At this very moment,
All the officials had their hair standing on end—
This was practically usurping the throne!
Openly usurping the throne, directly like Zhao Gao pointing at a deer and calling it a horse!
They wanted the money,
They wanted the troops,
And they wanted to replace personnel!
Damn it all, were they going to let anyone live!
At this time, there were dozens of officials in the hall, and except for the Yan family's faction, everyone's heart was cursing.
Since the founding of the Great Ming, such a thing had never happened! Who were they? Zhao Gao, Wang Mang, Liang Ji, Cao Cao, Sima Zhao… everyone felt deep fear beyond sorrow—the Great Ming had truly reached its end…
And led by Yan Shifan, dozens of high-ranking Yan party members, although lowering their heads, still looked full of smugness.
Some of them were also thinking: Where was the Directorate of Ceremonial? Why weren't they speaking? Where was Xu Jie? Why was he sleeping at this moment? And the Prince Yu, sitting below the imperial throne, remained silent and unconcerned?
Some others hated the Yan family but had never thought of overthrowing them. At this very moment, they suddenly realized they had been too naive! Throughout history, any powerful minister would eventually reach this point.
More people gained a deeper understanding of the Great Ming's history: Were the great eunuch Liu Jin and Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe like this back then? Xu, Gao, and Zhang had been talking about overthrowing the Yan faction all these years, and today, it seemed they truly had foresight…
But in the end, it all came down to Zhu Mo having courage. Only he had truly made moves against the Yan family in recent years; Xu, Gao, and Zhang had only spoken about it…
In the silent Hall of Supreme Harmony, the officials' minds were filled with various profound thoughts they rarely pondered.
At this time,
Even those on the periphery of the Yan family could no longer bear it. They hoped someone would step forward to resist and hold the line, but then they thought, if even Zhu Mo was to be crushed, who else could hold the line?
…
After an unknown amount of time,
Yan Shifan seemed to have anticipated no one would dare to speak. He sneered and said to the officials:
“What is this court session about? You are all usually quite talkative, why are you all mute now? Discuss it, speak your minds, tell us all, lest someone complains after the Grand Secretariat makes a decision!”
This?
This is too overbearing!
A few people who were about to speak now forcibly swallowed their words.
At this time,
Many people turned their gazes to Gao Gong. They all knew that among the Grand Secretariat, Xu Jie and Li Chunfang, those who pursued the "dog path," were unreliable. They could only see if Gao Gong, with his fiery temper, could withstand it. Otherwise, it would truly become the Yan family’s monopoly of speech.
Gao Gong naturally wanted to speak.
As an radical among the upright officials, he had always advocated for overthrowing the Yan faction and reforming, but his steps were even smaller than Zhang Juzheng’s. Moreover, he was better at compromise and opportunism, and was also a very formidable figure.
At this time,
Seeing that no official would speak, he thought that if he didn’t take a gamble now, who would respect him as a future Grand Secretary? He immediately stepped forward and said loudly:
“Your Highness, Elder Yan, Young Master Yan, Eunuch Lu…
I believe that Datong is in extreme danger at this moment. With the army pressing down, whether we should save them and how we should save them is a matter of utmost urgency. Talking about money, troops, and personnel, or talking about a decisive battle now, is stretching it too far!
Moreover, the nine garrisons are the nine garrisons, and the interior is the interior. What is strange about war in the nine garrisons? They have been fighting for thousands of years, and our Great Ming has also been fighting for two hundred years, and we have not collapsed! Young Master Yan wants to stake all our assets on the border defenses, which I believe is absolutely unacceptable and unnecessary. Even in the decisive battles between the Han and the Xiongnu, it was never said to stake all the wealth and manpower! Furthermore, Elder Yan is good at appointing people, and the generals used in Datong, Xuanfu, and Jiliao are extraordinary individuals who can defend the nation at its borders!”
This?
Wow!
Ha!
The officials' emotions surged again—
“What he said is quite pertinent…”
“Yes, even in the decisive battles between the Han and the Xiongnu, it wasn’t like this. Yan Song has gone too far…”
“He is directly addressing Old Yan Song…”
“It is said that Gao Suqing is rough on the outside but meticulous on the inside, and indeed it is so. This statement is very clever, shifting the burden back to the Yan family…”
“This statement also makes sense. Your Yan family is everywhere, so you should handle it yourselves; you don’t need to tie everyone to it…”
“Gao Suqing does have some skills…”
“…”
Yan Shifan had been waiting for someone to step forward. Upon hearing Gao Gong’s words, he knew that this person was always good at opportunism and wavering, and was now forcefully stepping forward to gain prestige. He immediately sneered and said:
“Gao Suqing, you speak lightly. Eight thousand cavalry, do you think they are ordinary border raiders? Let’s not even mention the Tumu Crisis… In the twenty-ninth year, during the Gengxu year, Altan had only thirty thousand men and reached the capital! This time it’s eighty thousand. How do you plan to fight? You don’t increase troops in Sanbian, Xuanfu, and Jiliao; do you expect them to withdraw to fight? If they withdraw, and Altan reaches the capital, who will be responsible? If you don’t prepare money now, you will lack everything when you need it. How can this war be fought? Some people follow others blindly, and when problems arise, they pretend to be foolish… And pretend that nothing major has happened? Truly a master of acting…
Gao Suqing! To be blunt, the Governor-General of Xuanfu and Datong, Ge Jin, and the Governor-General of Jiliao, Yang Bo, both believe that Altan’s current move is a diversion, and he is pretending to pressure Datong but actually intends to attack the capital! You are ignorant of military affairs and are making a scene here. If we delay for a few more days, mobilization will not be possible, and logistics will not keep up. If eighty thousand troops press down on Juyong Pass, then you, Gao Suqing, will come and talk to me about defending the nation at its borders!”
Gao Gong did not expect him to dare to act so wildly in front of hundreds of people. With veiled and direct attacks, every word was aimed at the person, filling him with shame and anger.
“You, you, you—”
He sputtered a few times, his face flushed with anger, unable to utter a word.
Boom!
Wow!
The officials immediately exploded—
Yan Shifan is too brazen!
As a fellow member of the Grand Secretariat, Gao Gong’s position is higher than yours, Yan Shifan!
How can discussions proceed if you scold like that?
If it’s about people and not about matters, how can this be done?
Yan Shifan brought up the Tumu Crisis and the Gengxu year right from the start. Who would dare to say a single word against it?
The Yan family is determined to have a monopoly of speech; who else would dare to speak?
This is too much…
Alas…
…
At this moment,
The officials suddenly heard a cough. It was Prince Yu who had suddenly stood up. He bowed deeply to the imperial throne, then stood up and said loudly:
“Reporting to Your Majesty, your son has something to say.”
As soon as this was said, the entire hall fell silent, and everyone stared at Prince Yu.
Immediately afterwards,
Prince Yu paused for a moment, facing the empty imperial throne, as if he had received approval. He then continued:
“Your son believes that the first priority now is to rescue Datong. If the capital diverts troops and the outer garrisons retreat, Datong’s front will be exposed, and with Altan’s eighty thousand troops pressing down, the situation is precarious. Your son believes that if Datong exists, then Xuanfu, Datong, and Jiliao will exist; if Datong falls, then the nine garrisons will be broken. Currently, each matter has its own priorities and urgency. Your son believes that reinforcing Datong is the most urgent and important task. Moreover, your son believes that the钦差 (imperial envoy) Zhu Mo, who is stationed in Datong at this time, is dedicated to serving the country and has made great contributions. Your son wishes that Your Majesty would not abandon him…”
Wow!
Hiss!
The officials were immediately awestruck—
“Finally, we are getting to the main point…”
“The only topic of this court session is Zhu Mo.”
“No one dares to say the real thing, only the future Emperor can say it…”
“The Yan family is truly wicked, making others afraid to even mention the word Datong…”
“Only Prince Yu can say it; if others said it, wouldn’t Yan Shifan take notice?”
“This speech has the air of an emperor…”
“Wishing that Your Majesty would not abandon him, this statement implicitly refers to the fact that reforms are not going well…”
“Let’s see what Yan Song and Yan Shifan say…”
“…”
At this time,
Upon hearing Prince Yu’s words, Xu Jie could not help but praise him repeatedly in his heart. This speech was truly excellent, even more moving than what was rehearsed yesterday. The Emperor would surely be overjoyed. He wanted to steal a glance, but this was not the Yuxi Palace, and there was no sign of anyone.