He met Zhu Qi and Xiao Xiaosheng again.
All three felt a profound emotion, believing that the time that had passed was the longest of their lives.
Zhu Mo did not blame them; after all, who in this world was not bound by circumstances? Eating the food of Chaotian Temple, they had to abide by its rules.
The two actually had unspeakable grievances. It wasn't that they didn't want to help Zhu Mo, but being in the imperial palace, and with Eunuch Lu having given instructions, they simply could not get away. Especially Xiao Xiaosheng, who had repeatedly spoken to the immortal Lan, but to no avail.
At this moment,
Seeing that the storm had passed and Zhu Mo, though still somewhat haggard, was more spirited, the two were naturally overjoyed.
Xiao Xiaosheng, being the most uninhibited, laughed, "Young Master Zhu, I heard He Xinyin visited? Why didn't you introduce us? I, Ding Chun, don't envy others, but I greatly admire him!"
Zhu Qi also added, "He's a good person. If he visits again, Young Master, you must let me meet him!"
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Zhu Mo nodded, patted Zhu Qi's shoulder, and said with a smile:
"Old Qi, you must do me a favor this time. Originally, I could formally ask the Directorate of Ceremonial through the Cabinet, but that would be too troublesome. It's the same as before, you can ask someone to investigate for me. Those Wei Liangbi, Sun Ying'ao, and the academy heads of Jiangyou, Jiangnan, Huainan, and Nan Zhili regions... what is their relationship with Yan Shifan? I want some solid evidence..."
Zhu Qi smiled when he heard this. In fact, Lü Fang had already asked him to investigate once, and he had a general idea. Furthermore, Gao Gong had also sent people to investigate, and the reports had been submitted to the Directorate of Ceremonial, which he had also seen. Investigating again now would naturally be twice as effective with half the effort. He immediately smiled and said:
"Young Master Zhu, to tell you the truth, Gao Gong is a sly fox. He sent people to investigate once long ago and secretly held leverage over Yan Shifan and the others. Everything was submitted to the Directorate of Ceremonial, haha... I remember it was a few capital officials of the fourth or fifth rank, six or seven academy heads. The contact was Yan Maoqing, and there was someone named Wei Liangbi, who received money directly from Yan Shifan..."
Oh,
Zhu Mo pondered: So, this can be made even bigger? I am now a Grand Scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion and concurrently the supervisor of academic cases. If I don't arrest forty or fifty people, I'll be letting down this title...
"Old Qi, then that's settled. You help investigate, and then hand over the original evidence to Vice Minister Xu of the Ministry of Justice for him to handle... In short, as long as you find or inquire about something, hand it over to Vice Minister Xu! Uh..."
At this moment,
He suddenly thought of something. Seeing that no one was around, he leaned closer to Zhu Qi and whispered, "Old Qi, find me some capable individuals. I'm worried Vice Minister Xu won't be able to interrogate them..."
Zhu Qi immediately understood and nodded:
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"Don't worry, I have a friend from the Directorate of Ceremonial named Zhang Dashou. No matter the case, there's none he can't solve... Heh heh, under him, even an iron man will confess..."
Zhu Mo suddenly had an impression. He recalled that this person seemed to be a genius criminal investigator, as mentioned by someone on Zhihu. With this person now, he wouldn't be afraid of them not confessing, and they might be able to catch them all in one go.
"Good! With him, I can rest assured... Old Qi, and Old Ding, how have you two been lately?"
After discussing official matters, his mood turned emotional again. Looking at Xiao Xiaosheng's sincere expression, and thinking of those top Confucian scholars who were beasts in human guise, he felt that, by comparison, scholars like Xiao Xiaosheng were the most genuine. They said what they meant and never concealed anything, truly a great writer of his generation.
The two smiled at each other and took Zhu Mo to a restaurant, where they talked for half a day.
...
Returning to Wenyuan Pavilion,
He remembered that after the case was concluded, he would have to go to Jiangnan, so he couldn't waste time. He immediately wrote a letter to Zhang Juzheng.
This time, Zhang Juzheng had provided critical assistance, saving him many detours. He deeply felt that although they had serious differences, their fundamental agreement on reform was largely consistent, especially in their desire for change and good governance, which were almost identical. This, undoubtedly, was the best situation.
After careful consideration, he wrote:
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"My dear brother Taiyue:
Having weathered all the tribulations, it feels like a lifetime has passed, yet my virtuous brother has already laid out all matters, as if with divine assistance. I am deeply grateful and increasingly aware of your heart for change and governance, as unyielding as a Vajra.
Regarding the matters in Jiangnan, I personally believe that academic cases should take precedence. Therefore, I have invited He Xinyin and Yan Shanong to preside over Chongzheng and Wansong Academies, hoping to attract more talented individuals and swiftly change the prevailing atmosphere. This is the grand strategy for the second wave of reform. And the crux of the matter, I believe, lies in abolishing the covenant servitude. This is a matter of unifying the slave revolts in Jiangnan and the Yangming academic cases.
As the supervisor of academic cases, I intend to prosecute the crimes of Dong Fen, Guo Pu, and Yuan Wei, and sever Yan Shifan's wings, thereby deterring the gentry in Jiangnan who are prone to opportunism. Secondly, I will investigate a hundred academy heads as a warning. When the case is concluded, I will personally go to Jiangnan to discuss the grand plans for reform with you. Zhu Mo."
This letter's main purpose was to inform him that a significant crackdown would occur in the capital. If he had any matters he couldn't push forward, he could use this momentum to do so. Secondly, it was to remind him that when he arrived in Jiangnan, he would begin to abolish contractual servitude, which would be another tough battle.
...
On this day,
The weather grew increasingly cold.
In Yuxi Palace, Zhu Qi had finished his report and left.
Jiajing washed his face with the icy water from Yuquan Mountain and felt refreshed. He leisurely said, "Lü Fang, do you know what Zhu Mo is planning?"
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Lü Fang was tidying up and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this servant believes he is planning something big... Zhu Qi also just said that Zhu Mo asked him for people, specifically Zhang Dashou from the Imperial Prison, to investigate those academy heads and Yan Shifan..."
Humph,
Jiajing sneered, "It's probably more than that. For these people, is an internal official needed?"
Lü Fang was genuinely puzzled this time and asked, "Then this servant doesn't know..."
Jiajing paced to the palace gate, gazing at the snow that was flying again, and sighed, "He is trying to awe the world... We shall just watch..."
"This servant feels that these people are truly detestable, and it is only right for Zhu Mo to discipline them... If it were Your Majesty's temperament, it would be more satisfying with a court beating..."
Lü Fang recalled the situation from some time ago, the feeling of being roasted by fire was truly unpleasant, so he spoke with some indignation.
Jiajing also sighed, "It was excessive... It's unavoidable to give them a good beating..."
Lü Fang also thought of Dong Fen at this moment and said, "That Dong Fen, he should be one of them, right? And Guo Pu, Gao Gong's fellow townsman, I can't recall anyone else..."
Jiajing did not respond but said, "While he is making a big move, we cannot stand idly by. We need to replace a few people in Nanjing as well... Lü Fang, draft an imperial decree. The Minister of War in Nanjing, Jiangdong, should also cease his duties and go home... Tell Prince Yu to try and retain him..."
"This servant understands."
Lü Fang understood perfectly: this person was very capable, but when he was in Jizhou, he was too close to Yang Bo and others. After returning to the capital, he served as the Minister of Revenue for a while and then went to Nanjing. His relationship with Gao Gong was somewhat unclear... Most importantly, the situation in Nanjing had been very fierce this time. The Emperor did not want to leave any future troubles and would rather kill the wrong person than let one go. This also showed his strongest support for Zhu Mo to the officials.
Imagine, the officials are all old hands, and they will immediately understand that the Emperor is speaking indirectly. Even the capable minister Jiangdong, who was only slightly associated, has been dismissed. How can others be any better? And he knew well that this move was meant to add strength, to be executed only when the time was right, and to achieve a decisive blow of disintegration.
As he was drafting the imperial decree, there was a sudden announcement from outside the palace—
Wu Feng has returned!
Both of them were stunned for a moment. Lü Fang saw Wu Feng's expression and knew that things were not going smoothly. He immediately pulled Wu Feng down to kneel.
Requesting all sorts of votes, requesting collection and follow-up readings, I bow in thanks!