Chapter 1154: Revealing Ye Mingsheng’s past!

Upon hearing this, Jingren no longer hesitated and directly handed the remaining buns on the plate to the old beggar.

When the old beggar saw the bun being handed to him, his face suddenly lit up with joy. He took it immediately and thanked Jingren profusely!

“Good things will be rewarded to good people! My young master, you have such a kind heart. You will definitely live a long life and become the top scorer in high school in the future…”

Hearing the old beggar wishing him the top prize, Jingren felt a little embarrassed and quickly waved his hand and said:

"I'm not good enough to be the top scholar, but you have to work hard to survive!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

Seeing this scene, Ye Mingsheng remained expressionless and said nothing, but nodded secretly in his heart.
Although as his descendants, they will enjoy endless wealth and glory in their lives, Ye Mingsheng absolutely does not want them to become arrogant and domineering yanei!

Ye Mingsheng hopes that they can be kind, merciful, sympathetic to the people, understand the suffering of the people, and restrain their own desires!
Compared to An Miaoyi's high demands on Jingren, who hopes that Jingren can be talented and brilliant, Ye Mingsheng's expectations for Jingren are not very high. He can accept Jingren's mediocrity in talent and learning, but he hopes that Jingren can live up to the "Ren" in his name and become a kind and merciful person!

As long as this is achieved, the talent can be compensated in other ways. After all, as a leader, you don't need to do everything yourself. You just need to hand over professional matters to professionals, and then achieve mutual restraint and fair rewards and punishments. It is convincing enough··························

After eating and drinking, Ye Mingsheng asked Ye Kui to pay for the meal, and then seeing that it was getting late, he took Jingren back to the Ye Mansion. Since he had been relaxing for most of the day, Ye Mingsheng also planned to go back to the study to handle official business, and immediately asked someone to send Jingren to An Miaoyi.

When they parted, Jingren pulled Ye Mingsheng's sleeve, and asked Ye Mingsheng with some regret:
"Dad, when will you take me out to play next time?"

Feeling the expectation in Jingren's expression, Ye Mingsheng touched his head and said with a smile:

"Study hard and listen to your mother. If you behave well, I will take you out to play again in a while!"

Hearing his father's promise, Jing Renxian was very happy. He nodded seriously and promised:

"Dad, I will definitely study hard!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded with a smile upon hearing that, then turned and walked towards the study, while Jingren stayed where he was, watching Ye Mingsheng's back. When Ye Mingsheng's back completely disappeared, Jingren reluctantly withdrew his gaze and walked towards his mother An Miaoyi's courtyard.

Although it is a bit rebellious, Jingren prefers to stay with his father Ye Mingsheng rather than with his mother An Miaoyi.

After all, Ye Mingsheng is not like An Miaoyi who expects his son to be successful. She sets high expectations for his studies, but at the same time she is not stingy with praise!

Jingren also understood in his heart that what his mother An Miaoyi did was for his own good, but when he thought about facing his mother’s stern gaze, he felt a little nervous...
When he reached the gate of the yard, Jingren took a deep breath and prepared himself mentally before he walked into the room and came in front of his mother.

Looking at her son who had returned, An Miaoyi asked in a deep voice:
"What did your father take you to do?"

Jingren didn't think much about it and told him everything, including how Ye Mingsheng took him to the teahouse to drink tea and listen to crosstalk, and to the market to observe the lives of the lower-class people.

An Miaoyi's expression changed slightly when he heard this. After a moment's silence, he continued to ask:
"Did your father go to see a woman named Chen Xiangling at Chen's Teahouse?"

Jingren shook his head without thinking, and then asked curiously:

"Mom, who is this Chen Xiangling?"

Facing Jingren's question, An Miaoyi didn't know how to answer. Seeing this, Jingren persisted and asked tentatively:

"Dad's new concubine?"

An Miaoyi's face turned serious when he heard this and he said in a deep voice:
"The adults' affairs have nothing to do with you, so stop asking!"

"You went out to play all day today and didn't do any homework. You are not allowed to go out to play tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Make up today's homework. The day after tomorrow your master will check your homework. If you don't perform well, he will spank you!"

When Jingren heard that his mother would not allow him to go out to play in the next two days, his expression suddenly became somewhat annoyed and he muttered in a low voice:

"Jingxuan, Jingcheng and I have made an appointment to catch birds tomorrow!"

After hearing this, An Miaoyi became even more furious and said bitterly:
"You just think about playing every day. Can you play to build a country? Can you play to get the throne?"

"Sooner or later I will be pissed off to death by you, this evil creature!"

“What sin did I commit in my previous life to give birth to such a useless thing like you…”

Seeing that his mother was really angry, Jingren immediately stopped and said:
"Mom, I know I was wrong. I won't go out to play anymore! Please don't be angry!"

"I will study late into the night and will definitely not fall behind in my studies!" After hearing Jingren's statement, An Miaoyi's expression improved a little and she waved her hand. Seeing this, Jingren bowed to An Miaoyi and wanted to go back to his room to read.

But at this moment, An Miaoyi seemed to have thought of something and called Jingren directly!
"Jingren, come here!"

Jingren came to his mother's side with some doubts. After An Miaoyi's expression changed several times, she whispered to Jingren:
"If your father takes you out to play again in the future, you must try your best to show concern for the suffering of the people. Don't be afraid of getting dirty or tired. Put yourself in a difficult position for a while. It was very good that you gave the buns to that old beggar today. Although your father didn't say anything, he must be very pleased with you for doing this!"

'You should do this again next time you have the chance, but remember not to overdo it. It's best to do it just right, otherwise it will have the opposite effect. Your master has taught you that too much is as bad as too little!'

Hearing his mother say this, Jingren couldn't help but say:
"Isn't it too hypocritical for Mom to do this? Say one thing in front of you and another behind your back?"

Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi gently stroked Jingren's face and taught:

“Jingren, my silly son, this is not called hypocrisy, nor is it called saying one thing in front of others and another behind their backs. This is called cunning…”

Faced with his mother's explanation, Jingren did not say anything, but his expression showed that he was not convinced by his mother's words!
In order to make her son believe what she said, An Miaoyi hesitated and gave an example:
"Take your father for example. Everyone in the world knows that he is the emperor. Ye Chenglian has even prepared the dragon robe and the imperial seal for your father, but your father insists on saying that he is a loyal minister and general of the Great Zhou!"

"You say he's hypocritical? He says one thing to your face and another behind your back?"

"Also, even though your father hates corruption so much now, how did he become the commander of the imperial guards, General Huwei?"

"Don't you still rely on giving gifts and relying on connections?"

"When your father was serving in the Imperial Guards of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he was well-known for his ability to curry favor with people and give gifts!"

Seeing Jingren's surprised expression, An Miaoyi realized that she had said something wrong and exposed her husband's past, and she immediately tried to make amends:

"Of course! Your father had his reasons for doing this. After all, he was born in a poor family, which was considered a sin at the time. If you don't know how to give gifts and seek personal gain, even if you have made great achievements, it will be difficult for you to hold a high position!"

“It is precisely because your father is fully aware of the harm of corruption that he has made up his mind to rectify the administration of officials and benefit the people of the world…”

After saying this, An Miaoyi hesitated for a moment and then reminded her son again:
"What mom just told you to keep to yourself, you must never tell anyone else, did Jingren hear that?"

Jingren nodded silently when he heard this. Seeing this, An Miaoyi also ordered:

"Go back and read! You must study hard and learn knowledge. This is the foundation for you to govern the country in the future!"

"Yes! Jingren went back to read!"

Seeing Jingren leaving the house, An Miaoyi felt a little worried again, and immediately called a nanny and instructed:

"Go and watch Jingren read his book! But don't let him read too late as the kerosene lamp hurts his eyes. Let him go to bed around 12:00!"

"My slave understands!"

After giving the order, An Miaoyi closed his eyes, thinking of Jingren's description of Ye Mingsheng taking him out to play today, and his expression couldn't help but become a little excited!
Although that night, under my temptation, he told me the truth and stated that he would become emperor after the southern tour, and make me the queen and Jingren the crown prince!

But when she thought of Ye Mingsheng’s seemingly reluctant attitude that day, An Miaoyi still felt uncomfortable. She knew very well that Ye Mingsheng had almost absolute control over the current court. Therefore, even if she had the support of etiquette and the protection of ministers, if Ye Mingsheng changed his mind that day, everything would be in vain...
Haven’t you seen that Emperor Wu of Han’s Empress Wei Zifu, his younger brothers and nephews all made great contributions to the country, and they themselves were dutiful wives and mothers, and had done nothing wrong. However, because of Emperor Wu of Han’s suspicion, they ended up with a very tragic end!

An Miaoyi never wants to become another Wei Zifu. Compared to Wei Zifu, she prefers another female politician of the Han Dynasty, although the ending of that female politician's family was not very good either!
An Miaoyi likes to control her own destiny and doesn't like being controlled by others. Therefore, faced with this situation, An Miaoyi decided to take a two-pronged approach!

On the one hand, she would try some small moves to win over some foreign ministers and gain wider support in an attempt to increase her own weight; on the other hand, she would try to win Ye Mingsheng's favor!
However, under Ye Mingsheng's attack, An Miaoyi's way of showing favor and winning over foreign officials has been completely blocked. The only way for her to consolidate her position is to win Ye Mingsheng's favor!
But when she thought about winning Ye Mingsheng's favor, An Miaoyi felt helpless. The wedding between her and Ye Mingsheng was too political!

So even though to outsiders, she and Ye Mingsheng treated each other with respect, Ye Mingsheng gave her full trust and respect!
But An Miaoyi knew very well that Ye Mingsheng was always on guard against her. Even when he was talking to her about his ideals in life, this man might not have been fully committed...

She had tried to change the situation, but unfortunately, she could not change anything in the end. Her efforts were ultimately unable to melt the ice of suspicion in Ye Mingsheng's heart!
Therefore, An Miaoyi has given up trying to gain Ye Mingsheng's complete trust and favor. Now it seems to be good. Ye Mingsheng respects her and lets her make the decisions on matters in the mansion. He will coax her when she is throwing a tantrum and take care of her family!
However, even though An Miaoyi herself has given up trying to gain Ye Mingsheng's trust and favor, she still hopes Jingren will do so!

An Miaoyi thought that although Ye Mingsheng did not trust her, judging from Ye Mingsheng's attitude towards Jingren, Ye Mingsheng still trusted his eldest son and did not have any bad attitude towards Jingren because of his distrust of her!

This also comforted An Miaoyi to some extent, so she kept encouraging Jingren to get closer to Ye Mingsheng and strengthen the relationship between father and son. She believed that this would be one of the key factors in inheriting Ye Mingsheng’s power in the future...
However, Jingxuan's existence always made An Miaoyi feel like a thorn in her throat. Although An Miaoyi knew that Pei Zhixiu's identity as an Eastern Islander was Jingxuan's Achilles' heel, Ye Mingsheng's attitude always made her a little worried!
The entire Ye Mansion, and even the entire Fengwu Army, knows who Ye Mingsheng's favorite woman is. This is an open secret. Therefore, even though Pei Zhixiu's attitude has always been not to compete, there are still many people who believe that Jingxuan has strong competitiveness!

The more An Miaoyi thought about it, the more she felt that Pei Zhixiu's attitude of not fighting was actually a sign of deep scheming, and she was more terrifying and difficult to deal with than Murong Qingwu and Bai Yuanyuan.

Previously, because the Coordination Office had made a fuss about Pei Zhixiu's past in Dongdao, some rumors had spread to Yijing. This was something that could have caused a big stir, but these rumors were quickly suppressed, and no waves were caused!

An Miaoyi knew very well whose will was behind this, so she was worried that in the future someone would be accused of something being a black sheep. She was worried that Jingxuan clearly had the blood of Dongdao, but Ye Mingsheng would not admit it and would go against all odds and pass the throne to Jingxuan. If that happened, the situation would be very serious!

However, Ye Mingsheng’s actions today made An Miaoyi feel more at ease. Ye Mingsheng took Jingren to Changchunyuan Market to experience the sufferings of the common people, and to eat Lao Zhangtou buns to understand the lifestyle of the grassroots people. These were things that Ye Mingsheng had never done with Jingxuan. From this point of view, perhaps this has already explained Ye Mingsheng’s own inclinations······························
(End of this chapter)