Prince Yu helped him up and said gently:
"Master Chen, who could have foreseen this? It is not your fault, nor do you need to blame yourself. We can only blame this King's understanding of the Sages' system for being too superficial. Alas..."
He truly felt a sense of dread.
He had originally thought that by becoming Crown Prince and regent, and declaring a return to the Sages' system through reform, he could seize the authority of interpretation. At least, it would be difficult for others to offer a different interpretation outside of the reigning Crown Prince. But he never expected that the Yan father and son would use their tyrannical actions to provide the world with a much more hardcore interpretation than his own.
These past few days,
He had been regretting his naivety and deeply recognized the terrifying nature of the Yan family. He had also considered issuing a decree to execute the entire Yan family, but it was already too late. Unless one could have foreseen the Yan family's so-called Sages' system early on and planned meticulously, it would have been possible to eradicate them completely. But unfortunately, he had believed the scholars' teachings, thinking everyone truly thought this way...
Chen Yiqin was naturally ashamed, but fortunately, he was also genuinely conversant in Confucianism and held great disdain for the Yan family's methods, not believing they could achieve anything significant.
Upon this thought,
He spoke again:
"Your Highness, today this old minister will also say something from Buddhism: all conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows... Your Highness must not harbor any demon-like thoughts. Know that father and son are one body; the Emperor's will is Your Highness's will. You must not have any other thoughts..."
In reality,
Although he said this, his heart was beating like a drum. The trouble with this Prince Yu was precisely this: he would likely suspect the Emperor... And once suspicion arose, a rift would truly form, and in that case, Prince Yu would surely meet a terrible end. He had been in Prince Yu's residence for over ten years, and unlike Xu Jie and Gao Gong, he genuinely liked this honest prince and sincerely wished to assist him.
As expected,
Prince Yu shook his head and sighed softly,
"Master Chen, you do not know. Last time Zhu Mo investigated the Grand Canal transport officials Hu Zhi and Guo Cong, I believed what others said and approved Wu Peng's recommendation... From that moment on, I lost the Emperor's favor... My regency lasted less than a few months, and Jiangnan was almost thrown into chaos. Yan Song pushed me to the forefront to force the Emperor's hand... Alas... Master Chen, you are a good person, but I must still ask you – do you think I might be deposed?"
This?
Oh dear!
Chen Yiqin's heart ached as if being pierced. Prince Yu truly thought this way again. The Emperor was as suspicious as the Taizu. The more thoughts you had, the more problematic you would appear in his eyes. If Prince Yu thought like this, then it was truly possible he would reach that point.
He pondered for a moment and calmly said:
"Your Highness, it is wrong for you to think this way... The Emperor only has you as his prince, how could he depose you? As long as there is no crime of rebellion, nothing will happen no matter what... Your Highness, you must think clearly!"
Prince Yu sighed inwardly:
You all see it this way, but in reality, you only see the surface. Last time, the Emperor tested my intentions, and this time he directly intervened. This shows that my governance strategy has basically been rejected by the Emperor. No matter how much I try to salvage it, it is unlikely I will gain his favor or satisfy his wishes...
Furthermore, that Zhu Mo, is he truly a feudal prince?
Or even, could he be a prince? These are all great questions...
Beyond that, there is also the fourth prince, Prince Jing. The Emperor sent Wu Feng and Xu Jue to Anlu one after another, does that not explain the problem? Everyone says the fourth prince has gone mad, but that fellow has been cunning since childhood. He has never truly believed that boy would go mad... All of this indicates that my position as Crown Prince is not without threats.
Moreover,
Approving Wu Peng's recommendation at the time and connecting with the Yan family was also considered from this perspective. Now, it is the Yan father and son's tyrannical actions in Jiangnan that have caused the Emperor to intervene decisively. Does this not indicate that the Emperor has completely given up on me? Not only that, he might even consider me part of the Yan faction...
Thinking of this,
Under the vast sunset, he gazed at the horizon for a long time and said leisurely:
"Master Chen, what should be my next course of action in governance?"
Chen Yiqin was clear on this point and calmly replied:
"Your Highness, what has stopped in Jiangnan are merely the reform supervisors. Zhang Yu and Zhao Zhenji's other four decrees are still being implemented, and there is nothing wrong with these points... Zhang Juzheng is stepping down, and Zhang Yu has resigned, so replacing them with capable individuals is still a good policy. After all, Yan Fenyi's recommendation of improper individuals is a fact, and the Emperor's current measure is to curb his Yan family... In this way, replacing people is naturally not a problem...
Old Chen believes that you should be more at ease. Let Zhenfu or Bozhen go down and work with Zhao Zhenji, and with Tan Lun assisting them, there should be no major issues."
Mmm, mmm,
Prince Yu said:
"Very well, let Zhenfu go down... Elder Xu is always gentle, kind, and yielding, and Zhao Zhenji is also sharp and experienced. Jiangnan should be safe..."
He paced a few steps and then said:
"What about Zhu Mo?"
Saying this,
He stared at Chen Yiqin with a peculiar look.
Chen Yiqin had no idea what he was thinking and frankly replied, "Zhu Zixuan, as they say, a tall tree attracts the wind. Although he is not of the same ilk as Wei Yang, he is practically the same... Now he is a Grand Academician of the Wenyuan Pavilion, concurrently holding the title of Minister of War, but without substantive office. Let him remain idle for now... This person, one cannot use him..."
Yes, yes!
Prince Yu agreed wholeheartedly and sighed:
"This Zhu Mo, everything is caused by him, but in the end, he himself steps aside. All these troubles are for others... But then again, as Master Chen said, this person is like a tall tree that attracts the wind. It is not possible to completely disregard him... I think, let him assist in Jiangnan, inform Zhenfu and Zili, and let him not make the major decisions..."
Mmm, mmm,
Chen Yiqin felt this was indeed more appropriate. After all, the Emperor particularly appreciated this Zhu Mo, and completely abandoning him was not an option.
At this moment,
Prince Yu felt things were going more smoothly and thought of Zhang Juzheng. He also thought of a solution and asked:
"Master Chen, what if we have Zhang Juzheng come to the Bureau of Military Affairs as well? To take Zhenfu's position?"
Chen Yiqin shook his head and smiled, saying:
"Your Highness, even if we were willing, he would not come... If he came to participate in state affairs as a minister, what about Xu Jie, Li Chunfang, Yan Song, and Yan Shifan? This old minister believes that the Emperor having Feng Bao convey his message implies some concern about military preparedness. Moreover, military affairs are the foundation of the realm, and indeed must be placed in the hands of trustworthy individuals... So, let him continue to hold the Ministry of War. When there is an issue, I will personally go to the Ministry of War to discuss it with him. In this way, his reputation is preserved, and other ministers will have nothing to say."
Good!
Prince Yu's worries were somewhat alleviated. He immediately bid farewell to Chen Yiqin and left the palace. However, he stopped near Prince Yu's mansion. In his spacious carriage, Prince Yu changed into scholar's attire and, alone, went into the bustling streets. The carriage then proceeded into the mansion.
...
At this time,
Within the Yuxi Palace,
Jiajing's face was terrifyingly grim. He had cast the divination hexagram three times but had not yet used it.
Lu Fang watched with some fear, quietly hiding in a distant corner, pretending to be intently reading secret reports. With peripheral vision, he saw the Emperor pacing back and forth, seemingly preoccupied with a great and serious matter?
He also knew that the Emperor's divination was always accurate, believing in "when the heart moves, there are signs; when the heart stills, the signs disappear." Thus, it was remarkably precise, with a somewhat inexplicable mystical connection. However, this method had a significant flaw: one must not have a disturbed mind. Once the mind was chaotic, it became difficult to obtain the proper signs. At such times, the Emperor would become particularly irritable, and angering him would bring great misfortune. Moreover, several times recently, he had summoned the Embroidered Uniform Guard without allowing him to be present...
After an unknown period, Jiajing finally returned to the divination platform and sat down. He closed his eyes for a moment before slowly saying:
"Lu Fang, do you remember who investigated the case when Prince Jing was confined?"
He naturally remembered it was Lu Bing who investigated it. However, recalling it from the beginning now, he felt that everyone had been concealing something, and even Lu Fang had not told the whole truth. He had recently had Zhu Qi retrieve the case files and read them several times, and he had already noticed some irregularities.
Lu Fang was startled, his heart pounding, and he replied:
"It was Lu Bing who investigated it. The report was given to the supervising secretary Chen Hong, Chen Hong then reported to this servant, and finally, the Emperor personally made the decision..."
Oh?
Jiajing said sarcastically:
"Confinement is confinement, but how did he go mad? Have you questioned all the servants in the prince's mansion?"