Luo Longwen squinted and smiled, saying slowly:
"I've been here for several days, and I've seen firsthand that those new households have already formed their Jia Wu units. This confirms the rumors that someone is indeed plotting rebellion… And Master Ma just mentioned that such a major affair is being handled with such negligence? Isn't that peculiar? As the saying goes, when things are abnormally out of the ordinary, there must be a ghost behind them. If we don't investigate thoroughly, won't the blame fall on us later?"
Yes, yes.
Quite right, quite right.
The three men, knowing he was exceptionally shrewd and likely had a good plan, looked at him expectantly.
Luo Longwen nodded and said:
"I, Luo, am not from the imperial examinations, but I have read a bit… When it comes to treason cases, one must investigate thoroughly and without the slightest error. Otherwise, the investigator might fall into the trap themselves, which is truly perilous…"
He slowly took a sip of tea and continued:
"Although the situation here is bizarre, if we break it down, it's only about two aspects… One aspect is, of course, the actual act of rebellion. What constitutes the act of rebellion? There are prophecies, organized units, established titles, and royal lineage… Gentlemen, you might not know, but when Zhu Mo appeared in the capital, there were rumors of him being a royal. Now, it seems that even if he's not a fifth-generation descendant of Jianwen, he's very likely of royal blood…"
He suddenly lowered his voice, glanced around, and then whispered:
"We all thought this Zhu Mo was Ning Wang's third son, Zhu Xue…"
Ah?
What?!
Damn it!
Hiss~~
The three were stunned and simultaneously panicked.
If these words were spoken by someone else, there might be room for speculation. But who was Luo Longwen? Would he speak such words as a joke?
Ma Sen repeatedly said, "No wonder, no wonder…"
Mhm, mhm.
Luo Longwen, feigning calmness, slowly said:
"Therefore, I believe that Zhu Mo's rebellion is real! The prophecies are not false, right? What about 'White King lineage, son, water red earth black'? The organized military units are also readily available. In Jingde Town alone, there are over ten thousand new households. In the four provinces of Jiangnan, there are no less than eight hundred thousand people, all of whom are chattel slaves he released. Furthermore, the title – this is something you three need to investigate! Rebels always have a title, and from the title, one can discern their ambition…"
Mhm, mhm.
Ma Sen, a seasoned civil official, understood the crux of the matter in a few words: they needed to quickly extract key information from the new households. But what about the other aspect? Was it truly necessary to implicate Prince Yu as well? Hadn't the two families reconciled?
As he pondered, Luo Longwen chuckled again:
"Master Ma, you have served in Jiangyou for a long time, you must know about Emperor Zhengde and that Ning Wang, right?"
This,
Ma Sen genuinely did not know and asked:
"Please, Lord Luo, enlighten me."
Luo Longwen narrated:
"Back then, Emperor Zhengde was actually indulging Ning Wang's rebellion…"
Ah?
The three were immediately dumbfounded.
Luo Longwen snorted and continued:
"You might find it strange? Didn't Ning Wang want to usurp his throne? How can you say he indulged him? There's a secret here…"
He was always slow-paced and took another sip of tea before saying:
"What's the secret? It's four words – 'nurturing, enemy, to, self-aggrandize'… Master Ma, do you recall? When Ning Wang was about to rebel but hadn't yet, Zhengde personally led an expedition to the south. Isn't that suspicious? Let me tell you, that Zhengde wanted to deal with Grand Secretaries Yang Tinghe and Liang Chu. That's why he indulged Ning Wang's transgression until he rebelled… Later, when the case was exposed, many things happened during the investigation, haven't you heard? I recall that some people, who were shouting the loudest about catching the thief, desperately attacked Ning Wang, but in the end, it was discovered they themselves were part of Ning Wang's faction… Heh heh, the world is truly strange…"
This?
Ma Sen felt a chill down his spine. How could he not know? This was a major event in the dynasty. During the investigation later, many strange things had occurred. Even Wang Yangming, who suppressed the rebellion, was once accused by the investigating officials of being Ning Wang's accomplice. His suppression of the rebellion was merely a self-serving stratagem, a way to clear his name. In this Great Ming Dynasty, when things became chaotic, they were truly impossible to untangle.
Thinking of this, he roughly understood Luo Longwen's intention –
Wang Yangming, a master of his generation, renowned for his achievements, virtue, and teachings, was once accused of being part of the Ning Wang faction. This showed that although Luo Longwen was wicked, his strategy was indeed feasible. The court officials and bureaucrats would all understand implicitly when they recalled the Ning Wang case.
Ma Sen had never been too deeply involved and only had a general understanding of the case. At this moment, he asked:
"Lord Luo, then, then who exactly are those people?"
Luo Longwen laughed heartily and dipped his finger in water, writing on the tea table:
"Li Mingfeng, Lin Run, Prince Yi…"
Hiss!
Hiss!
The three suddenly realized –
Were they making the Censor Lin Run into the Wang Yangming of that era?
It was quite clear.
The kiln owner Li Mingfeng discovered the offending artifacts. Li Mingfeng was from Nanchang, and it was recently discovered that he was connected to someone in Prince Yi's mansion. The censor, making a lot of noise but achieving little, quickly implicated a few new households from the kilns, thus drawing Zhu Mo into the picture…
This line of reasoning, at first glance, seemed plausible. The reason for not mentioning Fan Yingqi was likely that Fan Yingqi was a prominent minister in the current court, having recently taken office, and it would be impossible to falsely accuse him.
Shen Chun, who was usually very intelligent, held a low official rank and had always been a fourth-rank supervisor of kilns. Although he had heard many strange stories, being personally involved now, he couldn't quite see clearly. He thought: if the offending artifacts were planted by Prince Yi to frame Zhu Mo, wouldn't they just tell the truth when asked?
At this thought,
He couldn't help but ask:
"Lord Luo, I have one point of confusion… If Li Mingfeng implicates Prince Yi, and Prince Yi implicates the Crown Prince for framing Zhu Mo, then what happens?"
Hahaha,
Luo Longwen heard this and suddenly burst into laughter, saying:
"Wen Mu, how can you be so muddled? How could the Crown Prince possibly order someone to frame Zhu Mo for rebellion? If he did so, wouldn't that be utterly immoral and unrighteous? How is that possible? Anyone who dares to say so would be slandering the Crown Prince! That would further prove that Zhu Mo is part of the faction! If they weren't part of it, why would they slander the Crown Prince?"
Wow!
Hiss!
Whoosh~~
The three sighed almost simultaneously –
This is too…
Even Ma Sen and Shen Chun, who were accustomed to intrigue, felt utterly despairing at this moment…
This Great Ming Dynasty was truly not a place for decent people!
Luo Longwen also sighed leisurely and said:
"It is difficult to be human… If it were easy, how could one be human… Gentlemen, I, Luo, am also acting under duress. This time, I need the three of you to handle this case together…"
Ma Sen felt somewhat dazed. He had been extremely frightened moments ago, but then he thought: Luo Longwen is here, so what is there to fear? In the end, it would all be at his instigation, and the worst he would face would be complicity…
"Lord Luo, I understand. Let's… let's go and handle it now…"
Yan Shifan knew Luo Longwen was coming. To have his subordinates do such a thing was akin to forcing someone to hang themselves. Without real benefits, it was absolutely impossible. He immediately said:
"Kong Yang, Wen Mu, Ru Cheng, to be frank, when I left the capital, the Young Grand Secretary personally said that after this matter is accomplished, the three of you will have good prospects, and your remaining lives will be filled with wealth and honor, without any storms…"
The three, who had been disheartened and felt helpless, suddenly regained their spirits upon hearing this. They gazed expectantly, hoping Luo Longwen would say something more concrete.
How could Luo Longwen not know? He smiled and said:
"Kong Yang, the Young Grand Secretary indeed said that Yang Bo is no longer capable of the job. You will go and serve as the Governor-General of Jiliao for a few years… Ru Cheng, you'll have to bear with it for a while and take over the Fujian and Zhejiang Navy first. Wen Mu has been in Jingde Town for many years. You'll first be appointed as Governor, and in a few years, you'll take over as the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang."
Wow!
Hiss!
The three looked at each other, almost disbelieving.