Zhu Mo, however, grew increasingly uncomfortable, finding even his premium Longjing tea tasteless. "You really haven't heard? Alas, it's truly pathetic and lamentable... They say he's also a great talent, his poems and essays are excellent..."
Seeing their faces darken but remain expressionless, he continued,
"Listen to me, this matter is not simple. It's a chain reaction of collapses, indicating that public sentiment has reached its limit. If it recedes further, the common people will lose faith in the righteous path. By then, it will be like all previous dynasties, where people are not quite people, and ghosts are not quite ghosts... You don't know, I was truly terrified that day. All the commoners in the streets were filled with resentment and malice, it was no longer a human world.
Alas, we discussed this the other day. The end of the Great Ming is not far off. I am deeply moved; that clan of officials is indeed like a fierce beast with its own will. If you don't tame it, it will devour you... Looking at the current situation, I'm afraid it's no good. We must also think about leaving a way out..."
He recalled that when he first awakened, he had also thought of saving the Great Ming. That was based on his previous understanding, which now seemed like mere empty talk. Although he had seen many scenes of people suffering, what shook him the most was the despair and sorrow on the faces of the common people in the streets yesterday. It truly made him feel the precariousness of the situation. One more step, and it would undoubtedly be an abyss.
These past few days, the system had also been thoroughly studied. Although it was a vast and unwieldy entity, its analysis and assessments were extremely accurate. Regarding yesterday's events, the system's evaluation was quite interesting:
[Attribute: Extreme Social Emotional Event; Manifestation Value: -85%; Description: Touched the extreme ordered region of the system;]
[Social Entropy Coefficient: +0.35; State Value: Critical]
[System Alert: Red Warning; Description: Probability of total social collapse +15%;]
[Strategy Recommendation: Initiate the highest-level review procedure, and simultaneously clear cases of injustice from the past 20 years (estimated 564 cases), within a three-year period;]
These data were very bad, similar to his own understanding from history. Simply put, it was two words: doomed!
Within a few years, if the Yan family was not dealt with, the Great Ming would truly be finished. Even if the situation were to improve, public sentiment would be difficult to recover, because this time, the wicked had openly and publicly harmed the good! And if the end times truly came, his own life might not be safe... While the Emperor seemed to favor his 'qingci' (prayers written in verse) and the people also cherished him, why not seize the opportunity to slip away?
Thinking of this, Zhu Mo said,
"Old Daoist, you have connections in the capital. I've been thinking a lot last night, and there's something I absolutely must do... I want to submit a memorial to the Emperor. Can you ask Immortal Lan or someone to deliver it...? If I don't submit this memorial, I won't feel at peace. After submitting it, I will leave the capital. For now, I'm considering going to Nanyang... Alas, the end times are truly coming..."
Oh?
The Old Daoist and Li San exchanged glances, surprised.
They had clearly given him an opportunity to present his strategies during the court discussions, but he had remained silent. Now he wanted to submit a memorial?
The Old Daoist already regarded him as his orphaned son. Although people were being sent to investigate and confirm, he was already convinced in his heart. Seeing his genuine anxiety, even his desire to flee, he couldn't help but laugh,
"It's nothing unusual... It's such a small matter, and you're so scared you want to run off to Nanyang... Don't worry, the sky won't fall... We've all heard about this matter. Wang Shizhen won't die. The common people's resentment hasn't just been for a day or two. How can they manage so much? The Yan family is indeed excessive, but if retribution isn't given, it's because the time hasn't come..."
He was not indifferent to Wang Shizhen's affair; on the contrary, he was extremely concerned. But like last time, he couldn't decide when to move against the Yan family. Moving too early wouldn't be the right time, and moving too late would have escalating costs...
The most troublesome thing was what would happen after taking action. In his view, the situation wouldn't be much better than it was now. Finally, there was the issue of succession, which had tormented him despairingly for years. Fortunately, heaven had favored him, and in his twilight years, he had found his lost son. If not for that, how could he have the mood to sit here and talk?
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Looking at Zhu Mo's young face and bright eyes, he couldn't help but smile and said slowly,
"I've also heard from Immortal Lan that the Emperor has always been aware of the Yan family's affairs, but the timing hasn't been right... So, rest assured, the Emperor has it all planned... If you really want to submit a memorial, just write a few pages. Don't make it too long, Immortal Lan says the Emperor hates long, drawn-out memorials..."
Li San, understanding his thoughts, poured tea while also smiling, "Young Master Zhu, don't worry. Everything will work out in the end. Evil people have their own ways of being dealt with. How much power can Yan Song and Yan Shifan really have? Even if it's Sun Wukong, he can't escape the palm of the Buddha..."
Mmm,
Zhu Mo responded, but still muttered to himself.
In his memory,
Jiajing only killed Yan Shifan, and Yan Song returned home to live out his retirement peacefully. Not only that, but after the anti-Yan movement, nothing really changed. Later, Xu Jie, Li Chunfang, and Gao Gong became Grand Secretaries, and finally, Zhang Juzheng brought down Gao Gong. As the Emperor's tutor, he colluded with Feng Bao and dominated the court for over a decade. Although there were some improvements, the overall framework remained the same.
The difference was that Zhang Juzheng set a precedent. Not only were he and his faction purged, initiating a mode of mass purges, but subsequent purists also learned to directly dominate the court, advocating "following principle, not ruler" and "a court full of upright officials." They neither wished to be the emperor's wicked weapon nor the nation's pillars, ultimately becoming the destroyers of the Donglin faction...
He thought it over: this memorial still needs to be submitted! If he didn't speak, he would be like someone who saw a blind man riding a blind horse off a cliff and didn't warn him...
But how should he phrase the proposal to the Emperor? Lost in thought, he murmured,
"The reason Jiajing is hesitant to act is primarily his uncertainty about the situation after overthrowing the Yan family. In other words, it all comes down to not trusting Xu Jie and the others...?
People like Xu Jie are hypocrites. After achieving fame and fortune, they quietly amass wealth and naturally don't want to be involved in too many affairs. If Prince Yu were stronger and forced him to do unpleasant things, he would do them; if Prince Yu wasn't strong, he wouldn't bother... A Prime Minister, having become the 'Father of the Officials' in their eyes, is enough. Doing more would only invite trouble upon himself, better to go home and hoard land.
Gao Gong was all thunder and no rain. He was outmaneuvered by Zhang Juzheng from the start. But Zhang Juzheng, who claimed to plan for eternity and spare no means, where was the eternal peace?
Therefore, this monster of the official clan actually has two horns, one good and one evil, one pure and one turbid. To truly subdue it, both horns must be severed! Just like the founding emperor, who used strict laws in times of chaos to thoroughly dismantle its power from top to bottom, returning them to the common people. Otherwise, the cycle of order and chaos would continue, and it would always be the emperor and the common people who die..."
He did not realize that these words caused the two to feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.
The terms used were particularly stinging—
Jiajing, this fellow?
Xu Jie, hypocrite?
This...?
Li San's eyes widened as he looked at the Old Daoist, and the Old Daoist also stared at Li San with his mouth agape.
This child?
This,
If someone else heard this, wouldn't they be charged with "great disrespect"?
Looking at Zhu Mo again,
He appeared as if nothing had happened, gazing leisurely at the white clouds in the sky above the courtyard, and gently sipped his tea.