"What are all these things?"
Jiajing had walked over.
Lü Fang lowered his head and replied:
"Uh, all sorts of shadowy wood, agate, rhinoceros horns, and the like..."
Jiajing's expression remained neutral as he said calmly:
"Who did all this? Can't Yang Jin be managed? Don't you know either?"
"Your servant, your servant truly doesn't know... This Yang Jin is an utter scoundrel! Your Majesty, shall we escort him to the capital now?"
Jiajing suddenly lowered his head and looked at him coldly, saying:
"You truly don't know?"
Ah?
Lü Fang was instantly terrified, and with a thud, his forehead hit the ground. He exclaimed loudly:
"If this servant dares to deceive the emperor, then I beg His Majesty to have me cut into a thousand pieces!"
He didn't dare to open his eyes. After a while, he cautiously looked up and saw that Jiajing had already walked to the door of the hall.
Lü Fang quickly scrambled to follow him.
Jiajing gazed at the gloomy summer night sky and said leisurely:
"They've all started to keep secrets... everyone doing their own thing, forming their own factions..."
Upon hearing this, Lü Fang knew that his anger had subsided. He immediately said:
"Your Majesty, those servants in the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures should have been managed long ago... Your servant recalls that in the sixth year of Jiajing's reign, over tens of thousands of people were investigated. This is the perfect time to investigate again!"
Jiajing sighed, "How can we investigate? Should we let Zhu Mo investigate? Spend money to bribe those porters, cooks, and boatmen to investigate...?"
He hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Lü Fang, this is no small matter... Tell them to investigate again, more thoroughly, to see what exactly Lü Kun intends to do."
At this point,
Lü Fang knew that he was truly enraged. The fact that he only mentioned Lü Kun and not Zhu Mo now implied he was blaming others for leading Zhu Mo astray.
He immediately said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Wu Ming and Wu Liang said that they themselves haven't formed any factions. It's Lü Kun who took the lead, spending money everywhere to buy information. It's said he's already spent over a hundred thousand taels..."
Jiajing naturally knew this, otherwise, he would have been furious long ago.
Last month,
Lan Daoxing had indirectly mentioned that some matters involved people within the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures who might have been bribed by corrupt officials, which was why Zhu Mo wanted to investigate.
This matter was naturally not trivial. On a larger scale, it was establishing another investigation team outside the court system. To put it more severely, it was sedition. But when Jiajing secretly sent people to investigate, he found that there were indeed no fixed personnel, with only Lü Kun, a Zhongwu Colonel, being official. The others held no positions and were all paid for their services, so it couldn't be considered particularly serious...
He didn't fail to understand the purpose of this action, but ultimately, imperial authority had been offended.
One must know,
He, Jiajing, was one of the three powerful emperors of the Great Ming Dynasty. His suspicious nature was no less than that of the founding emperor or Emperor Yongle. If it weren't for Zhu Mo this time, he would have already initiated a major case.
In his opinion, investigating the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures was not a bad thing, as smuggling tribute goods currently appeared to be a significant issue. It formed a network that entangled people from all corners of the empire. Furthermore, transporting them abroad through the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures was particularly heinous. And the officials in the Inner Affairs Bureau, in order to curry favor with the Yan family, were indiscriminately searching, causing the people to suffer?
However, investigating the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures was a highly symbolic act. It would destabilize the eunuch system, and might even lead people to believe that he was not entirely trusting of Lü Fang. Thus, it could lead to internal strife... He had pondered this for a month, yet he couldn't decide whether to tacitly approve this method or let Lü Fang investigate himself.
At this moment,
Seeing Lü Fang trembling, he said:
"Lü Fang, last time we mentioned the offering of imperial manors, I told you to also get a general idea... Have you gotten it yet?"
Lü Fang replied, "Your servant has also gotten a general idea. It's just those few, Yang Jin, Chen Hong, Du Tai, who are in charge of manufacturing, construction, and procurement. Over the years, they have either been corrupt or have had too much interaction with Yan Shifan. Your servant is well aware of that..."
"It's good that you are aware... Don't let your past come to light... What about Yunnan and Guizhou? Is Mu Chaobi still so arrogant?"
Lü Fang said softly:
"Not entirely... The reports from those young men in Yunnan and Guizhou say that he hasn't shown any ambition in recent years, only that he is too greedy. His estates have already grown to over three hundred, enough for generations to consume... He has also sought the patronage of Grand Secretary Yan. Yan Song has been discreet and has not gotten too close..."
At this moment,
Jiajing seemed not to be listening and suddenly said:
"What did you say Zhu Mo went to do this time?"
Lü Fang smiled and said, "Who knows? He's a high official now, it's really hard to say... If it's to capture that Portuguese person, how can he capture them? Can a few hundred people reach Bogu City? Your servant thinks, he most likely wants to investigate the extent of the Yan family's collusion with the honored officials..."
Hmph,
Jiajing scoffed and sneered:
"Where is Yu Dajiao now?"
"He, isn't he just—"
Upon saying this,
Lü Fang suddenly realized and blurted out:
"That's right! Your Majesty, Yu Dajiao is probably going to settle accounts with the Portuguese!"
Hmph!
Jiajing glared at him with contempt and said, "You, how can you figure this out? I'll tell you, Mang Yinglong will withdraw his troops soon..."
Hiss!
That's right!
Lü Fang suddenly realized—
Yu Dajiao had been silent for so long, he had likely gone to the South Seas. The current firearms in the Firearm Bureau were no inferior to those of the Portuguese. As long as a few cannons were fired, the Portuguese would likely be intimidated. Then Mang Yinglong would have to retreat, and Mang Yinglong would have to listen. In that case, the border incursions would truly be resolved...
He was lost in thought for a moment and murmured, "Yes, how did I not think of that..."
At this moment,
Jiajing glared at him and said, "What are you thinking about? It's just this one matter, and look at you!"
Lü Fang sighed with emotion, "Your servant wonders, this Zhu Mo, who grew up in a Taoist temple, how does he understand so much more than those who passed the imperial examinations?"
Jiajing snorted, not wanting to pay him any mind, and continued:
"Once Mang Yinglong withdraws his troops and the border troubles are resolved, Zhu Mo will naturally gain immense prestige. When he seizes their leverage, it will be time for him to come back and confront me... Lü Fang, investigate. Since that Lü Kun is investigating below, you also send some people to investigate, investigate thoroughly. This time, you cannot be lenient..."
Lü Fang asked curiously, "Why? Could Zhu Mo have ulterior motives? Is he also planning to force the emperor?"
Heh heh,
Jiajing said with a half-smile:
"Things are different now. He holds popular support... If he exposes the collusion between people like Mu Chaobi and Yan Shifan, and it involves the palace, how will the world view this court? Won't they say that this court is full of filth, and only Zhu Mo is clean... Hmph!"
Lü Fang immediately understood, but also heard Jiajing's true anger. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: The reform of ancient times is truly as difficult as reaching the heavens. After implementing it in only four provinces in the Jiangnan region, the world has already become unrecognizable. At this point, the reformist ministers are bound to have some conflict with the emperor...
At this thought,
He suddenly missed that young man—
Could this person, who came from nowhere, truly bring peace to the world? Heh heh, one might call it overestimating his own strength, yet he still managed to achieve something. But to say he was truly a great talent for stabilizing the nation, it didn't seem like it... In any case, it was very strange...
The Emperor speaking like this was out of caution. After all, if the imperial power is threatened, then the empire is threatened. Regardless of the cause, once imperial power is interfered with, it must be guarded against. This is absolutely unshakeable. Indeed, Zhu Mo currently holds popular support. If he verifies the collusion between people like Mu Chaobi and Yan Shifan, and it involves the palace, and the world discusses it, it will indeed shake the foundations...
Thinking of this,
He immediately said, "Your Majesty, your servant believes that Zhu Mo should not be left unchecked... If he presents all these matters to Your Majesty and makes a great fuss about it, then it will indeed be akin to coercing the emperor..."
Jiajing snorted lightly and said:
"That's why I'm telling you to investigate yourself and act upon it... Then, go and ask Zhu Mo who else there is? What other matters are there? Report them all, and let the Eastern Depot handle them..."
Oh...
Lü Fang was truly impressed from the bottom of his heart—
The Emperor's strategy was brilliant!
This also made Zhu Mo understand that imperial authority could not be easily challenged. Reforms, of course, should be carried out, but they must be under the Emperor's leadership and cannot escape the Emperor's control...
In fact,
Lü Fang's heart was as clear as a mirror: the Emperor would never be suspicious of Zhu Mo. It was just that Zhu Mo had taken a step too far this time, and might shake the foundations. This, naturally, needed to be prevented... The Emperor doing this was truly unprecedented in his lifetime...
Thinking of this,
Lü Fang was genuinely concerned about Zhu Mo's safety and said, "Your Majesty said that Mang Yinglong will withdraw his troops... That is naturally a wise judgment, but your servant still worries. That Mu Chaobi is so arrogant, will he do something to him...?"