At this moment,
Jiajing had returned to the Eight Trigrams Platform to meditate. His mood gradually calmed. Seeing Lü Fang still standing there, he slowly said, "Still standing there... Is there anything else you need to say?"
Lü Fang then spoke softly,
"Yes, it's about the case of the tenant farmers rioting in Jiangnan... It was also sent yesterday afternoon, saying that the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangnan, Yin Zhengmao, had already investigated it... Um, it's said that the ringleaders waved the banner of the Great Ancestor, which is extraordinary, and colluded with some scoundrels, aiming to capture the county yamen and so on..."
As he spoke, he felt guilty, fearing Jiajing would be angered again. After finishing, he saw Jiajing's face ashen and his heart sank.
Indeed,
Jiajing suddenly said,
"Wait a moment, let's not touch the matter of the Yangming official school for now... Let's see..."
Lü Fang had also sensed a connection between the two matters, but couldn't quite articulate it. That's why he dared not speak earlier. Seeing Jiajing's expression, he stammered,
"This... Your Majesty, your servant, your servant also finds it strange... How can these two matters be linked? They were sent together, not too early or too late..."
Jiajing said leisurely, "It is indeed quite strange..."
Both of them had been seasoned players for forty years, and their thoughts at this moment were similar –
This is likely a trap...
Once they took a stance on the Yangming official school, it could be seen as taking a stance on the Jiangnan issue, and they would have fallen into someone's trap...
This was the crystallization of forty years of experience. Relying solely on intuition, they knew that the fact that these two matters were reported together must be the officials' ploy.
Jiajing pondered for a moment and asked,
"Does Wu Ming, Wu Liang, have any explanation?"
Lü Fang stammered, "He did say that the ringleaders indeed claimed to emulate the Great Ancestor, and, and also said..."
Jiajing glared at him and said, "If you have something to say, say it quickly..."
Lü Fang knew the gravity of the situation, and it was precisely because of this that he had lost control and gotten angry earlier. He then said in a low voice, "Uh, it is said that the leading rioters also said they wanted to follow Zhu Mo..."
Oh?
Through Zhu Mo Gan?
Jiajing was startled and instantly understood, saying leisurely,
"Good, good, the fox's tail is showing... They still want to cause trouble, still want to stop the reforms... This time it's even more ruthless, directly instigating all the scholars in the country... No wonder they are in a hurry for me to state my position... Clever, clever... Whose idea is this move?"
"Zhu Qi and the others said that Yan Shifan's mansion has been lively lately... Masters of Neo-Confucianism and Masters of the School of Mind have come from all over, some of whom were once high officials, and are now establishing academies in their hometowns..."
"Hmph, Yan Shifan has reformed? Instead of visiting brothels, he's mixing with scholars? What else? Have no one from Jiangnan approached him?"
Jiajing was naturally quite angered.
Lü Fang said, "That's not the case... Your servant speculates that this time, this time it might be Gao Suqing himself causing trouble...?"
Jiajing scoffed and pondered, "Gao Gong, Gong? Will Gao Gong gong? The name is not wrong. He is quite good at 'gong-ing', even better than Yang Tinghe!"
Lü Fang understood that as long as it involved Zhu Mo, the matter would become complicated. He cautiously said, "Your Majesty, this matter is quite strange. Should we observe it first, or what should we do?"
Jiajing couldn't figure out the specific plan for the moment, so he could only say,
"Send more people to Jiangnan to investigate carefully. Preferably, ask those ringleaders if they really said 'follow Zhu Mo's path,' whether they thought of it themselves or if someone taught them to say it?"
Know this,
He was exceptionally wise. At this moment, after thinking back and forth, he quickly connected the dots –
On one hand, they clamored for the establishment of the Yangming official school and the veneration of the sage's system. On the other hand, they used tenant farmers and servants as an excuse, creating a riot case that targeted the reforms...
Isn't that obvious?
This is to instigate all the scholars in the country to oppose the reforms together!
As for the captured rioters, were they prepared to kill them? Once blood was shed, opposing the reforms would no longer be a game. The scholars who clamored throughout the land would not turn back, and would be completely tied to this wagon?
Thinking of this,
He became as calm as water and said indifferently,
"Did Wu Ming, Wu Liang, hear any of the gentry say anything?"
Lü Fang secretly sighed: Fortunately, His Majesty is the smartest, otherwise, it's hard to say?
"Your Majesty, there are many rumors among the gentry, which arose overnight... Um, it is said that Zhu Mo's reforms intend to kill all the gentry, and on the day the reforms are completed, all gentry will be registered as serfs. There is also talk of killing people to reform, and if the reforms fail, Jiangnan will be bathed in blood..."
As Lü Fang spoke, he felt that in this empty and silent great hall, there was no vitality at all.
Jiajing, however, was very calm and said leisurely,
"Anything else?"
"There is more, there is more... Some people say that Zhu Mo is the reincarnation of the Great Ancestor, and that he intends to kill all the gentry in the world..."
After saying this,
He couldn't help but gasp, and secretly looked at Jiajing, his heart filled with an indescribable feeling.
Ha,
Jiajing, however, smiled faintly and said,
"Good... They have all rebelled, they have all rebelled... To obstruct the reforms, they are going to kill people... Lü Fang, have Huang Jin personally go down and escort those ringleaders to the capital... Tell Hu Zongxian to keep a close eye on the Japanese pirates, and have Tan Lun take over as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangnan. Discuss major matters together and report to the Grand Secretariat at any time..."
"Your servant understands."
...
At the same time,
In Jiangnan, Huzhou Prefecture yamen.
Yin Zhengmao, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangnan, held Gao Gong's secret letter and paced back and forth in the hall. Unsettled, he couldn't decide whether to act as instructed. The subordinates of the Provincial Surveillance Department and Huzhou Prefecture also stood on the sides.
He had only passed the imperial examination at the age of thirty-five, and was now nearing fifty. He had never feared the powerful throughout his life and had been in constant opposition to the Yan family.
The reason he followed Gao Gong was his adherence to "using law to save Confucianism," as Gao Gong often said, using thunderous means with a compassionate heart to free the world from the Yan family's cage, and then gradually restore the sage's system.
This time, he arrested Zhang Gui, Luo Jin, Song Dewu, and others, partly to execute Gao Gong's instructions, and partly because he intensely hated the rioters.
Once upon a time, he, Yin Zhengmao, had also diligently studied Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, but found it too far removed from reality. Although he himself adhered to his beliefs, the widespread influence of the Yan faction and the deteriorating situation made him powerless. It wasn't until he met Gao Gong, who told him that only Legalist methods could save the world, that he saw a guiding light.
The concept of hierarchy and distinction between noble and lowborn, deeply ingrained since his youth, coupled with his firm belief in Legalist methods, allowed Yin Zhengmao to stand out in the past decade and be considered a capable official by the court. Executing rioters was effortless for him; he had killed many in Guangxi before coming to Jiangnan.
On this point,
Even if Gao Gong hadn't mentioned it, he would have done the same.
Although these rioters did wave the Great Ancestor's banner, they did not say "follow Zhu Mo's path." He first said this sentence to Zhang Gui through the jailer of a fellow inmate during his initial interrogation. What was the purpose? Naturally, it was to stop Zhu Mo's reforms.
A deeper purpose was to instigate a conflict between the Yan family and Zhu Mo, and to achieve this, these rioters had to be killed.
At this moment,
Gao Gong's letter clearly stated: the directors of a hundred academies across the empire had jointly petitioned for the establishment of the Yangming official school, and scholars throughout the land would be watching. Killing the rioters at this time would draw everyone in and force the situation to a point where a confrontation was inevitable.
Thus, the unfolding of events would be facilitated, Zhu Mo and the Yan family would inevitably clash, and the door to saving the Great Ming would truly open...