Pan Sheng hesitated for a moment, thinking that if Zhu Mo was here, and something truly happened, he could provide an explanation to the court if he was willing to step forward. Moreover, the Yan family would surely turn their attention to him…
He immediately nodded.
The person was Wang Wei. He smiled at that moment and strode ahead. Pan Sheng followed two to three zhang behind, and they headed towards the Yunlai Inn.
Not long after,
Pan Sheng saw an ordinary inn amidst the crowd. The fat man was already sitting at a table in the inner hall, slowly sipping tea.
As Pan Sheng entered, the man stood up and went upstairs alone. Although Pan Sheng was also an inspector, he had never seen such a scene before. He braced himself and went upstairs. Seeing the man turn around a corridor, he followed. Finally, he saw a room door was open, and he stepped in.
With a creak,
The door closed,
Zhu Mo smiled and said, "Lord Pan, have you been well recently?"
Seeing Zhu Mo unexpectedly, Pan Sheng felt as if he had seen a ghost. But upon closer inspection, he saw that the young man was still composed and calm, and couldn't help but admire him. He nodded and said:
"Scholar Zhu, you are truly courageous. I admire you, Lord Pan."
The reason Zhu Mo saw him was that now, in Fuzhou and Jingdezhen, there were no acquaintances in the yamen, and news had been cut off. He thought something must have happened recently and heard that the case had taken a sudden turn. If he didn't find out, he would be like a blind and deaf person.
"Lord Pan, since I have appeared in Jingdezhen, I am not afraid of rumors and prophecies… Well, I have not appeared recently because I was investigating some matters. Now that I have found out, I can say that Jingdezhen is likely to face a tragic disaster that will shock the world. Lord Pan, as you are a friend of my brother Zhang Juzheng, I have taken the liberty to invite you."
Pan Sheng had been thinking all along that Zhu Mo might be a variable in today's situation. Seeing that he spoke sincerely, he immediately said:
"Scholar Zhu, I was also going to ask for your advice."
Mmm,
Zhu Mo thought for a moment and spoke frankly:
"I went to Anlu not long ago and saw some things… uh, what things, Lord Pan can probably guess… After seeing them, I determined that something big was going to happen in Jingdezhen. To put it bluntly, the Yan family intends to put on a grand show here… Lord Pan, am I making myself clear?"
Pan Sheng's heart pounded as he heard this, thinking: It's true! The Yan family is going all out because they truly want to support the Prince of Jing to ascend the throne! No wonder even the Prince of Yu became a stepping stone…
With this thought,
He sighed deeply and nodded:
"Scholar Zhu, Lord Pan thanks you…"
Mmm,
Zhu Mo has always been one to offer something first before asking for something. Seeing that he had agreed, he spoke without reservation:
"Lord Pan, I also want to know if anything has happened in the last few days? Is Lord Fan in any difficulty?"
Pan Sheng said with a bitter smile:
"Scholar Zhu, you are being so open and honest with me, I cannot hide anything from you…"
He immediately leaned in and whispered:
"Ma Sen and Lu Wen arrested Li Mingfeng and Huang Ying, and their confessions stated that it was Scholar Zhu who instructed them to do it…"
What?!
Zhu Mo, Lu Kun, and Wang Wei looked at each other in disbelief—
This is too wicked!
Zhu Mo bowed and said, "Thank you for informing me, Lord Pan."
He paced a few steps, thinking: The Yan family is doing this to coerce the Crown Prince, to label the Crown Prince's faction in Jiangyou as rebels, and then to submit the case files…
At this moment,
Lu Kun suddenly said:
"Zi Xuan, it seems they are not achieving anything by doing this? How can they threaten the Crown Prince?"
Wang Wei and Pan Sheng also felt their heads hurt and looked at him expectantly.
Zhu Mo smiled:
"This is where the cleverness lies…"
He shook his head, gave a wry smile, and continued:
"In my opinion, Ma Sen and the others have prepared two confessions. One states that I, Zhu Mo, instructed them, which is naturally false. In fact, any discerning person can see that implicating me is their attempt to protect the Crown Prince's reputation… This is truly killing without drawing blood…
Imagine, when the court officials see this case file, they will know it is a cover-up, or rather, an attempt to protect the face of the Crown Prince and the court… The truth is, wasn't it the Crown Prince who instructed it? Think about it, originally the investigation was into Zhu Mo's rebellion, but now the investigators have become Zhu Mo's accomplices! Isn't that suspicious? What kind of people are the court officials? Wouldn't they understand? They would immediately guess that the Crown Prince instructed others to falsely accuse a minister of rebellion! And by doing so, wouldn't the Crown Prince be lacking in virtue?
As for the other confession, it explains how the Crown Prince instructed, how Prince Yi arranged it, to falsely accuse me, Zhu Mo, of rebellion, with all sorts of facts and evidence. Naturally, this is a fatal threat… It is not only a threat to the Crown Prince but also to the Emperor…"
Hiss!
Hiss!
The few men's hair stood on end. They felt that the schemes in the Great Ming dynasty were too profound. Who would have thought of this without experiencing it?
Lu Kun then said:
"But why did you say that something big is about to happen? If the case file is reviewed, why isn't it reported?"
Pan Sheng sighed at this moment:
"Shu Jian, you don't know. Lord Fan said recently that he wanted to report the matter of Jingdezhen to the court first. After the court makes a decision, then this major case will be dealt with… Given the circumstances, Lord Fan has naturally reported it. We are just waiting for the court's reply…"
Oh…
Zhu Mo nodded, thinking it was indeed the case. Fan Yingqi was probably unable to suppress it, so he made a vague statement and pushed the matter to the higher authorities, hoping to temporarily stabilize Ma Sen and Lu Wen… But doing so would only force the Yan family to act prematurely…
With this thought,
He said angrily:
"Lord Pan, Lord Fan should have suppressed them severely! They arrested Li Mingfeng and Huang Ying, you should have taken them back, why are you being led by the nose?"
Pan Sheng shook his head, thinking: You say that too easily. Moreover, that Fan Yingqi was being shifty and afraid of being implicated himself, which is why he made a vague statement, hoping that after the matter was reported, the Crown Prince and Chen Yiqin would suppress Yan Shifan and issue a decision, then Ma Sen and Lu Wen here would not dare to act rashly. This thinking should not be wrong, right?
"Scholar Zhu, I think Lord Fan's actions are understandable. After all, on the court, the Crown Prince is still the regent…"
Heh heh,
Zhu Mo naturally knew the Yan family's tactics better than him. Now that he understood the cause and effect, he guessed the Yan family's next move and immediately said decisively:
"Lord Pan, you have missed the opportune moment! Think about it, how could the Yan family wait for the court's decree to come down? I think they are even more likely to act before the court's decree arrives and cause a major disturbance! Only when it becomes a big issue can the Privy Council not decide! Then the officials will clamor for a court discussion! That is the Yan family's true goal!"
Huh?
This?
Pan Sheng suddenly realized something and blurted out:
"Oh dear! Disaster! Then, what should we do now?"
With this thought,
He was truly panicked. Fan Yingqi had indeed made a mistake. If he hadn't reported it to the court, it would have been fine. But once it was reported to the court, the Yan family, seeing that the court's decree would be unfavorable to them, would naturally be more inclined to resort to violence.
Zhu Mo breathed out a sigh and murmured:
"Fan Yingqi has also mobilized two thousand men. If they send troops, it will naturally be impossible… But the court's decree is about to arrive, so they will definitely act… How will they act?"
After thinking for a while,
He pushed open the window and looked at the bustling crowd on the street. For a moment, he really couldn't guess.
At this moment,
Lu Kun suddenly said:
"Zi Xuan, do you think they might make those potters fight?"
Potters?
Zhu Mo blurted out:
"That's right! It's the house guards!"
Whoosh!
The few of them reacted at the same time—
If they can't mobilize troops, they can use house guards!
If house guards fight with the new households, it can only be considered a civilian riot, unrelated to the officials! At that time, even if Fan Yingqi had ten thousand troops, he could only maintain order. Moreover, if the Yan family intends to escalate the situation, they might even dare to attack the official army, which would create a state of widespread chaos! At that time, officials would implore Yan Song to return to power, or even demand Jiajing to return, which would provide a perfect excuse.
And when the court session opens, the officials' first demand would be to abolish the Privy Council, abolish the Crown Prince's regency, and return to the Grand Secretariat to govern on behalf of heaven, which is the Yan family's true objective…
Hiss…
Pan Sheng immediately felt unsettled and blurted out:
"Scholar Zhu, I will go find Lord Fan immediately and ask him to make preparations!"
Zhu Mo shook his head and sighed:
"I think it's too late…"
He also regretted it at this moment. Why didn't he come to find Pan Sheng earlier? Just a day or two, even a few hours difference, and the lack of communication has caused the situation to spiral out of control…