ID Number—563743675
Yan Song, a man of his caliber, saw what Yan Shifan could not—
Had Zhu Mo and Mu Chaobi joined forces? Seeing no opportunity, Wang Cai had given up? Wang Daren was also aware of this, unwilling to get involved in the mess, hence his disappearance from the capital?
"You all, how can you be so careless? What exactly happened in Yunnan and Guizhou? Why haven't you investigated and found out? Quickly! Go ask them…"
Old Yan Song's tone turned unusually stern at this point.
Everyone present gasped.
Yan Shifan, being sharp, immediately slapped his forehead and blurted out:
"Ah! My brain! How could I not have thought of it? Zhu Mo has likely joined forces with Mu Chaobi! Wang Cai got scared and went into hiding, and Wang Daren, seeing Mu Chaobi had turned against us, decided not to cooperate anymore!"
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Everyone heartily agreed.
Yan Song continued, "Where is Zhu Mo? Is he in Hangzhou now? Or in the capital?"
Taodu Novel—Free, Ad-Free, Pop-up Free, and you can interact with fellow book lovers.
Zhang Jing interjected, "Reporting to the Grand Secretary, when I came from Hangzhou, I heard no mention of Zhu Mo's return…"
"Not returned…? It's been over a month now, hasn't it? Calculating the travel time, he should have arrived long ago… He came downstream along the Yangtze River, it's very fast… You all should inquire more, what has he been up to?"
Yan Song felt a sense of unease towards this young man, and with the Emperor's sudden decree, he remained worried.
Just then,
Yan Fu entered hastily and whispered, "Grand Secretary, Lord Dong Wei has arrived…"
Yan Song blurted out, "Quick! Quickly invite him in!"
He was puzzling over Zhu Mo's sudden disappearance, and upon hearing the arrival of the Governor-General of Chuanhu, he was naturally delighted but also greatly surprised.
Everyone else also felt something unusual was afoot. After all, Dong Wei was a high-ranking official from the provinces, and he wouldn't return without important matters. Moreover, the establishment of the Governor-General of Chuanhu was proposed by Yan Song himself, intended to oversee the pacification of the Miao people, wielding significant authority to mobilize the military affairs of Sichuan, Huguang, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces. With the pacification of the Miao not yet fully successful, how could he have returned?
Not long after,
A composed middle-aged scholar in his fifties entered and bowed deeply to Yan Song, saying,
Reader ID—563743675
"Your subordinate pays his respects to the Grand Secretary, the Junior Grand Secretary, and all present."
Many present had not met him before. Seeing his composed demeanor, he indeed possessed an aura of decisive command.
Yan Song had gathered many capable individuals over twenty years, and Dong Wei was among the elite. Observing him now, though bearing some signs of weathered experience, his spirit was intact. Thinking he must have something to report, Yan Song said,
"Jianqiu, there are no outsiders here, speak your mind…"
Yan Shifan gestured for him to sit beside Yan Song and said, "Brother Jianqiu, you've traveled such a long distance, was it that urgent? You could have simply had your subordinate report…"
Dong Wei respectfully replied, "Thank you, Junior Grand Secretary…"
Ahem, ahem.
He cleared his throat and said to Yan Song,
"Grand Secretary, your subordinate has been stationed in Jingzhou. Some time ago, since that Zhu Mo was in Yunnan and Guizhou, your subordinate dared not be negligent. After finishing his duties, he personally visited places like Anshun, Wusa, and Yuexi to gather reports on Zhu Mo's actions…
From what they described, your subordinate could see that Zhu Mo's trip to Yunnan and Guizhou was to investigate the smuggling of tribute goods, which involved our people, primarily Lord Liu Boyue, and your subordinate… These are ordinary matters. What surprised your subordinate was that in Yuexi, Yu Chaosheng personally told your subordinate that Zhu Mo had joined forces with Mu Chaobi!
This article. First published at Taodu Novel.App, free to download. Welcome to download the App to read for free.
Mu Chaobi had initially listened to Wang Daren and intended to impeach You Jujing first. But somehow, Zhu Mo got hold of his handle, and Wang Daren withdrew his support at the last minute. In Kunming Prefecture at the time, Mu Chaobi, seeing no other option, delayed the matter until Yongchang Prefecture. However, upon arriving in Yongchang Prefecture, he encountered the invading army of Mang Yinglong. Through these twists and turns, the matter remained unresolved. Later, Zhu Mo subdued Meng Shuo, Mang Yinglong's brother, in Wa City, and then in Yongchang Prefecture, they paid homage to Zhuge Kongming. That night, in the Qixian Temple where the Imperial Grandson had died, they spoke for an entire night… Yu Chaosheng said he couldn't do anything, but Duke Mu stated that he would lead the way in reform and abolish his own land deeds!"
He paused and shook his head,
"Grand Secretary, upon hearing this, your subordinate immediately rushed to the capital, thinking this matter had to be reported to you in person… As I traveled down the river, I heard another strange thing…"
At this point,
He was a little thirsty and took a large gulp from his teacup.
The others listened with bated breath!
What Dong Wei said was certainly true, as Dong Wei, the Governor-General of Chuanhu, directly managed the military affairs of Sichuan and Guizhou. Yu Chaosheng's ability to get a share of the profit from "yin chen mu" was precisely because of Dong Wei's support. When he personally inquired, Yu Chaosheng would not dare to lie.
Considering that Zhu Mo had walked into a trap, how could he have won over Mu Chaobi? This was simply outrageous! If Mu Chaobi didn't want to go through with it, fine, but to say that his Mu family would lead the reform? Wouldn't that turn everything upside down? Wouldn't the situation that Grand Secretary Yan had painstakingly stabilized collapse again?
Everyone shared the same thought, and as they pondered, they all turned their gaze towards Yan Song.
Yan Song waved his hand, signaling everyone to wait.
Taodu Novel—Free, Ad-Free, Pop-up Free, and you can interact with fellow book lovers.
After drinking the water, Dong Wei caught his breath and continued,
"When I disembarked in Jingzhou, I was informed that Zhu Mo had not returned to Hangzhou at all, but had been touring mountains and rivers with a scholar in his forties or fifties. He was in Jingzhou during those days… Your subordinate found it peculiar and questioned them carefully. The informant said that Zhu Mo was indeed indulging in ancient sites, spending his days with scholars, climbing mountains, and appreciating water… Grand Secretary, your subordinate believes this is unusual…"
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Very good, very good.
Yan Song was very pleased and said gently, "Jianqiu, you have worked hard on this trip… It's rare to find someone who understands the bigger picture… Alas, this matter is now clear… Cough, cough, cough…"
Yan Song had understood—
The Emperor's decree of regency was, after all, related to Zhu Mo!
That Zhu Mo had made a timely withdrawal!
And the reason for his timely withdrawal was likely related to Mu Chaobi, and to the deep discussion in that temple in Yongchang Prefecture…
He coughed a few times, not even wanting to take medicine, and asked,
563743675
"Jianqiu, what else did Yu Chaosheng say? In Yongchang Prefecture, in that temple, what did they discuss?"
As the words fell,
Everyone saw Yan Song's urgency and immediately realized—
That secret talk seemed to be very important!
Dong Wei nodded, thought for a moment, and then slowly recounted,
"Grand Secretary, your subordinate was also present then. On that day in Yuexi, after careful questioning… yes, Yu Chaosheng was also present…
They first discussed the principles of the Great Ancestor's founding of the nation. Zhu Mo said that the Great Ancestor established the nation based on the way of Yao and Shun, and that the reason the Great Ming was named Great Ming and not New Song, or Wu Dynasty, was to return the world to the era of Yao and Shun. He said that after the Mongol Yuan dynasty, the four cardinal virtues had fallen into chaos, and therefore the Great Ancestor had ruled with severe laws to return to the Chinese way. Hence, the Imperial Grandson was wrong, and Emperor Chengzu was right. He said he admired their commemoration of the Imperial Grandson, but it was meaningless…
Uh, Mu Chaobi was skeptical at the time. Zhu Mo then mentioned things like the Dengwen Drum and the Hua Biao Wood. Mu Chaobi still disagreed, so Zhu Mo spoke of the Great Ancestor abolishing the position of Prime Minister. At this point, Mu Chaobi began to waver. Yu Chaosheng said that he had also advised Mu Chaobi in the following days, but Mu Chaobi insisted that Zhu Mo's words were correct…"
He took a breath and steadied himself, then continued,
"Grand Secretary, Mu Chaobi said that night that he was willing to take the lead in abolishing the land tithes in Yunnan and Guizhou, and also suggested that Grand Secretary Zhang Yue send people to oversee it. Zhu Mo then left his attendant Li Zhi behind to plan and implement it…"
Hiss!
Huff!
As the words fell,
Everyone was somewhat bewildered—
These words,
Must be the contents of Zhu Mo's secret memorial to the Emperor!
The general meaning of what the world called the "Shuben" should be this.
Although Zhu Mo had written a "Great Way Memorial to Confucius," the meaning was not fully conveyed. Now it was completely clear.
Those present were all court officials of ten or twenty years, how could they not understand?
Abolishing the Prime Minister,
This was the most crucial point!
The reason the Emperor was making such a grand move was indeed to emulate the Great Ancestor… In this light, Yan Song, Xu Jie, and even Zhang Juzheng, were like Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang, destined to be eliminated sooner or later…
Yan Song listened intently, and after a long while, he murmured,
"No wonder, no wonder…"
Yan Shifan also understood. Thinking of Zhu Mo's disappearance again, he couldn't help but ask,
"But why has Zhu Mo disappeared again? Did the Emperor reject his ideas?"