Jiajing did not answer, but suddenly said with a somber tone:
"Lu Fang, they are forcing my hand… Immediately send someone to Xuanfu to summon that protégé of Gao Gong, the one named Wu Du, to the capital. Promote him to Assistant Minister of War and have him manage the Imperial Guards alongside Li Tingzhu. You yourself should collect the seal for the Nine Gates and keep it. Tell Ge Jing to retire to his home…"
"Your slave understands."
As Lu Fang replied, his heart pounded with fear – kuAiδugg
These two positions controlled the safety of the entire capital. The Imperial Guards numbered hundreds of thousands, and the Nine Gates had six to seven thousand. Now, Li Tingzhu, a descendant of Li Wenzhong, managed the Imperial Guards, and the Emperor, still uneasy, sent Wu Du to assist. The Nine Gates were previously managed by the old eunuch Ge Jing, and everything had been peaceful. Now, he was being told to take it. This meant the Emperor truly believed Yan Song would rebel!
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He sighed deeply and said, "Your slave cannot understand, what is all this commotion about? How did it come to this?"
Jiajing said leisurely, "Just wait and see, they will make their move in these coming days… By then, you will understand who is truly superior, Yan Song or Yang Tinghe?"
"And Xu Jie? Does he know nothing at all?"
Lu Fang couldn't help but murmur.
Jiajing snorted, "Xu Jie understands everything. This man, precisely because he understands too much, is now being roasted by Yan Song on the fire…"
Lu Fang recalled, feeling that Xu Jie was not at fault, and said, "But your slave feels that Xu Jie is not at fault… Why does Yan Song hate him so much?"
Jiajing scoffed, "Not at fault? This man craves fame and position… In the previous case involving Gao Gong, Yan Song was temporarily sidelined, Dong Fen, Yuan Wei, and Guo Pu all fell. How could he not hate him? This man is too cunning, which has led him to trap himself…"
Lu Fang had always known that this Emperor was capable at critical moments, and his heart was no longer flustered. As he went to the Xiyuan office, he couldn't help but recall Jiajing's words, "This Wu Du might be of great use in the future." Now, having this man assist in managing the Imperial Guards, wouldn't he be immensely grateful? This was truly a masterstroke among masterstrokes, and he couldn't help but feel awe.
…
Two days later,
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In the afternoon, the Grand Secretariat.
Gone was the usual quiet. The hall was now filled with people. The clamor could almost be heard throughout the entire Forbidden City.
The total number of Ming dynasty officials in the capital exceeded twelve hundred. If auxiliary staff were included, the number reached twelve thousand, a truly massive contingent. Li Chunfang watched from afar, feeling that over two thousand people had arrived today, with at least five hundred wearing official attire of the first rank. This formation was unlike anything he had ever witnessed.
Forty years ago, Yang Tinghe had led about three to four hundred capital officials in a demonstration. At that time, Li Chunfang was less than thirty years old and had been among the crowd watching the spectacle. Today's situation far surpassed that, indicating that Yan Song and his son were indeed more formidable than Yang Tinghe and his son.
These capital officials gathered together, no different from ordinary citizens. They formed small groups, either laughing heartily or whispering amongst themselves. Standing in the small clearing in front of the Grand Secretariat, the person speaking passionately was the currently popular Censor, Wu Shi.
This time was slightly different. Yan Song and his son did not appear, and Wu Shi still led the charge. Since he was only a fifth-rank official, he could not be accused of inciting rebellion, nor could Yan Song and his son be implicated as instigators. After all, this was a display of righteous indignation; the capital officials were concerned about the nation's downfall, so how could they be wrong?
Therefore,
The brilliance of this move lay in the fact that the leaders were all hidden behind the scenes, with only such a minor official showing his face.
At this moment,
Everyone in the Grand Secretariat had fled. Over thirty subordinate officials and clerks also stood outside, joining the commotion. In the empty Grand Secretariat, only Xu Jie remained.
He sighed and looked at the crowd outside, a chaotic mess of noise. Considering the precarious situation, he felt a surge of anger and muttered, "Li Chunfang, Li Chunfang, I respected you, yet you've scurried away at this critical juncture!"
Just as he was at a loss,
The capital officials outside, seeing that the time had come, were urged on by Wu Shi's loud call: "Fellow colleagues, my memorial has been read. If you all feel it is sufficient, shall we present it to Grand Secretary Xu?"
"Present it! Present it!"
"What are we waiting for!"
"Grand Secretary Xu is the acting Grand Secretary, so he is naturally in charge!"
"The Great Ming Dynasty is on the verge of collapse, how can we afford to be so cautious? Even if Xu Jie cowers, he cannot do so this time!"
"Indeed! What has happened to the Great Ming? The Grand Secretariat must provide an explanation to the world!"
"…"
Amidst the general uproar, Li Chunfang let out a cold sneer: These people, just moments ago, were discussing trivial matters, and now, they all claim to be concerned for the nation and its people…
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Wu Shi, having been instructed by Yan Shifan and fully aware of their advantageous position with no room for error, immediately shouted, "Excellent! I will present it to the Grand Secretariat!"
He leaped down from the platform and strode into the Grand Secretariat. Despite knowing only Xu Jie was inside, he still called out loudly, "Censor Wu Shi has a memorial to present!"
Xu Jie sat in his armchair, his eyes closed as if in meditation, feigning ignorance. Wu Shi called out twice more, but Xu Jie still did not open his eyes. He had no choice but to respectfully place the memorial on Xu Jie's desk and turn to leave.
The capital officials, who were completely surrounding the scene, witnessed this entire drama. Many shouted out—
"Xu Jie! Stop pretending to sleep!"
"The Great Ming is collapsing! You are the Grand Secretary, why are you playing dumb!"
"Xu Jie, come out and answer the questions of the officials!"
"We request Grand Secretary Xu to respond to the officials!"
"Xu Jie! What the hell are you pretending for!"
"You were quite imposing usually! Now at the critical moment, you feign ignorance!"
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"…"
When people gather in large numbers, their words tend to become increasingly outrageous.
This was precisely the case now.
The capital officials became more explicit in their accusations, and many resorted to foul language.
Xu Jie, whose nature was always to be discreet, was now displaying the epitome of his discretion. Hundreds of people were making a commotion outside, but he remained motionless.
Li Chunfang, watching from afar, couldn't help but admire the man's composure.
…
After half an hour of commotion from the capital officials, seeing that Xu Jie still hadn't moved.
Many became impatient. Some shouted, "If Grand Secretary Xu ignores us, we will go to the palace! We'll explain to the Directorate of Ceremonial!"
"Exactly! It's not that we don't understand the rules, it's that Xu Jie is playing games!"
"Let's go!"
"To the palace!"
With a sudden rush!
The crowd, their curses shaking the heavens, actually surged towards the Xiyuan.
This,
Made Xu Jie jump.
He was the acting Grand Secretary. If the officials went to Xiyuan to petition, it would be a dereliction of duty by the Grand Secretariat. Moreover, the Emperor might even suspect him, Xu Jie, of instigating the trouble, and then he would be utterly finished.
He suddenly opened his eyes, sighed heavily, and finally staggered to his feet, muttering, "Why should I even want this position…"