They did not know, however, that at this moment, Yin Zhengmao was also peering into the yamen, his body slick with cold sweat.
He Xin Yin.
He had heard of him from Gao Gong. His mentor had spoken of learning throughout the realm, and he held He Xin Yin in utter contempt, considering him the greatest scourge from antiquity to the present, far worse than Zhi Zuo. He lived communally with his clan, defied established doctrine, broke free from imperial control, and essentially formed his own distinct school, completely disregarding the mainstream of the world.
Yet, this man possessed immense renown. In this dynasty, after Wang Yangming, it was He Xin Yin. Therefore, killing him was exceedingly difficult. His mentor had said that this man possessed Wang Yangming's reputation but not his scholarly virtue, making him the foremost traitor to Confucianism in history! If his teachings were to spread, the Way of the Sages would be ruined. Thus, he had instructed his disciples to seize any opportunity to eliminate him.
And now, seeing so many commoners and scholars gathered, the atmosphere was oppressive and filled with grief, on the verge of exploding. He was already quite alarmed. Unexpectedly, this man had directly proclaimed the severe punishment of Yin Zhengmao, even holding up the Great Ming Law! This was truly a thorny predicament. If Hai Rui were not present, he could have seized him amidst the chaos, sent him back to his native place, and dispersed the scholars and troublesome commoners. But this Hai Rui, brandishing Grand Secretary Zhang's military commission, was directly confronting him. The past few days had been exhausting. If the confessions had not been extracted early on, he wouldn't have known what to do. His mentor had also been careless. Although the Yan family's influence was considerable, they had remained in the background! If Yan Shifan had dispatched a high-ranking official, he could have suppressed Hai Rui. But his mentor, overconfident in his own intellect, had not. Fortunately, several major matters had been settled; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Moreover, he had heard it clearly just now – this group had submitted a joint memorial to the court! At that point, the court would no longer have a single voice. Those officials who, while fearing the Yan family, also sympathized with the common people would have grounds to object. In this way, the meticulously constructed "Immortal Execution Formation" would have a crack, and Zhu Mo might very well escape. Given the situation, it was no longer possible to kill rioters. While pursuing the treason case was still feasible, it would undoubtedly become exponentially more difficult. The current plan should be to secure his position firmly, otherwise, if even the slightest mistake occurred, and the Yan family and his mentor failed to protect him, he would likely be finished.
Yin Zhengmao sighed inwardly, turned back to his desk, and loudly declared, "If anyone requests an audience, tell them this official is attending to important matters and will see no one! Do you all understand?"
"Your subordinate understands!"
Yin Zhengmao immediately dismissed everyone and took up his brush to write a secret letter to Gao Gong:
"Your Disciple Bows Again
Your disciple's foresight was inadequate. The affairs in Huzhou are now beyond my capability. Fortunately, the two preceding matters were completed in advance. Now, Hai Rui, wielding Grand Secretary Zhang's seal, has taken over the yamen. Although the gentry are displeased, as the military orders in this region governing the fight against Japanese pirates are in effect, there is nothing that can be done. These were all foreseeable developments.
Unexpectedly, He Xin Yin and Yan Shan Nong have incited over a hundred scholars from various counties and thousands of troublesome commoners to petition the yamen, claiming they have jointly submitted a memorial to the court seeking the severe punishment of your disciple. Your disciple has no fear, but regarding what the future holds, I request your mentor's guidance."
Having finished, he sighed again. He suddenly felt that the affairs of the Great Ming Dynasty had taken a drastic turn today, and he did not know what the future held.
...
At this time, Zhu Mo.
His mood was arguably the worst it had been in his two lifetimes. After leaving Chaotian Temple, although he had seen Zhu Qi once, Zhu Qi had changed his usual attitude, appearing extremely hesitant and speaking haltingly. Zhu Mo grew angry several times and asked him to help inquire about Gao Gong and several of his disciples. But the old seventh remained fidgety. Only as he was leaving did he utter a sentence: "Young Master Zhu, the Daoist priest has instructed all of us to stay indoors recently, saying that the outside world is fraught with danger... Uh, Young Master Zhu is blessed by heaven and will surely be protected by divine providence..."
Oh... Divine providence?
What more could Zhu Mo say? Even the old Daoist and Third Master Li had withdrawn. But he couldn't blame them. After all, they had saved him. Besides, they weren't particularly influential figures, just retainers or close confidants. How could they possibly contend with the Yan family? Moreover, this time, it was the entire body of gentry and scholars making a stand. Who would dare oppose them? As Zhu Mo left, he patted Old Seventh's shoulder, but he couldn't utter a single word. After all, he was the one who had wanted to change the system. If he couldn't fight the feudal bureaucracy, then there was nothing he could do. He had to accept this loss.
"Alas, the Great Ming is beyond saving, the Great Ming is beyond saving..."
Zhu Mo wandered aimlessly through the streets, like a walking corpse, constantly murmuring this to himself. His emotions had truly sunk to the lowest of lows. He even felt no interest in escaping at this point. Such a distortion of right and wrong was too damaging to a person, rendering life utterly meaningless! This time, he was truly and utterly despairing. In previous failures, his fighting spirit had never waned. In Jiangnan, in Xuanda, facing such dire circumstances, he had persevered with sheer stubbornness. Previously, he could rely on advanced policies, on advanced firearms. But now? These things were useless against witchcraft and magic! They weren't competing on intelligence, skill, foresight, or strategy; they were competing on who had the lowest bottom line. With state affairs played out at the level of magic, what could be done?
This blow had come quite suddenly. Zhu Mo truly did not expect the situation to reverse so quickly. Gao Gong's move was like a stab to the soul! He began to feel a little nauseous, and then even that feeling vanished, replaced by numbness. He felt that the real Great Ming Dynasty was not much different from the primitive societies he had read about before. All these sanctimonious individuals spoke words that were truly like those of beasts.
After much thought, the only force he could rely on now was people like Lü Kun and He Xin Yin. But these people were so naive, all like innocent sweethearts. What could they possibly accomplish?
And so, for a full half-day, Zhu Mo wandered the streets and alleys of the capital like a lost soul, seeing the sky as not the sky, the ground as not the ground, completely unaware of what space he occupied.
...
Meanwhile, in Jiangnan.
Zhang Juzheng, after hearing Shen Shixing's report, felt a stone drop from his heart. Yin Zhengmao was temporarily held in check by Hai Rui. While the case could still be investigated, it was now a hundred times more difficult to escalate it into a grand treason case, and it was no longer easy to implicate him. More importantly, he was unlikely to continue killing people. It should be noted that Yin Zhengmao had only killed six indentured servants in Nanxun. Furthermore, official gazettes reported simultaneous slave revolts in Songjiang, Jiashan, and Nantang. As the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, as long as Zheng Bichang remained silent and uninvolved, Yin Zhengmao could kill several people in each location. This was what Zhang Juzheng feared most. If this happened, the memorial from the Yangming Official Academy would inevitably turn into a bloody denunciation of the court. The slave revolt case would evolve into a treason case, leading to Zhu Mo's dismemberment, and Zhang Juzheng and his few disciples would not be able to clear their names and would all perish with Zhu Mo.
This situation was arguably the most dangerous Zhang Juzheng had faced since he was thirty-two years old; he had nearly been forced to death. Taking a long breath, Zhang Juzheng intended to write Zhu Mo a final letter, urging him to escape beyond the passes to avoid troubling the Emperor. If Zhu Mo agreed to flee, and with people like He Xin Yin advocating for the common people, the Emperor would have a point of leverage in court discussions and could counterattack appropriately on the grounds of cherishing the people and exercising clemency, thus preserving the upright faction. This letter was intended to subtly explain this point, hoping Zhu Mo would consider the overall situation and, through his own departure, ensure stability for the nation. Writing such a letter was naturally very difficult; it had to be incisive yet considerate of their friendship, appealing to both emotion and reason, ultimately leaving the decision to Zhu Mo. It was quite vexing.
As he pondered for a moment and was about to put pen to paper, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from outside. Zhang Siwei and Ma Ziqiang, along with others, their faces filled with anxiety, entered and exclaimed, "Your Excellency, it's over! It's all over this time!"