Several days later, in the afternoon, in the capital, within the Yan residence, the Two-Bell Mountain Study.
Shen Chun’s secret letter had been read by several individuals, and Yan Shifan sat beside his father, Old Yan Song, rereading it from beginning to end. The letter stated that the prophecy had spread throughout the four provinces of Jiangnan; Prince Yi had instigated people to frame Zhu Mo, and the batch of illicitly manufactured porcelain had been seized. The situation was now one of unprecedented confrontation between the old and new kiln owners, on the brink of eruption. Jiangxi Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Pan Sheng had arrived in Fuzhou. It was clear that the Censorate official had been dispatched by Chen Yiqin, and naturally, dared not act rashly. Furthermore, since the provincial governor Ma Sen was a man of the Yan family, everything had to await imperial decree. Once necessary, the Commander could deploy the guards to garrison the area…
The letter was long and explained things clearly. Setting aside the minor details, everyone knew the focus was undeniably on the prophecy.
After a moment of silence, Yan Song said, “The Crown Prince never anticipated this prophecy. It has disrupted his plans… Looking back, our previous actions were not wrong. It was correct for Longwen to go down himself… Since the Crown Prince needs our help, that is beneficial… Tell them all not to rush, and to wait a bit longer…”
Since Yan Song affirmed that releasing the prophecy was the right move, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. After all, it had been a moment of extreme tension, and everyone had been sweating. Anyone with a mind could understand: releasing the prophecy had drawn the meritorious officials of Jianwen into the fray. And any official in the empire who thought for a moment would guess: behind this, was it likely the Crown Prince?
One must know, the common people have always been the same, most fond of conspiracy theories. With just a shred of evidence, wild speculations would emerge. With a little guidance, public sentiment would genuinely point towards the Crown Prince. Who didn't know? The Crown Prince was related to the meritorious officials of Jianwen! And the people of Jiangxi understood even better that the Prince of Yi residing in Nanchang was the one who first supported the Crown Prince’s regency!
Currently, the poisonous prophecy, "The White King’s heir, banish the Yan, swallow the sky in one gulp, water red and earth black," temporarily targeted only Zhu Mo! But this was merely a smokescreen. After all, any intelligent person would realize something was amiss after a little thought: how could Zhu Mo be connected to the meritorious officials of Jianwen? Although it was said in folk tales that Zhu Mo was the fifth-generation descendant of Emperor Jianwen, who could truly clarify such matters? It was known to everyone that Emperor Jianwen had become a monk! This connection, wasn't it rather flimsy? It could be made more concrete, of course, by producing some genealogy or tokens, but there was no need for that at the moment…
Among those present, there were not many people, apart from Luo Longwen, Yan Maoqing, Zhao Wenhua, and Zhang Yu. Today, Zhang Jing and Gao Hanwen had also arrived. These two came after the incident in Jingde Town.
At this moment, Luo Longwen felt somewhat reassured and said, “Thank you, Senior Grand Secretary, for not blaming me. I felt at the time that since the Crown Prince had already sent people to produce a batch of illicitly manufactured items, why should we make an extra effort? Furthermore, we are not as influential as we once were. The Crown Prince barely pays attention to us, and this situation is not ideal. By framing Zhu Mo with the meritorious officials of the Imperial Grandson and implicating him in the great crime of rebellion, this layer of paper can be pierced with a single poke, and the Crown Prince will naturally have to seek our assistance… Moreover, I thought that Senior Grand Secretary and Junior Grand Secretary have always been the ones in charge. This way, it will be easier to make a move next. Thus, I acted without invitation, and I ask for your forgiveness, Senior Grand Secretary and Junior Grand Secretary.”
Yan Shifan pondered for a moment and said, “As I said, what was done was correct…” He paced a few steps and continued, “Shen Chun has stirred up the prophecy rumor again. Prince Yu is a very impatient person. Why is he so composed this time? Why hasn’t he come to find us yet?”
Yan Maoqing suddenly interjected, “Is the Crown Prince perhaps thinking of suppressing the matter? If the big issues are minimized and small issues are resolved, he will not be under our coercion?”
Mm-hmm. Luo Longwen, however, said, “Jingqing, I only just returned, how could I not know? It can no longer be covered up… Those items, can they be destroyed now? Not to mention Jiangnan, even the capital has been spreading the news these past few days, how can it be suppressed? I think the Crown Prince regrets it terribly. Shen Chun wanted to suppress it at the time, but that Censor did not allow it,呵呵…”
Yan Shifan said, “The Crown Prince, originally, only wanted to contend with Zhu Mo and wanted to convict Shen Chun, forcing us to watch from the sidelines… He made the old kiln owner’s household retainers and Zhu Mo’s indentured servants cause trouble, and then he had Chen Yiqin come down to make the ruling… Zhu Mo might not necessarily die, but after all, he was implicated in extravagance and rebellion. With the reform and the subsequent major incident, how it will be spoken of in the future will be decided by the Crown Prince. No matter what Zhu Mo says, it will be over…”
Yan Maoqing said, “Yes, Zhu Mo is related to the imperial family. Prince Yu naturally knows this. He is trying to extinguish Zhu Mo’s hope of succeeding to the throne as a prince. When he is the sole heir, and the meritorious officials of the Imperial Grandson support him, and we are in an awkward position, it will naturally be him who ascends the throne… Whether the Emperor agrees or not, there will be no other choice. Could another prince be selected? Or, should that mad Prince Jing ascend?”
Hoo! Upon hearing the name Prince Jing, everyone involuntarily tensed up. Yan Shifan said, “This, naturally, is our trump card. But it is to be played when confronting the Emperor. If the Emperor does not act, this card must absolutely not be played…”
Yan Maoqing closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then said, “In my opinion, Prince Yu still wants to negotiate peace with us… But, I am truly puzzled, why hasn’t he sent someone to visit us yet? Does he expect us to go to him?”
Luo Longwen smiled and said, “Old Yan, now that the prophecy has spread, if anyone sees any meritorious officials of Jianwen coming to our house again… wouldn't that confirm it? Clearly, waiting will not yield results… I think Prince Yu will most likely use the Crown Prince’s decree to make a declaration…”
Mm… Old Yan Song suddenly nodded and said gently, “What Hanzhang says is correct… I think it’s about time… The Crown Prince’s decree should be arriving soon… However, why hasn’t any of you thought about Zhu Mo? What exactly is he doing? Is he just watching…?”
When Zhu Mo was mentioned, Old Yan Song was indeed a little flustered. Logically, with such a great commotion, the young man should not be able to sit still, yet he had not shown himself. As for the case, due to the prophecy, the Crown Prince was no longer as enthusiastic as he was at the beginning, and it had been shelved. But in such a situation, how would the Emperor see it? Would he not know these tricks? One must know, in the Great Ming Dynasty, the one in the Yuxi Palace was the most formidable…
Upon hearing Zhu Mo’s name, everyone also sighed in dismay—
This young man, why is he so composed? Or, is he doing something in secret?
Although everyone had their own thoughts, one idea was unanimous—
That Zhu Mo would definitely not just watch idly…
As the atmosphere was almost frozen, a sharp cry suddenly came—
“Crown Prince’s Regent Decree!”
Everyone immediately went out and knelt down. The eunuch announced, “The situation in Jiangnan has just stabilized, and all endeavors are about to commence, yet the pillars of the court are lacking. The Crown Prince, in accordance with the late Emperor’s virtue of nurturing talented individuals, promotes officials of the third rank and above to serve in the Privy Council. Upon investigation, Minister of Works Yan Shifan possesses exceptional talent and far-sighted strategy, and is promoted to Right Minister of the Privy Council, to jointly administer all public affairs of the empire.”
Wow! Everyone was once again filled with awe towards Yan Song. And at the same time, they understood—
The Crown Prince was indeed afraid. Finding someone to negotiate was certainly not as effective as issuing a decree directly. And this decree was somewhat unexpected: Why had the Crown Prince suddenly changed his ways? He was no longer stingy and had directly appointed someone to the second position in the Privy Council?
Yan Song calmly said, “Longwen, what do you think?”
Luo Longwen bowed and said, “Senior Grand Secretary, this move shows the Crown Prince’s sincerity. I believe it is feasible…”
Yan Shifan, however, smiled and said, “You all say it’s acceptable for me to go and assist Old Chen?”
Everyone knew he was not angry; rather, he seemed a little pleased, and they all chuckled. Yan Song, with a half-smile, stared at Yan Shifan for a moment and said leisurely, “You must go… Be more accommodating, and do not quarrel with Chen Yiqin… Next, we will fully deal with Zhu Mo. This time, we must capture him and not let him escape… Cough, cough…”
He sat down and continued, “Since the Crown Prince has shown sincerity, you must also show some reciprocation… We will investigate Zhu Mo’s rebellion ourselves… Longwen, you are meticulous in your work. Go down now, first to Ma Sen’s headquarters. Have him, along with that Censor, and that Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, Zhang Juzheng’s man, jointly oversee the situation and uncover the case… Cough, cough, make some noise as well. Let Shen Chun loosen his grip, not be so restrained, and investigate more people. Someone will surely confess…”
Hiss! Everyone suddenly held their breath.