Jiajing sighed, his expression returning to calm, and said, "Lu Fang, why the long face again?"
Lu Fang had been watching from outside the curtains for a while and guessed that Jiajing must be thinking of Zhu Mo... He had a special affection for that young man and was likely worried about him at this moment...
"Your Majesty, this servant is pondering how difficult things must be for Young Master Zhu in Jiangnan... Zhu Qi reported that Shen Cong is extremely cunning, almost inciting a peasant uprising to pressure Young Master Zhu... Alas, a young man should be enjoying the company of talented beauties, basking in moonlight, not suffering like this... This servant feels quite wronged for him..."
"Heh..."
Jiajing let out a faint smile and scoffed, "You little rascal! You're actually worried about him! What's the matter? Do you want to go down there and help him?"
"How could this servant have such ability?! To be honest with Your Majesty, I haven't the slightest understanding of what he is doing. All that talk of debts and estates has been swirling in my mind lately, but it remains utterly confusing..."
Hahaha,
Jiajing finally burst into laughter.
"Good! You've finally spoken the truth... How about this, let's send someone capable to help him! You think about it, don't waste your time pondering things you don't understand!"
Lu Fang shared an extraordinary bond with this Emperor, one that went beyond mere sovereign and subject; they were like brothers. He deeply understood that this Emperor had lived a life of solitude. The Empress had died early, he had not taken any imperial concubines, and he had only one precious son... Through all seasons, through heat and cold, he had always been alone, with only himself and Huang Jin to speak to. It could be said that he only had his shadow for company.
Finally, a kindred spirit, Zhu Mo, had appeared, alleviating his depression. And now, this young friend was going to help the Emperor with the most difficult task in the world... Thinking of this, Lu Fang was filled with emotion. Just then, he suddenly thought of someone and said, "Your Majesty, this servant thinks Zhang Taiyue is a suitable candidate! He has always prided himself on his financial management skills, making him a fitting choice. Perhaps we should send this Zhang Taiyue to Jiangnan to assist?"
"Hmm... indeed, that is the person..."
Jiajing nodded, lost in thought for a moment.
As he was about to step out of the hall, he suddenly turned back and said, "In a few more days, that fellow Yan Maoqing should be back with the silver. Let's see what tricks Yan Shifan and the others can pull off..."
"Your Majesty, Yan Shifan is also strange... These past few days, the Yan residence has been unusually quiet. This servant wonders if something is amiss?"
"Hmm, yes... quiet, so quiet... I recall Zhu Mo's small courtyard. I wonder when I will be able to enjoy such simple earthly pleasures?"
"This servant believes Zhu Mo is also thinking of us. Once the affairs in Jiangnan are sorted out, he should be returning, shouldn't he?"
As they spoke of Zhu Mo, both were deeply touched. Both had been confined within the Forbidden City for over forty years, relying on each other. They had never experienced the joys and sorrows of ordinary people in the populace.
At that very moment, both felt that the grand and imposing Forbidden City was not as captivating as a small courtyard in the marketplace...
Jiajing remembered the common grass carp and fried rice with egg he had eaten in that small courtyard. Now, months later, the meals served in the imperial dining halls felt utterly unpalatable...
He stared blankly for a long while, only to let out a single sentence from his throat—
"I only hope he is thinking of us too..."
...
At the same time,
The quiet Yan residence exuded a strange, eerie atmosphere.
After nightfall,
Yan Shifan, contrary to his usual boisterous self as the 'Young Grand Secretary,' was quietly bent over his desk, writing small-character calligraphy stroke by stroke.
On the couch, Yan Song was also holding a book, a thoughtful expression on his face. Luo Longwen and Gao Hanwen sat silently nearby, not a word spoken among them.
Such quietude was due to Shen Cong's imprisonment, which had truly instilled a sense of dread in the Yan family! For days, even the alleyways had been buzzing with discussions that the Yan family was on the verge of collapse!
Various rumors even suggested that Yan Shifan would be the next to be thrown into the Imperial Prison!
The populace, already resentful of the Yan family, had previously been silenced by their power. However, with the Emperor's overt suppression of the Yan family, the citizens of the capital were filled with boundless speculation!
As a result, Yan Song had been furious these past few days, forcing Yan Shifan to kneel for two hours before the ancestral tablets in the family temple and copy the Ming Taizu's "Great Edicts" ten times. Under such strict discipline, Yan Shifan had shown some improvement, spending these days accompanying his father in the study, reading and writing.
Luo Longwen and Gao Hanwen also reported on time each day, and the few of them would secretly convene in the study to discuss how to reverse their current predicament...
But for some reason, tonight Yan Shifan, who had barely managed to control himself, suddenly became unbearable restless. He let out a hum and said, "Father, your son feels we have been wronged too much! Since that Zhu Mo is so capable and has acquired so much money, what need do we have for anything? The Emperor shows you no respect at all, directly imprisoning Shen Cong in the Imperial Prison, clearly indicating he has no need for people like us! I say, let's just keep the money we've raised and split it among ourselves..."
Upon hearing this, Yan Song was startled, almost suspecting he had misheard. Gao Hanwen and Luo Longwen couldn't help but suppress their laughter, but then a wave of trepidation washed over them—
If anyone else had uttered these words, their heads would likely have rolled within three hours! Only this unique Young Grand Secretary, who could move heaven and earth, dared to speak such treasonous words...
Yan Song knew his son's temperament all too well. He could only sigh and say slowly, "Don't be so short-sighted... Zhu Mo's method cannot possibly go smoothly; problems will arise sooner or later... Have you thought about it...? He has so many people weaving cloth, how much can they weave? Who will buy it? Next year, after collecting the silk and cloth from the common people, how much money will it cost? Have you even calculated...? Is the money he's raised enough? Cough, cough, cough..."
After a bout of coughing, Yan Song continued, "We must spend our money sparingly! When next year comes and they are out of money, and we still have it, that will be our chance to turn things around! Do you understand?!"
Hiss~~
In the silence, several people gasped in unison—
As the saying goes, grandpa is still grandpa!
Yan Shifan's mind raced, and he immediately thought of a plan, saying, "Father! I will write to Maoqing immediately and ask him to stay longer in Jiangnan to raise more money! When the time for silk and cloth production comes at the end of the year, we will have some merchants inflate the prices! This will prevent Zhu Mo from being able to collect it, and even if he does, he will have to spend all his money! Hahaha..."
As Yan Shifan laughed heartily, Gao Hanwen couldn't help but feel a chill—
This Yan Shifan truly had an abundance of devious methods to harm others!
Luo Longwen chimed in, "Young Grand Secretary, Zhu Mo's current endeavors are quite troublesome! He has no one to rely on! With those incompetent fools from the Hanlin Academy, this matter of his is bound to fail!"
Upon hearing this,
Even Yan Song couldn't help but nod.
And at that very moment, Yan Fu and Yan Lu rushed in, gasping for breath, "Reporting to the Grand Secretary, Young Grand Secretary, the Emperor's decree... the Emperor's decree has ordered Zhang, Zhang Juzheng to go to Jiangnan to assist in the textile production!"
With a bang,
The book in Yan Song's hand fell to the ground, and he exclaimed in shock, "Zhang Taiyue?! Assist? Is he willing to go?"
"Reporting to the Grand Secretary, we have inquired and found out that Zhang Taiyue has stated he will depart tomorrow!"
Hiss!!
The few of them exchanged stunned glances, involuntarily drawing in a sharp breath!
Old Yan Song, at this point, understood everything: it turned out the Emperor intended to use Zhu Mo! He had inadvertently, like an eighty-year-old mother giving birth to an infant, been tricked by that young man through a ruse of deceiving the heavens... That was all well and good, but to his surprise, Zhang Juzheng had also outmaneuvered him, already securing the advantageous position...
Lost in thought, he murmured to himself: Zhang Taiyue, Zhang Taiyue, it's one thing to have such foresight, but I never expected you to humble yourself to this extent... This old man is inferior...