Ten days later.
The imperial courier also arrived in Jiangnan.
Inside the Songwriter's Temple,
Zhu Mo, Zhang Juzheng, and their respective factions regarded the situation with extreme caution.
Zhu Mo reread Wu Shi’s memorial several times, growing increasingly impressed by the sheer audacity of these individuals.
"Memorial on Punishing Myanmar and Conquering the South to Rectify the Imperial Way:
Your humble servant hears that those who offend the Great Han shall be punished even if they are far away. The Han was indeed strong, but this is no longer heard. What is Myanmar? A mere insignificant state. Who is Mang Yinglong? A chieftain of the barbarians! How dare they brazenly defy the superior empire? Your servant must state that the Grand Secretaries have hesitated and endangered the nation, while the frontier officials have been arrogant and lost control, bringing upon us this great shame. Is this not fitting? Who are the Grand Secretaries? Who are the frontier officials? They are Yan Song, Xu Jie, Li Chunfang. They are Hu Zongxian, Yang Bo, Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang. Yan and Xu are arrogant above, while the multitude of barbarians are unruly below, leading to the complete collapse of the overall situation.
Your servant implores the Grand Secretaries to clearly inform the world: does the Great Ming still adhere to the instruction of not ceding an inch of territory? Does the Great Ming still uphold the promise of eternal protection for its vassal states? Even, can those who offend the Great Ming be punished? Your servant cannot know."
These writings,
When he first read them, he thought they were all grand, empty words of no consequence. Yet today, rereading them, he found that every word conveyed extraordinary skill in shamelessness. They say words can kill, and these censors truly wield their writing as a weapon…
The brilliance of this article lies in—
It constantly equates Yan Song and Xu Jie, while in reality, it directly targets Xu Jie. All officials knew that after the Gao Gong case, Yan Song had retired due to illness. Xu Jie, as the acting Grand Secretary, and even Yan Shifan’s absence from his post, meant Xu Jie was naturally responsible. On a deeper level, officials and gentry naturally understood that this intricate game was likely orchestrated by Yan Song himself. By deliberately drawing himself into the fray, he was employing a tactic of obfuscation, making it impossible for the world to blame him, Yan Song.
Zhu Mo pondered and savored, increasingly admiring the subtlety of the Yan father and son’s offensive. The complete omission of any mention of reform was the most lethal aspect. This deliberate void allowed the entire world to speculate endlessly: everything was a result of the reform movement, yet people dared not speak of it. And if they couldn't speak, wasn't it because the Emperor was behind it all?
The inclusion of Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang further compounded the damage. It directly tied the hands of two great generals, implicating them in complex struggles, destroying their credibility before the world and leaving them unable to defend themselves before their soldiers, thus preventing effective organization against the Japanese pirates.
The most tragic figure was Xu Jie. He became the target of universal criticism, yet lacked the power to act. With no one to dispatch and no funds to utilize, he was tasked with resolving such an immense challenge, effectively being roasted over a fire, and would be thoroughly charred within days.
Zhu Mo felt that this memorial was the starting gun. Were the Yan family and the transnational alliance forces about to flip the table directly?
……
At this moment,
Zhang Siwei, Ma Ziqiang, Shen Shixing, and others were also discussing in hushed tones. Lu Kun and Li Zhi remained silent.
Shen Shixing, seeing Zhang Juzheng pacing back and forth in the hall alone for quite some time without speaking, could not help but ask, "Esteemed Benefactor, the court currently has no surplus capacity for southern campaigns or western expeditions. These censors acting this way, aren't they just causing trouble!"
Mmm,
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Zhang Juzheng sighed, "Ru Mo, it's more than that. They know the court cannot achieve it, yet they stir up the entire realm. This is like putting the court on the fire! Once the court's prestige is lost, won't the realm descend into chaos? This, this is truly malicious!"
"Exactly! Exactly!"
"Esteemed Benefactor speaks the truth!"
"Wu Shi is a disciple of Yuan Wei. What does Yuan Wei intend to do?"
"He was spanked, naturally he holds a grudge!"
"But one shouldn't joke about matters of the state!"
"Heh, who can control this anymore?"
"……"
A flurry of exclamations followed, and everyone realized the gravity of the situation—on the surface, it was to embarrass Xu Jie, but in reality, it was to embarrass the court and the Great Ming!
Everyone, except Zhu Mo, could not fathom that the Great Ming had reached such a point. They all sighed, while Zhu Mo knew that the current situation would be the norm in the Chongzhen era! Who would care about the court then? Wouldn't everyone be looking out for their own way out?
Amidst the commotion,
Lu Kun suddenly recalled something and asked, "This memorial does not mention reform at all. Why is that? Is there some subsequent move?"
These words immediately reminded everyone.
Yes,
The Yan family’s actions always aimed at ending reform. Why were they suddenly not mentioning it this time? Neither speaking ill nor speaking well?
Zhu Mo and Zhang Juzheng woke up with a jolt almost simultaneously—
Something big was about to happen in Jiangnan!
The Yan family’s objective was, of course, to end the reform. But this time, with the Japanese pirates and various nations taking the lead, they could not show themselves. Otherwise, the world would say the Yan family was colluding with the Japanese pirates.
What the Yan family wanted was for others to stir up trouble, to make the world see! To see that it wasn't the Yan family causing mischief, but that the reform itself had problems. Because the reform had problems, the Great Ming had fallen into such a crisis overnight!
Be aware,
The common people are easily deceived, especially the unorganized masses. With just a few people of status to incite them, they would quickly go mad.
Zhu Mo naturally thought of merchants like Xu Yang. They had also been quiet for twenty days or so, and it seemed it was time to activate them.
He pulled Zhang Juzheng aside and whispered:
"Brother Taiyue, I have news that Luo Longwen and Yan Maoqing have both arrived in Jiangnan and are currently staying at a salt merchant's house in Qiantang… I believe the fake merchants who were making trouble regarding the hired labor law previously will likely stir up trouble again?"
"Mmm, I was just thinking about this. The first batch of silk has been loaded onto ships, and the payment has been received, but there's still a second batch. We still need to fulfill orders for April and May next year. Things cannot be delayed…"
Zhang Juzheng stopped mid-sentence.
Because,
Both of them clearly understood—
The most troublesome issue was merchants causing trouble. It was because the official currency exchange relied on credit. The subscribers were not only gentry but also merchants of all sizes. If merchants were dealt with improperly, sparking widespread resentment, the official currency exchange would face a run, and if the official currency exchange collapsed, the entire reform initiative would collapse.
The two exchanged glances, both feeling that in their entire lives, they had never encountered such a formidable obstacle.
And at this very moment, as if by design,
A patrolling musketeer galloped up on horseback, dismounted with a flourish, and ran into the main hall shouting:
"Scholar Zhu, Lord Zhang! It's bad! Three major silk workshops have been burned by those Qinu!"
With a clatter,
Zhang Juzheng’s teacup fell to the ground, and he blurted out:
"Which ones?"
This musketeer, also precise, replied, "Tiantang Ji, Wanhe Silk Shop, and another called Jin Tiantian!"
Tiantang Ji?
Zhang Juzheng immediately said, "Zi Xuan, Tiantang Ji is that Xu Yang’s…"
Zhu Mo instantly took a breath and asked, "Are they really burned?"
The musketeer replied, "Reporting to Scholar Zhu, they are indeed burned. Lord Zheng has already gone to inspect. They have burned to ashes, which is why we were sent to report!"
The two could understand. Most of these large workshops were located in the suburbs. Even if they caught fire and were destroyed, the city would not know.
"You may go. Tell Zheng Qin to come here."
Zhu Mo waved his hand and smiled at Zhang Juzheng, "What is bound to come, has finally arrived."