A sudden upheaval came and went like a torrential rain.
That night, Prince Jing entrusted Wang Guoguang and Wu Dui with overseeing the situation. Soldiers were stationed on streets and alleyways, and the太子监国 (Crown Prince's Interim Rule) order was posted. The public sentiment, surprisingly, stabilized overnight. By nightfall, sparse figures began to emerge from the shadows to observe. While the ground was a mess, the menacing retainers had vanished. Moreover, Prince Jing was the legitimate Crown Prince in interim rule, making the notice carry weight. The wording was concise, only a few sentences:
"Interim Rule Decree:
The Great Ming Laws were originally established statutes, yet the capital's military and populace disregarded them. From this day forth, the Crown Prince orders the Capital Garrisons to take over all affairs of Shuntian Prefecture. All our military and populace are forbidden from believing or spreading rumors. Any complaints should be directed to the Capital Governor-General's Office at Zhihua Temple. The Crown Prince shall administer justice impartially, without regard for status or power."
This notice was exceptionally brief. It meant the Capital Garrisons had temporarily taken charge of the capital, and all matters were to be handled by the newly established Capital Governor-General's Office. Everyone now knew that this great turmoil was quelled by Prince Jing and the Capital Garrisons returning. Furthermore, the notice exuded an aura of authority and expressed deep resentment towards the chaos, suggesting everyone bore responsibility, regardless of fault. The common people, upon seeing it, felt a mixture of fear and grudging admiration. They believed that by stating he would show no regard for status, he would indeed uphold it.
Prince Jing did not enter the palace but instead stationed himself at Zhihua Temple. He ordered Han Chong to inform court officials like Xu Jie and others: once the capital was stabilized and the Emperor was at ease, and the Jianji Hall was rebuilt anew, he would then assume the role of interim ruler.
Starting the following day,
Prince Jing assembled a team and began interrogating members of the Yan faction overnight. As Han Chong had already arrested many, and upon the establishment of the Capital Governor-General's Office, they followed suit, arresting no less than six hundred people in total. Yan Shifan, however, was held in the Imperial Guard prison. Once the interrogations of his associates were complete, Prince Jing would personally oversee his case.
The Great Ming had suddenly turned a page no one had anticipated. Amidst widespread consternation, Prince Jing's decisive judgment and cruel methods left no one daring to challenge him. The capital was, for a rare moment, peaceful.
"That makes sense!"
Xu Wei had been struggling to understand the crux of the matter, but as a "painting demon," he possessed an extraordinary intuition. He suddenly said:
"Could it be that the Yan family mistook someone?"
He recalled that Zhu Xue and Prince Jing indeed bore some resemblance. He continued:
"I have met both of them. If one is not deeply familiar, mistaking them is not surprising..."
With a *snap*!
Zhang Juzheng suddenly clapped his hands and sighed:
"Yes! It must be so, it can only be so! If it weren't so, how could it be explained? Perhaps, father and son believed Prince Jing was Zhu Xue, and by the time they realized something was amiss, it was too late... Yan Shifan then went all out and killed Li Chunfang, precisely to coerce the officials into rebellion... This is what is called acting decisively..."
Right, right.
Zhu Mo also suddenly remembered the "Cat Exchanging the Crown Prince" case from later in the Ming Dynasty. It was possible that Yan Shifan intended to orchestrate something similar, but was countered by Prince Jing and managed to keep it concealed. Yan Shifan had believed that person was always Zhu Xue. Only after he attacked Zhuoshan did the father and son realize they had been outmaneuvered by Prince Jing?
He let out a long sigh, shook his head, but decided not to voice it. He felt that the Ming Dynasty was too bizarre; even the most imaginative person couldn't conceive of such a turn of events. If a swap had indeed occurred, the Yan family would now rule. Zhu Xue's identity was a grave offense, and how could they dare to make it public? He would only be a puppet...
At this very moment,
Having understood the cause and effect, he felt the overall picture was largely accurate. Otherwise, why would Prince Jing harbor such deep hatred for Yan Shifan? And that poem signed with "Jing," the disgraced official's daughter Song Yiner, Zhu Xue... these figures were all interconnected. Prince Jing had likely narrowly escaped death, or by a sheer coincidence, survived, and then impersonated Zhu Xue, thus deceiving Yan Shifan...
However, even after clarifying this, another intense worry arose from the abyss—
Prince Jing's experiences were unprecedented in history, and his deep-seated malice and hatred were certainly immense. His act of shooting tens of thousands of sheep and cattle in Zhuoshan indicated a poisoned disposition. Those livestock were the livelihood of the herders, and their reproduction sustained the population. Yet, he had cut off the livelihood of tens of thousands of people.
Upon returning to the capital, he would naturally engage in widespread slaughter, perhaps eradicating the Yan faction entirely. Then, ruling the empire alone, who knew what he would do? After much thought, Zhang Juzheng proved to be the most capable. Who said he was skilled in governing and devising strategies for the nation but inept at strategizing for himself? His maneuvers were truly beyond compare...
"Brother Taiyue, you are indeed quick to adapt..."
Oh?
Everyone looked at him for a moment.
Zhang Juzheng sighed and said:
"Li Chunfang, such a good person, met an innocent death. How can others survive? We've driven away the jackals, only to be faced by tigers and leopards... This Great Ming Dynasty, its future is uncertain..."
These words should not have been spoken, but everyone had been holding back for a long time, and the situation was truly bizarre. Now that it was out in the open, Zhao Zhenji also worriedly said:
"Old Grand Secretary Xu is in for a hard time..."
When everyone thought of how Xu Jie was always the one to suffer, they didn't know how to feel.
Xu Wei, always straightforward, thought that Xu Jie was inherently a sinister and deceitful person. He scoffed:
"Prince Jing will naturally force him to kill the Yan faction... Heh heh, this is called being hoist by one's own petard!"
Hiss!
Whoosh...
The few of them considered Prince Jing's insidious nature. Even if he wanted to kill Yan, he would surely have others stain their hands with blood. And this man was extremely overbearing; Xu Jie would have no place to cry out his grievances.
Li Zhi, a person of innocent and lively disposition, but sometimes cutting to the chase, suddenly asked:
"Do you think Prince Jing will commit regicide?"