To investigate more people, someone would always be found to accuse, which meant they could go all out against those Khitan slaves. At worst, they could capture a batch of them and beat confessions out of them, as long as they could solidify the charge of Zhu Mo's rebellion.
Among those present, Gao Hanwen had never witnessed such a situation. Thinking of the loyalists of Jianwen being implicated, he couldn't help but ask:
"Young Senior Secretary, the prophecy of the White King's lineage and the soaring swallow clearly refers to the surviving officials of the Crown Prince's lineage, in plain terms, those like the Duke of Qian and Marquis of Yuexi. Does this mean they are also to be dealt with? If so, will the Crown Prince agree?"
Hahaha,
Everyone burst into laughter.
Yan Shifan sighed, walked over, stared at him for a while, then patted his shoulder and said:
"My dear Master Gao, Brother Mo Qing... they say you are a bookish scholar, and they tried to teach you to be ruthless, but it seems all their efforts were in vain... Alas... You must understand that words are spoken by people, and how can people be trapped by mere words? It is said that they are of the Crown Prince's lineage, and it is also said that Zhu Mo is the fifth-generation descendant of Jianwen – these are all just words! Who among the common people knows that the Duke of Qian belongs to the Crown Prince's lineage..."
Seeing Gao Hanwen utterly bewildered, he sighed again and said, "Old Yan, you tell him..."
Yan Maoqing smiled:
"Mo Qing, why don't you understand? Whoever we say belongs to the Jianwen lineage, they belong to the Jianwen lineage! This time, let's take this opportunity to strike down those troublesome meritorious officials! That would truly satisfy our wishes!"
Oh...
So that's how it is,
Gao Hanwen finally understood—
Indeed,
As long as the matter escalated into a major rebellion case, with the Bureau of Military Affairs leading the charge, the Crown Prince personally overseeing it, and the Young Senior Secretary holding the position of Right Minister, anyone with even the slightest connection to Zhu Mo could be implicated. Speaking broadly, if a great purge were to occur, implicating hundreds, that would be a mere trifle...
Hoo~
He sighed and murmured, "Your subordinate understands... Zhu Mo also made overtures to several vassal kings last year when he submitted his reform proposals, and he has connections with a few in Datong... It seems these individuals are also of the Jianwen lineage..."
Mm-hmm,
Several people nodded in unison.
Luo Longwen, however, chuckled again:
"Mo Qing, the investigation of this rebellion case will be quite an art. By using the charge of rebellion, anything can be unearthed. Once something concrete is found, it can be leveraged. A vassal king is connected to many officials, and high-ranking officials are connected to lower-ranking ones. Investigating one vassal king will bring in people and money; it's a profitable business... I reckon, after this round of major cases is concluded, our strength will be several times greater than before..."
Hiss!
Gao Hanwen was now truly terrified. No wonder the Yan family could dominate the court in just twenty years. This was how it was done. Investigating a case would uncover many leverage points, thus increasing their influence...
While Gao Hanwen was still in a daze, Yan Shifan, Luo Longwen, and Yan Maoqing conferred in low voices for a while, generally outlining their strategy.
...
The Kyoto Residence of the Duke of Qian.
Night fell.
When Prince Yu entered, Mu Chaobi, Wu Jiju, Zhang Rong, Zhang Er, Yin Tai, and others had already been waiting for some time. With the current grave situation, everyone had discussed it and felt that the Yan family was still too formidable. This was an unfavorable start, and they didn't know how furious the Crown Prince would be when he arrived.
But to their surprise, Prince Yu's expression was somewhat somber, yet as soon as he sat down, he smiled and said:
"Elder Chen is truly an old scholar. This King had to beg and pester him before finally persuading him... Guess what he said?"
Prince Yu seemed to be in good spirits, paused to take a sip of tea, and then said:
"He said that the Yan family's intentions are now as obvious as Sima Zhao's to everyone... Haha..."
Prince Yu chuckled a few times, and the others could only respond with awkward laughter.
"Yes..."
He mused for a moment, and his smile gradually faded from his face. He said slowly, "This King has also realized it. Ever since Zhang Yu went to Jiangnan, this King saw that the Yan family's ambitions were not small... The rumors were true, this Old Yan Song is truly a Sima... But now, this King can only agree to him first..."
Upon hearing this,
Several people felt ashamed.
Mu Chaobi, who was inherently competitive and considered highly talented among them, immediately said:
"Your Highness, we are incompetent... causing Your Highness to be coerced by treacherous officials... We deserve death!"
Thump, thump,
Several people all knelt down.
Prince Yu helped Mu Chaobi up and said:
"All of you, get up. Who could have predicted this? Isn't it like this in battle? Is any path smooth? Going forward, everyone should put in more effort..."
The atmosphere froze for a moment. The group thought of the Jingde Town incident, and at least there was a turning point. Since Yan Shifan had taken the position of Yin Shidan, all the officials in the empire knew that the Yan family had made a comeback. With the Yan family's prestige, the alliance between the two families this time, dealing with Zhu Mo first, was the correct course of action.
Therefore,
Mu Chaobi said:
"Your Highness, although Yan Shifan has risen, every disadvantage has its advantage... I believe it is beneficial to have the Yan family in the front; we will also have room to maneuver... Moreover, the Yan family has great prestige. When Yan Shifan sends a secret letter, Ma Sen will also exert himself... Let's have Tan Lun keep an eye on things, and first bring Zhu Mo down, that is the right way!"
Mm-hmm,
Everyone agreed, as Prince Yu was the sole descendant of the current Emperor's legitimate line, and Prince Jing was already mad. As long as Zhu Mo was discredited, the throne would most likely be within their grasp.
Prince Yu nodded and said:
"My dear ministers, what do you think will happen next? How will Yan Shifan deal with Zhu Mo? Will he not exert himself?"
Zhang Rong, being older, said gravely:
"This old minister believes he will exert himself, but we must also be cautious... lest Yan Song bites back and tarnishes Your Highness's sacred name as well..."
Hiss!
Several people immediately looked solemn.
Among those present, Zhang Er was perhaps the most cunning. Having been the second-in-command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard his entire life, he had seen too many storms and was genuinely afraid of Yan Song's capabilities. He immediately said:
"Duke of England is right... That Yan Song is extremely treacherous... Your humble servant thinks that since his family set their sights on Prince Jing so early, we must still keep a contingency plan. What if Prince Jing's madness is cured? Or if Yan Song has other trump cards... Therefore, your humble servant believes that when things are almost done, we should sever our ties..."
Sever our ties?
Everyone understood: it meant eliminating Prince Yi and the few individuals who handled the affairs... Otherwise, the evidence might still be in Yan Shifan's hands, and they could be coerced again...
Mu Chaobi pondered for a moment and also said:
"Hmm, that makes sense... So, having just an imperial censor below is not enough; a capable person must also be sent... We must try to push the matter towards Zhu Mo, while also severing our ties..."
He paced a few steps and then looked at Zhang Er and said:
"Second Master, in your opinion, at what stage of the investigation should we retreat?"
Prince Yu was most concerned about this question and looked at Zhang Er.
Zhang Er let out a long sigh and said:
"According to the Emperor's temperament, it would not be permissible to kill Zhu Mo... After all, Zhu Mo has some connection to the royal family, and the Emperor would not have him perish while asking him to enact reforms... Therefore, I believe that the case must always leave some room for maneuver. It is best to create some bloodshed, making it impossible for the Emperor to use this person any further... Also, the charge of rebellion cannot be fully substantiated, but it cannot be entirely baseless either; there must be some hint of it..."
He lowered his head and paced for a while, then blurted out:
"Your Highness, Imperial Censor Lin Run reported that those Khitan slaves in Jingde Town also formed military units. Let's plant some weapons on them, along with some confessions and prophecies, saying that the Khitan leader proclaimed himself the Grand Marshal of the World's Armies and then enthroned Zhu Mo as the King of Wu... In this way, Zhu Mo would be implicated, with those people asking him to become the Emperor, while he himself is in a state of whether he can or cannot accept, and the final decision will be left to the Emperor's sacred judgment..."
Good!
Wonderful!
Several people immediately applauded.
Prince Yu pondered for a while and said:
"This is excellent. In this way, even if the Emperor can save his life, he will not be able to use him again..."
He paced a few steps and then said:
"Who should be sent? Tan Lun was originally very suitable, but he is the Governor-General, and Ma Sen would not exert himself... This is a dilemma. Fan Yingqi also needs to support Elder Chen in the Bureau of Military Affairs..."
Zhang Rong, however, said:
"Your Highness, this matter is of utmost importance. This old minister believes that Master Fan should be the one to go to maintain order, and Elder Chen, being renowned throughout the empire, will make even Yan Shifan dare not act presumptuously..."