Prince Yu was extremely embarrassed. Just as he was about to fly into a rage, his consort said again:
"Your Highness, you never consider me... Zhu Mo, Zhu Mo, I've heard this name so much my ears are calloused! I'm just curious, how is it that only Zhu Mo is left in the Great Ming? Without this person, the Great Ming will stop functioning? Your Highness, is it true that to protect him, you're standing against everyone in the world? Standing with those commoners? How can Your Highness then ascend to the throne? *Sob sob sob*..."
Prince Yu carefully observed Lady Li, feeling she was genuinely sincere. Hearing her cry, he became flustered. Her words stirred up a long-suppressed poison within him, which suddenly fermented anew—
That's right,
Am I to stand against everyone in the world for him?
Standing with all the common people, how can I govern the realm?
Perhaps her words have merit?
He habitually looked at Xu Jie and then at Li Chunfang. The two old men, however, remained expressionless.
Prince Yu couldn't help but be surprised—
What's happening today? Xu Jie has been here for quite some time, yet he hasn't said a word?
He didn't realize,
What kind of man was Xu Jie? His thoughts were not something Prince Yu could guess. To these experienced officials, the abolition of the reforms was a foregone conclusion. The matter of whether to kill Zhu Mo was the current focus.
On the way, Xu Jie had subtly tested Li Chunfang, saying, "Tearing him limb from limb is simply inhumane," but Li Chunfang remained silent, only smiling. This indicated that Li Chunfang also intended to get rid of Zhu Mo.
This was easy to understand.
Imagine,
Such a young brat is playing everyone for fools. If this continues, where will there be any remaining prestige for those below? If nothing happened to him, it would be fine. But now that something has happened, shouldn't he just go back to where he came from? Li Chunfang's smile indicated this stance.
He, Xu Jie, knew this very well—
The Emperor would not kill him; he would definitely protect him. But at this point, siding with the Emperor to protect this scoundrel was meaningless, as the reforms were completely impossible to implement... Even if Zhu Mo emerged unscathed, he would have no future in the court. Protecting him now would only be taking the blame for him...
However, there was still something that troubled him greatly—
As a Grand Tutor, how could he not understand the Emperor's intentions? If the two of them stepped forward to condemn Zhu Mo, the Emperor would surely be displeased. But if they stepped forward to protect Zhu Mo, they would undoubtedly forfeit their lifelong ambitions. Therefore, the two of them remained silent, waiting to see Prince Yu's choice.
If Prince Yu also chose to protect Zhu Mo, it would be very troublesome. The Emperor would then attribute this action to them, and they wouldn't dare to argue. All the officials and scholars in the empire would hate them, and they would lose the opportunity to become the Grand Tutor. If Prince Yu chose to condemn Zhu Mo at this moment, that would be the best outcome...
Fortunately,
Upon entering the Prince's mansion today, they saw Prince Yu's consort earnestly persuading Prince Yu. Both of them were overjoyed but pretended to be distressed.
At this very moment,
When Lady Li spoke these words, Xu Jie and Li Chunfang exchanged a secret glance, almost bursting into laughter—
It would be best if Prince Yu condemned Zhu Mo!
The Emperor would believe that the two old men couldn't persuade him, and it was Lady Li's influence that was at play. In this way, they wouldn't be suspected by the Emperor, and Zhu Mo would be completely finished. This matter was perfect for the two foolish couple to handle, and the Emperor would be helpless...
At this moment,
Prince Yu coughed and said, "Grand Tutor Xu, Master Li, what do you think should be done?"
Li Chunfang secretly thought it was bad and was about to find an excuse to pass the buck. Unexpectedly, Xu Jie was even more cunning. He feigned displeasure and glared at Prince Yu's consort, Lady Li.
Li Chunfang thought to himself: What's wrong with old Xu? Why is he provoking trouble? This woman is not to be trifled with... Could it be a stratagem of provocation?
Before he could react, Lady Li indeed exploded in anger. She glared fiercely at Xu Jie and said to Prince Yu:
"Your Highness! What is there to ask? You are the Crown Prince. Now that everyone in the empire is condemning Zhu Mo, and you are the future Emperor, even if you have a kind heart and don't kill him, you absolutely cannot let that Zhu Mo stir up trouble again! If he continues to cause trouble, how can you win the people's hearts?
Your Highness, aren't Grand Tutor Xu and the others of the same opinion? I have already thought of it. Your Highness will succeed to the throne in the future, and now is the best opportunity to win the people's hearts. If Your Highness takes the initiative to abolish the reforms, all the scholars and gentry in the empire will support Your Highness."
Prince Yu had always feared Jiajing. He hesitated several times but dared not make a decision, stammering:
"But, but the Emperor has always been decisive..."
Lady Li, having just been glared at by Xu Jie, thought Xu Jie wanted to protect Zhu Mo and have Prince Yu comply with the Emperor. The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became, saying, "Your Highness, this is a moment to protect the empire. Even if you kneel continuously at the Yuxi Palace, the Emperor will not blame you!"
After speaking, she secretly glanced at Xu Jie and Li Chunfang. Seeing that they still hadn't responded, she felt relieved and said, "Your Highness, I believe we should go now, the sooner the better!"
Prince Yu paced back and forth. Looking at Xu Jie and Li Chunfang still remaining silent, he assumed they had also tacitly agreed. Thus, he made up his mind:
"Alright! For the sake of the empire's safety, I must also earnestly persuade the Emperor... I will not kill Zhu Mo, but this person must never appear in the imperial court again!"
Only then did Lady Li become happy and glare fiercely at Xu Jie again.
...
That night,
Yuxi Palace.
Lü Fang tried to persuade Prince Yu from outside the door: "Your Highness, please go back. His Majesty's residence is for cultivation..."
When Prince Yu arrived, Lady Li had already instructed him: do not say a word, the Emperor will understand everything...
Therefore,
Prince Yu wanted to speak several times but forcefully restrained himself.
Seeing that he was kneeling with great difficulty, Lü Fang went into the hall and retrieved a cushion, saying, "Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince. You cannot harm yourself no matter what... Please use this cushion..."
Prince Yu had never endured such hardship. His knees were already in excruciating pain, but gritting his teeth, he only shifted his position slightly, remaining motionless.
Lü Fang sighed and returned to the hall with the cushion.
He put on his reading glasses and read Sun Ying'ao's "Letter to Scholar Zhu on Reforms" three more times. Then, he took out the "Memorial on Teaching a Thousand People" that had been suppressed for some time from his desk. Comparing the two and reading for a while longer, a heavy stone in his heart finally settled—
Yan Song's final chess piece had finally been played. This unprecedented and bizarre turmoil should now come to an end...
But it's so unfair, so unfair. Wasn't that child Zhu Mo trying to find a way out for the Great Ming? The situation was clear. Without uplifting the common people a little, there was truly no other way... Was that wrong? It wasn't wrong at all, but the world, it just doesn't tolerate it...
A few days ago,
They had naturally seen the "Memorial on Teaching a Thousand People." Lü Fang was so happy that he almost shouted out loud. But Jiajing was truly calm; he didn't even look at it and suppressed it on his desk for more than ten days.
At this moment,
Lü Fang felt that the time was almost right. Holding the two documents, he quietly approached the Bagua platform and said in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, regarding the previous Memorial on Teaching a Thousand People, Your Majesty has not yet read it. Now there is another 'Letter to Scholar Zhu on Reforms'... Your servant feels that this turmoil should probably calm down now..."
Jiajing finally opened his eyes and said calmly:
"It's been several hours. Is Prince Yu still kneeling outside?"
Lü Fang sighed softly, "He is still kneeling. When asked, he says nothing..."
"Hmph!"
Jiajing closed his eyes again. After a while, he said, "What Scholar Zhu's book? What did it say?"