Yuxi Palace.
Lu Fang had already finished reading the memorial three times, but Jiajing acted as if he hadn't heard it.
It was already noon, and Lu Fang, feeling anxious, gently urged, "Your Majesty, two to three thousand people are waiting..."
Unexpectedly, Jiajing did not respond. Instead, he suddenly asked, "Where is Wu Du? He recalled the Shenji Camp back to the capital. Where is that man? Where is he now?"
Lu Fang had not yet received any secret reports. However, from the urgent military dispatches, it was clear that events had unfolded too suddenly. Li Tingzhu had made a mistake at the front, and if it weren't for Li Chengliang holding the line for a while and Wu Du recalling the Shenji Camp into the city last night, the situation would have been unimaginable. The Emperor himself might have had to flee the capital temporarily. But as for Wu Du, there was still no news.
He sighed softly and said, "That Wu Du recalled the Shenji Camp. It's estimated that Li Tingzhu was unwilling at first, but he acted on his own initiative... This man, he could only do so much..."
Alas...
Jiajing sighed inwardly, thinking that if the Shenji Camp had not returned to defend the city last night, the situation would likely have spiraled out of control. Li Tingzhu was, after all, the Governor-General of Military Affairs, and Wu Du, a commander, could not truly defy him. For him to have recalled the Shenji Camp to defend the city in advance was indeed fulfilling his duty. At this moment, one could only assume this man had been imprisoned by Li Tingzhu?
"Is there also no news from King Jing...?"
"..."
Hmph,
Jiajing fell silent for a moment, then glanced at the memorial submitted by the officials, muttering, "They just want King Jing to ascend the throne... Is there such a hurry? What exactly is Yan Song planning?"
Actually, he could largely guess—
First, Liaoyang fell. That was likely because Yan Song had persuaded Yang Bo... Immediately after, Tumen Khan entered the passes, and Li Tingzhu let them through. These were naturally all part of a plan... If it weren't for Li Chengliang and Wu Du, the capital would have been surrounded by fifty to sixty thousand troops by now, and they would have had no soldiers to deploy... If this memorial had been presented at this moment, he would have had no room to maneuver, and even going south to Nanjing would have been blocked by the officials... httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
And now,
Tumen Khan was probably already at Desheng Gate?
The Shenji Camp could naturally hold them back, but what about outside? The entire Liaodong, the Xuan-Da line, would naturally be experiencing its own troubles. This time, with the rebellion of Anda's eldest son, it meant that they also wanted to overthrow Anda... Furthermore, what about Jiangyou and Jiangnan? Would the treacherous clique stir up internal strife?
All of this could be predicted, but what could not be predicted was—
Yan Song's certainty?
Was King Jing truly reliable?
What secrets did he have with Yan Shifan?
Even,
Was King Jing still the same Zhen'er as before?
At this thought,
He suddenly regretted—
He should have met him earlier...
But now, although making King Jing the Crown Prince was a necessary move, being forced to do it and doing it oneself felt entirely different.
He paced a few times, stepping on a "Kun" hexagram once more, his heart filled with unease. He couldn't help but think of Zhu Mo, and for some reason, he felt a strange sensation...
"Your Majesty..."
Lu Fang peered out of the palace, and indeed saw Chen Hong and Li Bin. He couldn't help but urge him gently again.
"Alright... let them have their way... Tell Prince Yu not to return. Let him stay in Anlu to guard the imperial tombs... Lu Fang, send more people to protect him, lest someone harm him..."
Lu Fang's heart sank, and he said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, perhaps we could delay it a bit longer..."
Jiajing suddenly gave a bitter smile, "We cannot delay any longer..."
He had ascended the throne at the age of fourteen and had never spent a single day out of turmoil. For over forty years, he had never felt so helpless as he did today... In his life, his strategies had always been to go with the flow. Having Prince Yu act as regent was to let Prince Yu solve problems himself. If there was a conspiracy, there was none; it was a matter of inevitable circumstances...
He summoned King Jing back to the capital because Prince Yu had not performed well enough. He wanted to expose the conflict completely. At this moment, he needed a prince to stand in front and manage things gradually, to resolve the crisis, and then to observe King Jing's performance. If he performed better, then he would let him ascend the throne. If he performed poorly, or if the officials were still not satisfied, then they would see...
Within this, there was no conspiracy either. Yet, the Yan family always believed they were in control through schemes...
Thinking of this,
He remembered his conversation with Zhu Mo in the small courtyard at that time—
The constant targeting of the royal family by the officials had its deep-seated motivations. It was either for the officials to obey the royal family's rules, or for the royal family to obey the wishes of the officials; this could not be changed... To escape this predicament, one could only reform thoroughly, and thorough reform required first a thorough strike...
Whether King Jing became the Crown Prince or not, let's get through this hurdle first...
"Lu Fang, go and tell them that King Jing will also be the regent Crown Prince, with Xu Jie and Yan Song assisting in governing, and Yan Shifan and Zhang Juzheng also lending a hand... Others will not enter the Privy Council... Before King Jing returns to the capital, the four of them will discuss matters, and the Directorate of Ceremonial will attend on behalf of King Jing..."
He pondered for a moment, making a slight adjustment. He created a compromise between the existing Grand Secretariat and Prince Yu's Privy Council, keeping the same people, but with King Jing replacing him.
Lu Fang pondered for a while, and then he was deeply impressed—
At critical moments, the Emperor could always come up with good solutions; it had been like this for forty years, almost without change...
He felt slightly reassured. Without drafting an imperial decree, he simply thought through the meaning again, formulated a statement, and immediately headed to Jianji Hall.
...
Yan Song, Xu Jie, and the other officials all felt that Lu Fang's oral decree was very appropriate after hearing it.
Lu Ben, Wu Peng, and other experienced officials immediately found their footing. They stepped forward to offer congratulations, saying, "Congratulations, Senior Grand Secretary, on your reappointment. The realm has hope..."
Congratulations, Senior Grand Secretary,
Congratulations, Senior Grand Secretary...
The officials could also discern that the title "Senior Grand Secretary" at this moment carried a different meaning, which was a return to the previous order.
Yan Song nodded, sat down in the chief Grand Tutor's chair, and said, "Senior Grand Secretary Xu, as always, please sit down and discuss..."
Xu Jie had no choice but to sit at a slightly lower position opposite him. As soon as he was seated, he indeed felt that it was similar to the discussions held in Yuxi Palace before.
Yan Song stroked his beard and whiskers, feigning worry, "It is rare that everyone is present today. Several Ministers of the Boards, several Senior Grand Secretaries, since you are all here, let's expedite matters. First, let's discuss the strategy to relieve the capital, then talk about Liaodong, and consolidate a plan. We will then submit it to Eunuch Lu for review. Once His Highness King Jing returns to the capital, everything will revert to normal..."
Yes, yes,
The officials responded with praise and began discussing animatedly. With Yan Song in charge, these ministers were all working diligently, and soon they came up with a feasible plan—
Li Tingzhu would quickly divide his forces and reinforce the capital's defenses; Liang Menglong would act as the acting Governor-General of Ji-Liao, but Yang Bo had been appointed Imperial Commissioner with the authority to act independently, effectively retaining full control of Ji-Liao; Wu Du, as the Commander of the Capital Garrison, would quickly return to the capital to oversee the city's defense, directly under the command of the Privy Council.
These were urgent matters.
Following this, another proposal was drafted—
The major case in Jiangyou would be redefined as a popular uprising, and rebellion would no longer be mentioned. However, the officials previously appointed by Prince Yu, such as Chen Yiqin, were dismissed. Chen Yiqin was handed over to the Ministry for discussion and deliberation regarding the Jiangyou popular uprising case, and Fan Yingqi and Yin Shidan were demoted by one rank. The idle individuals from the Yan family, such as Zhang Jing, Zhang Yu, and Yan Maoqing, were all granted official positions.
With the major matters settled, Yan Song claimed fatigue and returned home early. Under the joint leadership of Yan Shifan and Xu Jie, Xu Jie had no objections, making it effectively a Yan family's monopoly.
After leaving Jianji Hall, Xu Jie and Li Chunfang looked afar at Yan Shifan swaggering through the Forbidden City with a large group of officials. They both sighed deeply in unison.
Li Chunfang said,
"Shao Hu, Gao Suqing once wrote a poem, 'The big rooster proudly comes, the little chicks timidly attend'... Heh heh, I now truly understand the profundity of this poem..."
Heh heh,
Xu Jie also gave a wry smile, feeling that the court situation was changing rapidly. In such a short time, the Yan father and son had regained their immense power, and even the Emperor was pushed to a state of helplessness...
"Who could have imagined... It's just a pity for Tai Yue and the others, who are still diligently defending Tumen Khan..."
Li Chunfang had experienced so much in his life, but he had never felt as disheartened as he did today. After holding back for a long time, he felt that no matter who was in power, it would be a hundred times better than Yan Song. His vulgar language finally burst out:
"Damn it! Those father and son are truly scoundrels!"