way, Lu Fang, I heard that not long after Kong Shangtan was canonized as the new Yan Shenggong by the imperial court, there were many people in the court who wanted to rush to climb the relationship, is there such a thing?"

"Your Majesty, there is indeed such a thing!"

"Soon after Yan Shenggong returned to the place where he was staying, many officials in the court and central government took the initiative to send invitations and invite them to come to the door!"

When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, he didn't dare to hide it in the slightest, so he immediately leaned down and responded respectfully.

When Jiajing heard this, a look of interest appeared on his face, and he asked.

"Oh, how did the Holy Father deal with it?"

"Your Majesty, the Holy Duke of Yan refused their invitation on the grounds that he was ill!"

After listening to Lu Fang's report, Jiajing bowed slightly to Lu Fang and commanded in a deep voice.

"Keep an eye on them for me, and report to me immediately if there is any news!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" (End of chapter)