Two eunuchs, dust-covered, announced upon entering:
"By imperial decree, Grand Coordinator of Datong Zhu Mo and Imperial Guard Yu Zhen shall receive the edict."
"The decree states: Datong Town is vital to the safety of the court, and its appointments must be made with the utmost care. It is found that Yang Xuan, Governor of Datong, Wu Ying, Commander-in-Chief, and Li Chong, Commander of the Volunteer Corps, have been smuggling ironware and inciting rebellion, leading to the neglect of duties in this critical frontier. They are hereby dismissed from their posts and are to return to their hometowns, never to be recalled. Furthermore, Fang Fengshi, Deputy Commissioner of Guangdong Military Affairs, possessing considerable strategic acumen, whose proposals for border defense are sound and feasible, is appointed Governor of Datong. Thus is decreed."
As Zhu Mo was still in astonishment,
A burst of laughter came from the doorway. It was Li Wenjin and Ma Fang, accompanied by a middle-aged scholar, who appeared refined and looked intently at Zhu Mo upon seeing him.
Li Wenjin chuckled, "Young Master Zhu, this is Fang Fengshi."
Fang Fengshi stepped forward a few paces, bowed with clasped hands, and said, "Young Master Zhu indeed possesses extraordinary bearing. Great fortune and prosperity, as if divinely favored!"
Zhu Mo had heard of Fang Fengshi, recalling him as a pillar of strength in Datong and Xuanfu in later years, who achieved considerable success. Recognizing him as a talented individual, Zhu Mo immediately replied with a smile, "Not at all. Your coming to Datong as Governor is what truly blesses the common people!"
Laughter erupted from everyone.
Zhu Mo then realized that significant personnel changes had been made in Xuanfu and Datong, with most of the new appointees being old colleagues known to Li Wenjin and Ma Fang. This Fang Fengshi had served with Yu Dayou in suppressing rebellions in Guangxi and was an old acquaintance to them all.
That evening, during a celebratory banquet,
Zhu Mo also met Liu Yingjie, Xu Shi, and Zhang Han. Liu Yingjie had previously served as Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs in Jingxing, overseeing the crucial strategic pass of Jingxing Pass, and had been campaigning in Xuanfu and Datong for many years. Xu Shi, who had been in mourning, now took over as the Right Assistant Administration Commissioner of Xuanfu. Zhang Han was a renowned minister who had resisted the Tatars and was currently the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shaanxi.
Zhu Mo had not heard of these men before, but judging by their demeanor, they were all upright individuals, entirely different from Ge Jin and Yang Xuan. He mused: these men must surely be far superior to Zhang Juzheng's faction, wouldn't they?
...
The next day,
Zhu Mo interrogated the maid Jin'er at Guanyin Temple. After more than an hour of questioning, he finally obtained a small clue: the Princess of Dai had stayed in the capital and knew a woman named Granny He. This Granny He was no ordinary person, having once served as a servant in Yan Shifan's estate.
As he left,
Zhu Mo pondered: the Princess of Dai, or perhaps Song Yin'er, was likely a maidservant from the Prince of Jing's manor who later came to the capital and met several important figures. The only people in this world who might know the specifics of whose residence she stayed in, besides Prince of Rao, was very likely Granny He.
With these questions lingering,
Zhu Mo departed Datong and headed towards Xuanfu.
...
Li Wenjin, Ma Fang, and Wang Chonggu saw off Maru and Zhang Yue, who had returned to the city, for more than twenty li before reining in their horses.
Watching Zhu Mo and the hundred-man arquebus unit gradually disappear into the distance, Li Wenjin could not help but sigh, "It's only been about a month, yet the journey feels as if it has spanned two or three years..."
Ma Fang had been more exhausted than ever in the past few months, having ventured beyond the frontier twice, with each journey fraught with peril that was impossible to explain to others. But this great ordeal, thanks to this wondrous adopted nephew, they had managed to survive... Recalling it now, it felt almost like a dream, and he murmured, "Second Brother, had it not been for this nephew, we would likely be dead by now..."
Wang Chonggu gave a wry smile, "How could that not be? We, along with Maru of the Right Guard, are most likely lying in the snow outside Desheng Fort by now..."
Li Wenjin said thoughtfully, "To spend a lifetime on this frontier, and to be a Commander-in-Chief, only to be nearly forced to death – who would believe such a tale if it were told to the world?"
The three had been relentlessly tormented by Ge Jin, Yang Xuan, and Li Chong over the years. Now that everything was settled, and they had reached this point, the heavy burden on their hearts finally lifted, and they were filled with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy.
Ma Fang had been contemplating, and then suddenly said, "Second Brother, Third Brother, I remembered something that day. I didn't mention it because others were present... Ah, that jade buckle, the one the Princess of Dai held when she died, I think I saw it once at Hanshui Town..."
Oh?
The two were startled, unable to recall anything.
At this point,
Ma Fang recounted the story leisurely, evoking the scenes from years past—
"That year, Elder Brother Yu led us south, saying he was going to see his nephew. Do you remember? We waited at a restaurant in Hanshui Town. We didn't dare to speak then, only drank in silence... Do you remember? Two middle-aged men came to the restaurant that day, and a strange young man, about twenty years old...
You all didn't pay much attention, but I remember. Those two men were fidgety. I immediately cursed them, wondering if they were eunuchs? So I looked at them a few more times. Coincidentally, I saw the young man unbuckle his belt and place it on the table. This man wore ordinary clothes, but I could tell that the jade buckle was very valuable. Moreover, his jade buckle was identical to the Princess of Dai's. It also had writing on the back, but it wasn't this character 'Jing', but rather the character 'Ning'...
I was very curious then. Why? Because that day, I spat and cursed a damn eunuch, and the young man glanced at me. My heart suddenly gave a jolt. I felt those eyes were a bit frightening, cold and lifeless, like a living dead person..."
Oh?
Li Wenjin and Wang Chonggu couldn't recall anything at all. They vaguely remembered that there were some distinguished guests that day, and to avoid them, they had pressed the door curtain down tightly. But they had no impression of these three individuals.
However, the two knew that Ma Fang had a certain unusual ability. He remembered battlefield details with absolute clarity, and even years later, he could recall how battles were fought many years prior. Ma Fang was even writing a book called "Private Records of Military Achievements," and he was flawless even when recounting events from twenty years ago.
Thinking of this, the two could not help but feel a chill.
Li Wenjin asked in a low voice, "Are you saying? That jade buckle was from the imperial family? Every princely manor had one? The character 'Jing' is from the Prince of Jing's manor, and the character 'Ning', the character 'Ning' is from the Prince of Ning's manor..."
As he said this, although there was no one around, his voice was kept very, very low.
Ma Fang nodded solemnly.
Wang Chonggu, however, said, "How is that possible? Ning, the Ning principality had already been replaced by the Dai principality long ago... How could a young man appear who was of the Prince of Ning's line?"
Ma Fang took a deep breath and said:
"Haven't you heard the folk legends? Prince of Ning had three sons; two died. The youngest was still very young, rescued by a fisherman, and wandered among the people. It was later said that he surrendered himself in Southern Zhili and was confined within high walls... But who can confirm this? Who knows if it wasn't a case of substituting a plum for a peach?"
At this point,
Li Wenjin also recalled that there was indeed such a legend. He said, "There is such a legend. I heard that the third son of Prince of Ning was named Zhu Xue, and it was said he surrendered himself, yes, around the Jiajing fifteenth or sixteenth year, wasn't it?"
Ma Fang continued, "Yes, he surrendered in the Jiajing fifteenth or sixteenth year. Zhu Mo wasn't even born then! When Zhu Mo was two years old, how could we have seen jade artifacts from the Prince of Ning's manor? It's quite clear: that Zhu Xue never entered the high walls. He remained among the people, or perhaps it was someone else who entered the high walls!"
All three were deeply shaken by the events of that year. After a moment's thought, they had pieced together the general outline of the matter, and could not help but gasp.
According to age, the young man Ma Fang spoke of did indeed fit, being about sixteen or seventeen years older than Zhu Mo. But why did he appear in Hanshui Town? And then, only a year or two later, the Hanshui Imperial Farm caught fire?
This implied—
That the orphan of Prince of Ning might be the mastermind behind the tragedy at the Hanshui Imperial Farm?
But,
This was simply too unbelievable.
Wang Chonggu, the most learned among the three, recalled and said, "After Prince of Ning died, Emperor Zhengde also died, and the current Emperor ascended the throne. But before his ascension, Yang Tinghe held sway over the court. Thus, it is possible that Yang Tinghe intentionally let this Zhu Xue escape..."
Mm-hmm,
Mm.
Both nodded in agreement.