Zhu Mo thought that since this He Xinyin had such great influence, he could be invited to Jiangnan. Those common people should have all heard of his reputation, and perhaps they would be convinced by him. Together with Hai Rui, they might be able to tie Yin Zhengmao down?
After all, the current situation was too terrifying. If the Grand Secretariat could not hold on, and the officials, academies, and scholars all exerted pressure together, forcing the memorial into Yuxi Palace, presenting a posture of fighting to the death, Jiajing might very well compromise and offer to stop the reforms in Jiangnan in exchange for concessions from the Yan family and the scholars and gentry of the empire, thereby quelling this storm?
Therefore, as long as Jiangnan could hold out, Yin Zhengmao and Gao Gong would not be able to continue their machinations, which would be equivalent to half the problem being solved.
With this thought,
Zhu Mo said solemnly,
"Old Lu, please write to Old He and ask him if he can go to Jiangnan. The common people believe him, and perhaps there will be a turning point? I will also find Xu Jie and ask him to come forward to suppress the rumors first, as a temporary measure to give us some breathing room..."
Lu Kun, however, hesitated and said, "Zixuan, I think Xu Jie might not be reliable... He is a person of Neo-Confucianism, a disciple of Nie Bao. Fundamentally, he opposes Zixuan's reforms... If he doesn't add insult to injury at this time, it would be good enough. How can he help us?"
Zhu Mo smiled faintly and said, "Hehe, he is best at riding the fence. At this juncture, he has his own calculations. That is, to stop my reforms, win over the hearts of some moderate scholars and gentry, cater to the Emperor's attitude, and finally not to step forward or take the lead. Hehe, this old scoundrel is wicked... At this time, he will pretend... Whether he can achieve much or not, there will be some benefit..."
Lu Kun thought for a moment and said, "Brother Zixuan, I have also written an article and asked a friend to publish it, opposing the philosophy of Yangming... Once things take a slight turn for the better, I, along with Ruyuan, Shannong, and others, will write articles supporting Zixuan's reforms. For the sake of the nation and the people, it is a just cause. Their use of such malicious tricks will surely be unpopular!"
Mm-hmm,
Zhu Mo was truly a little moved.
"Good, let's do it separately."
...
After not visiting the Grand Secretariat for several days,
Zhu Mo met Xu Jie and quietly discovered that the situation had indeed changed. The old Xu Jie, who was skilled in the art of self-preservation, although still polite, lacked his usual enthusiasm.
After a few polite greetings, Zhu Mo got straight to the point and said,
"Grand Secretary Xu, I am very grateful for your recommendation on that day... Now, I am accused by a thousand people and my death is imminent. However, I have a word, and I beg Grand Secretary Xu to consider it. Hmm... It is absolutely not appropriate to establish the philosophy of Yangming as official learning. Neo-Confucianism is the foundation of the world and cannot be abolished... Grand Secretary Xu is a prominent minister of the empire. I, Zhu Mo, am an unknown nobody, and it's fine if I die, but this chaotic situation and the absurd rumors must be quelled..."
He said this to remind him: I, Zhu Mo, was recommended by you. You cannot stand by and watch. By then, I will drag your Neo-Confucianism down with me...
Xu Jie was no longer pretending to be stern. He feigned composure and said,
"Scholar Zhu, please rest assured, when you do things for the court, even if you do them wrong, it is not your sole responsibility... There is no need to talk about life or death..."
As he spoke, he thought to himself: This young man is indeed capable. He still remembers to find me at this time? But, he is still too young. Although I recommended you, it was at the behest of Prince Yu... You troublemaker cannot be tied to me. Wanting to drag me down, hehe...
Zhu Mo also thought: You are speaking lightly, but at that time, during the court discussion, you didn't say a word, leaving me to rush ahead alone. You can naturally say that you have nothing to do with it... But it is not so easy for you, Xu Jie, to distinguish yourself from me...
So he smiled and said,
"Hehe, thank you, Grand Secretary Xu... But, no matter what, I am still grateful to Grand Secretary Xu and Prince Yu... Whether it is being torn apart by chariots or being sliced by lingchi, at least I have had a glorious moment, haven't I? This kindness must be repaid... Please accept my bow, Grand Secretary Xu!"
Saying this,
Zhu Mo bowed deeply.
His meaning was: You, Xu Jie, want to pass the blame to Prince Yu? Have you forgotten that he is the crown prince, and you cannot shirk responsibility? You are destined to bear this burden...
At this moment, many scribes and officials looked over, not knowing what had happened. They naturally thought that the famous Zhu Mo was bowing to Xu Jie, so he must have received great kindness?
Xu Jie exclaimed and was somewhat exasperated, but he immediately helped Zhu Mo up and said with an awkward smile,
"Grand Secretary Zhu, there is no need to talk about being torn apart by chariots or sliced by lingchi... Uh, suppressing rumors is also the responsibility of the Grand Secretariat... I will also think of a way..."
He suddenly looked at the people peeking from the adjacent room, coughed loudly a few times, and those people immediately turned their heads, pretending not to have seen anything.
He then pulled Zhu Mo to the door, looked around to ensure no one was there, and took out an encrypted gazette from his sleeve. He whispered, "Scholar Zhu, it is not that I stood by and did nothing. Yin Zhengmao investigated this, and no one could have done anything about it..."
As soon as Zhu Mo read a few words, his entire body turned cold—
"Confession of the accused Zhang Gui:
Question: Why did you instigate the villagers to make trouble?
Answer: I was originally a contracted servant of the Dong family. Because I was dissatisfied with the second son of the employer oppressing the tenant Yang, and I was afraid that I would also suffer sooner or later, I went with him to reason with the Dong family.
Question: Did you say 'emulate the Great Ancestor and abolish master and servant'?
Answer: I heard from a fellow townsman, a merchant named Song, that there were rumors in the Hangzhou area that Commissioner Zhu Mo was presiding over reforms and treated tenants and contracted servants equally, and that this was the law of the Great Ancestor. Song was doing business in Hangzhou, and he heard people on the street say that Zhu Mo intended to emulate the Great Ancestor and that the lowly people of the world would have a chance to rise. When I reasoned with the Dong family about right and wrong, the Dong family sent yamen runners to beat me, so I shouted to emulate the Great Ancestor and abolish master and servant.
Question: Why did you lead the villagers to storm the county office, shouting 'Follow Zhu Mo'?
Answer: I heard from Song that Zhu Mo's reforms would ultimately emulate the Great Ancestor and eliminate the scholars and gentry of the empire. Because I was dissatisfied with the Dong family's insult and beating, I led the villagers to storm the county office.
Question: What did you say when you stormed the county office? What did the villagers say?
Answer: Seeing that the villagers dared not move, I shouted to follow Zhu Mo and not to be afraid. He is the imperial envoy and wants to eliminate the scholars and gentry of Jiangnan. The villagers heard Zhu Mo's name and rushed in with me. I tied up the yamen runner who had beaten me and took revenge.
..."
Seeing that Zhu Mo was completely stunned, Xu Jie feigned worry and said,
"Scholar Zhu, I have always supported you, and at least I haven't obstructed you, right? But now that these unruly commoners have done this, what do you expect me to do? This gazette is only a duplicate, and the original has already been submitted to the palace... Now you understand why the rumors have not stopped, don't you? Alas, it's not that I don't go to suppress the rumors, but how can it be suppressed?
My intention is that Scholar Zhu should not move around. Stay at home and believe in the Emperor, believe in the court. You are wholeheartedly for the public good, and we all know it, so there will definitely be no tearing apart by chariots or slicing by lingchi..."