Zhang Juzheng nodded, stroking his beard, and said,
"Qian Ji, I hope my worries are unfounded..."
He was about to say more, but stopped himself and instead said,
"How about this, I will request an audience with Elder Chen these next two days. If I cannot see him, I will intercept him on his way back home..."
Liang Menglong knew that Zhang Juzheng rarely acted like this; he was usually calm and collected. This time, however, he was anxious like an ordinary person, resorting to desperate measures.
He shook his head and said,
"Brother Taiyue, forget it... Everyone has their fate. Who can change it? Jiangnan people, Jiubian people, it's all the same. Everyone has their destiny, and sometimes it cannot be saved..."
Zhang Juzheng, however, said,
"You don't understand. For what purpose are we reforming? Now that reform officers have appeared and caused a civilian uprising, shedding blood, how can we stand by? This is not just about individual karma. If this continues, the Great Ming will be disgraced, and even an immortal descending to earth would find it hard to save!"
As he spoke,
A sense of sorrow enveloped both of them. They changed the subject and talked for a while before parting ways. As Zhang Juzheng exited the palace gate, before he could even board his sedan chair, a young servant approached and said,
"Lord Zhang, Eunuch Feng requests an audience."
Feng Bao?
Zhang Juzheng was extremely surprised—
How could Feng Bao do this?
This was truly beyond the ordinary!
But being the astute person he was, he immediately realized—
Could it be that the Emperor had intervened?
With this thought,
He was suddenly overjoyed and deeply felt that the Emperor's move was brilliant. It seemed the people of Jiangnan were saved this time...
...
At the same time,
Zhenhai Guard, Genshan Academy.
Ohmura Sumitada had been imprisoned here for over half a year. Although it was not a dark prison, the surrounding room had been boarded up. He had attempted seppuku several times, but even his sword had been confiscated. Furthermore, the reason for his arrest was war crimes, something unheard of, and he was not treated as a prisoner, so there was no real humiliation. He had thus procrastinated, managing to survive until now.
At the time,
The Ming army would take away groups of people from the island every few days, and shortly thereafter, they would return with case files and diagrams, all perfectly accurate! He was greatly astonished by this and wished to understand what exactly the Ming Dynasty and Zhu Mo were up to.
After being confined to the academy, he was interrogated several times. However, he remained silent. When he could no longer bear it, he would firmly tell the Ming officials: "Struggle is the natural order of things, and war is not a crime!" He had also repeatedly requested to see Zhu Mo, but the yamen runners always said Scholar Zhu was too busy and had no time for such trivial matters.
This, to some extent, was a form of humiliation.
Ohmura Sumitada noted all these down, intending to recount them when he eventually performed seppuku, to properly represent his status as a daimyo.
Another reason that sustained his will to live was the improved situation in Japan. While he was still confined to the island, merchants had informed him that daimyo such as Takeda Shingen and Imagawa Yoshimoto had formed an alliance, and Nobunaga was also very tense. The two sides had already engaged in several battles in the Matsuura area.
Based on his understanding of the situation, Nobunaga would find it difficult to win this encirclement. Perhaps as soon as the main armies clashed, Kyushu would face a rebellion in its rear. He knew his own samurai and ronin from his domain; many of them would absolutely refuse to be whipped back into farming by Nobunaga. It would not be long before Nobunaga's rule in Kyushu collapsed...
Therefore,
Ohmura Sumitada had endured until now. Moreover, he was not blind or deaf. Even confined in this desolate wilderness, he sensed that a major change had occurred in the Ming Dynasty—
The yamen runners had not interrogated him for two months!
When they delivered his meals, the yamen runners would often gather and whisper amongst themselves. Some of his subordinates who were also imprisoned had managed to learn that Zhu Mo of the Ming Dynasty had disappeared...
From these subtle clues, he deduced that the Ming Dynasty's reforms were being rapidly overturned, with new people taking over in the court and local administrations, and the grand policies had changed. Many Ming soldiers were wavering, especially the household troops from vassal domains, who were fiercely loyal to their lords and were becoming restless. That damned Zhu Mo had humiliated these respectable people over the past two years, naturally accumulating great animosity. Prominent figures in the Zhenhai area had already made it known that slaves should immediately return to their masters, and even commoners were not allowed to run their own businesses!
These were all Heaven-ordained grand policies, and their restoration meant that Lord Yan Song of the Ming Dynasty and his faction had regained power.
These past few days,
Ohmura Sumitada had repeatedly dreamed of his homeland. In his dreams, he rode his warhorse, pursuing Nobunaga, sweeping away Nobunaga's fallacious theories and absurd policies! He then led his domain's samurai on the road to Kyoto, the setting sun painting a magnificent panorama...
That night,
After meditating, he soon fell asleep again. Just as he was dreaming of marching to Kyoto, he was awakened.
"Lord Sumitada!"
"Lord Sumitada!"
A voice, very low, yet like deafening thunder.
He opened his eyes and saw Mao Lie!
Jumping up,
Ohmura Sumitada moved closer to the window. He saw that the wooden planks had been removed. Mao Lie was dressed in common Ming attire, with three or four pirates by his side.
"What?"
"Lord Sumitada, hurry and leave!"
Mao Lie forcefully removed two more wooden planks, extended his hand, and said, "Lord Sumitada, Ningbo city has undergone a drastic change. Lord Zhang Yu, the special envoy of Prime Minister Yan Song, has issued five decrees. The reforms have ended! The household army has been rebuilt and is about to clash with the Tuntian Guard!"
His face full of excitement, he continued,
"Lord Sumitada, I have more good news: Nobunaga is nearing his end! A fifteen-thousand-strong allied army has been formed, with Lord Imagawa Yoshimoto as the supreme commander, ready to punish Nobunaga!"
Ah?!
"So desu ne!"
Heaven be praised!
Ohmura Sumitada let out a long sigh, and then, calming down, asked,
"How did you get here?"
Alas!
Mao Lie was already anxious and said urgently,
"Your Lordship, have you forgotten? I am a Ming national! In the Ming Dynasty, there is nothing that cannot be achieved with money! Let's go! If we delay any longer, it will be too late! We will go to Taizhou Guard to board the ship; everything is ready!"
Ohmura Sumitada paused for a moment, then adjusted his robes. He knelt in the center of the prison cell, touched his forehead to the ground, and solemnly kowtowed, murmuring,
"Ming Dynasty, Zhu Mo, I swear to avenge this insult and regain my honor..."
With a whoosh!
He stood up abruptly, climbed out of the window, and disappeared into the night with Mao Lie and the others.
...
Not long after,
Yan Shannong received a letter from He Xinyin and felt that the situation was indeed mysterious. If he didn't leave Nanjing as soon as possible, he would likely be harmed.
He took four or five disciples, closed his academy that day, packed his bags, and prepared to head south to Hangzhou. He Xinyin's letter stated that Zhu Mo had returned, and now everyone could only find safety by hiding in the North Barracks of Hangzhou. Zhu Mo was indeed right; in the past two years, he had witnessed firsthand how formidable this young man was, no less impressive than Gan Luo serving as prime minister in ancient times.
That night, he left the city and traveled south along the official road. However, before reaching Liyang, he was intercepted by a troop of volunteers. Yan Shannong was even more surprised to see a young nobleman leading them.
The leader of the volunteers shouted sternly:
"By the decree of the Crown Prince acting as Regent, all heretical teachings are forbidden! Yan Shannong and his associates have been openly preaching the heretical teachings of Yangming in over a dozen academies in Nanjing in recent years! We are here under the orders of Lord Tan, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Jiangxi, to apprehend you. Those who resist arrest will be killed on the spot!"
With a roar!
The five or six of them were all scholars and had never witnessed such a scene. Their faces immediately turned pale with fear.
Yan Shannong composed himself and was filled with shock—
Tan Lun?
How could it be Tan Lun!
He was actually arresting Confucian scholars?
One must know,
Although the Great Ming was dark, no one dared to kill Confucian scholars, especially renowned ones. This was because the over a thousand large academies and countless private schools nationwide were all interconnected. While Confucian scholars were like maids, acting as the mouthpiece for one powerful figure or the cheerleader for another, if anyone were to threaten their lives, this propaganda game could not continue. Therefore, no faction would easily lay a hand on respected scholars.
But how could Tan Lun defy the world's disapproval?
Yan Shannong, having seen a lot, immediately thought of the young nobleman before him.
He stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said,
"Young master, may I know your esteemed name? What crime have we truly committed?"
The young nobleman chuckled dryly, fanned himself, and said,
"You are also a renowned scholar, so I cannot lightly dismiss you..."
He had not intended to say, but after a moment of thought, realizing it was a moment of desperation, he decided to speak. Moreover, as the descendant of a famous minister, he naturally had to maintain some decorum. If posterity were to speak of this, they would say he did not mistreat a renowned scholar. Thus, he said,
"My name is Liu Shiyan..."
Ah?!
Yan Shannong's face immediately turned ashen—
This Liu Shiyan was a descendant of Liu Bowen, who had inherited his title in Nanjing. He had always heard that Liu Shiyan was deeply dissatisfied with the Yangming School of Thought, especially the concept of Xinzai (heart-mind cultivation)...
This meant that,
It must have been Liu Shiyan who pressured Tan Lun, and Tan Lun, using his authority as Governor-General, issued the arrest warrant?
Originally asymptomatic, after testing negative, he felt weak and finally rested for a day...