The two knelt for a long time, but Jiajing remained with his back turned. After a while, he calmed down.
King Jing was his fourth son. Because he firmly believed the prophecy "kings do not meet kings," he had not seen him since he was two years old. The last time he had learned of King Jing's calligraphy and jade appearing in Datong, he had guessed that this son was likely in trouble. Seeing Wu Feng's expression, he guessed the situation might be very bad.
He then said calmly, "What is it?"
Wu Feng was still considering, but Lü Fang spat, "Tell him to speak quickly!"
Wu Feng quickly said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this humble subject personally went to King Jing's mansion and saw King Jing, who was confined in Tianxiang Tower… He, he is indeed mad… The mansion's Zhan Shi said that King Jing has been mad for six years and has never recovered, spending his days laughing foolishly on the tower. This humble subject also saw it with his own eyes, and it is indeed as the Zhan Shi said."
Jiajing slowly closed his eyes, a flicker of pain crossing his face.
Lü Fang urged, "You useless scoundrel! Can't you look more and inquire more?"
Wu Feng was also sweating, saying, "I also investigated. The nearby residents all said that King Jing's mansion has always been mysterious, with few people entering or leaving, and they did not disturb the populace…"
Jiajing seemed to have stopped listening. After a long while, he asked again:
"Can he still eat and sleep?"
Wu Feng said, "The Zhan Shi said he doesn't cause trouble, just acts foolishly. Someone is taking care of him, and his diet and sleep are as usual…"
Jiajing had already stood up and sighed:
"Lü Fang, send more people. Send several to watch, without alarming anyone, and see who enters or leaves. Report back monthly!"
"This servant will attend to it now."
Lü Fang, holding the drafted decree, quickly pulled Wu Feng out.
…
These words,
Jiajing only half-believed them, because a small detail he had observed earlier revealed a flaw –
King Jing was always a troublemaker since childhood and never quiet. During his time at the capital residence, he had caused no end of trouble. Even if he were truly mad, he would surely be smashing and breaking things, not being so well-behaved…
Therefore,
His initial guess was slowly being confirmed –
King Jing was likely already dead, and this person was a puppet found by someone else… If this were true, there would be an even more terrifying internal strife and struggle for succession in the future…
Thinking of this,
He ordered, "Someone! Summon Xu Jiu!"
Xu Jiu, whose name was Xu Jue, was ranked ninth in the Imperial Guard and had always been responsible for supervising the royal family.
Soon,
Xu Jiu was kneeling in the hall.
Jiajing said sternly, "You go to Anlu and see if there is anything unusual at King Jing's mansion. Find out who is impersonating the mad King Jing. If the real King Jing is alive, bring him to me; if dead, bring me his corpse…"
…
These past few days,
Zhu Mo personally participated in the investigation. The Ministry of Justice handled the public aspects, while Zhu Qi investigated behind the scenes. They held meetings twice a day in the Wenyuan Pavilion's office. Within five or six days, they had basically clarified the situation, and witnesses had given their statements, but physical evidence was still lacking.
Xu Shi was still a bit worried, not daring to move directly against Dong Fen, Guo Pu, and Yuan Wei. From the testimonies obtained, many court officials who had colluded with the Dean had received instructions from these three.
Inside the office,
Zhu Mo was also hesitant –
If they were to raid the homes of the top officials right away but couldn't find evidence, wouldn't that be very embarrassing? Moreover, this case was nominally investigating Gao Gong. If they suddenly went to investigate three Ministers, all officials would gossip, and they would become vigilant, making it even harder to find evidence.
But if they didn't raid their homes, where would the evidence come from? Thus, he was in a dilemma.
After much deliberation, Zhu Mo felt that these people truly needed to be suppressed. They were letting themselves down and letting the people down. After all, their momentum was at its peak. Even if they didn't get evidence, at worst they would offend people, so why be afraid?
He immediately said resolutely:
"Old Xu, I think we still need to raid! Think about it, three days ago we posted notices in the Six Ministries calling for Gao Gong's remnants to surrender, which clearly informed everyone that we were investigating Gao Gong… Dong Fen, Guo Pu, and Yuan Wei are likely still complacent. If we don't act now, they will thoroughly destroy the evidence once they react… What do you think?"
Zhang Dasou, whom Zhu Qi had found, was also present and blurted out in praise, "Chancellor Zhu has a brilliant idea! Based on my experience in handling cases, Dong, Guo, and Yuan, relying on their distinguished status, never expected anyone to raid their homes. Now is the most suitable time to strike! If it's too late, and the news spreads, some things will be destroyed…"
Xu Shi, having spent these days together, knew that Zhang Dasou was never wrong in this regard. He nodded, "Good! Let's go raid the homes of these three!"
…
Zhu Mo naturally would not miss the opportunity to appear in person. He led over a dozen subordinates from the Ministry of Justice and borrowed a troop from Wang Guoguang, another trusted confidant of Zhang Juzheng. They acted in three separate directions, surrounding the residences of the three almost simultaneously.
Zhu Mo and Lü Kun strode into Dong Fen's mansion. They saw carved beams and painted pillars, servants like clouds, and dozens of wives and concubines listening to opera, truly a scene of extravagance and debauchery.
Dong Fen was reclining on a couch below the opera stage, two maids massaging his back, enjoying the most luxurious blessings of the Great Ming Dynasty. Upon hearing the exclamation, he suddenly stood up, about to angrily reprimand them, but saw Zhu Mo entering the opera hall with his men.
"You? Zhu? Scholar Zhu? What are you doing?"
Dong Fen immediately panicked.
From the confessions in recent days, Zhu Mo had learned that this man was a wolf in sheep's clothing, and the slave rebellion case was likely planned by him and Gao Gong personally. Furthermore, this person was also a key figure in connecting the academies. At this moment, he naturally showed no kindness, saying calmly:
"Dong Fen, you colluded with academies, incited unrest in the court, ordered your nephews to force a virtuous daughter-in-law, and deliberately engineered the great case of the江南 slave rebellion, which is tantamount to treason! Are you still playing dumb in front of me? Guards, seize him!"
Dong Fen was both shocked and furious, shouting:
"Zhu Mo! How dare you! I am a second-rank official, personally bestowed with a python robe by the Emperor! Why do you falsely accuse me of treason? I will report to the Emperor in person. Someone! Fetch my imperial horse!"
Several servants, hearing his voice devoid of fear, also mustered their courage and flocked around.
Indeed,
He was also one of the so-called "Green Word Prime Ministers." Jiajing had once bestowed upon him a python robe and an imperial horse, allowing him to ride into the Forbidden City. Relying on his status as Jiajing's favorite minister, he had become so presumptuous over the years.
The household guards naturally knew this well, thinking that even if this person was Zhu Mo, he would never dare to do anything to their master. Thus, some of them indeed charged forward.
Unexpectedly,
A sharp slap echoed!
Zhu Mo had thrown a loud slap. Dong Fen clutched his left cheek and retreated several steps, shouting, "Zhu Mo! You! You dare to hit me? Are you rebelling?"
Seeing this person's arrogance and ferocity, Zhu Mo's anger surged. He strode forward and swung his right hand.
With a crack!
Another loud slap, this time on his right cheek.
"Guards! Why haven't you seized him yet?"
Several soldiers immediately stepped forward and held him.
Zhu Mo spat and cursed, "You old, ungrateful dog! When I get my hands on your evidence, I'll have your entire clan beheaded!"
A splash!
With a thud,
Two soldiers, seeing that Scholar Zhu had already acted, immediately pressed Dong Fen to the ground, his face against the cold floor.
Dong Fen had never experienced such a thing in his life. He cried out, "Zhu Mo, you! You are bullying me too much! You, you will die a terrible death!"
Zhu Mo no longer wished to bother with him. Seeing that Kunqu opera was being performed on the stage, he thought that raiding the house was a bit slow, and he had plenty of time now. He casually sat down and said loudly,
"What are you all standing around for? Minister Dong loves listening to Kunqu opera. Start singing… Play the music!"
The sounds of strings and flutes immediately rang out.
Several performers began to sing in high-pitched voices.
Dong Fen, with his head against the ground, looked up at the stage, then at Zhu Mo, then at the soldiers. A sense of shame and indignation he had never felt in his life surged through him, and two streams of hot tears gushed out.