The yamen runner, seeing Zhu Mo’s calm demeanor, and hearing the fantastical rumors already spreading from Jingdezhen, felt a sense of bewilderment. Zhao Zhenji, angered, prompted the runner:
“Those new private kiln owners claim they are being deliberately framed, with the intention of diverting business from the old private kiln owners… The old private kiln owners feel the matter has nothing to do with them, so they let their retainers and potters go out and curse them… The new kiln owners aren’t about to let that slide, so they called out their own potters, and the two sides started confronting each other. First, it was endless cursing, then fighting…
Unexpectedly, as the commotion grew, rumors spread that those vessels violating ceremonial norms were made by Scholar Zhu at the behest of the new kiln owners, as these new kiln owners had arrived after the reforms. This stirred up a hornet’s nest! The potters assigned by Scholar Zhu, whom everyone called new households, started a riot, directly accusing Master Shen Chun of framing Scholar Zhu… This has been going on for seven or eight days. When I arrived, both sides had already brought out weapons and were fighting in the street. Master Shen said he wouldn’t intervene in anything and told us to come to Hangzhou to find you lords…”
Phew.
The men listened, somewhat stunned. They all felt that the situation was likely in complete disarray, and within this chaos, extremely dangerous signs lurked. Anyone who got even a little involved would find themselves in endless trouble. After all, transgressing ritual norms was a capital offense. Even if Zhu Mo were implicated, the outcome wouldn’t likely be good. Furthermore, any sensible person could see that the current situation was delicate, and the sudden emergence of such an event could only mean someone was stirring up trouble.
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Among the three, Yin Shidan was nominally the overall leader, with Zhao Zhenji second. Zhao Zhenji had encountered the Yan family’s tactics many times and felt a chill of fear at the thought. He said,
“Zi Xuan, I think this matter is highly suspicious. Perhaps we should ask the Governor-General’s office to intervene? Also, since this was exposed by a Censor, shouldn’t we inform the Embroidered Uniform Guard?”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Mo felt like laughing. Zhao Zhenji, true to his reputation for cunning, immediately pushed the responsibility onto Tan Lun. As Governor-General, Tan Lun was indeed responsible for the overall situation, especially managing chaos.
He wasn’t worried about Zhao Zhenji, who was a follower of Xu Jie. His approach was one of cautious survival, unlikely to cause any significant trouble. His concern was for Yin Shidan.
Having interacted with Yin Shidan recently, Zhu Mo found him to be quite strategic, even a formidable figure, particularly in his hidden depths. While he appeared carefree and detached in his daily life, he was actually incredibly shrewd.
Moreover, based on the runner’s account, the situation didn’t seem to be instigated by the Yan family. Shen Chun, in particular, seemed somewhat clueless and perhaps even fearful, leading to the sudden loss of control. If the Yan family were behind it, Shen Chun would either hide or act arrogantly. This time, however, Shen Chun seemed genuinely bewildered.
He paced a few steps, scrutinizing the runner for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
“Report truthfully, what exactly were the rumors? If they say I ordered people to burn, are they saying that I, Zhu, wish to claim the throne?”
The runner looked at Zhu Mo, his expression contorted, as if finding this person incredibly nonchalant. This was a matter that could lead to the extermination of one’s entire clan, yet he was so carefree. He paused for a moment before hastily replying,
“What they said was terrifying. They claimed Scholar Zhu colluded with foreigners to claim the title of King of Chu, and then lead a naval expedition north… They also mentioned some prophecy, something like ‘When the White King’s lineage continues, the Prince of Yan will fly high; swallowing the sky with one mouth, water turns red and earth black’…”
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Damn it!
How could this sound so profound?
Yin Shidan and Zhao Zhenji exchanged glances.
It should be known that both of them were highly educated scholars, and they were certainly not unaware of “Mo Zhu Yan” (莫逐燕). In fact, after Emperor Jianwen ascended the throne, “Mo Zhu Yan” became a potent prophecy, referring to Prince of Yan, Zhu Di. The origin of this prophecy was unknown, but it implied that if enfeoffments were reduced, the imperial throne would be overturned.
At this thought,
Both lowered their heads, feigning ignorance.
Zhu Mo, however, smiled. Having read so many online novels, how could he not know “Mo Zhu Yan”? Once this phrase was revealed, the entire prophecy became clear—
“When the White King’s lineage continues” referred to the Imperial Grandson; “The Prince of Yan will fly high” meant the Imperial Grandson’s reign would be lost. The next line, “swallowing the sky with one mouth,” clearly referred to the character “Wu” (吴), implying someone would claim the title of King of Wu. Following the path of the Ming Taizu, claiming the title of King of Wu would naturally lead to claiming the throne.
As for the final line, without the runner’s prompting, Zhu Mo might have struggled to guess it. But with the protagonist already identified, the meaning became obvious—
Water turning red (水赤) meant bloodshed; and earth turning black (土黑) referred to the character “Mo” (墨)!
Of course, water could also be the character “Zi” (子), and black could be “Xuan” (玄)…
Thus,
This prophecy was crafted with considerable thought, clearly targeting him. What was even more critical was that the first two lines implicated the Imperial Grandson and Emperor Jianwen, making it even more troublesome. It implied that he, Zhu Mo, was avenging Emperor Jianwen!
Thinking of this, Zhu Mo felt a headache coming on. He paced a few steps, subtly observing the expressions of Yin Shidan and Zhao Zhenji, realizing they were both gloating.
Who created this prophecy?
Recalling the previous prophecy, “Eight oxen die together, then collect money,” the Yan family was the prime suspect. Only the Yan family would dare to create such a treasonous prophecy; others would not dare.
But why did this prophecy drag Emperor Jianwen into it? Had the Yan family changed their stance? Did they really no longer support Prince Yu?
It should be known that
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After Zhu Mo returned from Yunnan and Guizhou, he had a deep discussion with Mu Chaobi. How could he not know that these meritorious officials of Jianwen supported Prince Yu? Moreover, the reason he had temporarily stepped back was precisely because of the overwhelming combined power of Prince Yu, Yan Song, and the Jianwen loyalists. This prophecy, by bringing up the Jianwen loyalists, raised the question of its true intent.
He pondered for a while, feeling that he still needed to go and investigate. After all, those “Qi Nu” were fighting for him, so how could he let them down? Furthermore, Jingdezhen had long been a place where major events were expected. Now that a major event had occurred, he felt a strange sense of peace.
He immediately bid farewell to the two and returned to the Northern Training Ground.
After Zhu Mo left,
Yin Shidan’s expression also turned grim. He understood the situation clearly.
It should be known that he had recently received a secret letter from Prince Yu, instructing him to find an opening in Jiangnan to stir up some trouble, to pit the Yan family and Zhu Mo against each other, preferably to the point where neither side could back down. For some time, he had secretly contacted Prince Yi in Nanchang, asking him to recruit some men to cause trouble in Jingdezhen and instigate conflict between Zhu Mo and the Yan family.
Therefore, when he first heard about the incident in Jingdezhen, he knew it was Prince Yi’s men who had acted. However, as he listened to the latter half, he became increasingly alarmed—
This was different from his original plan!
Why had a prophecy suddenly surfaced?
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That old Prince Yi had never mentioned this part before!
It should be known that
Having served in Prince Yu’s household for many years, and then in the Privy Council for the past six months, Yin Shidan, though nominally without the title of Grand Scholar, was a de facto chancellor. Prince Yu had confided in him many times, even entrusting him with planning such a significant event. Therefore, how could he not know that the Jianwen loyalists were Prince Yu’s foundation? And with this prophecy bringing up Jianwen, it was clear that the creator of the prophecy was targeting not only Zhu Mo but also Prince Yu.
Then who else could it be?
It could only be the Yan family!
The Crown Prince initiated the move, but halfway through, the Yan family forcefully intervened!
Things were becoming increasingly complicated!
Did the elder Yan Song no longer want to play, and was directly flipping the table?
But if the Yan family acted like this, did they genuinely intend to ascend themselves? That was simply impossible!
This matter,
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Yin Shidan took a few sips of tea, constantly pondering about one person: Prince Jing.
Perhaps,
The rumor that Prince Jing was harmed by Yan Shifan had a different hidden story?
At this thought,
He felt the autumn chill of Jiangnan envelop him and couldn’t help but shiver.
Zhao Zhenji was also contemplating, feeling that Grand Secretary Xu was the most stable. To survive in the Great Ming, one had to be both steady and discreet, otherwise, in a situation like today’s, once involved, it was practically impossible to survive.
Yin Shidan glanced around, then leisurely sipped his tea and said calmly,
“Meng Jing, this is a matter of great importance. Should we go to the Governor-General’s office?”
Zhao Zhenji thought for a moment and replied,
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“Since the matter has arisen, it must naturally be reported to the Governor-General. Furthermore, internal troubles invite external threats. News from the Ministry of War indicates that the Tumen have shown signs of movement… Although the suppression of pirates in Jiangnan is no longer a major concern, there are still many pirates and bandits, and the situation in Japan is also unstable. Coastal defense cannot be neglected…”
Mm-hmm,
The two understood each other implicitly and went to the Governor-General’s office together. The more serious they made the matter sound, the greater the Governor-General’s responsibility. How could they not know this?