With a loud boom, Xu Jie’s forehead throbbed, and he shouted, “Nonsense! What are you trying to do? Is there no law anymore?”
The Yan family loyalists who stormed in, having already broken down the door, had no intention of letting him off. Moreover, the household guards could no longer hold them back. The Yan residence was already packed, the atmosphere extremely charged, as if they couldn't wait to bind Xu Jie and drag him out.
At this moment, someone in the crowd shouted again, “We invite Grand Secretary Xu to draft the memorial in the Grand Secretariat!”
Huh?
What?
Draft a memorial?
Draft what kind of memorial?
The officials thought they had misheard.
The person shouted again, “Only by restoring the Grand Secretariat can the Great Ming be saved! We invite Grand Secretary Xu to immediately take up the post of Senior Grand Secretary! Draft a memorial to thoroughly investigate the Jiangyou rebellion case.”
Boom!
This time, everyone immediately understood.
Many marveled inwardly at how incredibly brilliant this was!
This person was a true talent!
Everyone also understood that to restore the Grand Secretariat at this juncture, the procedure would certainly require an imperial edict, but the Emperor always appeared last. How could he possibly show himself? Without an edict, the Crown Prince’s regency could not be abolished, and all major affairs would be impossible to proceed with. The brilliance of this person’s move was precisely this: by forcing the Grand Secretariat’s restoration and compelling Xu Jie to draft a memorial, they would then take this memorial and storm into the Western Garden together, forcing the Directorate of Ceremonial to approve it. Once the Directorate of Ceremonial approved it, the Grand Secretariat would effectively be restored. As for the content of the memorial, thoroughly investigating the Jiangyou rebellion case was naturally the best option. This would corner the Crown Prince, and once the Directorate of Ceremonial approved it, the Crown Prince would effectively be deposed. After all, the little booklets everyone held in their hands during this upheaval stated that the Crown Prince had instigated the entire affair from behind the scenes. This was utterly devoid of virtue, reason, and benevolence; how could he not be deposed?
As for the Directorate of Ceremonial, whether they approved it or not was beyond their control! At worst, they could force the eunuch in charge of seals to approve it forcibly, just as they were doing now. If they refused, they would simply restrain the eunuch and guide his hand to approve it. This could be described as a new level of forcing the issue. Many genuinely praised this tactic and began to echo the sentiment: “We invite Grand Secretary Xu!”
“Grand Secretary Xu, please!”
“Everyone, let’s escort Grand Secretary Xu to the Grand Secretariat!”
“Let’s go!”
Amidst the clamor, many people were already laughing.
Xu Jie was shocked and furious. After a moment of thought, he was suddenly terrified to his core – these were puppets!
These Beijing officials were trying to make him a puppet, forcing him onto the griddle!
In this way, by forcing him to draft a memorial and then forcing the Directorate of Ceremonial, it would be equivalent to forcibly returning to the era of the Grand Secretariat!
And the content of the memorial, to thoroughly investigate the Jiangyou case, was equivalent to forcing the Crown Prince to his death. As for himself, he would become the most ridiculous figure in history!
He had lived his entire life and had never heard of such a malicious scheme, yet it had befallen him. He immediately trembled with rage, his voice shaking, “You, you, you are utterly devoid of conscience! Utterly devoid of conscience…”
Li Chunfang, standing nearby, was anxiously shouting, “This is rebellion! Rebellion!”
Yan family loyalists in the crowd, mixed with the noisy voices, shouted loudly, “Devoid of what! Li Chunfang, shut your damned mouth!”
“Why haven’t we invited Grand Secretary Xu to prepare his sedan chair yet?”
“We invite Grand Secretary Xu!”
“Please!”
Taking advantage of the high and excited mood, several Yan family members rushed forward, grabbed Xu Jie by both arms, and strode towards the door. Xu Jie’s son, Xu Ying, shouted, “Stop! You’re rebelling!”
He rushed forward to block them, but the people around laughed and, with a few shoves, pushed Xu Ying to the ground. Amidst the laughter, they carried Xu Jie out the door.
Li Chunfang, witnessing such a bizarre and monstrous event, was still unable to recover. Seeing Xu Ying beating the ground in pain, he suddenly realized – Xu Jie was too miserable!
This was simply inhumane!
He immediately shouted loudly, “Quickly go to the Yuxi Palace! Report to the Emperor!”
“Quickly report to the Emperor!”
Xu Ying suddenly understood and quickly called for a sedan chair. He pulled Li Chunfang into the sedan chair, and they sped towards the imperial city.
In the Grand Secretariat’s office, Xu Jie was pushed into the Grand Tutor’s chair. In addition to trembling with rage, his eyes occasionally blurred and his vision swam.
At this moment, the small office was still crowded with people, all smiling and watching the show, feeling that today was the most amusing event in the history of the Great Ming! Xu Jie, that old fox, had been exposed today and forced onto the stage, being compelled to oppose the imperial family, which was truly satisfying.
The crowd, recalling the Crown Prince’s punishment of officials with the court staff that morning, and how the imperial guards had brutally beaten the officials without mercy, felt a surge of resentment.
Someone shouted, “We invite Grand Secretary Xu to draft the memorial!”
“Draft the memorial!”
“Quickly draft it!”
“Xu Jie, you are the hero who will save the Great Ming!”
“Xu Jie! What are you still pretending for!”
“Draft it!”
“You’re not writing!”
“Hahaha…”
Today, the crowd was venting their resentment. No matter how good Xu Jie’s self-cultivation, he felt as if he had fallen into an abyss. Thinking that once this memorial was drafted, he would be forcibly bound as a rebel. At this thought, his head throbbed, and he gritted his teeth tightly, clenching his fists, not daring to relax them even slightly.
Seeing his unwavering resolve, the Yan family loyalists changed their approach. Ge Shouli, Feng En, and several other well-known ministers crowded forward.
Feng En said gently, “Grand Secretary Xu, we are not deliberately making things difficult for you. You were not present this morning. The Crown Prince ordered Wang Tingxiu to brutally beat the officials; it was an act of extreme tyranny… We are all upset and have become a bit anxious.” What kind of person was Xu Jie? How could he not understand this kind of subtle pressure? He immediately glared with anger, his nose snorted, and his lips trembled.
Ge Shouli said calmly, “Grand Secretary Xu, this is public opinion… It conforms to heaven above, responds to humanity below, and aligns with the sentiments of all officials… Grand Secretary, please draft it…”
Xu Jie remained silent. At this point, he simply closed his eyes.
Bai Qichang, who had been instigating in the crowd and was the most wicked, then said, “Grand Secretary Xu, you have always been the leader of the officials, and everyone respects you the most. We have invited you today for the sake of the nation… How can such a cruel affair in Jiangyou go uninvestigated? And Chen Yiqin not only failed to investigate but also cruelly beat the officials? So many people were implicated in the Jiangyou case, and over a thousand people died! This blood debt must be avenged! Grand Secretary Xu, it is not we who are forcing you, but the circumstances! All officials and the people of the world see clearly that the Great Ming cannot be allowed to decay in the hands of Chen Yiqin, Fan Yingqi, Yin Shi, and others! If you draft a memorial, you will be speaking for all scholars in the world, and future generations will only remember your virtuous name.”
Whoosh~~ Xu Jie was so angry his face turned green. Hearing such utterly shameless words, he felt his internal organs churn. With a bang, he slammed the table and roared, “Bai Qichang! Are you even human?! Are you a beast in human clothing?”
Bai Qichang had never been scolded like this in his life. He immediately laughed instead of getting angry and said, “Good, good, Xu Jie, Xu Jie, you refuse the toast and insist on the wine of punishment. Then there is nothing we can do.”
Having received explicit approval from Yan Shifan himself, he was naturally audacious. He immediately grabbed the paper and brush from the desk and, imitating the usual style of Grand Secretariat memorials, quickly wrote a few strokes.
These people were all Jinshi from two examinations, and their calligraphy was naturally proficient. In the blink of an eye, they had finished drafting the memorial and, with a flourish, pushed it in front of Xu Jie, saying, “Grand Secretary Xu, your subordinate is not here, so I have drafted it for you. Please sign it, Grand Secretary Xu!”
Xu Jie’s eyes seemed about to spew fire.
Bai Qichang, however, cupped his fists and said to the crowd, “My esteemed colleagues, Grand Secretary Xu understands righteousness and has decided to plead on behalf of the officials and for the people of the world! We are deeply grateful for this great favor and have no way to repay it, so we can only bow to Grand Secretary Xu!”
Saying this, he actually knelt down and kowtowed to Xu Jie.
The officials immediately reacted, their faces breaking into knowing, cheeky smiles. Everyone knelt down with thuds. Inside and outside the office, a large group of people knelt. Everyone shouted, “Thank you, Grand Secretary Xu, for pleading on behalf of the people!”
“We thank Grand Secretary Xu for his great kindness!”
Boom!
Xu Jie finally broke down. Tears of immense humiliation streamed from his eyes, and he cried, “You are trying to take my life… Have I, Xu Jie, wronged any of you? In all these years, when have I ever offended you? Why do you insist on pushing me to my death?”
Bai Qichang said with a solemn expression, “Grand Secretary Xu, you are mistaken. We are grateful to Grand Secretary Xu, how could we be forcing you? If Grand Secretary Xu says this, what does that make us?”