Yes!
Where are you being forced?
Grand Secretary Xu, that is too much!
We only have gratitude in our hearts!
Please, Grand Secretary Xu, accept another bow from us!
With a rustle!
Inside and outside the office, a crowd knelt down again, everyone grinning, finding the situation hilarious. Xu Jie was in more pain than a thousand cuts.
Xu Jie's anger had turned to fear. All that was left in his heart was terror. He felt as if everyone before him were demons and monsters from storybooks. This was practically eating him alive!
He closed his eyes, finding a sliver of peace in his heart—I am an old man over sixty. What can they do to me, holding me like this? If the Emperor blames me, he cannot blame me. However, today's events are too bizarre. Even if passed down to future generations, no one would believe that he sighed in desolation, two clear tears silently falling.
At this moment, seeing that he would not yield, Bai Qichang signaled Ge Shouli. The two of them rushed behind Xu Jie, one on each side. Ge Shouli pressed his shoulders, while Bai Qichang thrust the brush into his right hand, tightly gripping it and forcefully extending it to the desktop, shouting loudly, "Please, Grand Secretary Xu, affix your seal!"
Xu Jie struggled a few times, but how could he contend with these men in their forties and fifties? He was pinned firmly to the armchair. Bai Qichang, full of vigor, had already seized his hand and guided the brush towards the paper.
At this moment, the entire office was in an uproar. Xu Jie felt dizzy and realized escape was impossible today. In this Great Ming Dynasty, since the establishment of the Grand Secretariat, the imperial family had not interfered, leaving the handling of official matters to the Grand Secretaries themselves. Moreover, with the recent incident of the palace coup, it was difficult for the imperial family to intervene.
After much thought, he finally stopped struggling and casually wrote his name.
Bai Qichang snorted and shouted loudly, "Thank you, Grand Secretary Xu!"
Whoosh!
A wave of response erupted from inside and outside.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Ge Shouli immediately called out, "Grand Secretary Xu has drafted a memorandum, and the Grand Secretariat has been restored! We shall immediately proceed to the West Courtyard to get the Directorate of Ceremonial to endorse it!"
"Let's go!"
"Let's go now!"
"To the Directorate of Ceremonial!"
"Go!"
With a whoosh, the thousands of people quickly vanished without a trace.
Suddenly, a corner of the vast Forbidden City was left empty. Xu Jie, dragging his extremely heavy body, supported himself by the door and walked out, slowly making his way out of the palace.
The Directorate of Ceremonial was just three ordinary rooms, inconspicuous within the Forbidden City. Walking northwest for a distance led to the Yuxi Palace. The palace attendants generally referred to the West Courtyard office as a small glazed-tile house, with very ordinary decoration, resembling the living quarters of palace servants.
At this time, three censors sat in the West Courtyard office. They handled daily chores and some miscellaneous affairs within the Forbidden City. Since the Crown Prince assumed regency, the Grand Secretariat had become a mere formality, and the Directorate of Ceremonial naturally lost its importance. Major and secret matters were handled by Lü Fang and Huang Jin, most of them kept secret. Therefore, Chen Hong, Du Tai, and Li Bin had been idle for over half a year.
At this moment, palace attendants and imperial guards blocked the officials outside the high walls of the West Courtyard, creating a great commotion.
Chen Hong, Du Tai, and Li Bin had always been close to Yan Shifan. Especially Li Bin and Du Tai, they were deeply involved in the smuggling of tribute goods. They had long heard rumors of the Yan family's latest moves. Furthermore, when the booklet on the Jiangxi Case circulated a few days ago, he knew the Yan family was about to make a move. Hearing the commotion of hundreds of thousands of people, he immediately understood.
The three of them strode out. Li Bin shouted, "What are you all doing? Such a commotion within the Forbidden City, what kind of order is this?"
Master Feng En, a veteran censor with considerable prestige in the court, tremblingly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Eminences, we are here to request the Directorate of Ceremonial to endorse... Earlier, Grand Secretary Xu in the Grand Secretariat office drafted a memorandum, and due to the extreme urgency and importance of the matter, we have rushed here..."
Oh?
The three feigned anger. Li Bin said again, "What endorsement? Don't you know the Crown Prince is overseeing the regency now? If you have something, go find Chen Yiqin. Why are you here?"
Ge Shouli stepped forward and said, "Eunuch Li, you are perhaps unaware, but Chen Yiqin has resigned... Yan Donglou is also ill, Fan Yingqi has gone to Jiangxi, and the Ministry of War cannot be found... Eunuch Li, with the three of you here, and the matter being urgent, we implore you to review it and, if it is appropriate, endorse it. The court administration cannot cease."
Hmph!
Li Bin snorted and said, "Why didn't you report to the Crown Prince?"
Ge Shouli and Feng En were startled for a moment and looked back at the crowd.
Bai Qichang, pushing through the crowd, shouted at this moment, "The Jiangxi Rebellion Case was instigated by the traitor Chen Yiqin! The officials demand an explanation from the Crown Prince, yet the Crown Prince harbors the traitor!
This morning, the officials presented a memorial and were beaten by the palace guards at the instigation of the traitor! This Great Ming Dynasty must immediately restore the Grand Secretariat! Grand Secretary Xu agrees with us and has already drafted a memorandum. The Directorate of Ceremonial need not ask further; just act according to the laws of the court!"
Yes, yes!
"Directorate of Ceremonial, please accept it!"
"Don't push and shove, this is a matter of national importance!"
"Please, Directorate of Ceremonial, act according to the laws of the court!"
"Your Excellencies, please accept it!"
Boldened by the crowd, many who usually dared not speak to the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial now clamored noisily.
Li Bin, Chen Hong, and Du Tai were merely putting on a show. If they did not play their part, people would accuse them of colluding with the Yan family. Now that the Jiangxi Case and Chen Yiqin were mentioned, the three put on a show of difficulty.
Li Bin hesitated for a moment, saying, "This? I am certainly aware of the eagerness of all your excellencies. Matters of state, with over a thousand people dead, indeed cannot be delayed... However, the Crown Prince presiding over the regency is an imperial decree from His Majesty. What should be done about this?" He turned to Chen Hong and Du Tai, "What do you two think?"
Chen Hong also said, "Indeed, how can an imperial decree be disobeyed? But this memorandum was also drafted by Grand Secretary Xu. Alas, what should be done?"
The three became anxious, appearing greatly troubled.
But this was all just them playing their parts, putting on a show for the court officials in the crowd. Those from the Yan family, of course, knew what was going on. Bai Qichang shouted, "Your Excellencies, how about this! Inform Eunuch Lü, and give him a heads-up on the officials' intentions! This place is the West Courtyard, a vital area, and we dare not disturb His Majesty's cultivation! Tomorrow afternoon, we shall return!"
Good!
That's it!
"Please, Your Excellencies, pass on the message!"
"The Great Ming Dynasty is in peril, and you three are also recipients of stipends. We trust you!"
"Yes! We trust you!"
"We won't disturb His Majesty's cultivation!"
"Let's go!"
Ge Shouli and Feng En nodded, cupped their hands towards the three, and turned to leave.
Li Bin, who was deeply acquainted with Yan Shifan, had already been implicated when Zhu Mo investigated the tribute smuggling. Now, taking advantage of the officials' pressure on the palace, he decided to go all out. He said, "Shall the three of us go to the Yuxi Palace now?"
Chen Hong and Du Tai thought that since the three of them were going, even if His Majesty became angry, there was nothing they could do. Who could help it when such a thing happened in the imperial family? It was normal for officials to have some grievances, but they were actually beaten by the Crown Prince. Naturally, they had their complaints, and as censors, they could only report it truthfully to Lü Fang.
The two nodded and immediately went to the Yuxi Palace.
The Yuxi Palace was Jiajing's Taoist palace, and ordinarily, no one dared to approach it. Whenever there was an urgent matter, the censors would personally signal by calling out like birds at the southeast corner outside the hall.
Li Bin, pitching his voice high, chirped a few times. Before long, Lü Fang came out, sleeves rolled up.
Seeing the three of them there, he had already guessed something. He beckoned, and they moved to the alley outside the palace.
The sky was already darkening.
Lü Fang looked at the sky with melancholy and said softly, "Speak..."
Li Bin, knowing Lü Fang disliked beating around the bush, spoke directly, "Not long ago, over a thousand officials came to the West Courtyard with a memorandum from Grand Secretary Xu, saying they wanted it endorsed... We told them it was absurd and to go to the Jianji Hall, but they insisted that Chen Yiqin was a traitor and that he manipulated the Jiangxi Rebellion Case from behind the scenes. We thought this was a matter of great importance, so..." Lü Fang nodded and said, "You did not accept it, did you?"
"No."
Lü Fang pondered for a moment and said, "Not accepting it is correct... Now, we are all idle and cannot manage court affairs. Tomorrow, if they come again, beat them out! Say nothing, ask nothing. In short, it has nothing to do with us."
He then looked at the three with clear eyes.
Li Bin nodded, "Yes! Your son understands."
In fact, before Lü Fang came out, he had quietly asked Jiajing, but Jiajing had not even opened his eyes. This indicated that the time was far from ripe.