Chen Yiqin, seeing the hundred officials scrambling in the hall, finally sighed and knelt, saying,
"Your Highness, this old minister is incompetent. I hereby request to resign immediately... or perhaps to silence the public's complaints..."
The Crown Prince, his temper already flaring and feeling a profound despair and fear, that regret of losing everything with one misstep gnawing at him like a venomous snake, suddenly scoffed,
"These officials dare to pressure this prince? This prince wishes to see whose hand is truly stronger! Grand Secretary Chen, there is no need for you to resign. This prince requires you to draft an imperial decree—"
Chen Yiqin looked up. The Crown Prince spoke each word deliberately,
"The capital... must be placed under martial law!"
Ah?
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Chen Yiqin knew well that though the Crown Prince was naturally timid, a fierce spirit lay hidden deep within him, merely suppressed by the Emperor and the Princess Consort. Now that his core was touched, he was prepared to go all out.
"Your Highness, what the officials said is indeed treasonous, but there are those behind them instigating it! If you act rashly, you will surely fall into a trap! Your Highness, please reconsider!"
Hmph!
The Crown Prince murmured,
"This prince has been too hesitant his entire life, which is how he has been driven to this point... Today, this prince will break the net and tear down the fish..."
Hiss!
Chen Yiqin felt the world spin—
He had long heard rumors of the Crown Prince harboring hidden assassins. Now, with his words, it meant he had made his final preparations.
Chen Yiqin knew deeply that Jiajing was the most formidable of them all. How could he not know what was happening today? He was merely waiting for the Crown Prince to go to Yuxi Palace to beg for forgiveness, after which the Emperor could calmly maneuver, perhaps turning the tide. But if the Crown Prince staked everything, he would completely chill the Emperor's heart, and more likely, fall right into Yan Song's hands.
He immediately clutched the Crown Prince's legs tightly and cried out with choked sobs,
"Your Highness, you must not... Think of a solution slowly, there will always be a way! Please, do not act impulsively!"
The Crown Prince struggled free from his grasp, strode to the corridor, and declared loudly,
"Wang Tingxiu, heed my command! Arrest all those who led today's demonstration! Tomorrow, at the hour of Mao, they shall receive fifty strokes of the rod at the Meridian Gate!"
Wang Tingxiu immediately shouted his orders, and the palace guards swiftly apprehended seventeen or eighteen individuals.
The court officials who had dared to pressure the Crown Prince had believed him to be a coward, and several key figures from the Yan family had repeatedly assured them that there would be no consequences for their actions today. This maneuver sent them into a panic. In a rush, the palace gates became crowded as everyone scrambled to escape.
The Crown Prince then loudly proclaimed,
"Grand Secretary Chen, draft the decree! From midnight tonight, the capital will be placed under martial law!"
Martial law,
Martial law...
A trembling and enraged voice echoed in the Forbidden City for a long time.
...
At the same time,
Anlu, Chu King's Mansion.
Mu Chaobi had spent eighty thousand taels of silver to finally bribe the Prefect of Chengtian, Li Song. Li Song then directly ordered his subordinate, the Left Grand Secretary of the Prince's Mansion, Li Zhiming, to come to Tianxiang Tower.
Mu Chaobi, fearless, pushed open the courtyard gate with a creak and announced loudly,
"Greetings, Your Highness King Jing!"
Echoes reverberated, but there was no one in the courtyard.
Li Zhiming had previously accepted money from Zhu Mo and Xu Wei, stating at the time that it was sent by Mu Chaobi. Now that Mu Chaobi himself had arrived, it was inconvenient for him to inquire.
At this moment,
Upon seeing the empty courtyard, he suddenly thought of something and shouted,
"Guards! Guards!"
Several guards immediately ran over.
"Where are they?!"
One guard replied,
"Reporting to the Grand Secretary, people from the capital arrived early this morning, presented an East Depot token, and took them away!"
What?
This?
Li Zhiming flew into a rage,
"I am the Grand Secretary, why was I not informed?"
The guard said,
"The accompanying eunuch said it was not necessary to inform the Grand Secretary, nor the magistrates of Zhongxiang County and Chengtian Prefecture."
Hiss!
Mu Chaobi stood frozen on the spot—
Had the Emperor sent people to retrieve him?
Besides the Emperor's verbal command, who else could take this person away?
Li Zhiming trembled and said,
"My Lord, what is to be done?"
Having accepted Zhu Mo's money last time, he wondered if this was related to that matter. He trembled again and said,
"My Lord, there is something I must tell you..."
He leaned in and whispered a string of words, recounting how Zhu Mo and Xu Wei had impersonated people from the Mu Mansion to meet King Jing. After speaking, he pulled out the agate ring face given to him by Zhu Mo.
Mu Chaobi was utterly aghast. He asked several times, fiddling with the ring face in his hand. It indeed looked familiar, and he finally murmured,
"A youth... a middle-aged merchant... the youth, the youth? Holding an agate ring face... could it be him...?"
The image of Zhu Mo naturally surfaced in his mind.
"Why did he come... Could it be that he is truly of royal blood and also wishes to ascend the throne..."
Thinking this,
He felt that the situation was extremely complex and terrifying. The Crown Prince had originally instructed him to kill this person, but now that the person had been taken away by the Emperor, what was to be done?
He had experienced many dangers in his life, but never had he felt so flustered as he did at this moment. After pacing a few steps, he suddenly called out loudly,
"What time was it this morning?"
The guard replied,
"At the beginning of the Chen hour."
Mu Chaobi hardened his heart, cupped his fists, and said,
"Grand Secretary Li, thank you! This matter today... You, you know how to handle it, right?"
Li Zhiming said,
"No one came here today... correct?"
He then turned to the two guards and produced two silver notes. The two guards' faces lit up with joy, and they repeatedly said, "No, no outsiders came!"
Mu Chaobi hurried out and pulled Li Zhiming aside, whispering,
"I did not send anyone. The person who came last time was Zhu Mo... Lord Li, write a memorial to the throne immediately and explain the situation clearly... Well, you've heard of how I conduct my affairs, Lord Mu. I will send twenty thousand taels of silver to you then!"
Li Zhiming was initially terrified, but thinking that since King Jing's affairs involved so many powerful figures, his own minor role would likely go unnoticed. He then turned from worry to joy, saying,
"Your subordinate understands. My Lord, please rest assured. I have long suspected that Zhu Mo was acting suspiciously..."
Mmm, mmm,
Mu Chaobi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking this person was indeed compliant. He immediately bought a fast horse and headed towards Jingzhou.
Just now,
He had thought of a brilliant plan—
Since Zhu Mo had come, he would frame him for it! He would go to Jingzhou now, get some men from the Governor-General of Chu and Hu, disguise them as people from the Zhoushan Prefecture Office, and if time permits, sink the boat on the river. If not, they would pursue on the north bank... This journey to Zhen Ding was still over a thousand li, and there would surely be opportunities to eliminate the person!
Because Zhu Mo had visited the Prince's Mansion, and Li Zhiming's memorial would be presented, everyone would naturally believe that Zhu Mo was responsible. Zhu Mo was now known throughout the realm for rebelling in Jiangxi and claiming the title of King Wu, so he would be unable to defend himself.
The next day,
Dong Wei, the Governor-General of Chu and Hu, provided some household retainers. He also learned that there were about ten people from the capital, three eunuchs and the rest palace guards, who had boarded a ship in Jingzhou and were heading north from Nanyang.
Mu Chaobi immediately found a large boat, with over forty people disguised as travelers, and pursued them relentlessly.
He knew very well—
The Emperor sending someone to retrieve this person, and Zhu Mo having visited this person, meant his guess was correct: King Jing was likely feigning madness! The Crown Prince's claim to the throne was still under grave threat! Once this person arrived in the capital, the Emperor would have a trump card and could immediately put the Crown Prince to death! And the followers of Jianwen's lineage, who had followed the Crown Prince for many years, were likely to be completely annihilated in this struggle!
...
Nanyang,
Longtan Ferry.
Xu Jiu, along with the palace guards and three eunuchs from the East Depot, had already bought a boat in Jingzhou. They had just docked and planned to travel by imperial carriage.
This mission was highly secretive. Eunuch Lu had given him orders and a token, authorizing him to kill anyone he encountered along the way and to disregard any orders from other government officials.
Xu Jiu, accustomed to such tasks, finally breathed a sigh of relief, as the most dangerous territories had been passed. They were now a day's journey away from the Prince's Mansion, and even if others wanted to pursue, it was likely too late.
He entered the cabin, helped the stunned and absent-minded King Jing to his feet, and said gently,
"Your Highness, shall we disembark? Once on shore, in the carriage, no one can see us. We will reach the capital in a few days... Alas..."
When he had arrived, he had heard that Li Shizhen had examined the Prince several times and reported an improvement in his condition, but upon seeing the person this time, he was still bewildered, completely unaware of the outside world.
King Jing followed him out of the cabin and stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at the busy ferry crossing. He turned and looked at the vast, boundless river. The world was open, the wind howled, and his confused eyes suddenly became a little clearer.
Xu Jiu found it strange. King Jing suddenly spoke, saying,
"I am not going ashore. I want to go to Anqing..."
Whoosh!
Everyone froze, their gazes immediately fixed on King Jing.
Xu Jiu, hearing these words, found them not at all indicative of madness and was very puzzled. He asked again,
"Your... Your Highness, where do you wish to go?"
King Jing, with a semblance of madness, murmured,
"To Anqing..."