"Your Majesty, Liaodong..."
Lü Fang was about to speak when Jiajing asked first,
"Has Liaoyang fallen?"
"Not yet, they say it has been surrounded for several days... it is expected that it will not be held... Also, there is a troop of soldiers roaming outside Gubeikou, fearing they might enter the pass..."
Hmph!
Jiajing finally opened his eyes, and Lü Fang unfolded the military report in his hand. He glanced at it, then closed his eyes again, and said slowly,
"Anda is restless again..."
Lü Fang said,
"They say Xin Ai dispatched troops behind his back..."
"Whether behind his back or openly, is it not the same?"
Jiajing muttered, then added,
"The court has been paralyzed for many days. Zhang Juzheng is in charge of the Ministry of War and has been in the capital for so long. Has he not made any preparations?"
In his imagination, the Yan family colluding with the Tumu to launch a large-scale invasion was the worst-case scenario. Now, with the military report, it had not reached that point. Unexpectedly, Xin Ai's contingent was also involved, which would draw in the entire Tumote people. This variable currently appeared small, but it could not be ruled out that there might be more serious developments.
"Zhu Qi and others also inquired, saying that Zhang Juzheng, Liang Menglong, and Wang Guoguang had indeed made plans. Wang Guoguang and Liang Menglong had also gone to Liaodong... But now the court is paralyzed, the Jiangyou incident has caused such a stir, and the six ministries have also stopped working. Even if they wanted to prepare, they couldn't, could they..."
The more Lü Fang spoke, the more helpless he felt about recent events. Although he knew that Jiajing was a master of late action, waiting for all sorts of monsters and demons to emerge before cleaning them up, the price was too high. If the Tumu entered the pass, and there were problems with the capital garrisons, it would be hard to say whether the overall situation in the capital was still under control.
At this thought, he felt that since the most worrying thing had already happened, there was no need to fear other countermeasures. It was time to do something. He immediately said,
"Your Majesty, perhaps it is time to resume the court?"
As soon as the words fell,
Jiajing cast a sharp glance and said calmly,
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
Hmph!
"Do you think the matter is over?"
He suddenly stood up, paced a few steps around the Bagua platform, and then said,
"Go and ask Feng Bao to inquire, and have Zhang Juzheng come up with a solution... As for the capital garrisons, tell Wu Dui not to move, and not to listen to anyone's words... Also, Huang Jin is too weak, so you should manage the Imperial Guards yourself..."
Lü Fang nodded, still not understanding: the enemy was at the gates, why was he still not coming out? Regardless, there should at least be a court...
Just as he thought this,
Jiajing said again, "Do not concern yourself with court affairs, and tell them not to gossip!"
"Your servant understands."
Lü Fang retreated, but could not help but say,
"Your Majesty, what about the Yan family? If they are all killed, will the hearts of the people..."
His meaning was that there were still many fugitives running around the capital, and was all this to be ignored? And what about the Yan family? What if Prince Yu killed all those people, what then? Wouldn't the people say the royal family was tyrannical? At that time, if the officials were disheartened, how would they deal with foreign enemies?
Hoo~
Jiajing breathed out lightly and finally said,
"Tell Huang Jin to take the Imperial Guards to watch the Ministry of Justice prison..."
He had been hesitant—
What would be the consequences if Prince Yu killed all the Yan faction members?
If there were no Tumu invasion, the officials would naturally be silent...
But with the urgent military situation in Liaodong, the officials would have a reason to speak out. Feeling sympathy for each other, or fearing for their own safety, most officials would come out to support the Yan faction. At that time, there would be great variables, and even he himself would not be fully confident in controlling the situation. After all, the arrested Yan faction members were only those in the capital. In the localities and on the frontiers, there were still many powerful figures. It was possible that, like Chou Luan, they would directly let the enemy in...
After thinking for a long time, it was only at this moment that he made up his mind—
It was better to let the Yan family go for now,
And let the situation continue to revolve around Prince Yu and the Yan family.
That way, the situation would remain in his hands.
After all,
The Yan family's trump card had already been revealed...
Lü Fang was stunned for a moment and understood his thinking. He nodded,
"Your servant understands."
With that, he calmly withdrew.
...
Meanwhile,
In the secret residence.
Prince Yu, holding the military report sent by Zhang Er, sat slumped in his chair, his mind in a daze, motionless for a long time.
Mu Chaobi, Wu Jiju, Zhang Rong, Yin Tai, and others were also extremely anxious.
Yin Tai knelt on the ground, not daring to look up, unable to comprehend why everyone else's affairs went so smoothly, but his part had gone wrong. Just now, everyone was discussing where the leak might have occurred. Prince Yu had been full of confidence, but unexpectedly, the military report from Liaodong arrived...
As a result, the next step was filled with unknown risks. Once the common people and officials heard that the Tumu had reached the Great Wall, the public would be in an uproar of fear. At that time, resisting foreign enemies would be the top priority, and no one would dare to act against the tide... Furthermore, Yin Tai's failure to bring people into the palace to protect the emperor indicated that the emperor had long been prepared and naturally had countermeasures. With a thunderous blow, his group would be completely finished...
For a time, the atmosphere had frozen to an extreme.
Mu Chaobi paced anxiously for a few laps, then suddenly said,
"Your Highness, I think we should execute the Yan faction as soon as day breaks! Since the deed is done, there is no turning back. While the military report has not yet spread, and the Emperor has not yet spoken, let's go all the way to the end! Even if some people are dissatisfied, as long as the Yan faction is gone, there will naturally be no waves!"
He spoke decisively, but the others were clueless, only looking at the pale-faced Prince Yu.
After a long while,
Prince Yu sighed leisurely and replied out of context,
"We still underestimated the Emperor... But why did he let them out? And why didn't he do anything..."
His personality had been living in the shadows for most of his life. After his elder brother died, he had been cautious, living under Jiajing's shadow. After growing up, he lived under the shadow of his consort, Lady Li. Since Zhu Mo appeared, his true desires had sprouted in his heart. In the past six months, he had done things that sometimes even he did not understand how he had done them?
At this moment,
When he thought of Yin Tai's words, he felt a chill all over his body. The despair of being unable to escape the palm of manipulation was more intense than ever—
This father emperor is too terrifying!
He can do nothing...
He doesn't even care about rebellion!
He had thought a lot just now, but no matter how he thought about it, he felt like an ant in that person's palm. No matter what he did, he was clearly seen... But these people present were now at the mercy of fate. The next step would directly determine life and death. He was the leader, and to a large extent, the person who had brought about this situation. How could he pretend not to see?
"Duke Mu, do it... I think, right now, you should go with my decree and first kill the Yan father and son, as well as Luo Longwen and Yan Maoqing... Do not touch the others for now..."
Mu Chaobi, Zhang Rong, Wu Jiju, and others, their greatest support in court was Prince Yu. These officials from the Jianwen era had survived in the cracks for years, originally cowering under Yan Song's shadow. Last year, when Zhu Mo's reforms pushed Guo Cong to the brink, they felt the crisis approaching and fully supported Prince Yu. To reach this point, although they had thought about it, they had not expected it to happen so quickly...
Mu Chaobi thought it over from beginning to end and felt that he could not escape calamity no matter what. He would either be harmed by the Yan family or be forced to death by Zhu Mo... Moreover, the Ming Dynasty had reached this point, and a great upheaval was inevitable. Apart from supporting the current Prince Yu to the end, there was truly no other way out...
He immediately struck his thigh and said,
"Your Highness! Your servant will go now!"
With a rush,
He turned sharply and strode out of the courtyard gate.
At this time,
The vast capital was approaching dawn, the darkest moment of the day, with not a single lamp visible on the streets.
Mu Chaobi, with more than five hundred people, ran in the chilling darkness.
Scenes from his life flashed before his eyes. The wide, determined eyes of his face were unconsciously moistened, and a thought finally emerged in his heart—
This Ming Dynasty is really goddamn messed up!
I can defeat everyone, but I can't defeat this thick darkness...
The malice of the formation of nothingness, the incredible trap,
It consumed a lifetime of wisdom, yet he could not see clearly at all.