The Yan faction had no immediate recourse and resorted to spreading rumors. The officials in the capital, understanding the implications, naturally relayed these whispers to whomever they met. Soon, even amidst the martial law, the capital’s streets and markets began to mock the two princes’ rivalry. The Yan family, transformed from losers to “victims,” managed to salvage some of their reputation.
…
The provinces of Jiangnan.
The urgent dispatches, carried by eight hundred li express, finally arrived.
Overnight, the absolute focus on the Jiangxi rebellion case shifted swiftly to the sudden upheaval in the capital.
It must be known that in ancient times, what most captivated the attention of the populace were the dramatic tales of capital upheavals. This time, over two hundred members of the Yan family were arrested overnight, only to be released by midday the following day. Upon their release, they immediately proceeded to the Meridian Gate to beg for forgiveness. Although the Emperor had withdrawn from public life, he was compelled to issue a divine decree, sending the Crown Prince to Anlu to pay respects at the ancestral tombs. Even more bizarrely, the Crown Prince then issued an edict for nationwide reforms while acting as regent…
Such a series of dramatic events, coupled with the crisis in Liaodong, naturally became the most stunning news to jolt the Great Ming Dynasty in decades. Naturally, this news spread like wildfire, and the provinces of Jiangnan quickly erupted.
In these days, Li Zhi had also returned from Yunnan and Guizhou. Zhu Mo, Lü Kun, Xu Wei, and others, engaging in late-night discussions, found themselves most interested in Wu Cheng'en.
Li Zhi recounted how Mu Chaobi had acted in accordance with the letter but not the spirit of the law. He claimed to want reform, but when it came to truly touching his estates, he refused. Li Zhi, a man of great resolve, had clashed with him for several months. Mu Chaobi, with no other option, had temporarily departed, leaving the matter unresolved. You Youjing and Li Zhi, despite their desire for reform, found themselves unable to proceed.
As Li Zhi was about to return to Hangzhou, he encountered Wu Cheng'en in Kunming Prefecture. He learned that the second son of Vice Minister Zhang of the Yongchang Military and Civil Prefecture had invited him to stay in Yunnan and Guizhou for half a year. The scholars found common ground and enjoyed a period of carefree pleasure.
At noon that day,
As several of them were having tea at Wansong Academy, Zhang Han sent someone to deliver the court gazettes. Upon reading them, the gazettes contained a copy of Emperor Wanshou’s divine decree, ordering the Crown Prince to Anlu to pay respects at the ancestral tombs, and announced the succession of Xu Jie as the Grand Minister of the Bureau of Military Affairs. All major events were clearly stated, yet the reasons behind them remained incomprehensible. Later, Zhang Han personally arrived and related the Crown Prince’s overnight arrest of the Yan faction, their release by the Emperor the following day, and the Yan Song faction’s kneeling at the Meridian Gate to confess.
Zhu Mo did not expect events to unfold so rapidly. He went to Guanyin Temple to inquire of Wu Ming. The intelligence from within the Imperial Guard system was similar, reporting that the Crown Prince’s subordinates Mu Chaobi, Zhang Rong, Zhang Er, and others had even broken into the Forbidden Palace at night. However, the Emperor and Lü Fang had been prepared, thus averting the disaster within the palace walls…
Before departing, Wu Ming quietly whispered into Zhu Mo’s ear:
“Young Master Zhu, there is a piece of news. You can hear it first. Whether it is accurate or not… ah, the person from Anlu has returned to the capital, escorted by Xu Jiu himself…”
Hiss!
Zhu Mo’s expression immediately turned solemn—
This meant that Emperor Jiajing was indeed aware that Prince Jing was feigning madness! With this development, Prince Yu’s position was likely in jeopardy…
That evening,
The group convened in a side chamber of Wansong Academy, all sensing that the Great Ming Dynasty had entered another phase. The Jiangxi rebellion case, or the reforms, had become secondary. The sole focus now was the imperial throne.
Xu Wei, having served as Yang Bo’s advisor in Jizhou, recalled the siege of Liaoyang, where Xin Ai had joined forces with Tumen and Jurchen. He considered the situation to be extremely perilous. While others might not know, Xu Wei was perfectly clear—
Yang Bo was indeed a fence-sitter, and his lifelong skill lay in precisely that. Consequently, he absolutely refused to divert troops to relieve the siege. Liaoyang, a lone city, was destined to fall sooner rather than later.
How could those present not know? The military situation in Liaoyang was, in fact, similar to previous occasions. It was instigated by the Yan faction, with the aim of creating internal pressure. Previously, it was to eliminate Zhu Mo, but now, it was to seize the imperial throne…
“Zixuan, I never imagined it would happen so quickly…”
Mm-hmm,
Zhu Mo deeply agreed. He had been observing the major events in Jiangxi, and within just a few days, the rumored rebellion had transformed into a capital upheaval overnight? The skirmishes in Jingde Town during that period suddenly became unimportant…
“Old Xu, do you still remember Anlu? Heh-heh, it’s truly uncanny how these things turn out…”
Even now, Zhu Mo still couldn’t quite comprehend—
If Prince Jing was genuine, how could the Yan family not know? Did he truly hold a significant leverage over Yan Shifan? For the Yan family to be so stubborn, they were dead set on installing Prince Jing on the throne, but would this truly benefit the Yan family? Where did the Yan family find the confidence for this?
The mention of Anlu sent a chill through everyone’s hearts.
Zhu Mo wished to gauge the opinions of the others, so he stated frankly:
“Guess what I heard when I went to Guanyin Temple at noon?”
Oh?
Seeing his grave expression, they all fell silent for a moment.
Heh-heh,
Zhu Mo said calmly:
“The person from Anlu has been brought back to the capital by Xu Jiu…”
What?
Whoosh!
Everyone was instantly struck with alarm.
The arrival of this person in the capital meant that the Emperor had made up his mind. It was no wonder the Crown Prince was sent to Anlu; their positions must have been swapped…
Lü Kun, now very composed, after a moment of thought, grasped the crux of the matter and asked with surprise:
“Zixuan, don’t you find it strange? The Emperor wants to establish Prince Jing, and the Yan family also wants to promote Prince Jing… This? This is truly peculiar…”
That’s right,
There is a problem here…
Everyone was equally puzzled.
Xu Wei, being older, recalled some past events and felt deeply that Prince Jing and Yan Shifan must have had unspeakable secrets. He sighed, “This Prince Jing, I am not speaking ill of him behind his back… I had a few encounters with him in the past, and I always felt that this person was somewhat depraved… What connection he has with that Yan Shifan, perhaps no one knows…”
He couldn’t quite articulate it, but generally, that person was excessively cunning and fond of flattering verses and courtesans. Although extremely intelligent, he was ultimately a source of disaster. When the Emperor confined him back then, it would have been better to place him in the high walls of Fengyang. But the Emperor’s ultimate act of compassion resulted in this person’s return… If this person had any secrets with Yan Shifan, wouldn’t the Emperor’s gamble be a blind one?
He was unwilling to voice these thoughts, merely letting out a long sigh.
Zhu Mo, having spent a considerable time with him, could discern some of his sentiment, but he couldn’t believe that Prince Jing would have any leverage over Yan Shifan. Moreover, he was an imperial prince, and now potentially the successor. No matter how powerful the Yan family was, how could they hold him in check? Once he became Crown Prince, what leverage would there be? At that point, even if there were leverage, they could simply eliminate the Yan family like Prince Yu. Once people were dead, there would be no leverage. Therefore, the situation was likely not that simple.
He had personally witnessed, at Tianxiang Tower in Prince Jing’s mansion in Anlu, that regardless of how that Prince Jing disguised himself, there was an indescribable hatred emanating from him. That person seemed to have suffered great injustice, a suffering with nowhere to turn. Such feigned madness was akin to self-punishment. Perhaps he harbored immense animosity towards the Yan family? After all, the rumors at the time stated that Yan Shifan had harmed Prince Jing…
After pondering for a while, feeling no sense of direction, he only had a strong and unwavering intuition—
The Yan family was definitely finished!
This was not merely a feeling, but the result of nearly three years of fierce struggle against the Yan family. Regardless, Yan Song and Yan Shifan had made a colossal mistake—
They had placed all their bets on a single person!
But it was evident that not just the Yan family, but the entire Yan faction, was aiming for a regime change, wishing for Prince Jing to ascend the throne, and then, by following suit, to firmly control him, thereby extending their former influence. Take, for instance, the recent comprehensive reform edict suddenly issued by the Crown Prince, which once again stirred up the long-dormant situation in Jiangnan.
The Yan faction, from top to bottom, felt that the widespread implementation of reforms would mark the end of their days. However, at this critical juncture, Yan Song and his son suddenly faltered. The only contingency, naturally, was Prince Jing’s enthronement… This sentiment had been very strong in recent days, with everyone living in a state of inexplicable excitement and fear, awaiting the inevitable earth-shattering change…
Zhu Mo sighed, then let out a scoff, saying,
“Shujian, the things we prepared are probably about to be put to use… I believe no matter how the situation changes, the Yan family is bound to fall. Let’s tidy things up these few days; perhaps they will be needed any day now…”
Mm-hmm,
Lü Kun shared the same sentiment and sighed,
“Mu Chaobi is quite capable. If he hadn’t been supporting from behind, how could Prince Yu have dared to fight so fiercely? This desperate struggle has indeed managed to chip away at the Yan family’s influence…”
Right, right,
They all nodded in agreement, feeling that one point was indeed correct: regardless of any changes, the Yan family had suffered a severe blow, and it would be extremely difficult for them to recover. Striking while they were down at this moment naturally offered a high probability of success…